Our ROAM couples are still with us for one more week. These two couples have been renovating our Snack Bar, and what a difference has been made!! They did some changes in the layout, opening one wall for a bar height snack bar at which we'll put some higher stools. They tore out old paneling and we now have painted walls and blocks in "Ice Cube"...a blend of light green/light blue...on the walls. We have new counter tops and a new sink and new cabinets. We are creating space for the ice cream line to wind back and forth rather than be spread all across the snack bar. People are going to be so happy with these changes. And they have come about by free labor.
ROAM (RVers On A Mission) are gifted people, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, several different trades, who have dedicated their retirement years to helping out Christian camps and churches who cannot afford to hire labor. They are strictly volunteers. We buy the materials, they do the work. We have been blessed with the three couples that have been with us this month. We treated them at the Das Dutchman Essenhaus Restaurant (Amish food) this past week. That is excellent food, and no one leaves disappointed! It's about an hour south of us, but worth the trip! There are also little shops to browse through, and that night there was an old car show for the guys to browse around while waiting for our number to be called for seating in the restaurant.
This past week was also Work and Win, an annual time of gathering of Senior Citizen volunteers that help spruce up the camp for the coming season. We had about 50 this year, I think it was our largest turnout thus far. They each choose what they want to work with, and there is something for everyone. We provide free lodging (if they need it) and meals for the three days they are helping us. The things they accomplished for the camp are:
- cleaning down the dining hall, putting up new blinds, and refreshing the curtains, as well as new tablecloths
- power washing several buildings and washing windows inside and out
- mowing
- replacing boards on the beach boardwalk
- cleaning out the duplexes and cabins, wiping down walls and mattresses and putting up curtains
- wiping down all the pews in the tabernacle and sweeping the pew pads; wiping down the tabernacle walls, washing the windows, cleaning the side rooms, including the nursery...cleaning the cribs and washing the toys
- gutting out the tabernacle bathrooms to be reworked with a handicap stall in each one, new toilets, fresh paint
- replacing toilets in our big bath out near the RVs and cabins, and fresh paint
- replacing doors on our duplexes
- painting our camp hay wagon
- fresh paint on our bumper guards and SLOW signs on the roads
- landscaping
- cleaning and reorganizing the used book "store" cabin
There are probably projects I have forgotten, but I'm telling you it was amazing all the work that was accomplished. Some of it, like our tabernacle baths, is on-going, but what a difference has been made. We are now ready for the summer camping crowd. We could never do this without volunteers, so we are very grateful. Also, God kept the rains away during the day, and allowed the down pours overnight.
We treated the volunteers to a sing-along concert with Smith and Smith...a couple on the grounds during the summer that do "gigs" during the winter months in Florida, and various places in Michigan during the summer. They both play guitars and sing all kinds of music...lots of oldies...50's and 60's hits, Christian, country, patriotic. It's always fun to be at their concerts because you do find yourself singing along with a song you hadn't heard in years. They are a neat couple! We have also used them on our hay wagon rides...very entertaining! Thank goodness they reside right here on the camp grounds. They also both volunteer their labors all summer long by mowing the grounds and working with camp registration and other office related items.
Last night hubby and I hosted a porch pizza and ice cream gathering for our Roamers and another couple who spend their summer here in volunteer service, along with another staff member. It was nice to just relax and share our life's experiences with one another. All but two of us (me and another wife) had been on Work and Witness mission trips abroad, and they had many interesting stories to tell from the jungles and cities of Peru and Africa and Brazil and Ecuador. God only knows what rewards He has stored up for those who have served Him in such a sacrificial manner.
Notes from my daily devotional reading from this past week will complete this blog entry.
From "The Word for You Today":
1 - "Honoring His Name"
- we honor the name of Jesus by doing his will on earth
- we must make sure our walk matches our talk:
- care about others - serve them
- don't cheat on our spouse or our taxes
- pay our bills on time
- don't short-change our employers
2 - "God's Customized Plan for Your Life"
- God works in your life as you allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, think on his thoughts, and use your gifts he has given you
- as you say yes to his will, he empowers you to accomplish it
- God calls you to follow him daily, step by step, and as you do, his will unfolds as you walk in obedience to him
- in order to become more like God's Son, Jesus, you will be tested and tried so that you become molded in the image of Jesus...having his response, his attitude, his perspective
- following his plan is a moment by moment decision and choice in which you grow in his strength as you are obedient to him
3 - "Seeing the Big Picture"
- trust God, no matter what
- fulfill your responsibilities
- God moves in ways we don't understand
4 - "Let Jesus Solve Your Problem"
- miracles happen as we obey Jesus, not before
- identify your problem, give it to Jesus, do what he says...and watch him work!
5 - "When Someone Stumbles, Help Them"
- help them acknowledge their failure
- help them accept responsibility for their sin
- help them repent
- help them make restitution
- help them grow stronger through their failure
- help them respond to God with gratitude
- gentleness is understanding and acceptance, not agreeing
- humility is to acknowledge that we also are vulnerable to sin
- love and empathy will walk and weep with others while they are being restored
- preserve their life, for sin leads to eternal death
- preserve the church, for it hurts and separates the Body of Christ when sin is tolerated
- preserve God's reputation by searching out the lost lamb and restoring it to the flock
John
- God doesn't listen to evil men, but he has open ears to those who worship him and do his will. (9:31)
- Jesus told her, "I am the one who raises the dead and gives them life again. Anyone who believes in me, even though he dies like anyone else, shall live again. He is given eternal life for believing in me and shall never perish. (11:36)
Psalms
- How can these men be wise? The only way to begin is by reverence for God. For growth in wisdom comes from obeying his laws. Praise his name forever. (111:20)
- In my distress I prayed to the Lord and he answered me and rescued me. He is for me! How can I be afraid? What can mere man do to me? The Lord is on my side, he will help me. (118:5-7)
Proverbs
- A wise man is hungry for truth... (15:14)
- ...how wonderful it is to be able to say the right thing at the right time! (15:23)
- The Lord hates the thoughts of the wicked but delights in kind words. (15:24-26)
- A good man thinks before he speaks; the evil man pours out his evil words without a thought. (15:28)
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