Campers Baptism at Charles City

I have had a great weekend with the Charles City EFC; the Saturday night pie auction to raise money for the new motel lodge was fun and profitable... over $1500 was raised for the new building. I stayed over night and spoke during the adult Sunday school hour.

What really blessed me was the Sunday afternoon baptism of two young ladies, Courtney Debner and Victoria Downey; Courtney had accepted Christ while at camp and Victoria had rededicated her life to the Lord while at camp. These young lady's baptism was a special event for me to witness. I was so pleased that Hidden Acres played a part in the development of their spiritual lives.

Summer camp has been over for some time but the memory of the summer still glows in my heart and mind. Just last week, a leader of our International camp told me a great story. During the first day of International camp Nancy had asked a couple boys she didn't recognize, "What country are you from?" The boys replied, "Chicago!" "No, what country," Nancy asked again. Again the boys replied emphatically, "Chicago!" Nancy saw the boys in Ames after camp was over and the boys asked Nancy, "Did you know that Jesus Christ loved you so much that he died on the cross?" Nancy told them, "I sure do!" Nancy went on to tell me the boys were now attending Awanas at the Ames church.

Whether it is hearing the gospel for the first time or for the 100th time, great spiritual encounters can happen at camp.

Over the weekend I heard another good story; Pastor Mike Downey told of speaking at camp 10 years ago. That was the summer that the Brooklyn EFC in Beresford, SD had sent over 40 kids to camp from town, paying for their entire camp experience. The particular week that Mike spoke, a young girl by the name of Rachelle attended camp and accepted Christ. Recently the girl told Mike that she was one of the kids during that week of camp; she is also the same young lady who is dating Mike's son; spiritual children and biological children. When one is faithful, you never know how that will influence the future.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

A Real Camp Wedding

I attended the wedding of Grant Stephas and Sarah Seehusen on Saturday night in Eagle Grove. Both, had attended camp at Hidden Acres, met as T3'ers and cleaned toilets together, and eventually were Jr. and Sr. Counselors. What a joy for me to witness their marriage and to eat their cake too. My prayer is that their lives will continue to be fruitful and that they may raise a family that brings glory to God. It was so unique to see that both Sarah's and Grant's parents and grandparents and great grandparents are all still married; what a rich heritage this couple begins their life together with; they have to succeed as a couple with all that pedigree behind them.

We are not E-Harmony... but close. During the staff commissioning service at the end of staff training, I tell parents who are attending, "Look around, your future son-in-law is probably in this room. " And I tell the staff, "And your best man or bridesmaid is probably here too." Did that ever come to fruition on Saturday.... Grant and Sarah met as campers, dated over the years; all of Grant's groomsmen were young men Grant had counselled with him at camp. I will go out on a limb and say, "These same 4 young men will probably be life long friends of Grant's too." Camp has a way of blending kids together in such a healthy environment; working side by side in ministry has a way of cementing relationships. And... they were married by his youth pastor, Tim Olson, who was also a camp counselor many years ago. The rehearsal supper was themed, "Hidden Acres". I think I need to send a bill out to their parents for this match making via Hidden Acres.

That truly is an added bonus to the summer ministry of camp. Over 1900 campers attended Hidden Acres this summer; 55 accepted Christ; over 120 young people worked for us over the summer; and many lasting friendship were made. Isn't camp life wonderful. We think so!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Conquest: A high school tradition

The buzz has already started; maintenance boys are clearing their schedule today, so they will be freed up to play tomorrow. The BIG game of the week; camp is divided into different territories; campers are divided up into several different teams, and the afternoon is spent chasing each around the 660 acres of camp. Flags are created to symbolize each team; paint and camouflage is put on to create an imagery of some type of a battle; and the staff begins to lay out strategy and plans. The Biggest Game of Capture the Flag is about ready to begin.

I stay in the office; have never played it in the game's 12 year history; I just watch as wounded campers and staff hobble into the nurses station with poison ivy attacks or sprained ankles. Being the compassionate person I am, I remind them... 'it was your choice to play!! Stop your whining."

The entire event is comparable to a high school prom. For a prom there are weeks and weeks of preparation, and lots of money spent, only to have a so-so evening... but the before preparations are exciting, and the after talk is fun to verbalize and embellish... just the dance ain't too great... neither is the poison ivy and all the running and sweating.... but it is fun to anticipate and fun to remember creatively and selectively.

The game is a great revealer of who has leadership qualities; who is a bit lazy; who are the competitors; who is timid and not a risk taker; who are the risk takers and the gamblers; and who is the one who is the social butterfly and prefers to visit with team mates and the enemy... they just want to be together visiting with someone.

I say, "Good Luck Kids!" .... and remember... if you get lost, climb up the hill and you will arrive back at camp... if you want to run away... go down hill.... and supper is at 5:30.

For all you alumni staff, we wish you could be with us tomorrow for the game of the week; for those not able to attend, sit back with me and smile, knowing how much fun is being had and what great memories are being made at Sr. High week.

Our Walk: and the walk across Iowa

I spoke this morning for our church time at camp; 40+ campers and staff filled the first 3 rows of the chapel. During our time together, I spoke of my walk 4 years ago across Iowa and what I had learned from it. The 22 days on the road, that covered over 350 miles were three weeks of pure fun and joy. I can't remember when exercise felt better.

Much of what I learned from the walk, I transferred to our spiritual walk. Let me share the seven things I learned.

1. No coasting… Scripture talks about our spiritual walk…
a. we need to be doing something… often times we want BIG opportunities.. big ministry…
b. More often than not… our spiritual walk is one step at a time.. being faithful in the small opportunities… taking care of the mundane, detail issues in our walk
c. Dolly Christian.- Many Christians want the pastor to push them along in their walk and whine… “I’m not being fed”, when they are not living victorious lives.
d. A Christian with a ball and chain of past hurts and life pains struggles in their walk

2. Everyone needs someone to be encouraged along the way.
a. The lady in the Red van, who picked me up at the end of the day and took me to my camper, and then invited me for supper and stay in their families back yard over night. She was an angel of mercy on my walk.
b. I am a lone ranger. I can do it by myself has been my mantra... I have had to learn to let others encourage me.
c. I believe this is the single #1 reason new believers shrivel at the vine. No one comes along side them to encourage. If you can’t teach, preach, be an elder… be the church encourager.

3. Stay focused. Nothing could sidetrack me. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Eph 5:15 Circum- around spectly- to look. I had lots of offers for breakfast in morning, longer lunches. Just skip a mile… no one will know was told to me by many. There are lots of noices/voices/attractions that can get in the way… trip us up. Life in general can pull you off track. Satan is the deceiver…a snake in grass, walking about look whom to destroy.

4. Keep fit. Watch my diet. Wear the right shoes.
I knew that heavy cheeseburgers and fries… killed me. Sugars and sweets slowed me down… what I needed was pasta, carbohydrates… New balance shoes. What I took in…. made me.. What are you consuming of the world? Movies… (I tell counselors during summer… stay away from them…. Keep you mind/life clean and unpolluted.) I often times am seen as legalistic…. But I know the equation… garbage in---garbage out.

5. Straight roads are best… I could drink coffee/read newspaper and walk at the same time.
Scripture backs me up!!! Ps. 27:1 lead me in the straight path; Heb 12:13 Make straight paths for my feet; Matt 3:3 make your paths straight ; Prov 3:5-6. No obstacles/no hills/no distractions. Central Iowa was pretty boring… but pretty flat.. Eastern Iowa beautiful… but hills and blind curves… On the straight path… you can see way out in front of you.


