What Has Been Done? What Could Be? What Should Be?

• By knowing What Had Been Done, insight is gained as to options for the future. What was working? What was not? By knowing the present and past history, the likelihood of making the same mistake twice is reduced, and if something has worked, it is time to built upon the fact – and not reinvent the wheel.
• By knowing What Could Be Done careful consideration can be given to all options suggested by history, the insights of others, the leader’s insights.
• By knowing What Should Be Done the challenge becomes matching the best option to the desired result. There comes a time when the leader must choose and act! It is necessary to make timely decisions so other people will not be unnecessarily delayed in their action. The only reason to delay any decision is if, by delaying a decision, additional information will likely be received which can alter the final decision.

Steps one and two above are necessary if those affected are to feel ownership in the final decision. When ownership is part of the process, the ease of change is greatly increased.

It was not difficult for me to do the above prior to the beginning of camp. From January to May, as I traveled about the North East talking with former staff and members of the Deerfoot Board of Directors, there were hours to consider what had been done, the suggested options, and what were likely to be best one or two options of what should be done.

It was more difficult for the returning staff to reconsider almost everything about camp. It was “their Lodge”. They pretty much liked DL the way it was, or they would not have returned, some of them for 10 summers. During staff training, staff input was continual, options often needed to be considered quickly, and decisions were made so the results could be implemented during staff training or when camp began. With almost every decision I would also say that we would stick with my decision only until I had received information that indicated it was time to change the previous decision.

It must have been incredibly difficult for Dave (25 summers at DL) and Elaine (17 summers) Naysmith, Dean (20 summers) and Lee (6 summers) Dover, and Jim and Sherri Van Buren to return to DL with open minds. These experienced Deerfooters returned to provide the quality leadership needed, particularly during my first summer. The Van Burens returned for only one summer, but “Grundy” (Jim) knew the flex time, all camp, sectional, and cabin activities better then anyone else, and he brought contagious enthusiasm! These six people were able to clearly tell me what had been done in every area of camp, and able to make very constructive suggestions, particularly in the areas of program and food service. Each person knew I needed their wisdom if DL was going to survive this transition summer.

Deerfoot is a very big place to see on a cold December day when walking on a foot of snow, yet this was my total exposure to DL prior to my arrival for staff training. Between January and May, while talking with staff from the previous summer and DL Board members, I came to the conclusion that DL was a well equipped wilderness camp and thus gave no further thought to equipment needs for the summer.

When I arrived in June for staff training, as camp was being unpacked from winter storage, I began a serious equipment inventory. Vans are big and hard to miss! Slowly I realized DL did not have the vans needed for the hiking program I envisioned, and I had no clue where to get two safe, working vans quickly and cheaply.

When I went into the tripping area, I was greeted with very sober faces. As the packs and tents were taken from their storage bins, the counselors had come to realize that many of the packs and tents were worn out from years and years of use, and others were in obvious need of serious repair: tears, broken zippers, and missing straps. They did find plastic which had been used the previous summer in place of tents, but everyone knew from personal experience that even if the plastic kept the campers dry, it would did not keep away the insects…like black flies. DL had been through several years of slowly declining enrollment and decreasing contributions. New program equipment had been low on the essential expenditure list.

The DL Board had made it clear to me: Be sure DL has what is necessary to have an excellent summer camp. We all knew the dollars were tight.

Somehow we located two cheap, safe, working vans from Canada. By phone we were told the vans were old, boxy, 16 passenger school buses used the previous school year. As promised, French Connection I & II worked well, but it was not very comforting to sit in a seat and look through rusted out places to the ground below. A lot of salt is used on the roads in Canada! But, they worked and somehow passed their NY vehicle inspections. For the next several years DL used these reliable, rusted out, ugly machines – they got the job done.

I priced new tents and back packs – ouch! Then into camp came the Director of Gordon College’s outdoor recreation program, La Vida. He welcomed me to the area and asked if there was anyway he could help. When asked about sources for back packs and tents, he told me the name and phone number of the person who could help us become dealers for Johnson Camping, who made Timberline Tents (DL now has 73!) and Wilderness Experience, which made back packs and sleeping bags. I made the call and DL became a dealer for both companies. I placed the order and we were promised delivery by the first hike day.

How God provides that we may accomplish His work is not our concern. Our concern is to continue working at what we believe God has given it to do. It is when God steps into our otherwise hopeless situation with a workable solution that we realize His greatness…and we rest a bit more easily in His care.

We often grow in faith because we have to – if we are to live In Partnership With God.

Hebrews 11 has been called “The Roll Call of Faith” and begins with “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see” and then gives the names of many people who lived by faith, with a sentence or two about each: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sara, Isaac and Jacob, Joseph, Moses and his parents, Joshua.

