Sandy Cove Sower Project a success!

Our first project with Sower Ministry at Sandy Cove Bible Conference Center was a great experience.  When we signed up with Sowers we weren't sure what to expect other than an RV site for the month and some task that needed to be done for the host organization.  The opportunities we had for service were certainly fulfilling.

Our Sower partners were Doris and Frank Hutchison from Rochester NY.  They are a great couple and have served with Sowers for thirteen years, the last three full time.  They sold their home and live in their motor home traveling from project to project.  They serve in the northern states in the summer months and migrate to the south for the winter.

On the Friday of our first week Doris felt ill and late on Saturday Frank took her to the emergency room at the local hospital.  They diagnosed pancreatitis and a bad gall bladder.  Her enzyme levels which normally are in the low hundreds, were around twenty thousand.  Needless to say she was and is a very sick lady.  I say "is" because, as of this writing, she has been in the hospital for twenty-one days waiting for the pancreas inflammation to subside so they can remove the gall bladder.  Your prayers for she and Frank are appreciated.  Hopefully they can operate this coming week.

Our hosts at Sandy Cove were great to work for and with.  They really appreciate the volunteers.  Jane had the privilege of serving in the laundry the whole three weeks.  With the return of summer workers to school, her help there was a real blessing.  As the ministry moves into the fall season, the weekends become the central time of usage and Monday mornings produce a large laundry load that needs to be folded and put away.  Jane really missed having Doris at her side but enjoyed talking with the staff as she went about the task.

All folded and placed neatly away for the coming weekend.

The mountain shrank and by the following Monday grew again!

The maintenance staff were a great group as well.  They each had a different personality and worked well together.  We had lots of laughs as they interacted with us. We had a time of prayer with them each morning before hitting the "pipes".  Frank and I completed cleaning the sink traps in all but twelve of the one hundred and fifty two rooms.  The last three days we serviced the air conditioner units in each room, vacuuming them out and changing the filters. 

Sandy Cove was founded in the mid-nineteen forty's by George Palmer who had a daily radio program out of Philadelphia, which began during the great depression of the nineteen thirties.  He called the program "Morning Cheer" since it's Bible teaching brought much cheer in the midst of gloom.  These four cabins were the last of the original cabins built on the site.  Frank and I helped one day stripping out fixtures and windows.  As their last act of service the cabins were going to be burned by the local fire department providing training in fire fighting techniques.

The Sowers have a song they sing at the end of each morning's devotions, Our Best. 

Hear Ye the Masters call give me thy best, for be it great or small that is His test,
Do then the best you can not for reward, not for the praise of men but for the Lord.
Every work for Jesus will be blessed, but He asks from everyone his best,
Our talents may be few these may be small, but unto Him is due our best our all!

When we first read in the Sower manual about singing that theme song each morning, we thought is might be corny, but after singing it the first morning with Frank and Doris, the words took hold and God used them throughout that day, as well as the rest of our time there, to remind us that, though the task we were doing was not glamorous and "prayer letter" material, it was the task He had prepared for us to do to His Glory and honor.  That truth guided my heart to do the best sink trap cleaning that could be done.

Frank got a much needed hair cut from Reagan, one of the maintenance guys.  Now that's service!

We were blessed on our last day of the project as Frank informed us that it was "Payday" and presented us each with a candy bar for our service.  Who says that serving the Lord doesn't pay!

This sign is on the driveway leading up to the main lodge.  We trust that our service at Sandy Cove helps in some small way to enabling some pilgrim hear the voice of God and surrender their life to the one who can save to the uttermost for His own Glory and Honor.

Jesus Never Fails!  That was the theme song for the "Morning Cheer" broadcast.  It was true then and is true today.  As Jane and I journey along this path that we believe He has laid out for us, we cling to that truth.  He has provided for us the means and the ability for this part of our life's journey.  We trust that He will continue as we seek His direction. 

By the way, my face has almost healed from the fall I took on Labor Day.  God led us to an old school dentist in North East who, much to my surprise, did not require umpteen visits and consultations to repair my broken tooth.  On our first visit he recommended that he rebuild my tooth with filling material, which took about thirty minutes.  He said it might last the rest of my life.  Jane says it looks better than before, as I had a small chip from a bicycle accident as a child.  I should do an infomercial for the dentist! 

The stiches are out but the scarring on my lip is tight.  Jane says it will stretch out in time.  She is such an encourager.  I think the Lord is teaching me that when I fall on my face it should leave a lasting impression.  I trust that when I fall on my face before Him at various times it has the same lasting impact :)


Our next project will be at Sherry White ministries in Wauchula Florida in January.  This ministry provides help for women and men who are coming out of destructive lifestyles.  In addition to providing separate homes for the transition, they have a working farm which is used to re-introduce the families.  We are looking forward to our service there.  http://pioneervillagewauchula.com/

Yours in the Journey,   Glenn and Jane

At the risk of dragging this blog into a documentary, we would like to share some photos from the weekend we spent after the Sandy Cove project with our four daughters and grand children while we were at Jane's Dad's in Annapolis for the wedding of Jane's niece.

