Up and running!

After making a few repairs we are up and running here as we should be.

When the backhoe tugged on the cable coming to the meter panel it broke all the insulators in the panel.  Now we have a new one and electric is okeydokey.

The backhoe didn't do this piece of PVC any favors either!

Now it's all better.

The tug made a bit of a gap between the elbow and the pipe. I don't understand why the water couldn't just jump a little!

Just add in a splice and all is well.  Now, all there is to do is fill in the holes I dug trying to find all the leaks!  Right now the sun is shining right on the holes and it is hot outside.  By six PM the sun will be behind the building and the temperature will be on the way down.  Sounds like the right time to me.

We're here in Dothan

After an overnight stop in Newnan, GA to see Billie's brother and his daughter and kids, we made our way on south to Dothan.

This is Dothan Community Church.  The Church has been at this location since 2001 but was formed in 1987.  They have a nice big piece of property and have plans of filling it.

Here we are in our new home location.  We are behind the original church building seen on the right and next to the addition, seen on the left.  I believe the addition is at least twice as large as the original church.

This is the project.  The shell is complete and that is about all.  Here we go again.  When we arrived we did have a bit of a challange.  We had no electricity or water.  It seems that an errant backhoe shovel had snagged the water line and the power cable running to the RV sites.  After a couple of parts for the electrical system we were up and running and after a hundred feet of hose we had water.  My first job is to dig up the broken water line and make a permanent repair.

Last Weekend in Bryson City

It has been a good stay here and we have been able to accomplish quite a bit as well as see a lot of beautiful country.  We will spend Resurrection Day here then on Tuesday we will start our journey to Dothan, AL (36303) to work at the Dothan Community Church. 

Here is a selection of the work we accomplished.  Note:  These walls are 9 feet high.  The sheetrock is 12 foot by 54 inch 5/8 fire rated sheetrock (125 to 140 lb each).  The green board in the restrooms (the next two pictures) is heavier than the white board.

Then we have the exposed beam to cut around.  Nice job eh!

The camp threw a hobo dinner one evening which gave us another good group photo op.

On Saturday, we were involved with The Grove Church cutting and stacking firewood for the elderly and needy of Bryson City next winter.  I think we stacked somewhere around three to four cords.

We also went on a hike looking for Alarka Falls.  We didn't go far enough to see the falls as it was getting dark but we did have the opportunity to see more of God's handiwork in the woods.

That's about it for Bryson City.  See you all in Dothan.

P.S.  At The Grove today the resurrection story was depicted so beautifully by a local artist who paints with Elmer's glue and dirt.  Take a good look and see the how Jesus made a way "through" the cross.

It is finished, complete.  Nothing for us to do!  Amen.

Mark 10:23-27

As we were reading this morning we came across this jewell in Barklay's Daily Study Bible:

If a man's interest is in material posessions it tends to make him think of everything in terms of price.  A hill shepherd's wife wrote a most interesting letter to a newspaper.  Her children had been brought up in the lonliness of the hills.  They were simple and unsophisticated.  Then her husband got a position in a town and the children were introduced to the town.  They changed very considerable - and they changed for the worse.  The last paragraph of her letter read; "Which is preferable for a child's upbringing - a lack of worldliness, but with better manners and sincere and simple thoughts, or worldliness and its present day habit of knowing the price of everything and the true value of nothing.

As Paul wrote:  "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think on these things."

Wonderful weekend!

After a nearly 2 inch rain, the sun came out and we were able to get out and see the area this weekend.  Saturday morning we made a DVD of the camp for our history file then we were off to Clingman's Dome, a peak which tops out at 6643 feet.

Clingman's Done just happens to be on the Appalachian Trail.  Now we can say we have walked on the Appalachian Trail.  And YES we were very glad we brought our winter coat and stocking caps.  It was windy and cold on the Dome (I guess that's the cold air from SD coming across Tennessee).

