And just like that… summer has ended. ☀️At the beginning of summer, 10 weeks on the summer schedule didn’t seem like much. But as the weeks went by, there were definitely times when it felt super busy, and the thought of “When are we finally done with this season?” crossed my mind more than once.And now, we were at the end, wondering where the time went and saying, “Wow… how has summer flown by so quickly?”What felt like a long 10 weeks at the beginning somehow turned into a summer filled with memories, busy days, laughs, challenges, and plenty of moments to look back on. And now it’s over until next summer. 💛🌻
And just like that… we have finished Summer #33! Whoa… 33 summers! And even crazier to think that we have been here for 30 years of service. What an incredible joy and blessing that has been.It’s actually quite funny to me walking around and hearing the occasional, “You’re old, hey old man!” 😂 But honestly, I take it with pride. There’s something pretty special about getting older and being able to look back at all the years, memories, people, and experiences that have been part of this journey .Over these past 30 years, we have watched God work in our lives and provide for us in so many ways. Through the busy seasons, the challenging days, the unexpected moments, and all the blessings in between, God has been faithful. When I look back, the only thing I can really be is thankful. And I look forward to these next many years working here, and see what God will do .
This summer, there were 37 salvation decisions and over 160 life decisions for Christ. That is what we recorded in the first several weeks. The first 3 weeks was camp sponsored by Ironwood, and the last 6 were custom camps for different churches.
As we finished this summer, I was especially thankful to finally head out on vacation, slow down, rest, and spend some much-needed time with family. There was sleeping… playing games… more sleeping… eating junk food… and just enjoying being together. 😂 We spent a week with Tyler, Alyssa, and Oliver at the Sequoia Meadows facility in the mountains. The first couple of days our church, Faith Baptist Church of Cherokee Rd, did a family camp. We had lots of fun, playing, listening to Gods word, and crafts. Yes we did crafts. We made our own walking sticks. It was quite fun and then I came home and spent money on some wood whittling tools. (another statement of your getting old)
Current Working Project
This summer has been all about the Barn Project. If you’re not aware of what’s been going on, let me share the story. A couple of years ago, we decided to move the horses and all of their things north of the barn to make room for a new facility. But God didn’t have that facility in the plans. Instead, He gave us Sequoia Meadow Christian Camp. That left us with a barn that was basically just sitting there. Then the idea came up: “Why don’t we turn the barn into a meeting room and play area?” A few churches and individuals got excited about the idea. Then came a chunk of money to get things started. And then came the statement: “Ben, this is your project!” And this is where I’ve been for quite a while now. 😂 If you remember what the barn looked like before, the side that was covered in plywood was filled with horse stalls and storage rooms for all the horse equipment. We had to jack the barn up on stilts, remove all of the stalls, and replace them with beams and square posts. Then we had to get the floor ready for concrete.The barn now has a concrete floor, new wiring for lights and future lighting, and two new bathrooms that are going in. I’m hopeful that in the next few weeks, we’ll have the second bathroom finished. And then… we’ll be out of money and it’ll be time to move on to the next project. 😂 It has been a lot of work, but it has also been amazing to watch how God has redirected the plans and provided along the way. What started as a barn that no longer had a purpose is slowly becoming a place where people can gather, play, meet, fellowship, and hear the Word of God.
Fall Schedule
As we close out summer, we are already heading into our fall season of ministry! 🍂 This year, we have 22 ministry crew members joining us through the Defined group and the Ministry Bound group. We are so thankful for each one of them and excited to have them here helping us serve and minister at camp. The next 14 weeks are going to be busy! Our fall schedule includes:
- 4 Family Camps
- 6 Women’s Retreats
- 7 Men’s Retreats
- 8 Youth Camps
- 3 Father-Son Retreats
- 3 Couples Retreats
- 1 School Convention
That’s a lot of ministry packed into 14 weeks, and we are excited to see what God is going to do! We are praying for full camps, but even more than that, we are praying that God will work in the hearts and lives of every camper who comes through our gates. We know that the schedules, activities, meals, and programs are important, but ultimately, God is the One who changes lives. Would you pray with us over these next 14 weeks? Pray for full camps, strength and wisdom for our staff and ministry crew, safety throughout the season, and most importantly, that God would use every retreat, camp, and gathering to impact lives for Him.
Family News
Family news is always fun!
Kayla is enrolled at the Institute of Culinary Education in the Los Angeles area. She’ll be doing online classes for the first 14 months and then head down there for in-person training. Right now, she’s studying the business side of the culinary world. After that, she’ll move into the Pastry and Baking degree. She’ll be living at home while she does the online portion and is hopefully going to find a side job along the way.
Jennifer is as busy as ever. We are taking care of her mom full-time, and then there are all the kids to keep us busy! Tyler and Alyssa’s little guy, Oliver, is here quite often, along with several other kids from camp who are under five. It seems like we are buying little toys again — lots of them! 😂 The living room even has a toy box now. Between Grandma, the kids, camp, and everything else Jennifer wants to do, there is never a shortage of things happening around here. Life stays busy, but it’s a good kind of busy. We’re thankful for our family, thankful for the time we get with the kids, and thankful for all the little moments that fill our days. We are also excited to have Erieck and Jolynn here with us in the states for a little while. They will be heading back across seas here in a couple weeks. Pray for them as them continue to raise support.
Please pray for us. Pray for full camps, safety in our projects, Gods protection of family, the kids and grandkids. We are very thankful for the many years God has allowed us to be here. I look forward to many more years of service here at camp.
Ben and Jennifer
Ben and Jen 