We arrived at Camp Tejas just outside of Giddings, TX on Thanksgiving Day. God gave us a beautiful sunset! There were fireworks launched the next night for a small group of guests, so much fun! We’re looking forward to a great weekend before our work project starts!
YUM! We met up with our first SOWER friends from January 2020 that were GL’s at Camp Horizon in Florida – Keith & Linda McNeely with their son and daughter in law. We had a great feast of roast turkey with ALL the fix’ins. (The McNeelys are currently SOA’s at Camp Tejas from October through January).
Hmmmmm… the one thing that Dennis said before we signed up for Camp Tejas was that he wasn’t really excited about the possibility of decorating – stringing Christmas lights around trees and buildings. Guess What! This was our assignment! We were the only SOWER couple signed up for December, so we got to decorate!!
The camp had about 60 volunteers show up a few weeks ago to decorate the campus. Unfortunately they didn’t follow the camp instructions to wrap the lights precisely (three -four fingers width). So not only did we decorate, we had to un-decorate first!
We were tagged as the couple “that get it” and so we were assigned to redo so many of the buildings and trees. We DID enjoy this project – and will willingly add “Christmas Lighting” to our skill sheets!
We enjoyed several special times of fellowship at churches, meals, and campfires. This project was our first “solo” project, but we felt close to the group of volunteers that were also there. It was great to work with Steve and Angie Townsend (Independent volunteers) and Keith & Linda McNeely SOA’s.
During the final week, there was a church group attending the camp that even had a “snow” tubing hill! We were invited to the staff Christmas party at Paul & Kelly Biles house (The CEO of Camp Tejas). We had so much fun with games, amazing people, and great food.
We ended the project with some cleaning and organization. The camp’s storage rooms of building supplies and Christmas decorations needed much attention. We were able to reorganize and bring some clarity to their purpose. What a difference – the camp staff were very grateful!
Sunrise on December 17, 2020 – our 48th Anniversary!! Wow – what an adventure we’ve had for so many years, actually “adventures” would be more accurate. We are thankful to our Lord for the life we have shared for this many years! We are looking forward to the many new adventures ahead of us!
We arrived on Thursday, October 29th. The camp is located just a few miles outside of Brownwood and has access to Lake Brownwood, a popular fishing and boating area. As we walked around the camp to get oriented, we noticed several sculpture carvings around the property. We learned that the Director, Rhonda Roberts, was an artist – and so were other staff serving there. It was going to be fun adventure here!
We served with Tim & Leslie Wacker, their third project. We also met up with Rob and Shana Carman – SOWER alumni who were now working as staff at the camp. They shared our three weeks with us in work, devotions, meals, and church – they were great!
You want us to do WHAT?
It was Monday morning, our first day at our new project, when we all meet to learn what our assignments will be. Rhonda explained that they are going to host their 2nd Annual Fall Festival outreach for the local community “this weekend”. They wanted us to help set things up for that. “So, we’d like you to help put together a corn maze using corrugated plastic panels and make some candy corn out of some giant foam blocks for one of our photo ops”. Our SOWER group of four were incredibly quiet as we looked at each other and then back to the Director.
Rhonda carved out some triangles from some giant used boat dock foam blocks – the girls painted them to look like candy corn. So creative – they turned out great! This is what you get when the camp staff are creative visionaries and artists!
Heart of Texas Camp takes “repurposing” to the extreme. We used the donated campaign signs of someone running for an election several years ago, along with T-posts and zip ties to create a “corn-maze-without-the-corn” in the center of an open common area. The college baseball team came in to give some umph to the planting of the t-posts (so thankful!) and then the guys used black paint and zip ties to create an awesome maze for the Family Fall Festival!
It was a great week getting thing ready and then helping at the Fall Festival event! We had a good turnout, lots of smiles, laughter, and fun! We realized that this was the first camp project we had served since joining SOWERs that had clients on campus to serve and interact with! This was definitely a different SOWER assignment for us but we really enjoyed it!
One of the highlights at the Festival was the camp’s Zip line!
