Fireside Chat

The light from a campfire flickered on the faces. One by one, little hands went up hoping to be called upon. Each hand was waving out the desire to tell a story. Upon recognition, young voices spoke about hope, about attitude changes and about what they would face tomorrow. Tomorrow they would load into their buses, vans and autos to leave the mountain and return home.

One hand was not so small, nor was the voice so young. My friend Cosme asked if he could share his experience as a counselor for some of the boys. He told how he had come with them as a matter of obligation and the dread he had felt as he began the week.

Then, with tears flowing, he told how the attitudes of his boys began to change almost instantly. "They were sharing everything: tee shirts, toothpaste, soap...anything someone needed. Their attitude became so different and I began to feel sorry for my own attitude."

Cosme went on to tell how all of his boys cheered him on when he challenged his own fear of heights and conquered the ropes course. He had just completed it when the entire camp was gathering around the campfire.

His victory didn't come without pain. Even though his safety harness did its job, he was left with enough muscle strain to prevent him from walking up the hill to the fire.

"Go without me," he told his boys. Instead, they gathered around their counselor and prayed for him. They they picked him up and carried him up the hill.

"These boys carried me! God has used them to change my heart!"