Rebecca has two girls, Ella Mae who turned two in June and Isabel who was born on August 6th.  Julie's Micah was born on August 26th.  Maribeth's Olivia turned one in April, and Rachel is expecting a son to be born in mid January.

Ella Mae with Pop Pop

Olivia

Micah and Isabel or is it Joseph and Mary?

Olivia and Ella Mae

Home Sweet Home

Thought you might enjoy a tour of our home away from home.  The Fifth Wheel trailer is a 2007 Holiday Rambler Alumascape.  The truck is a 2001 Ford F350 with a Power Stroke diesel engine.  The trailer is 37 feet long and when hitched to the truck the rig is over fifty feet long.

The term fifth wheel comes from the way the trailer hooks to the truck.  The truck has the hitch point in the bed of the truck which places the weight of the trailer over the rear axle versus a typical trailer which hitches to the rear bumper area.  The RV "fifth wheel" hitch is similar to a tractor trailer hitch.  This type of hitch provides a much more stable ride than a conventional bumper located hitch and is less affected by wind and passing tractor trailers.

There are three "slide-outs" that provide extra room in the bedroom and living room areas.  They add three extra feet to those rooms when extended.  In the living room/kitchen area, the slides are located on both sides of the trailer giving a total width of 14 feet which results in a great living space.  The slide-out seen in the foreground contains an entertainment console with bookshelves and drawer space. The dining table and a sofa bed love seat are located in a 12 foot long slide-out on the opposite side of the trailer. 

The bedroom is located in the front of the trailer and includes the part that extends over the truck bed. The slide-out contains the headboard, overhead storage, and the side windows.  The whole bed is on wheels and moves in when the slide is retracted.  On the right side of the picture you see the mirrored sliding door for the hanging clothes closet that goes across the front of the trailer.  There is about 6 1/2 feet of headroom in the bedroom/bathroom.  The bedroom and bath areas are elevated about three feet higher than the rear of the trailer.  Under this elevated area is a "basement" for storage that is accessed through several doors on the outside. 

A dresser and corner wardrobe provide more storage space at the foot of the bed.  When the slide is retracted the foot of the bed comes in to touch the front of the dresser.  We can still use the bed with the slide in when stopping overnight when traveling.  The hanging closet is to the left of the wardrobe just outside of the picture.

The bathroom is also on the upper level and has a toilet, shower stall, and a sink vanity.  We have a 10 gallon hot water heater that operates on 12 volt and propane gas.  A normal home has a 40 gallon unit but we have not had any shortage of hot water for bathing and dish washing.

The kitchen is located at the front of the lower level.  There are several steps leading up to the bedroom/bathroom area.  The refrigerator operates on 110 volt and gas.  There is a gas stove with an oven and a microwave as well.  The pantry is to the left of the fridge.  There are more cabinets than we have stuff to put in them.  We try to use light weight dishes to keep the overall weight of the trailer at a minimum.  Our daughter Maribeth is getting ready for a Superbowl party we had in January at the James Island County Park near Charleston.  The dining table is barely visible on the right.

The dining table seats five.  At the time this picture was taken the previous owners had stored the extra dining chairs under the bed along with a leaf for the table.  We have since set them up and put them to good use entertaining dinner guests.  The love seat has a pull out bed for overnight guests.  The love seat and dining table are contained in the 12 foot slide-out directly across from the entertainment slide-out which really opens the living room space.

The entertainment center served as a desk as well.  The previous owners installed an electric fireplace in the space where a chair would go.  There is a surround sound system which includes a DVD player. 

This seating area is in the rear of the trailer.  The love seat is just to the left, and the entertainment center to the right. We have to confess that this trailer is more that we dreamed of.  It is very nicely appointed and we find it to be a perfect nest. 

We enjoyed the Super Bowl party in January and our granddaughter Olivia was decked out in her Ravens gear. 

It took us almost five months to get our Sowers application processed.  Four of those months were spent waiting for our FBI background checks to come.  Mine came back after two months but they couldn't read Jane's prints so she had to redo them and wait another two months for the results.  By the time we were able to complete the application process, it was too late to start a summer project as we were expecting two more grandbabies to arrive.  They did arrive in August, about two weeks apart.  Rebecca had a girl, Isabel, and Julie had a boy, Micah.  Rachel is due to deliver our fifth grandchild in January!  We have Sower projects scheduled for January and February in Florida not far from Rachel and Mark.

We did take our two granddaughters, Ella Mae and Olivia, and their mothers, Rebecca and Maribeth, to Disney World in March on our maiden voyage.  Rachel and Mark met us there and we had a great time at Camp Wilderness and the Magic Kingdom.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.  Our "rig" has provided the perfect "home" from which to launch our Sowers ministry.  We are anxious to see how God will use it and us to further His Kingdom building.  Thanks for your prayers as we take this journey together.

