Category: SOWER Ministries

We’re here at the Gospel Rescue Mission in Tucson, AZ for one more month! We’re serving with Ernie & Gail Schrock from Goshen, IN. We were each familiar with our hometowns (we lived in Niles-Buchanan, MI for 11 years). It was fun to compare notes and learn what we knew of each other – another example of God’s “small” world!

____________________________________________________

Meet Rebecca!

She was here with her daughter while we served at the Women & Children’s Center. We got to interact with her and her daughter during lunch times and passing in the courtyard.

Knowing she had to take drastic action to change her life, Rebecca came to Gospel Rescue Mission with her daughter. Rebecca took a leap of faith. She started going to church and recently was baptized. And, for the first time, has hope for the future! Rebecca believes that God brought her here, and she is determined to break the generational curse for herself and her daughter. She has been clean and sober for almost seven months! Rebecca is also attending S.M.A.R.T. school to get her high school diploma, which will get her one step closer to her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Her relationship with Christ grows stronger every day, and she is planning on staying in Tucson to be near her new family and friends.

God is changing lives here! We also got to hear one of the worship times of these women at chapel. The song (above) “You Say” by Lauren Daigle was sung SO loud, SO meaningful, SO worshipful., SO from their hearts…we still have chills! We have been impacted by the depth and sincerity of this ministry…and God continues to change us as we experience these adventures!

Week one was full of opportunities to help at the Center Of Opportuity! (See how I did that! LOL). There are many “completion” type jobs to do here after they recently reconstructed some of the buildings, courtyard, garden, and play areas. This one was a simple “pour a pad of concrete” to protect the water lines next to the building. Ernie knew what he was doing!

Another “simple” job was to plant four bushes and remove those vines against the building. Still at it two days later…we all learned what caliche soil was – it’s another name for cement! We had to use a pick & shovel – and eventually added a hammer drill to dig about an inch at a time. We finally dug as many vine roots as we could and drilled out enough of a hole to palnt these shrubs. (We did provide drainage holes and new soil for the plants – hope they grow!)

Another job in the same courtyard was to weld fasteners to the legs of these benches and tables and then connect them to the cement slab. Ernie and I got ‘er done!

We met up with Jim Brown – Director of Events. He showed Lorree & Gail the steps and explained the process of making Hygene Bags to be handed out at their next event – probably before or during the community wide Easter gathering in April. Dennis & Ernie helped Jim troubleshoot and repair a food-truck-trailer that they use to provide hot food at different events.

You want us to do what? Every once in a while we get an “off the wall” assignment. This morning Dave Velasquez, our GRM coordinator, looked a bit flustered – he just found out that a group of “boys” were going to be here in a few hours. He was going to split them up into different work groups. He assigned us the task of supervising about 10 of them in the cleaning and organizing of the kitchen and pantry as well as washing carts of stacked dishes. Gulp! We had never been in the kitchen yet! Were these “boys” Jr high? high school?

Turned out that this group of “boys” was the Baseball Team from Wheaton Bible College! These were pretty big guys – and worked hard! They never caught on that we didn’t know what we were doing – just two volunteer groups serving the Lord together in the kitchen!

On the weekends we ended up at a variety of great churches in the area. One weekend we traveled to Benson, AZ and met up with some friends of Ernie & Gail from Indiana. What a shock to us to also meet up with Alan & Karen Johnson at the same cafe afterward! Such a small world with a big God directing all of our life adventures!

Another weekend, we had a great mini reunion with other SOWER’s in the area. We met at the Golden Correll and learned of the adventures from other Sower’s and various updates about the SOWER Ministry from Wayne and Gail Feiler (Trustee).

Each day we checked in with Dave for our daily assignament. He even added a few that we had mentioned – I think he was grateful that we saw things to do and wanted to help with!

The gals were able to help prepare for dinner one day by cleaning the cafeteria and cutting up over 40 pounds of potatoes for potato salad. They were smiling the whole time (…right?)

Ernie and I were able to do more landscaping – this time building a retaining wall for a future “desert-scape” and area for bicycles.

