Plans and Better Plans
Kids get thirsty—especially during summer camp. When we’ve got 100 campers hiking, climbing, and running all over the place, it can be a challenge to keep them hydrated. For this reason, I saw a real need to install a drinking fountain at our ballfield area. Our friends Gary and Vesta Edmonds offered to cover the cost for a concrete, outdoor, double fountain, and it was delivered last Spring.
Decades ago, when the ballfield bathhouse was built, an underground water line was added to accommodate a fountain such as this. Finding it at this point seemed almost too much to hope for. But when some volunteers, Steve Woody and Bob Knutson, offered to try digging for it, they landed on the exact spot where the line was located!
Our plumber friend, Carl Mann, installed the fountain with the help of our facilities manager David Childers. There was just one problem. The fountain didn’t work. Summer was quickly approaching, and our much-needed drinking fountain was nothing more than a concrete reminder that no water was available.
Then, out of the blue, Troy Rollins at Northland Communications called to see if we had any need for water bottles. Northland ended up buying custom-printed water bottles for every one of our 600 campers this summer. So, as the fountain sat dry all summer long, the campers were able to carry water with them everywhere they went, and they had a great souvenir to take home at the end of the week.
At the end of the summer, after checking and rechecking every connection on the fountain, Carl finally was able to reach the drinking fountain manufacturer by phone. Troubleshooting together, they finally determined that a part had been mislabeled at the factory and was installed backwards. After making the correction, we finally had water!
My plan had been to have a drinking fountain this summer, but God had better plans. He involved no fewer than eight people in the process and brought glory to His name. It’s a great reminder that each of us has a vital role to fill in the Kingdom of God. That includes you!
#summercamp #drinkingfountain #waterbottles #NorthlandCommunications #kingdomofGod