6. I was committed! I was often asked how do you keep doing this day after day. How do you FEEL about walking this far… I always say, “It ain’t about feelings. I am committed to completing this. I get up, take Ibuprofen… and walk. Even when I didn’t FEEL like it. The same is true with marriage/job/my relationship with the Lord

7. Keep looking ahead. Water towers, elevators… meant restaurant, pancakes and rest… heaven… eternal rest. Start looking at life from a heavenly perspective. The older I get the less attached to earth I am. My life trophies seem meaningless. (Deer mounts… where are my kids going to put them?)

How’s your walk.. Getting off the road… hiding behind curves. Trying to coast down hills… have you stopped reading daily.. praying...are you compromising Biblical principles?.... tiny unseen sins pull you off the path into the ditch.

Are you surrounding yourself with other believers to encourage you. MORE IMPORTANT- are you as an older, mature Christian surrounding the young believers

How’s your diet? Is your diet a steady intake of Bible reading, memorization, prayer.

Are you looking ahead. It isn’t a run-but a slow, step by step walk. Decision by decision. Making the right choice along the way.

What does the Lord require of you according to Micah 6:8- What does the Lord require of you!... To Walk humbly with your God

God told Abram,”Walk before me and be blameless Gen 17:1 Abram was 99 years old.

God was saying, “Stay out in front of me so I can keep track of you (so I can take care of you.”

You can walk with God, or before God, Just Walk!!! As in the movie, What about Bob…baby steps are ok... at camp... you may take giant strides forward... but when you get home...keep walking, stay committed... keep consuming Scriptures daily.... stay on the straight path... and look ahead.

Isaiah 40:31 Run and not grow weary… walk and not faint.

It is my desire, as the camp director, that this group of high school and college age kids will leave Hiddden Acres with purpose in their Walk... with a new resolve to meditate on Scriptures... to walk and NEVER faint... or grow tired of doing good!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

My Second Cousin: "I did it my way!"

Cousin Robert and Earl in 2007

I attended the funeral of my second cousin, yesterday in Newton; as a child, I stayed with my cousin'sparents, Aunt Bessie and Uncle Ernest, for weeks at a time during the summer; I credit my time staying with my dear aunt and uncle as a real learning experience to me; I believe some of my work ethic was caught while staying on the farm with them. It was with this dear aunt and uncle that I lived with, when at 6 months old, my mother and I were travelling to see them on the farm and was involved in a car wreck; I was thrown out of the car along with my mom... she broke her back and was laid up for 6 months... I received a nasty cut on my forehead...(I still have the scar), but was OK otherwise. From the stories I have been told, Aunt Bessie took care of me for most of the 6 month while mom was recuperating. For that reason, I always have seen Aunt Bessie as my favorite.

My cousin was out of the house and married during most of my stays on the farm, but lived close by and farmed along side of his dad. (I actually was a ring bearer at my cousnin's wedding in 1958). I looked up to my cousin as a child as we went around the farm doing summer chores together: haying, watering cattle with a windmill pump, and throwing out corn on the ground to farrowing sows in the pasture. All was big stuff for a ten year old.

My cousin was 71, lived his entire life on a farm north of Newton, and died of cancer. I was struck by the entire funeral service. The preacher read some Scripture, talked of sparrows falling to the ground; but never mentioned anything about a spiritual experience of my cousins (there was none that I was aware of), and closed in a generic prayer suitable for a "Christian" burial. The service ended with the casket being rolled out of the chapel to the song by Frank Sinatra, "I did it my way!" ... followed by sandwiches and potato salad. As I looked over the table set out in foyer of the funeral home, I was saddened at what been identified as to having meaning or value to my cousin: there was a variety of farm toys... representing his love for the farm (he was a great farmer), but along with the many pictures of fishing, farm activity, and grandchildren: all of things my cousin cherished; were three other items: 2 smalls bottles of Black Velvet whiskey, a pack of Camel cigarettes, and a empty Chicago Cubs beer cup! The very thing that killed him (Camels) was seen as an important part of his life by someone; not by me... I remembered my cousin as a lover of the land and a helpful, caring neighbor.

Needless to say, I was a little weepy as I visited with my cousin's brother and sister and their children. I caught up with two of my cousin's kids outside of the funeral home on their own cigarette break; they too had no hope in their eyes or heart. Time/and the amount of people wanting to visit with the children, did not allow me to strike up a conversation about a relationship with Christ; my prayer is that I have another opportunity; I loved my cousin and his entire family and would want nothing more than spending eternity with them in heaven.

I tell you this story this morning as a reminder to each of us: What will we be carrying to our funeral; empty beer cups and pack of cigarettes, or testimonies of lives that we influenced through our works and personal witness and testimony? ....Only one life to offer... take it dear Lord I pray... or I did it my way?

Planning for eternity....today!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Great Testimonies from Home

I am so blessed: I get to be around kids all summer; I get to motivate a group of staff; I get to hear great reports from mom's and dad's back home after the children return from camp. (occasionally I am not so Blessed when I get a unfavorable report from home; this doesn't happen often... but it does happen!) I will share appropriate excerpts from parents.

" I have enjoyed reading your blogs and insights on many issues. I want you to know that the experience my children have at Hidden Acres is priceless. I am a single mother trying to raise my boys on my own for 14 years now. I never could have done it without Gods help, the church's help or Hidden Acres . My boys are 17 and 15 now. One is currently at Hidden Acres. The three of us have seen alot of ups and downs together, but God always seems to give us the strength we need to move forward. Both boys have gone to Hidden Acres every summer for the last 8 years. I try to keep them actively involved in church so they can stay focused on what is important, but sometimes life gets in the way. It is such a blessing to see them return from camp every year. The bond they form with Christ while they are there no money can buy. They always come home with such an inner peace, it makes me cry. I want nothing but great things and a prosperous future for them. I know through God they will find it. God works miracles in our life every day, through people like you and the great staff at Hidden Acres! Thank You! I only pray that one day I can give back as much as you guys have given us. You have truly been a blessing to this family!"
Sincerely, One grateful mom

What a blessing for me to hear that! That is the kind of impact we pray we can make in the lives of young people and entire families. We are here to help parents be successful in their parenting; to help them raise kids with a heart to serve and worship Christ.

Dear Hidden Acres Camp:

I just wanted to write and thank you for the wonderful time my son had at camp. He attended the T-3 camp . Alec Epkes was his counselor and my son enjoyed and looked up to him so much. Thank you Alec! My son loved the fun, work, friends, and "devos". He's come backed changed in a good way. I am so thankful as a mother to see his growth and a new depth in his character. As a teen, he needs to be around other teens with a positive influence that reflects God's love to him. Alec and Hidden Acres certainly did that. Our son told me last week that he really had fun hanging around Alec. He was looking up Bible verses to share that he and Alec had talked about. We just signed him up to be back for Sr. High week this month and he is thrilled to be returning...

God Bless your ministry.... a mom of a camper

Do you see what can happen? When a counselor is sold out to Jesus Christ... his life style and example bubbles out from him; his life is contagious to those around him. That is our prayer each spring when we hire these young people; that they will be the instruments that God uses to touch camper's lives.

....and finally

"Sometimes during the winter, when things are getting a little rough with our teenager, I remember that during the summer she will be going to Hidden Acres. I can't explain the transformation that occurs after she's been there. I just can tell you that the Holy Spirit is refilled within and fruit is produced."

In gratitude... a camper's mom

Transformation... Changed... Refilled with the Holy Spirit! I don't have to say anymore... these mom's just did it for me.... they just explained why we have camp at Hidden Acres, and what we hope to accomplish in the lives of each camper.

