Well, it really wasn’t lost. But August didn’t happen they way it normally does or I thought it would.

As camp concludes Debbie and I generally have a few days to “recharge”. Well that didn’t happen this year. Our month began with a trip to south Florida, not for vacation, but to check in on Debbie’s parents who are getting up in years and facing some health concerns. Living 700 miles away, we try to have a “face-to-face” at least once or twice a year. Within a few days of returning from that trip, we were called to North Carolina where my dad was unexpectedly hospitalized. A couple of days later he went to Heaven. I had the honor of leading his service. After conducting many funerals in my ministry, doing that for your dad is certainly different and unique. After four years of memory loss we rejoice that his mind is now whole again. Then, over Labor Day Weekend, it was Debbie’s and my responsibility to clean out/clear out my mother’s house in Dayton, OH preparing it for sale. Squeezed into this schedule were a few days in Cincinnati, OH, the most central spot for everyone, shared with our sons, their wives and three beautiful granddaughters. It had been 18 months since we’d all eaten around the same table. It was great! Now you see why the blog was dormant in the past weeks.

But tomorrow SMMM begins a new ministry year with Annual Meetings of the Mission and the Board of Trustees.  And I”m hoping a fresh start to my blogging. Friday will bring leadership elections, new committee assignments and a detailed review of what the Lord has done through SMMM in the past year. Having had a preview look at those reports, I’m grateful for what has been done. We have much to rejoice in!! I’d be very glad for your prayers during the day tomorrow as important decisions are made.

The new year will bring new challenges and we will rely on your prayers throughout. Ministry has continued even though the blog hasn’t kept up. I hope in the days ahead to bring you vignettes of what’s going on. These are great days to be serving the Lord!

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From time to time you experience one of those events that is simply special, like a sweet treat that you weren’t expecting. Yesterday Debbie and I had a sweet treat in the middle of a busy summer which refreshed our spirits.

It all began with a knock on our back door about three years ago. When I opened it there was Eugene, a young boy who attended Emmalena School where I taught character classes. He had found a tie with a picture of Noah’s Ark on it and had insisted that his mom buy it for me.

Fast forward to this spring. Eugene and his mom came into the office at camp and said they wanted to sign him up for a week at camp. Somewhat “tongue-in-cheek” his mom said, “I’m doing this against my better judgement.” I asked about that and she said she wasn’t sure she could stand being away from him that long. Eugene came to camp and when his mom visited during Friday’s Parents Day she commented to the effect that it had been the longest week of her life.  When she suggested Eugene go home that evening, which several campers do, Eugene replied, “I’ve got twelve more hours at camp!”

A week after camp, I got a telephone message that Eugene wanted me to call him. I did and found out that between his camp experience and his church’s VBS the following week, Eugene had accepted Christ and was being baptized and he wanted me to be there.

Yesterday Debbie and I attended Eugene’s baptism at Dwarf (that’s a community) Baptist Church near our home.  To our pleasant surprise, not only was Eugene being baptized, but four additional children who attend Emmalena School and have participated in Day Camp were following the Lord in this act of obedience as well.

Now that’s a sweet treat!

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Dan & Joy Terhune presenting the flag to the Letcher Central Color Guard

Today we had one of those moments that will stick with you for a while. At our traditional patriotic flag salute before dinner we honored two

At noon today we dedicated three new flag poles in their honor. One holds the American flag which Eric defended so well for twelve years. The others fly the Kentucky state flag and a newly designed Camp Nathanael flag which describes where and with whom Bob invested thirty years of ministry.

Only in God’s perfect design could both men’s cemetary markers carry the same biblical reference, Isaiah 40:31, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” 

A special memory for sure but an even great motivator to emulate the lives of Eric and Bob as we serve the Lord they loved and served.

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Yesterday was pretty frustrating for me. I felt overwhelmed by responsibilities that I just wasn’t getting done. I know I was a little “short” with a couple of my co-workers because I “felt” I had so much to do. To be honest, I was feeling a little sorry for myself.

But just a few moments ago I was vividly reminded of what is really important in the ministry here. A young man stopped by my office to ask me if I remembered being his first cabin counselor back around 1981-82 when he was eight years old. This young man came many years to camp but I didn’t remember being his first counselor. Well, he said I was and that during that first week I did some things that he said were “above and beyond” that helped him get through that first week (The details aren’t necessary). He had stopped in to thank me for that experience in his life.

