Lowering The Roof

Well, retreat season ended and Summer started on the same day, it seemed. I find it amazing how the Summer starts, and things that were getting light to moderate use begin to fail. Every good intention to update the blog faded into obscurity while the need to maintain stuff invaded my thought life. Anyway, here we are again. Summer is ending. Now, lets see if I can remember anything I was intending to say.

SOWERS worked on the new floor in the dining hall and did an awesome job. The sunk-in area is no longer sunk-in and even though the watch your step signs are still there (for some reason), you can just keep on walking. Some staff have commented that they still occasionally try to step up when approaching the serving line. I must admit I am among them. One residual effect of the dining hall floor project was that the fireplace in the serving line area needed to come out. This resulted in having more space in the pots-n-pans room and and a little more in the kitchen -something I like to call a balloon project. We also opened the doorway that exits the dining hall by the tray room. Traffic flows a little easier and it all looks really good. SOWERS also spent some time in the doorways between private rooms at Four Seasons and made them a bit more private by insulating the doors between them -a lengthy, arduous task that took some patience.

Once again, I find myself talking about volunteers -commentary on the fact that we cannot make the kind of progress we make without them.

The Recruiting Road

So its that time again - time to recruit staff for summer 2009! Its hard for some to see that far ahead, but for us here at the camp the summer is already way too close. There's a lot to get done in the very short 4 months before our staff begin to arrive. This year we are hoping to have quite a few of our staff from this last year return, but we are also hoping to get quite a few newbee's. This summer our goal is to hire between 60 and 70 students to live, serve, and grow here at the camp. Although the large majority of our staff comes by word of mouth, we still do several recruiting events at different college campuses. Above is a photo of some of us at a restaurant in College Station doing some recruiting. If you are interested in working a summer at Camp Tejas, or know someone that might be, send me an email or check out our SMT website: http://www.tejassmt.org/.

Seth Gordon

Recreation Director

Trash that's not so.....trashy

Just at the end of summer Paul, the Retreat Director, and I had been talking about what we could do to get some trash recepticles that looked a little better. The atrium at Four seasons, for example, has been littered by something that most people take out to the curb -hardly fitting the motif of the meadows retreat center. Anyway, expense for such an unnecessary item was like an elephant in the room. So, as funny as it may seem, I occasionally prayed about it. I began to look on the internet and asked around to see if someone out there was getting rid of some better looking trash cans -the kind that are not made of plastic; that don't fall over and roll down the hill every time the wind blows; and my most desired feature.....racoons can't lift the lid.

Then, while at the recent directors retreat, it came to me. I scribbled out a little drawing and two talented guys on the maintenance staff, Matt and Jeff, whipped out the prototype. The next day volunteers reproduced it seven times. More have been made since and more are being made to replace the unsightliness of trash all over the camp.

My favorite part? The hinges for the lids are about six bucks a pair. The lumber, like so many other unique things around here, used. And the labor......you guessed it -volunteer.

I've got two words for the elephant, Paul. Cha and Ching. Yes, the Lord is involved in the small matters of men.

Mike Newton - Facilities Director

Cutting-in

Just when you think Four Seasons could not be more colorful, someone comes along with another colorful idea. The finishing touches involved the use of all the colors in the meadows pallet from Mouse Ears black to Mexican Chilli. The atrium ceiling, which consists of 490 2' x 2' squares, is now more psychadelic than the dance floor on Saturday Night Fever. A great deal of patience, a steady hand and possibly some ibuprophen to stave off the neck pain is a formula necessary for this kind of work. Work that Campers on Mission and M.M.A.P. have spent a lot of time on during these recent months.

All of this just continues to add to the unique nature of the meadows retreat center. This is a trend that I know will carry into the future of the camp.

Mike Newton - Facilities Director

Skill and Sacrifice

Around here, large things happen fast. Since coming to the camp, I've been amazed by the scale of the construction and remodeling projects and the speed with which they get done. This speed is something that would not be possible without the skill and sacrifice of volunteers such as the Texas Baptist Men, Mobile Missionary Assistance Program (MMAP), Campers on Mission and Sowers. These folks descend upon Camp Tejas during the retreat season like a small swarm of bees and things start happening. They don't like to stand still for a moment and part of my job is to make sure they have something to do and the materials to do it. This has been a learning process for me because they seem to get done with things so quickly.

Retreat, for me, is so much of what I see around me. The ability to relax in mind is deeply affected by what I see. These servants are making a tremendous difference in what our guests see. So much has been done already this season to improve the appearance of the camp. From paint at Four Seasons to outdoor lighting and sprinkler systems across the Meadows Retreat Center; from repaired masonry at the main camp to trash can covers all over the place.

The transient nature of their service -moving from one project to the next and spending so much time away from home- is inspiring to me. I hope that I have the energy and means to serve in this way if the opportunity comes. Thank you, volunteers. Thank you all for your service to Him and your help to us.

