Camp Barakel

Timing is everything. That’s what we say when something works out just right. I’m thinking we should say “God’s timing is everything”. I’ve seen this truth in action several times this summer.

At the end of each week of camp, by 8 AM Monday morning, the buses roll with campers returning home. On Tuesday morning the procedure is reversed and new campers are delivered to camp by 2:30 PM. On camp, and at several stops along the way the buses are put in park by applying the air brakes. There’s a large handle for this purpose on the driver’s dash board. Push, pull, push, pull, push, pull, goes the air brake handle many times on the two-day round trip. And then one week we learned that God’s timing is everything.

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We’re not there yet, but we have had opportunities to serve at Barakel when we can. This summer I have been able to transport campers as a driver of one of the Barakel buses four different weeks.

On one occasion as a bus driver returning campers at the end of a week of camp, I had an exchange with a young man. He was wearing sunglasses and kind of hung around the edges of the group when we stopped for lunch on our route south. This particular camper, I thought, didn’t look too happy. Maybe he wasn’t excited about returning home. It’s tough leaving new friends after an exciting week at Barakel. Or maybe he was trying to look cool. I couldn’t tell. As he stood in line to get back on my bus I gave him my biggest smile and said, “How was camp?” To my surprise, he instantly lit up with a smile in return and said, “It was great!”

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