Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Continue The Story

Prescott Pine’s story is rich because of those who have experienced God in this place. Throughout the year, many of you ask how you can contribute to what God is doing here. It is because of people, like you, who partner with us, that we are blessed to continue the story which started over 65 years ago. Whether you came as a summer camper to Frontier Village years ago, bring your family to Christmas Camp annually, or just found us through the internet, God has enabled our paths to cross. Prescott Pines is forever grateful for you and your generous support.

Below you can read through a list of equipment needs to continue the story of impacting lives for Christ. If you or someone you know has a contact in one of the following industries who are able to donate goods or services, or provide them at a discounted rate to Prescott Pines, contact Paul Clark at paul@prescottpines.org or 928.445.5225. Remember, all gifts are income tax-deductible and will benefit the ministry of Prescott Pines.

• 4wd Vehicles (good condition)
• Snow blower
• Building materials
• Propane water patio heaters
• 40hp air compressor
• Large generator
• Commercial Water Truck 1,500 gallon or larger
• 4wd Quad and Yamaha Rhino for snow plowing
• Earth Balls (2)
• Sports equipment
• ½” ¾” & 1” PVC piping for landscaping

If at any time you run across any building materials that you or someone you know would like to get rid of, let us know about it. I’m sure that we here at camp could find a good use for them.

Thank you for allowing us to work in your stead.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Water Pressure Tank Adventure

About once a month something happens at camp that causes the staff to say, “Oh Lord, what are we going to do now?”

That was exactly my response when in the middle of the Pastor and Wives Retreat, one of our maintenance men gave me the news that our water system pressure tank was leaking! The tank holds about 3,500 gallons of water that is placed under pressure to push the water from our reservoir to all parts of camp. It reminded me of a leak I once had in my car’s radiator…only bigger! You could see the water squirting out of a small hole in the tank, and our big fear was that the hole would get worse.

A quick look at our staffs’ faces reminded me that once again we were faced with a situation where none of us had any experience. I mean, how often does a camp have to replace a water pressure tank? After a time of prayer around the tank, we set up a plan to find and install a replacement. Proverbs reminds us that “In a multitude of counselors, there is wisdom”. Once again, we were able to find wisdom through our network of friends of the camp.

I want to thank you for all of your prayers, encouragement and gifts to our camp this past week. The water pressure tank has been replaced, but not without some challenges!

We were able to find and purchase a used tank two days later. We had it delivered for free the following afternoon. We found out that we had to special order a part from Illinois, so we prayed and hosted three guest groups while keeping an eye on the leak. Yes, the leak did get bigger, but it did not affect our guests experience at camp.

Last week, our staff filled up their bathtubs and we turned off the water for 26 hours to change over to the new tank. After the tank was replaced, we were still pressurizing the system when our next guest group arrived. They had low water pressure for about two hours, but they did not allow that to change the focus of their retreat.

We have seen God working in this crisis.

• It happened during our Pastor and Wives Retreat. They were able to pray with us and several churches and a few individuals made contributions to help cover the estimates $15,000 cost of the repair.

• It was a small leak and not a catastrophic failure of the tank.

• Our Waste Water Treatment advisor is a dear brother in Christ who was able to find a used tank for us because of his network of friends and his commitment to us.

• A local contractor who is also a great friend of the camp offered to pick up the tank for free with his semi truck and trailer with only 8 hours notice.

• An unexpected volunteer and his wife came to work at our camp for the month. He is experienced in setting up PVC pipe water systems and was able to assist our staff in building the new water pressure system.

I shared with some friends afterwards that they did not teach this kind of thing in Seminary, but… maybe they did. God using his children to help in a time of crisis!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Volunteer Make Camp Possible

As most of us are painfully aware, finances are an ever-increasing concern for everyone. Prescott Pines is no exception. Daily realities frequently involve the stewardship of the many resources with which the Lord has entrusted us as we seek to provide the best possible guest experiences, while controlling our associated costs. One way that we have been able to stretch our operating dollars is through the use of volunteer labor.

Volunteer labor comes in many different forms, and we are always looking for ways to expand our opportunities for volunteers. In September we had a group that call them selves TLC, (Traveling Laborers for Christ). They completely rebuilt our Hungry Bear CafĂ© cabinets and turned one of our old cabins into a newly remodeled “Breakout room”. We also have a group of retired people that call themselves “Sowers” (Servants On Wheels Ever Ready) These amazing people have set aside “retirement” as we commonly think of it in favor of traveling the country in their RVs helping out ministries just like us. In an average year, our volunteers generate over 2,500 hours of work that they complete around camp. It would be impossible to maintain our beautiful grounds and facilities without them.

There are a variety of other ways volunteers are involved as well. During our busy summer months, high school kids volunteer as “Crew” members, they do everything from wash toilets to lead children to Christ. We also host a volunteer work weekend in the spring called Helping Hands, during which about 50-80 individuals and families come out to help get things ready for summer. Also, we’re always on the lookout for mechanics, landscapers, electricians, plumbers, and more. Look for more and more volunteer opportunities in the months ahead as we seek to expand this program throughout Prescott Pines.

Volunteering at camp can be a more profound experience than coming as a camper. As we literally give ourselves to the Lord’s work at Prescott Pines, He consistently meets with us and opens our eyes and ears to perceive things with clarity and to grow in our understanding of who He is. These selfless people, who so faithfully serve the Lord here at Prescott Pines, inspire our full time staff to humble ourselves before God and renew our sense of purpose in our daily labors for Him.