Our last week on this project started with us finishing the playground equipment repairs and painting at the administration building and ended with us starting some minor wall repairs in some of the Pool Camp cabins. In between we found out that the wall covering on the fourth walls in the three bathrooms (that we thought we finished last week) also needed to be removed.
Dennis and Gary finishing up the hanging bridge on the playground.
Max and Dennis installing the last step
Testing playground equipment
It’s been said that it’s not really a NOMADS project unless you do some painting.
Dennis and Pam also painted the ceiling of the administration building porch.
Anne enjoying painting in the Administration building
More wall destruction
One of the bathroom walls after we finished it – again.
This dumpster was empty when we started this project/
We took a few minutes to watch the eclipse on Monday. We didn’t have the glasses, so we tried the “pinhole in cardboard projected on a bucket” method.
It was another great NOMADS project at Camp Sumatanga. We always enjoy working with Gary and Sharon and made some wonderful new friends in Dennis and Pam. We look forward to working with them again down the road. The highlight of the week was Thursday morning when Pastor Tony, the camp director, brought us our morning devotion and held communion for the team and some of the camp staff. It was a fitting end to a wonderful project at our favorite camp.
Brother Tony’s Communion Set came from the Holy Land
Monday morning of week two after devotion, we went to Cabin 3 to work on the leaking roof. It’s a tin roof and several of the screws were either missing or were not tight. We replaced all the missing and loose screws with larger screws and put roof sealant where needed. The rest of the week we had a little rain and there were no leaks but it is predicted we will have heavy rain several days this next week so hopefully the cabin will remain dry.
We replaced a few hundred screws on Cabin 3’s roof. Hopefully it won’t leak anymore.
After finishing up at Cabin 3, we rejoined the rest of the team back at cabin 6. We completed that work Tuesday before lunch and then moved to the Administration building to reinstall exterior ceiling panels that were removed when there was a leak in the fire suppression system. Some painting is still needed at the Admin building and we will probably have enough rainy days this week to get that work done.
After working on the roof of Cabin 3 we helped remove the ductwork and furnace from the third cabin (Cabin 6) bathroom we were asked to demo.
Last cabin shower area ready for the contractors
Last cabin toilet area ready for the contractors.
We were able to reuse the roof panels on the admin building porch.
After we tacked the panels up with a nail gun we went back and secured them with screws.
Wednesday and Thursday we worked on the small building where the high ropes course gear is stored and the playground. We removed the shingles and decking from the gear building and then redecked and put on a tin roof. The playground was installed after the 1994 Palm Sunday tornado hit Goshen United Methodist Church in Piedmont, AL. Twenty church members lost their life in that storm including Pastor Kelly Clem’s young daughter, Hannah. The playground is a memorial to Hannah placed by Kelly and her husband. We’ve been working to replace some of the broken pieces of the playground equipment. It’s been a difficult job as we try to match new and older pieces of the playground, but it is also a work of love and brings back many memories of all the tornadoes we worked over the 22 years Max worked as Emergency Management Director. Hopefully we will get enough good weather this week to complete this work.
Removing the old roof
Removing the old decking
Getting the old nails out of the way of the new decking.
New roof for the equipment shed
The playground equipment company donated the parts we needed to repair the equipment.
Some of the parts are pretty heavy.
Today we were again blessed to attend our home church and Sunday School then hike about 4 miles at the new nature preserve with Barry and Donna.
Spring is really beginning to show here at Sumatanga. Some of the examples are the wild irises …
… many trillia …
… and many native azalea trees.
We had a new visitor at the campground this weekend.
Another beautiful Sunday afternoon for a hike in the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve. One of the trails today led us by the creek.
This little ringneck snake and some birds were the only wildlife we saw on our Sunday afternoon hike.
Happy Easter everyone! It was a beautiful spring day in Alabama, perfect for Sunrise Service, church and family gatherings and we enjoyed it all. As is customary for Alabama Easters, our Dogwood trees are in full bloom as well as the Red Buds, and Native Azaleas. This past week you could almost sit and watch the colors change. The mountain above the camp is a multitude of shades of green. Beautiful.
