By: Dr. John Boal, Executive Director
Monday, January 9th, was planned to be a typical day after winter campers left, and the prep for the following weekend was well underway. There was rain in the forecast, which was going to be an answer to prayer. Well, as it turned out, some 10 inches of rain later, which some have called a 200-year rain event, water came rushing through camp and began to do damage around the Lake property. The Hume team sprang into action. A call went out at 9:30 am for a sandbagging team to fill bags. The radio communication and the teamwork were a thing to behold. In those hours, job descriptions didn’t matter; what mattered was keeping damage to camp to a minimum.
By noon, the water continued to rise. A significant part of bus parking had been washed away, a massive tree was threatening several homes, and the new culvert on Hume road had washed away; the way into camp was cut off. A command center was set up, and priorities were outlined. First, is everyone safe and accounted for? Second, is critical property protected? Finally, what’s the plan moving forward?
As the week unfolded, God’s work became apparent. Everyone was safe and accounted for, water was diverted from buildings, damage assessments continued, and God directed the hearts of public officials from the forest service, county officials, and federal government to get the road to Hume open and passable by 4 pm Friday afternoon. Just in time for Winter Camp guests to arrive.
As I reflect on the events of that week, I walk away with three reminders of God’s sovereign protection of His ministry here at Hume.
- We needed water, and He supplied it.
- He kept everyone safe and no one was injured.
- Winter camp happened and three young men came to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior.
Yes, there was damage but I walk away knowing God will supply all that we need to make repairs, and that He holds this place safe in the palm of His hand.
Gods got this until all hear,
Dr. John Boal
Would you consider donating to these unforeseen costs? Thank you for praying for the ministry of Hume and for your generous financial support!