Tag Archives: Dry Creek Baptist Camp

Family and Friends, Life at Bass Lake Lot 205, Pictures of the Adventure, The Adventure

And just like that…

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it’s the last Saturday in November! Life seems to be going at warp speed these days, so I’d better do a bit of a rewind to see just how we got here! Starting with
Thanksgiving!
We joined about 70 other neighbors and their families for a grand Thanksgiving feast on Thursday.
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It was great! But what made it very special for us is that sitting around our table (and I have no photo proof of this!) were our kids and grands from Waco! So.Much.Food.  So.Much.Fun.  Much to my heart’s delight, the gang arrived before The Dinner
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and then stayed the night –
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so it was great fun as we all fit into our little nest (and a nearby guest room) and enjoyed some close fellowship!Untitled

(Gary missed our family photo because he was off working on a Sewer Sump Pump Emergency. But he was there most of the time, I promise!)

Then the week before we were in
Louisana!…
for two weeks, helping out with a building project at one of our favorite ministries – Dry Creek Baptist Camp. They had a couple of decks (16X30 (!!!) and 16×16) that needed to be built, so we joined the team!! And much to my amazement, in 8 days: the posts were installed for the roof cover (10 – 8x8x20 posts), the unit had its skirting installed, both decks were built (including railings and steps) and the area was cleaned up! Phew!
From a typical Monday
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to the following Wednesday afternoon –
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Success!
The back yard was likewise impressive –
In the beginning –
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At the completion –
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Since working with giant pieces of pressure-treated lumber (i.e. stinking heavy) isn’t really my forte, I was primarily working on the skirting. This was a first for me, but with a little help from YouTube (and Gary) I think I got the hang of it!
Skirting
Gary jumped in to help with some of the more technical parts (i.e. cutting to size)
Preparing the skirting
and I also had a great assist from one of the interns when the skirting had to go behind the in-process-of-being-built deck.
Skirting challenge
(Skirting Tip – do it BEFORE you put on a deck!)

With all of the heavy lifting the guys were doing, I confess it was a mostly light-duty time for me! (I also confess that I didn’t hate that!) During our last couple of days, I was able to help in the kitchen with prep work for their monthly Community Fish Fry (which was excellent as always!).
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Now those are my comfort-zone tools!
All in all, it was a lovely couple of weeks! Gary came home tired each day – but it was a good tired – and it was great to see a building project from the start to the finish. Since we had no house chores to take care of at the end of the day, we may or may not have binge-watched the final season of Blue Bloods during our downtime.  Plus, we were able to reconnect with old friends and make some new ones along the way!

Meanwhile – back at The Little Texas House –
Gary continues to find things to construct!
There’s the new gazebo on the deck –
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(This picture was taken upon our return from Louisiana. Hence the  plethora of leaves and acorns!)
He removed the existing walkway cover and built the framing for a roof extension on the driveway cover.

Thankfully, he let actual roofers finish the job.
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On a rainy day, he helped me inside, getting some pictures hung while I worked on some Christmas decorations.

It’s beginning to feel really cozy in here!
While he’s been building, I’ve been enjoying my new design wall in my sewing room (which he also built for me!)-

It’s very exciting to me to be able to lay things out like that, even though it will probably be January before I get to sewing those squares together!

Looking ahead, the days continue to be full (and fabulous, I’m sure).
We leave on Monday morning to complete our grandson’s Texas Adventure – four days in San Antonio!
The following week, I leave for seven days with my sister in Pennsylvania. (Who knows what Gary will build while I’m away??)
The week after that is – yes – Christmas and the day after Christmas we leave for a Conrad (post)Christmas Holiday in Destin. Florida.
When I look at my phone calendar (which I am trying very hard to keep current), I have 8 days with nothing scheduled between now and January 5th. I’m pretty sure your calendar has a similar glow to it! I’ll try to pop in here from time to time in December – but no promises my friends!

