I Found God At Summer Camp
“I Am Third…”
Guest Post by Barbara Chiles
It was the summer of 1956, and I was a seven-year-old living in Toledo, Ohio with my two sisters and my parents. As summer approached, my mother informed me that she had signed me up for the two week girls' session at YMCA Camp Storer in southwest Michigan. I was psyched! I couldn’t wait for two weeks at a camp on a lake with horses, water skiing, sailing, canoeing, cookouts and overnight trips. Give me my flashlight and bug spray - I was ready to go.
As a seven-year-old first year camper, I was assigned to Indian Village. My log cabin was named Ottawa and it had a fireplace and built-in log bunk beds. As we settled into our bunks the first night, our counselor , Jan, filled us in on some CampStorer history. "Do any of you know the camp motto?" she asked. None of us had any clue. Jan informed us that every YMCA camp in the nation has the same motto. That seemed strange to me because all the camps were in different locations with unique facilities. Jan informed us that the camp motto was "I'm Third".
“What does that mean?" I blurted out. "I'm first. I'm not third." And who is second? I just didn't get it. As we all nodded off to sleep, counselor Jan said she was sure by the end of the two-week session some of us would understand the true meaning of the motto.
I hit the ground running the next morning and spent my entire day down on the waterfront. I swam across Stony Lake with my swimming class, took out a sunfish sailboat for a spin, water skied behind the camp speedboat, kayaked, and then closed out the day with evening vespers in the big campfire ring down by the lake. As the sun set in the west and kissed Stoney Lake I reflected on what had been a glorious day out in nature. I felt a oneness with the magnificence of the outdoors. As I climbed into my bunk, I still had not figured out what "I'm Third" meant but I continued to think about the camp motto.
At the end of the first week, Jan told us we were going on an overnight trip on horseback. The day of the pack trip we tied sleeping bags on the back of our saddles, mounted up, and galloped off down the trail. We hadn't been on the trail very long when Wrangler Judy rode up and halted our procession.. "Look at that,” Wrangler Judy barked at the group. Behind us, in the middle of the trail was an unrolled sleeping bag. "Who's missing their sleeping bag?" Wrangler Judy inquired. "It's Chiles,” the campers yelled in unison. “She has no sleeping bag on the back of her saddle." As the noble steeds galloped over my sleeping bag, their hooves had shredded the bag.
That night at the campsite, I helped build the fire so dinner could be cooked and then I accompanied Wrangler Judy to feed and care for the horses. When we got back to the campout site I noticed everyone was eating. The sloppy joes, green beans, and apple crisp smelled decadent. I was so hungry I would have eaten anything.
As I knelt down by the fire to begin cooking my meal, one of my camp pals, Gail, came over and said, "I cooked a plate of food for you and it is over on the picnic table." With a tear in my eye I thanked her. She replied, "We all appreciated that you built the fire and helped take care of the horses."
After singing around the campfire and telling stories, it was time to get ready for bed. This brought the reminder of my lost sleeping bag. I made a decision to curl up near the fire and just try to get through the night until a camper named Linda approached me with a plan. She said she and Gail would be willing to unzip their sleeping bags and zip them together to make enough room for me.
As we laid in the sleeping bag under the stars I was overcome by the beauty of everything surrounding me. It was August in Michigan and the Northern Lights were out. The glory of the outdoors was powerful. Suddenly I realized Who was number one and what the first part of the camp motto meant. God is first--the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Now who was second? As I dozed off I thought about who had fed me that night and who had offered me shelter. I had my answer.
The final week flew by way too fast and before I knew it, final campfire night was here. I sat in the campfire ring and just thought how much I loved everything about camp and what a wondrous world God had created. As the final campfire ended, I turned to Counselor Jan and said, "God's first, the other guy's second and I'm Third." She smiled, nodded and gave me a hug.
I went home to Toledo refreshed and encouraged in my walk with our God at camp. From then on "I'm Third" became my own motto and it guided my life. It taught me to put the lives of others ahead of my own. By living the motto, I try to help others in any way I can. I get such joy out of giving. God is my hope. God is my light. God is my strength.
My personal relationship with my Savior Jesus Christ began that summer of 1956 at Camp Storer.
Special thanks to my friend Barb Chiles for sharing her story in this guest post.