We repaired and built about 12 screens for the Transition House and replumbed the drains in one of the kitchen sinks.

We repaired, bottom sealed, and painted the 60 upright support poles in the courtyard area of the Women’s Recovery Center.

We tilled areas, fertilized, seeded, mulched and watered several areas to grow new grass at the Women’s Recovery Center.

BUT – our favorite job of all (one that we suggested) was to deep clean the cafeteria/chapel at the Women’s Recovery Center. It had been a while since any attention had been given to this.

We received so many comments and “thank-you’s” from the women and staff. “Are these NEW tables & chairs?” Sometimes we all get used to living with what we have and not pay attention to the condition of our surroundings. A good sprucing up, deep cleaning, and fresh paint can change our whole disposition. The ladies and children had some new smiles & upbeat joy in their eyes as we worked to bless them. It was so fulfiling to us – and WE were so blessed!

…and then we looked up! We saw the vents and the sound accustic boards. The next day we attacked the ceiling with a determination to get these all clean again! We removed vents, to be scrubbed & washed, vaccumed the hanging accustic boards, and replaced light bulbs and ballasts. The room was literally changed in just a few hours! One of the guests shared that during worship, when she looked up in praise to the Lord, she was thrilled by the bright and clean sight. Little things do make a difference!

It was our joy to work with and be a blessing to these special women and the staff that serve here!

We’ll miss this place! God has moved our hearts in a special way while serving here. It wouldn’t surprise either of us if Gospel Rescue Mission will be back in our adventures again someday!

We’re serving at the Womens Recovery Center located on Miracle Mile Road – perfect name for this location! Currently there are about 26 women and 10 or so children living here. They have been rescued by God’s grace! They have survived various challenging and destructive life styles and are now in various stages of recovery. We love the motto the staff have – to love them with Jesus and treat them with dignity and respect!

We are serving with two other couples this month, Tim & Cindy Klein and Craig & Karen Burrell. We’re sharing RV space in the parking lot – it works! Notice the shape of the buildings on the property – another reminder of the cross of Christ. There is much healing taking place on this campus!

First item on the list – The french doors on the Transition House needed to be replaced – the guys were able to remove the old doors without disturbing the stucco work on the exterior (how’s that for a plus!) The new door needed to be put in “backwards” so it would open to the outside. This added another challenge but we were succesful!

The first week the girls got to paint (surprise!) and help with some of the office work. They kept busy and cleaned everything as they went. Great job!

The H.S.Lopez Family Foundation Center of Opportunity!

One of the highlights of the project was getting a tour of the Center of Opportunity operated by Gospel Rescue Mission. A significant hotel in its’ day was purchased by the Lopez Family and sold to the Gospel Rescue Mission for $1. Since then the buildings and property has been in a constant state of refurbishing and remodeling – with a spirit of excellence. The vision is to provide opportunity to the homeless and broken in the Tucson area through various programs. The gospel is shared and the love of Jesus radiates throughout the staff and facility! We kept hearing that they strive to show dignity and respect to all guests no matter what background they come from. We had chills as we slowly toured the property and heard the stories of changed lives. Many of the staff used to be the “guests” and are now passing the love of Jesus on to others!

I think our work assignments were enjoyed and completed with a bit more heart in our work after learning how God was bringing HOPE to the lives of so many. More days of cleaning and painting in the administration areas. We worked as a team and made great progress! These weeks are going by so fast!

Each weekend, we’ve enjoyed worshipping at a variety of churches with our new friends and then going out to eat at some local cafe’s and even a food truck – serving the delicious Sonoran Hot Dogs! This is a Tucson exclusive: bacon wrapped fried hot dog with beans, and all the goodies – and a mild (hot!) pepper to go!

One of our SOWER highlights was meeting up with other SOWER friends and alumni at the Golden Corral – we shared and reminisced and learned a lot from each other at this mini-reunion!

The guys spent the last week serving at the Gospel Rescue Mission – Center Of Opportunity. We helped with the beginning install of a barber shop to help meet the needs of the men and families that are being cared for there. We also tracked electrical wiring (whew – that was a challenge!) and installed some new outdoor wiring for gate locks etc.