Doing a new thing in Texas! Lorree says I “screamed like a girl” (that was her I promise! )
Sitting on the edge of the 35 foot high deck contemplating about what the guides said, “just lean out and scoot off the deck” was very stressful! As we looked down it was pretty much terrifying! We can still feel that sensation every time we think about it. The green rocks below us spelled out “Fear Is A Liar”. I can’t say this truth helped, but after dropping off the edge – it was SO FUN! (I have to admit this was Lorree’s idea and she was determined to overcome the fear – I’m so glad I went with her!)
Oh, we had a list of other jobs lined up as well!
There were lots of other projects that we accomplished working together with the camp staff. We seemed to have gotten a lot of projects done in spite of few hands. We’ve learned that God multiplies the efforts as we make ourselves available!
We really enjoyed getting to know the staff as we worked, played and met together every day – so many stories! In addition to Rhonda (Director) we had Tom & Mary Dunn (Maintenance), Rob (Chef) & Shana (Housekeeping/Gift Shop), Carl (Grounds) and Brandon (Assistant Director).
The camp was blessed with five buildings that were moved to this great spot on the camp property. They are making them into mini condo type units – very upscale design and furnished inside! They call this area The Village. We worked to get a couple of the empty ones level so the next crew can start to finish them next. What a job – I learned a lot about leveling buildings using hydraulic jacks with cement blocks and wooden beams.
Oh….and we also tried out jumping real hard in one corner to lower it just a tad! Well it didn’t make much of a difference – but we had a great time and laughed a lot, great memories!
We enjoyed our 3 weeks at Heart of Texas! Just like every other project the time goes by so fast. We were a small group but very active and kept each other challenged and encouraged with spiritual truths as we worked.
Yes that’s us playing music together! We were talking one day and learned that all of us played instruments! So we met at the tabernacle one Sunday afternoon and had a great jam session playing hymns. Tom played his harmonica (not pictured).
We also took time to play games and eat together. It was a great three weeks serving with the SOWERS ministry. We’ve commented several times that it would be a great place to come back and serve at again. We’ll have to see how the Lord directs our path, we know it will be an adventure!
We were blessed to be the Group Leaders (GL) at Glorieta Adventure Camps in October serving with these wonderful new friends! Dennis & Diane Simmons and David & Brenda Roquemore – this was the first SOWER project for both couples! Welcome to the SOWER TEAM, you are amazing!
So the story is that several renegade squirrels found their way into the coffee and snack shops and found the sweets! (Then went back and told their friends!) The ladies worked hard to clean up after them, such a mess! They also sorted out any expired inventory and organized the shops so they will be ready to go next spring.
The guys were given a dorm house to prepare for the coming college staff in 2021. We removed all the wooden bunk beds and replaced them with metal ones. There is now a very nice dorm house (among many others) on campus that will sleep 48 staff members comfortably. It was a very physical task loading and moving all of those old bunk bed structures to the disposal yard and the new metal ones from storage to be re- assembled in the two level “house”. We were told there is well over 100 staff members every year along with many volunteers. They would normally be hosting over 1,000 guests every week! This is a BIG adventure camp that intentionally exposes everyone to God’s truth through Adventure, Relationships, and the Word. Impressive!
A little change of pace for the ladies for the second week we were there. They finished the folding and inventory of the t-shirts and hoodies that were started during the first SOWER project in Sept. They also were able to get them to the storage/warehouse area and label them for the coming year. In addition, they were given some office work of laminating and preparing handouts for next year. Again, we were amazed at the quantity and size of this camp’s operation. It will be fun to come back when the guests are here!
OK – lets do something relaxing and creative while we’re here! Dennis got out his paints and did his first “plein air” oil painting. It was fun and he learned a lot – he’s looking forward to doing this more often! Lorree has picked up crocheting and is working on some “made-with-love” gifts and continues to finish her new quilt! We both enjoy having the weekends free to either explore, be creative, or to just relax. (Then there are those weekends you have to work on the RV as well – there is always something to work on!)
More physical work – but it was fun! We were assigned multiple “little” jobs including building some shelving, installing 60+ shower heads in one of the “hotels” on campus and rebuilding a 3-sink cabinet in one of the public bathrooms. We were also challenged with painting the trim including all the touch ups outside of the huge dining hall. I don’t think we ever really got used to the tall ladders and overhead rafters -but we can say we finished that job!
