Where have we been?

Good Question. After returning from our Indonesia diving trip we've been getting prepared to hit the road again and go to our next RVICS project. After almost three months in Smithville, Texas we started the process of getting the RV ready for the road. Our time in "the village" has been great. Meeting old and new friends, playing games and eating out together has made the connecting process with like minded brothers and sisters in Christ a joy. We will miss the comaraderie but we will be back later in the year and pick up then.

Our February project was Camp Takula in Chester, Texas about three and a half hours east of Smithville. We worked this time with two other couples from RVICS from February 10 to February 27. Kerry and Peggy Stover, from Indiana, whom we were on project with in Florida along with Hamp and Marilee Keahey from South Dakota, new workers to the RVICS ministry. Karen and I will be the acting as the liaisons between RVICS and the camp. We are not team leader qualified, but will take on some of those functions coordinating the different on-site projects and completing any paperwork for headquarters.

Karen and I arrived on Thursday, February 6, a few days earlier than our team to connect with the camp management and set up our rig prior to the arrival of our team. We met with Rebeka Merwin and got the low down on what they wanted us to do for the next three weeks. The Stovers and Keaheys arrived on Saturday, February 8 and got their RV's set up and settled in before we met to have our first project meeting that night.

Our Project - Camp Takula is an independent, rustic camp facility located in the Piney Woods of East Texas. The camp creates opportunities for Christ-centered ministries and other like-minded groups to use their facilities. It is an ideal venue for conferences and retreats for small church communities and home-school families to bring in their own programs and groups. The Merwin family manages the camp facility with the only other staff working during the summer camp season.

The Work - Our team of 6 accomplished much during our time here.  The men attacked five of the main dormitory cabins: removed the old cabin porch decks, stairs and handicap ramps on the structures; measured, cut, assembled the new dimensional lumber materials before nailing and screwing down the new materials.

The ladies cleaned and painted the camp’s kitchen cabinets, painted window and door trim in one of the houses, painted the exterior of weathered cabin doors and removed landscaping.  Our team worked together efficiently and enjoyed working together; we accomplished this ambitious agenda despite heavy rain and freezing cold weather conditions, with sometimes warmer days.

Devotions and Fellowship - We met together at 8 am each morning for devotions, prayer and singing, attended the local Chester Baptist Church on Wednesday evening for Bible study and Sunday services. We shared meals together after exploring the area’s local attractions and ran shopping errands to the local Walmart. Game nights we enjoyed hearty rounds of Four up/Four down or Five Crowns.

Tours - Visited the Heritage Village Museum in Woodville, an 1800s recreated village including a Fried chicken lunch at their Picket House Restaurant. Drove to Lufkin to celebrate Stover’s wedding anniversary and go to the movies.

Special Memories - Kerry’s pranks including his homemade wooden puzzles. Hanging with the Merwin family; Rebekah Merwin invited us over to their home for homemade gumbo and fellowship with their family. Some of the RVICS guys did some target shooting with the Merwin boys. Josh Merwin invited us to hunt on their property and Hamp shot a 120 pound wild hog which he butchered at the camp. On the last Tuesday of our project we enjoyed a “pig roast” feast together with the Merwins and our team.

We left the camp after three weeks of work with new cabin deck porches, stairs, handicap ramps, painted kitchen cabinets, freshly painted doors and removed landscaping.

Mission accomplished so we returned to Smithville to get ready for our next big adventure.