What a year!

This has been a huge year for Camp Caudle!  Instead of one lone ranger trying to get everything done around here that needs to get done, we now have two families tending to the needs of the camp. Due to the generosity of many people, there is now a new barn/house on campus. We have all our tools in one place, our horse program is off the ground, and Lee and Andrea have a new place to live. I can't begin to express how awesome it is that Lee and I can get in the barn when it is cold and rainy and still get work done. It seems there is always a machine that needs to be repaired, something new that needs to be built, or equipment that needs to be maintained, and the new barn is great for all these things!

Building the foundation of the new barn this past February.

Progress on the barn/house.

The barn nearing completion earlier this summer.

We've renovated the old retreat center up the hill (now called the Lodge), making it more usable for groups looking for a smaller facility to rent. The driveway has been realigned to minimize the presence of traffic around the playground area. A new bridge and trail have been built to the swimming hole (thanks to WolfLife, the ASU student ministry).

The interior of the lodge has been drastically updated this past year.

Exterior view of the lodge on top of the hill.

The old bridge was in such rough shape,
we didn't want any kids crossing it this summer.

Brent and the WolfLife students
building the new bridge.

The new bridge completed and ready for use.

Perhaps most importantly, we have been able to offer a great Camp Caudle experience to two new inner-city churches, from Tulsa and Oklahoma City. We are extremely excited to have these young folks with us this coming summer, and they are excited to be here.

At the end of 2013, we embarked on a fundraising campaign, with the goal of making Camp Caudle more financially stable going into 2014. For years, we have successfully raised funds for specific projects, and people and churches were amazing in their willingness to meet these needs, but the problem has always been that, after the project is completed, the camp is in no better position financially than before. Not often thought about is the fact that with improvements typically come higher maintenance costs.

One of our generous supporters agreed to match the funds raised during this campaign up to $20,000 to the end of 2013. With our minds set on reaching that goal, God blessed our efforts greatly, and we more than doubled our goal.  We are now in a great position to reach out to even more kids who need to know that they are loved…both by the staff that will interact with them here, and by God himself!

Blessings to you!
Brent Ruple