Washing windows…..over 20 foot tall? When Corinn and Josh walked by (Camp staff) they saw the difference – they didn’t know this was on the “list” and commented how beautiful the windows were now. Good job ladies – you got this! Let the sunshine in!
Our finale – three weeks of hard but rewarding work – for the Lord! We were able to check off the list of things given to us to do, plus more! We moved and stacked heavy timbers, cleaned and straightened two of the maintenance shops, and ended up painting benches in the Prayer Garden in preparation for the camp’s “Garden of Eden” adventure next year. We are tired – a good and rewarding tired. The camp staff shared they were blessed by the SOWER’s Ministry and were looking forward to many more experiences with SOWER’s in the future!
Our fellowship was sweet with heartfelt devotions every day – most of them were personal life stories of God working – so inspiring! We enjoyed a few meals together (with social distancing of course) what a wonderful group to work with! Looking forward to many more adventures ahead!
If you want to know more about the SOWER Ministry check out our website: www.sowerministry.org “A Christian Couples RV Work Ministry” ~ RV With a Purpose!
Leaving our cabin and Selah Acres, we set out for our next adventure with the SOWERs group. We headed to Glorieta, NM for our seventh assignment. Wonder what God has in store for us at this new place with new-to-be-friends?
On our way, we stayed at Trinidad Lake State Park. It was a nice place with lots of sites. The next morning we headed out and crossed into New Mexico. As we entered the state, the air turned thick with smoke from the Raton Pass fire (several miles away). It was close to being contained but left lots of smoke in the air. As we turned West and neared Glorieta the air was once again clear with blue skies!
We knew that because of COVID regulations, the camp has to be closed to guests. It’s always sad to see the effect of all the regulations. New Mexico was still very strict – had to wear masks at all times outside of your house and no groups larger than 10 (we were 6).. While at the camp, we rarely wore masks because of not being open to public, distancing and working/meeting outside. In addition, all of us had either been quarantined or isolated because of the previous places we had just come from. The camp provided us with a beautiful RV site with all the hookups!
This was our group of SOWERS! Don and Anita Brown, Jim and Donna Dorroh (GL’s), and us. By the way, this was a first SOWER Project for the camp. They’ve had other volunteer groups such a RVICs and we were excited to be the first exposure to the SOWERs ministry. Special thanks to Jim & Donna for being the sponsors and working for months to make this happen. It’s a fantastic opportunity to grow the Lord’s Kingdom!
This is a huge campus – over 2,400 acres and over 200 buildings (not all of the buildings and property are in use -yet!) The conference center property was founded and built by Glorieta Baptist Conference (Lifeway – SBC) in 1949. After sitting idle for many years, new owners launched Glorieta Adventure Camps in 2013 and God is rapidly expanding their outreach (until COVID). Their mission is to inspire Christ-like change through outdoor adventure, authentic relationships, and Biblical truth!
…and they even have “Adventures” in the large Holcomb Auditorium with the Holcomb Super Swing- WOW!
(I’ll fly away oh Glory, I’ll fly away!)
OK Ladies – Let’s get to work!
The goal of the camp during the down time was to get things as ready as possible for the summer of 2021. State regulations said no conferences or camps for now due to COVID and the staff had been scaled down to only a skeleton crew, maybe 10-12 total? The ladies were given the camp stores (yes multiple stores!) to straighten, clean, organize and inventory. In addition, they had 1,000’s of new t-shirts and sweatshirts to count, fold, and store away. They had a big job and stayed at it for the majority of three weeks!
The guys were given two huge rooms and a bathroom to refurbish with repairs and paint. These rooms were being used for leadership meetings and prayer rooms – what an honor to help in this way!
The camp has an extensive trail system for hiking and biking. One afternoon we took advantage of the “Green Trail” that went around the main campus (3 miles!). The elevation here is 7,400 so for those used to lower areas, it takes some getting used to. Drink lots of water! (…and watch for snakes and bears! – we didn’t see any).
There is a lot of history around Sante Fe and a lot of places to go and see! Lorree and I went to the Pecos National Park and hiked around. Learned about the early Pecos population, Puebloan People, and the era of the Spanish during the 1600 – 1800’s.
