I had the honor to serve as the coordinator for the Massage and Spa at the Wonderfully Made Family Camp. Having a background of camping, teaching/serving those with special needs, and also being a licensed massage therapist, I believe God especially equipped me for this position.
While the Massage and Spa are designed primarily for the adults, parents often bring their children in for a little “rejuvenation” time as well. It is heartwarming to see kids and parents painting their nails together or washing each other’s feet and applying lotion! Once we had a mother/daughter schedule massages together. This year we had a mom, dad, and youth with special needs schedule massage time together. While we are all in one room and everyone remains clothed, there are screens set up for privacy. As we three therapists began working out the knotted shoulders and tired feet, we were privileged to be a part of a lovely family. Mom and dad blissfully zoned out, but daughter chatted with her therapist, telling her about their adventures at camp. At one point she asked her mother about something in the story, but the therapist, not wanting to disturb mom’s moment of peace, replied, “She’s sleeping.” The daughter then called out to her father to engage him in conversation. “He’s sleeping, too,” I replied. The daughter then went on with her story to the therapist. I couldn’t hear just what the story was about, but the daughter’s voice told the kind of wonderful family of which she was a part.
The love among this family could be felt deep in our hearts and afterwards we all agreed it had been a blessing for us to be with them. We had come to serve and encourage such families, yet afterwards we therapists were the ones that had been renewed. It is truly an honor to serve the families that come to this camp.
~Erin Hefner, WMFC planning board member and keeper of a dad’s moment of peace