Campfire Stories

Story by: Captain Charles Smith

Photos by: Captain Bradley Hargis

When one thinks of a Salvation Army Men's Camp, many images can come into a person's mind. Whether it is the variety of meats (and even peach cobbler) that the men can eat or the events in which they can compete, there is always a deeper meaning for men to become complete at this annual event. And if one had attended the Arkansas-Oklahoma Divisional Men's Camp in 2023, they would have experienced that deeper meaning in May.

Through the efforts of Major Douglas McClure, the preaching of Lt. Colonel Dean Hinson, and the testimony of Major Michael Hawley, territorial secretary for evangelism, this Men Camp was different from other camps experienced in the past. There was much more camaraderie than the competition.

Divine energy encouraged the exhausted as old and young men came into the chapel to listen to a campfire story of the Love of Jesus and the Fire of The Holy Spirit. Many men encountered the Lord not only on the Sunday morning service, but at the beginning of Friday evening. You could see it in their faces and hear it in their voices as the fire of The Holy Spirit began to blaze throughout Camp Heart O’ Hills, encouraging and urging those in attendance to have a purified relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

While conversing with many, I believe that many men were renewed and restored not only in their personal lives but also in their relationships with their families as they began getting in their vehicles to return to their respective places. May the Lord continue to bless those that put this event together and those that were impacted. Surely we could say, "The Lord is in this place."