We found a cool spot on the Pecos River to relax and have a picnic. It was a great relaxing day – full of sunshine and fresh air. We’re thankful to be here on another adventure – although the water was a bit chilly!
Our group went to Sante Fe for a historic walk around town and to enjoy some authentic New Mexican food. We saw the oldest church, the oldest house, and the miraculous stairs – nobody can explain how the spiral structure works – it holds 1,000’s of pounds but there is no apparent load bearing column…only God could have given the lone craftsman that skill!
The Shed served a great variety of New Mexican food with either red or green chili or both – a bit spicey!
The weather was enjoyable with a mixed assortment of temperatures. We had indoor days, outdoor days, and even a day of snowy conditions. We all weathered through it in fine shape!
For the next two weeks, the camp kept us all very busy! Jim was assigned to the refrigeration units (his expertise!) in the kitchen and food service buildings – so many! He was able to service them and troubleshoot a few problems and even repaired walk-in cooler/freezer doors. Don and I were assigned to do some landscaping – mowing, weed whacking, and blowing sidewalks throughout the activity areas and Prayer Garden. The Prayer Garden alone has 11 acres with multiple levels and terrain, whew! There is a lot of trees, grass, benches, and walkways! The guys also put together a well house shed – this new well was drilled several months ago at over 1,100 feet – hard to imagine!
We were so privileged to hear the God story of Glorieta Adventure Camps from one of the executive team leaders during one of our devotional times. If you are a SOWER, you will be as amazed as we are and so humbled to a part of the adventure God is putting in place for so many people. The camp served over 33,000 guests last year – all being intentionally exposed to God’s love and grace – chills!
The last week, the ladies were able to help set up, sort out, and organize for a huge “yard sale” the camp will be having. All funds will go to provide scholarships to community folks that want to come to the camp but are short of funds.
Our devotions as a team were so inspirational and challenging – we even had “Moses” show up one morning and give us all an eye witness account of several events he had with God!
The High Five – Zip Lines! One of the first “adventures” the camp put in place was creating an amazing zip line course called the High Five. It was not operating…thankfully!? It was a bit terrifying just to look out and see the suspense over the mountains and the views – this is high adventure!
We had so much fun, fellowship, and joy of working together these past three weeks. We’ll be back, Lord willing! ….in fact, we’ll be back next month! We will be Group Leaders in October with a new set of SOWER couples – both couples are first timers! Looking forward to our next adventure at Adventure Camps!
Yes – we are still at Glen Eyrie, Colorado. We signed up for both June and July – this month we will be the Group Leader (GL) for the team. This is our first time being “in charge”. We moved to a roomier site and changed our view of the beautiful area area us – so colorful!
Our first attempt as leaders – planning a FUN group adventure, was to see the Colorado Springs fireworks show! The city had arranged for 8-10 locations scattered through-out the city to launch an amazing and colorful show for all to see. We told our group to meet down at the Volunteer Center lawn – we would be able to watch and enjoy an amazing show together – BRING THE POPCORN!
This is all we saw! Our view was behind the trees and the nearby hills – UGH!
We did see a VERY small burst of color through the leaves of a tree a few times – so we did the proper Ooh! and Ahh!….but what a disappointment. One couple encouraged us with…”Well, as group leaders you can only go up from here!” We all had a good laugh and certainly made a memory! LOL!
We met together – outside and separated – to abide by the COVID-19 regulations that were still in effect. We wore face masks only when in the buildings that had Glen Eyrie guests and/or staff. Dennis met with the facilities managers (Aaron and Jason) and received our work list for the coming weeks. We separated into teams and went to work – our official SOWER song ends with the words: “unto HIM is due our best, our all!”
Our first week was filled with gardening, painting, laundry, re-finishing benches, sewing, and painting speed bumps! Everyone worked hard and well together – this team was such a blessing! Harold & JoAnn Flaugher, Jack & Shirley Krohn, Gary & Diane Smith, Dale & Barbara Livengood, Robert & Gail McCandless, Larry & Gerrie Bliven, and us
On our breaks, in the evenings, and weekends we did a variety of “fun” things and enjoyed getting to know each other in different settings. We have a lot of good memories!
