“It’s really coming down out there!” I exclaimed as the people in the RV watched the rain come down in torrents, soaking the country around us.

We were in Gillette, Wyoming, for the International Pathfinder Camporee. Ten people crowded the relatively small RV. We had rented two RVs instead of buying tents and we were a welcome shelter for two people, Gemma* and Mrs. Het, who needed shelter from the storm. We had one tent with us too. My sister, Christena, had broken out her earpods and was playing Sunshine Girl, funnily enough. The rest of us were busy playing Hedbanz.

I now watched as the flimsy boys’ tent flapped in the 60 plus mile an hour winds. Mrs. Mershot, Amy M., Mrs. Het, Gemma, I, Christena, Abitha, Nina, Amy B., and Karrie all were in one RV while my dad, Mrs. Hill, Mr. Hill (both our Pathfinder leaders), and Mr. Het were in the other. We believed the three boys, Brandon, Timothy, and Ryan, to be in the tent.

We played Hedbanz with some funny outtakes. We couldn’t decide if a turkey was a mammal or not, and Amy B. replied to Abitha asking if a giraffe was a food, “You’d have to be crazy to eat that!” Christena looked at the storm, daydreaming.

All of a sudden, I looked at Abitha. She was looking out of the window, crying.

“It’s OK, Abitha,” I consoled. “The storm will pass, and we’ll all be fine. No one’s going to get hurt.” What she said next surprised me.

“I’m not worried for me,” Abitha sobbed, “I’m worried for my brother.”

Everyone looked again at the flapping tent that looked like it could fly away any second. Tears came to my own eyes. Abitha wasn’t worried for herself; she was worried for Ryan! I think that’s how God wants us all to be.

“Do you want me to call him?” Nina asked. “I can call Timothy, and he can put Ryan on.”

Abitha nodded and Nina somehow got a call through in the thousands of teens who must’ve been on their phones.

“Hey,” Timothy said.

“Hi, Timothy,” Nina replied. “Is Ryan there?”

“Yeah, he’s here,” Timothy answered.

“Can Abitha talk to him, please?” Nina requested.

“Of course,” Timothy said and Nina handed the phone to Abitha.

“Hello?” Abitha asked.

“Abitha?” Ryan replied.

“How are you?” Abitha wanted to know.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Ryan replied, surprisingly calm. I furrowed my brow. I’d be freakin’ out if I was in that tent!

Abitha furrowed her brow too. “Where are you?” she wondered.

“Oh, in the other RV. Mr. and Mrs. Hill called us in,” Ryan replied nonchalantly. He said it like it had been the most natural thing in the world.

“Well, I’m glad they did,” Abitha nodded and handed the phone back to Nina.

I couldn’t tell what Nina and Timothy were talking about but I noticed they stayed on the phone for quite a long time. Finally, Nina put Timothy on speakerphone and said, “Timothy’s gonna pray.”

“Dear God,” the raspy and barely audible voice came out of the phone, “please keep us safe. Please keep everyone safe! We trust you, God, and that you know what’s best. Amen.”

The storm ended, everyone was safe, and, even though the Believe the Promise wasn’t about Noah, a double rainbow lit up the sky to remind us all that God looks after us. I know that if you were there, you probably had a rough and scary time too. Storm shelters, flooded tents, and cardboard bridges in the international section! But the rainbow was a reassuring and powerful message. We got a double blessing with our double rainbow. It reminded us to be selfless, and that blessing was Abitha’s tears for Ryan.

*Names have been changed