February 1 – “Camp scare”

I spent some time yesterday working on preparations for youth camp this summer.  We signed up last year to return to the mountains of Glorieta, New Mexico.  The main thing was getting together the next letter to the kids and to parents about signing up.  Our leadership team was pretty excited about continuing our church tradition of sending as many students as possible.  Last year at camp we reserved fifteen spots, and the team wanted to see if we could get five more as a challenge to the church.  Pretty exciting attitude.

But we hit a snag.  When Mike called to pay our deposit, they couldn’t find any record that we had ever made one.  The card we used to sign up at camp was nowhere to be found.  No record.  No reservation.  None.  They checked through everything they could think of, but still nothing.  Mike even called me to verify the week.  He said he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.  After all the initial excitement and now we wouldn’t get to go at all. 

But then the person he was talking to asked, “How many did you have registered?”  Mike indicated that we registered fifteen but were interested in having twenty spots.  Cautiously he asked, “Do you by any chance have that many available?”  Perkily, the answer came, “Of course.  In fact we have 200 spots available that week.”  Poor Mike.  After that initial heart-stopping declaration, now reprieve.  I don’t think he said it out loud, but I’m sure he was thinking, “Why didn’t you just say that up front and save me all this grief?” 

 We have our twenty spots.  We are reserved.  Now we need the kids to sign up.  And their friends.  Know anyone who wants to go to camp?

Psalms 63:2-5 says, “I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.  Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.  My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.”

Father, thank you for this little miracle that could turn into a huge, life-changing one for some teenager that gets to go to camp this year.  Amen.