Thank You, Lord by Roger Legacy

From 1973 to 1986, I spent thirteen years teaching Outdoor Education for the Catholic Separate School Board in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. During this time, I met Dave Chalykoff, who oversaw the camp’s operations for its owners, the Stigmatine Fathers. Our school board rented the facility for nature studies, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and nature walks.

Dave had a powerful testimony—he shared that he had once been in prison and lived a life filled with harmful choices, but he had since given his life to Jesus Christ and become a new person. His joy and faith were contagious, and he encouraged me to attend Wednesday night prayer meetings at St. Mary’s College, where over two hundred people would gather regularly. At the time, I was growing in my faith and found myself drawn to Dave’s enthusiasm for the Lord. I wanted what he had.

Sadly, Dave left later that year to pursue another ministry, and as time passed, I slowly lost the fervor I once had for God.

Ten years later, at the time of my father-in-law’s fatal car accident, God reached out to me once more, drawing me back to Him. Over time, I became more like the Dave I once admired. I would often play a song called “Thank You, Lord,” written by Roger Legacy (a good friend of mine), for my students. Each day, a new class from one of the thirty elementary schools I taught would visit the camp, and I would share this song with them as our morning prayer.

Today (Sept 29/24), I was invited to witness a friend’s grandson’s baptism at Nettleton’s Lake, the same place where Camp Korah is located. It was the first time I had returned to the grounds since leaving for British Columbia in 1987.

God blessed me with a beautiful memory of the place where I had once loved to teach, now renewed by the joy of witnessing this special baptism.