As you can see, we got another 75 foot lift (above the 6443).  From there one can see seven states.  The walk from the parking lot to the platform was only 1/2 mile but it was 1/4 mile out and 1/4 mile up.

Didn't God do a great job?

Oh, beautiful, for spacious skies!

This is a section of the road from 1200 feet above as were going down.  Eventually we got down to there.

On the way down to Cherokee we toured a turn of the century (20th) farm.  We really felt blessed when we saw what the family had to go through 110 years ago.

Just north of Cheorkee is Mingo Falls.  This fall cascades 200 feet and then tumbles another couple hundred feet before it plumets into the creek below.

After a great service at the Grove this morning, we took a trip into the Smoky Mountains National Park which is less than a mile from our campground.  We hiked the trails and played in the creek and just enjoyed what God provided for us today.

Of course the hike would mean nothing if you didn't have a delight to share it with you.

We found Cherokee Creek Falls and...

Took time to reflect on how small we are in the scheme of things.

Another week at Living Waters

We have completed our second week here at Living Waters camp.  The trees here are really leafing out and the dogwood is in full bloom.  Right now it is cloudy and we expect rain soon so I am not going to try to get more nature shots until we have a good sunny day.

The ladies, Claudia above and Stephanie here (and benind the camera, Billie), are painting the bathrooms that we repaired last week.

Jack is fastening some sheetrock in the girls bathroom.

Our resident helper, Andy, is helping Gary hang lights in the new kitchen.  Andy is in charge of the maintenance of the camp and the construction of the new dining hall.

Gary is busy pulling wire for all the myraid of outlets, lights and appliances which will be installed in the new kitchen.

Yours truly, finishing a wall in the boys bathroom.

Our first week at Camp Living Water

We have completed our first week at the camp and just spent another Sunday with the congregation at Grove Baptist Church. This is a church much like the church in Watertown, only a bit smaller. They are excited about Jesus and are two messages into the pre-Easter schedule of four messages.

The congregation seems to be blessed with artists and there is to be an artist on stage each Sunday to paint a picture while the sermon is being preached.  Last week the message was about doubting Thomas and Liz painted this touching watercolor which depicts the conviction of Thomas.

This weeks message was about our part in the resurrection.  Kathy provided us with this depiction of Golgatha and the tomb.  We are so blessed to already be included with Christ in the resurrection.

Here is the church logo and a front view of the building.

It is as non-typical as it looks.

Yesterday we took a drive to the city of Cherokee which is on the Cherokee reservation and were able to capture some of God's creation on the way.

(The little flowers are quite blue)

We are constantly surrounded by the forest covered mountains.

Our April home

For the month of April we will be home at Living Waters Ministry camp in Bryson City, NC.  This is a much smaller camp than Shocco but they have the same goal and problems.  The goal;  Reach the lost for Jesus Christ.  The problem;  constant financial juggling.  That is why we are here.  We want to make the burden of maintaining and rebuilding these facilities a little less financially painful.

Home sweet home.  Ma Kettle is makin' the most of laundry day with sunshine.

Here is the whole group.  We are so blessed to have four wonderful Christian couples working together to make Living Waters a better place.  Right to Left.  Ma and Pa, Stephanie Conrad, Bill and Sandy Ellis, Claudia and Jack Jalo, Gary Conrad.  This is the end of the first week of work and we decided to stop for a hot dog around the campfire.

Here is some of the work we are doing.  The carpenters put up these solid 2 X 4's then the electricians and plumbers come along and make them look like Swiss cheese.

Gary likes making holes in new wood.

This is the project.  When complete, this will be a new, up to date office complex and dining hall.  The current facilities will then be renovated to become living quarters for 60 more campers.

One of the local attractions.  Ain't she a beauty.  How blessed can a man get.

Our first excursion into the Smokies was to a hiking trail which led to a waterfall.

Along the way we were blessed with the glory of spring.