When it is spring, I feel hopeful: it seems like new life is bursting forth all around us. Grass is getting greener and growing, flowers pop up anew. But what I have realized over the last few weeks is that I tend to think of spring from an annual, not a perennial perspective. When spring arrives, I tend to think that this is all fresh and new and delightful. In reality, very little of how we usually experience spring is new, growing for only one season as annual plants do. Instead, our spring is influenced by a multitude of perennial plants, which have for a time moved underground to protect themselves from the harsher elements of winter. What we see in spring is not necessarily new life, but the perseverance of life through more difficult seasons. In the same way, what we see in the fall is not plants dying, but preparation. We can give thanks to God for the preparation and perseverance of creation!

Since DuBois Center made the decision that summer camps would not happen in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic approximately a year ago, much has been persevering in preparation for the future. At our last Outdoor Ministry Team meeting, Nancy Wagner, chair of OMT, pointed out all of the ways that our camp, DuBois Center, has ministered to its community and extended our care for creation in this more difficult season. From partnering with Hoyleton ministries, to working on the property, to Green DuBois’ bee project and removal of invasive species around our property, to the tireless work of our marketing team, DuBois Center has persevered and served God’s mission well. In addition, it has prepared for the new possibilities that spring has to offer. Thanks be to God!