A Day at Camp

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, November 16.

By Andrew McChesney

G

oing to summer camp was a big adventure for Kingston.

Kingston is an Alaska Native boy who lives in the Alaskan village of Togiak.

When he went to Camp Polaris, he first climbed into an airplane and flew about 30 minutes to the city of Dillingham. Then he sat in a car and rode another 30 minutes to Lake Aleknagik. There, he boarded a motorboat and traveled 15 more minutes to the summer camp located at the base of Jackknife Mountain.

It wasn’t lonely traveling to Camp Polaris. About 10 kids from Togiak went to camp at the same time. Kingston and the other children didn’t really know much about God. They went because they were invited by a friendly Seventh-day Adventist woman named Josephine who also is from Togiak.

Kingston heard a lot about God at the camp. Every morning, the boys and girls had free time before breakfast to read the Bible and pray. The children took turns thanking God for the food at breakfast, lunch, and supper. Every morning and evening, the children heard stories about God at worship in the camp’s main lodge. Then, before bed, the camp counselors spoke about God at another worship in the camp cabins.

Kingston listened to what the grown-ups said about God. He listened to what the other children said about God. He didn’t say much. He just took it all in.

Each day at camp, the children divided into groups and took part in fun activities. One day, Kingston was with a group of kids learning about wilderness survival. Alaska is a huge place with lots of wilderness, so it was important to know how to survive.

Kingston listened as a staff member, Mr. Sam, showed how to build an outdoor fire. The children watched and helped, but Kingston was a little bored. He had learned how to build an outdoor fire a long time ago, when he was 6 years old.

Mr. Sam didn’t cook any food on his fire. But as the fire crackled and burned, Kingston remembered that his family roasted hamburgers, hotdogs, and wild meat over their fire. At that moment, he saw a brown ground squirrel. Ground squirrels look like other squirrels except they live in holes in the ground rather than in trees. Now, Kingston spotted a ground squirrel running from one hole to another.

Someone else also saw the squirrel and exclaimed, “Oh, look! How cute.”

Kingston looked surprised. Slowly, he shook his head. “No, not cute,” he said very seriously. “Delicious.”

But no one was going to eat ground squirrel for lunch at the camp. If Kingston was disappointed, he didn’t show it. He joined the other children in heartily eating baked potatoes, brown beans, macaroni and cheese, and garlic bread.

Afterward, he quickly did his chores and then had a few minutes to relax on the shore. Picking up a flat stone, he skipped it across the water. One, two, three, four, five bounces. Then … plunk! The stone disappeared into the water. Other kids saw Kingston skipping stones and came over to try as well. One, two … plunk! No one could get more skips than Kingston.

Kingston managed to throw a few more stones before the children were called to the next camp activity. It was time to swim. “Yay!” some children cheered. Kingston didn’t say anything. He just took it all in.

Camp Polaris only lasted a week, and all too soon Kingston went home. He had a lot to think about. Maybe he would give his heart to God.

Pray for all the children who go to Camp Polaris, that they may decide to give their hearts to God. Part of a previous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering helped improve Camp Polaris. You can help children in Alaska by giving to this quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath Offering on December 28.