“It was You Lord, who set all the boundaries of the Earth; You made both summer and winter.” ~Psalm 74:17:17
Winter 2013 was most definitely been a winter to remember for all of us at Camp DeWolfe! Coming out of the fall, the camp continued to welcome retreat groups from across New York and the camp was as prepared as it could be “Pre- Sandy”.
Camp DeWolfe’s story of Sandy was not unlike that of other Long Islanders or NYC residents. The storm hit, the waters rose, electricity cut off (11 days), trees came down, roofs blew off, and then the clean-up began. God graciously protected every building on site from every tree that fell (10 in total). However the beach and bluff took the largest “hit” loosing upwards of 30 feet in some areas.
While the restoration of the bluff will be a much needed and long task to undertake, the biggest surprise was that just after the storm, as all at camp felt so surrounded and protected by God, and thus compelled to do whatever we could to help our neighbors just 10-20 minutes away, who were experiencing such suffering.
The camp’s continued relief efforts include: offering free accommodation to displaced residents and supporting/housing the continual flow of relief volunteers who are still coming from across the country to assist in the clean-up. If Sandy was not a lesson big enough to be reminded that God is in control, 3 feet of snow then dropped in on the camp and kept us in for a week in January!
What a winter it has been! Looking back on the last months: the new roofs, the shoveling, and all the landscaping, all I can see now is God’s continued protection. Yes, it set us back in our own plans… But then I read the words of David, “It was You Lord who set all the boundaries of the Earth; You made both summer and winter.” God sets the boundaries of the Earth, which means we don’t have control over that, or even a say in the matter. Our role is to trust God’s plan, as He is the awesome creator and sustainer of the world. Our call is to be stewards of His Earth, and follow his lead where he has placed us.
My prayer is today is that we all can always trust the God who controls the seas, winds, snows and rain no matter the circumstance or situation and live into the peace HE freely provides.
-By Matthew Tees
Executive Director
