Blog Update for 5/12 - 5/22

Well, it seems like it's been awhile since our last update.  Time goes by so quickly when you get busy and things are going on! 

When we last left you, my parents, Dave and Doris had just left to head back to Conway.  We had to quickly regroup and get ready for a group that was coming in for the weekend.  These days, that means trying to have all the grass and grounds cut and maintained at least by Thursday.  I've found that the grass here in Pennsylvania although about half the growing season as grass in South Carolina, grows about twice as fast.  If you don't get it cut at least once a week, you are getting behind.  I am usually busy with outside ground maintenance work at least a couple of days out of the week if you include work down at the other camp.  Anyway, our group last weekend was only here until Sat. afternoon.  It was a ladies' retreat from a local church in Mansfield, Pa, which is only about 30 minutes from us.  They had a good time, with about 21 ladies in attendance.  We had to have a quick turnaround with the cleaning and room clean-up because of different board members of Three Springs Ministries coming in for a board meeting.  Also coming in were families and parents of our 8 interns that were graduating on Sunday from the True North Internship program.  After a combined effort from multiple staff to get rooms ready,  we all went down to Three Springs for a ice cream social to meet and mingle with board members that were there, some of which our family hadn't had a chance to meet yet. 

Sunday afternoon everyone was invited to Three Springs for the intern graduation.  They had a nice ceremony and celebration of the past year with a recap of what they had learned and experienced.  Afterwards, everyone was invited to stay for a picnic supper with plenty of time to fellowship.  It is always a sad time each year, when the interns have to leave and move on to what the Lord is directed them to, but it is refreshing to see how the Lord has taught them and matured them throughout their stay at Three Springs.  

Kathryn's mom and younger sister Margaret, as well as her grandparents Bill and Julia Long came in on Monday, just in time to help celebrate Audrey's 5th birthday. 

 This was Margaret and Bill and Julia's first visit to see us, so we were very excited to have them for a few days.

 Unfortunately, the weekly weather forecast called for strong chances of rain everyday.  We did, however, find a few breaks in between showers to get outside and do some things.  We showed them around both properties, as well as taking them them on a short hike to see our wilderness cabin. 

The kids enjoyed spending time with everyone and just playing, reading books, and being silly. 

We did go out for supper Wednesday evening, but maybe the highlight for me was after we got back home.  We still had some daylight left and it happened to not be raining at the time.  I went and borrowed one of the four wheelers from camp and took turns taking Kathryn's grandparents and sister up the mountain across from us on our neighbors property.  Their view from the top of the hill is beautiful!  You can see for miles in about every direction.  I also rode them down to see the sugar shack, where the maple syrup is made.  Bill and Julia really seemed to enjoy riding around on the four wheeler, as it was the first time ever for each of them.  Grandmama even said that she wanted her picture on the four wheeler to make the blog, so this is for you 'Ma'! 

They all headed back towards South Carolina Friday morning.  We were glad for the chance to visit with them, but it is always hard to say goodbye. 
Missing our families and also our church family has been the biggest sacrifice of our obedience to come here to serve.  You don't realize how much you rely on the help and support that you get from family like we have, until you don't have them close by anymore.  However, God's grace is sufficient, and we know He will give the strength needed. 

I did manage to continue working throughout the week even though it was very wet and rainy.  I put on my rain gear and did some more pressure washing and also finished mulching the rest of the flower beds.  We even planted some flowers around the inn.

  I also have been training for my life guarding test, which will be coming up in a few weeks.  Luke, also on staff, and I have been going down to the YMCA in Williamsport to swim.  We've been four times so far and are getting closer to being in swim shape for the test, but we still need a few more times.  Our pool here at camp had the cover just taken off this week, but I would not even attempt to swim in it yet, as it is still very cold.  

Our group this weekend was from a church down in the Lancaster area or "downstate" as they say here.  We had about 14 couples from their Senior Ambassadors Sunday School class. 

