At Dawn

Every morning at Gull Lake, we had to be up and ready to go by 7:25. At exactly 7:25 we gathered under the "Big top" by the main building and had a short time of prayer or Scripture reading and then had until 7:45 to be alone with Jesus. 

Those 15 minutes of time to read my Bible and pray were precious every morning before another day of camp started. Time after time God showed me something in the Word that was just what I needed to hear. He was my strength every day (and continues to be!). I really don't think I could have rejoiced about a new day without focusing on Him every morning.

But sometimes, before I even got to our morning meeting, I had a few minutes to spare. If I got ready super quick, I could go out to the dock near us and watch the sun rise. 

Those were the most glorious mornings.

It felt like the world slowed down for five minutes. The fog lingered over the lake as the sun came up and birds chirped all around. Even the spiderwebs completed the picture of peacefulness.

Every Friday I'd go out a little bit earlier and have a snack before breakfast because it was a while before I actually got to eat breakfast (just because of the way we plate-served it on the last morning of camp). This past Friday I read another chapter of Hebrews and was yet again encouraged by God's reminders. 

 Then it was time to walk back to the Annex housing, drop off my camera and head on up to the Big Top.

I'm thankful my mornings had a few peaceful minutes before everything began. They didn't last long, but they counted. Every moment of rest counted.