The Boiler and Youth Camp

This is a story about a related series of answers to prayer that took place early in my christian experience.

I loved the out-of-doors and I loved children, so if there were two things that I thought were excellent ideas, it was when our pastor announced that they would be holding a Youth Camp out at Camp Luther in Hatzic in Mission, and our youth minister annouced that there would be a Friday barbeque.

The only problem with all this was that I had a new job: A really good paying one, but a union job where I had no seniority. There was no way that I had the seniority to get vacation time during the summer months: I was too low down on the totem pole. So Youth Camp was unlikely to work out.

Then there was the fact that the barbeque was on a Friday when I was on afternoon shift. That wouldn't work, either!

On the Sunday that they announced all this, they announced the barbeque that coming Friday, and a planning meeting for the Youth Camp the week following, on a Wed night. It happened that my afternoon shift was two weeks long, so I should not be able to make either.

I was really disappointed at this, but I prayed and told God how I felt, told Him that I really had wanted to go to these things, but that it looked like it wouldn't work out. I had discovered, however, that God had a way of working things out when He wanted to, so I put it in His hands, and told him that if he made it possible for me to make the planning meeting for the Youth Camp, that I would tell them that I would be available for Youth Camp itself, and leave the details to Him.

I didn't bother with the barbeque, but I really wanted to go to Youth Camp, and somehow felt that God wanted me to go. Also, our church's camp-meeting convention was at the beginning of the summer, and I had not missed one since I had been saved. Again, I knew that I was not going to get any vacation time that summer.

My week progressed normally. Friday came around and I went to work in the afternoon. As 5:30 rolled around, I was thinking of everyone heading to the barbeque and feeling sorry for myself. I knew that was silly, so I prayed and told God how I felt: I was always talking to Him like that. I think I may have lost some of it, somehow... Anyways, as I was working and praying, the power to the mill suddenly went out.

Now, what I haven't mentioned is that I worked at Fraser Mills, the largest lumber mill in BC, and that I worked in the plywood plant. Fraser Mills had their own incinerator with a boiler that generated steam. They used it to generate electricity. They used this to power the plywood plant and they used the steam, under pressure, to dry the plywood. The boiler blew. In about 15 minutes, the foreman came around and sent us all home. This was the first time in about 10 years that they had sent everyone home early on a Friday.

I was thrilled! I got in my car and drove to the barbeque, and got there shortly after everyone else arrived. I was already going out with Loretta (now my wife) and was she ever surprised to see me. My faith was starting to bolster.

The following week, as I was leaving the plant at midnight on Tues night, the union representative came along and told us they were picketing the plant on Wed to support some problem with the unions in the interior. On Wed night, I was at the Youth Camp meeting and told them I would be there for Youth Camp.

When June came around, there began to be talk about a full-scale strike. The union was negotiating with management and it was going slowly. Finally, the first weekend of camp meeting came around, and just as camp meeting began, the union went on strike. I went to all three weeks of camp meeting. When I got back, I discovered that the government did something called general averaging, where they decide that if you have a good year after several really bad ones, they give you some tax money back, figuring that you needed it to get caught up. (Can you believe that? They'd never do something that reasonable now!) I got a cheque from the government that I was able to live on while the strike lasted.

Finally, Youth Camp came, and I was still on strike, so I went. Youth Camp was in August, and lasted a week. On Saturday, as I was packing up to leave the camp, my Father and Brother, who lived just over in Mission, and who also worked at the mill, drove out to tell me that the strike was over, and I was to start work at midnight on Sunday. This was Saturday. God had worked it out that I made the barbeque, camp meeting (all 3 weeks), and a week of Youth Camp!

What an answer to prayer!