But there is still plenty to do!
We’re down to the last couple of days here at Prescott Pines Camp – and I thought I’d share a little about the camp and what we’ve been doing here.
Prescott Pines Camp, like many of the facilities that we work at, is a multi-faceted conference center. They have a great summer camp program, which centers around Frontier Town -

and comes complete with teepees (tipis?) and rustic cabins. There are zip lines and challenge courses and of course a pool. In fact, they even have a Human Fooz Ball court -

(We’re running across them more and more. One of these days we might even get to see someone PLAY Human Fooz Ball!)
The other side of the camp is still rustic, but much more civilized. There’s a lovely chapel -

a great gynmasium (that looks like a chapel)

and cabins and dormitory style buildings to accommodate men’s and ladies’ retreats and winter youth retreats along with Outdoor Education Classes from local (and not so local) schools. This place is busy all year around.
But truth be told, they had a very rough winter. The weather was especially harsh, storms were longer and meaner, and parts of the camp were severely damaged. One of the staff houses caught fire and sustained enough damage to render it unusable. A large pine fell into the dining hall, taking out a large portion of the roof. The septic system literally floated out of the ground after an especially wet stretch of winter weather. Pipes burst, trees fell, insurance was ornery. But through it all they could see the Lord’s gracious hand. No one was injured in any of the calamities. Since the roof now needed to be replaced on the dining hall, it made for the perfect opportunity to do some much need expansion and improvement (the original dining hall had been constructed in the 40′s I think). Not all of the work would be covered by insurance, but it was a good start. The septic system was needing an upgrade too, and since it was already mostly out of the ground…. you get my drift. God has been providing resources and enthusiasm and for the last several months He’s also been providing SOWERS to help with the various projects.
We worked hard this month – the guys were busy doing all kinds of things, from moving walk-in boxes to moving landscaping, to digging ditches and building sheds. They even got to help with some of the dining hall interior demolition. One of our group this month is a heavy equipment operator, and he has spent hours on a backhoe and a little bobcat. (I personally think he’s been having lots of fun on those big toys!)
Here are some shots of the guys at work -

Those boys have been workin’ hard!
But we girls have put in our fair share of work too! We started the week by removing landscaping stones from in front of the dining hall, then moved to cleaning two new-to-them commercial stoves and then tackled painting one of the cabins!

The bottom right shot is at the foundation of the house that burned. We were asked to clean up the debris from around the foundation. What a job!
Before -

After -

The backhoe guy came up today and scooped up all the debris we had moved from the foundation. I’m not sure what their plans are for this site, but at least now it’s nice and tidy. Well, more tidy than it was anyway!
And I must admit we were quite pleased with how the cabin came out!

And all in just three mornings! (Ok, so we just did the body of the building – the trim and deck had already been done. But still….)
Oh, and the dining hall? This is how it looked when we got here (except that the blue tarp and some of the repair boards have been removed)-

And this is how it looked last weekend -

I think all the building permits are now in hand, so the rest of the demolition and renovations can begin. They were smashing up the concrete floor today. (I’m telling you, those backhoe guys have the most fun!)

And once again, it’s hard to believe that we’ll be back on the road again in just a few days. There have been some challenges this month (one couple had to leave after a week due to altitude sickness), but it’s been wonderful to see so many jobs accomplished. And it will be exciting to keep in touch with the folks here to see how their spring and summer progress. I know that feeding the multitudes in a wedding-type tent is getting a little old! But I know that God will continue to work here at Prescott Pines Camp!

So we getting ready these days.
We’re getting ready to pack up and pull out. Our project here is winding down (tomorrow, Thursday, is our last day), and Gary can just about smell the road beneath the wheels. We’ve enjoyed our time here, seeing some beautiful sights and making lovely new friends, but when Gary’s ready, he’s ready! Tomorrow after work we’ll be taking care of laundry, making one last trip to Costco, fitting in a stop at the Post Office, and maybe enjoying a final In N Out burger. (OK, so it might not be our final FINAL burger, but it will at least be our final one at THIS In N Out!)
And we’re be getting ready to say good-bye to our new friends. We had a fun group this month – one couple was on their first SOWER project, and the other couple had been full-timing for about 20 years! Quite some diversity! But we all meshed together just fine, and had a grand time. The work wasn’t too hard – the guys mostly worked on painting and refinishing things, while we ladies went between cleaning pre-school classrooms (you don’t want to look at the underside of those tables, believe you me), to putting together admission packets to filling eggs for the Easter egg hunt next week.

Gotta love the diversity of a Sower Project!
Here’s our little group -

Oh, yeah, we had a fun month!

And out in the field that Joshua Tree is getting ready to finish its burst into spring.
Here it was on March 11th-

and it was popping out a little more by the 17th -

And then this week, on the 23rd -


I certainly hope I get to see more of these as we continue our travels in the desert!

And we’re getting ready to be tourists for a week, too! We’ll be traveling to Prescott, Arizona, but along the way we’ll be stopping at Death Valley National Park and then the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Can’t wait for that!

And I’m also getting ready to get some potholders in the mail. The offer is still open, just so you know.

But right now, I’m getting ready to hit the sack. Can’t be shirking on my last day on the job!
Sweet dreams!

Tomorrow is the last day of our February Sower project at Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. And I suppose I always say this, but where does the time go?! It’s been a good project – while there weren’t any “big” projects (like building a deck or finishing an addition), the guys worked hard on various repairs and painting projects, and really spruced the place up!

We ladies did a little painting too, but mostly we worked in the office and finished out the project sorting clothes for the thrift shop.

