SPRING 2026 29 CAMP MYSTIC COUNSELOR LONDON SMITH’S STORY OF FAITH AND COURAGE On July 3, 2025, London Smith went to bed expecting a typical night at Camp Mystic, a Christian camp for girls in the Texas Hill Country. The region had seen days of steady rain, and the air was thick with humidity and gnats. “In the letters I had written home that day, I even mentioned how bad the gnats were,” London remembered. “The sun hadn’t come out in days, which was unusual for July.” That night, the storm intensified. Wind howled against the cabin windows, and thunder rolled across the hills. “My co-counselor and I would take turns getting up and telling the girls to go back to sleep every twenty minutes,” London said. “Then one girl called me over to her bed and pointed to her window. The water was already creeping up close to the windowsill.” It was dark, and London reassured her girls, still believing they were safe. Moments later, she peered through the window and saw something she would never forget. “I saw the canoes that were normally docked by the river floating past my cabin,” she said. Within minutes, two girls from another cabin ran across the rain-soaked field toward the office, followed by flashing car lights outside. London stepped out to find twenty young girls crying and clutching pillows. Camp directors directed everyone to safety. “I asked one of the owners if I should take my girls, and he said he had never seen water this high,” London recalled. “That’s when one of the directors shouted for everyone to go to Rec Hall, a tall building up on a stage.” Moving quickly, London woke her co-counselor, put on her shoes and raincoat, and turned on every light in the cabin. Together, they lined up their girls and waded through rising water. “By the time we reached the Rec Hall, the water was already past my knees,” she said. “When I climbed the stairs and felt the current pulling on my legs, that was the first time I was truly scared.” Inside, about a hundred campers and a handful of counselors gathered as the water began to rise. They ushered everyone to the indoor balcony. “The balcony was just big enough to hold all of us,” London said. “And then the power went out.” Peering out the window, London saw the water climbing and other girls stranded on a rooftop. “In my mind, I started thinking that if the water rose any higher, maybe we could jump out the window into the water,” she said. “At the time, I didn’t realize that could have killed us. I was more afraid of being stuck in the building.” Amid fear and chaos, counselors prayed and led campers in song. London sang “Good, Good Father” by Chris Tomlin, a song that had comforted her through grief after losing her grandfather. By God’s grace, the water stopped just below their feet, and they were rescued around 4 p.m. In the days following, London grappled with shock, loss, and guilt. “It took me a while to feel like London again,” she said. “I will never be the same person I was before July 4, and that’s okay.” She reflected, “While we are here, as believers, it’s our duty to serve God well and glorify Him in everything we do.” London recalls her grandfather, Forrest, whose faith shaped her. “In this flood, I believe my grandfather passed the torch to me that night to continue the work he wanted to keep doing, and to carry on his legacy by serving God and His people.” She hopes her story guides others to Christ: “This life is not promised… we shouldn’t take life for granted; we should live it well.” Now a sophomore at Dallas Baptist University studying Early Childhood Education, London’s faith has deepened. “When I first stepped onto DBU’s campus, I felt something I couldn’t quite explain—peace,” she said. Raised in Plano, Texas, by her mother and grandparents, she lost her grandfather to cancer. “Through my grief, I found peace that surpasses understanding.” At DBU, London has found family through Zeta Chi, student work, and mentors like Dr. Debbye Garner and Mrs. Lee Ann Shamblin. “Mrs. Shamblin has become like a second mother to me,” London said. Other professors in the College of Education also shaped her journey, modeling Christ’s love. One piece of advice from Camp Mystic remains with her: counselor bracelets inscribed with “Do this hour.” The phrase guides London to give her best in every moment, trusting God through each season of life. “Do This Hour”
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