We began our NOMADS work at Sumatanga Camp and Conference Center last Sunday afternoon with our usual get acquainted meeting. We are a small group of six, Sharon and Gary leading, and new to us NOMADS Pam and Dennis, and the two of us. We always enjoy working with Sharon and Gary and it’s been fun getting to know Pam and Dennis. We all work together well so it should be three weeks of fun work. Our highest priority work was the demolition of the bathrooms in three of the Pool Camp cabins, getting them ready for another group to come in and expand and remodel them. This was some heavy-duty demo requiring jack hammers, sledgehammers and strong backs. We completed two of the cabins and have probably completed half the work on the third. We are pleased with the amount of work accomplished last week, because we had thought it would probably take two to three weeks to demo them all. We hope to be finished sometime Tuesday, but a lot will depend on how hard it is to get the last furnace out of the cabin. The furnaces are very old and very heavy.
The vanity area in the first cabin before we started. The bathroom in the second cabin was almost identical.
The toilet stalls in the first cabin before we started
The shower stalls in the first cabin before we started
The furnaces in all three cabin are mounted above the shower stalls in very tight quarters.
Gary hammering at the shower walls
Pam working with the sledge hammer
We sure were thankful young Rob from the camp staff spent one day with us taking down concrete block walls.
Anne working on the shower wall with an electric hammer
Removing ductwork from one of the furnaces
Pushing one of the furnaces to the floor
Anne and Dennis taking the heavy furnace apart so it can be removed
Gary, Pam, Sharon and Dennis removing old drywall
Pam and Dennis admiring their work
Dennis removing the last bits of drywall from the second cabin
This is how the bathroom in the first cabin looked at the end of week 1.
This is another view of the bathroom in the first cabin at the end of week 1. The bathroom in the second cabin was almost identical in the scope of work and finished product.
The toilet stalls in the third cabin before we started taking them down. We are trying to save the pretty wood for future projects.
The toilet area of the third cabin when we finished week 1
The wooden shower stalls in the third cabin with the doors removed
Dennis removing some of the wood above the showers in the third cabin to expose the furnace for removal.
The shower stalls in the third cabin at the end of week 1
Each workday, the camp spoils us with a great lunch. One day this week, we had a new to some of us, delightful turnip green soup and now we all have a copy of the recipe. The entire team worshiped together at Lester Memorial for Good Friday. It was, of course, a somber, but very meaningful service. It’s been a great Holy Week ending in wonderful worship on this beautiful Easter. Today, we attended Sunrise Service, worship service and Sunday School at our church followed by a delicious lunch with our cousins on Pine Mountain. The rest of the team stayed for Sunrise Service at the camp. Hope you all enjoyed your day and kept the true meaning of the day in your hearts. Thank you, Jesus, for your suffering, death, and resurrection. May we live our lives for You.
Easter Sunrise 2024
Lester Memorial’s Sunrise Service at Palisade Park near Oneonta, AL. It was not near as cold as last year.
When we arrived at Sumatanga two weeks ago the dogwoods showed no signs of blooming. But they put on a real show for Easter.
The Dogwood blossom has long been recognized as a symbol of Easter because of its resemblance to a pierced cross.
After spending a month in Grand Isle, we have taken a month off from working mission projects, but it doesn’t mean we haven’t been very busy. While spending a couple of days at Randy’s and Debra’s and catching up with them, Max and Randy worked on Dave and Jennifer’s deck railing. After transitioning into BB, we headed to Ocala, FL to help with a Class B rally and RV show. We had about 75 Class B RVs at the rally and had such a great time renewing friendships and making new friends. We then returned to South Carolina for some additional work on the deck plus some fun times going to the Senior Follies, (a very well done musical at Anderson University). We also went to a Wild Game dinner and fund raiser at a Baptist church near Johnston. Debra and Anne enjoyed their time cooking together and catching up at home. We took BB on a quick trip back to Cullman for a doctor visit and then returned to Johnston and readied Fred for another trip.
We enjoyed seeing the peach orchards in bloom in South Carolina.
The Anderson Senior Follies was well worth the trip to Anderson. Amazing cast and production.
Randy designed and built the sections of the railing in his shop which made installation easier.
The railing when we left
Great time in Ocala with our Class B RV friends!
We are now back a Sumatanga for a three week NOMADS project, but we aren’t leading this one. We were able to do some hiking yesterday and be at our church for Palm Sunday today and look forward to being here for Easter. As we celebrate Easter, we hope we will all remember it’s real meaning, and the sacrifice Jesus made for each one of us.
Yesterday we met Barry and Donna at the Big Canoe Creek Nature Preserve which is a new outdoor recreation area in Springville, Alabama.
RVing With a Purpose 