May these next days be filled with many reminders that Christ is the reason for this season, and that wise men still seek Him!
Steph

 

On the Road, Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2022, The Adventure

Last Week

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I couldn’t decide if I wanted to write about what we did Last Week, or just reflect on the fact that we are indeed in our Last Week here in Lindale. So I guess I’ll do a bit of both!
A high point of last week was our annual mini-road trip (truck only) to visit several SOWER projects. We’ve been “Area Reps” (just means we check in with them annually and try to handle any issues that might come up) for five SOWER projects for several years, so our visits to these ministries are more like checking in with friends than official visits!
We left at zero dark thirty (ok, it was 6:03)
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but it was dark and man, it was cold! We were headed for Louisiana and the first of our two Louisiana projects – Acadian Baptist Camp in Eunice, LA – in the heart of Cajun Country! We caught up with friends there and heard how God has been working at camp over the last year. I totally failed at taking pictures, but we had a really good visit. They love SOWERs and are always so gracious when we come! (Here’s a post from when Gary & I worked there in 2014)

Our next stop was Dry Creek Baptist Camp, about 60 miles west of Eunice. We had worked there in 2013 and are always delighted to see how things are going at the camp. Over the last 2 years, along with COVID and the havoc that wreaked on the entire economy, they were also in the direct path of Hurricane Laura and then took a glancing blow from Hurricane Delta.
In the midst of the hurricane recovery, one of their historic buildings was lost to a fire. Those were hard years. During our visit this time, Todd, the director, took us on a tour of the property as he told story after story of God’s faithfulness in big and small ways over these last few years.
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We were inspired as always!
After our two Louisiana stops, we headed back to Texas for our final stops. We had comfy overnight in Livingston, picked up our mail at our mail service (when you only get your mail once a month +/-  being able to pick it up is a real treat!), and set out for Trinity Pines Conference Center in Trinity, TX. We’ve served at this project several times, the first time in 2014, so the staff at TPCC has become quite dear to us. Last year, later in the same day that we had our visit, Phil (the director) was in a terrible accident (hit by a car while walking his dog). It was touch and go for several weeks with multiple injuries including a traumatic brain injury, so it was especially wonderful to see him this year, sitting in his office, being ‘Phil.’ So many miracles happened in his life last year! We talked a bit about the ministry there (that’s why we were there after all), but mostly we just caught up with life! Such a sweet visit. And somehow I failed to get a photo of the walking miracle, but here’s a shot of their lake frontage –
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Our final appointment of the day was canceled due to a scheduling conflict (and our fifth project was unavailable for a visit), so after we stocked up on some sausages at our favorite sausage shop (you have one of those, right?) we headed back to Lindale and our rig. It was a delightful little getaway! We are truly privileged and honored to be able to build these relationships with some of our SOWER ministry partners. Soli Deo gloria

And since it’s getting late here at my house (and this post is getting long) I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to continue on with the fact that (in real time) this IS our last week here in Lindale! Stay tuned!
Steph

Pictures of the Adventure, RV Life, SOWER Projects, SOWER Projects 2020, The Adventure

Stunning

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We’re just wrapping up our brief time here at Dry Creek Camp, and I must tell you, it’s been stunning!
It’s been stunning to see the devastation around the camp. Here is a picture of the prayer walk from our time here in the spring of 2013.
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And here it is today….
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The camp lost approximately 500 trees. Most buildings were affected in some way. Some dramatically

and some less obvious but just as stunning.
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(tarped roof on dining hall)

It’s been stunning to see how this camp, even in the midst of their own trauma, has reached out to their community – being a food distribution spot, offering housing as needed and even providing laundry service to those who have had no power or even water service.

Just yesterday, the director was asked by FEMA if Dry Creek could be a center for folks submitting applications. Oh, and can you also supply the workers? The answer came as a ready “yes” – and we SOWER girls got a speed course in FEMA applications!

It’s been stunning to see how folks have come alongside to help Dry Creek with their recovery/rebuilding efforts.
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Many have come and gone in the two months since the hurricane. By the end of this week there will be 8 RV’s in this campground. Some will be staying for a week, some for two, some for three, some for four.  And when these are gone, I trust more will come.

It was stunning to imagine how powerful those winds must’ve been.
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In the picture  above there are six ‘candlestick’ trees – giant pine trees who have had their tops blown off. Those will all have to come down eventually, but for now, it’s more critical to clear out the ones that are all the way down!
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The evidence of the power of that wind –
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Stunning.

The recovery from Hurricane Laura (and Delta, etc.) will be long. And hard. But God continues to send beauty into the ashes.
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And that is stunning also!
The Spirit is strong here at Dry Creek – and God is getting All the Glory!..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amen and Amen.