The ladies continued painting, cleaning, organizing, and building friendships with each other and several of the guests at the Womens Recovery Center.

…and just like that – three weeks of work were over! The time always seems to go so fast. Just like that helecopter’s spotlight is shining down from the sky, God has His eye and love directed toward this special ministry.

It was great to serve with Tim & Cindi Klein and Craig & Karen Burrell. We’re so thankful we’ve had this oportunity! We will remember the time, work, and fun we were able to accomplish here – this ministry will continue to be on our hearts and in our prayers..

AND … we are returning!

We’ll be here another month (March) serving with another SOWER couple. Wonder what fun and meaningful jobs we’ll be assigned. Check out our next blog for our next SOWER adventure!

Home of the Cougars! It’s great to be back to school again! We served here in April of 2020 during the Covid beginnings (feel free to go check out that blog). The school was closed then but we had lots to do and worked hard. This year everything is open and students and faculty are busy from sunup to sunset! We met together with Jeff Blake (Superintendent), Veronica (Volunteer Coordinator), and others for a great welcome and orientation meeting.

We’re serving with Mil & Linda Sutter (SOA’s), Jim and Faye Smith (GL’s), and Ralph and Lella Bledsoe. What a great team of SOWERs!

The unique thing about “camping” while serving with SOWERs is that you get to park in some interesting places. Here we are camped for the month literally on the track! We had front row seats to all the field activities. Soccer, baseball, T-ball, football, shot-put, and of course running. We got our exercise just watching!

Our “to-do” list started with all of us working at the pre-school/elementary facilitites.

The gals were asked to clean and organize different areas. Then they were asked to re-do several of the bulletin boards (something new to all of them!) They did a great job and received many compliments!

The guys found some ladders and went to work replacing many of the light bulbs in the chapel and cafeteria, mainly converting old fixtures to be able to use LED’s. The lights in the cafeteria must have been out and dim for quite some time because one of the little elementary kiddos exclaimed, “WOW look at all the lights!!” The cook remarked, “ah-oh, now I can see the dirty places!”

What a treat! On the weekend we found out that “Christmas With The Chosen” was showing at a nearby movie theater. We don’t often get to enjoy a big screen theater so off we went! It was a very enjoyable outing and a great production!

Next week – more “to do’s”! The list they gave us was organic – meaning as things got crossed off, more were added. We kept very busy, what a great variety!

While the ladies were landscaping the elementary school courtyard…

The guys were rebuilding a “barn door” over at the preschool building.

Dennis was asked to paint one of the props for the upcoming Christmas program.

We sure enjoyed our evenings and weekends! Fellowshipping and sharing life together is one of the highlights of serving in Kingdom work with other SOWER’s!

Talk about work! Check out what these ladies accomplished! From start to finish, “clean and organize the student council’s storage shed. There were several trips to the dumpsters! Looks great ladies!

There were multiple sinks, cabinets, and leaks to fix. We also updated the bathrooms in the elementary building to be “touchless” with new faucets and air hand dryers. The leak under the sink in the science lab was probably the most challenging.

We even got to fix tricycles at the pre-school playground! How fun!

So many amazing adventures and memories here at PCPS! The staff here are great hosts and lots of fun! Rest assured that we saved work to do for the next incoming team. Lord willing, we’ll be back again someday soon!

Moving on down the highway – within an hour our whole visable world changed! What?

From Pine trees and gentle deer…to the desert, scorpians, snakes and havalinas….

…and from pine trees, to cactus trees (Saguaro) to “cell tower trees’, to palm trees! What?

Welcome to the Shepherds Canyon Retreat at Standing Stones! Van and Teri Rice, the property managers and host couple, treated us to a great “welcome dinner” at a nearby resturant. The property is literaly an oasis in the middle of the desert, about 15 miles West of Wickenburg, AZ.