Sr. High week next week!!! Are we ever excited about how/when the Spirit of God will work in their lives. Pray with me throughout the week.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

International Week/Adventure Camp: a diffferent sort of week at Hidden Acres

We have started one of the most unusual type of weeks of the summer; a blend of international flavor for about 70 campers; and a non-traditional type of adventure camp for over 200 other campers. We have two speakers, 3 coaches, 2 shooting instructors, and several other volunteers on the grounds this week.

There are cabins of boys ready to hit the paint ball course; there are boys and girls playing basketball; girls playing volleyball; girls riding English; girls beginning the first green broke camp at the horse barn; and then there are the archery and shooting boys. Their schedule is completely different from any of our earlier camps. As I drove around camp this morning, there was activity in all areas of camp. What a joy!!

There are several things that excite me about this week: Mark Henderson, the youth pastor from Ames EFC is one of our speakers. Mark and his wife Cari were counselors for the camp back in the 90's. Becky Angell Bloom, another former counselor and program director, is coaching the girls volleyball. Coach Bob Berggren is back coaching BB camp for his 27th summer at camp. To me, it feels like old home week.

Know what else excites me? This is the week we attract some young people who might not ever go to church or camp anywhere else, but things like paintball, shooting, or basketball attract them to Hidden Acres. Most of you might know, I find paint ball a little silly.... I am a hunter and find playing with a toy gun a little bit unreal... (I enjoy the real hunt for deer and turkey). But over the years, I have seen a bunch of hard looking boys come to camp because of the paintball.... hear the gospel... and turn their lives over to Christ.... I can't argue with that... get them here with paintball... present the gospel... and watch the Spirit of God work in their lives.

International camp also thrills my heart. We have a group of kids from all over the world: Africa, SE Asia, Russia, Mexico, and South America attending camp and hearing the messages from our friend Lawrence Bommett from Kenya. In addition to hearing the gospel, these young people are getting to experience camp in America. For many of these young people, they are here in the States because their parents are graduate students in Ames, Iowa City or other colleges. Usually, after 3 to 5 years, they will return home to their native countries. It is our desire to send out young missionaries back to these countries; they accept Christ at camp... plug into a local church for a couple years... then return home to share with others in their homelands. That is multiplication!!

I just returned from a tour with a dear friend; Joe Anholt, formerly of the Ft. Dodge Free Church, and now living in Cedar Rapids. Joe was one of the original board members who founded the camp in 1979; he was one that helped raise money to buy the land, and one that helped erect the first building. He is now 88 years old; ready to go home to be with the Lord; and wanted to take the 3 hour drive to camp to see what it had become. What a privilege for me to give him the big tour and to show him a busy camp full of kids and opportunities for us. What fun to take him to the Prayer Tree and for him to read the plaque near the tree where the founding board knelt and asked God's blessing and direction for Hidden Acres. When he left, he left with tears in his eyes and with the comment, "I'll be waiting for you!" It took me a minute to understand what he was saying.... but I caught it... "I'll look forward to that day Joe when we both are in heaven!"

Joe knows his days are numbered; he knows where he will spend eternity; he knows he has done a good thing in being involved in such a ministry as Hidden Acres; and he knows because of his efforts and many others, he will see many who had made their commitment to Christ while at camp.....and I'll be waiting for the campers too!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Never Stop Dreaming

Balm of Gilead

I sit around and think a lot these days; it is part old age and part pensiveness; regardless my thinking leads to dreams and over time, many of my dreams become a reality.

I have always had a project or two in the boiler; we knew we were going to build this motel lodge many years ago; we just needed to finish to Family Life Center first. Today they are digging the footings for the motel, and digging in water lines. I can get started thinking about the next project!

The next project won't be a building but a program; a counselling center. A place where our churches can send couples, singles, families, young, old, and in between to get some long term counselling. It is our desire to provide such a place as this at the camp. We would create a centrally located counselling center that would be open and available to those who are hurting or whose lives are being ripped apart by divorce, infidelity, or death. We want to provide the BALM that helps heal the wounds and make well the sick.

I received a envelope yesterday from a family friend who lives out west; in it, he and his wife announce a new ministry they have just started to minister to those who had gone through an abusive situation as a child. My friend then went on and told how as a young boy, he was molested by an uncle.... and for 40 years, my friend kept this secret to himself. What so surprised me is that this friend, lived a Ozzie and Harriet type of life; went to church 3 times a week, had a mom who stayed home and cared for the children, had supper at 5:30 every night with the family.... and yet he was tormented by this Uncle... and tormented throughout the first 30 years of his married life.... as he wrestled with the doubts and questions about his youth.

At times, I want to bury my head in the sand and not listen or look around me; but I am afraid there are way too many people who need a dose of balm somewhere in their life or in their families lives. We see it at camp as children come and open up to their counselors about the struggles and hurts they are experiencing as a 10 year old. We see it in families who attend family camp as a last ditch effort to keep the family together. We hear stories of men at men's retreats who are one step away from walking away from their families.

We will start slow by having someone here part time; as the motel is finished, we will be able to offer long term housing for those who need extra time with the counselor. Eventually, I could see providing space separated from central camp for this ministry.

Do you see the need around you like I do? Write me and tell me if you think this is a needed ministry. I need to hear from you about how you see this counselling center working.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Ruth and Boaz: Finding a mate: Biblically

I went through a stack of wedding invitations this morning responding to those that we could attend, and sending my regrets to those where we could not be there. Each of these invites were from former staff at camp. I began to reflect on the Ruth and Boaz story from the book of Ruth and remembered it has been many years since I taught these principles to the summer staff.

We are all for Christian young men and Christian young ladies to be interested in each other; just not on camp time. There is a time and a season for everything, but creating a relationship while being a camp counselor was not one of them. I always told the staff after you are home, and back under your mom and dad's umbrella of authority, then you can begin the process; I want you focused on the campers for the summer. No purpling allowed! (pink and blue make purple so the staff came up with the term purpling)

I smile at all the staff who met at camp that were eventually married. There was a time that our head counselors automatically connected after camp. John Nett and Ivana Zylstra. Tim Olsen and Lori Schaefer eventually married each other. Others were counselors, or kitchen, or maintenance that became interested enough during the summer, that by fall, they were head or heals in like (love). Last month alone, there were 2 weddings of former staff, both on the same day... and they had all met each other in camp... Mary and Jonathan and Bethany and Carson. One of the weddings was held at the camp near the horse barn where Mary and Jonathan met.

Ruth and Boaz did it the right way. Ruth stayed under the authority of her parent (mother-in-law). She did not seek a husband, but obeyed her mother in law and gathered grain in near-by fields. It was only after that Naomi found out that Boaz treated Ruth kindly that Naomi instructed her how to approach her kinsman redeemer properly. The courtship continued until Boaz went through all the necessary steps to redeem Ruth properly. As a result... Ruth and Boaz beget Obed and Obed beget Jesse... and Jesse beget David.... you read the rest of the story in the first chapter of Matthew.

When done properly (Biblically), courtship can produce wonderful results; marriages are blessed. When done without a Biblical model to follow, there is often times heartache and problems that young couples will have to deal with and receive counselling for later on. Who wouldn't want to have a young man come and ask permission to begin to see your daughter? Who wouldn't want a young man to take time to get to know the entire family of the girl he is interested in? Who wouldn't want to have a potential son-in-law that owns his own fields... and house... and not expect mom and dad to provide a roof and bed and food for them after marriage? Boaz did it right!!!

I can remember a counselor from Oelwein church, Jill Evans, who told me after she was married, "We followed the Ruth and Boaz model... and our marriage is wonderful... we involved our parents in the entire process, we remained pure, and my husband honored me by going through the right steps in securing my family's blessing of our engagement." To me that is a pretty good recommendation.

