Finally had to say good bye to the folks at New Life Ranch. Our job was done and we had to move on south since Ole' Man Winter had started to show itself through hard frosts in the morning. In all our years living in Alaska, the birds would always know when to migrate south, this time we are wise to follow and also head south.
Along the way to the next project we took the opportunity to drive to Justin, Texas to visit a long time Alaskan friend Al and Cindy. Parked the RV on a dead end side street near their home where we will spend the night. As usual we arrived in time for a sumptuous dinner of smoked brisket and rack of ribs which Chef Al prepared! Early morning coffee and breakfast was waiting for us at the house.
The visit was short but certainly sweet, we had to be at another project about 5 hours south in a town called Marble Falls. Camp of the Hills (link) is about 10 miles due East of Marble Falls sitting right next to the Colorado River.
We arrived on site about 8 in the evening and were met by Jimmy (Facilities Director). He immediately directed us to the RV site that was completely empty and quite! We didn't bother setting up the RV, instead we got ready for bed and went right to sleep. Arranged to meet up with Jimmy at the office the next morning to introduce us to staff and give us a tour of the facilities. Michael Thames, Executive Director, greeted us as we entered the office and gave us a bit of history on the place and introduced us to Vicky, and like all Admin Assistants / Office Managers, she was the gal who really knew where everything and everyone was :-) .
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| Entry way to the Dining Facility |
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| Huge Space for dining and various other activities |
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| Colorado River as seen from the Viewing deck |
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Impressive Commercial Kitchen Facility
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| Hair Cleansing Station |
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| Every hygienic item and clothing for the Youths |
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| Extra Clothes for youths that come to the Camp |
The Camp has an impressive program wherein some of the youth that come to the camp may be underprivileged but are treated just like any other youth that visits the camp for summer fun and activities. They are however given clothes, shoes, hats and any other necessities that are needed to make their stay in camp as memorable and comfortable as possible.
The project that we were supposed to have participated in was to help build bathrooms that were to be attached to the existing boys cabins, one on each side for a total of six needed to be built. All the materials and equipment were on hand and we were eager to jump in and lend a helping hand. .
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| Jimmy was explaining the building process and sequence of events that needed to take place |
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| Steel Pilings needed to be set in place to act as footers for the structure to be built |
Due to a technical glitch in the system that was completely out of both Ministry's control, it was deemed best for both parties to wait out the situation to correct itself. With that being decided, we took it upon ourselves to spend the weekend looking around Marble falls and take a quick trip to Austin to visit some relatives. Had a wonderful weekend at the RV site walking around and taking in the picturesque scenery.
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| Ruins of a cabin near the River |
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| Wild life grazing near the RV site |
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| More wild life roaming around |
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| View or the river from our RV |
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| The cross on the hill where Counselors enact the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ |
By the end of business day Monday, the pending situation was not resolved and there was no clear indication as to when this could be corrected. We did not want to overstay our welcome without actually helping in the project, so we thought it prudent to move on to the next scheduled project which was in Eloy, Arizona. With a heavy heart we said our goodbyes Tuesday morning as we headed out.
Through all this, we know that our plans and aspirations are not necessarily God's plans. He is and always will be in control of all things and we needed to submit to His will despite our desire to serve in this camp.
As of this writing, the nagging issue had been resolved (Praise the Lord) which will pave the way for CWCf and other volunteers to help out and serve in the Camp.
We now leave you with this picture that will prayerfully pass on the blessings this Christmas Season!!!
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