You might remember the fun children’s song, “The wise man built his house upon the rock.” The moral of the song is to make sure you build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ because hard times “rain” is going to come.
At camp, that rain came down, literally. It came in 2008 and caused disaster at camp destroying roads, bridges and program areas. Just as the song predicts, the rains came down and the water came up…again!
The Bridge
On the night of Wednesday September 21st, 5 inches of rain fell on the already water soaked ground at camp. By 5 am the dry-wash was a torrent of rushing water. The water crested over the top of the concrete driving bridge. The waters washed away dirt and fill, exposing large rock and the foundation of the bridge. Thankfully the bridge stood strong! Just like the “house on the rock – Jesus!”
The flood continued down through the valley, spilling over the barriers around the ice rink and filling it with water. The water has since receded, but left behind a muddy mess. As the water exited camp, it tore across the tube hill, depositing rock and washing away soil.
All in all, the storm only caused superficial damage. The bridge, roads and most importantly, the campers in the valley were all safe. However, the clean up from this storm is going to take weeks, if not months, of work. Tim Hadley estimates that he will need a bobcat skid loader and a backhoe excavator, for at least two weeks, to fix the damage. If camp needs to rent these machines, it might cost more than $2,000!
We are looking for anyone who might have machinery available for camp to use, for a few weeks, to help with the clean up. Do you know of anyone that would be willing to assist camp in this way? If you are able to help in anyway, please contact Dennis Siler.
Many of you contacted us and said you were praying for camp during the storm. There is no doubt that the Lord had His hand of protection on His ministry that night. Thank you for your continued prayers and support!
The Ice Rink
The Tube Hill