My life, a diary in the making part 7.

Summer 1998 the opportunity at my church to go to summer camp came around. First I had never been to summer camp before and I felt compelled to go and help. So I traveled to Laurel Highlands park in Pennsylvania. Our church had 2 kids going, what a trip it was going to be. Well I arrive there and Pastor Chet decides that I was going to be a counselor, now I had not been saved very long and felt like I was completely unable to council these kids. God new that I had enough problems of my own, how in the world was I going to help these kids? Well it was funny I felt so inadequate to do this job but I decided that God knew what He was doing and decided that I would follow through. First day in, we get all settled and we end up in chapel that night all going good so far.

The next day, after lunch is the cross cabin games, mondo ball. If you don't know what mondo ball is here's the deal. It is a ball that is 6' tall and is played on a football field. It is played by one cabin pushing the ball across another cabins end zone. Sounds simple well it is if you have all the biggest players in camp. Pastor Chet in his infinite wisdom the day before decided to give my cabin 2 tall and skinny kids, myself and 4 young kids. I was looking at the other team and thinking that we were going to get run over, so I devised a plan. I told the kids I would take care of the big kids, just run the ball as fast as they could to the other side of the field and don't look back. Well we are in the middle of the field, 15 feet from the ball when the whistle is blown. Everybody runs to the ball, we hit the ball and cause it to deadlock right where it is, knowing that this was just a matter of a few seconds before my kids get run over, I let go of the ball and run around to the other side of the ball and grab the ankles of 3 of the bigger kids and they fall to the ground, and there goes my team to the end zone. It was brilliant, but we were playing to 5 points and after 3 times they got the point and was not going to fall for it again, as a matter of fact it was tough the third time. So I think there was one time they scored and my team was getting really tired, so I devised another cunning plan. This time I told the two smallest kids that when we hit the ball I was going to toss them over the ball and they would peal the guys off from the other side. So we hit the ball and here they go over the ball and we run the ball to the end zone for the win. Good job right? Right. So we win but not over the whole group of teams, we had to play again. So another set of teams play and then we had to play the winner. OK so here we are 2nd day in and we are playing this game, final round 5 points stands in the way of winning. I was not going to lose, I was weighing in about 130 and the whole team with me was weighing in about 500 pounds, and 2 guys on the opposing team were weighing in at that. So we get out there and 1 of each of my plays work that's 2 points. The big guys roll over us 2 times, the score is even. next time we hit the ball it decides to go over my whole team, I fall to the ground under the ball, in the process I was trampled by 3-4 of those big guys. I am out of the game, broken ribs, no joke I was going home for sure. I could not breath, nor could I stand.

So here we are game is over, big team won, no problem they were great kids and deserved the win. But I was out of commission I could barely make it to eat dinner. I was planning my trip home, but wait God was planning something entirely different. We go to chapel that night and I could barely stand. I was in so much pain that it was not funny. I had some ribs broken before and knew that it takes months to get over it. I was so bummed, standing in chapel, they start singing praise songs and the Holy Spirit was moving, I could feel Him in the place. All of a sudden in the middle of it Pastor Chet starts praying, I am standing in the back of the room, 3rd row from the back to be exact and someone lays a hand on my busted rib side. Man did it hurt, I could not even turn around. He kept praying and I was feeling better as a matter of fact the pain left, I started to stand up straight, and then I looked under my shirt and the bruising was gone. No joke, I was staying for the rest of the week. At that moment I turned around and was going to hug the person behind me for laying hands on me. There was no body there, I was the only guy back there, everyone else in the praise and worship time had made their way up front. So I thanked God for my first time being healed. I have known people that have been healed but not until you have it happen to yourself, do you understand the mighty power of the living God. So if you need a healing go to the one who can do the healing, I am sure He has a better plan for your future than you do.