Everyday was an adventure as we served the Lord at Glen Eyrie – God had specific things for us to do – and had brought in the right people. Our “to-do” list was constantly getting checked off -“DONE”! …and then more to-do’s were added – we will never run out of things to help with!
So many projects, so much work, and all done with love and smiles. This has been a great experience both as leaders and as co-servants/workers. Dennis turned in three pages of accomplishments – the facilities staff were so grateful for all we did.
We enjoyed getting out to celebrate a great month – we were able to go to the Flying W Chuck Wagon for dinner and entertainment (they had been closed for a couple of years due to a local fire). We had a great time – very inspirational and patriotic!
We ended our July work assignment – everyone was already talking excitedly about what and where they were going next. The SOWER’s ministry is a great way to spend retirement serving others with the love of Christ! “RV-ing with a purpose” is their tag line – and it definitely is!
SO…… we’ve been up to something as well! We’re pretty excited looking ahead to our next amazing adventure – God continually surprises us. Sometimes childhood dreams do come true….check out our next blog!
We spend a few days transitioning from family to our next SOWER Project. it was nice to spend a few days as “just us” in the Colorado Mountains at a KOA in Woodland Park, CO. While there, we started thinking, talking, and dreaming about a cabin in the Colorado mountains someday – we’ve always had this dream, could it happen? (More on this later).
Welcome to Glen Eryie, Colorado – Our JUNE SOWER Project!
What a beautiful place to “have to work”! The staff here was so very accommodation (even with the crazy COVID regulations that we had to adhere to). The RV site reserved for the SOWERs was very spacious and close to the campus – and wildlife!
We enjoyed meeting our new “family” of SOWER’s that we would be working with for the next three weeks. Eric & Donna Grimm, Marion & Donna Berriman, Jim & Marsha Lyon, Jim & Pat Kloosterman, Jack & Shirley Krohn, Bill & Betsy McClintick. We learned to meet outdoors in the sunshine for our morning devotions.
We all had to learn how to meet and work together during the COVID regulations handed down from the Gov. of Colorado. No meeting indoors, had to wear masks within six feet of each other, had to record temperatures and answer COVID symptom questions everyday prior to work. We learned that while we were paired up and working, we could lose the masks except when inside with Glen Eryie clients. Unfortunately there will be no socializing together with game nights, daily breaks, or pot luck meals while we are here this month.
We came to serve….let’s get started!
We received our “to-do” list of work projects and hit it hard. The guys had a “punch-list” of finishing touches that needed to be done at the Big Horn Lodge building. They had just finished refurbishing it and wanted to get it open “next week”! The ladies were busy sewing masks and decorator pillows, cleaning rooms, and gardening through out the campus.
In addition to the inside projects at Big Horn, the guys re-sealed the big beams on all of the bridges and totally remodeled the “Tour Room” inside the Carriage House building.
It was a lot of fun to work on different projects and get a lot done for the limited staff they have at this time. Because of COVID they only have a skeleton crew working and very few volunteers from the city. Hoping we left them with some big items checked off their list!
We were blessed to receive a tour of the Castle and learn of the history from General Palmer days to Dawson Troutman (Navigators) up to today. It was so interesting and we could see God’s hand in all of the stories and events!
W enjoyed a farewell thank-you breakfast from the Glen Eyrie staff in the Castle! We shared memorable times and events over the last three weeks. This was a special group of SOWERS that God put together, we so thankful for new friends and memories!
With all the closures and orders to self quarantine and isolate in place because of the COVID-19 virus, we prayed about where to go for the month of April. We needed a safe place but also wanted to volunteer somewhere. After communicating with the SOWER Office, they shared that there was one place available nearby in Arizona. A school in downtown Phoenix, AZ was willing to provide a “safe Harbor” to any SOWERS that needed it. We were humbled and overjoyed at the opportunity given to us! Thank you Lord for another unexpected adventure!!
We were delighted to learn that there would be three other couples to serve with! These couples (Wes & Carolyn Strausser, Mil & Linda Sutter, and Jerry & Carol Chesser) had already been serving at the school for several months and had decided to shelter-in-place during this time of uncertainty. Jerry & Carol were the GL’s and were a great leadership couple for all of us. As you can see we were camped right on the H.S Track! We met together in the “Arizona Room” for our welcome and introductory meeting, church services, and many meals!
