In eastern North Carolina where I started life I can clearly remember the fearsome hurricane winds that blew through my hometown. I have watched the mighty oak in my backyard clash with those winds. It was amazing to witness the branches of that tree sweep the ground in the midst of those winds but its huge trunk never swayed. A few weeks ago during a windstorm I watched the trees that surround my mountain home. I was once again amazed as the trees swayed in the mighty wind. Outside my window I watched tree trunks move with the wind as though they were dancing with the breeze. I wondered during that storm if the various trees might collide as they moved so freely in the gust. Those powerful storms could bend the trees. The trees swayed along with the wind’s melody and when the storm was over the trees still stood their ground.
Some mighty winds have been blowing here at Cragmont. They were not winds of nature but of change. The dining hall expansion stands ready to welcome our campers this summer. My only regret is that we will have to wait for cooler weather for our campers to enjoy the rooms’ centerpiece, “Velma Hearth.” The room speaks of the warmth of fellowship with its joy and laughter in the midst of life’s stormy winds.
But with your help there is still more to do! Cragmont still needs to purchase furniture for Velma’s Hearth, to refurbish the interior of the “old” dining room and to update the kitchen equipment. So continue to remember us in your prayers and in your giving.
June also brings the mighty winds of summer campers. For seven weeks young people will breeze in, out and all around Cragmont. That’s a lot of mouths to feed, bodies to towel, legs to run, minds to challenge and souls to revive. Remember the money Cragmont receives for each camper does not cover the total cost of their week at Cragmont. It is your gifts that make that camp week possible for our youth. Remember these will be long, work-filled days for camp counselors and for the Cragmont staff. It is your prayer that will make this possible. Remember the winds of summer bring days of toil but also winds of change into the lives of our youth.