Looking back at the faithfulness of God is a powerful way to stay strong in the Lord. As we celebrate our thirtieth year at Country Camp, here are three life lessons that have occurred multiple times in our lives and ministry.
God Is Not A Tease
In our fourth summer, we were traveling to Victoria, Texas to officiate the funeral of a fine, young man who had tragically died. My eyes caught a “For Sale” sign on a large waterslide and the Holy Spirit said, “If you want It, you can have it.” I dismissed it as sheer imagination, yet, on the return trip, it happened a second time. “If you want it, you can have it,” He whispered. Over the next several months, I couldn’t get it out of my spirit, so we contacted the family who owned it. They had invested $365,000 into that waterpark, but it just never succeeded. We sure didn’t have that kind of money, but we knew that God is not a tease, so we began to pray. After several business meetings and dead-end negotiations, the banker said, “Rev. Burchfield, I don’t know how you’re going to dismantle and transport that contraption one-hundred-fifty miles to your camp, but “If you want it, you can have it.” Today, twenty-five years later, half-a-million kids have enjoyed that 1,000 foot, double-loop slide because God is not a tease.
Stay In Your Circle Of Strength
A nighttime fire in our camp kitchen could have easily shut down the camp. On July 30, 1994 (my 34th birthday) we rushed down at 1:05 am and saw 30-foot flames sneering at our small town’s volunteer firemen. Experts told us that repairs would take six to eight weeks. The State’s Fire Marshall advised us to close for the summer, but over 3,000 campers were still scheduled to come.
The Lord told me, “Stay in your circle of strength.” Now, one of my predominant strengths is giving. Yours might be teaching or mercy, but mine is giving. Acting immediately upon the Word, we gave away Rachel’s car. Then, we felt to sow the Word into our visiting churches, so we gave away our entire bookstore which was thousands of dollars. The Law of Sowing and Reaping is a Bible principle.
The campers never missed a meal and, in just eight days, thanks to our Country Camp 120 Partners, we had a makeshift kitchen and finished the summer reaching 11,000 kids representing 400 churches from 22 states. Friends, the Word puts a fight in your spirit, and the Word wins every time!
Don’t Mess Up Your Miracle
Our one-mile camp dirt road had welcomed thousands of guests those first several years, but these Texas gully-washers (as my grandpa called them) were merciless to it. People joked about their muddy shoes and adding an extra hour to their trip to accommodate getting their car pulled out of the mud. A fundraising campaign began to get it surfaced and, as always, we began to mix it with faith saying, “Father, this is your camp, and we are trusting You to touch people’s hearts to respond.”
…as your ways please the Lord, so will you.
Pastor Tommy Burchfield
A man called who shared a marvelous testimony. He said that, during his morning prayer time, the Lord instructed him to send a large donation. “Wonderful!” I exclaimed. “You must have received our letter, right?” “No,” he responded. “I told you that the Lord spoke to me while I was in prayer.” “Well, this is so exciting,” I continued. “So, you must have seen this project in our Signs & Wonders magazine, right?” Friends, that was the wrong thing to stay. Our generous friend bristled on the phone and firmly said, “Tommy, I did not receive your letter, nor do I get your magazine and I haven’t been to your camp for several years. I’ve told you twice now that it was the Lord Himself who prompted me this morning in prayer to cover the balance of your current project.” I thought to myself, “Tommy B., don’t mess up your miracle!” I rejoiced and gave him the requested information to have money wired. Within a few days, our Business Office manager said, “Bro. Tommy, funds have arrived!”
Isn’t it amazing what God can do all by Himself? We’ve seen these miracle truths many times over these thirty years and, as your ways please the Lord, so will you.
