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As I (Gloria) have been painting the wood and frames for the benches at the campfire, I have been enjoying the season of fall here at Camp Falcon Rock – the smell of fall is in the air, the rustling of the leaves, it is so peaceful.
As I have been painting I have thought of the many people that are going to be sitting on these benches, young and old. Campfire seems to be the highlight of a week at camp as we saw this past summer with the youth camp that was held here. Our leaders were up until midnight praying with youth who were committing their lives to the Lord. How many of you gave your life to Christ while sitting at a campfire listening to someone share the gospel or someone’s testimony? It’s exciting to think of all children, youth and adults, that will be able to enjoy this camp. It is our prayer that they would feel the Holy Spirit present here.
Our time in Canada was very enjoyable; we got to see lots of family members at our niece’s wedding and of course spending time with our grandchildren was the highlight!
We got to be part of our grandson’s 2nd birthday, moved our daughter and her family into their first home, attended our newest granddaughter’s dedication, and our 2 grandchildren from southern Alberta spent a week with us. Being a missionary has its challenges; for us it’s being so far from our children and grandchildren. We are so thankful for technology as we’ve been able to FaceTime with our family. Jack (who just turned 2) hadn’t seen Papa (Vern) since last Christmas but he sees him 2-3 times a week on FaceTime. When we came through the doors at the airport, Jack came running our way calling “Papa!” One of those melt my heart moments.
The guys have been super busy working on the walls of the cabins, trying to get them ready for a local roof crew to show up. There is a lot of work when it comes to building here in Romania as the buildings are made out of clay bricks and cement, very labor intensive. No wonder the buildings here last for hundreds of years. We’re excited to see these cabins underway as the goal is to finish them completely by next summer so that we can have even more kids out at the camp next year!
We held our first Camp Falcon Rock Work Day on Sept 8th. Thirty local people came out to help with setting up the tent for the Thanksgiving service, painting, building picnic tables, tying rebar cages, and mowing grass. It was exciting to see this local excitement and ownership over the camp. For lunch we enjoyed a big pot of goulash, which was cooked over an open fire. We’re very thankful for each one that came out to help us.
Our annual Thanksgiving service was held on September 9th, with close to 700 people attending!!!! We enjoyed a great day of giving thanks to God and we have so much to be thankful this year at Camp Falcon Rock. This day was just another reminder of how faithful God is and has been with the camp ministry and with 700 people there, it felt like a glimpse into all who will be impacted by the camp ministry!
We have been blessed to have 3 fellows from Edmonton here; they will be with us for 3 weeks to help with the instillation of the water and sewage project. This is a huge project; we are thankful for the extra help.
Some of the crew are working hard on building a water reservoir, which is all part of our water system. We are fortunate to have many springs on property; this tank will hold approximately 120,000 litres of water.
There are lots of projects on the go right now at Camp Falcon Rock – we appreciate your love, support and prayers as we see His Kingdom, not only in buildings but in people’s lives as well.
Blessings to all,
Vern and Gloria Wagner