Pray for Workers
Before I tell you all about my last week, I want to ask you to pray. As it stands right now, we are quite short-staffed for a couple of the weeks of camp. For Teen Camp, which runs from July 5-11, we currently only have one person to fill the role of Girl’s Cabin Leader. We would sure like to have more! I’m not joking when I say that, if you would have an interest, or know someone (ideally 18+, or really close!) who is spiritually mature and could fill a role like that, reach soon! It’s not too late to make it happen, even if you’re coming from a distance.
The first Junior Camp appears to be well-staffed. We have a large group who will already be here from Tucson, plus a large group coming from our home church, Evergreen. But then when we get to the second Junior Camp (July 22-27), all the Evergreen folks and most of the Tucson folks will have left! So as it stands right now, we have ZERO Girl’s Cabin Leaders for Jr Camp 2, and we have only one Boy’s Cabin Lead Team.
So would you pray that the Lord will still bring those folks to join for one of the weeks of need? As Jesus says in Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” This is a great big need, so would you pray? And if you have an inkling that perhaps you might be one of the answers to this staffing prayer need, reach out soon and I’d love to talk with you more.
My First Few Days
As for me (Ryan), I arrived safe and sound to Rock Nest Ranch on Wednesday around 4:30. After a night of getting situated, we hit the ground running on Thursday morning, as we were hosting a school group for two days. It was a fun group of 7th graders from a nearby public school, and they got to enjoy the big Zipline, the Giant Swing, Archery, Canoeing, fun in the Game Room, and some swim time, as well. Group rentals are good ways to connect with folks in the community, to provide an opportunity for people to be blessed with the fun that happens here at camp, and, frankly, to help generate revenue for the camp, so it can operate.
As soon as the school group left, we began preparing the camp for a wedding for a young lady who has spent a lot time here at Rock Nest. The wedding happened at noon today, and they had the lodge set up so well to accommodate all the wedding guests. She and her new husband had a really beautiful wedding ceremony. Even now, the wedding reception is still going on.
The next week will look like doing a bunch of work in preparation for the summer. I’ve also been able to tackle a few maintenance projects in the house where I am staying, and I’ve got my eye on several other projects, as well. Right now there are just a handful of us here at the camp, getting things ready, but we will have an influx on the 30th and again on the 1st. Between now and the 30th, those of us who are here have plenty to do, both in terms of getting the property ready, and even more so in terms of planning for the summer. But we are excited for what is ahead, even if so far the path looks a little unclear, in terms of staffing. We are confident that the Lord will provide the right folks at the right time.
Prayer Needs
- For today, I’m just asking that you would pray for the adequate number of workers for this summer’s staff.
Conclusion
As always, thank you for praying. We are held up by the prayers of you all. As a family, we are grateful that we have been able to talk on the phone and/or FaceTime every day since I’ve been here. And we sure do look forward to being together again soon!
Ryan and Leanne Donovan
Rock Nest Summer Schedule
For those who are curious, this is what the summer camp schedule will look like this year.
- Summer Staff Orientation – July 1-4
- Teen Camp (13-15 years old) – July 5-12
- Junior Camp 1 (9-12 years old) – July 14-19
- Junior Camp 2 (9-12 years old) – July 22-27
- Family Camp – Aug 1-3
- Lead Camp (16-18 years old) – Aug 5-10
