The Finish Line

The “finish line” is getting close. Monday and Tuesday are the only remaining days left for our work at Child Evangelism Fellowship. The men will finish the windows with paint. The rains this past week pushed that away back!! In fact, with record all time rainfall for Missouri this past month, many outside jobs are going to have to be left undone. However, the men worked hard inside getting staining, painting done. Don and Paul worked in the electrical room rebuilding a wall and doing shelving. The ladies continued their kitchen work and housekeeping. Sharon spent the whole week making beds and vacuuming. This coming week it will all be to do again!

October 2009 is history. Our October project here at Child Evangelism Fellowship is nearly over as well. In fact, our leaders are pulling out in a few minutes for the 3 day drive to the next project near Houston, Texas. (RVICS asks their team leaders to arrive a couple of days on a new project before the rest of the team.) Another couple will join the group there. So, the hard goodbyes are already beginning. Two of the couples we have worked with the previous 2 months are heading for Texas. The remaining 3 couples are all heading for home through the holidays. Then, we will once again be seeing new places and meeting new people.

Fall in Warrenton, Missouri

Work is progressing as we completed week #2 at Child Evangelism Fellowship. The cement window sills are done except a few more coats of cement (very thin) and the painting. The list of odd jobs they are wanting the men to do is getting shorter. One group of RVICS men installed the plaques that are pictured above on a prayer wall showing each state of the US. The women spent their entire week in the kitchen and dining room helping the regular staff with the large group of state leaders that were here last week. The women always work in the morning. However, this week we split the group and half worked in the mornings and half in the afternoons.

As a highlight for the week, we heard the key note speaker for this leadership conference speak one morning for devotions. He is Czestaw Bassara from Auschwitz, Poland, where he was born just after WWII. What a fantastic speaker! He has spent his life working for CEF in the eastern block European countries as well as Russia. Today, he has an international Bible teaching ministry in which he speaks 5 languages. We were extremely impressed!

Fall returned this past week!! Most of us had given up hope for warm, sunny weather. The trees turned out in all of their glory with lots of golds and yellows. Yesterday, we took a short trip close by and it was like driving in the Smoky Mountains this time of the year. It was complete with the hills and tight curves. Our last stop was in the town of Hermann, a “German” town on the Missouri River. Yes, we can now say we had had a beautiful fall. It is our belief that all of the leaves in Hartford City are now on the ground!

We are noticing that the activities here are slowing down as we are getting deep into October. Many of the volunteers are heading south. There is a ministry class (12 week course) that will be finishing up in 2-3 weeks. We are guessing that in the “winter” it is much slower than what we have been experiencing. Once again, we found that the Christian community is “small”. There was a couple of Oregon with their children attending the conference last week. In talking to her, I found that they had driven across the US visiting with their supporters. One of the stops they made was in Upland to visit a friend of ours!!

Tomorrow, we begin another week of work. We don’t know what that might be but are anxious to get started.

Where is Fall?

“Neither, rain, sleet or snow” will stop us from our work. Even though we didn’t see the sleet or snow it felt like it for a good part of our time here. The above picture looks like snow but that is frost that was on the ground this morning. Brrrr!! The rains and cold temps didn’t keep us from doing the work that had been assigned to us for the week.

The men continued to work on their concrete window sills. They have progressed to a point in getting them done but are hitting a road block in how to get the final coats of cement to stick and not fall off from gravity. That is still a work in process. Since it was too wet to work outside a couple of the days, the men went inside and painted walls, stair wells etc. Most of the women spent their week helping in the kitchen. Marie and I spent the week doing housecleaning (no bathrooms). Special guests came to CEF during the week that required extra work to be done. We, also, set up and cleaned away tables for their banquets and special meeting rooms.

One of the things we like about doing the work we do with RVICS is seeing how the ministries we visit operate. Volunteers are vital to the ministry of Child Evangelism. They come for a week or months at a time. They have a large room where the volunteers gather of a morning and are there when the mail arrives with the completed correspondence courses from the children from around the world. The courses are logged into a computer and given a bar code. From there on it is the personal reading and grading by the volunteers on a one on one basis. When a person reads of a new salvation a bell is rung and everyone cheers.

One of the down sides to the adverse weather is we tend not to gather together as a group as often. However, the sun is shining brightly today!! Yeah! With the sunshine (and warmer temperatures) we are hoping to be able to socialize more this week as well as work outside more.