Lets get to work! The school was closed to all students as ‘Stay-at-Home” orders were enacted throughout the entire nation because of the COVID-19 situation. This was a great time for the school to paint several classrooms while they were empty. The ladies painted 3 different classrooms – changing a lot of bright walls to something more mellow!
There were a couple of modular buildings that needed repair and paint to bring them up to the standard the school has set for it’s campus property. We were able to repair, caulk, paint, and seal up the outside of these buildings. We had sunny days – but not too hot. We enjoyed the chance to soak in some vitamin D and build relationships during our work.
It was Easter Week while we were there. We had a very special time together for Good Friday. Wes and Carolyn smoked a beef brisket on their pellet grill/oven – it was melt in your mouth tender, SO good! We all brought food to share, and we enjoyed a fantastic meal together. Later we all gathered to watch a Chris Tomlin Concert on Jerry & Carols outdoor “theater”. As we contemplated the death of our Lord for our sins, we were able to praise and worship together as we looked forward to the glorious resurrection to come! A very full and joyful weekend!
And here comes the “Easter Bunny”! We were all surprised to find goodies at our door in the morning! We had a great resurrection service with Jerry preaching and all of us singing and sharing. Then we enjoyed another fantastic meal together – smoked ham and all the fix’ns – this group knows how to cook! We decided this was going to be a “10 lb Project” (gaining ten pounds :).
More work! The two modular buildings that we refurbished on the outside, also needed to be gutted on the inside to get them ready for future classrooms. Our last week was spent taking everything out down to the studs. We worked hard to get all the carpet up… whew!
The Ladies finalized the painting on the modulars outside, sewed labels, sorted and organized school supplies, and helped prepare parts for the making of face masks that the school was producing for the health care workers in the city. Lots of other “odds and ends” jobs were accomplished by our team. It’s good to have a purpose in our travels that can help others and honor God!
We looked forward to our regular Sunday morning breakfasts, having church services together, and moon lit nights, our stay at PCPS was wonderful! We became a “family” encouraging each other and praying for each other.
This was an amazing month for us as we thrived through the COVID-19 scare. We never felt isolated (though we were) or quarantined (though we were) as we lived life together with these wonderful people! Memories will last a life time!
As we said our goodbyes one by one, the school leadership came to pray with us for safe journeys and strong health. It will be great to meet up and work with these SOWER friends again someday!
We registered for our first SOWER Reunion / Rally in Groveland, FL. We had no idea what a SOWER Reunion was like and looked forward to learning and meeting new friends! This Camp was very welcoming to SOWERS – they even named their RV area the “SOWERS RV PARK”! The Spring Reunions in Florida are often held here – they have a great facility to house a lot of SOWERS! We had a beautiful spot!
First for us to meet the neighboprs – their truck got stuck in the soft sand so we used our 4-wheel-drive to pull them out. Made new friends with Jim & Valerie Hornaday within hours 🙂
We walked the camp and became familiar with the layout of the camp. Also learned the structure of the reunion. We learned that several of our frineds from previous SOWER project will be here – how fun!!
The entire group met together in the Chapel for our meetings, devotions, and programs. we were able to reconnect with other couples and meet new SOWERS that were scheduled to work with us in Colorado!
We had a great variety of special speakers( ), musicians (The Puffers), and group meetings led by President Gary Conrad and his wife Stephanie. We even had a talent show where various SOWERS performed – we joined in and sang with an impromptu “quartet” – so much fun!
The Whole Group from all over the United States. If we are in Florida again during February , we will surely do this again!! We will try to look for other SOWER gatherings as we travel throughout the country!
We moved to Lake Placid Camp & Conference Center (LPC3) with the help of Roy Tanner from Camp Horizon. It was about 3 hours south of Eustis, FL – we saw lots of orange groves along the way. Lake Placid was built by Mr Dewey (of the Dewy Decimal System) after the city in New York by the same name. They wanted a summer home so they purchased some land in Florida; built a city, his mansions to live in and entertain his guests. It is know for its many murals on the buildings through out town.
