Bible Camp and Butterflies
During the summer of 1983, I went to Sugar Creek Bible Camp. It was for our confirmation class and all my friends were going. Unfortunately, 2 weeks before leaving for camp, I came down with chicken pocks.
To go to camp, we needed to obtain a medical release form, but my doctor wouldn’t sign it. I was officially not contagious as of the day I was to leave for camp. So – Mom decided that I was going to be sent anyway.
When I got to camp, there was a little bit of confusion as to what we were going to do without the medical release, but after phone calls between the camp director, mom, and the doctor, I was allowed to stay. I’m sure in this day and age, that would not have been permitted.
When I left for camp, I had been cooped up in the house suffering with huge chicken pock lesions all over my body. I was pasty white and now had scabs covering many parts of me. I was a sight.
This bible camp was held in the middle of the woods. Our only shower consisted of swimming in the pool every day. It was the epitome of a commune with Jesus environment. Everything around us appeared to be untouched by modern advances. We slept on the ground and cooked over the fire. We had no electricity, no running water. It was quiet and serene.
I remember one day, we were sent out to find a place where we could think and pray. I found an area with butterflies and held out my finger. One of the monarchs landed on my finger and stood there for a few minutes. It was a moment of peace and tranquility. This was a place that made me feel like no one and nothing could get in my way of praying.
Other than that one event, the only other significant thing I remember about the entire experience was that when we would go swimming because I had just recovered from chicken pox, I was very self-conscious about how I looked. In response, my counselor would give me the sweatshirt she had been wearing all day and let me wear it over my swimsuit to cover myself up.
I’m sure we had bible lessons and other such things, but with my “swiss-cheese” memory, these are the things that stand out to me today. Since that time, I’ve had several other “religious” or “spiritual” events in my life, but we’ll save those for another story.
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