I am not too big on dating; especially for 14 to 18 year old kids; there is no reason for 2 young people to be alone. There are too many emotions and urges that cannot be contained or controlled. Why play with fire when you don't have the tools to keep from getting burned in the end. I would always look for large group activities to let my kids attend; never alone!

Many parents fight me about this; they dated when they were young, and why can't their kids. They can date... but there will be some consequences. I don't believe recreational dating brings anything good...if a kids is bored... get a job. We date to find a mate... and we don't need to find a mate until we are old enough to hold a job and provide for the family... so why get started at something too soon... it is not as if we need practice to get good at dating.

I challenge you to read the beautiful book of Ruth and look at it as a courtship model for your family; if done properly... many generations to come will be blessed.... Ruth and Boaz beget Obed.... and so on!!

http://www.amishgazebos.com/

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Value of Camping: It costs alot to attend Camp!

We hear it from many parents, "Wow, $250 to send my kid to camp!? I remember when I went to camp for $35 for the week!" It is expensive; we know that; the camp staff all have children and we know how expensive raising a child can be.

Can I share with you what other camps are charging? I have picked 5 camps in Iowa that are similar to Hidden Acres in what they offer; Hidden Acres is the largest of these camps.

Pine Lake-Eldora- regular camp $295 early registrationand $320 late registration

Inspiration Hills- NW Iowa- regular camp $260 early registration and $270 late registration

Village Creek- Lansing- regular camp $285 early registration and $305 for late registration

River Side- Story City- regular camp $345 early registration and $360 for late registration

Hidden Acres- Dayton- regular camp $250 early registration and $260 for late registration

That doesn't take the sting off you when you write the check out to Hidden Acres, but it does show you we are not out of line in what we charge. During our retreat schedule, I hear from people that say, "For what you offer, you are too cheap!" We have tried to keep our costs down so that our guests feel like they got a great value for their dollar. I don't know about you, but I hate to go out and eat, pay a high price, and the food and service was lousy... I feel I was taken to the cleaners.

We also have changed our policy about emails; and we have heard a few complaints; now parents have to pay BunkOne a fee to send emails to their child while at camp. Let me tell you why we did this. We were getting up to 500 emails per day; we were having to hire a full time person in the office to manage this flood of emails; we were going through a ream of paper and lots of ink each day so that parents could say "Hi". We want the camper to receive mail, but felt that our costs were getting out of hand. We also spoke to several other camps: NONE of them were doing what we have done for years. They would not accept emails for free. I have not heard of another camp that feeds parents and family on opening night and on closing night like Hidden Acres does.

I tell you all this parents, so that you can understand a little bit about how much it costs to operate the camp. Even at $250 per week, your child is subsidized by our Evangelical Free churches; our churches donate over $90,000 per year to keep the camp running. Camp actually costs Hidden Acres over $300 per camper to attend.

I know of child care for small babies over $200 per week; I know of day sports camps for young people to be over $300 per week. Raising a family is expensive; it is estimated that it costs an urban family over $225,000 per child to raise them up to age 18; with no financial return on their investment. A farm kid will generate over $125,000 income for the farming parent through labor on the farm; we all need to move back to the farm!!

Know this parents! No child should stay home because mom and dad can't swing the entire bill; we want every child to have an opportunity to attend camp. Our churches have been so faithful in providing help for campers. Hidden Acres can help some too. We want everyone boy and girl to experience a week of camp where they can be challenged in their faith, where they can be encouraged in their walk, and where life time friendships can be started.

You have to trust the parent of 4 kids who attended Hidden Acres all their lives; much good fruit was produced in their lives because of their weekly treks to camp.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

God is moved by prayer...your prayers too!

Part of my job on Sunday during registration time is to float around and visit with parents or other guests; I am given no job on Sunday but that. I approached a dad and young daughter yesterday and struck up a conversation, asking where they lived, which spurred the next question of what church they attend in this town; the dad's response was, "We don't attend church." My response was, "OK... we are so glad you are here!"

I am so glad this 5th grade young lady is going to be at camp this week. I am pleased that her parents decided to send her to a Bible camp; it is as if they knew that what she will hear this week would be good for her. Indeed it will... anytime a young person can come and hear the gospel message several times over 5 days is a GREAT thing!

Our speaker for the week is Josh Denhart,(see picture above), children's pastor at Valley EFC in West Des Moines. Josh and his wife Sarah were counselors at Hidden Acres in the 90's; they even met at camp. Josh comes to camp with the passion of an evangelist and the heart of a pastor; he uses his skills as a former chemistry teacher to present the gospel and other Biblical principles through visual chemistry experiments; Josh spoke last year during this same week... he was probably the most powerful speaker we have ever had at camp. And... he was so good that he touched even the counselling staff.

I love Josh's testimony; he grew up in SW Iowa, father was a veterinarian; but Josh grew up thinking more of being in a rock and roll band than anything spiritual; and his lifestyle followed that of the rock and roll mentality. When he enrolled at UNI, through the testimonies of others around him, he was saved. One of his buddies was a counselor here at Hidden Acres and recommended Josh to come and be a counselor. Josh became the best wilderness counselor we have ever had; his letter written to his friends and family is an almost holy document to me. I have told my family that I want that letter to be buried with me... it so exemplifies what we do at camp! Below is the letter that Josh wrote in 1998:

Dear Friends and family:

Camp is going very well. It was very rainy the first two weeks and that was difficult to handle in the army tent, but I was able to maintain a positive attitude and serve God. There are many wonderful stories that I could tell, but I will tell only one. The third week was nearing an end, and Thursday morning at the senior staff meeting, I was at the end of my rope. I almost cried when I shared how distraught I was. I was exhausted physically, mentally and spiritually. I spared them the details, and just shared that I really needed prayer. I had stayed in any army tent for the last three weeks: rain, roaches, more mosquitoes than I had ever experienced, an elusive yet odoriferous nest of dead mice babies, and the kids were rebellious. The staff prayed for me, and I later found out that the staff continued to pray for me. We closed the meeting singing the chorus, "Create in me a clean heart" from Psalms 51, and I became so refreshed, and I had peace.

We had a closing campfire the next night, and the Spirit of God was poured upon the group of kids that I had. Several boys went forward at the campfire and rededicated their lives to Christ. I was very excited, but as God's Word says, "He can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine", and He did. We went back to the tent and.......... the formerly rebellious boys began singing praise songs. That night the 16 x 32 foot army tent was transformed into a place of worship. Soon the group was gathered around into a circle, and we spent over an hour in prayer. This was not just prayer, but Spirit filled, physically exhausting, campers crying, hands lifted, - type of prayer. Something like this has never happened in any of the previous groups of campers. WHOA, it was indescribable, and it was a moment of worship that I will never forget. These boys experienced what I hoped they strive for all the days of their lives. One boy said at a break in prayer, "My insides are all tingly, and I never had this before." Oh, to let others taste and see that the Lord is good. Remember that this was the same counselor, one day before who was ready to throw in the towel... God is moved by prayer...your prayers too.

The next day the boys stopped the director of the camp and insisted on telling him about our experience the night before. They were excited about the encounter that they had had with the Almighty. The overflowing joy of the Holy Spirit must be expressed! As soon as their parents came to get their kids, they told them, "we prayed for over an hour and...and....and"

Do you see why I love this letter? Some day I will compile a book of my experiences here at camp and the title will be, "The Hand of the Lord is upon Us... an Encounter with the Almighty".

