Monday, October 11, 2010

The Makis among the Trees

He almost looks like a tree. He spends so much time outdoors he might as well be a tree, a misplaced redwood perhaps but he's adjusting to the ponderosa pines.  Prescott Pines Camp warmly welcomes the Makis! A true hearty welcome at that. I should know, as I am one of them (the Makis that is).  Ben is the new Outdoor Education Coordinator and Sandra (that's me) is the new Communication Coordinator. 

We arrived to Prescott from northern California where Ben for the last seven years worked at Alliance Redwoods running the program there. Last year, we spent the beginning of our married life traveling and collecting each others' stories.  Last October, we journeyed to Romania where Ben spent summers working with orphanages and a semester in an internship. Then in November we participated in Camp South Africa helping to run programs for the children of the squatter villages and townships around Camp Town. Spring brought us to China where I had spent the last six and half years studying Chinese and teaching English.  We were both very grateful for the opportunities to be able to connect to such meaningful experiences that have shaped us individually. Each place we went the question on our hearts was always, "Is this the place He would lead us?"  For Ben, the answer came in a call to return home. Childhood was spent in the deserts of Lake Havasu, Arizona but Prescott Pines was a camp he attended as a child and later as a young counselor for the first time. (He can even point to the place he crashed the golf cart into the tree. Ask him about it.)  As for me, I am so excited for the chance to bring my teaching experience to the program. I love to write and infuse others with ideas especially the idea of camp! The job seems a perfect fit for me.

So please come visit us out here in the ponderosas, you can pick out Ben from among the trees!   

Friday, October 8, 2010

Plates, plates, and more plates


Red, green, yellow, white… A round of applause, please! Our new dining room looks glamorous with our new bright plates, thanks to the ladies of the Southwest Conservative Baptist Association. Their special offering collected exactly $2,289.37! Our gratitude goes out to you all and we cannot wait to see you ladies again next year.

Filling our New Dinning Hall

The smell of chicken strips has never looked so good! We are proud to introduce our new dining hall. Built upon the generosity of many donors, the building is not only pristine and beautiful but amazingly feels like it has always been a part of our camp home. Guests and campers fill the seats as they look to fill their bellies. Insulation was put in yesterday and the heating is in the works, just in time as autumn is truly upon us. We are still in need of financial gifts to cover the remaining costs. Please continue to pray that God's hand would lead others to give.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Happy 67th Birthday!

On August 10, 1943, a committee of six men considered a sixty-acre site for a camp. The land consisted of a series of abandoned mining claims named “Miner’s Dream”, “Blake Claim”, “Jefferson Claim” and “Washington Claim.” The original name for the camp was to be “Baptist Estates”.

In 1944, the committee moved the first building on to the property - the dining hall. Of course, that building was nearly destroyed last winter, but the renovations are now nearly complete. We hope to have an inspection this week so we can start using the room. The insulation and heating for the room is still incomplete, but we could start feeding guests inside, rather than using the tent outside. This would be a welcome change for staff and guests alike!

The biggest challenge now is to complete the fundraising for the project. We need $100,000 more to finish the work. Once these funds have been received, we will be able to move on to rebuilding Hilltop 2. We are praying that God will lead people to help us celebrate the Camp’s 67th birthday with a gift toward completing the dining hall renovation. Will you pray with us?



Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Construction Update! Almost There!

The carpenters have finished putting up the siding on the outside of the Dining Hall. If we get a break between rainstorms, we will be able to stain the siding this week. In addition, it is time to “pour the floor!” To avoid damaging a new floor during construction, we elected to put the floor in last. The floor area is too big to pour the whole area at once, as it is nearly impossible to smooth a concrete area that large. So concrete is being poured in five sections: a ribbon along each side of the room, a section with a cross in the entry, and two large sections on each side.

If all goes according to plan, we will move in August 15! There will still be a few more finishing touches to complete at that point, but the building will be usable for our guests to eat their meals in there. What an exciting two weeks we have ahead of us!







Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Dining Hall Update

Some people noticed that although we promised a Dining Hall update with pictures last week, last week’s article did not deliver. We apologize for the delay, and to make up for it, we have a ton of pictures here in a slideshow for you below this article! Don’t worry if you miss the first few pictures, as at the end of the slideshow it will offer you the opportunity to replay the show.

The workers have done quite a bit of work since the last update. About half of the Dining Hall’s exterior has siding on it, and the interior has drywall. Right now, our maintenance guys are painting the inside of the building, and it is really starting to look good! They are pouring new sidewalks as well, since the building is bigger and the doors are in different places now. It is so exciting to see how the whole project is coming together, and we are looking forward to a facility that will be comfortable and inviting for both our guests and our food service staff.



We would also like to share one prayer request with you. We are headed into two weeks of Youth Camp. We have a very creative program planned, but it will take a lot of energy to pull it off. Please pray that our staff will receive extra strength and energy during these two weeks, and that many Junior High and High School students will make life-changing decisions as a result of the ministry. Thank you for your prayers!

Monday, July 12, 2010

1 Mountain Top Experience

16,000 Guests

305 Beds

86 Acres

34 Recreation options

23 Staff Members

6 Weeks of Summer

1 mountain top experience!

The mission of Prescott Pines is to provide a place away from the distractions of this world, where you can hear the Word of God and encounter Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.