There is a famous saying in Jamaica, “When man a plan, God a wipeout,” which means that sometimes we make plans about the future when God has other plans, and since He is God, His plans must come to pass. So was the case for our recent weekend outdoor camping event. In a previous entitled, “God Will Always Make A Way,” I spoke more about the event and how God provided the tents for my family and me through a stranger. I will give the link for that post at the end of this blog.
So we made it to camp a little after sunset on Friday, August 11th, and everything was fantastic. The other campers had already arrived and begun setting up their tents. The children were thrilled and excited; parents, including me, were also present to support our young children. There was adequate food and beverages, and our lovely Sister in Christ, Yolanda, took on the responsibility of feeding us. Since this was our first camping experience together as a church family and with young children, things flowed smoothly. My hubby and daughter pitched our tent in the beautiful backyards of our dear brother and Sister Thorpe (campsite), who were kind enough to share their home with us. May God bless them for their kindness. After supper, we had worship, and the children hung out with each other before heading off to bed. On Sabbath morning (Saturday), we woke up to the beautiful morning air and sunshine. It sure felt good sleeping outside in our tents, except that my bony areas were sore from the hardness of the ground. I guess the sleeping bags need more cushion. We then worshiped in our tents and got ready to start the day.
Our dearest Sister Yolanda had already started preparing breakfast, which was pancakes, eggs, and plantbased sausage ( for us vegan). Breakfast was a treat. The kids got together to do their first honors, decorating their birdhouses, a fun way to begin the day’s activities. Unfortunately, I did not read the group chats well and failed to bring my children’s birdhouse. My son was not happy about that; he felt left out. So, while the other people designed their birdhouses, he did the written portion of his assignment. Lunch followed, then another honor.
A bonfire and barbecue
The bonfire was probably the most anticipated event of the camp. My son could not wait and asked me uncountable times if it was almost time. It is so funny how children have no concept of time. Finally, the time came right after the sunset. We had a barbecue and then sat by the bonfire to play games and make s’mores. Everyone was happy to participate in the fun, and the children revealed their creative edges by coming up with a few exciting games/trivia for themselves. We had quite a lot of laughter as we enjoyed the time together as a church family. We headed to our tents relatively late to retire for the night. My husband and a few of the men decided to stay up and play dominoes.
I must have had enough of the “sleeping in a tent thing because I felt uncomfortable and unwilling to spend another night there. Besides, it felt hot and moist at the same time, yuck. I decided to trust how I felt and resorted to my car with my two younger children for the night. My eldest decided that she would sleep in the tent. Besides, she was excited to have some alone time.
At some point during the early morning (Sunday), the rain came, and it poured. It felt so good as I listened as it beat against the car’s roof. I was also happy that I decided to sleep in the car; I could not help but wonder how the others were doing in their tents. Then I remembered Brother Henry commented that he wanted to experience the rain while in the tent; he sure got his heart’s desire. My children and I slept well, and we woke around seven and headed towards the house when we saw everyone inside. It rained so heavily that all the tents flooded except Henry’s. Everything got soaked, including the beautifully painted birdhouses. Yet, everyone was in fantastic spirits, and we thought the rain improved the camping experience.
The lesson in all of this
Things happen that we have no control over. There are times in life when things will not go as anticipated, and it can make us feel disheartened and disappointed. Troubles will come, and they may even fall as heavily as rain at times, but if we can step back, allow ourselves to trust in the providences and power of God, who is in control of all things, and be confident that, if He allows or does not allow something to happen, then it is for a good reason, even though we may not understand we will find peace and comfort. Remember, God knows what we need, so do not allow the rain to get you down; use it as a motivation to keep going because a rainbow(hope) usually follows.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit” (Jeremiah 17:7-8).
Itz Holistically Wholesome 
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