“PULL!” I cringed. My mind immediately cried “Wait no!” But it was too late. Far too late.

When at the super swing, I was typically on the rope pulling crew. Our mission was simple, pull the rope, thereby raising the three or so campers harnessed into the contraption high into the air where they would be dropped, swinging at a ridiculously high…uhh height. However, on that fateful day, both me and my co-counselor Addison were on rope pulling duty, along with several other campers.

Now when the swingers reached a certain height, we would give them the “Pull” command, letting them know they had reached the maximum height. They would then pull on the carabiner, releasing them from the contraption and sending them down on the ride of a lifetime.

It’s unfortunate that this particular activity required two groups pulling something in order to achieve success. Because on that day, Addison was talking to the people on the rope, and not the people harnessed into the super swing. The tension let loose and Addison fell backwards, hitting the back of her head on a rock.

This was not the first thing to have happened to Addison that week. It was…an exciting week to be sure. Full of all sorts of…hairy situations.

I was on the ground, looking up into the sky where she hung about forty feet in the air. I scratched my head in a “Wow this actually happening” sort of way, as another of my coworkers, a fellow by the name of Thomas began rappelling down to her, to begin cutting her hair out of the fireman’s belay. I turned towards the kid. “Now remember. If you have any long hair, stick it down the back of your shirt or you might end up in a… hairy situation.” Thankfully, Addison was far enough up in the air, not to hear me. The kids elicited nervous laughter as Amanda, Thomas’s co-counselor, facepalmed. It was that day that I realized that I am in fact the comedic relief to grim situations.

After about twenty minutes and a fist full of hair later, both Addison and Thomas were on the ground. My boss had arrived at which point. He instructed me to go ahead with my group as he consoled the rather emotional Addison. We were a rather somber group that hiked through the forest on that day.

I often think back on those moments and realize that I had no real idea what I was doing. But God was still sovereign even in the midst of concussions and knotted hair. God was quick to provide people to help out with the situation. I am confident in many things; a rappel rescue is not one of them.

It amuses me how God moved through the group of campers that week, especially in the context of all that transpired. Three separate sets of siblings with a total of nine kids in the group. The fact that the kids were able to open up to each other at all was impressive in of itself. It was a special week and each of them were incredible.

That was the week of the white water rafting trip as well. The week of a van of sleeping kids. The week of a tear full farewell. It was the week where I simply had no idea what could happen. A week that is still reaping rewards. It was a week where I could see the impact a youth pastor could make on his kids. A week where I could see a tiny glimmer of the extent to which parents sacrifice for the kids. And the extent to which siblings can care for each other.

If there was one thing to get out of the week it would be the importance of support. We can get through hell with help from God and those that love us. And God is good to supply those people of support.