So much has happened in the last months, where do I even Start!
God has been SO SO good, and we had front row seats to see it happen.
God worked through preaching, song worship, fellowship, and learning things the heard way!
In mid April, God gave us an awesome little spitfire son named Oliver. He has been the greatest joy of Alyssa and I’s life and we have enjoyed learning who we are as parents. It’s been tough but so much fun! Alyssa and I went on Resident staff at Ironwood on June 2 to be the program Coordinator (me), and Registration Office (Alyssa) at Sequoia Meadow Christian Camp, a camp that Ironwood recently took over operations of. While Sequoia Meadow is over 200 miles away from Ironwood, it is considered to be just another camp zone of Ironwood, like Rivertown or Broken I Ranch.
We moved up to the Meadow on June 2nd, and we immediately got to work (there was a lot to get done)! There were several projects that we needed to get done and only less than a month before campers arrived. Some of the projects included cleaning up overgrowth wildlife that took over the whole property, getting the chapel to a spot where it can be used this summer, remodeling our largest lodge Lewis, but the biggest project was converting the nurse’s station into Timber Lodge. A duplex where we would be staying along with other Resident Staff.
Thankfully we didn’t have to do it alone. We had the support of Ironwood, volunteers, numerous donors and a mission team all the way from New Hampshire. It was a long month consisting of many 10-12 hour days of hard labor and by the end of it there was still so much to do, but campers were Arriving. Whether we thought we were ready or not our time was up. Campers were here!
With the fear of not getting enough done, or this isn’t going to work I was reminded that God knew exactly what was gunna happen; He knew exactly what we were gunna get done and He knew that it was enough. We had 6 weeks straight of churches bringing their families and their teens to camp and boy, it was WORTH IT! To see God work in the lives of these families, through fellowship made possible by the facility, families bonding through activities and lives being changed through the preaching and worship that was centered on drawing near to God – it was Worth it, Worth it, Worth it.
All the setbacks in the projects, the mold, and all the obstacles that came our way seemed so small once we saw what God was really working towards. A place to facilitate God’s people to draw near to Him.
After summer had ended, we had a few weeks to focus on some more projects and get caught upon before we had 3 men’s retreats in September. What an amazing thing to be a part of! I think men’s retreats are my favorite. I got to meet tons of men that included me in their church fellowship and even ministered to me while they were there. I met a guy named Michael who also had a little boy just days after Oliver was born. We talked the whole retreat about the joys of being a new parent and the struggles of it as well. What a blessing!
After the 3 men’s retreats Alyssa Ollie and I moved down the mountain to Ironwood until next summer when the Meadow opens back up, but in the meantime, Alyssa is starting work in the school as a teacher and I have joined the program team and will be hosting camps and working on Activity/facility fix-its as well as program related projects.
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