catapult magazine

camping is not optional 2002

Silver Lake, Michigan

by Grant Elgersma

Summer is over. Another long stretch of bright blue days has passed you by. Perhaps now is the moment to recapture some of the good times that were had this year by several members and friends of *cino at the Second Annual camping is not optional Event. And it was an event. I know many of you had your doubts as your tents were collapsing around you at 2 a.m. on the 21st of June. But the rainstorm of that first night made us strong, it was a character builder that enabled us to survive the next two days of unadulterated fun and excitement!

As the rain subsided Saturday morning and the clouds disappeared, it became clear that we would indeed make it to the top of the Silver Lake Sand Dunes, if only we could reach a consensus as to which peak was actually the highest. As we climbed closer to the sun, our wintered white skin shone brightly, making us look like a host of angels on a very, very dark night. The slightly-warmer-than-Lake Michigan waters of Silver Lake felt good and we were happy for God's world and thankful for each other.

One of the perks of the camping is not optional Event is the people. For those who hate camping and everything camping-related, the people may be the only perk! It was great to meet old friends, old friends? husbands-to-be and to develop new friendships with people who had a kingdom vision in common. Despite only just meeting each other, some for the first time, conversation came easily. After watching the sunset over Lake Michigan, we gathered around the campfire on Saturday night and spoke about our joys and struggles as Christians. We talked about what we had learned so far, what we'd still like to learn, what we wanted to see change, what we hoped would always stay the same. Basically, we discussed things exactly as we do on *cino, only face to face, and with marshmallows in our mouths.

Our tents stayed in their full and upright positions throughout that night and we awoke Sunday morning to pancakes. There was no house of worship in sight, only us. So we opened the Bible, read and talked about the idea of witness, about how our task is to look for and to point out God's grace for others and for ourselves. We talked about how we often need to see what other Christians are doing in order to feel part of a larger body of Believers. We agreed that camping events like this help us feel that way, and that the *cino web site effectively brings us together when we're not camping. So we decided to camp again next summer, when the sky is bluer, the sun warmer and the people … perkier(?). Hope to see you next year.