Man, it was great to go back to Camp Hensel for the retreat! Hensel Memorial Youth Camp is the proper name for this campground north of Austin, Texas. It is located on FM 1431 between Round Rock and Marble Falls. I had not been with our teens for six years. As I drove the last few miles, on that narrow winding road from Lago Vista to Travis Peak, I was drawn back in time and my mind flooded with the memories of the twenty five years I had directed the retreat. I started telling my 5 & 6 year old grandsons stories and pointing out places and letting them know things to anticipate. When we arrived, I got to take them up the hill to the top of the cliff that overlooks the camp. It was their first time, and I got to share the wonder and the joy!
For the past six years the retreat has been directed by my son-in-law, who is now in his thirties. My oldest daughter, his wife, was in charge of cooking for the over 200 that gathered for this time of spiritual renewal. The theme of the retreat was, "An Offer You Can't Refuse."
I went as kitchen help this time, but the first thing I got to do was use a pair of tweezers to pluck cactus needles from a young girl’s hand, dozens of them! She was very brave!
I got to watch how efficiently my daughter set up the kitchen and directed the staff. Everyone worked well together, and it was even fun doing the job behind the scenes. I got to see my first grandson in his first trip to Hensel as a camper, after 12 as a pre-camper. I got to see how beautifully my son-in-law and two other young men I helped train were leading the camp and conducting the sessions for our teens to learn more of God’s will for their lives. Folks, it gives great joy to recognize that everything is in good hands, with the next generation firmly and faithfully teaching yet another generation how to love God and follow the path of truth.
Of course, I sound like an old man remembering days of bliss. I had trouble trying to figure out how to share those joys with you in an article. Somewhere in the process, it occurred to me that in order to have those kinds of memories, you have to have done a lot of hard work and poured yourself out in order to make the memories. You had to endure obstacles and keep hammering on the anvil to help prepare the ones who will follow.
I am so glad I do not have to look back in regret. I am so glad there is someone ready and able to continue the traditions and teach the values. I pray this is not taken as my being boastful; it is more of a prayer of thanksgiving.
And I want it to be an encouragement. If you want to have pleasant memories, and a sense of “maybe it was all worth it”, then you have to do something. Your efforts today are the only way to do that. So work hard today, while it is day, because the night is coming (John 9:4, my paraphrase).
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