Finishing Up at Bluewater

The fall colors here have been really popping out. Sunday afternoon we hiked a ways on the Trout Lake Trail to enjoy the peacefulness, beauty and the call of the loons. In the evening we enjoyed an impromptu game night with the team.

Monday found us busily back at work. This last week, the women painted in the lower level of the chapel. The pink walled bunk room was given two coats of soft gray. The dark paneling in the fireplace room got a coat of Kilz and two coats of bright white paint. Both rooms were really brightened up. We also learned a new skill. After scrubbing the bricks, we lime washed the fireplace. It looks great with the white walls!

Once again, the guys had several different jobs to do. Old concrete was removed and a new entrance ramp was poured into the chapel. New life was given to the life jacket shed as repairs were made and a coat of stain applied. The camp sign which was repaired and repainted by Susie was hung up again. A new access door was constructed for the pump house. Partition frames for Cabin 14 were rebuilt to make them more sturdy. One of the bathroom floors in Cabin 14 was replaced. A picnic tabletop was replaced and new door handles installed on the shower house. Many other small jobs were completed. To God be the glory!

We had a special treat Tuesday afternoon. The team was invited to Chad and Penny’s house for lunch. We enjoyed a delicious meal of a variety of flavors of grilled brats, veggies, chips and bars. Afterwards we were taken to the camp store to pick out a T-shirt or sweatshirt as a thank-you gift.

After work hours, we found fun things to do. Some of the ladies tried out the rock climbing walls and milk crate stacking. Those of us not quite so brave took walks up on the hill and enjoyed the beautiful fall colors.

Tuesday night Bible study was a special one. We discussed what it means to be salt and light in our world, but Chad took us out on the pontoon boat to do it. It was a beautiful and peaceful evening and we were even blessed with a loon to watch close to the pontoon.

Wednesday evening we had our social. This week it was a Hawaiian luau planned by Val who grew up in Hawaii. The food was delicious and, as usual, the fellowship was great. Thursday after work, we had to say “Good-bye” to three of our team members. We circled up to pray and our three new members, Dave, Val and Steve headed for home. They were a great addition to RVICS and they will be missed. Hopefully we will work with them again some day. Those of us remaining enjoyed a last campfire on the beach.

Friday morning Steve and I headed toward our next project in Missouri. We drove about 500 miles to Pammel State Park by Winterset, Iowa. On Saturday we had a fun day as we went off exploring hilly backroads to find the six covered bridges of Madison County. The bridges date from 1870-1884 and three are still in their original locations. Vehicles are still allowed to drive through one of the bridges.

At the city park, where one of the bridges has been moved, we found several whimsical carvings made out of tree stumps. We also drove a winding narrow gravel road up to the tower, a memorial to early pioneers to the area, and were treated to a great view of the surrounding countryside.

Tomorrow we will be traveling about 400 miles to Indian Point Corp of Engineers Campground on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. We will have a few days there before beginning our next project. “See” you there!

Bountiful Work at Bluewater

Our second week of work at Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp kept us all busy. The guys worked on several projects. Staining was done on the outside of the shower house. They thoroughly cleaned the women’s side in preparation for painting. Toilet tanks were fitted with new parts and reinstalled. More ceiling scraping and drywall and crack repair was done in Cabin 14. A wood frame was built around a fireplace in Cabin 14. A new railing was assembled and installed on one of the other cabins. The old mossy shingles on the garage by the director’s house were removed and new shingles were put on.

What did the women do? We painted of course! Both the men’s and the women’s sides of the shower house were painted with a coat of Kilz and then a layer of bright white paint. After finishing that job in time for a group of fifth graders coming to camp Friday for the day, we moved on to the lower level of the chapel. Walls were washed in the fireplace room and bunk room. Tarps were spread for painting to begin. The bunk room will be getting a new soft gray color. The paneling in the fireplace room will get a coat of Kilz and then a finishing coat of white.

Tuesday night’s Bible study was led by Chad. We discussed what Jesus meant when he said, “I am the Light” and the implications for our lives. For our social on Wednesday night, we gathered in the dining hall by the fireplace and enjoyed a delicious potluck meal. We also celebrated Dave’s birthday and played two rounds of Pyramid.

Our tour day was switched to Saturday, so Friday was our free day. Steve and I drove to Grand Rapids. We went on a hike in the Bass Brook State Wildlife Management Area. That hike took us through dense birch and pine forests and led us to the Pokegama Dam across the Mississippi River. We walked across the dam, returned and walked for a ways along the river before taking another trail back to the truck. It was a beautiful, peaceful hike. Afterwards we had lunch at the Boulder Tap House and made a Walmart run. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon sitting outside by the lake and hiking up the hill at camp. In the evening, most of the team went to the Outpost Restaurant in Deer River for a delicious all-you-can-eat fish fry.

Our Saturday group tour started in Hibbing at the Greyhound Bus Museum. The Greyhound company had its beginnings in Hibbing in 1914 when two men bought two Hupmobiles with the intention of selling them. Instead of purchasing the vehicles, people just wanted a ride in them. The partners began charging 15 cents for a two mile ride, and the bus industry was born. From that beginning, Greyhound grew to be the largest bus company in the world.

After a stop at Pizza Ranch for lunch, our group went on to Chisholm to the Minnesota Discovery Center. The center preserves and displays the history and culture of the predominantly European immigrants who migrated to this region at the turn of the twentieth century to find work in the burgeoning iron ore industry. We took a narrated trolley ride to a mining location and saw some of the equipment that was used as well as the living areas used by the miners. After the trolley ride, we walked the grounds to see an old homestead and other historic structures. We also explored the Museum of the Iron Range. What an interesting day!

