We Camp — part 5 in a series glancing back

“…and then the third week of June,” Joyce said, “we camp.”

Joyce and her husband Jim had been working with the youth group at this church for several years. Now she and I were sitting on their front porch. She was getting me oriented as the new associate pastor. I was taking notes, at least until she used that four letter word.

Still holding my pen to my notebook and trying to look calm, I blinked slowly and in what I hoped was a casual voice asked, “Camp?”

It came out way too quickly and in a loud, squeaky voice.

My family did not camp. My parents’ idea of roughing it had been a motel with the air conditioner on Low.

“Oh, sure! It’s great! We go to Little Grassy!”

Ah! Okay, good! Little Grassy! I’d been there. In high school. For like an overnight event. Once, I think, even for an entire weekend. A couple of the buildings were new and nice.

As I relaxed and scribbled something about June and Little Grassy, Joyce went right on.

“And the Hogans! They are so much fun!”

I wrote down their name and looked up from my notebook.

“The Hogans? Wow, Joyce, I’ve met a lot of people here the last week or so, but I don’t think I’ve met that family yet.”

She laughed.

Having no idea what was going on, I laughed, too.

She said, “The Hogans aren’t a family in our church, they’re where we stay at camp. You know, the third week of June.”

Turned out hogans were canvas tents shaped like airplane hangers with wooden floors that slept about five or six people.

Turned out going to church camp the third week of June was a great gift.

Turned out God wasn’t kidding when our Bibles say, See, I am doing a new thing! I am making a way in the wilderness! (Isaiah 43:19)

More about all of that later this week.

Meanwhile, what new thing is God doing that’s making a way in the wilderness for you today?

I’d love to hear from you about this.