Volunteers: What a Blessing!

Dennis and Pastor Mike from Charles City

I have just finished up a 2 week run of overseeing volunteers: what a blessing this has been for me! With the building of Schlichting Inn, we have put out the word to our churches that we are looking for help; and they have responded.

The Meriden Crew putting up siding

I am always amazed when a group of men will give up their Saturdays to come to camp and work hard and long. This winter we have had groups of men from Muscatine, Adel, Arthur, Oakdale, Meriden, Pella, Sheldon, Ankeny,Clear Lake and the Johnston area. Everyone of these group of men come with different skills and a variety of interests. During this one or two days of work, they accomplish more than our staff can do in a week. They are available to do work that is heavy and tiresome, freeing up our permanent staff to concentrate on some technical parts of the construction process (geothermal, heating, cooling, plumbing, wiring).


The Pella men sheetrocking the meeting room

In addition to these group of men who have given up their Saturdays, we have had 2 groups of young people here to work at the camp. One, a group from Dordt college in Sioux Center and the other, a high school group from the Pella Free Church who gave up their spring break days to come and help us in the Inn and around camp.

The Pella High School Group and Pastor Greg

I have to tell you, I have drug my feet when I get a request for a work project from high schoolers; it is usually the adults who want their kids to experience a service project of some kind; the students are usually not too hot about it. NOT SO WITH THESE TWO GROUPS! I have never seen such a faithful group of kids... and they gave up their week off of school to help me out!! That is a huge blessing to me.

The students cleaned out and re-mulched all of our flower beds, they hauled over 200 sheets of 12' x 4 1/2' 5/8 sheetrock up to the second story of the Inn, they put on siding, insulated, sheetrocked, cleaned, swept, and organized our tools and supplies in the Inn, made targets for 24 hours retreat, hauled picnic tables, hauled wood, picked up trash, pulled wire, mudded nail holes, set up archery range, and anything else I could think up! They worked their tails off.


Dordt College Students

I actually loved being around the kids; they always came and asked me, "What do you want me to do next?" I call that Iniative! Very few young people have that gift. It truely is a gift that will send these young people to the head of the line when they start looking for full time jobs. There is nothing that exhausts me more than having to track down workers to tell them their next assignement.

We see the same thing during the summer with our paid staff; there are those who want to work, and then there are those who just want paid. A big difference. It is the workers who we invite back the next year.

A free piece of advice to parents: Instill a strong work ethic in your kid early; don't allow them to make excuses, to be lazy, to be sloppy or slothful. It never hurt a child to push them a bit... or alot! Kids want to be challenged, they want to do something big, and they can't and won't do anything sitting in front of their video game machine. They should be taught life skills that will go with them into adulthood. A parent of the Pella students wrote me a note after her son returned home: "My son especially noted your willingness to teach him and work alongside him. He mentioned you were almost a grandpa figure for him!" Man... that blessed my heart! A grandpa figure!! and at 54 years old! (I felt like a 80 year old grandpa trying to keep up with these young, strong, able bodied young people. I was determined not to be outworked).

I always have many projects up my sleeve for the volunteer! I can use a bunch of good men, women and children to help me build and keep the camp looking good.

earldtaylor@yahoo.com