We camped alongside two ROAMER couples. ROAMERS are volunteer workers out of the Nazarene church. The other six SOWER couples were nearby, (Dave & Mollie Bontrager, Mike & Joan Busch, Jim & Pat Kloosterman, Duane & Nancy Motley, David & Susan Dodgson, Terry & Donna Mascho) Duane & Nancy were our GL’s (Group Leaders) – we loved making new friends with these wonderful people! It was very interesting to have so many volunteers in one place, there were 16 ROAMER couples along with us – 44 people all working together for the Lord! So much fun!
The beautiful campus was about 20 acres with lots of buildings and activity centers for the guests. They host approximately 30,000 people each year with a very strong Christian influence – the Gospel is shared unashamedly! Very impressive!
We enjoyed some very beautiful sunrises ans sunsets over Lake Placid while at the camp!
…OH, and did we work! There were multiple projects going on at the same time. We sometimes worked as a SOWER Team, and sometimes mixed it up with the ROAMERS.
Thie first project for Lorree was to put a gloss sealer down on this new floor. The camp had three days to get the finish construction done before the catering crew showed up to prepare for the banquet on the weekend.
It was a major fund raiser for The Jesus Film- it was a great success!
The guys got to work on the beach cabins. The exterior walls had a lot of termite damage and dry rot. We had to remove the exterior siding, make repairs and replace with cement hardboard. We worked on three cabins like this. Hard but fun work!
More work projects! We worked together with the ROAMERS on painting the Grace Place. This is a large building with dormitories and two large meeting rooms. This is where we met every morning for daily devotions.
So fun to work together – we were able to get a lots of projects checked off!
We also enjoyed some great times of fellowship with our team. This was our valentines dinner – celebrated at a the Jacaranda Hotel in Avon, FL. Built in the 1920s, this historic hotel is renowned for playing host to many Hollywood and sports stars in its heyday!
We even managed to rest! What a great experience working with this SOWER Group. Looking forward to our paths meeting again somewhere!
Watch this little video clip – this is what we experienced coming onto the road leading to Camp Horizon immediately as we turned off of the highway. So many thoughts going through our minds – we wondered, “Was this the the correct road? – What was Camp Horizon all about? – Will we fit on this trail?” Wow – what a change of scenery!” It was breathtaking!
We met up with three other couples (Keith & Linda McNeely, Bob & Joan Sturgill, and Sid & Geziena Roorda) We were the new kids on the block 🙂 Keith & Linda were our GL’s (Group Leaders) – it was great to learn and work side by side with these great couples!
Camp Horizon sets on beautiful Lake Harris, just South West of Eustis, FL. They have been an active Christian Camp for many years. It’s not an upscale camp – but certainty not rustic either. A good balance of amenities with lots of planned activities. Groups typically bring their own program, or join in to some teaching workshop events that the camp puts on. they can host several groups at the same time.
The guys were given two dorm buildings to paint inside. Lots of walls and lockers to refurbish. It took two of our three weeks to accomplish all the painting and minor repairs of these dorm buildings. The last week we accomplished some rain gutter repairs, water and sewer pump repairs, and various other “honey-do” lists.
I loved the work ethics that all of us were committed to – we worked “as unto the Lord” with a desire to achieve a spirit of excellence. Thanks be to God for wisdom, patience, and comradeship.
We always enjoyed our morning breaks – lots of stories and laughter.
The ladies did a lot cleaning and organizing throughout the kitchen and pantry areas. They also cleaned up the dorms after the men were finished – Thanks ladies!
One of the fun projects that all of us got to work on was the main sign for the entrance to the camp. It needed some fresh paint and refurbishing!
One evening our group of SOWERS and Camp Horizon invited any nearby SOWERS to join us for a pot-luck and games night. It was great – and a great turnout!
During the off week – we were able to clean up our travel trailer and check on our truck – in for repairs due to the “Truck-Crunch” We also enjoyed some sightseeing with special friends (Keith and Linda McNeely).
Its time to move to our next location – but we don’t have a truck!
We are so thankful for a special couple that offered to tow our trailer to Lake Placid, FL for us. God always provides when we are in need! Roy Tanner (Ann) hooked up his truck and towed our rig approx 3 hours to our next SOWER Project.
