Camp Mystic director breaks down in tears during trial
The Daily Article
The Denison Forum
4.9 • 576 Ratings
🗓️ 16 April 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Testimony in the Camp Mystic evidential hearing concluded yesterday in an Austin courtroom. The lawsuit was brought by the family of eight-year-old Cile Steward, who died in the July 4, 2025, flood and whose body has not been recovered. Her family is fighting attempts to reopen the camp until her remains are found. So many of the families involved in this horrific tragedy are still grieving. When God chooses not to intervene in our suffering, we can be tempted to doubt his character—and some doubts are more visceral than others, as we’ll explore today.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Good day and welcome to the Thursday, April 16th, 2026 edition of the Daily Article podcast from Denison Forum. |
| 0:10.5 | Today's daily article was written by our co-founder, Dr. Jim Denison, and narrated by yours truly, Chris Elkins. |
| 0:19.1 | Testimony in the Camp Mystic Evidential Hearing concluded yesterday in an Austin courtroom. |
| 0:24.6 | The lawsuit was brought by the family of 8-year-old Seale Stewart who died in the July 4th, 2025 flood, and whose body has not been recovered. |
| 0:34.8 | Her family is fighting attempts to reopen the camp until her remains are found. |
| 0:39.3 | Edward Eastland, a director of the rural Christian summer camp, broke down in tears in the courtroom when asked about SEAL. |
| 0:47.3 | His father, Camp Patriarch Dick Eastland, died in the flood, as did two teenage counselors and 25 young campers. |
| 0:56.6 | Only seals remains are still missing. |
| 0:59.2 | Dick and his wife traveled with me to Israel twice. |
| 1:02.2 | He was one of the most gracious, loving people I have known. |
| 1:05.3 | I know his family is still grieving his death and that of so many in this horrific tragedy. |
| 1:10.8 | Nine camp mystic families are also |
| 1:13.0 | suing Texas officials for the deaths of their children. Of all the kinds and categories of human |
| 1:18.9 | suffering there are, the death of a child must rank as the worst. For other types of pain and |
| 1:24.9 | tragedy, we can find responses that seem reasonable, at least on paper. |
| 1:30.0 | You're likely familiar with these most common responses. |
| 1:34.0 | When we misuse our freedom, the consequences are not God's fault, but ours, referencing Genesis 2, verse 17. |
| 1:41.9 | We experience diseases and disasters that are the fault of the fall, |
| 1:46.2 | not the Creator, according to Romans 8, verse 22. Satan is a roaring lion who seeks to steal and kill |
| 1:53.8 | and destroy, noted in 1 Peter 5, verse 8 and John 10, verse 10. Suffering often leads us to rely more fully on God and thus to grow |
| 2:03.7 | spiritually as we read in 2 Corinthians 12 versus 7 through 10. 1 Corinthians 13, verse 12, teaches us that we |
| 2:12.0 | will understand in the future what we cannot understand in the present. Isaiah 43 verses 1 through 3 confirm that God walks with us |
... |
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