Several years ago, Cheryl Adels and her family entered what she calls “a long season of turmoil.” After 17 years of marriage, Cheryl found herself single again and left to care for three teenage children.
“In addition, my mother became ill, I had no money and no job, and we ultimately had to sell the family home,” says Cheryl. “I was in crisis.”
So when a longtime friend encouraged her to come to Sandy Cove for Family Camp, she says she knew she’d never be able to afford it. “People in my situation don’t think much about vacation; it’s really seen as a luxury item.”
Cheryl says she scraped together some money for a down payment, and applied for a Single Parent scholarship.
“I arrived tired and broken, but this was also the first time in a long time that I found some much-need rest, both spiritual and physical! I was able to have fun; I didn’t have to worry about cooking. In fact, I didn’t have to worry about anything. I just enjoyed my children and the teaching.”
Cheryl says her kids loved the activities, and the group bonded with other families. One dad even took her boys on a hike.
“I had a lot to figure out that first summer; there were many decisions to be made, but I was able to begin to process our new reality and be reminded that God was still faithful and, yes, Jesus Never Fails.”
Since that first summer, the Single Parent Scholarship Fund has been instrumental in helping the Adels family return to Family Camp each year.
“When you ask how Sandy Cove has brought us closer to God, I would answer that for our family, it is not so much a transformation, but more of a sustaining of our faith in Christ. Because of this, my children and I know we can glorify God even in our vacations and play.”
Every Friday morning of Family Camp, before families pack their vehicles and head home, memories of the week are summed up through personal testimonies offered by the guests. Cheryl shared hers, a praise of God’s faithfulness and beauty out of ashes.
“This summer, I booked our Family Camp vacation for next year, and I’m paying for it on my own,” she told the crowd. “I never thought I’d be able to do this, and it represents a full circle for me and my family. I’m so happy to know that I have freed up that space for another single-parent family to be blessed by the same ministry.”
