O ne of tke worst forest fires in C a l i f o r n i a history suddenly changed its disastrous course last September just three miles short of the Hume Lake Conference grounds in eastern Fresno County. A t the same time a group of camp property owners knelt in prayer. The fire had burned for two weeks over precious timberland and had threatened the 320-acre Chris tian camp in the Sierras from an other direction earlier. Evacuation orders had come. But God inter vened. To those who have watched the growth of Hume through the past 10 years, God’s intervention is no new thing. Only three years ago, the dam that holds back Hume’s waters was badly in need of repair. There was official doubt b y government agen cies that the lake’s use justified the costly repair necessary. So the lake was drained one day, and while those at the conference grounds watched the receding waters, the heavens opened and a drenching rain came down. Rain is almost unheard o f at Hume during the summer. But God was intervening in His w a y and the lake was filling. In spite o f open drain valves, the water flowed over' the top o f the dam after a few hours, and the engineer closed the valves. The conference was safe for the remainder o f the season. The lake was drained later and stayed dry for two seasons. Thou sands of prayers were answered when it was announced the repair was to be made to the dam. Then the lake was planted with trout to
make fishing better than ever. So it goes — through the entire history of Hume Lake there is one story after another o f God’s lead ing. Even the selection of the site, in preference to many others in the Sierras, is an indication o f His plan. It was almost overlooked because the b u i l d i n g that now houses Hume’s hotel was once a tavern. Even after the decision to pur chase the property was made, the financial affairs were not cleared up without day-to-day reliance on God. W hen a payment o f $30,000 was due on the grounds, prayer was offered before the financial commit tee met to total the funds available. Each member had raised every penny he could. The m oney was counted and there was $200 more than was needed. It wasn’t clearly understood w h y the extra amount had been granted until an unex pected report from a financial ad visor was received notifying the committee of a bill for insurance that had not been figured previous ly. The amount of the bill— exactly $200. Hume serves California’s vast Central Valley, but its appeal is not limited to that area alone. Its cen tral location and abundance of spir itual, recreational and physical ac commodations make it attractive for the entire western U.S. The camp’s testimony is exempli fied b y the conference for under privileged children that is spon sored each year by the manage ment. Of 87 boys and girls who attended last year, 84 made deci sions for Christ during the two weeks of meetings. END.
Managing director Walter War- kentin (right) and board president Dwight Prickett check report telling of Hume Lake’s progress. Far right photo shows swimming area at the upper end of the lake.
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