The Shepherd’s Retreat refers to an intense crisis management / intervention for Pastoral leadership and their wives. They provide counselors, therapists, and clergy couples to rescue these hurting and burned out church leaders. Their motto is, “caring for care-givers of the soul”. We never interacted with the guests but helped provide behind the scenes support and prayer.

We had a beautiful spot to set up our rig and live for the four weeks we were there. The office building right behind our rig also has the staff break room (we had devotions with the staff) and the kitchen. We were the only SOWERs this month but they had several other couples come to volunteer to serve and minister to the 8 guests. The retreat lasts a full week – it was a busy place while the guests were there.

Lorree spent her days working with and helping Teri with hospitality, making up the rooms, cleaning and laundry. They changed the table settings for every meal based on what was being served. I think Chef Dave’s award winning chili was the meal for the above setting!

Lorree also helped clean, sort, and organize closets of linen storage. She even got to do some sewing! She measured every tablecoth, sewed labels, color coded the sizes and hung them in an organized fashion in the closets. This will really help to find and use what they have.

The retreat center is in the middle of remodeling an existing area into a commercial kitchen. One of Dennis’s first jobs was to get it cleaned up and de-cluttered again so they could work. You know how building projects go – stuff everywhere and can’t find what you need.

They must have liked what they saw ’cause Dennis’s big project for the remaining weeks was to tackle their maintenence shop and storage area. It needed some love and attention to sorting things out, building shelving, and organizing the plumbing, electrical, tools, and lumber.

See those rows of little white boxes and bins on the shelves? We got to sort boxes and boxes and buckets of mixed nuts, bolts, screws, and more. We ended up with close to one hundred boxes of sorted hardware after we were done…whew!

He had fun being able to do this. The maintenence manager Raine and his helper Jerry really liked what Dennis did for them! There were several times they came in to get something and found it right away (and didn’t have to go buy a new one!)

Oh, and we were able to complete several miscellanious jobs as well. We helped take down a couple of trees and clean it up for the neighbor across the highway. Dennis was able to be creative with replacing broken stone/tile on one end of the swimming pool, and installed base board in one of the rooms. Lorree did a thorough cleaning of an RV trailer for one of the counselor couples to live in while they were here.

The work here wasn’t “hard” but we always had something to do. It was fun to serve this ministry in ways that probably won’t get noticed by anyone except the staff. We made some good friends and enjoyed the relaxed atmoshere.

Every morning and every night we were blessed to see these beautiful sunrises and sunsets! The 15 acre campus has a walking path that goes around the property and through the prayer garden. there are several water features on the property that adds to the “oasis” feel in this desert setting. It was a beautiful adventure and retreat for us!

The wonderful staff we were blessed to serve with! Raine, Van, Teri, and Chef Dave. Not pictured, Jerry.

One of the guests asked if there were any art supplies avaialable, he was impressed to paint something to express what they experienced here. Dennis was able to loan him his art supplies. This is what he painted for the retreat center and what he wrote. A beautiful reminder of God’s abundant and never ending grace! Amen!

We’re in Prescott, AZ at Prescott Pines Camp & Conference Center for our 15th SOWER Project! We are the GL’s (Group Leaders) serving with Mike & Lucille McGuirk and John & Julie Weideman, all RV full timers. The Maintenence Director, Nate & Becky Turner are also SOWERS but working here as hired staff during this time.

We all said YES!

Let’s do this! Our project start date is Monday, but on the weekend we were asked to help the staff serve a large guest group including meal prep and clean-up. So after some introductions we all went to work. We had so much fun getting to know each other and the staff within just a few hours. Serving the Lord with others is always a new adventure, we were all set for a great month ahead of us!

The visiting group stayed through Sunday – so on Monday morning our first task was to clear, clean, and un-decorate the big M.A.C. auditorium . Prescott Pines is nestled in the pines above the city of Prescott. It was founded in 1943 on property that had once been plotted out by miners. Over the years many buildings, cabins, and meeting places have been built and equipped to serve church camps and retreats. Living in the mountains sure felt like home to us!

The guys worked on a variety of tasks that first week. We were crossing off the “to-do” list pretty rapidly. These guys came with a lot of skills just right for this assignment -God is always putting the right people together for His kingdom work!

