Weekly report for La Crete

Hello from La Crete! The cabins are all done! Thursday at noon the teams came for lunch fifteen minutes late to report that the cabins were complete! There was such pride and a definite sense of awe that the seemingly insurmountable had been accomplished.  Leaders and short term volunteers alike, were very happy. This group from First Mennonite Church from Edmonton, Alberta were the fortunate ones to be here to experience what all the weekly groups and the all the leaders and long term volunteers together worked for. They expressed appreciation for the patience that had been shown in teaching them totally new skills with tools that they had never touched before to accomplish something very worthwhile. This week progressed much as the others, with the First Mennonite Youth arriving for supper Sunday evening. They began work and became acquainted with the task at hand, Monday. The EMC and Bergthaler Youth groups once again interacted with them and they enjoyed getting to know each other. Although the cabins were complete Thursday morning some more trail clearing was also done.  Don’t you just love those mosquitoes!  It has been a very warm week, and bed time is a relief for all have worked hard and look forward to the rest.

Thursday we invited Dick Loewen and his family (five children) for supper. Dick is a local pastor in the Bergthaler Church. He is a board member on the Pine Lodge Camp Board. He gave his testimony and told us of how God had called him, from an early age, to do something to bring together the different denominations of Mennonites where all could come together in spite of their differences to work for the glory of God. He said God had worked miraculously in the past two years to bring about the creation of Pine Lodge Bible Camp and to move local people to come together to make a dream become reality. MDS volunteers coming to build the cabins and help with the other repairs and trail building has bounced their vision and projections of how long it would take to develop their camp ahead by eight years. They are so thankful for what has been accomplished through the MDS Youth Project. Thank you to all who have been so instrumental in making this happen. Dick also shared their vision for the future of this camp. They hope to use it year round. Hopefully it will used in the winter, as a place to mentor persons with personal problems that need a place to come for help and counseling (be it addictions or other personal issues).

There will a thorough clean up tomorrow morning to make sure no metal or wood scraps are left behind on the work sites. Then the camp will be packed up, cleanup and dismantled.  A huge thank you is owed to Peter and Margaret Goertzen, our local MDS connections, who have worked tirelessly to set up and provide a very pleasant work site. They have joined each group to work many days and also to visit and get to know us over supper and just be available to help with any need. Thanks so much to them! 

Our last youth group is heading home tomorrow after lunch and we wish them God speed along with our thanks. The long-termers have been invited to a wind up celebration supper at the Camp Lodge along with those who have worked together with us and the board. Saturday morning we will all be going back to our homes.

To God be praise, honor and glory for all He has done this past month in La Crete, Alberta.

Blessings to you from Garry and Anne, Amanda Koch, Oliver, Bert and Doris Hamm