Month: September 2018

Thursday, September 13, 2018

We were up early again this morning so we would have time to get a full walk in before devotion. We had plans for this evening and knew we wouldn’t get to walk tonight. While walking we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise. We thought we had a picture but don’t know what happened to it. Several of our team members who also saw it said it was the prettiest sunrise they had ever seen. Then this evening we had a beautiful sunset. What a wonderful way to end our time at Camp Lake Stephens.

Carol shared our devotion this morning using Mark 16:2-3. The ladies went to Jesus’ tomb but didn’t know how they were going to move the stone. A huge immovable object between the ladies and Jesus whom they loved. The stone had been moved when they arrived. Jesus moves the stones in our lives giving us access to himself. After devotion Dave read us a funny story on “How the Internet was Started (Biblical Version)” You should read it. After morning meeting, our camp director, Rich, took us to the gift shop and allowed us all to pick a Camp Lake Stephens T-shirt as a thank you gift. Thanks so much

We did get to work today. The garden crew – Anne, Max, Carol, Mariel and Kitti finished up the garden today. It was hot, tiring work but they pushed through. We repaired the sliding barn doors on the shed. We emptied the shed of all sorts of gardening equipment, seeds, fertilizer, weed killer, and all sorts of other things and returned them to the main camp. There was also a tiller and wood chipper. The shed will now be used for game and athletic equipment.

The remainder of the team, Dave, Del, Peggy, Shannon, and John continued working on the barn. It is looking really good.

This has been a really hard working team that accomplished a lot for the camp. It’s been a fun three weeks and we have made some wonderful new friends. Tonight we all had our final dinner together at a local Italian restaurant. All but Del and Peggy will be heading on down the road in the morning. Del and Peggy are working another week and then will be going to Memphis for annual meeting. Actually our entire team is going to annual meeting so we will see them all again in about 10 days. Looking forward to it.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

We awoke to some light rain on our roof this morning. Sounded so good we slept in a little. To bad it was a work day. It was a little warmer this morning but still a cool 65 degrees. We waited until 7:30 when it was no longer raining and got a quick 20 minute walk.

Mariel and Shannon shared devotion with us. Shannon shared “The Happiest People Are Those Who Realized That God Is Enough” and Mariel a reading on joy. There was good sharing and conversation. Of course our prayer time included a lot of concern for everyone in the path of Florence. We are scheduled to be working a disaster rebuild project working on home damaged by Hurricane Matthew in North Carolina this fall. Wondering if those plans will have to change due to Florence. It sure looks like there may be a lot of damage. We have family in North and South Carolina and have been thinking about them a lot the past few days. Everyone stay safe!

After devotion we were all off to work. Max, Anne, Mariel, Carol, Peggy and Kitti headed back to the garden. We thought we had completed that project today. YEA! We have sorted about 100 tomato cages and saved 40 for the new garden. We have removed all the fencing and rolled it up for disposal. We removed the landscape materiel, pulled up the boards making the raised beds, safed the nails and stacked the lumber. We also pulled up all the posts for the fencing. By the way, the sun was out and it was HOT and HUMID!

 

 

 

As the temperature was getting hotter, Peggy went to the barn to work with John, Shannon, Dave and Del. Kitti joined her after lunch. After we completed the tasks in the garden, before we headed back up Heart Attack Hill, Max gave Mariel a lesson on driving the tractor. She was thrilled. She looks great sitting on that Kubota seat. Late this afternoon, we were asked to return to the lower garden tomorrow to clean out a shed by the garden and repair the door. We will work on that tomorrow.

The barn project is also looking good. It won’t be completed when we close down our time here tomorrow but there is another team coming in after annual meeting so they will get to finish that project.

 

 

 

The window people finally arrived about 3:30 today to work on the dining room windows. Today they got all the wood we installed wrapped in metal and the windows are to be installed tomorrow. Hope they get that done before we leave Friday. We have really enjoyed our time here at Camp Lake Stephens.

After work today, Dave and Carol treated us to root beer floats.  Wow!  Those really hit the spot on this hot day.  We all enjoyed some extra time together visiting and enjoying our floats. Thanks Dave and Carol.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

We had another wonderfully cool morning today. Our morning walks are so much nicer at the cooler temperatures. The high was only 74 so it was another great day to be working outside. We know that summer isn’t over yet but we sure are enjoying this taste of fall.

Kitty and John led our devotion times this morning. They led us in the Lord’s Prayer and as each line was said, God answered. It was really good and funny at times. Kitty also read a Camper’s Prayer, which those of us who travel in RVs, find really cute.

We again changed plans today based on the needs of the camp. The men returned to the barn for a while in the morning while the ladies all started the day at the dining hall taking out the two large front windows. We started by removing the glass as we really didn’t want broken glass in the flower beds. The windows looked to be about late 50’s early 60’s vintage and were next to impossible to remove due to glazing and caulking that had been applied through the years to try to stop leaks. We used our oscillating tools to make the process move a little faster but it still took till noon to get the glass out. Then we started cutting the metal frames. After our first break some of the guys joined us and after lunch we were all working on the windows. We got both large windows removed, all the rotten lumber around the windows removed and the windows framed back up and covered with tarps for the night. The contractor is supposed to be here in the morning to install the new windows. Hopefully he will arrive as planned. I’m sure there are more youth groups scheduled for the weekend and the dining hall will need to be back in service. Plus we have rain predicted. Can’t wait to see the new windows. It should really help the appearance of the dining hall.

We all worked really hard today with a lot of time on the ladders. Going to bed early tonight. We only have two more work days here at Camp Lake Stephens and have lots more we would like to accomplish.

Monday, September 10, 2018

Today was the coolest day we have had during this project. The high today was 68 degrees and some of the team even started the work day in jackets.  Twenty degrees cooler than we have been experiencing.  Now that’s a change, a nice change.  But we don’t expect it to last.

Shannon brought our devotion this morning from Galatians 6:9 – “Let us not become weary in doing good.” We had a very good discussion concerning how we can help each other keep from growing weary as we work these last few days of this project.

Our work day started with Carol, Anne, Mariel, Kitty and Peggy continuing the demolition of the old garden and Dave, John, Del, Shannon and Max working at the barn. That’s how we all spent the day, except after lunch Max took the tractor to the garden to help remove the old fence posts.  It was another productive day for the team. And even better, we were invited to have lunch in the dining hall with the camp board members.