The gals went to work cleaning several of the lodging buildings and helping with laundry.

We enjoyed getting out around town on the weekend, lots of great places to eat! There was a craft fair going on around the City Square – we saw lots of interesting craft items and lots of soutwestern jewelry and art.

Having a game night each week was a highlight of fellowship for all of us! (We also learned where the cooks hide the cookies, not to be seen in this picture cause we ate ’em,so good!)

There is a trail leading to Upper Goldwater Lake – about 1 mile. The camp’s Chapel is a beautiful building set in a beautiful area! That camp building above that is all lit up at night is named Hungry Bear Depot – it’s open 24/7 for coffee, tea, hot chocolate and great fellowship.

Back to Work!

We needed to install gutters and dig in a rain drainage system for the Manzanita building. This lodging building is the newest structure on campus. It has been rebuilt follwing a fire several years ago – what a priviledge to be here to help finish the work other SOWERS, volunteers, and staff have been working on.

The ladies got to sew! They had a great time making new valances for the main dining hall.

Did we get to paint? There’s ALWAYS painting on a SOWER project! The camp has a new staff family moving in a few weeks and they needed to get their house ready for them. This became our new priority for the remainder of our time. We had a great time working as a team – the camp staff was so thankful we were there and available to take on this project!

This was a great project and another amazing adventure traveling and living full time in our RV. There are so many opportunities to serve and work with others, we’re thankful that God has opened this door to us! Here, were’re saying goodby to our team and to the Camp director, Jim Trail – see y’all down the road – Lord willing!

It’s great to be back! We served here last year (Sept/Oct, 2020). You can find those adventures by searching for SOWER Ministries in our blog list. This month we will be serving with three couples: Tom & Melissa Moore, Bob & Jan Black, and Jeff and Joyce Brooks. Looking forward to getting to know them and sharing life together!

After meeting each other Lorree and i gave a brief tour of the campus. The Holcomb Auditorium (Chapel) is always a highlight. A beautiful building that seats around 3,000 with amazing accoustics – and still features a sky swing from the balcony to the stage! The camp creates adventures everywhere!

Their mission is “… to inspire Christ-like change through outdoor adventure, authentic relationships, and Biblical truth.”

What Is This? We were awakened early on Saturday morning, the weekend before our project started, by noises, excitment, people, kids, and bikes! We learned that the camp was hosting the annual “Torture Race” for middle, Junior, and High Schoolers. The race would have several hundred entries and would be biking some of the many miles of mountain trails available at camp. The staging area for the race…was the RV park! We were in the middle of all of the excitment!

This was really fun – who would have thought our SOWER adventure would start out with a CAMP adventure?!

…and that adventure led to this, meet Chris & JoAn Mayes! We were sitting on the side of the race in our camp chairs and across the road was this couple. A great relationship was created right away. They are the parents of one of the staff workers at the camp and were just visiting. After getting to know them, we invited them to teach our group during one of our devotions about their ministry, “Simply the Story” www.simplythestory.org (Reaching hearts of the world through discussion of God’s Word. Mobilizing the work force to harvest lost souls!) FYI: Chris isn’t sleeping above, he’s actively praying for his wife and our group as we engage in the teaching! This is a profound and VERY impactful way of sharing the Gospel and other Truths of the Bible with others. WOW!

AND… They learned a great deal about the SOWER Ministry from all of us and we understand that they have since turned in an application to join SOWERS!

…so I just thought of this, we just experienced going from “outdoor adventure to authentic relationships to Biblical Truth” The camp’s mission lived out in our lives from day one!

Another adventure on Sunday – we went on a hike on the “Green Loop” – it’s about a 3 mile hike around the main camp property. Lots of ups and downs – gave us a great workout! This property is beautiful! So many flowers, vistas, and landscapes to absorb. There are SO MANY other trails to experience – we’re thankful for this one that we did!

So, let’s get to our work adventure – how can we can help the camp in their mission – to enable them to share Jesus?