Mike Newton, Facilities Director

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Matt 6:19-21 (KJV)

A Celebration of 28 Years

Saturday evening was a celebration of a tremendous era of Camp Tejas. On February 14, 1981, Billy and Janice Jones began their service here. Their lives changed drastically when they moved from their comfortable Houston suburb to the rural central Texas area of Warda. With a few dollars in the checking account and fewer groups on the spring calendar, they ventured into the Christian camping world not knowing what to expect. They quickly figured out what groups needed, where the water values are, and how much grass had to be mowed. Less than 1,500 people came to the camp in 1981. Over 15,000 have stayed with us in 2008. Their amazing personal service in the hands of the Lord has laid down a foundation on which the next generation will build. We are immensely thankful for our history, and extremely excited about our future.

Billy and Janice officially retired from their director positions in October. Tejas Ministries will provide a home for them as long as they are willing and able to live in it. They will continue to work part time for the camp until the Lord leads them in another direction.

You can find both parts of the Jones retirement video here: http://www.youtube.com/camptejas

David Jones

A New Step For Camp Tejas

If you didn’t catch it, then I’ll fill you in – the title for this blog is a cheesy pun. Yes camp Tejas is taking steps forward each year with new building projects, but this year we literally added a new step. If you have ever eaten a meal in the camp Tejas dining hall you know that there are times when it can get crowded. One of the most crowded areas is the area just past the end of the salad bar next to exit door where you take dirty trays. People getting food go through the area to find a seat while others finishing their meal are going through the same are to take their tray to be cleaned. Congestion builds fairly rapidly and it slows everything down. Although there are large plans to revamp the dinning hall, small fixes can make a big difference. Thats where the new step comes in. Recently a small railing was removed at the end of the salad bar to allow for a better flow of traffic. In theory guests going to find a seat can take the new step up toward the drink machines, while guests taking their trays can use the old step. So far things have worked out quite well except for the couple of falls we have had. So when you come to visit, be sure to watch your step.

Seth Gordon
Recreation Director

Mud

A huge goal of the recreation we provide here at Camp Tejas is to be unique. Just about every camp has a swimming pool and a recreation field and just about every camper that shows up at camp has played basketball and football at some point in their life. So here at Camp Tejas we try out best to think outside of the norm – what is a camper going to remember doing at Camp Tejas for years to come? One of the most fun and unique activities we provide is our Tejas mud games. We start off with a giant arena full of dirt, till that up so all the dirt is soft and then we add water – lots of it. The end result is a giant mud pit and I'm sure you can imagine what fun can happen when you combine 200 or more campers and a giant arena full of mud. Usually we lead a number of relays and then give the campers some time to simply enjoy the experience. Above is a picture of the post mud game clean-off. If you ever think of a interesting unique activity that 200+ campers might enjoy, be sure to let us know!


Seth Gordon
Recreation Director

Not the typical Best Western

On Wednesday we were preparing the camp for hurricane force winds as Ike was expected to pass directly over us. But as the hours passed and Ike's path turned more to the east, headed for Houston, we quickly became a place to escape the storm. The church groups scheduled to stay with us last weekend were all rescheduled clearing the space for evacuees. Some friends and family stayed with us, some previous guests, and even several families who used the camp in 2005 to evacuate from Rita. Over about 5 days, we had over 300 people stay with us, enjoy the breezy weather, the pool, and some good ole fashion AC. About half fled before Ike and the others afterward to find electricity.

Another group of evacuees were those simply looking for a place to sleep. We informed our local motels of our extra rooms and several families were immediately directed our way. For Houstonians fleeing the devastation of Ike, searching hours for a place to sleep into the early morning hours, and being directed to some camp several miles off the beaten path, it was quite an adventure. Several of us stayed up all night Friday and Saturday giving directions to the wary and assisting them to their rooms. They were very relieved to find a room, but a bit hesitant as to where and what it was. We're not the typical Best Western on the side of the highway. But after a good night's rest in a very unique hotel room without a phone, TV, or even a key, and a good Tejas breakfast, all reluctance disappeared. All together, we had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and making some new ones.

David Jones, CEO

The Dirtiest of Jobs

Each summer the staff come prepared to do a number of duties. Some of them are very fun and others can be . . . well let’s just say they aren’t anyone’s favorite. But one of the jobs that must get done around the camp usually goes on without many people noticing – the infamous trash run. After a good motivational speech, some of the staff gather on the back of a trailer ready to get nice and dirty. The “trash trailer”, as many have named it, roams the entire grounds as the staff empty every trash can at the camp. Sometimes this takes as many as 3 trips to complete, and in the end the camp is trash free – at least that’s the goal. Above is a great action picture of some of the 2008 staff working hard to empty the trailer into the dumpsters. Thanks to everyone who was a part of a trash run and took a good shot of trash juice to the face.

Seth Gordon
Recreation director