The Missing Girl Miracle

By Merle Poirier

Katie was 5 years old and lived in Botswana. Her grandmother brought Katie to camp meeting with her. There were such fun things to do there! All the children played together, attended meetings, and learned more about Jesus. The children were warned to stay close to the camp meeting. There was a lake nearby, and everyone wanted the children to be safe.

One day the children were playing and not paying attention. Soon they were nearer to the lake than to the camp meeting. Katie remembered her grandmother’s warning and decided to return to the camp meeting grounds, but when she did, she got confused and went the wrong direction. 

Soon it grew dark, and Grandmother didn’t see Katie. She started to worry but then thought Katie was probably playing with other children. When it was time for the evening meeting, everyone was back at the camp, but not Katie. Where could she be? They made an announcement in the big tent at the evening meeting that Katie was missing. Everyone knelt and prayed for Katie’s safety. Then they went looking for her.

They went to the lake and walked around it. They found shoeprints in the sand, but they didn’t find Katie. They followed the shoeprints until they disappeared into tall grass. By this time it was 10:00 at night. But the people would not give up. They kept looking for clues as to where Katie was, and they kept praying.

Soon it became so dark that they began using headlights from a truck to see. They found more shoeprints that went through the tall grass, across a small stream, and into a thick forest. Where could Katie have gone? They saw that Katie had taken off her shoes and was now leaving footprints. Some of the footprints were close together, which told them that Katie had been walking, but others showed that Katie had been running. The men kept following the tracks and kept looking. 

And then it happened! About 1:00 a.m. they found Katie, sleeping on the path, with her shoes right beside her. The searchers picked her up and wrapped her in a warm jacket. They immediately prayed a thank-You prayer and returned to the camp meeting singing, “Hallelujah; praise the Lord!” All the campers heard the singing and came to the big tent. They had a praise service right there. Everyone was thankful that God had protected Katie from harm.

Camp meeting has much to offer in the way of preaching, prayer, and play. But maybe equally important is the fellowship of believers—those who love Jesus—who come together as a family. The campers in Botswana showed how much they cared for Katie and her grandmother by praying for them. In the process they experienced a miracle to celebrate the goodness of God.

If there is a camp meeting scheduled to be nearby, try to attend. Even one or two days can make all the difference!