RV Having Fun Yet?: Lighting Up The Place

One of the cool things about a group like this is the varied experiences and stories that each person has, but all this diversity is tied together by a common love for the Lord. We are different, yet very similar. Morning devotions is a time when stories and testimonies are shared, when we can marvel at the stories that are told and how God works in each person’s life for His purpose, and to bring others to a knowledge of Him

The camp director, Bo, told his story this morning. How he came to be the camp director over a decade ago and came to a place that was completely overgrown. “It was a mess,” he told us. Downed trees were everywhere. One section of the camp had a pile of trash that took forty-seven semi-truck loads to haul away. Forty-seven semi-loads! And this effort was all donated by someone.

They wanted an open-air gymnasium and a prior director bought a couple buildings and had them disassembled and hauled to the camp with money they really couldn’t afford. There they sat in piles for several years. The camp didn’t have the money to actually put them up. Someone made them an offer for the steel in those piles. The offer was accepted, the stuff was hauled away, and a short time later a local contractor quoted them price to build a new building. The price was almost exactly what they had received for the scrap that was sold. And when some extras were added that cost additional money, the contractor eventually ended up donating that amount back to the camp. So now they don’t have just an open-air gymnasium, they have a building with some enclosed classrooms and storage areas--a very nice addition to the camp.

Get to know Bo a little bit and you realize there’s something more behind his self-effacing, easy-going, country bumpkin exterior. His love for the Lord runs deep and his love for the camp and those who come to the camp runs equally deep. So much so that he is willing to work very long hours to keep this camp going. He has to. He and his wife are the only permanent people here. He has to handle literally everything. From coordinating groups of campers coming in to pulling dead raccoons out of the sewer, he does it all.

So he has stories to tell. Stories of kids coming to Christ, stories of being bitten by snakes 13 times. Stories of how this camp has been transformed from the “mess” he described it as to what it is today. And he is at least ten years older than I am.

I consider it a privilege to be a very small part of this operation and to get to know this faithful servant of God.

Since the lift was working again, Denny and I set about to replacing additional light fixtures. This camp has a LOT of them. After working on a couple in the SOWERs RV section, we moved on to the boys’ dormitory, way on the other end of the camp. The lift moves at a blistering speed of 2 miles-per-hour, slower when turning, so this trek took nearly a half hour at full throttle. I could walk it in less than half of that time. But we eventually got there and replaced several dead lights on the buildings.

The women did some more organizing in the kitchen, and a couple of them continued to paint a mural on a large wall outside.

We have been blessed with very pleasant weather for this work. Although chilly in the morning, we are in short sleeves by noon and sitting out in lawn chairs, enjoying the warmth, after quitting time.

Bo has commented that this is the happiest group he has had here. Not to dis other groups, but he said we all work well together and enjoy the work. It really has been enjoyable and we have a great group to work with. We have fun and laugh together and enjoy the camaraderie. It makes the time go very quickly.