2,848 days and counting
by Captain Patricia Anderson
I love serving God as an officer in The Salvation Army. There are so many incredible moments in fulltime ministry.
As we look forward to summer, I can’t help but think of just such a moment at camp. During the pandemic, when having traditional camp wasn’t possible, we held small group retreats. One corps brought a few children to experience camp for the first time. We did all the usual things like visiting the petting farm, exploring the outdoors, making crafts, and riding the pontoon boat.
A brother and sister caught my attention. The brother didn’t seem like he wanted to be there and was a little stand-offish. The sister seemed like she wanted to be at camp but was reserved and followed her older brother. At our pool, we have a large yellow waterslide that is a favorite of campers. The sister, probably 6 or 7, would go to the top but would get nervous and go back down the ladder. She probably did this 20 to 30 times during the three-day camp. The camp staff and I offered encouragement, but she would back out every time.
The last night of camp, we did Jesus Theater and invited the children to accept Jesus as their Savior. The brother went to the altar and soon was joined by his sister. They both wanted Jesus in theirhearts. Those two kids were different at the pool that night. He was more free, and they both had joy. That young girl started her waterslide routine. It was my turn to spot the top of the slide and as she came back up, looking nervous, I asked if I could pray for her. When we were done, her brother signaled he was ready to catch her at the end of the slide. I asked if she wanted to go down. She nodded, and off she went. The whole camp erupted in cheers! We were all so happy for her, and from that moment on we could not get her to stop going down that slide.
But it’s really about much more than the slide. It’s about leading children to the source of joy, courage and strength to face anything before them in life. That’s what I love about being an officer.
