MY EARLY SUMMER VACATIONS

In my previous post, I talked about the spiritual input while attending McKeough School.  I was also exposed to additional Biblical teaching in the summer vacations.

I don't know how old I was when I started attending Daily Vacation Bible Schools.  It seemed like most churches in Chatham had a summer DVBS.  They were not one week schools, but all of them were two weeks in length.  I remember attending DVBS at Victoria Avenue United Church, St. Andrews United Church, Park Street United Church, William Street Baptist Church, Evangel (PAOC) Tabernacle and The Alliance Tabernacle.  I attended more than one in the same summer. I didn't learn much at Evangel Tabernacle because a young girl, I think we were each about 8 or 9, followed me everywhere those first two or three days saying she loved me.  I wasn't ready for that kind of stuff.  I think Wednesday was my last day and I told my mother that I didn't want to go anymore.  She never questioned me as to why.

When I was about 11 or 12 my folks paid for me to go to a one week summer camp.  I, along with two other boys, boarded the train in Chatham, traveling to London where we were met by a gentleman, associated with the camp.  We then boarded a bus and rode to Forest Cliff Camp, on the shore of Lake Huron, about five miles out of Forest, Ontario.  I attended this camp two summers.

Forest Cliff Camp in the 1940's

The camp was established and sponsored by the London Christian Business Men's Committee.  By today's standard for summer camps, it was rather rustic, but fun. The government has spoiled true camping having to have, washrooms, dining halls, etc. Upon arrival we went to a nearby farm and filled our straw ticks with straw.  That became our mattress.  We slept in tents, about nine feet by twelve with seven campers and a leader to each tent.  We washed and cleaned our teeth in the lake.  We had outhouses for those necessities of life and a big tent for eating and activities in the event of rain.  There was a morning small group Bible study with a camp fire at night.  Well do I remember those camp fires, the skits, fun times, missionary stories, Bible stories, testimonies, etc.  I still recall the continued missionary story which one of the camp leaders told one summer.  It was called The Pig's Birthday, written by John Bechtel.

I will be forever grateful for all the spiritual input which I received in my early years from Sunday School, McKeough School, Daily Vacation Bible Schools and Forest Cliff Camp.

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