Now you know why I was excited to see the little unchurched girl sitting on the rock with her dad. I knew that this week she was going to have her Encounter with the Almighty!!! God is moved by prayers... and your prayers too!!!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Having faith like a Child! First timers at camp

Tonight, 250+ little campers arrived at camp; for many, this will be their first camping experience; for many it will be their first time away from home for 3 nights with strangers; for many, it will be their first 3 day sleep over in a fun cabin with 7 or 8 other campers. All in all, it is a great 3 days at camp.

For me, it was even more enjoyable to see 5 former counselors bring their little ones to camp! Wow! Mom and Dad wanted to give their child a similar experience that they experience as counselors back in the early 1990's. This is by far my favorite week; the kids want to be loved by their counselor; they want lots of action and fun, and they need extra sleep. The counselor loves this week also; for the counselor, they are ready to be smothered and wallered by their camper, and the 7 year old boys climb over their counselor as if he were a tree.

This is my prayer; many of these children have attended Awana's and have made some commitments to Christ; for others, this could be their first time in a Christian environment that will introduce them to the gospel. It is our prayer that each camper has their encounter with the Almighty... that these three days will be etched in their memory and heart as an encounter with the Savior.

I looked around tonight during the hot dog roast at these rosy cheeked children, full of innocence and promise; as I strolled amongst the tables I rubbed a few heads and patted a few shoulders, but I was really praying for these children. Praying that their days and years ahead might be full of positive Christian influences like they will experience this week. Praying that they would maintain purity in their hearts; praying that they would become strong Christian leaders with vibrant testimonies.
As a news junkie, I watch too much Fox news. I hear and see reports around the world and I can begin to fret and stew and worry and wonder. I wonder what my grand kids are going to have to endure; I wonder what these 250 campers will have to face in the days ahead. What can we do today to build up these young people with hearts and minds to discern what is good from evil, to discern what is best for them in the future? I know of nothing better than God's Word engrafted into their minds through memorizing... "Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee."

In 10 short years, many of these first time campers will be of age to work at the camp; I am praying that the Lord will begin a good work in them that will be built upon at home and at church and in the future years at camp. We want these youngsters to develop into real soldiers of the cross.

Pray with me this week!!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Bone-head award

Our Poster Child: Joel Saleh

To the ultra sensitive, the Bone Head award sound a little harsh and judgemental; to the uncamped person, you might not understand the rational; to the camp staff, everyone knows and appreciates the bone head award; it is to be received as a badge of honor; as the camp director it is seen as a young person checking his or her common sense out at the door.

For over 20 years we have been announcing a bone head award at the end of each week; 20 years ago, I passed out chicken bone on a rope for the staff person to wear as a necklace. We don't serve chicken on Friday nights anymore, so there are few bones around for the necklace.

Let me share a few episodes I have witnessed:

1. Randy Baber taking my favorite 1983, red Suburban and wrapping it around a tree near the boys cabin. He said, "The road was too slick from all the rain we had." Randy lives in Des Moines after graduating from Emmaus Bible College.

2. P.J. Holmertz and other staff took 5 horses to the river in 1993 on a weekend horse ride... without permission. While at the river, the horses ate grass along the river bank that had been flooded during the 1993 floods. They returned to camp with the horses. On Monday, the first horse dropped over dead with botulism poison from the grass... by the end of the week, 5 horses were dead. P.J. is now the counselling pastor at Valley EFC.

3. Brent Bartels picks up one of the dead horses on Wednesday, and drives through the middle of camp with the horse hanging from the front end of the tractor loader.... right by the little kids standing by the flag pole.... children were crying over the dead horse!! Brent and his family lives in South Dakota.

4. In the 80's we didn't have a full time summer camp nurse; we also had very little medication to dispense. We had a small room where the medications were kept, and it was the responsibility of the counselor to dispense any pills that campers needed to take before a meal. Chris McGovern, ask his boys, "Who takes medications?" Caleb Merriman said he did... and so Chris gave Caleb the only medication from his zip lock bag to Caleb... Redlin... and Caleb didn't take Redlin... needless to say... Caleb was a little subdued for the afternoon... I called his mother Marty.... "Oh no problem..." she said, "He will be fine." And he was... Caleb ended up being a counselor at camp when he was out of high school. (Note: We now have RN's dispensing meds!!) Chris is now an banker.

5. Joel Saleh... do I need to say more? Joel received more bone head awards than any other staff: truck or tractor accidents, spilled paint, you name it... he attracted mishaps or accidents.... he is now a railroad engineer....

6. Ryan Sheldon from Oregon, had never driven a truck with a stick shift, or a tractor, but was put on the maintenance crew. His first day, he drove a truck through the large overhead door at the shop. Greg Johnson was the maintenance director in 2003. Greg stormed into my office..."I can't take them boys anymore!", he snorted... Greg moved to Wichita a few days later. Ryan is now a school teacher in Japan.

7. Jonathan Stamberg was on staff in the early 90's. A great kid, but absent minded. He was buzzing around in my personal truck, a Ford Ranger pickup, when he lost track of the road in the girl's cabin area and found a 8 inch hickory tree. The ranger had a nice creased look after that. Jonathan is a worship pastor in Atlanta Georgia.

The best thing about this is that we laugh about it heartily now! Though they destroyed property or possessions, these young people learned from their mistakes and misdeeds. Usually we were able to display large amounts of grace; none of these kids were ever fired from camp; they were reprimanded is some way, and life went on.

As adults, we all should be given a bone head award at least monthly; we all have fallen short of the mark; we all have goofed either at home or at work; a chicken bone around the neck might help us to remember longer and act slower.

Note: The list above is not exhaustive; these are only a few that come to mind this morning... more will be added as my memory kicks in.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

My Dad: 80 wonderful years. Thank you Dad!

We buried my Dad today in Wexford cemetery south of Lansing, Iowa; a place that Dad loved; a trout stream nearby and a turkey hunting woods behind his grave. From the hill looking over the valley below, the sight was breath taking. My family has fished and hunted and vacationed in the hills south of Lansing for 44 years and Dad wanted that to be his final resting place. The entire two days of a funeral in Boone on Tuesday and the grave side service near Wexford, were wonderful; sad... but wonderful that my Dad's strong testimony and influence in people's lives were validated over these two days. We connected with family friends of over 50 years; so many spoke so kindly of Dad and what he meant to them.

I will share with you the eulogy I wrote and spoke at the funeral service on Tuesday.

For 80 years, Dad carried on life here on earth… born in a log cabin in Missouri, his early life was filled with wonderful memories of his Dad and especially his mother… life on Locust and Paw Paw creeks was extremely bare and poor, but filled with wonderful events and 7 brothers and sisters that shaped dad into who he was to become as a man… it was his mother's love and care that Dad spoke of so much as he grew older… her canning nearly a 1000 quarts of greens, and fruit, and vegetables… or his Dad’s rants and raves or hunts… or his tom boy sisters…. Or his big brother Everett who stuck up for him, and was his protector… and of course his colorful brother Earl… all were instrumental in creating the Waylon we knew… when he spoke of his dear sisters, he spoke as if they were Saints…except Peg…. When he spoke of Peg… he spoke with love and affection…and only said she was one of a kind….

Can I share of few word pictures of what mattered to dad?

Some of Dad’s favorites:
Loved the cabin…Loved to fish for trout..for 43 years… dad’s favorite place to vacation was in NE Iowa…
Loved to turkey hunt. He loved his hunting shack that Jane gave him..
Dad loved to garden… you could often find him hoeing early in the morning with just his shorts on. We all remember going to the garden with a knife and eating kohlrabies, or tomatoes… dad loved fresh tomatoes…corn, asparagus…
Loved to cook: favorite meals we always enjoyed with dad… chicken BBQ, fish, Indian fry bread, tacos… with the home made shells, wild turkey soup, wilted lettuce. And anything that gravy could be made from…

Later in life, he enjoyed going to Des Moines to the Sr. Golf tournament…. Vivian was dad’s autograph getter… Arnold Palmer and others.

