In like a lamb…
This edition of the Elkanah Express written by Josh, our Site Manager.
The month of April was exciting for camp. It came in like a lamb and left like a lion metaphorically speaking about the work performed on-site. Preparations for this time began months beforehand with financial support from donors, support from businesses, and culminated with a community of people donating their time, physical abilities, and equipment at our Spring Work Weekend. Most importantly everything was done in the name of Jesus. To quote Bill Griggs, the guest pastor for Spring Work Weekend, “It’s not about you. It is not about me. It’s all about Jesus! Say it again.”
Donations and Business Support
Support from donors and local businesses provided camp with much-needed hand tools for landscaping jobs, and materials for various projects. Thank you: Ace Hardware, Carpet One, Fastenal, Quite Life Construction, and Grant County Heating & Cooling for the ways you support Camp Elkanah. God moved in amazing ways through these partnerships, new carpet was donated to resurface two games in the Recreation Hall, and a new furnace was donated to replace the broken one in the Dining Hall Kitchen. Please help us thank these businesses for supporting Camp Elkanah!
Volunteer Mobile Missionaries
In early April, camp partnered with an organization called Volunteer Mobile Missionaries. This group of dedicated people commits three weeks of their time and their various skills to complete projects. They particularly enjoy supporting Camp Ministries across the United States and now Camp Elkanah is added to the places they have been. This was an enjoyable time filled with fun and challenge such as record cold temperatures in April. The work they completed can be seen all over camp, new handrails, improved lighting, fresh paint, and vinyl flooring. They have become a part of the Camp Elkanah story. Thank You! To learn more about Volunteer Mobile Missionaries (VMM) visit: www.vmmonline.org.
Spring Work Weekend
As we said goodbye to VMM on April 25th, people began arriving for Spring Work Weekend. Approximately 125 people showed their support over the course of three days. Some were able to stay for a few hours while others stayed through the weekend, and everything in between. Everyone contributed to the much-needed projects. From my point of view, it is amazing to see how God brings all the pieces together.
Here is a list of some of the projects that people were involved in: raking pinecones and pine needles, burning slash piles, installing a new commercial coffee maker, removing sod for a softball diamond, excavation of loose soil and rocks, cabinet and shelf construction, cleanup of the woodshed, woodcutting and splitting, moving furniture, organizing supplies, cleaning light fixtures, scrubbing tables, cleaning all surfaces in the buildings, leveling the front foyer to the dining hall, resurfacing carpetball tables, making improvements to the canteen, making meals, cleaning up after meals and making improvements to the upper room. To those whose contributions were not mentioned specifically, your work does not go unnoticed. Thank you!
Thank You Bill and Bea Griggs for your great example of Christ-like love and service. “It’s all about Jesus.”
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
We all look forward to the ways Camp Elkanah will be used to impact the lives of people who are able to visit this year. Since the month ended with rain, here is the old saying: April showers bring May Flowers.
Upcoming News and Prayer
We are in the middle of our spring outdoor school season! We are so excited to have students at camp experiencing God’s Creation. We are blessed by our volunteer station leaders, who share their careers with the students. If you are interested in helping out at ODS email kaitlin@campelkanah.com.
To stay up to date on happenings at camp or to join the Track Team please visit www.campelkanah.com and click on the support page.
1. Summer camp registration is now open. Go to the Summer Camp tab for more information.
2. We are hiring summer camp staff. Applications can be found on the website under the Summer Camp tab.
3. Projects:
a. The mini-golf course needs curbs and new carpeting installed. We are close to fully funding this project. Only $1,000 dollars to go to meet our $2,500 goal.
b. We recently received a grant to build two new restrooms and shower rooms at Elkanah. We are excited to get this project started but as materials costs have increased we will need additional support to complete this project. More news to come on the projects page.
* Instructions on how to make donations can be found on the Support tab of the website.
Josh (GMD) Gustafson