 This was their first time here and they are planning to come back next year, so I think they had a good time.  Kathryn and I continue to tag team some of the meal times, so that we each can share some of the hosting responsibilities. 

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.  We thank God for you and your involvement with us as we serve the Lord here! 

 

Blog Update for 5/3 - 5/11

The weeks just seem to be getting busier and busier as the days get longer and the weather gets better.  It has been so nice to have 5 beautiful days in a row with sun and warm temperatures.  The trees are budding out and the farmers are finally in their fields getting the soil ready for planting.  We've been waiting a long time for this.  God is good!

We've had a lot going on since last update.  I've been weeding all the landscaping beds in preparation for new mulch to go in at both properties.  It's always fun when you can really see the results of your work afterwards.  These beds really needed some attention.  The mulch arrived this past week, but only enough to cover about half of what we needed to do.  We'll have to get one more dump truck load to finish up.  (The camp has a small dump truck that we use for different jobs such as this.) 

 Last Wednesday, I took a day to get my driver's license changed over as well as registration and inspection.  The DMV office in Wellsboro is only open on Wednesday which makes it very busy and very slow.  Having to get title, registration, and inspections done all at different places took most of the morning and afternoon.  I also did a few errands for other staff members while I was in town.

On Thursday I took a day off, so that we could head down to Bucks County near Philadelphia, to see my grandparents.  Bill and Dorothy Rickert are both in their low to mid nineties and stay in an Assisted Living facility.  We are now only a little over 3 hours from where they live,  so we hope to be able to get to see them a little more often.  Mom and Dad were meeting us there to visit for the afternoon.  When we arrived, we ate lunch with my Aunt Jane, who lives only about 5 minutes away from my grandparents.  After lunch we had a great visit with my grandparents.  We are so thankful for the Christian heritage of our families and especially for their faithful prayers for us throughout our lives.  The kids really enjoyed seeing their Great-Grandparents as well.

  We headed home that afternoon to prepare for my Mom and Dad coming up the next morning to stay over with us through Monday.

There was also a school group of about 70 fifth and sixth graders that were spending the day on Friday at Three Springs, doing all sorts of activities and games.  Exposure to the camp through school trips opens doors for the kids to come back during the summer to hear God's Word and the gospel.

It was a lot fun having Grams and Grandad here with us for a few days.  Mom's hip replacement surgeries went really well, and she is getting around great and is even back on the bike.  She and the kids rode their bikes often while they were here.  Since we had nothing booked with the Inn with it being Mother's Day weekend, we were able to spend most of our time playing outside with the kids or going down to Three Springs to enjoy the farm life there.

  We took a little hike to show Mom and Dad the Wilderness Cabin also.  It was great weather every day.  We even got to spend some time with our neighbors Ken and Sue Heyler.  We had gone over to introduce them to my parents and to let them see the dairy barn on Friday evening and on Saturday evening they came over to visit with us.  This was the first they had initiated a visit so we were very pleased that they felt comfortable to come over.  We had a nice visit with them.

  Mom and Dad got to come to church with us on Sunday, where they were able to see several folks they knew from their years of directing a week of camp here at Three Springs.  That is the connection after all, and how we knew about Three Springs and the work going on here.  

Monday brought a new week of work and continued good weather.  We began excavating a new lane at Three Springs Farm, which will connect the barn and our parking area, allowing our tractors to access the barn area without having to travel through the busy areas of camp.  This will be safer for everyone.  The top soil that we took away from the lane area will be used to create the terraces for our greenhouse.  I was helping drive one of two dump trucks that took the fill material from the lane and hauled it to our greenhouse site.

  I finished off the day cutting grass there at Three Springs with one of the other staff members.  There is plenty of grass to be cut now, and I am enjoying being back on the mower.  Mom and Dad left Monday after lunch to head back to Harrisburg to spend the night with my Mom's sister Marion and my Uncle Glenn.  They traveled back to Conway on Tuesday.  We are very thankful they were able to come for a visit.  Kathryn did a great job all weekend cooking for us, which I am very thankful for.  We did go out for dinner on Saturday night for our Mother's Day celebration.