Oh, yeah – We LOVE the Thrift Shop Shuffle!
One of the high points of our time working at the mission was being able to attend one of their graduations. About 15 men and women graduated from their two different programs, and it was inspiring to hear some of their stories and learn of God’s Grace in their lives. We also heard from many of the clients during our morning devotions. Men and women, young (18) and old (55), who found themselves on the street, usually as a result of different addictions and poor life choices. Some arrived at the mission with a little “nudge from the judge”, and some found their way simply because they needed a meal or a hot shower or a safe place to spend the night. The CVRM webpage says – “Not housing the homeless, but ending the homelessness. One life at a time.” And after our three weeks there, we can see that philosophy in action. This is an amazing ministry.
But our time here has certainly not been all work. Aside from our weekend fun (Dates Festivals and such), we had a potluck with other SOWERs in the area (there were about thirty of us!),

we took a drive to check out a camp near Julian that might become a SOWER project

and of course, don’t forget those great Happy Hours -

And while the commute and our “split” parking sites have presented some challenges, it’s hard to even whisper a complaint when we begin the day with this -

and end it with this -

Amen.

Have I mentioned before that we are the SOWER Group Leaders at Cherry Valley Brethren School? Every SOWER project has its own Group Leader. The GL is the main liaison between the host (the folks that run the ministry) and the SOWER workers. They are responsible for making sure that everyone has what they need when they need it, and they’re the ones who get the “what next” look from their fellow SOWERs. We haven’t been GLs for a while (well, unless you count when we’re group leaders when we’re alone on a project. Then we’re just the GLs for us. We’re pretty good at that!). I confess Gary doesn’t enjoy being the GL, though he is really a good one. He just prefers doing the work rather than working at keeping everyone else busy. But most of the GL stuff is behind us, and the only thing that remains is the GL Report. At the end of the project we meet together, go over some questions about the project (Is the information provided correct, were the parking spots “as advertised”, did anyone have any problems – you know, that kind of stuff.) And then we have to summarize what we did in (hopefully) 100 words – or less, they say! Ha!
So here is what I wrote –
We welcomed Gary and Laura “back” to Sowers – they have been off the road for 10 years! It was good to have them back, and we all had a busy month. The men worked their way through a long maintenance list – painting, repairing plumbing, building platforms, leveling concrete and yard work to name a few. They tackled a major remodel of the teachers’ lounge, complete with new flooring and paint, and re-tiled the floor in the ladies’ room. The ladies did cleaning, painting, filing, organizing and generally tried to lend a hand where needed. We also enjoyed several nights of great fellowship.
102 words.
I think I did pretty good – at least in the number of words category. But trying to condense the last three weeks into 100 words is really pretty impossible.
How can I explain (in 100 words or less) how a simple request to remove a broken vending machine from the teachers’ lounge resulted in a full scale remodel. New flooring, new paint, new arrangement.
From this (part way through the destruction phase)

To this.

How can I explain (in 100 words or less) the fun we had on “Spirit Day” when the theme was “The Fifties”. We couldn’t come up with any poodle skirts like some of the staff,

But I think we held our own…..

Do I even try to express (in those 100 or less words) what it felt like to wake up to this one morning?

Not a chance.
And how can I relate (in 100 words or less, please) how sweet it was to end the project today by doing a crafty cut and paste job


since earlier in the project we were doing this –

How can I include (in those 100 words or less) how we (all 8 of us) were blessed to be able to receive free Chiropractic care for the whole time we were there. I had never been to a chiropractor before, but Dr. Bob thought he could help those of us with colds too, so I gave it a shot. Did he help, or did the cold run its course? I don’t know – but I know I feel just fine now! Oh, and we’re all perfectly adjusted too!

And somehow the “We also enjoyed several nights of great fellowship” does little to tell about the great meals we shared

or the fun we had when we got together for games.

Nope, when you only get 100 words you’ve got to keep it brief.

Just the facts, Ma’am. Just the facts.

Since we’re having a classic rainy weekend here in Southern California, we won’t be getting out to see any sights (other than those on the way to Home Depot and maybe Joann Fabrics!). But I thought you might like to see a little bit of our project this month – both what this camp is like, and also just what we’ve been busy doing.
Indian Hills has quite a facility here. Their target age group is 8 – 14, and the camp does a great job of appealing to those kids! There are lots of fun options for sleeping -
Cabins
-
Tents

Tipis

and Covered Wagons.

For activities they start with a couple of pools

(This one is closed for the season – but I think you can get the drift!)
and great playground.

Plus they have archery, dirt bikes courses, and rock climbing, along with hiking trails and all your standard ball fields. Oh, and they also have one of those Human Foosball Courts!
While they have groups in over the weekends during these winter months, this is definitely their time to catch-up on lots of maintenance and upgrades. The guys have had quite a variety of ‘chores’ – from building bunk beds in the tipis

to rebuilding the steps to the office,

to patching cracks in all of the cabins and bathrooms.

Right now they are almost all working in a kitchen remodel.

As you can see, they have all been kept plenty busy!
We ladies, likewise, have not been wondering what to do. Pretty much we’ve been spending our time painting bathrooms. They have three bath houses -you know, four sinks, three toilets, three showers or some variation thereof. Here’s one side of one -

And then there is one building with 6 individual wash rooms and 6 individual showers. So far we’ve painted everything but one side of one of the bath houses.
Oh, and when we would run out of paint – there was always bathroom CLEANING that we could do. Now I don’t want you to think that all of the showers looked like this because they didn’t. But sometimes by the end of the summer, the soap scum just wins. This one was especially bad.

Much to the amazement of the janitor (a very sweet 22 year old guy – really, what could he possibly know about soap scum?), we managed to get this one looking like new!

Nuttin’ like a little Sower Lady Elbow Grease!

We celebrated the end of our second week (actually I think we were actually celebrating the start of our long weekend!) with a trip to Dairy Queen.

Now that’s a group of hard workin’ Sowers if I’ve ever seen one!