Have you ever been on a camping trip?

One summer Anne, Janie, Sue, and their mom and dad, and Jimmy, Ricky, Chris, and their mom and dad, all went on a camping trip together. There were so many sleeping bags, besides all the food, that they had to take a packhorse and three burros to carry all the gear.

It was lots of fun hiking up the trail in the High Sierras of California. Every now and then they stopped to watch a family of deer playing in a creek. And the children learned to be careful not to step on the pretty wildflowers growing along the trail.

After a long, hike they came around a bend and discovered a beautiful, wide, green meadow with a narrow rushing stream on the other side. Under a cluster of trees over by the stream was a cozy place for all the sleeping bags at night.

This seemed like the perfect spot to make their camp. With everyone helping, they soon unloaded all the gear from the patient horse and burros. Now the children could hardly wait to get up on them for a free ride! Each one had a turn while a grown-up led the horse around the lovely green meadow. The burros just followed wherever the horse led the way.

Suddenly Jimmy, who was riding the horse, decided to give a kick with each foot to see what the horse would do. Immediately he took off at a fast gallop, leaving the grown-ups behind. The burros, with only Ricky and Chris on them at the time, streaked after him. Faster than you can think, all four animals were racing at top speed over the bumpy ground into the woods.

Little Chris, who was only three, couldn't hold onto his burro on such a rough ride and was thrown off onto the ground. His dad ran to pick him up and right away helped him stop being afraid that he was hurt. He told him to say out loud, "I am God's child." After three tries he did say it, very quietly. Then his dad left him and ran on with the other parents to chase the animals.

The boys' mother, along with the three girls, went to one of the packs for their Bible, which they had learned to turn to in times of trouble. The girls all went to the Christian Science Sunday School and had learned well to trust in God, but at that moment it was hard not to feel afraid. They opened their Bible to the forty-sixth Psalm, which begins: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear." ^{Ps. 46:1, 2;} As they read together, they decided that if they could believe in God as surely as the Psalmist did they wouldn't be afraid of what was happening. They knew that getting rid of fear was the way they could help best. Being afraid never helps. But knowing that God is with each one of His children always, keeping them safe, does help.

Then Janie said, "God is everywhere."

And Sue added, "God won't let the boys be afraid. He will tell them what to do; and God will tell the horse what to do, too." They remembered what is said in II Timothy: "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." ^{II Tim. 1:7;}

After a few minutes they started to pray the prayer Christ Jesus gave his followers—the Lord's Prayer. Right in the middle of saying this prayer out loud—there among the trees and meadows and mountains—they were interrupted with a cheery shout of "Hello!" coming from the distance. What a relief that was! They knew that meant everything was all right.

When everyone was safely back in camp and the happy welcoming was over, the story came out.

Eight-year-old Jimmy, who had never ridden a horse before, finally heard what God was telling him to do. He managed to shorten the rope around the horse's neck enough to make the horse slow down a little so he could jump off, even though the horse was still running. He held onto that rope with all his might as it pulled him along the ground until the horse finally had to stop. As soon as the horse stopped, the burros did too.

Jimmy's younger brother, Ricky, had no rope so he held onto the neck of his burro for the whole ride. But he was crying so hard by the time his dad reached him that all he could say between sobs was that he didn't ever want to ride a burro again. Do you know, though, that by the time they got back to the camp both Jimmy and Ricky were riding their animals with a happy feeling and without being afraid!

Everyone had felt quite helpless those few minutes to see the two boys being carried farther and farther into the wilderness. There was nothing they could do but rely on God's help alone. This had proved to be the safest thing to do; for it turned out to be a good example of something Mrs. Eddy tells about in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health. She says, "Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions' den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless." ^{Science and Health, p. 514;} These boys found God's help right where they were, too.

The little group of campers was so grateful that they sat down then and there on the banks of the rushing stream and read the Bible Lesson for that week out of the Bible and the textbook. ^{The Christian Science Quarterly Lesson-Sermon.} When they finished, Chris, who had been lying so still all this time, got up and began to play with the other children.

By the next morning his back didn't hurt anymore, he said, and the campers had four more wonderful, happy days in the mountains. They climbed lots of trails, swam in clear, icy creeks, discovered some bear tracks, and sang songs by the campfire at night. But they never, never forgot that Christian Science had shown them what Daniel and Paul knew a long time ago: that God is always with each one of His children—"a very present help in trouble."

Be strong and of a good courage,fear not, nor be afraid. ...:for the Lord thy God, he it isthat doth go with thee;he will not fail thee,nor forsake thee.

Deuteronomy 31:6