Our MMAP Project for May 2011 - Flovilla, Georgia

We have concluded our three-week May MMAP project at Indian Springs Holiness Camp in Flovilla, Georgia. Our last update told a little about the camp. This entry will show you what we accomplished while on the project.

The project assignment ~ Paint benches

It sounded pretty simple..... 

The project as it actually turned out ~ move, repair, sand, prime and paint as many of the 200+ benches as possible!!

Open air tabernacle full of 200+ HEAVY wood benches

Most of the benches were 18-20 feet long. They had to be unbolted and moved to another location to be sanded and repaired before being painted.

Hard work for three "old" guys!

Two of us primed and put the final coat of paint on after the men finished the repairs.

"Hi ho....hi ho....it's off to work we go"

"Before" -old peeling paint and rotted legs

Lots of dust....hot humid weather (90+ temp with 80+ humidity) we worked in an outside covered area. The three men did a great job - even if they all looked like someone dressed them alike in "Darth Vader" costumes!

Our first completed bench. Even though there were 200 that needed paint and repair, we were fortunate to complete 16 benches. The previous MMAP crew in April had done about the same amount. This will be a long and on-going project for MMAPers coming to this area each spring. Ours is the last project for the year at this location - hot, sultry summer weather and the camp meeting schedule preclude any more work on the remaining benches for this year.

With all our finished benches put back into place, we celebrate our accomplishment!

This is the painting crew:

Jim & Jean White - Project Coordinators. Long time MMAPers, they are from Bakersfield, CA. He retired from the California Department of Corrections.

You know these guys - Jim and Helen Spring - from Arizona (via Washington state)

Cherie & Rusty Rusthoven - new to MMAP, this was their second project. Although they live full time in their motor home, they maintain a home address of Richland, in the Tri-Cities area of eastern Washington where their daughter and family reside. Rusty is a retired Colonel from the US Marine Corp and Cheri is a retired librarian/teacher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Monday thru Thursday work week started each morning at 7:30 am with a half-hour devotion together, then on to work from 8-4. Every Thursday night after supper, we gathered together to play games. Rusty's favorite game was any that he won! That certainly challenged Helen - who is know for her fierce competitive spirit.

Every Sunday we worshiped together at the First Baptist Church in Jackson (a small town about four miles from the camp.) It is a great congregation of friendly southern folks with a preacher who "tells it like it is"! We really enjoyed the time with them.

Since our schedule while on project allows for three days off from work, we've done some driving around the area to see some of the small southern towns in this vicinity, and we took a drive last Saturday to Chattanooga, TN (about three hours north of Flovilla) to visit with friends, Nathaniel and Alicia Gutierrez and their adorable little boy, Jeremiah. We have known Alicia for many years from Helen's days at Tacoma Youth for Christ. She is the daughter of former YFC Area Director, Tim Skrivan. Six years ago, after Nathaniel and Alicia were married, he also came to work for a time at YFC doing an outreach to Spanish youth in the Tacoma area.They then went on to Southern California where Nathaniel finished his seminary degree. Nathaniel and Alicia are following in his parents footsteps as missionaries to Peru with Missions to the World. They are in the Chattanooga area (where their mission headquarters is located) firming up support and fund-raising, and will be leaving for the mission field sometime this year. They are now awaiting the birth of their second child (a girl). It was so good to see them again after several years. They are a fantastic committed Christian couple and will be doing a great work with the people of Peru.

We will stay at Indian Springs Holiness Camp through the Memorial Day holiday, then head 900 miles north to Spring Creek, Pennsylvania for our next MMAP project that starts on the first Friday of June. Our next update will have information and pictures from our sight-seeing trips around the Georgia countryside this month as well as our travel adventures to Pennsylvania. After that we hope to share more about the next project in Spring Creek at a Christian horse camp called Miracle Ranch.

Our sincerest thanks to all of you who continue to pray for us and for our safety in traveling this great country. God has richly blessed us! Our prayer is that you all know how much He will bless your lives too - no matter where you are or what you do.