Things at Three Springs and Linck Hill Inn are continuing on. We had a window of opportunity from reservations at the Inn to be able to slip away for a few days but things at camp are full swing with camp season. Our first Three Springs sponsored residential camp was Grow Zone which is our Jr. High age camp.
We were down some in campers for the week but did have a great response from them spiritually. 10 out of the 33 campers made new professions of faith in Jesus Christ that week! We were very thankful to a good start to our camp season. I did help a few times lifeguarding during the week and also doing some landscaping projects down at camp. We did have a couples retreat at the Inn the last weekend in June that we hosted, although we did not have to do the meals for them. Please continue praying for the Lord to provide someone to fill the cooking position at the Inn. We will be coming into our busy fall season soon and will be needed to do a lot of cooking for those times. We are comforted knowing that the Lord is not oblivious to our situation and that He is sovereign in all things.
Sunday the 26th after church that morning, we went into Liberty, PA where we watched the town parade from one of the church families yards. I think the parade was associated with Independence Day celebrations, but it had a lot of the usual small town parade entries. The kids loaded up on more candy from the parade than I think from any Halloween or fall festival. It was fun seeing the small town come together and celebrate.
The following week we had a church from Pittsford N.Y. come and use the camp facilities and do their own camp. They had about 55 youth plus leaders for that week. They seemed to be very organized and intentional with their time and it was encouraging to see kids individually and in small groups spread out around the property spending time in God's Word. I did manage to continue working on my frisbee golf baskets and can report that I am currently finishing up the last 2 baskets and should be ready to set up the course when we return. I'll send some pictures of the finished product soon. We did successfully put up around 900 more bales of hay into the barns this past Friday. The hay field we were baling from was about three miles away which required us to shuttle the hay wagons to the barn with trucks. I was able to use my Toyota Tundra to help which was fun to see it in four-wheel drive and low gear pulling a huge wagon load of hay up a gravel mountain road. It definitely was tested that afternoon but did get the job done. Notice in the picture that we got McKensie Rogers tossing bales from the wagon too. She worked hard right alongside all the guys. She and Alisa have done a great job helping on staff this summer and will be missed when they have to come home.
Saturday afternoon I left driving the bus to pick up a youth group from the Philadelphia area to attend a youth conference in Pittsburgh. I had to pick up the group early Sunday morning which allowed me to spend the night with my Aunt Jane and also to visit with Grandmom and Granddad Rickert that Saturday afternoon. I'm thankful to be closer now to them and to be able to visit more with them. Granddad is 96 years old now and is still doing fairly well and can still paint and draw amazingly. I picked up a portrait that he just completed of our youngest son Clay which looked just like a photo! It was good to visit with them!
After an early start Sunday morning we drove to Ligoneir Camp and Conference Center where we spent the afternoon doing some high ropes course and mountain bike activities before heading into Pittsburgh. The kids and I enjoyed the exercise and outdoor activities. One side excursion before getting into Pittsburgh was going to the Flight 93 Memorial around Shanksville, PA. It was only a few miles off our route and we had some extra time. It was really sobering looking out into the field were many brave Americans lost their lives that September 11th day protecting our homeland. Being July 3rd it was also very fitting as we remember the independence and freedoms we enjoy every day here in America. We had a free night in downtown Pittsburgh walking and seeing the town before a busy day planned on Monday. I shuttled the group around the city to visit an inner city ministry where we were able to hear about their work serving their neighborhood and also spend the afternoon doing some service projects for them. After getting the group back to their hotel that afternoon I was free to start for home as the group would take the Amtrak back at the end of the week. I was really impressed with this particular group and their leaders as they really showed a maturity and heart to live their lives in an intentional way to follow the Lord. Their youth group has been coming up to camp for a winter retreat for many years and also partnered with Three Springs last year for a bus trip out to Montana. One of their young ladies who just graduated will also be joining our True North intern program this fall which we are looking forward to. I forgot to take my camera on this trip but may be able to share some pictures taken by others on a later blog.
We continue to enjoy the work God has given us to do at Three Springs and would value your continued prayers for all those who pass through our properties for camps and retreats. Residential camps and horse camps will continue through August and then into our busy retreat season. Pray for all of our staff and for God's spirit to move in people's hearts and lives. Kathryn and the kids are doing well and we are looking forward to our stay here in Conway. We'll catch back up with everyone once we get back to PA after the 18th.
No comments:
Post a Comment