October 2009 finds us at the headquarters of Child Evangelism Fellowship outside Warrenton, Missouri. The campus is secluded and quiet. The property formerly was a monastery that had a major fire. In 1976 CEF purchased it for their home. This is the home for nearly (if not all) aspects of their ministry. Not only is there a staff of employees making the ministry work but many volunteers come. I don’t believe they could do the ministry that they do without the volunteers. This week there is even a group from Hawaii. One lodge is even called Volunteer Lodge.
Our RVICS team consists of 4 couples that we were with last month. The couple from Wisconsin went home and we added another couple from Indiana. This is a great group. There are a couple of former RVICS couples that volunteer that live here many months of the year doing volunteer services almost full time. So far, the only thing we don’t like is the cold, wet weather. Ha!!
Today was our first day of working. Two of us ladies helped with light housekeeping today. The remainder of the women worked with preliminary food preparation. The men are working on cement window sills. Over time a few of them have begun to crumble. Don and another RVICS worker found themselves using hammer drills to knock down the cement and get it prepped for rebuilding. A couple of the men are working on electric golf carts that are giving them problems.
We are looking forward to another good, productive month.

Nearing the Finish Line

Fall is coming! This has been an extremely nice month of weather but as the month of September draws to a close we feel October moving in. For the whole month, the team only had to change their work plans for one day because of rain. Everything is dry. We have been surprised that the leaves haven’t turned much but the acorns are really falling and hitting the roof of the RV hard today! Light sweaters have been about the only covering we have needed outside.

This week many projects were completed. Don and Paul finished the fence and it looks great. A ceiling in a bathroom was replaced, shower or two repaired and a new light was installed. The big, heavy job for the week for the men was working on a cabin roof. The old shingles had to be torn off, new tar paper put down and shingled. To this point, about 80% of one side is shingled and 40% of the other side is done. Don and Paul will be replacing a window tomorrow too.

The women waterproofed/stained the gazebo. The windows have been cleaned in most of the cabins with just a few remaining to be done. We have nearly completed the camp’s to do list. They are making up a new list for these last 4 days.

Yes, just 4 more days to go. This project has been alot of hard physical work but the time has gone by quickly. This is a great camp in many ways. The leadership is top notch and the facilities are well cared for. We will leave with great memories and hope to come back someday.

At the end of the week, we will pull out and head back to Hartford City for almost a week. After that time at home, we will go to an October project in Missouri. Four of the couples with us now will travel there also. However, another new couple will be added. In a couple of weeks look for another posting.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Work & Play

We are at the half way point of working this project. We are working hard and also, having lots of fun.

When our work day ended at Thursday at noon, the ladies had finished painting and cleaning the 50 cabin windows and trim (including rehanging of the screens). The screen doors and trim were, also, sporting a new coat of paint with new chalking. The gas lines are newly painted. One team of men have completed the re-roofing job on the gazebo. Another team is putting the tractor back together. After getting inside it, they found a problem that made it too costly to permanently fix. We don’t know how else to describe it but they have a plastic barrel train pulled by an ATV. The men have repacked the bearings in the wheels. Don and Paul are still on the fence. It is progressing but slowly. At the end of the workday on Thursday, it was decided the supervisor had made a couple of bad decisions in RE to it, ex too short. All weekend they have been throwing ideas around on how to make the changes they now want. That is life!!

When you are around one another on a daily basis, you really get to know one another. This is a fun, game playing group. Also, Don has a first cousin that lives not to far from the camp. This week we were able to have a really good visit with them.

On Monday we will begin the work all over again. Don will be back at the fence and Sharon will have a paint brush in her hand. Yes, the play is planned too beginning tonight with a hot dog roast.

Camp Fairwood Week #1

Week 1 at Camp Fairwood proved to be a short but productive week. Since our first day of work landed on Labor Day and there were campers everywhere, only prep work was done on Monday, such as bringing lumber, shingles etc to the work sites. Tuesday morning everyone was very excited and anxious to work.

The 6 men were divided into 3 teams for different assignments. One group is working on an old tractor and another is re-roofing a gazebo. The third group of two (Don) has torn out an old fence and in the process of replacing it with another. There were old posts to be removed. In the end, they resorted to jack hammers! This was a first for Don. Now, everything old has been removed, new holes have been dug and, Monday, they will be building the new fence. This week was hard on the men because of the hot weather that we have been experiencing. As I write this we have the AC on in the RV.

The ladies are in the process of painting the outside of 50 cabin windows. Sharon started on this project but was then moved to another job. First, she scraped, then primed and now is painting the natural gas lines going into the various cabins etc. The hard part is the aluminum paint for the top coat. It is the consistency of water but doesn’t come off.