Godspeed,  Glenn and Jane

First Sower Project (sowerministry.org)

"Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you"  Gen 12;1

For many years Jane and I have shared the vision of getting an RV and traveling around the country, seeing where God is at work and joining Him.  Like the nomads, we dreamed of wandering from one fertile field to the next, not just grazing, but tilling, planting, fertilizing, and watering the seed of the Word in whatever capacity God would make available.

We began our search in July 2010 for a "Fifth Wheel" trailer and a truck to tow it.  We looked for several months but were not finding the right rig.  In September of that year we both sensed the Lord leading us in another direction, to relocate to Charleston SC to be near our four daughters.  We made that move in January of 2011 and have enjoyed the birth of four grandchildren there. 

This January we sensed the time was right to go forward on the nomadic journey so we revisited the RV search and God provided us a fabulous rig.  It is perfectly equipped for long term living and we are so blessed to have it. 

After months, well years, of anticipation, we have finally arrived at our first assignment.  Our current path is through Sower Ministry.  Servants On Wheels Ever Ready.  The Sower Ministry connects Christian RVers with needy ministry opportunities.  My parents served in a similar ministry for ten years in the mid 80's to the mid 90's.  The projects cover the gambit of Christian ministries like Youth Camps, Churches, Orphanages, Conference Centers, etc. across the United States and Canada.   The tasks vary from routine maintenance to minor construction.  Each project lasts three weeks and you can do as many projects in the year as you desire.  Many couples are full time Sowers, moving from project to project all around the country.

We are at Sandy Cove conference center near the town of Northeast, Maryland at the headwaters of the Chesapeake Bay.  Sandy Cove hosts a variety of groups from Church Men's and Ladies retreats to large scale events such as a Joni and Friends, Wounded Warrior gathering that starts this coming Sunday. 

Sandy Cove has provided us with an RV site with full hookups in their Pioneer campground. We are here with another Sower couple from New York,  Doris and Frank, who are full time Sowers.

Our Sower commitment is to work 72 hours over a three week period.  Typically we arrive on the first Friday of the month and start work on the following Monday. Our work week is Monday through Thursday for six hours each day.  We started our week on Tuesday due to the Labor Day holiday.

The weekend we arrived there was a Labor Day family event going on.  There were many families with young children here.  The facilities at Sandy Cove are excellent for keeping them entertained.  There are two pools, a zip line, rock wall, miniature golf, canoes, kayaks, and lots of organized activities for the kids.  On Saturday night they had a Juggler that was fabulous.  He used his act to emphasize that we must always look "up" to juggle life's issues.  The children loved the act and it was such a blessing to watch them.  It gave us a reference point for the jobs we would be doing while here. 

The tasks we have been working on this week have been menial but necessary.  God has used those "happy family faces" we encountered at the program to give us purpose as we work.  There are around 150 rooms in the lodge.  Jane has been busy folding laundry.  Piles of towels and linens from the family weekend.  She is an expert after 38 years of washing and folding our laundry.  Most of the summer staff has returned to school so needless to say, Wilma the laundry lady was quite happy to see Jane and Doris show up Tuesday morning to help her catch up.

Frank and I have been busy this week cleaning out sink traps in the bathrooms.  We have been averaging around 20 rooms each day.  I must confess that I was quite worn out by the end of the day after crawling under each vanity and taking loose the plumbing and cleaning it.  Frank is 78 years old and pushed me hard all week.  He is amazing!

New guests began arriving on Thursday afternoon.  A men's group here for a retreat.  Seeing all those guys, teens to seniors, excited about getting together, made our task worthwhile.  To realize that our meager efforts facilitate God using this place to make life changes in the lives of these men and their extended families is a real joy!

Though our primary reason for being at these projects revolves around keeping up the facilities, our real focus is ministering to people.  We trust that God will allow us to cross paths with folks that need an encouraging word or an empathetic ear.  That will more often be with the staff or others that are working behind the scenes.

The host ministry supplies us with the site for the whole month, so we can check out the local area during the fourth week, before moving on to the next month's project.  Frank and Doris will be moving on to the Billy Graham conference center in Ashville, North Carolina next. We will return to Summerville after this project but plan to be in Florida for projects in January and February. 

Sandy Cove is about an hour and a half from Jane's Dad in Annapolis.  We are able to visit him on the weekends.  We will be leaving at the end of the three week period and heading to Annapolis to attend the wedding of Jane's niece before returning to Summerville.

So the Journey begins, or at least this phase.  We have been on a Journey with Jesus now for 35 years this October.  He has allowed us to see and do many things and we trust, been a blessing to folks along the way. 

Godspeed,  Glenn and Jane

As a side note, I really took the Juggler's message about "looking up" to heart.  I have the habit of always looking down when walking.  Jane is constantly telling me to look up.  On Labor Day we were invited to dinner at the home of friends who live near Sandy Cove.  I was looking up while walking behind Jane (my first mistake) up the sidewalk to their home and I stumbled where the sidewalk stepped up and fell on my face.  A broken front tooth and a dozen stiches later I have decided that I should probably look down occasionally to see what's around me. :)