This guy is now a medical doctor and he and his family are headed to the Congo for full-time missionary service. That week at camp didn’t make him a doctor or a missionary but he said it certainly impacted him. To God be the glory!!

Oh, by the way, as my co-workers have sensed my current circumstances they are stepping up to give a helping hand. And I am grateful!

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One never knows what you might spot as you walk around the grounds of Camp Nathanael. The other day I was walking the grounds preparing for a new camper activity called Orienteering (more on that another time) I found this license plate. It’s been around camp for several summers.

It belongs to a summer worker who takes their commitment to Camp Nathanael seriously. I’m sure its started more than one conversation. We are richly blessed to have summer workers who truly have a heart for Camp Nathanael. And thank you for sharing your heart, prayer time and resources with this ministry.

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I’m finally catching up on sharing with you some great things that have been happening around Camp Nathanael in recent days. As a follow up to yesterday’s entry I want to share another tremendous example of God’s perfect timing.

The decision was made in the early spring to “upgrade” our flag pole as the Lord provided memorial gifts for that purpose. Our present flag pole is a home made version ingeniously designed with a hinged base to allow for easy rope replacement. It has been in service for over forty years, maybe longer. But it was time to make a change.

We ordered three new poles; one 30′ tall with two at 25′ in height. But we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to get them installed, especially with summer camp preparations occupying everyone’s time. Well, the Lord knew exactly how He was going to get it done.

That’s where Brian Cornett, owner of Brian’s Heating and Cooling, comes into the picture. (He was the contractor I mentioned in yesterday’s blog.) Brian brought his entire crew, through our contact at Pepsi Co, to donate two days of labor at camp. As we discussed various projects, I mentioned we had these flag poles to install and asked if his men would be willing to move the horseshoe pits to allow their installation. He replied by saying his guys could also install the poles as he had installed large flag poles in the past. Needless to say, we gave the go ahead and now that project is behind us and ready for a special dedication time during our Family Week in July.

Brian (second from right) and his men

So a big word of “Thanks ” goes out to Brian and his men. Most of all we praise God for His care about even a flag pole project.

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It’s been a couple of “crazy ” weeks lately in the run up to the opening of summer camp. I have a card in my office which reads, “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it.” It’s a paraphrase of Ecclesiastes 9:10a from The Message by Eugene Peterson. Well, that’s how many of my days have been spent recently. But as I wrote a friend yesterday, I wouldn’t trade my responsibilities for the Presidency of the United States or any other job!

The past week has brought a lot of good progress to the Mountain Cabin Project. It’s been slow since the Spring Work Week when the lights were installed and some insulation done. Then, through a contact with Pepsi Co, the Lord brought a local contractor who donated his crew’s labor to complete the rough electrical wiring last week. That was followed this week by a visit from a tremendous team of teens and adult leaders from the First Baptist Church in Dacula, GA and George Hauber, a long time friend of this ministry from Pennsylvania. Together they plumbed the bathroom, built partition walls, hung 12 foot sheet rock on the cathedral ceiling, put up wood board siding on the exterior and even made progress on the interior log wall.

We have a great God who combines the skills of many to accomplish what He plans. We are grateful to be a recipient of His goodness on this project.

Here are some pictures to bring you up to date.

George, Larry & Jim setting logs

The team plotting their next move

The team "checking" it out

Sheet rock is hung thanks to Dacula team

Front porch with wood board siding

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Last week my son, Ben, and I were moving a cabinet in our basement. Debbie had stored some family items in it which we had to “relocate”. In doing so, we came across a flag and a small container in which were a razor, a mirror, a couple of packs of cigarettes and a few other very small items. The flag was the one draped across Debbie’s Uncle Glen’s casket and in the container were ”personal effects” of Glen Mullins. Uncle Glen was killed in battle on February 3, 1945.

