Home sickness is a common condition for first time campers at any summer camp. Baptist Park, which I direct in the summers, is no exception. And the homesickness bug hit 13 year old Jade (not her real name) with a vengeance this summer. It was her first time away from home, where she clearly has typical oldest daughter responsibilities, and she had a very hard, tear-filled first 24 hours at camp.
As is often the case, her counselors, in spite of doing an outstanding job with her, felt like there should be a quick resolution, or at least a step by step procedure to cure her home sickness, but there is not. Simply put, it's not a real sickness, so there is no real 'cure'. Every homesick kid is different. And Jade wasn't making it easy, as she refused to get involved in any activities.
On the second night of camp we did a counselor hunt: a massive game of hide and seek in the dark covering all 40 cleared acres of the grounds. It is a perennial favorite, but, true to form, Jade refused to leave the Tabernacle with her team to go searching. For the first several minutes of the activity, it was just she and I in the "Tab". I asked her about camp and home. She spoke a lot about her pets, and how her cat sleeps with her at night.
"You know, I have a rabbit that lives in the craft building, " I told her. "I know Jeremiah isn't a cat, but if you ever miss your cat from home, you can snuggle Jeremiah. He needs the extra attention when I'm so busy all day." I suddenly saw a crack in her armor. She wiped away the tears from her cheeks, and almost smiled.
"In fact," I went on, "you know we're doing a nursing home visit Friday, and I'd like you to learn the rabbit magic trick and be the one who performs it. I need to make sure it's done by someone who is good with animals." By the time the counselor hunt was winding down, I was confident her homesickness had been vanquished, and, in retrospect, it truly was the beginning of the end of this non-medical, but all too real ailment.
The rest of the week, she has given Jeremiah lots of attention, sought me out to speak with me about him, but also about her day in general. She is participating. One night I even heard her say she was excited to try archery the next afternoon; and this from a kid who participated in no activities up to this point.
More and more, the jails and hospitals we minister in use pet therapy, and now more than ever, I understand why. Who knew God would choose to use something as simple as a bunny to heal a sad little girl's heart. But I'm so glad he did.
So is Jade.
I think Jeremiah is, too.