SEBRING, Fla.—A tornado ripped through Camp Sparta April 26, touching down at 2:30 a.m. and causing damage to camp property.
Director Aaron Snyder and his wife, Stephanie, were awakened by the storm. “We went out in the living room to see what was going on. It just sounded like a crazy storm going on,” says Aaron. “We didn’t have any siren. We didn’t even know it was supposed to rain that night.”
The wind damage started at the waterfront and then came up toward the cafeteria. “It picked up canoes and brought them all the way up the hill—probably a good couple hundred yards,” says Aaron. “The major damage was to the corner of the cafeteria: the walk-in cooler and the freezer area. The wind caused the side of the cooler to explode open to the outside. The tornado also picked up the cooler’s roof and “threw it into the field—probably a couple hundred feet away in different directions” says Aaron. “One of the canoes made it far enough up the hill to the office and went through the window of the truck.” The Snyders’ van, parked next to the cooler, was damaged when the wind knocked a tree onto it. The camp’s boat also incurred some damage from a fallen tree.
A team from Broadview Baptist Church in North Lauderdale came to help with the recovery. “They were scheduled to come up anyway to do landscaping stuff, but they changed gears and ended up hauling trees and fixing and cleaning the boat,” says Aaron, who also serves on the Council of Ten for the Sunshine State Fellowship of Regular Baptist Churches. “Grace Bible Church in Sebring sent people to help clean up the kitchen. And we’ve had folks from Southside Baptist.”
“It has been amazing how God has used [the tornado] to connect people to the camp—helpers, volunteers, contractors. All kinds of connections have been made. It has been a blessing in disguise. We’re really thankful for the way God has brought people in to help us get everything turned around before camp. We’re thankful for the affirmation of our ministry—that God would work something supernatural to help us persevere and to help us know that we’re on the right track.”
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