Sunday, August 26, 2012

Road Trip - Part II

Saturday afternoon I loaded Jaxen back in the car and we headed to the mountains!


Going to Ruidoso was the main purpose of my trip to NM. Back in June the Bonita Park Campgrounds  (where Nik and I met, worked and lived for 6 years) was burned badly by a fire.

I really have no words. I have tried writing this post for a few days now and I get stuck right here everytime. It is sad. It was really hard going back and seeing the camp. Seeing what all was lost. The hurt. The pain that people are experiencing with losing everything.

Nik took a ton of pictures while there, but I'm just going to share a few.





Jerome, standing inside a burnt-out Juniper tree.

Inside PAC

PAC and Petty Hall

Where the Gym and Snack Shack once were

The place of our first home


Gunstream Chapel




However, God is good!


Armstrong Tabernacle - Just behind it, trees and a fence were burned. 
But the Tabernalce was untouched!

This fence divides the camp.
To the right, the 'lower camp' - untouched by the fire.
To the left, the start of the 'upper camp - destroyed by the fire.
As Nik told me while he was driving me around the first day,
"It was as if God put His hand down and said 'no more'". 

Although the fire destroyed much of the camp - there are still lodging facilities, meeting rooms, offices, kitchen, pool, zipline, and putt putt that were untouched!



The camp has had many work groups come to help out. When we heard about the fire, Nik knew he wanted to get a group together to go to the camp and help in whatever way they could.

The Work Group

The trip was scheduled for Wednesday through Monday. But since I had just started working the week prior, I did not think I could ask for that much time off. So I told Nik he would have to work without me and I would drive down Friday and stay in Roswell, then drive to the camp on Saturday. So that is what we did.

Nik and 7 others headed to the campgrounds Wednesday and worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. (They took Sunday off as a 'rest day'). One of the needs that the camp had was to rebuild the paintball course for the guests. When the group found out what they were doing, they were excited and started making plans of the layout.

What they started with.

And the work begins...

All the trees that they cut down and worked with.

I think Nik was a just a bit happy to be working
with a chainsaw again!

Celebrating after cutting down a big tree!

A work in progress...

The dirty workers.

Nik, showing off a job well done!

The completed course!


With forts...
And fences!

The work crew and staff after reviewing
the completed paintball course.

We are so glad we were able to go back, even for a short time. The work that the group did was outstanding and will be a blessing to the groups coming in.

I got a chance to visit with so many people there and hear how God is working through the midst of this tragedy. Please be in prayer for the people who lost their homes, the camp and future that God has in store for this amazing place.


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