We did have to host on Tuesday for a group of 18 ladies from a quilting guild from nearby Wellsboro.  Quilting is very popular here in the North, which I can understand with such long winters.   One of the ladies who heads up the quilting group was previously on staff here.  They made 13 quilts to donate to camp for different beds that were needing new bedding.  It was a blessing to have them do that for us and also very interesting to watch these ladies work.  They all brought their sewing machines with them and really had them singing all day.  They were very organized and very quick with their work.

On Wednesday I spent much of the day pressure-washing decks and gazebos here at LHI.  There are plenty of spring clean-up chores still to be done since we've had such a late start. 

All the kids are healthy right now, thank the Lord, and are really enjoying being able to play outside now.  We are all looking forward to Kathryn's mom and sister Margaret coming along with Kathryn's grandparent's Julia and Bill.  They will be with us next week, Lord willing, helping us celebrate Audrey's fifth birthday. Wow!  Where does the time go? 

Weekly Update for 4/26 - 5/3

Hello from the Rickert family!  It is good to be all together again after a different looking week of ministry here for us.

If you read our blog last week, you will remember that I was just getting ready for a bus trip out to Missouri.  Nate, a staff co-worker here at Three Springs and I left around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon on our coach bus.  We had three groups to pick up in New York, who were all heading out to the National Bible Quiz Fellowship Competition in Kansas City.  We had a full bus load of young kids, with ages ranging from 12 to 18, and their coaches or leaders also. 

 Our group consisted of four different teams that were being sponsored by a ministry called Family Life Ministries from the New York area.  Nate and I would alternate four hour shifts of driving and sleeping for the 1,100 mile trip, which took us about 21 hours.  The trip there went well with no mishaps, and we arrived around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn, where the quizzing was being held.  One neat thing was that our hotel was overlooking the Kansas City pro football and baseball stadiums of the Royals and Chiefs.  We could watch the fireworks after the Royals baseball games in the evening.

  There were 46 teams from all over the country that had qualified from their local levels.  I estimated that there were approximately 400 quizzers there and maybe the same number of parents and coaches.  They would quiz Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with the finals ending Saturday night.

  Our teams did fairly well, with the top team placing 12th.  One of our girls placed 2nd in the individual average score out of all the quizzers.  Nate and I enjoyed following our groups around and supporting them as we watched.  The thing that really impressed me was the dedication to learning God's Word that most of the kids had.  They quizzed on the book of John, and there were many who had memorized the whole book.  They knew that book left and right and any other way you wanted to come at it.  I know a lot of the learning was academic, but God also says that His Word will not return void. These kids will carry with them what they have studied and learned, which God will use to accomplish His will in their lives.  The leaders and parents where great supporters for their kids, and it was encouraging to be able to be used to support their efforts in this ministry.

There were a couple of negatives though on this trip.  The first being that Friday morning I woke up with a stomach bug, complete with fever and aches.  Thankfully I was able to rest and sleep all day in our room.  By Saturday I was feeling a lot better and was ready to travel again that night.  The only other negative was being away from my family for 6 days and 5 nights.  I can't remember being away for more than a day or two before, and I found that I really missed everyone very much and was anxious to be back home.

Kathryn and the kids also missed Daddy, but with the Lord's help through many prayers, they fared alright while I was gone.  Clay did have to go back to the doctor to get another round of antibiotics for his lingering ear infections, which seem to be doing better now.  They also had some very large storms that came through with lots of rain and lightning and actually lost power for about an hour one evening, (just long enough to get the candles and flashlights rounded up for a little excitement!).  Kathryn did manage to find some time to get the kids down to Three Springs for a picnic lunch and some play time in between all the rain we have been getting.  She did say that she could tell that people were praying, with the extra strength and patience she had while I was away.  Praise the Lord!

