LAKE OKOBOJI

I got a note from a buddy last night reminding me of an event from my youth I had long forgotten. It brought back good memories. My whole experience with this group of kids was positive.

As a sophomore I was drawn to an off campus Bible group called Youth for Christ. Naturally I went because a girl kept asking me. I went to church at that point in time, but it was not the center of my life. From there I began attending the citywide gathering that met every other Saturday night. After that meeting I went with a group that often went to Betty’s to watch Gregor — a Saturday late night TV show of old time horror movies. I don’t believe the movies were the point of the meeting, but it was still fun. From there I went to the “big” church with lots of kids and that led to their big summer camp at Lake Okoboji near Spirit Lake, Iowa. This was the strangest camp I ever heard of.

It was a family camp that gathered in this large building they called a Tabernacle. It seems there were around 1000 people who came every year. The strange part was that the church only owned this small property that held the meeting building. Families rented cabins in the community of this destination location. Besides the great activities of the lake there was an amusement park with rides and the typical games of chance.

I went with some buddies from the church and we rented out own cabin. Who lets a group of high school kids rent a cabin on their own? I guess the parents did, because that was what happened. The point of the camp was to attend the big meetings. In the morning there was a separate meeting for the youth. I have no memory of ever attending any of these meetings. Maybe I’m wrong and just blotted that out of mind or maybe I just remember the other parts of the week.

It seems we were in one of the cabins owned by someone’s family. Who knows? That wasn’t big in my memory either. I was focused on the fun. In the mornings we were at the lake and the evening at the amusement park. I never had enough money to experience all the rides, but I loved the sights and sounds and hanging out with friends.

Many people came from other churches and there I met Roger Morrow. His father was a speaker on Back to the Bible broadcasts. He was a redhead and would burn to a crisp if not soaked in sunscreen. He was always shiny from the oil. Roger taught me a way to get free pop. There were chest pop dispensers along the broad walk that the lid opened. You inserted your money and wiggled the bottle along a track until you could reach the release spot. If you get a bottle opener and a straw and were willing to stay there awhile, you just popped the top off the pop you wanted, inserted the straw and… you get the picture. Wouldn’t you know it — he grew up to be a pastor as did I. Go figure.

I became a total cad the summer after high school graduation when I did my woman wrong. I had dated this girl for two years. We never talked about being exclusive, but we were. Well, I met another girl and began to hang around with here. But gutless that I was, I never told my girlfriend. The place was too small to avoid being seen. It felt like everyone knew and especially her girlfriends were rather angry with me. In my naiveté I could not imagine why they were so upset. They made sure I figured it out. That was the end of my primary relationship and the new girl was only a one-week connection. I can’t even remember who she was. Then I was alone. Woe is me!

If my parents knew I went only for the fun, I would have been denied a second visit, but I was pretty deceitful at that point in time. That was not a good thing, but I sure had fun. Like they always say, if sin weren’t fun, no one would do it.