Monday, January 09, 2012

We were all a little nervous as we watched the countdown timer tick closer and closer to 10:00.

With just a few minutes left, Brother Joseph offered a word of prayer. "Lord, we ask that You would allow everyone who is supposed to be there, get a chance to come…"

It was now coming down to crunch time.

"Do you think people will sign up?"
"Are you sure people know the right time to log on?"
"What if no one wants to go to camp this year?"
"No, they want to go. When do you think the first camp will fill up?"
"By 1:00"
"3 hours, no way – 2 at the most."
"Which state will be first?"
"5,4,3,2,1…"

There it is, the first one – INDIANA! Hurray for the home town! Within a few seconds, they all came pouring in. South Dakota, Texas, Indiana, Louisiana, Washington, another South Dakota, Indiana, Indiana, and Quebec, rounded out the top ten. We quickly realized that the predictions of two hours were way off!

It seemed like mere seconds before someone hollered, "August girls is full!" It was 10:07 - 7 minutes into registration! Then at 11 minutes, the August boys and girls camp was completely full. Next the girls had filled up the June camp, and the boys were quickly closing. At 19 minutes, every spot in all the older camps was taken. 19 minutes! So much for two hours. And the younger camps were quickly filling too. What took days last year, was happening in minutes this year.

Before 11:00, over 400 young believers had reserved their spot in the 2012 camps!

As we showed up to work this Monday morning, we immediately went to see the numbers for the weekend registrars. At this point, the older camps have a pretty large waiting list, but it's still very important to get your name on there if you haven't already. The younger camps filled up almost as quickly, but if you register soon, there is a very good chance you will still be able to attend these this year. Make sure to put your name on the waiting list! Once your name is on the waiting list, we will call you as spots come open. Last year, we called quite a few people to fill vacant spots, so it is very important to put your name down, even if you don't think there is a chance.

It was a frenzy of sign-ups that left our heads spinning, but thank the Lord everything seemed to go well. We are anxiously awaiting this year's camps, and trust in the Lord that "everyone who is supposed to be there, (will) get a chance to come…" Don't forget to sign up if you haven't already.