There was a group here at the Inn this past weekend.  We had asked a couple of the other staff to cover our hosting responsibilities for us since I was away.  We have this weekend open for the Inn and are looking forward to going down to visit with my grandparents and meeting up with my parents who are coming back to stay with us for the weekend. 

After arriving home from my trip Sunday night, we have been getting back into the swing of things here with plenty of yard and flower bed work around the property here and also at Three Springs.

I would like to thank those who have been praying for us this past week.  God has been good as always and brought us through a difficult week, and we could definitely feel your prayers.  Let us know how we can be praying for you as well as we love to hear from you too.  Have a great week!

Weekly Update for 4/19 -4/26

We hope everyone had a great Easter remembering our Savior's resurrection! 

Looking back over the last week since last Tuesday, I will try to give you an overview.  After a winter's worth of snowplowing on our gravel driveway and parking lot here at the Linck Hill Inn, it leaves quite a bit of gravel in the lawn and grass.  On Tuesday I spent a good bit of the day raking and shovelling up gravel around the property to get ready for grass cutting, which should start in the next week or so finally!

Clay never did get over this last cold very well, so on Wednesday morning Kathryn took him to the doctor.  He had infection in both ears, which he is taking antibiotics for now.  Pray that he will grow out of these ear infections soon.  When Kathryn returned, I headed down to Three Springs to work on a few projects.  There was still pruning to be done on the apple trees there, and I also assisted Nate with putting up some hay racks for the horses in their loafing area behind the barn.  The horses, in their boredom or for whatever reason, chew through the wood of these hay racks until they break apart.  These newly constructed racks are wrapped in wire fencing to prevent this from happening again. 

 We've had such a long and wet winter that the horses haven't been able to get in the pastures yet, due to the wet ground, but we could be in severe drought like other parts of the country, so we won't complain.

Thursday morning I helped Nate load up a load of hay that he was delivering for a local dairy farmer down state near Lancaster.  Nate is from that area and was heading home for Easter anyway and also had some hay equipment to bring back on the trip home.  This delivery would help at least with the cost of fuel for the trip.  The farm that we loaded hay from was so beautiful!

  Later that morning I finished up the apple tree pruning and would meet Steve Ochinno that afternoon to take a group on our nature trail.  This was a Brownie Girl Scout group from Mansfield about 30 miles from here.  We loaded up about 20 or so little girls and some parents in the hay wagon, and for about two hours had a great hike and many learning opportunities about different things that we came upon in the woods.  It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time, even Bernie, the camp dog! 

We had no groups scheduled this past weekend because of Easter.  We had the day off on Friday, and a lot of our staff went home for the weekend.  We stayed home most of the time Friday and Saturday just doing house work and still unpacking a few things left from the move.  It was a little hard this Easter being away from our families, but Kathryn was scheduled to sing and also play her flute at church Sunday.  Her voice had improved enough from her cold the previous week that she was able to sing.  She did a great job singing one of Keith and Kristen Getty's songs called "See What A Morning".  Many people commented on what a blessing her music was which she quickly gave God the glory for.  It was a good day remembering the Lord and there was hardly an empty seat in the church .  We had been invited over to Jeff and Deanne Rush's house for Easter dinner with two other families who were not with their own families.  Duncan and Audrey really enjoy playing at Ms. Deanne's house.  In fact when Duncan was told that we had been invited, he said "That's one place I like to go, tell Ms. Deanne she thinked up a good idea!"

We have still been having some wet and cold weather lately.  I forgot to tell you that we even had snow on Friday for a while although it did not amount to anything.  Monday we had a little break with the sun coming out for a while.  I took the opportunity to weed and clean out most of the flower beds around the Inn as well as trimming a few bushes.  The kids love to be outside "helping" when I'm here working, which is nice having them around.  We came across our first snake in the yard and although it wasn't poisonous, we weren't sure at the time and took no chances.