A lot of these buildings have sat empty for 20+ years and the years have shown their effect. These two buildings (Garden I and II) have multiple levels with wood railings, decks, and stairs. The paint has blistered and they look old and worn. The rooms inside have been renovated and many are very nice. So if the outside could get to looking nice it would go a long way in pleasing the guests and not be a distraction.

We cleaned, scraped, sanded, power washed, and painted.

We also demo’d the two ends of the building overhangs that had rotted from many years of weather.

We really focused on working with a spirit of excellence and accepted the challenge to change the exterior of these buildings from old and worn to new and fresh! These SOWERS know how to work hard and made every effort count!

We did another walk around the campus where we enjoyed the prayer garden (11 acres!) and learning more about the property. Founded in 1949 – the buildings we worked on were built in 1950. Pre-COVID the camp had grown to servicing over 30,000 kids & adults in one year! The camp has so much potential for the future with all of the facilities they aquired in 2013 (2,500 acres and over 200 buildings for $1.00 – that’s a God story!) What will God do here as everything gets brought up to a reburbished condition?

We happened upon a group of guests adventurers zip lining off of the top of the chapel building – 5 stories high! Lots of screams and laughter! They do know how to create adventure at this place!

During the weeks of service, the ladies kept busy helping the office staff prepare Christmas letters to clients and working the washers & dryers – trying to keep up with laundry from weekend guests!

They also inventoried vaccum cleaners, box fans, and made sure they work. Also inventoried supplies, products, and equipment across the campus. They visited almost every housing building on campus – that’s a lot of rooms! Some of the buildings are motel style housing units with 60 – 80 rooms each!

Our team of SOWERS had a sweet spirit of fellowship, encouragement, friendly bantor, great devotions from God’s Word, and a love to serve. God always puts the right people together at the right time and right place!

Another highlite was inviting the staff to “share their story” of how they became involved in the camp and how God has directed them to serve here. Daniel (top left) is a MK met his wife who loves camp ministry and joined Glorieta to serve as a Maintenence Manager. We worked directly with Daniel. Down one on left – this is the CEO, Anthony. He shared how the camp , under God’s direction and his leadership, became a reality, what an amazing story of God’s vision and provision – no one could have made this to happen without God! Top right, this is Ben, Buildings Manager and our current volunteer contact. Stayed involved and loyal throughout the 2020 COVID era, we received our assignments from Ben and he made sure we had all the supplies we needed. Bottom picture is Scott and Melissa, he is the Operations Manager – they are one of the newest staff members and pulled off an amazing Bar-B-Que for all of us and some other staff members. What a great staff to work with!

And our last assignment – disassemble, clean, and reassemble nearly 60 box fans. “Oh. this will be a breeze” Dennis stated LOL! “we can get this done in our final morning of work and have the afternoon off” NOT! What a project! But with all of us working together we did complete the job before the work day ended.

We were blessed to work with these fellow servants! Looking forward to our next time together whenever and wherever the Lord’s leads us!

• 

• 

We started our second month at TBE in Palacios, TX. It was good to have been here the previous month to know where things are and what kind of projects were ahead of us.

But first…

• 

• 

• 

The first week of March (the week in between projects) Dennis tried to learn what caused the rain to leak into our trailer. He found the outside wall of our slide out had separated from the roof just enough for water to run down inside and soak our carpet and everything else under our desk. We had some etrna-bond sealing tape in our RV supplies so after putting in new longer screws for the wall, he was able to seal it up! Thankful for time off to attend to our own RV needs and maintenance!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

That week we also did a bit of exploring in the area. We walked the fishing pier at the camp and took a drive to Port Lavaca. We read up on some of the history there and saw dolphins swimming in the bay! The weather was much more back to normal and we enjoyed some beautiful sunsets.

• 

• 

• 

• 

This month we enjoyed serving with Charlie and Diane Zaharako and Larry and Joyce Belcher (first time project!). We were the GL’s for this project. We also continued to work and fellowship with Howard and Verla LaChance, independent volunteers. We attended Rob & Sarantha’s church and enjoyed the special ministry services that were offered.