Saturday ended with the team sharing a delicious homemade blueberry cherry pie purchased at a church sale. We went back to the E Free church in Grand Rapids on Sunday. It’s a beautiful sunny day and I’m sure we’ll be taking a walk to enjoy the weather and the trees changing into their beautiful fall colors.

Busy at Bluewater

Since Monday was Labor Day, we had a soft start to the week. Some of the team members went into Bovey for the festivities there. Others used the day to get chores done and relax. We were able to enjoy a campfire on the beach Sunday night. Though it was too windy again for a fire Monday night, we gathered around the fire ring to enjoy a pecan pie offered by Dave and Val. The pie was delicious and the fellowship even better!

Tuesday morning after devotions, we were ready and eager to get to work. The women began painting in the dining hall. The hallways, bathrooms, storage room and canteen are all getting a change of color from orange to a soft gray. Only a second coat in the storage room remains to be done next week. It looks great!

The guys began several jobs. The outside of the chapel needed to be power washed and then stained. A boom lift and power sprayer made the project go faster. Then they moved on to power wash the shower building. It will be stained next week.

The guys also began the huge and time-consuming job of scraping the popcorn ceilings in one of the larger cabins. The high ceilings in the gathering room were a real challenge.

Work was also done in the shower house. A sagging ceiling joint needed to be shored up. That involved crawling up in the attic to place boards for screwing up support boards down below. The guys also did some scraping of the walls and scrubbed the ceilings and walls in preparation for painting. They began painting the ceilings also. The women will paint the walls next week.

We had our first social Tuesday night. Our new team members were introduced to Pyramid. Two fun games were played and snacks were shared. Our first Bible study was on Wednesday night and it was led by Chad, the camp director. We looked at John 1 and Chad presented insights on what it means that Jesus is the Light. A great discussion followed.

Friday was tour day. We began with a trip to the Hafeman Boat Works in Bigfork. Ray Boessel, owner of the Hafeman Boat Works, produces handmade birchbark canoes. Working in a log building which he also built by hand, he has crafted almost 400 canoes in the last 40 years. His canoes are constructed using only birchbark, black spruce root and white cedar wood with no glue or screws. It was fascinating to hear him explain the process from peeling the birch bark, gathering the spruce roots from the swamps, and splitting the cedar, through the many steps involved in producing the finished canoe. After the tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Pine Cone Cafe in Marcell. Needing to walk off our lunch, we went to the Lost 40 Trail in the Chippewa National Forest. The Lost 40 is an area consisting of 144 acres of virgin pine old growth forest. It has never been harvested due to an 1882 mapping error that marked it as part of a nearby lake. The pine trees in the forest are up to 400 years old and the tree trunks measure from 22 to 48 inches in diameter. We followed the interpretive trail through these majestic pines, hiking about 2 miles. This fun day was capped off with a beach campfire in the evening.

On Saturday, Steve and I went for a two hour drive to Ely. The drive was beautiful with the trees beginning to show their fall glory. In Ely, we visited the Dorothy Molter Museum. Dorothy was known as the ‘Root Beer Lady’ and the ‘Nightengale of the Wilderness’. Beginning at the age of 23, she lived alone in the Boundary Waters wilderness for more than 56 years. She was the last non-indigenous person allowed to reside in the Boundary Waters. It was fascinating to learn her story. Afterwards we had a tasty walleye lunch at the Boathouse Restaurant and stopped to buy some made-in-Ely Brain Storm Kissypoo and Crapola granola. In the afternoon we explored the International Wolf Center and the North American Bear Center. We learned many interesting facts about these animals. After a stop in Hibbing on the way back for DQ and Walmart, we arrived at camp just in time for a pontoon boat ride with the team. It was a full, but fun day.

Today we went back to the Grand Rapids Evangelical Free Church. The whole team had lunch at Sammy’s afterwards with Cal (maintenance director) and his wife, Bonnie. It’s a nice day and we’ll soon be headed out for a walk to enjoy it.

Back to Bluewater

Early Wednesday morning we began a 400 mile trip to our favorite RVICS project, Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp near Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp is located right on the shore of crystal-clear Bluewater Lake in northern Minnesota.  The mission of this camp is “to provide both a spiritually and physically enthusiastic environment that brings adults, youth and children into loving relationship with God and others through Jesus Christ”. This is our third time here and we are looking forward to working here for the Lord and enjoying this beautiful part of His creation. After getting settled in, we took a walk to get reacquainted with the camp and sat by the lake awhile soaking up the view and listening to the call of the loons.

As leaders for the project, we met with Chad, the camp director, on Thursday morning. He has a long list for us to accomplish! Between Thursday and Saturday morning, we welcomed our team members and helped them get settled in. Some of the couples we have worked with before several times and we are excited to be with them again. We also were happy to welcome a new couple and a single man. They are on their first RVICS project, so we held orientation meetings with them. It’s always a blessing to welcome new members! Our ‘Popcorn’ meeting was held with the whole team on Saturday afternoon. Everyone is eager to get to work. We’ve also had time to enjoy hikes up the hill, visiting with team members and just sitting by the lake. Sadly, it’s been too windy for campfires.

On Sunday morning we attended Grand Rapids Evangelical Free Church as a team. Afterwards we had a delicious lunch at the Forest Lake Restaurant. It’s a very warm day in the 90’s so we are laying low this afternoon and enjoying a day of rest. We’ll let you know what we’re up tp next week!