God Working in the Details
By Rachel Hockenberry, Day Camp Director
Today in church, I broke down in tears sitting in the pew. God created me a woman—and with that comes being emotional. I hate crying, especially in public places. Though, I suppose if there's anywhere it's acceptable, it's in a church pew.
Today, I embraced the tears... sort of. I got up and went to the bathroom so I wouldn't become a complete blubbering mess. I immediately regretted wearing makeup—though I was grateful I'd applied waterproof mascara.
If you're reading this, you're reading the Camp Hebron Happenings and probably wondering what this has to do with camp.
Last year, I had the pleasure of serving as the Day Camp Director at Camp Hebron. The staffers were so young—honestly, the same age as my three oldest sons. I wasn’t prepared for the first staff training day. The team was playing imaginative icebreaker games, and I felt completely out of place... old, even. I left training early, wondering what on earth I’d signed up for.
A few weeks into the summer, a new hire joined our Day Camp team. Audrey was amazing—and I feel so blessed to know her. She has great taste in music and introduced me to Josiah Queen, an up-and-coming TikTok artist. I wasn’t about to download the app, but thankfully my kids had taught me how to use Spotify. I started streaming his music immediately.
My daughters Breeanna and Katelyn love Josiah’s songs as much as I do. His music quickly became our daily camp commute soundtrack. I can't hear his songs now without thinking of Camp Hebron. (Just to brag a little—he was my top artist on my Spotify Wrapped last December.) His music is upbeat, catchy, and biblically grounded. He even released a cover of “Jesus Freak”—so you can guess how old I am.
Yesterday, my girls and I went to his concert. Audrey couldn’t come—college commitments—but I made sure to send her videos. On the drive to Lancaster, I mentioned how fun it would be to meet Josiah Queen. The girls chimed in, just as excited.
The concert was incredible. As the very last song, The Prodigal, started playing, Josiah suddenly jumped off the stage, hurdled a fence, and ran over—right to where we were standing. We were in total shock but managed to keep singing along (all those commutes paid off—we didn’t miss a word). Bree even captured it all on video, which of course we’ve watched and rewatched and shared on social media.
This morning in church, I was reflecting on that moment. I had made a flippant comment about wanting to meet this artist I love. It’s not something I ever would have prayed for—it seemed too silly. But God knows me. He knew I wouldn’t have been able to handle a one-on-one meet-and-greet. I would’ve been frozen, awkward, starstruck... kind of like when I came face-to-face with Nick Foles, the former Eagles quarterback and Super Bowl MVP. (Let’s just say it wasn’t my coolest moment.)
But God still sees me. He loves me—unconditionally—even though I’m awkward, short, have gray hair, dance like a mom, and am often an embarrassment to my teens.
He gave me a moment I’ll never forget. A shared experience with my daughters that was fun, faith-filled, and deeply personal. We spent that night worshiping our amazing God, and I will always treasure it.
I’m still in awe of how God weaves details together to show His love. This all started a year ago when He brought me to Camp Hebron. What began in awkwardness became a tremendous blessing: working under some of the best leadership I’ve had in my career, gaining a 20-year-old friend with whom I share a love for music, and making unforgettable memories with my daughters. God cherishes us in the most unexpected ways.