CAMP UPDATE: DEC 2019
Let's catchup and see what's going on around camp. We are in the middle of December, have had plenty of snow so far and had a couple days of really cold weather.
We are getting ready for Community Christmas this weekend, it's a free event we put on for the community where pretty much all activities are open other than swimming, we save that for Father & Son Weekend, and archery because we can't find the arrows in the snow. Last year we had over 1000 people, the most people we have ever had on camp at one time. This year we expect anywhere from 500 to 1500. The better the weather, the more people come. We have a number of volunteers coming to help, including some board members, so that will be fun.
Next week we have our staff Christmas party. It's a chance to celebrate the year, hang out with no responsibility and get a burger from a local place. Some past fun has included family fued where Herb actually polled family campers for the answers and unwrapping prizes stuck in the world's largest saran wrap ball.
We will have a summer staff get together over New Years, a good time to have old friends back and hopefully meet some new ones that want to serve this summer. They stay up late, play broomball, eat a lot of snacks, the usual...
Then we will be into January with Winter Wipe Out youth weekends and Father & Son Weekend.
As we wrap up this year, We have a ton to be thankful for and have some milestones to celebrate.
One is our North Ridge land, the new property that we purchased just a year and a half ago. You have probably heard this story many times now, but we still want to give thanks. God has used you, and many other generous people to help get this paid off. Unbelievable. In a year and a half. We trust that between some special year end gifts and some money we can put towards it, we will completely pay off what started as $1.3 million project.
Another one is just how many people want to come to camp, and in turn hear the Gospel! In the last 10 years, our summer camp / family camp attendance has doubled. With that, the number of campers that have accepted Christ for the first time or made a recommitment has also doubled. One of the things we are working very hard on right now is how to grow into the next step. We are barely able to build housing and update infrastructure fast enough to catch / keep up with growth. That's a great "problem" we have to solve. At our last board meeting we talked about this and they were very encouraging, telling us to start dreaming big. We have been doing that and could use prayer for that as we continue to do so.
There are many other things to be thankful for... Ironwood is well under way for funding. This is our next housing build. It's a building with 4 cabins together complete with a bathroom in each and a loft. We should be on schedule to break ground on it this spring. Also, if you look around at our full time staff, there are many that have been here for 10, 15 and 20 years. A couple much longer than that. There are many more...
As we look to wrap up the year, there are a number of ways for you to support and get involved with camp. We will need more summer staff than ever in 2020 so if you or someone you know should be serving at camp, the program staff is already interviewing and hiring. We also need volunteers for many types and skill levels of projects, maybe you want to pencil a time in next year to come help out. Prayer is powerful and effective, and can be done from anywhere. Please pray for us, camp, safety, finances and that God will work! Also financially... if you are in a position to consider a year end gift, please do that. Every dollar matters, big and small gifts are all very much appreciated.
Well that's a lot of what is going on. I have been here long enough to walk through some extremely difficult times, and God has brought us out of that into some very exciting times. We appreciate your part in it, so THANK YOU! Also have a merry and safe Christmas.