That discovery got me thinking about today and the ones who have been a special part of my life who have served America to defend the freedom and liberty you and I enjoy. It begins with my dad, Rockie Hodson, and his friend, George Moss, who served together in the 12th Armored Division, that fought across Europe to liberate Hitler’s concentration camps. It continues with my step-dad, Alex Holbrook, who served with the Army in the Pacific Theater in an artillery division and Dan Terhune, a friend and mentor, who served in the Navy in that theater as well. It includes my father-in-law, Fernoy Mosgrove, who enlisted as the war was concluding and was prepared to go if he had been called to do so.

Time fast forwards to the 1960s, my generation, and Vietnam. While there were some who don’t come to mind today there are three who do; David Fugate, Raymond Smith and Mike Peavy. These were not childhood friends but men I came to know and love in more recent years. The Lord allowed me to learn from them what the war in southeast Asia really was and and am so grateful for their sacrifice.

Then I think of today’s war, the War on Terror. They are children, in my eyes, but in reality they are young men and women who have stepped up that once more we might be safe in this land. There are many sons, daughters, nephews, nieces and grandchildren of friends and neighbors who have served in our modern military and I’m thankful for each of them. But four special young men come to mind; Christopher “Kenny Doe” Campbell, who has served at least three tours in Afghanistan and Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division; Josh Toner, who served in the Navy’s elite Swift Boats and went places he couldn’t talk about at the time; Travis Fugate, who was severely wounded in Iraq but has turned that tough circumstance into an opportunity by traveling the country speaking to encourage other wounded soldiers and then there is Eric Terhune. Eric was a Marine helicopter pilot who volunteered to serve as an embedded Forward Air Controller in Afghanistan with a Marine infantry unit.  Eric heroically gave his life in protection of another soldier on June 19, 2008.

I am truly humbled when I think of these men who made and make my life possible. While I did not have the honor of serving in the military I am so thankful for those who have that I might live in the greatest country in the world. It is my prayer that America’s people never allow anything to deter their respect and gratitude for what so many have given that we might enjoy the freedoms they have protected.

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That’s not a headline you’d usually want to see on a ministry blog. But this team doesn’t come with the black uniforms, helmets and drawn guns.

This SWAT Team is a pest control company from Louisville owned by a good friend of SMMM. Charlie Hodges and his wife, Nancy, have been friends with Debbie and me since college days. He and Debbie attended Lancaster Bible College (PA) together in the 1970s. Since that time Charlie has been a part of this ministry in one way or another. Today it was one of those “another” ways.

For many years, Charlie has donated his services, including materials, to inspect and treat this ministry and our workers’ homes for any pest, large or small. On more than one occasion he has discovered problems and been able to correct them before they became costly repairs. Charlie and his co-worker, Tony, visited camp Thursday, found a couple of things, including coming eyeball to eyeball with two skunks in the crawl space under a cabin, and professionally cared for them. (Thankfully, they (Charlie and Tony) escaped the crawl space without “incident”. )

Charlie and Nancy have such a heart for ministry which has blessed many including us. Pest control is an unusual contribution, for sure, but one which is greatly appreciated by all of us who have benefited from Charlie’s generosity. Have you thought “outside the box” recently in how you might advance the cause of Christ?

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It seems like when the schedule fills up with things to do my blogging takes a break. You’d think that with so much happening there’d be lots to blog about. That’s true but there’s only 24 hours in a day.

Well, the past couple of weeks have kept me hopping. It all began with the arrival of Debbie’s and my third granddaughter, Adalyn Loralai, who entered the world on May 7th in Berea, KY. Her mom and dad, Larinda and Luke, along with big sister, Isabel, are all doing well and we rejoice in Adalyn’s safe and healthy birth. Of course, Grammy and Gramps have had to make a few trips to enjoy watching Adalyn sleep.

That event was quickly followed by our annual Work Week at camp as the facilities and staff are prepared for the approaching summer ministry. The Lord guided our speaker, Pastor Pete Youmans, to bring just the challenge I needed to hear looking forward to the summer. Other reports say he was on target for many of our mission staff. Volunteers from Pennsylvania and Virginia made a big contribution to get cabins the swimming pool and other areas ready for camp’s opening and we couldn’t have done it without them.  There was even some progress on the Mt. Cabin Project.

Other family and ministry responsibilities filled the remaining schedule “slots” but now things are settling down and I hope to be blogging more frequently. Thanks once more for your patience.

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