Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Back at Fir Point Bible Camp

Well one of us is back at camp.  I returned on June 20th and Dayle stayed behind with my sister and the kids to help her get things in order for my newly widowed sister.  The Lord's work has been quite evident as my sister's friends and neighbors have been rallying around her.  My sister went to Social Security and will be getting "survivor's benefits."  She is getting signed up for MediCal.  She received a hospital bill from Ed's heart surgery in the amount of $42,000.  We are praying that MediCal will pick up that bill and also provide medical coverage for them.  Dayle will be picked up by Neeley on Monday and then she will stay a week with Stephen and Neeley.  I hope to go down on July 13th to bring her back on the 15th.

Just before that dreaded phone call the camp received a face-lift by way of asphalt on all the roads, parking areas and walk-ways.  The place is really beautiful and nowhere near as dusty.


Paved walk ways



The entire camp has been paved.


Part of the reason for me returning to camp was to get the work done.  The children's camps begin on July 9th and there is still a lot of work to do to ready the grounds.  We use an old 1959 tractor to make a lot of the work easier but the water pump went out.  I figured that an old tractor can't be much different than the old cars that I used to work on so I dove right in.  Fortunately I had my heavy duty tools with me.  After dismantling the front of the tractor I was able to get to the water pump and get it off.  did you know that replacement parts for a 1959 Massey-Ferguson tractor are readily available?  I placed the order and three days later the tractor was up an running.....until the voltage regulator went out just the other day.  A new one is on order.

1959 Massey-Ferguson

Emptied storage container
One of the other projects that needed to be done was the organizing and cleaning of the two 40' containers and the lumber storage area which is also the back of the shop area.   We emptied out the containers, disposed of any junk and then organized all the stuff.  One of the hurdles was to devise a proper way to store all the good hard wood.  The chapel was filled with pews and as the pews would break they would be dismantled and the wood saved for future projects.  So I came up with an idea to make a three shelf wood rack which I made out of very old and rusty 1" pipe.  The camp has a working electric arc welder which I put to good use.  The completed rack is below.


The rack doesn't look like much but it is very sturdy.
Loaded wood rack with room for more.

This is how it looked this morning

A closer look


The finished project.  After working all day and making four trips to the burn pile with a fully loaded 4x8 utility trailer.

On a more spiritual note...I found a good church where we can get involved.  To what extent I do not know but we will be involved as much as possible.  I will be leading the devotion time for the camp staff meeting on Saturday (7/7) morning.  Please pray for that meeting as there are some sensitive issues that need to be discussed.

Maybe it is because Dayle is gone and I feel sorry for myself that I have had feelings of worthlessness.  Here I have some great education.  I pastored a wonderful church for nearly 10 years. Retired from the LAPD and the US Coast Guard.  I have done all kinds of "great" and exciting things.  And now I am doing manual labor where no one really notices. Sounds like a prideful person talking doesn't it.  Well it was.  Then I remembered what C.J. Mahaney wrote in his book "Humility, True Greatness."  He said, "Pride takes innumerable forms but has only one end: self-glorification.  That's the motive and ultimate purpose of pride--to rob God of legitimate glory and to pursue self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him.  The proud person seeks to glorify himself and not God, thereby attempting in effect to deprive God of something only He is worthy to receive."  After a time of reading and prayer I began to once again think right.  Then I realized that I have had the privilege of a great education, the privilege of being the pastor of a wonderful church; the honor of being a Los Angeles police officer and receiving a retirement; the honor of serving in the US Coast Guard for 22 years and the privilege of receiving a retirement beginning this September.  And now I have the highest honor of serving our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ here at Fir Point Bible Camp!  Then I was reminded of one of my own quotes that I have said many times from several pulpits: "No matter where you are....that is where God has you.  And you are there for God's purposes so serve Him with all your heart."


Thank you for your prayers for my sister and her two sweet kids as well as for my mother who is living with them.  Please continue to remember them in prayer.