Letters To Camp

For many years, all of our kids attended summer camp at Camp Barnabas, a Christian camp for kids with disabilities and their siblings near Springfield, Missouri.

When packing last night for our trip west tomorrow, Ping-Hwei found in a suitcase a handful of letters we sent Benjamin while he was at camp in 2006. Murray’s braille letters were a delight.

In one he wrote out the words to “Daisy, Daisy, Give me your Answer, do,” then instructed Benjamin to sing it to a counselor or nurse.

In another letter, he wrote out the words to “B-I-N-G-O,” with a few changes. “I had a donkey whose name was Benjie, B-E-N-J-I-E . . .”

Then there was this note from Murray, as he waited at his Mom’s house in Branson, Missouri while the kids were at Camp Barnabas.

“Benjomaster,

“Sounds like a kitchen appliance, doesn’t it?

“What’s up today? We’re just kind of lazing around, waiting for you guys to come back. When you guys get back, we have a lot planned.

“First, we are going to rent a houseboat and go to Arkansas. Then we’re going to jump out of the boat and swim to Louisiana, then we will take a train to Texas.

“After resting, we will take a hot air balloon to New Mexico. After parachuting out of the balloon, we will take pedal cars to Arizona. Next we will lie on the ground and roll to California.

“Then hop, skip and jump to Nevada, then completely jump over Nevada, Utah and Colorado. Then we will skateboard through Kansas and back to Branson. Get some rest. This trip will take a lot of energy.

“Pa.”