Please pray for me as I leave Tuesday afternoon on a bus trip out to Kansas City, Missouri.  I will be helping Nate drive as we will travel straight through the night and be arriving Wednesday afternoon.  We are taking kids from the Word of Life ministry in New York for a Bible Quiz competition, and then coming back Sunday evening.  Please pray for Kathryn also, as she will have all the responsibilities with the kids while I'm gone.  Pray for extra strength, patience, and for the kids to do well while I'm gone.  I've got to finish up some last minute packing before I leave, so until next week, "so long" from the Rickerts!

Weekly Update for 4/12 - 4/19

Greetings to everyone as we celebrate this special time of the year when we remember our Savior's death and resurrection.  It's great to have the hope and assurance of salvation as we await the return of our risen Lord Jesus Christ!

I hope that you all are not tired of hearing from the Rickert family by now.  We have been sharing with you a lot of the day by day things that go on here, which some of you may not need to know or care to know.  Our goal and purpose of our blog however is not to bore you, but to give you an accurate description of what our lives are like here so that you can actively be involved in our ministry through your prayers and correspondence.  We value our family and friends that we have left behind and still desire to be a part of your lives.  Our weekly blog is our practical effort to do this!

Having said that, I will try to give you a summary of our week.  After our post last Tuesday, we had been invited over to dinner with Clint and Lauren Owlett.  This is a couple that had been on staff for about 8 years with Three Springs, but had just resigned right before we came on board.  Clint and Lauren and their two children still live in this area and go to our church.  We had a good time of fellowship with them, and the kids especially had fun playing with their oldest son who is just a little younger than Duncan.  We could not have known, however, that their kids would wake up the next day with coughs and runny noses.  Yes, now all of our kids and Kathryn have had a go around with that same bug.  Pray for Clay, who is once again showing signs of a possible ear infection that we will have to monitor. 

On Wednesday, Steve Ochinno and went I down to Three Springs' wilderness cabin, which is tucked away in the woods down in a nearby valley by a stream.  It is a primitive cabin that is used by the camp and other groups for quiet getaway and ministry.  It has no electricity or indoor plumbing, but does have gas lights and a really nice outhouse.  It sleeps about 12.  We had a group of 10 young boys from the Philadelphia city area and their leaders, who were coming to use our cabin for a few days while they did some hiking and climbing  in the area.  Steve and I took some drinking water down to the cabin for them, and also started the wood stove to heat up the cabin some before they arrived.  Yes, we still need our heat as it was about 32 degrees this morning as we got up.

  After we left the cabin, we hiked our nature trail that is in that same valley as the wilderness cabin.  

No one hikes the nature trail during the winter months, but now that the snow has melted we will start taking some groups here soon on this particular trail . We were surveying the trail for any debris, limbs or trees that needed to be cleared away before anyone hikes it.  Since I have not been on this trail yet, it was good for me to get familiar with it as I will most likely be leading different groups on this hike.  These woods are a lot different from the low country forests that I am used to in South Carolina, but I always enjoy being in the woods no matter where I am, and am thankful to be able to have that as a part of what I do here.

Thursday morning was a nice morning compared to some of the rainy and dreary days we had in the beginning of the week.  That afternoon, a group would arrive at the Inn for the weekend, so I had a small window in which to do some outside work in the yard.  I blew out all the landscaping beds that were still covered in leaves, and got our mower from Three Springs and ran over the entire yard.  Although the grass really didn't need mowing, I still mulched up all the leaves and gave the yard a fresh cut look.  I couldn't resist as I've been waiting for a month at least to get on the mower.  The grass is really green though and starting to grow finally. 

Our group this weekend was from an organization that many may have heard of before called Moms In Touch, International.  They are a group that is nationwide, consisting of mothers of school-aged children.  Their burden and desire is to pray for our schools and the students and teachers in them. They have a website which is www.momsintouch.org if you would like to learn more about the ministry.  Our group of moms were leaders or coordinators in different counties from all around the state of Pennsylvania.  This was their second year here with us, and they really had a great time.  We even found time to build a campfire for them, so they could make smores. 

