Light in a storm

The colossal raindrops were striking my face with the force of a hammer, and the temperature was dropping fast. The word dark doesn’t even begin to describe the night that was so thirsty for light, that the beam of my flashlight was devoured by the atmosphere as soon as it left, rendering the tool practically useless. The storm by itself was deafening, the rain and sleet pummeling into the earth, the thunder cracking and rolling, and the high winds roaring with the energy of a freight train. Sirens sounded in every direction, and the lives of 400 young Cub Scouts, their leaders, and my camp staff depended on me being able to hear my two-way radio, and issue orders to coordinate this emergency response. It was 2:30 in the morning, and a tornado was headed our way.

When campers check into camp, we go over emergency procedures. For a tornado, there was only one building at camp strong enough to stand up to the forces, so everyone is to meet there. At night, in cases such as this one, campers are told to stay in their campsites, and a staff member will collect them and escort them to the safe area. This reduces risk of Scouts becoming lost in the dark, and puts me in direct communication with every unit since every staff member has a radio.

After mobilizing my staff, I listen as each one checks in with me as they report to their assigned site, reporting that all are accounted for, and they were heading for the safe area. Then the call came, “Apache Campsite is empty.” I have 40 souls missing. I call my assistant in the safe area to see if the group went there without waiting for an escort. Negative. And on top of that, one of the groups that had just been escorted there miscounted kids back at the campsite, and they are missing a boy. The wind screamed and a tree fell fifty feet in front of me, blocking my path. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and prayed. “Heavenly Father, I need your guidance now, more than ever. Work through me to keep these boys safe, and guide me to those who need finding. Amen.”

After opening my eyes, I felt God’s presence immediately. All stress and worry had left me. Everything would work out. Not a minute had gone by after praying that I saw flashlights off in the distance. It was the missing group from Apache. They left their campsite when things started to get bad, but took the wrong trail in the dark since they hadn’t waited for an escort. I directed staff to get them to safety, while I went to the other campsites clearing them one by one. Guess who I found in his tent, hiding under his cot, wrapped up in a sleeping bag? The lost Scout who didn’t leave with his group.

Nobody was seriously injured that night, and though we did have serious wind and rain, the tornado ended up passing us by. This experience reminded me that we don’t have to wait for God; God is always here. When we get caught up in the excitement of life, we just need to focus on God, and follow God's lead. God is always your light in a storm.

Ken Brooks works for the Boy Scouts of America and is an auxiliarist in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Ken and his wife, Katie, are members at St. Paul.