Once again we saw the camp being used this weekend for an all men retreat. It is exciting to see it come to life and see how the facility is being used. The camp director (Brad Dickinson) filled us in on the history of Camp Fairwood. In 1966, the General Association of Regular Baptists of Wisconsin purchased 230 acres and buildings. It had been owned by a professional baseball player who had designed it to be a camp for teaching kids baseball. Today, it is supported by 40 GARB churches and 1 EFCA church. Their work has been blessed and they have grown in every way. We are impressed by all that we see being done.

This is a fun area to be in this time of the year. 3M sent Don up here a few times many years ago. So many changes have occurred. It is much more populated and they are farming the land -----green beans, sweet corn, carrots, green peppers and, of course, potatoes and cranberries. Irrigated fields make the fields productive. We have seen many wild turkeys, sandhill cranes and, Sunday, 3 deer in our outdoor “office”.

Please continue to remember us in your prayers in our daily chores.

Summer is Over

On the road again. Yes, the summer is over and it is time for another RVICS project. This month will find us at Camp Fairwood near Westfield, Wisconsin. After arriving a few days ago, we and 5 other couples have settled in for a month of painting and light construction. We represent the midwest and are from Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Once again we are meeting 4 new couples since we have only worked with the leaders previously. What fun!

The above pictures show our team for the month. The camp has the feel of a state park with lots of trees and lakes near here. Internet service is available with wifi but we have to walk some distance to get this “necessary” service. The last picture shows our office. Isn’t it beautiful?!

Family Camp was this weekend and it was great to see the camp in action. There were babies, children on bicycles, parents and grandpas and grandmas everywhere taking full advantage of the activities. This week we will be meeting with the director to learn more of the history etc of his camp. Already, we have heard of the impact on the lives of those who have “camped”. No longer than we have been here, we are greatly impressed with the director and the one other full time employee. They are 100% hands on.

Tomorrow morning will find Sharon with a scraper and a paint brush and Don with a crow bar and other destructive tools. However, we are excited and looking forward to getting started.

Spring is Coming--Going Home

When we left Hartford City a couple of months ago, we couldn't wait to leave the ice/snow/cold behind. We can't say that we entirely left it behind (see bog below) but it was better than up north. Right? Anyway, the spring flowers are now appearing and the trees are putting on their blossoms of color. Yesterday, the 2 of us drove to Birmingham and visited their botanical gardens. It was absolutely gorgeous with many spring flowers and, especially, the Japanese cherry blossoms. After we get home we will experience spring #2.

The camp is beginning to get busy with their many activities that they have available. There were several groups of kids on spring break this week. In the afternoons we saw them in canoes on the lake. It is always good to see how the camp is being used in the ministry. In the summer it is packed. We were told you can't even hardly drive the streets for the kids.

Don didn't have to grind and paint railing all week. They shortened that job and finished it at the first of the week. The ceiling in the new chapel was their next project----high!! Don faced his fear of heights and climbed up and worked on it. They have added to the ceiling but another large group is coming in to complete it. Also, a couple of other volunteer groups are coming to put dry wall on the walls and siding on the outside. By June 1, it will be done and full of campers!!

As a side note, the gentleman for whom the chapel is being named (Weaver Chapel) introduced himself to Sharon. When asked where her home was, she responded Indiana, "I'm a northerner." He paused and said, "No, you're a Yankee." Wherever we have been in the south, we find that the Civil War is still very much alive. In heaven, there will be no north or south!

Sharon and the ladies are still in the laundry and will work there the last two days. On Wednesday, we were treated to a day out by Mary Taylor, the wife of the director and a native Hoosier. That was a fun day. On Thursday evening, our whole group and other volunteers here had a wonderful time at the Taylor home. Our "family" just continues to grow.

It is ALWAYS hard to say good bye and head in different directions. On Tuesday afternoon, this will happen again. Only 2 of the couples will leave together to another project. All the rest of us will head for home. We want to see the grand kids is a common theme. However, when fall comes around again we will be anxious to gather again at another location and with other fellow believers to help in the Lord's work.

More to Do at Shocco Springs

Another week---more sheets and towels to fold for Sharon and for Don more railing to get done. We don't foresee that we will run out of either in the near future. As most people know, the laundry never ends. As for the railing, there is some on nearly all the buildings on the property. Other volunteers will come and do more over the weeks and months to follow.

The pictures above show Don preparing to "sand" (actually grind) the old paint off the railing. It is a very messy job and it seeps into everything and is worn home. The second photo shows Don painting after the old paint has been removed. He will probably be wearing some of the paint when he returns to Hartford City. When it dries it feels like a rubbery substance and isn't made to be removed. The picture of the people folding laundry shows some of the room in which Sharon has spent everyday working. It isn't hard work and we talk and laugh the morning away!

