American Missionary Fellowship

Knock. Knock.

“Come in, Carly,” I said to one of our great dorm leaders.

She told me she hated to bother me, but she had a camper who had been fighting with the other campers and wouldn’t listen to her.  Carly is a sweet young lady who will do anything for her campers. I went on my way to straighten out the camper, saying to myself, How dare she disrespect Carly?

I went up to the camper, Sue, and told her, “We don’t put up with this kind of attitude – fighting with campers and not listening to your dorm leader. If you don’t straighten up, I am going to call the sheriff!”

How could I have said such a thing? I know the sheriff well enough that he would have come, but when you say something you have to carry it out.  Oh, how I hoped she didn’t push it.

Then I told Sue, “You know what these actions show; don’t you?” Sue gave me a blank stare. “It shows me your heart, that it is hurt and rebellion has set in. You know how to get a clean heart; don’t you?”

She said no, and tears started to flow down her cheeks.

I asked, “Do you want to know how get a clean heart?”

Sue shook her head yes.

I had Carly take over, and she had the joy of leading her camper to a new life in Christ. Then we saw a smile on Sue’s face, ear to ear.  Praise the Lord!

Well, I hadn’t learned my lesson yet. The next week we had a young man who seemed to be doing pretty well until Thursday. Then he wanted to go home.

“Thomas, why the change? You have been doing such a great job!”

“My mom said all I had to stay was until Thursday, and then I could go home.”

I pleaded with him, “All you have is one more night. I know you can handle it!” 

He stomped off, slammed the door, and locked it. 

“Thomas, you open this door right now!”

No response from inside.

“Open it right now or I will call the sheriff!”

Where did that come from? How could I have said that again?

But the door opened up. Thank you, Lord!

I was getting ready for campfire, so as a couple of staff went by, I turned Thomas over to them. They encouraged, pleaded, reasoned, and did all the stuff they knew to do for a homesick boy.  I went to the campfire, got it started, and sat and prayed, “God, what do you want me to do tonight? What kind of service do you want? What do you want me to say?”

Then the Lord spoke: “Thomas doesn’t know me.” 

It hit me between the eyes. How could I have missed it? It seems to me 75% of homesickness is the Holy Spirit making campers uncomfortable and convicting them.

I headed back to Thomas, who was with his dorm leader and a head staff person. “Thomas, you don’t know Jesus as your Savior; do you?” 

He looked up at me and said, “No.”

“Do you want to know Jesus as Lord and Savior?”

“Yes.”

Later, Thomas got up at the campfire and told about accepting Jesus as Savior. Then on Friday, he wanted to come back as a helper at camp. 

I hope not to put my foot in my mouth like that again, but God used it for His glory, in spite of me.