Getting Ready for Summer

So two weeks ago, snow covered the ground. Now, the only patch of snow around camp is over on the east side of the upper lake.

The daytime temps are into the 70s, night time into the low 50s. Perfect QM weather! But there are a couple of areas around camp that are still seeing the effects of the snow runoff. Like the 'garden' in front of Cabin 4, where the water fountain is:

 

Some of you old-timer staff know that this area does this at this time of year. It's not a surprise, but the amount of water is.

You can see some of the water is just coming up out of the ground. A lot of the run off has dried up, so there are only a few places that are muddy. The field is mostly muddy, especially by the amphitheater. Because of the late run off, everything is GREEN! Everything!

 

And while this *LOOKS* ideal, something to keep in mind is that the insects have also been laying dormant, and ho-boy, they're hungry! If you're coming up, be sure to bring lots of DEET!

What about the conditions of the tent areas? Not bad at all. For the 4th of July Family Camp, I think you'll like it. The ground isn't muddy but it is damp - more like a damp as if you sprayed it down with a fire hose. *Almost* no dust!

For the 4th of July Family Camp, the pool will be ready!

Now we won't lie to you - the camp took a physical hit this year with the amount of snow and a lot of things need to be done. Combine that with some differed maintenance items that have come up and we're very busy here. The repair to the damage to the storage room caused by the bear last fall is almost done. The staff has been great and working overtime trying to get the camp prepped. They've been doing a GREAT job! The chapel roof took a major hit, as well as broken water pipes and valves. The piping is finished and water is flowing, although some finish work still needs to be done.

So we'll leave you with a couple of images of the area as spring has sprung!

 

   

We ask for support for two prayer items:

1) As this is being written, Jake and Samantha are at the hospital awaiting the birth of their first child. Please support them in your prayers, for a safe delivery and for the health and safety for such a new family at camp.

2) For the campers coming up this summer. Some will fall under the direct attack of the enemy who will do whatever it takes to keep our Lord's word from reaching hearts and souls. Please pray for protection, for soft hearts and open minds, and for the general safety of everyone.

Blessings to you! More updates as the summer goes on...

When much is asked, much is given.

First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUAKER MEADOW! Many of you on FaceBook left well wishes to the camp that has turned 71 years old! The road that was given to QM has sometimes been long, sometimes frustrating, and sometimes blessed. Souls have been saved and some of you know that over these many years God called some lives home. Blood, sweat, tears, singing, praising, hard work and hard play have all been a part of the camping experience. QM has a long way to go, and we're glad you're part of it.

On the previous post, things looked rather bleak. Much needed to be done in order to get the camp into some kind of condition to be used - and Praise God that much as done! We're almost ready for the next camp to come up but there's still a ton of work still left - but we'll leave that to the soon-to-arrive staff!

I promised to post an update as soon as we know anything - and these updates came in today.

Here are some comments by some of the folks who were up at camp over this last weekend
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From Jeremy Boyd (board member):
Can you believe it? June is here and the start of the summer camping season is days away. The snow is meting fast, but not fast enough. Overall we had a very productive weekend. Dan (Worthington) was able to get the road open to the fork, but we still can't drive all the way into camp. This was a heroic effort on Dan's part and it was amazing that he was able to get as far as he did. (Board member) Bob (Storar) and his friend Craig were also superstars. They were able to repair the water line and electrical damage in Ruby's, an unexpected waterline break in the Director's cabin, a water leak in the dishroom boiler room, the Lewis Lodge heater, and a lot of other small fixes around camp. We had 4 summer staff for this summer (Robin [head cook], Cameron [hospitality supervisor], Quincey [asst head cook], and Nick [lifeguard]) and 1 former staff (Beth [kitchen]) come up for the weekend and they were also very hard workers. Amazingly, they were able to get the bear mess cleaned up and the dining hall and kitchen area completely setup and ready to have people in camp. Plus they also johnny runed most of the program buildings. (Our new manager) Jake is taking these difficult challenges in stride. He has jumped in with both feet and I was able to observe him manage the staff, fix broken items, troubleshoot electrical issues, learn and understand the water system, organize and prioritize tasks, etc. With all the trips to camp in the past month I have had an opportunity to work very closely with Jake and I am continually impressed with his positive attitude and ability to keep focused on the big job ahead of him without it getting him down. ...

We got Lewis, Ruby's, Hilltop, and the triplex online as well as the Dining hall and Kitchen. Facilities wise, we are ready for (the next camp of 50-60 men). The only issue is that they will have to walk in 1/4 of a mile and the ground in camp is still mostly covered with snow.

The next group that I am worried about is ... coming in on the 10th. This is a 150 person Junior and Jr High camp, so they will be using the main cabins and the chapel. That part of camp is still under quite a bit of snow... so that one could get a little tricky. The forecast has temperatures in the high 60's and low 70's all week and into next so hopefully that makes a big difference.

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From Jake (manager):

The suburban needed both mechanical and electrical repairs for the transmission. The final cost will be about $1,800.00 and the work should be completed in the next few days.

Dan Worthington did an incredible job removing the snow from the road into camp. He cleared 1.1 miles of the approximate 1.3 miles, leaving only 0.2mi uncleared. (This brought the cost of clearing the rest of the road way down, so the road will be cleared out, hopefully in time for the next camp.)

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From Bob Storar (board member):

I just wanted to echo the thoughts of Jeremy and Jake. I would also like to add that personally I truly saw and felt the protection and blessing from the Lord in our endeavors this last weekend. The summary, although pretty accurate in general terms, doesn’t describe the many small and some large challenges that we continued to encounter as we pushed forward to get camp in a position that it could be opened. I was not very hopeful that we would be able to get (the next camp) in next weekend. But thanks to Dan and his tenacity, heart and prowess operating a Bobcat, he accomplished a feat not many could. I estimate that he move somewhere between 13,000 and 16,000 cubic feet of snow over the three days he was there. That was not withstanding having mechanical difficulties with the Bobcat, getting stuck several times and also having a ... potentially dangerous slide down a hillside on Sunday. With all of the challenges he faced he kept a good attitude and focus on the goal. It was a pleasure getting to know him. I was humbled, once again, to see how Great the God we serve is.

I also want to echo Jeremy’s comments regarding Jake. Jake is truly a rare find and a blessing from God. His attitude and grace exceeds his years. His heart to see God work mightily through the ministry of QMC is nothing short of amazing. ... I want to praise God for bringing Jake and Samantha to us. Let us commit ourselves to being good stewards of what God has brought to Quaker Meadow Camp.

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As I was assembling this, Jeremy sent over some pictures of the general condition of the camp. For those past staff folks, I bet you can recognize the ground conditions in a week or two, huh?
 

 
We had also made a plea for money on the previous, and we needactive. The unexpected cost to the Suburban is only part of the costs we need to cover. Plumbing and electrical repairs have added up, as well as some of the damage due to the snow. (Really, you can never have a freeze without *something* going out...) There is a cost to plow out the rest of the road, but that has been greatly reduced (THANK YOU DAN!). We're not going to dodge around - we really need some folks to step up and help us out. Whatever you can do would be a huge help. Contact Cliff Tracey if you can donate.

And let's not forget the reason why the camp needs this work: to allow the Holy Spirit to impact the lives of people as they come to know and grow in the Lord. To win and train youths and adults for Christ.

Thank you for following along and keeping partnered with Quaker Meadow! Here's to 70+ years to come!