We have work to do!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Each week we received a “to-do” list from Rob Kessler (camp director). We started out washing windows, helping with some special office work, and finishing the construction of raised garden beds.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We sealed up the ministry housing with metal skirting and replaced rotted wood, rebuilt a steel and glass table that had been moved last month, corrected some electrical issues, assembled a conference table, and the ladies served in the food line for lunches!

And there were groups of campers!

• 

• 

• 

• 

We have been serving mostly at “empty” camps and conference centers during this COVID season. It was especially-special to have several groups at this camp during the weekends! The noise and laughter was a blessing to our lives!

More RV repairs on the weekend!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Dennis has a new skill – he learned to weld! The RV had broken rods in one of the cross girders that was causing the floor to be “soft” inside. Larry had brought his welding equipment and taught Dennis how to spot weld. The fix was accomplished! “I’m gonna have to get me one of these!” Always learning something new on these amazing adventures!

More repairs on a variety of housing and buildings at the camp. These two guys worked circles around me – they brought so much wisdom and “how-to” to the project. God always pairs up the right people for the task at hand!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

This was one of those “you want us to do what?” tasks! A billiards table was donated to the camp but the felt needed to be replaced. We went to “You Tube University” and learned how to do it. It turned out great! We used over 1,100 staples (after taking out that many or more)!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The ladies did a lot of cleaning and washing windows. They really shined the place up!

Yes, we even power sanded and painted the bell tower and flagpole! Miquel from the camp staff helped us by being the brave one to stand on the tractor bucket and reach to the top with a 20 foot extension pole. He just couldn’t reach the last 4 inches at the tippy top!

• 

• 

• 

Oh…and before you go, can you hang tis “antique” bike and a few kayaks for our dining room decor?

So many little tasks made for a BIG Project! It was a great SOWER project and many blessings for all of us. We ended our time together with a smoked brisket shared meal. Rob, Serentha, and Daisy joined us for some great food and sharing of stories.

South for the winter! We were excited to be “on the gulf” – actually “on the bay” – in southern Texas. We arrived on Saturday, the weather was warm, sun was shining and everything was green! (Little did we know what the weather was ahead!)

• 

• 

• 

• 

Palm trees – so beautiful! The camp was literally at the edge of the Tres Palacios Bay – a cement sea wall and sidewalk is the border of the camp on the water side.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We enjoyed our first get acquainted meeting and the Monday tour by Rob Kessler the Camp Director. We had our first “social” by watching the Super Bowl on a super screen in the dining hall. There were 10 couples signed up for this project – the most we have ever worked with at one project. We served with: Doug & Trish Wilhelm (GL), Keith & Linda McNeely, Evan & Jaquie Asby, Michael & Jackie Barber, John & Druann Bauer, Ralph & Lella Bledsoe, Dale & Kimberly Kapsar, Chris & Barb Schanan, and Richard & Melody Miller.

Lets move this house! – (the stuff inside)

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Our first job assignment for the whole team was to move the entire contents of this house to the camp. The owners had sold the house and donated all the furniture and everything remaining to the camp. What a blessing! It took a few days – then we helped to organize and relocate it to various facilities within the camp. Great teamwork!

• 

Ten Men and a Trailer – got the job done!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

The ladies cleaned, prepped, and put a new coat of protection on the Camp Deck on the bay. This is used for all the water activities for the campers such as banana boat rides, paddle boards, kayaks, and more. Looks great ladies!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Keith and I tackled a major flooring job in Jeanie’s house (camp secretary & receptionist). Bathroom floor was totally rotted through and the hall/living area had a huge hump in the floor boards. Too much humidity and water leaks over the years. We were able to replace it all with new material. She’s so thankful!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What a job the ladies were given. Sort all the nuts, bolts, nails, screws, tools, and more. They did a major re-organization of the maintenance shop. Several days later it looked great! We can find anything now! Thanks ladies!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

We enjoyed getting know each couple, such special servants for the Lord! We played games, had ice cream, went out to eat, and watched sunsets. Great memories!