Dad loved to go to Missouri… fish at Uncle Everett’s ponds, Memorial Day weekend… he would usereal lard to fry fish.

In the late winter you would find dad at Veterans Auditorium at the high school wrestling tournament, and in March, he would travel up to 500 mile to go to the national wrestling tournament… state tournaments for basketball, baseball…But in the summer… it was the St. Louis Cardinals… he loved to watch the Cardinals.

Dad loved any excuse to get together with his family; if you invited dad to a celebration, wedding, graduation, etc, he would be there… extended family knows what I am talking about… it was as if he could smell the cake. And once there, he became the life of the party. We are convinced that his 80th birthday party was what kept dad alive last winter.

Dad loved taking countless pictures of insignificant things… in multiple… of buildings, bridges, trees, flowers, or a deer or turkey at 700 yards. He bought his first reel to reel tape recorder in 1961… we still talk about our tape of eating supper with Grandma Ola Taylor… dad’s mom…. with grandma saying, “Look at the boy eat that sour kraut… "

Dad loved his morning paper… Des Moines Register… at the cabin we would drive nearly 20 mile to get several different papers for Dad to read throughout the day.

Most of you know Dad was a Missouri Democrat… true blue democrat… his mantra was the Republicans take from the poor and give to the rich…. Didn’t like big oil… we Republican children stopped discussing any type of politics with dad several years ago… we couldn’t convince him, and he us… I almost thought dad wasn’t real comfortable voting for Barrack Hussein Obama, and he sure wasn’t going to vote for a Republican, so he just decided to check out of life…

Dad was able to marry all his kids and all the grandchildren old enough…. At Randy’s… he was at his best… toward the end, he would forget to include important parts like kiss your bride or exchanging rings… but at each there was so much fun, and laughter and love…. Nobody cared… it was a treat to have grandpa a part of each wedding.

Dad loved to meet new people… He never met a stranger, but would strike up a conversation with anyone… dad was remembered by most as someone with a large laugh and a slap to his knee.

I have heard from many people that they loved Dad’s stories… he was able to draw from his rich, but poor, childhood so many stories of his brothers and sisters and his mom and dad. His last story to me was about farming in the early 50’s with Grandpa Harm, and milking cows by hand… the self cleaning cream separator… complete with sound effects of how it sounded when it was cleaning… and about a particular cow that was a real milker; when they sold her, they got $300 for her..

Everything that I have spoken of above were the activities that we remember him being involved in… earthly things.

But by far the most important thing that ever happened to Dad was his conversion on April 3, 1961 while on the job at the Grinnell high school construction site… eating lunch… that was the greatest event in Dad’s life… he did become a new creation in Christ..

From that point, Dad changed… a Missouri childhood friend when told Dad was a pastor said, "I thought he would have been a horse thief."

It was during that time our mother left Dad… leaving him with 4 young children to raise… and he did it so faithfully….cooked, worked in the factory, took us to the laundromat on Friday nights along with visits to Auntie Gladys… Gary on the floor watching a movie, and Karen and her yappy, nervous, Pomeranian dog… …(my sisters remember me sticking my arm and swiping candy bars from the machine at the laundromat… and dad whipping me for that!!!) Jane remembers dad even whipping her when she was 17 for a lie she told… Randy remembers the episode of his 61 Chevy and the souped of racing motor he put in without Dad knowing it, and how Dad handled that... and Vivian remembers well, how Dad kept track of her high school parade of boys wanting to date her.... Dad didn't stop disciplining us when we reached 12... but we always felt completely loved... we all knew when we had it coming to us.

We moved to Searsboro in the spring of 1962, where Dad met Dorothy… when they were married, life got back to more normal… he was called into the ministry… and his first church was at Pleasant Ridge north of Coon Rapids… Dad didn’t have much theological training… as a matter of fact… his 8th grade education was about it… a little training at Vernard… but it was Dad’s heart, his care, his compassion to the church people that made him a pastor, and not a preacher…for over 40 years… Dad served at 5 different churches…

Tomorrow, dad will make our last trip to the cabin… there will be no stops along the way in some Podunk town… just because he had never been there… no stop for groceries… no stops for a paper… we will bury him in a place dear to his heart… Wexford… near an ancient Catholic church, within a few hundred yards of his favorite trout stream, within a few hundred yards from where he shot one of his earliest morning turkeys… an ideal place… almost heaven type place…

But not quite… however, we do know that Dad is in heaven… his faith of over 47 years says, “I have gone to prepare a place for you… not here on earth where things grow old, things rust out, things stop working… I go to prepare a place where there will be no more pain, no more heartache, no more loss of hearing or weakness of knees, but a place of perfect rest. "

Though he loved to have his family with him at the cabin…. Fishing on the banks of Wexford, he would much rather see each of you in heaven… seek the Lord today… while he may be found…

Dad’s life was colorful… dad touched more lives with his warmth, his friendliness, and his compassion…What a wonderful legacy he created to be passed on down through the Taylor bloodlines: always be engaged in other people’s lives, give care and comfort to those in need, laugh more than you cry; work hard, but don’t be so driven and consumed that you overlook the mushrooms, and flowers, and clear fishing streams, or your family… and love the Lord with all your heart.! Pretty simple life philosophy… going a shore and finding it heaven.... waking up in heaven.... and finding it home.

Staff Alumni-Cream of the crop

Every year, I go back and reflect on past staff as I try to select names for the Wall of Fame: a list of former summer staff that I consider the "cream of the crop"; those who did above what they were asked to do; those who worked selfishly so that the camper's needs were met, in spite of how the counselor felt... whether tired or sick, or both.

We have a board of names located in the Family Life Center: it is a reminder for campers to remember old counselors they might of had, and it is a form of recognition to those who served so faithfully for several summers; typically, the kids whose names are on the Wall of Fame are staff that stuck with us for more than 2 years. They started in high school for very low pay, and they continued once in college for very low pay.

I want some healthy competition amongst the staff; I want them to want to win as a counselor or a dish washer or a maintenance person. I don't want them to think that second best is o.k., and they don't have to give out 100% to the campers or to the camp. They have only 5 days to make a lasting impact on the lives of the young campers; it is possible that some of their campers might never attend camp again, or go to an evangelical church again; this might be the only chance for this camper to accept Christ.

Cream always rises to the top; the best staff will always shine out from their peers; they will get the job done when the circumstances around them appear to be impossible; they will meet the needs of each camper. Even after 2 weeks of camp, I am seeing patterns of greatness; and sometimes I am seeing patterns of laziness. When I see the lazy, I am quick to go after it and push this staff to excel; (some call it yelling or admonishing... I consider it spurring on!) Pushing for cream, but will settle for half and half!

This week our speaker is Chris Rollman; a former counselor who is now a youth pastor in Wichita Kansas. I saw CREAM in Chris when he was 16; he was responsive, responsible, and diligent in his duties even as a Jr. Counselor. As he matured and grew older I saw him even become more of a leader and an inspiration to the campers under him. I spoke to a pastor that Chris did an internship with in Orange City and the pastor said, "Chris could get a job anywhere he wants; he is that good of a kid, and is so prepared for ministry that any church in the United States would love to have him on their staff." And I fully agree.

You will hear reports that I am bossy, pushy, demanding, a little growly at times at the staff; at the time, the kids think I am just the grouchy old man at camp that makes their life miserable. I am glad they think that at times; I do want them to remember my admonishments and direction later in life when they get a real job and start paying in for my social security. I want them to be able to reflect back and be thankful for some good training that helped them become productive citizens.