I also put up a volleyball net for use during their free time.

Since most of the family was not feeling well, I did all the hosting this weekend, except for Kathryn setting the dining room up for dinners.  I don't do well picking out the right tablecloths and the correct color napkins that go with them, so Kathryn always takes care of that.  Everything went well for the ladies.  We pray they went back to there homes encouraged, refreshed, and equipped to continue in the work of intercessory prayer.

Kathryn had planned to sing this Sunday morning with a group of four other ladies that she had been rehearsing with, but because of her cold, she wasn't able to sing.  She did help them rearrange the parts somewhat so that the rest of the group could still do it.  They all were glad to have the oppurtunity to sing and the congregation really enjoyed the special music, which they have'nt had very much of in the past.  Lord willing, Kathryn will be singing next Sunday morning on Easter.  Pray for her voice to be well by then and for the message of the song that she has prepared.  She really tries hard to pick out music that compliments the message or passage that is being taught and preached from that Sunday.  Sunday night we attended a meeting about a ministry in Uganda called Finding The Way.  Its website is www.findingthewayafrica.org.  It was good to be reminded of the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs in Uganda, but it also reminded us of the needs of those right here in America. 

All day Saturday and Sunday, we had really bad winds and rain.  I don't know if it was any of that awful system that caused all those storms down south or not, but it did cause a lot of limbs and debris to come down here.  Audrey and Duncan helped me on Monday picking up limbs and raking up debris.  It took me most of the day to finish in the yard.  I did help load up another load of hay first thing this morning that was headed to the auction.  We have another couple of loads to sell as we make room in our barns for this year's hay that will be harvested this summer.  That will  have to wait for a future blog down the road though.

We have this weekend off from hosting any groups because of Easter, so we have discussed going up to New York to see Niagra Falls.  We'll see how everyone is feeling and how the weather is. There has been alot of rain in the forecast recently and for the next little while coming up. 

Keep us in your prayers and have a great Easter.

Weekly Update for 4/5 - 4/12

NO SNOW! This may be the first week we haven't seen any snow since we've been here! It was actually in the 70's yesterday for the first time.  The grass and the fields are really getting green. Flower bulbs are pushing up, and it won't be long before everything is transformed and made new.  This season is truly a testimony to God's faithfullness, demonstrating the new life He brings, not only in the springtime on this earth, but also in our lives through the finished work of Jesus and His death and ressurection.


We've had a good week as I think back to review our activities.  Last Tuesday afternoon we were in the need of some more milk, so we decided to go across the road and visit our neighbors who own the dairy farm.  We've decided to give fresh farm milk a try, since it's more conveinent, cheaper, and also has good, natural enzymes in it.  We all arrived just as the Heylers were about to begin their afternoon milking.  They have about 50 cows that they milk, and we got to observe the process as they went through their routine.  It was very fun and educational, especially for the kids who have never seen where their milk comes from, . . . in addition to other natural cow functions!  Needless to say, after about 45 minutes visiting in the cow barn, we all smelled like the cow barn as well.  We did get our milk and also picked up some maple syrup that we had on order. It was a fun time at the dairy farm!

Wednesday morning comes early as I go to a young men's Bible study and breakfast at 5:30 at the home of one of the other staff members.  Later that morning after our weekly staff meeting, I helped Nate fill up the coal bin in the basement of the mansion here at Three Springs.  Thankfully, we had a conveyer belt to help shuttle in the dump truck load of coal that should last well into next winter.  Coal is a very effiecient, and cheaper way to heat in these cold parts of the country, but it is also very dirty to have to work with.  Afterwards I cleaned out the coach bus from our trip the previous weekend.  This is just some of the everyday maintenance and upkeep that goes into running a camp ministry. 


On Wednesday and Thursday I was involved doing other maintenace duties in the camp shop as I helped Nate refit our two new mobile chicken houses with some more heavy-duty axles and tires than we oringinally had on them. 