In a lot of ways, we are seeing how much the camp is being used. It is a large conference center over many acres. We have been told in the summertime you can't even walk down the streets for the kids/people that are being ministered to here. Many Christian groups make there way to Shocco Springs over the year.

Unless it rains, we will be working pretty much the same jobs again this week. Our time here is moving by very quickly--soon it will be time to head back north.

Spring Break--RVICS Style Part #2

What a difference a week makes! One week ago, it was a pretty white around here and very "cold". As the week moved along the scenery changed to a nice green and we are adding spring blooms too. With temps in the 70's in the daytime, it makes for good working conditions outside. We like this better!

The picture of the stair rails (spindles) above shows some of the work that the men and Don have been doing this week. 3-4 of them have been grinding the rust and old paint from the metal. After work, Don looks like he has been working with coal. The remaining men are making new bannisters to put on the top. They have lots to do!! This picture shows only a fraction of railing on this building. The women started by thoroughly cleaning the chairs in the dining room (yes, there is gum) and ended the week in the laundry folding sheets and towels. We like the variety. This week will find the men and women doing much of the same tasks that they were doing this past week.

As you can see from the traditional group RVICS picture, all of the couples have now arrived and there are 6 of us. In addition to our group, 2 SOWERS couples have joined us in the RV campground. With all of us, we now represent 8 different states/regions of the US. With the warmer weather, we like to gather outside with our lawn chairs to get to know one another in our off time.

Time is flying here and we can't believe that one week of work is done. We anticipate another exciting week of work beginning tomorrow.

Spring Break--RVICS Style???

This was the welcome that we received at Shocco Springs Baptist Conference Center in Talladega, Alabama. Since arriving here on Thursday afternoon, we have had nearly 4 inches of rain, tornado warnings, flood warnings and, now, the snow. Since we are in the south, the natives are thrilled and excited to have snow. Churches cancelled services. However, our leaders Ralph & Shirley Rose are from New York state and, from the picture above, took it all in stride Spring is just around the corner. Yesterday, our RVICS friends from Huntsville, Alabama (who have joined us for the month of March) brought over spring flowers that she had picked from her yard before they left on Friday.

This month begins are 3rd year doing RVICS projects. That seems impossible. However, this is the first repeat of a a location. Previously, we were here in November. This is a busy place. When we came in, there were groups of spring breakers here from churches. In addition, the camp ground is full with 4 other RVs. There will be 12 (6 couples) working this project. The last couple will pull in tomorrow after having to go home from our project in Florida last month for a family emergency. The additional couple are actually retired RVICS but, since they live so close, were able to join us for the month. We have worked with them before and were happy to hear that they were coming.

Assignments for work have not been given out as yet. But, the rumor is the men will be painting and the women doing kitchen and laundry duty. Once again, we are ready to get started.

Please pray for safety as we work. Also, a little warmer weather would be greatly appreciated too!

Only 2 Days Left

Where has the month of February gone? We had looked forward to getting out of Indiana and starting work. Now, the month is nearly gone and it has gone very quickly. Tuesday is our last working day at Blue Springs Conference Center.

This has been a very predictable month for our work. What we were doing on the first day, it appears that we will doing on the last day. The men have painted the whole project the interior of a dorm, painted and hung numerous doors and, to finish, will be painting some overhang on another dorm. The women have done room cleaning, laundry etc the whole month long. Since they had a small group of guests here this past weekend we will probably have that to do again the next couple of days. They currently have no paid staff to do housecleaning and it is all volunteer at this point.

Since we have experienced a very cool month in northern Florida (yes, we have been told Indiana is worse!), we haven’t spent as much time outside interacting with other members of our team. However, for the first time since we have joined RVICS, we will be moving to our next project with the exact same couples that are now a part of this team. One member of our group lost her sister this past week. They left early but will be rejoining us soon. It will be hard to say goodbye to the COM group that we will leave behind also. We have joined together for some of our activities and the women have worked have all worked together daily. One of the COM ladies commented that it was going to be lonely around here when RVICS left.

One of the great bonuses of doing what we do are the people that we meet along the way. Roberto is one of those people. For the past 8 years he has done maintenance at the camp. We had kind of gotten to know him but last night he and his wife invited all 16 of us into their very small house for a sit down meal. What great people they are with a huge testimony---growing up in Porto Rico with drugs, witchcraft etc--- and to be the outstanding Christians they are today is a miracle! In fact, with the exception of one brother the whole extended family are Christians. We’d have to say that was one of the high lights of our time at this camp.

