October 2016
If you haven’t been to visit the camp in a while, then you need to make plans to come and take a look. It is amazing what has been accomplished on the grounds here in the last year.
We built Lake Papa Crow in honor of Tommy and Linda Crow of Dardanelle. It is just behind the cabins you encounter as you enter the camp on the land we purchased 3 years ago. The lake itself is approximately 3 acres with a separate swimming pond beside it. We supply fresh water into the swimming pond to create a fun and safe swimming area for the little kids. This lake was funded by the Crow family, their church, and their friends.
We built a large addition to our playground with a portion of the Don Helms campaign. The ground level was completed before summer of 2015, but this year we added a second story playhouse. It is truly an enjoyable experience to watch children running up those stairs and all around the “fortress” or whatever their imaginations have conjured. The structure itself is board and batten green stained siding and the roof is made of cedar shingles that ride over an arched cedar log gable. The windows have skewed mullions, which along with the handmade cedar railings complete the whimsical look. We have a goal to continue to add elements to it this each year.
Our desire to have a dedicated nurses station was fulfilled
this year with a donation from the Sutherlin family. We were able to build this
as an addition onto the lower level pavilion side of the Retreat Center by
capturing what was once storage closets. Borrowing a toilet and shower from the
west side bathroom, we created three rooms. One for visits to the nurse, the
second is simply a bed space where sick kids can rest while we wait for mom to
come get them, and the third is a room for the nurse to stay in. This has
proven to be a highly functional addition.
Additionally, we were able to renovate the old Chapel
building which sits between Sunset Hall (the old mess hall) and the
Amphitheater. The old wiring had to be replaced. While we were at it, we
insulated the roof deck, put in a new ceiling, new vinyl double hung windows,
painted the floors, and installed two new window units that both heat and cool.
This allows us to utilize this building more for our fall and winter retreats
as well as it creates the perfect space for Bible classes in the summer.
Each of these amazing improvements were made possible by
your donations and each of them help make possible the ministry that is Camp
Caudle. Buildings and playgrounds are merely a means by which the kids who come
here can build a relationship with an adult who cares for them and is aiming to
share the love of Jesus with them. All kids today are faced with stress.
Whether or not they come from a “normal” home, their busy lives leave little
time to relax and hear the voice of God.
In Mark 6:31 Jesus asks his disciples to, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some
rest.” They needed rest. The crowded and busy lives they were leading
were overwhelming them with stress, and the Good Shepherd knew that they needed
rest. Doesn’t that sound good? Rest.
Our goal is to create a place for that to happen. The 600 children
we hosted in our seven sessions were given the opportunity to unplug from
whatever difficulties they face and hear the clear and compelling voice of the Master. They were able to measure themselves against the true standard that is
Jesus instead of the insufferable message delivered by the evil one who
controls this earth.
Your involvement here at Camp Caudle impacts lives. In a time when
we are often suspicious of future generations, we must trust that the impact
formed here is taken back to homes and communities across this region and that
God will give the increase in those communities.
Lee Henson
Lee Henson