Cream always rises to the top; while uncared for milk usually sours!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Jr High Week

It is Jr. High week; they come in all shapes and sizes; they come in all stages of maturity; some appear to me should be in 4th grade, while others look to be old enough to be in high school; but they all come with the same spiritual needs. Each one will have an encounter with the Almighty this week; some may reject, but our prayer is that all would accept this encounter and respond with an open heart.

Many have heard my testimony; it was at a Jr. High camp in 1967, that I put my faith in Christ. I don't suppose we had more than 50 campers in camp that week; we had volunteer counselors made up of parents or college kids; I don't remember the speaker or my counselor's name, but I remember the last night sitting around the campfire. We were to pick up a stick, which represented sin in our life and walk up to the fire and throw it in; a little bit corny... maybe not so accurate theologically, but the effects were, that I left the campfire that night a new creation in Christ.

That is exactly what I want to happen this week to the nearly 200 Jr. highers.

Much has changed in 41 years; my biggest problems as a emerging teen was an upstart of a pimple or the way I looked with a mouth full of braces. I don't remember being tempted by the culture or the world, to engage in lifestyle choices that are considered wrong. We had our home, a couple of neighborhood farm friends; we worked walking beans, weeding the garden, scooping hog manure, mowing the yard with a push mower, and occasionally we would ride our bikes a couple miles to a creek to try to catch a bull head. We didn't own a tv, didn't get a newspaper, didn't know what a computer was, and we only used the phone when we absolutely had to contact someone. We chased ground squirrels in the neighbor's pasture, we built forts in the neighbor's barn, we still played softball anytime we could get a couple teams together, and we all ate supper together as a family... at home. We went to week long Bible school all the way through high school... which lasted from 9 am to 3 pm., and we had a big turn out. We attended church twice on Sunday and on Wednesday nights. I bought my first bike for $29, and I thought I had spent my fortune.

It almost sounds like I was Opie Taylor, instead of Earl Taylor; almost. We didn't know we had it so good. But we can't go back; our culture began to slide backwards in the late 60's, and it has been a downhill slide since then; we were taught to question authority, question our faith; question our nation. The results ain't very pretty.

Most would say that kids are smarter today; they have been exposed to more information, more cultures; they do have more of a world view than I had when I was 13. A big trip to me was going to Colorado in 1964. Kids know it all, live it all, and want to experience it all... before their 14.

Where does camp fit in today? It is still just a relevant today as it was in 1967. Young people come with the same emptiness in their heart; they come also with more baggage, more hurts, more disappointments in their lives: but regardless, they come in need of Savior. It is the camps role to meet these spiritual needs through the impact of God's Word, our speaker, and our counselors; it is the faithfulness of the staff that breaks down barriers, softens hard hearts through love and attention; but it is the Holy Spirit that work deep in the soul of each camper that will convict. It is our prayer that when campers leave Hidden Acres they will have had their campfire experience.

Pray with us this very important week; this might be the last week of camp for kids; we see fewer and fewer kids come to camp after they reach high school.... we don't want to miss an opportunity.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Keeping is Simple: Miracle Poles to the Gospel

The week is over; first week of camp; 340+ campers; 3 different age groups; 2 different speakers; arrived in a torrential rainstorm; left with a cool breeze to their back and a sun filled sky: WONDERFUL WEEK!

The counselors outdid themselves this week. As I went around Wednesday night after the storm checking the covered wagons to see if there was any water issues in the wagons and switching on a light for the camper's return, I was shocked at the amount of wet clothes and muddy shoes laying around the small confines of the wagon. But one wagon counselor comments sticks out to me from the week: Molly, on two occasions came up and shared, "One of my campers rededicated their life to Christ tonight!" She came into the office on Wednesday evening prior to the storm and told me of one campers decision: I was too preoccupied by the radar screen to celebrate with her.

We celebrate on Friday evening at the final staff meeting of the week; counselors report of those who accepted Christ and of those of rededicated their lives. The counselors tell of funny stories of the week, heartaches of the week, and victories of the week. Without fail, one or two cabins have an outstanding week where every camper make decisions for Christ; other cabins report one or two that made decisions. Regardless, lives are being changed by the impact of the counselor and the speaker. Young people are looking for good, positive Christian models to cling to and to believe in. Over and and over I tell the summer staff, "Guard your heart, guard what you say and how you behave during the week; you have many sets of young eyes looking you over and checking your testimony out... one miss-said word or action can/will/could keep one of your campers from making the decision of a life time... to accept or reject Christ."

I fished with the fishing campers this week at my pond near my house; it was the only body of water not muddied by the rains. The boys were young and inexperienced in their fishing skills; I could tell some had never really handled a fishing pole before. They came to camp with nice new poles that mom and dad had bought them. Some were the complicated type: open-face-type, while others were the typical Zepco 202's. It didn't take me long to go to the house and drag out my 10+ simple telescopic, fiberglass cane poles. The boys looked at me and couldn't figure out what you could do with a 14' stick with a string attached to it. I called them my miracle poles: after the first two boys caught 8 or 10 fish with the miracle poles, other boys threw their rod and reels down and asked, "You have anymore of those miracle poles Earl?" By the end of the fishing time, all poles were being used, and everyone was catching fish.

Miracles poles: there was no miracle involved here; it was just a simple system of pole, line, and hook. No tangled lines, no balled-up reels, just the essentials. Like camp: miracle camp: campfire experience at camp... nothing fancy... no complicated program... no big time speaker... just a camp fire and a group of counselors and kids singing and sharing testimonies..... and then a miracle happens where the Spirit of the Lord moves into young people's hearts and they are changed by a simple declaration, "I accept you Lord. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my life."

Like the miracle poles, we want to keep it simple here at camp. It is about the heart of the camper.... period. Counselors don't need to understand deep theological issues in order to share their faith with campers; they need only to be available to share the simple truth that all are sinners and that Christ loved you so much that He died for your sins ... you only must confess and receive Him.

Why can't life be that simple in the adult world of life: why do we struggle so much to share our faith with those we work with and interact with throughout our day? Perhaps we too need to throw aside the complicated rods and reels of our evangelistic approach and pick up the simple and effective gospel of Christ... and begin to share as if we were sharing to a small child.

Let's go fishing... for eternity's sake!

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

During times of heartache and distress: Tornados and Floods

I read a quote from Cedar Rapids Sheriff on Fox News this afternoon: "We're just kind of at God's mercy right now, so hopefully people that never prayed before this, it might be a good time to start," Linn County Sheriff Don Zeller said. "We're going to need a lot of prayers and people are going to need a lot of patience and understanding."

God's mercy. It is fresh every morning! We do want and need his mercy: EVERY DAY... even when the sun is shining,when the birds are singing, and when the strong winds blow or the waters are rising.

I am glad that even the world knows that they are at God's mercy; my prayer is that they cry out for his mercy in 6 weeks or 6 months when the mud is dry, the sheet rock is patched, and life is back to normal. I was so encouraged after 9/11 for about a month as we heard people call out for the mercy of God, but they soon forgot, and turned back to their earthly cares.

In a week, we will be hosting the Valley EFC men that are training for disaster relief; they will bring their trailer full of tools: chainsaws and other equipment to bring aid to those who are hurting; they were in Parkersburg 2 weeks ago cutting up down trees, etc. What an opportunity for these men to share their testimonies. I love this type of practical ministry.

