Senior High Hume/SD 2012 End Day 1

Well,

As if I didn't already believe it, I KNOW God has something huge in store for us this week. Today was a very difficult day, but ended very well.

The check in process at the church went pretty well overall. We got out at a reasonable time, and made it to our first traditional stop at the Love's in Gila Bend. All was grand....and then....it started.....

About 15 miles outside of Gila Bend, Bus 2, slowed WAY down and eventually had to pull over...seems it's fuel injector went bad...after about 15 minutes, a highway patrol pulled over. We had just been in contact w/ the bus company, and they were trying to dispatch a bus from Phoenix, but that was at least 90 mins to 2 hours of a wait. I grabbed the girls off that bus and reloaded them onto bus 1, chivalry isn't dead...I talked the Highway Patrol officer (very cool dude) into screening traffic for us and letting Bus 2 turn around on one of the sand bars they use. Bus 2 limped back to Gila Bend for a 2+ hour wait...and a replacement bus (Bus 3)

Okay, not too bad, I've got men I trust with our kids on that bus...we'll head to Yuma for lunch, get an update and go from there...

We (Bus 1) got to Yuma, decided it was going to be too long of a wait, and headed out. Things were going swell...as we started to climb the mountains (known as Devil's Canyon, btw)...we got about 5 miles from the top and I looked down at the bus's engine temp gauge. Now, I'm no mechanical genius, but I've watched enough movies to know that when the little hand thingy is pegged to the far edge of ANY red area, that's  not good. I pointed it out to one of our staff people, and sure enough, within 3 minutes we had a dead engine.

Turns out Bus 1 had lost not one, not two, but all three belts going from the generator to the engine and the cooling fan...NO BUENO...y MUY CALIENTE!

So we too began a nearly 2 hour wait...only, unlike Bus 1, we were out in the heat. Fortunately, it was only about 100 degrees, and there was actually a pretty consistent breeze coming through the mountains. The kids were completely safe, off the side of the road. We had road markers out, and we all stayed on the mountain side of the bus, and didn't go beyond either end of the bus. A motorist even stopped and gave us a couple cases of (warm) water! Pretty neat!

The plan that unfolded was that Bus 3, which had stopped to pick up the belts we needed, was apparently (the two bus drivers) going to try and do a fix...I'd had no luck getting in touch with the company we contracted with...

At one point, another bus with another youth group stopped...apparently their bus driver knew our driver (different companies). The Youth Pastor was a friend of mine, and he helped us in a big way by taking Missy and Mariah with him so they could get our registration at camp taken care of. (This is usually at least a 1 hour process, so it was a huge help!)

We were still waiting for Bus 3, when an empty coach (Bus 4) pulled up! He had just dropped off some service men in Yuma and was heading back to San Diego. He offered to help, and since I couldn't get a hold of our bus company, I made an executive decision...I asked the driver of the empty coach what he/his company would charge, and he said, "just take up a collection, that'll be fine". I didn't feel good about asking our students to dig into their pockets, they were already "paying the price" for the broken down bus. So I asked him if $200 would be okay, and he very humbly and willingly said yes. We loaded up all the gear from Bus 1 and were back on our way in Bus 4.

Bus 3 ended up showing up at Bus 1 about 45 minutes after we left it on the side of the road...I had instructed Scott (my right hand man, and Charles (Bus 1 Driver) and Ralph (Bus 2 and 3 driver) that I just wanted them to drop the belts and get the rest of our group at camp. "Charles, I just met you, and I like you a lot. But I've known these kids a lot longer, and I love them. Not to mention I know their parents want their kids at camp, not here on the side of a freeway in 100 degree heat." He practically beat me to my point, as he said I needed to get all of the group to camp asap.

As we came into San Diego, we (Bus 4) made one quick stop so I could pick up a run around vehicle from a friend of mine. It's always nice to have a car for emergency trips to the store, etc...

Bus 3 made good time and we actually all arrived  at camp within about 25 minutes of each other. In plenty of time for dinner, and the "Opener"..the beginning of camp.

The attitudes of these young people were/are amazing. They really stepped up, I'm very, very proud of them.

As always, the Hume/SD staff was amazing, and really were very empathetic and accommodating.

We got the kids fed and then headed to the first counselor meeting of the week, and sadly, the last one for my friend Cliff Carey, one of the main founding forces of Hume/SD. After 15 years with Hume Lake Ministries, Cliff is about to embark on a whole new adventure in life. He is truly one of my dearest friends, and I will miss him at these camps. I was honored to be asked, along with a couple other Hume/SD longtimers, to pray for Cliff. We put our hands on him, and it was an emotional few minutes for me. This is a good man...

After the meeting was our first chapel..and the Opener! Classic Hume crazy, innovative and just plain fun. Really set up the theme this week as we look at Moses and the Wandering Israelites through the mind of a 7 year old girl...just cool!

Our speaker this week is Chris Simning. I've been fortunate enough to hear him as a camp speaker a few other times, and your kids are in for a treat! Chris has a very rare nerve disorder, along with Cerebral Palsy and a couple other medical issues. But his testimony is amazing, and he can bring the Word! He has already received a standing ovation, and the week is only gonna get better.

Little bit of free time after chapel, and then to the dorm. We had a good quick "guys' time" and then off to bed...

I'm really not feeling well at all (many of you know I began getting sick on Friday), but I'm loading up on Emergen-C, Day/Niquil, and a few other pills my amazing staff (lots of moms and dads!) keep giving me...masking most of the symptoms, and God is so good. He'll give me the energy I need!

Long day/night...but I KNOW it's gonna be a great week! Why? Because...

God Rulz!

TN