Hope and Faith

TEN: HOPE

It was Tuesday July fourth, which for the Americans was a holiday, but for Hope Chamberlain, it meant that the first day of church camp had arrived.

Hope had her alarm set for five a.m. so that she would have enough time to get ready, get to the church, and begin preparations. There was so much to do.

By seven-thirty, the other church affiliates and camp counselors began to arrive and Hope was running through the mental to-do list in her head. First they would begin with simple introductory procedures. Most people in Meadow already knew each other, but it was a nice start to go around and familiarize with everyone. Once that was finished, Hope would run through the day's activities, diverge into groups, and see where things went from there. On her agenda she had mass, prayer, shirt decorating, lunch, outdoor time where they could play games like capture the flag and hide and seek, tennis matches, and finally, group-talk. Hope scheduled group-talk for the last activity of the day so that everyone could end on a good note. Hope pushed to have this activity in this year's curriculum because she felt the importance of having a committee environment and being able to talk with other peers. There were going to be many different age groups arriving today, but no matter a person's age, they could always relate to others by talking with them.

This camp meant everything to Hope. Not only because she was running it (with the help from others), but because she believed it was her legacy. She had attended church camp every year since she was a little girl and always dreamed of growing up and having the chance to organize it. The thought made Hope giddy with excitement. Oh how she adored planning events and organizing things. It fueled her soul.

By eight-thirty everyone had arrived and was being organized into their age groups. Antonio was at the front of the room giving the welcoming speech and going over introductory protocol. Once everyone was in their correct groups, they split off and followed their head counselor who would be in charge of them for the day. Hope's job was a bit different. She wasn't in charge of one specific group, rather, she hovered and was responsible for everyone. This way she could mingle between groups and ensure that everything was going smoothly. She preferred it this way.

First she started off at mass with the five-to-ten age group. Most of the kids in this group were new this year and were petrified beyond belief. Hope worked her magic, flashing that golden smile of hers and ushering them inside the room. She spoke in a soothing voice, keeping one hand gently on their shoulder. She made sure that they knew everything would be okay, and that church camp was a place of fun and happiness. There was nothing here to be scared of.

Next, she moved to the pre-teens, ages ten to thirteen. Most of the children in this group were returning from previous years and already had the whole thing down-pat. There were only a few newcomers who Hope swiftly intervened with and convinced them that they were in for a good time. They recited prayers, (Hope chose some of her favourite's), and ended up going around the circle and talking to one another. It was humbling.

After lunch – which consisted of a buffet-style table including salads, sandwiches, wraps, and vegetables – the groups congregated for outdoor time. Since it was the first day, the counselors decided to let everyone mingle together and play whichever activities they desired. They had capture the flag set up for afterwards, so for now, it was a choice between the two-legged race and bean-bag toss.

Jessica took charge and recited the rules, then allowed everyone to choose partners and go to whichever activity they desired. Hope wandered around with her hands on her hips, a smile plastered on her face, making sure that everyone had a partner and was doing okay.

That's when she came across the girl. Standing by herself, staring at the sky as though it held some kind of answer. Raven black hair that sat over her shoulders, natural beach waves as though laced with sea salt. She was evidently without a partner. Hope took in a breath and approached her.

Little did she know at the time that this would be the moment that changed her life.