My challenge to all is that we capitalize on this window of opportunity to share our faith; this is a season of questions and lack of understanding by the pagan world; to them things are falling apart all around them and there are no answers for them. Have the right answer ready: I don't know about tomorrow, but I know who holds my hand and shows His mercy to me even when I don't deserve it.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Til' the Storm Passes Over

We were anxious last night; and rightly so; by 8 p.m., word had come to us that a tornado had hit a boy scout camp near Omaha, killing 4 and injuring 40+ campers and staff. We went into red alert; I quickly returned to camp, and hovered over the radar screen, manned the phone, and listened to WHO. By 9:15, the rainstorm arrived, with plenty of rain, and moderate winds. We had the kids all corralled inside, and key staff members knew what to do if I made the call to move the kids to the basement or into inside locker rooms.

The Storm passed over leaving plenty of puddles, lots of lingering lightning; but the campers made their way back to their cabins donning garbage bags for makeshift raincoats; I saw one group of girl campers splashing their way to the covered wagons, singing and enjoying the aftermath of a intense rain storm.

Our hearts ache this morning as we read in the papers and listen to the news about the boy scout camp tragedy. Within 8 minutes of the first tornado warning from the weather people, the storm snuffed out the lives of 4 young people. My prayer is that these boys knew Christ as their Savior. My prayer is for the parents and families will be ministered to during this time and that something good can come from all this.

The safety of 340 campers, 120 staff can scare a person into fear and trembling. But I don't let it weigh on me; I learned many years ago that the same hand of the Lord that has guided me through situations can also be the hand of protection. We reacted with our God given common sense and had the children in a controlled situation, we monitored the storm, and we reacted according to a plan, but in the end, it is the hand of the Lord that can move mountains, can calm the seas, and can create storms or diminish storms. We are chaff in the wind.

Chaff in the Wind: even with all the technology around us, we have no more control over the weather than we do when it come to the sun rising or sitting; we can only be bystanders, watching and wondering; do we watch with an eye that doesn't see God's hand, or do we watch and see God's ultimate plan playing out in right in front of our eyes?

Should we grow tired of the rain, the mud, the excessive wet area? It grates on the nerve; but when the storm passes over and we know who is in control, we can rest, knowing that this is the same God that protected Israel by day and by night; he will do the same for us.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Capture the Flag- It must be Wednesday night

There is no other activity that we play at camp like capture the flag; and always on Wednesday; campers and staff would rather not eat for the day than miss capture the flag. All day long, there is a quiet buzz around camp; it starts with a bandanna around the head in the morning; and by supper time, it looks like we have a full blown war on our hands; camouflage, face paint, special hats... counselors come to camp with particular clothing and makeup packed just for this one night of fun.

I don't understand the game; I think there is a flag involved; I think there are couple teams chasing through the timber looking for each other's flag; I think each team can capture members of the other team. I know they get into lots of poison ivy, they get lots of scratches and bruises and bumps; and I know the kids love it.

Actually, I don't think all staff and campers are as equally excited about the game; I am almost certain there are a few die hard players; you can see it in their preparation; excessive camo, face paint, and packs are all necessary gear. There are others who get excited about the game, because it's what you are supposed to do; and others, they tag along for the social networking of the evening. It gives them a little time to hang with a few friends.

There have been other activities that have come and gone or at least only gets play sporadically. It appears to me for the boys, it gives them a taste of what it is like to be a soldier. For the girls... I have no idea why a dainty, pretty young lady would like such a game.

It is good that camp has certain traditions; each generation of campers has the same type of experience while at Hidden Acres. It is the type of experience that former camper parents will tell their children; "When you go to camp... you will play capture the flag or you will eat one of the camps famous chocolate chip cookies or a sticky cinnamon bun."

I don't want certain things to change at camp; I want the camp to hold on tightly to certain activities; capture the flag has been going on for 21 years; cookies for 18 years; cinnamon buns for 22 years. The sound preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.... since the beginning... 29 years.

Sound Biblical teaching and preaching goes beyond what is fun or tasty; it is essential to everything we do.

I don't like mixing other parts to the gospel either; I have to guard against the evil one trying to slip in something through the counselors; something they think might be innocent; something like a Harry Potter, or a yoga meditation: for many young Christians, everything can be mixed in with Biblical truth and still come out pure and sound. It won't get easier either. I see many compromises in the under 30 crowd; they are the same ones falling for the smooth talk of Obama, without understanding what he really stands for. They are so easily deceived; they lack a discerning spirit to know and understand what is best for them; and consequently settle for a luke-warm type of Christianity that lacks power and fervency.

Traditions: carpet ball, capture the flag, cookies and the life changing gospel of Jesus Christ: God's Word. Pray with me that I can be an influence on these young people with a loving spirit and a kind word.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com

Jr. Maintenance Boys- 1st Job

For the lack of a better title we called them the Jr. Maintenance boys; they were 14-15 year old kids who attended camp as kids, were still too young to be counselors; but they wanted to work at camp. Around 1990, the Jr. maintenance program began. Some of the first boys were Seth Peterson, Joel Saleh, Daniel Poyzer, Seth Anderson, P.J Holmertz, Ryan Graden,Brandon Wind, and Brett Wiuff. We paid them $25 a week, so that we could fire them if they got out of hand; we work their tails off. Garbage, weed whipping, mowing, firewood, and even slopping the hogs with scraps from the kitchen.

We didn't know what we were doing those first years; we yelled, pushed, pulled, and tried to get them moving in the same direction. Always, by the end of the summer, I was worn out from keeping them busy. Not one has ever come back to me and said, "I hated my time here working for nothing." Everyone reflects back on the good old days and laughs and knows that was great training for becoming a man.

Seth Peterson is now 31 and is the construction coordinator for us at the camp... he did all the electrical and geo-thermal on the family life center... plus alot more; Seth Anderson just graduated from medical school; Brett Wiuff is with Navigators in Oregon; P.J. Holmertz is a family counselor with the Valley EFC; Ryan Graden is the Program Director at Hidden Acres; Joel Saleh is a railroad engineer; Daniel Poyzer is a computer programmer; Brandon Wind is still wanting to be in a rock and roll band.

First jobs are interesting at best; a young person wants to do well; they want to be paid fairly; they want to be spoken of highly. Some meet those expectations, while others fail miserably. They boys mentioned above all survived their 2 months and developed into fine young men.

I recall my first job beside walking beans. As a Jr. higher, I gathered eggs at a Hy-Line chicken farm outside of Coon Rapids; I received $.75 per hour: $6 for a days work. I thought it was great; I scooped chicken manure, cleaned out waters, gathered eggs, and anything else Harold Hagge asked me. I moved up to a $1 per hour in high school loading hay bales for Sonny. By my sophomore year, I made a whopping $1.60 per hour working at the Hotel Muscatine for Mike Rewaldt, doing dishes and busing tables. While in my senior year in high school, I took an evening job in a factory, making an astounding $4.22 per hour. I had made it to the big time.

By today's standards, I was working for nothing. Today, baby sitters make more than I did while welding in a factory. But work is good for the soul. I had no self-esteem issues when I was young; I was needed by someone. Sonny or Harold was counting on me to be there and to work hard for them.

Tomorrow, summer staff will come in and work for 8 weeks; Senior staff will make around $160 per week, Jr. staff will make around $70 per week. Maintenance boys will make around $70 too; They work 10+ hours a day for 5 or 6 days. Sr. and Jr. counselors are at it 24 hours a day; they are taking care of children late into the night, and they are awakened early for trips to the bathroom or for other reasons. They may put in over 100 hours a week; you do the math; that is about the same pay I received in 1972.

And they love it. And it is good for them. The will move on into adulthood better for having spent their summers at camp. They will be better teachers, parents, church workers, or whatever else they add to their resume. Camp molds young people into thinking, problem solving adults that will one day reflect back on their camps days and say, "That was great training, and well worth the nearly $1.60 an hour I made!


earldtaylor@yahoo.com