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.