Canoe Camping

Last weekend, my school went on a campout. Within that campout, there were two options: one, we could stay with the main group, or two, we could go on a canoeing campout. There was limited space for the canoeing trip, but I was blessed enough to be able to go. My friend Wayanne said that we could share a tent. From there, we decided to do everything else together, including cooking and canoeing. At breakfast the day we left, we organized our meal plans and packed our food for the weekend. Shortly after that, we were off.
There were 73 people that went on this campout all together and just a little over 20 of those people went canoeing. We had lunch with the main group, and then headed out onto the water. After a couple hours of zigzagging through the water, we finally made it to the camp site. Our canoe was the first one to scrape against the gravelly shore.
All in all, it was a great weekend. I got plenty of sleep, spent quality time with friends, and ate great camp food. The challenge came when we headed home.
After breakfast, we packed everything up, cleaned our campsite and headed out. After thanking God for the weekend, and asking His protection on our safe return, we headed out. All the way from the start of the trip, Wayanne and I were in the back of the line. We tried to apply force to our paddling, which helped momentarily, but we soon would fall behind again. For most of the way we were in the back of the line, struggling to keep up. We felt invigorated by our restful weekend, but it wasn’t enough to keep us with the group.
For most of the trip, I was frustrated. “Why aren’t we moving?” I wanted to be with the rest of the group, but it just wasn’t working. Finally, I remembered a verse that my morning worship group has been memorizing: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 KJV)
I was uplifted by remembering this verse. It was also encouraging to know that memorizing Bible verses really does pay off! Being patient helped me enjoy my trip, and made the time pass more quickly.
When you are faced with trials and difficult circumstances, trust in God. Understand that God knows what He’s doing. By testing your faith, He can build your patience so that you can be more like Him.