It always hard to move to a new location but we have new and exciting adventures ahead. On Thursday, we will pulling out of Florida and heading north about 250 miles to Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega, Alabama.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Paint & Clean

Paint, paint paint and clean, clean, clean. We can put a ditto mark under the work that we did in week one to show our duties for week two. However, one day Sharon (in addition to the cleaning) did do some kitchen duty while Don pushed the vacuum around the dining room. These jobs are what is needed at this time. We aren’t complaining because this is what we came can to do---whatever is needed.

The weather finally has gotten more Florida like. It was good to get outside and enjoy some of the sunshine in our off hours. As we are out more, we spend less time in our RVs and get to know the others in the group better. That is always one of the highlights of doing these projects. We have our scheduled social night and Bible study nights but yesterday one of the special things we did was play games and eat real (yes, with real lemons from Florida) pie. Delicious and fun!

In addition to RVICS, Campers on a Mission have 4 (now 3 couples) that are volunteering here too. Once again, they represent the different states of North Carolina, Missouri and Pennsylvania. Our devotions in the morning are done with these couples. We have found it good to work with the individuals from the different groups. Our objectives are always the same. Plus, here in Blue Springs we could not do all the work that needs to be done with just the 6 couples in our group!

This week has flown by. Can we be this deep into February? We are looking forward to the coming week. Thanks again for remembering us.

Our Team

Once again we are with a great team of RVICS that represent 5 different states from left to right Michigan, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. When we arrived we met 4 new couples that we never knew before. It is great.

Just Like Home

The first week here at Blue Springs Conference Center flew by. I guess that we are having fun!! There wasn’t the great variety of work that we sometimes find on projects but we certainly are benefiting the center. Since times are hard, the non-profit organizations sometimes are the first to be cut from giving. That is true here. The conference center was notified this week that the whole budge for the Florida Baptists has been cut $4 million. Therefore, they have a very limited staff at this time.

Sharon and the ladies have been working housekeeping this past week. She is totally experienced since she has been doing it most of her lifetime. All the housekeeping staff (at the present) is volunteers. Since they had 200 Fellowship of Christian Athletes here this past weekend, the same work will be there this morning. Don and the men have painting all week long. They are making progress and will probably finish the building sometime this week.

This past week was extremely cold here with a low of 22 degrees one morning. We had hoped that we had left all of that kind of “stuff” when we left Indiana. However, by the end of the week, we were no longer freezing and were actually able to build a campfire one afternoon/evening and enjoyed some time outside.

Yesterday, we ended (or would it be began) our week with a visit to a church we will never forget. The Dothan Community Church (Alabama) is a place that RVICS have worked on for 3 different projects and we have heard that it is a special place. We can verify that it is. Dr. W. Charles Lewis (black man) after graduating from DTS felt the call to begin a new church in this town and asked a fellow graduate, Chester McFarland a white man, to join him in this venture. This church is definitely alive and growing. We were welcomed like we have never had a welcome before.

Thank you for thinking of us this past week. Please continue to do so.

RVICS in the Wintertime

After a winter of ice and snow and cold, we are now at our new RVICS project in Marianna, Florida, at Blue Springs Baptist Conference Center. You might think that February in Florida means warmth and sunshine, we can say that is only about a half truth. Since we have arrived, we have had beautiful clear, blue skies for the most part but it isn’t totally warm yet. Still better than Hartford City, Indiana. We were very concerned about being able to drive the RV out with ice on the ground. However, the 2 days before we decided to head out, the sun came out and it got to around 40 degrees. Most of the snow and ice came off the RV with a little help from Don. He got on top and threw the last ½ inch of ice off to the ground. We had a very nice, safe drive south and just missed the terrible ice and snow storm that just went through the south by a couple of days.

We are still learning about this conference center that we will call home for the next month. On this particular project we are from five different states---New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan and, of course, Indiana. This is the first time that we have worked with any of these couples. In addition, to the RVICS, Campers on a Mission have 4 couples volunteering here also.

Already we know that we have wonderful couples to work with. We are the “youngins”. Today, we started our official work. The ladies cleaned and did laundry At this time, I don’t believe they have paid staff to do this work but are dependent on volunteers. The men are painting and doing some chair rail. On Wednesday, a shipment of doors are to arrive that will need finishing and then will be hung.

Please pray with us as we do our work -----for safety and health. We are aware that some of the older ones of the group have limited physical function in some areas due to their health.