Red Jeep Journal
April 20, 2017
Hope America is an Adult
Our baby turned 18 today so we enjoyed our annual birthday brunch together. She is probably headed to the Oregon coast in the fall to attend a Bible Institute.
This Sunday at Gilead in Taylor
This Sunday morning at 10:30 I will preach in the morning worship service at Gilead Baptist in Taylor. Last week I drove to Bremen, Indiana and spoke three times on Easter Sunday morning. It was a beautiful drive and allowed me to visit with my folks the night before. This summer I will be in a camp or conference every week except the July 4th week. Imagine preaching every morning and every evening almost every day this summer. Speaking of camp, here is a story from camp that will help you see how powerful the camp experience can be.
One of the Most Wonderful Places on Earth
A few summers ago at Camp, a teenaged boy camper came up to me to talk after chapel. He was an eager camper. He was verbal and engaged. His family situation was very difficult because mom had died that year and his dad had troubles of his own beyond being a single dad.
“What church do you attend?” I asked.
”I don’t really go to church but I used to go to AWANA and the people from the church paid my way to camp,”
Our daughter Hope was a camper that week. One evening she was sick and I took her to town for medicine. It was late at night when we drove back toward camp through the night. The car was quiet. The car lights shown out onto the dark road ahead.
“Dad.”
“What, Hope?”
“You know that boy who came up to talk to you after chapel?”
“Yes?”
“He caught me out in the woods during ambush tonight…”
“Really?”
“We walked in together. He said something I thought you should know…”
“What did he say, Hope?” I asked
“We were just walking in and he said, ‘Isn’t this the most wonderful place in the world. Everyone loves you here and they all talk about Jesus. I just love this place.’ ”
Later in the week I sat with the boy and we dangled our feet in the lake and talked. I encouraged him to return to volunteer as a worker and attend High School week the next summer.
The week after camp his dad called me and told me that he picked him up from camp and drove to Indianapolis. Dad said; “He talked non-stop about camp all the way to Indianapolis.
When I returned to camp the next summer they told me that the boy already spent two weeks at camp that summer. Maybe someday he will be the camp speaker—it really is one of the most wonderful places on earth. Everyone loves you there and they all talk about Jesus all the time.
Ken Pierpont
Granville Cottage
Riverview, Michigan
April 20, 2017