Construction Progress Continues!

What a joy it is to see construction in camp! It's sure a blessing for the facilities at Twin Rocks to continue to improve, year-by-year. Right now we have two big projects in process:

1- A new courtyard on the east side of the Shelter (our small gymnasium); and

2- A new "Quadplex" cabin located at the north end of the Cabins of the Meadow, near the outdoor sand volleyball courts.

These photos were taken yesterday - showing our progress. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to the camp's Soaring to New Heights campaign, making these projects possible!

Prayers for Our Campers

I heard a heartwarming story yesterday. But before I tell it, let me first give you some background information...

For each of the past three years, Twin Rocks has called upon the services of people living in Friendsview Retirement Community in Newberg, Oregon, to serve as "Prayer Partners" during our summer camps.

It's been wonderful. Each summer we've had about 75 retirees who've volunteered to pray name-by-name for kids in camp. Roger Minthorne (Friendsview resident and long-time Twin Rocks Board member) has coordinated the Prayer Partner program. Each Monday, Roger would divvy up the names of Twin Rocks campers, assigning a few to each Prayer Partner. Throughout each week, the Prayer Partners would pray!

So on to the story...

This past week some elementary-age girls visited Doris Morris, a wonderful woman who resides at Friendsview. The girls told Doris that they are planning to come to Twin Rocks this summer to attend Girls Camp. When she heard this, Doris told the girls about the Prayer Partner program - that each of the girls will be prayed for by someone at Friendsview while they are at Girls Camp this summer! The girls were delighted to hear this.

And then came the cool part... Doris went to the other side of the room and gathered her list. It turns out that she's been saving her lists of campers - week-by-week, summer-after-summer. And she shared with the girls that she STILL PRAYS EVERY DAY for EVERY camper she's been assigned in the Prayer Partner program over the last three years! I don't know exactly how many names that is - probably close to 50 names!

Thank you, Doris!! What an awesome gift for "your" campers!

It's a HUGE blessing that we have such a committed group of retirees who care so deeply for Twin Rocks, and its campers - that they pray daily for them while they are at camp. And I'm especially in awe of Doris, who keeps these young people in her prayers, even years later.

Twin Rocks is truly a blessed camp. Next week we'll be meeting again with the folks at Friendsview, seeking our group of Prayer Partners for 2007!

Summer Staff Are Here!

There's a wonderful excitement in the air, as our Summer Staff arrived here at camp last evening. It's a great bunch of 18 college students. Several of them grew up coming to camp here, attending a week of camp at Twin Rocks nearly every summer since they were 10 years old. Some are returnees, having been on Summer Staff with us last year; and others are from places like Illinois and Ohio and are experiencing their first days ever in Oregon.

One of the "core values" of Twin Rocks Friends Camp is Leadership Development. It amazes me how influential an 11-week summer at Twin Rocks can be in the life of a Summer Staff member. I used to see Summer Staff only as a means to an end - college students at camp solely for the purpose of helping us minister to children and teenage youth. But I've come to realize that our Summer Staff program is much greater than that. It's our opportunity to positively impact the lives of a select group of young adults - for a whole summer! Joseph (Program Director) and Stephanie (Program Assistant) Thouvenel are exceptional leaders of this program. Time and again I hear Summer Staff describe their time here as the most meaningful summer of their lives, how they've grown in their walks with the Lord, and developed life-long friends.

It's sure a blessing to be able to be a part of such a meaningful program.