I'm not naturally mechanical, nor did I grow up learning mechanical things (as most of you know my father), but I do enjoy this kind of work and am learning a lot as I am involved with many different aspects of hands-on, behind-the-scenes work that takes place in our ministry.


Our 8 interns as well as Jeff Rush, our executive director, and Phil Dunbar, our intern director, drove out to Arizona on Thursday.  They are spending about a week out on the Navajo reservation working with some people who minister to the Navajo people there.  Part of our intern program here involves exposing the students to different ministry opportunities in various cultural settings.  They get to go to Indonesia for three weeks for a cross-cultural experience, and also make trips to Philadelphia to experience an inner-city environment, as well as a trip out west to Arizona.  Pray for our interns as their year with us will be concluding in about three weeks.  Many of them are still praying about where and how God will use them after they leave.  A couple are staying on throughout the summer to help in various ways.  Our next group of interns will come at the end of the summer, and we are looking to expand the program to 12 students.  If you know of any high school graduate who may be interested in the True North program, please direct them to the Three Springs Ministries website http://www.threespringsministries.org/


Since our interns have been gone, we all have pitched in to cover some of the chores and responsibilities that they normally have.  I helped feed the horses one day and cleaned up around the barn area.  Others help tend coal furnaces or wood stoves, or help with kitchen duties.  We all wear many different hats as we serve here.


Our group this past weekend was a couples group from a Mennonite church in Elizabethtown, Pa , near Harrisburg.  Their were only 10 couples here from Thursday afternoon untill Sunday afternoon.  It seemed a lot easier, compared to the group of 50 ladies that were here last weekend.  This couples' retreat was simply a relaxing get-away, with no scheduled activities other than mealtimes. 

Kathryn did a good bit of the hosting this weekend during mealtimes, while I watched the kids.

 

It's nice to be able to take turns, and share our ministry responsibilities.

We did all get out for church Sunday morning, but had to leave a little early to get back to prepare lunch.  The group seemed to have a really good time and headed home right after their lunch on Sunday. 


Sunday afternoon, we got a call from one of the Heyler bothers from the farm across the road, inviting our family over for cake and ice cream to help celebrate their daughter's birthday.  (She was turning 24.)  We were glad for the occasion to come over and spend some time with their family.  This is something that we have prayed about - to be involved with our neighbors and the community here where we live.


That evening, Audrey was participating in a church Sunday school program at Oregan HIll Grace Chapel.  Her class was singing with the older children in a musical called "Everyday Heroes", depicting different Bible character's lives.  She really enjoys singing and performing!

Kathryn went into Williamsport yesterday on our day off, to do all the grocery shopping as well as a few other errands.  The kids and I enjoyed playing outside in the warm weather and just being out of the house. 


Thanks for your continued prayers for us and the work going on here.  If any one would like to come up and visit or vacation, we would love to see you and set you up here at Linck Hill Inn.  It's a beautiful place that would make a great getaway trip. Think about it!          

Weekly Update for 3/28 - 4/5

Well, it's Tuesday April 5, and I am watching the most beautiful snow falling!   Huge flakes coming down in bunches are turning the ground white again after it had just started greening up a bit.  It won't last long, but just the fact that it is snowing in April kinda blows my mind!  We have had a very busy weekend and are now taking a couple of days at the beginning of this week to catch up on some other things and just to have some time for family.


Last Monday after our weekend, Kathryn headed into Wellsboro for our grocery shopping and I stayed home with the kids.  Kathryn also had a voice lesson with one of the young lady interns later that morning and a Ladies Fellowship Night that evening with the ladies from the church.  I think she was as tired from being out and on the go as she is when she stays home with kids.  I know I was!

On Tuesday, Nate and I drove a load of hay back down to the auction in Middleburg.  We had a good trip and also got a good price for our hay.  A conservative Mennonite dairy farmer purchased our hay.  It was interesting to learn that, although he lived and farmed a lot like the Amish, he was permitted to use tractors.  The only stipulation was that the tractor had to have steel studded wheels, which would discourage using the tractor as transportation on the roads, thereby deterring any interaction with the"world".  These Mennonites were allowed, however to ride in a car with a neighbor, such as to the auction, but not to own one themselves.  

