This summer, I went on a camping trip that changed my life. On June 12, 2019, it was the first day of summer. I was overjoyed with happiness that I would have an entire summer to play videogames, stay home, and be with friends! It felt like I was set free from evil bonds that held me tight and would never let go. I could now sleep in until 8:00 AM and go to bed at 10:00 PM! I wouldn’t have to worry about homework, tests, or grades!

One day, my mom and dad said that we were going on a camping trip on August 9th through the 11th. This wasn't the first time my parents have signed us up for something without asking for our consent. My brother Toby and my sister Ellie Joy were okay with this. I was not. How dare they sign me up for something before asking me for my permission. Camping? There’s no wifi, no electronics, no videogames, no warm beds. This did not sound like fun at all. It sounded like torture, and my parents wanted to ruin my summer vacation! Before I could even protest this they told me that they had already paid for it and we were going with people from our church and the life-group that we used to be apart of. This didn’t help out at all because the thought of being without electricity still scared me. For weeks I dreaded the trip.

On July 28th, there was a meeting at our church that described the campsite and how it would all work out. The meeting helped me understand the camp but it was a bit overwhelming. At the end of the meeting, I played with Jack and my other friend Jeremiah. After playing with them, I felt better, like I could survive the camping trip. The next day, I forgot about the experience and was back to dreading the trip. On the night of the 8th, I layed in bed, pondering what the events of the weekend will be like.

In the morning, we packed up and began our long car ride to Devil’s Lake, Lincoln City. We took two cars because we were supposed to bring bikes and we could not carry all of them with one car. In the car I was in, we were listening to Ranger’s Apprentice: Erak’s Ransom. After two hours of listening to the story, we finally arrived at our destination. 

“Wow! This is really close to the beach,” I said.  

Mom responded, “Yep! The ocean is on the right, the campsite next to Devil’s Lake is on the left. We are in Loop C.”

Once we got through the gate, and talked with the Park Rangers, it felt like we were in a parade because everybody was waving at us as we drove by. We got to our campsite; I realized it wasn’t that big. Luckily for us, we knew both families that were by us. After thirty minutes of setting up, Toby and I asked, “Can we go bike riding around the loop?”

“Sure! Have fun! Keep an eye out for cars!” Dad said.

“Mom! Dad! Some friends are swimming in the lake! Can we go too?” I asked.

“Sure! Don’t forget your towel and goggles!” Mom said.

It was sunny, not windy, and a gorgeous day at the lake.  We rode our bikes down to the dock. Some friends of ours were already there, jumping off the dock into the lake. I quickly realized this was going to be a lot of fun! We swam, rode bikes and that night we had a BBQ potluck with all the church families. When it got dark, we built a campfire and made s’mores. In bed, I thanked God for giving me one of the most fun days of summer I ever had. 

The next morning, I woke up thinking that I was somehow teleported to Antarctica. It was so cold! I grabbed my book and went all the way inside my sleeping bag. My mom and dad came in later and said that Ms. Susie made hot chocolate, eggs, pancakes, and bacon! We all ran over there and had a delicious breakfast. 

“Wow! This is really good,” I exclaimed!

“I know right,” Ellie responded.

After that, we rode bikes for a long time and I went to the beach with my friends and their parents. The sand was hot and the waves were cold. We were there for a couple hours, then we came back and I read for a long time. Then, Elllie and her friends wanted to go to the Rec. Center’s swimming pool. At the Rec. Center there was a huge slide, a high dive, and a rope swing. Once the Rec. Center closed we stopped at Dairy Queen and had dinner. Then we went back to base and went to bed. The next morning, it was still cold. It was so cold, that I even tried to take Toby’s sleeping bag. We went to Ms. Susie’s campsite and she made breakfast burritos and hot chocolate. It was so good and it warmed me up. Then, my friends and I rode around for a little bit. It was time to clean our campsite and check out. So we said our goodbyes and we packed up and began our long journey back home.

From my amazing camping experience, I learned to never judge a book by its cover. You never know when something that sounds bad might be fun. I also learned to listen to my parents when they say something will be fun. Plus I am learning to trust God that His ways are always right and that He is in control and desires to bless me.

“Guess what, Jake? We just got an email about making reservations for next summer!  Do you want to go camping again?” my mom asked me.