• 

• 

We were able to attend a real live church in Palacios – it was so good to sit in the sanctuary and sing and hear Gods Word being preached again. We even had an in depth Bible Study at the camp dealing with end times. Lots of information and discussion!

More work with smiles on our faces – what a variety!

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

More work! With a crew this size, we accomplished a lot for the camp. Somehow Doug & Trish Wilhelm the GL’s were able to mix us up well enough that we all had some time to work with each other. It’s great to be able to remember each person and couple that we worked with.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Rob Kessler, the camp director insisted on feeding us. He also feed the city workers who braved the cold to repair water and electric lines! He shared that this is his way of showing his appreciation and gives him and the staff an opportunity every day to mingle and build relationships with the volunteers. Thanks Rob – such great food – it was definitely a “10 pound project”! LOL!

• 

• 

• 

• 

This was a great work project – a bit chilly for being in southern Texas, but we had a great experience…..

…..speaking of experiences, there’s more that happened here during these days. We all experienced the Texas Freeze of 2021! See the next blog for all the details…. BRRRRR!

We started our 11th project with SOWERS this year (2021) still in Texas at Camp Tejas. We had our get acquainted meeting in the chilly night air around a warm campfire near our RV site – it was a great evening. Then – later in the week – SNOW! (This is not what we came to Texas for – it’s supposed to be warmish?… through the winter!?!…right?

So…what do you do on a cold blustery day in southern Texas?

Lets make a warm flannel quilt! Lorree made this beautiful, warm, snuggly, patchwork quilt – it turned out beautiful and I bet it will be used regularly this month!

Here’s our SOWER Team this month – we know these people! Jim & Valerie Hornaday (we met them at the Florida Sower Rally last year), Dale & Barbara Livingood (we worked with them at Glen Erie, CO last year), and Dennis & Diane Simmons (we worked with them at Glorietta, NM last year).

Week one – lets take down all the Christmas lights (that Lorree and I put up last month!)

We did have fun – lots of lights to take down, roll up, sort into tubs, and store away until next year.

We decided to go out town and explore some history. We enjoyed the Barrington Farm – this is the past residence of the last “President” of Texas. We learned a lot about the culture and lifestyle of Texans back in the day. Even watched as a team of oxen pulled a sled of manure to be spread out on the cotton field – BIG animals!

Then…. the famous Blue Bell Ice Cream! The tours were closed but we enjoyed the delicious treat at the Blue Blue factory.

During our second week the guys got to tear a building down! (this beats wrapping Christmas lights (LOL!) It’s DEMO TIME!

…”Oh, and take out those stairs as well.” The weather warmed up this week and it was great to get into the destruction phase, we were beasts!

The ladies did some deep cleaning in the camp store (The Hub) and decks around the buildings.

The guys also were assigned to cut out a new doorway in the kitchen, cut out and add a door in one of the bunk houses, while the ladies painted several of the motel rooms. Week two went fast – we accomplished a lot of different tasks for the camp.

Another weekend – more fellowship! We really enjoyed a dinner out at Murphy’s, a local steak house. Very good food and lots of fun. Then we decided to turn The Hub at camp into a “sports bar”! We all brought snacks to share and watched the final NFL playoffs before the Super bowl on a big screen TV. It was so relaxing and fun to feel “at home” with this family of SOWER friends!

Paul (Camp Director) spent some time with us early in the third week to explain the vision and ministry of Camp Tejas. We love their heartfelt purpose of “setting the stage for Jesus to transform lives”! Jim & Donna Dorrah (SOWER area reps) came to visit – so encouraging and blessed to be a part of this serving ministry!

So much work to do here – with limited resources due to COVID situation. We did all we could to bless them with a work of excellence in all they asked us to do!

Whew! it was great to be able to do so many projects in the short time we had. We were blessed to serve at Camp Tejas for the last two months. So encouraged by their commitment to do all they can to remain open to the public, large and small groups. It would be fun to come back again and see all the changes others have made since we left!

Time to move on! Our next adventure is back to Kansas to sit with the Busenitz clan as Jon & Becki “escape’ for a week Bible retreat. Here we come kiddos!