Wednesday found us preparing in a lot of different ways for our weekend group at LHI.  The young lady who does most of the housekeeping for the inn had gotten sick and was not available to finish the turnaround from last weekend.  We borrowed 5 of the interns that afternoon and finished making beds, vacuuming, dusting and setting up extra dining tables and chairs.  This group of 50 would be our biggest group so far and also be the most that we can accommodate in our facility.          

On Thursday afternoon, about 20 of the ladies from the church near Philadelphia arrived with the remainder of the group coming in the next day.  This was their third year with us.  They were very organized and familiar with the facility.  The big difference with this group was just the extra work that it took in the kitchen and around meal times. Cleaning up and setting up for 50 verses 20-25 is quite different, and also keeping the coffee bar stocked was challenging at times.  There were also the tasks of keeping enough toilet paper and hand towels for the restrooms, as well as collecting the trash.  There was one occasion after a session break, when everyone was using the restrooms, which caused the water in the entire building to shut off.  There is a safety control measure that turns off the water pump if there is a sudden loss of pressure such like there would be if a pipe burst, or if 50 women used the restroom at the same time! Needless to say, every lady I saw next was telling me their water was not working.  I had been warned about this possibility and I was quickly on the phone walking through the steps to manually override the shutoff and start the water pump again.  A separate occasion had me addressing a plumbing problem with one of the toilets.  Thankfully, we have those on staff that I can call if there are issues that I cannot take care of myself, which I took advantage of this time.  Another learning opportunity this weekend was running the sound board and the PowerPoint presentations for the music and the teaching sessions.  I have a new appreciation for all the computer and sound technicians out there now!

  Overall, everything went well for the most part and I believe the group really had a great time.  Sunday morning, the ladies all came to Oregon Hill Grace Chapel to fellowship with us and also provided special music with their ladies ensemble.  After coming back to the inn and picking up a bag lunch, they were on their way back home. 

Kathryn and I really have to tag team between our responsibilities at the inn and keeping the kids.  We are rarely both at the inn at the same time, unless it's with the whole family when we are greeting the groups as they arrive.  She will come over usually in the afternoons to set the tables for dinner as she picks different color schemes with tablecloths and napkins.  I gladly let Kathryn head up the decorating and flower arrangements, which Audrey also enjoys helping set out in each room.

Right after lunch on Sunday, as the ladies were leaving for home, I drove down to Three Springs to meet up with Nate once again.  There had been a youth group staying at Three Springs Farm that weekend from New York.  Nate had driven up with Three Springs' coach bus to pick up the group and bring them here for the weekend.  I  rode to NY with Nate to take the group home, and after dropping them off, I drove the bus back to get some driving experience for future trips.

 I have had experience driving a coach bus before, and I will be used from time to time to drive the bus here at Three Springs.  Nate and I most likely will be taking a NY group from a ministry called Word of Life, to Kansas City, Missouri right after Easter.  That will be about a five day round-trip, where we will take turns with the driving responsibilities.  The group on Sunday was from Grand Island, New York, just a few miles from Niagara Falls near the Buffalo area.  It was fun driving through parts of the country I've never been before, and I definitely plan to go back to Niagara Falls since it's only about a three and a half hour drive.  We got back Sunday evening around eight thirty, which then ended our busy weekend.

Continue to pray for us as we start to develop a routine with groups that are now coming about every week. Pray for opportunities as we have already had,  to tell others how and why we are serving the Lord here at Three Springs.  Also for us as we continue to get involved more at church and find ways to serve there.  The children are doing well right now, and Clay even slept through the whole night for the first time since I can remember.  Hope everyone is doing well, and thanks to those who keep us informed about what's going on in your lives too.