In that same chapter we read “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” — Hebrews 11:6

Prayer is a constant when interviewing and hiring staff. I was continually aware that hiring the wrong person can have a very negative impact upon the other staff members, upon the campers, and upon the reputation of Deerfoot Lodge. With this in mind, I developed a series of questions through which I really did try to scare off every counselor!

1. Do you love the out of doors? You will be living there….walking to your cabin in the dark when it is pouring….perhaps sleeping in a tipi that never leaks unless it rains, and it can seem to rain forever! Rain or sunshine, you will be a role model for the campers you are protecting, teaching, challenging, guiding, encouraging.

2. Do you have really enjoy kids? Are you able to love those who are not easy to love, but have a desperate desire to be recognized, loved, and cared for?

3. Do you desire to be God’s man, and to build godly men? If not, stay home, for you will be out of place. Being God’s man at DL does not mean you will be able to have a 45 minute quiet time each day. Life just keeps coming at you and you are thankful for just a few minutes during the camper quiet time or during rest period. You will learn to pray throughout the day. You cannot fake being God’s man for 11 weeks!

4. Are you a self starter with a good energy level? You, and the other DL staff, will be miserable if you must be continually told what to do! When out of camp no one will be able to tell you what to do. The high energy level is essential because you will be on 24/6 – really! You do learn to pace yourself, but at the end of summer, if you have done your job, you will be almost crawling out of camp – and so will I.

Though his picture was on his application, I was not mentally prepared for this guy coming toward me: ragged Levi shorts with patches, a faded T shirt with no sleeves, a bushy beard, and solid muscle. He looked like a wild man. “Chief…I’m Steve!” My first year…and I had hired this?

Steve learned about Deerfoot through a list of Christian camps – DL was listed as a wilderness camp. At his request I mailed him the 4 page staff application. Through his application and our second telephone interview I learned Steve was 28, a recreation major at the University of Wisconsin in need of working at a summer camp for his field work assignment. When asked what he had done between high school and college, Steve told me that in high school he began to smoke, drink, and do drugs. When he graduated he got a job…in fact had 4 or 5 different jobs and attended 3 different colleges. At some time during these years he attended a Navigator Bible Study for several months and had learned about Jesus Christ and the salvation He offered. But Steve continued heavy into alcohol and drugs.

One morning Steve found himself alone in the woods coming off a really bad drug trip. He quickly realized his “friends” had left him and he also realized this was a good way to die. And as he put it, “no way to live either”. Alone in the woods, Steve asked Jesus Christ to forgive him, to save him…just as he had been told he could do by the Navigators. Steve then enlisted in the army, and upon the completion of his tour of duty, he entered the U. of Wisconsin where he was an honor’s student.

Several weeks into camp Steve told me how, when he first saw the DL sign, he just kept on driving! He was not afraid of much, but Steve was afraid DL would not accept him – “he knew he was older and a bit different!” Steve proved to be golden! His third year on staff he was the Guide leader. He eventually became a youth pastor. Now Steve is the associate pastor of a church in Wisconsin. His four sons became DL scholarship campers, and the oldest, Steve Jr., was a counselor this past summer.

Every time Steve has returned to bring his sons to DL he has driven to the same bridge over the Hudson River he found his first year on staff….to jump down 60′ into the river, just to be sure he still can. Steve Tramp is still a wild man, even as he continues to live In Partnership With God.

(Steve approved the above)

Every member of the staff had asked to work at Deerfoot Lodge for the summer of 1982. We had all said that Jesus Christ was our Savior and we desired to have Him as Lord…to be godly men. Beyond that, the diversity was incredible.

27 of the 36 in camp when we began staff training:

• did not know another person in camp
• did not know the location or content of any building
• did not have any reasonable understanding of the uniqueness of the DL program
• did not know the difference between boss and beak, or what the Waldorf was, or a gudge, or 3000-12

The total staff of 50 included males ages 15 – 42 and came from 16 states. Most of this staff had never lived in the woods, much less for 11 weeks. Some had never been to any camp!

Diverse as we were, We Had No Choice but to work together well if we were going to survive – and to work together required the 75% that were new depend upon the 25% returning staff for knowledge, and in many ways, initial leadership. This would have been much easier if the 25% agreed on everything. I remember spending over an hour trying to come to agreement on what skills should be included in the row boat test! There were 3 different tests… apparently all in use the previous summer. I remember saying in desperation “I do not care which test we use! This is a crazy use of time!”

We began with a very sobering tour of camp. In 1982 there was no Memorial Day Work Weekend. Everything was dirty, particularly the camper cabins. Repairs were necessary from camper use and winter storm damage. None of the instructional areas were set up and we could already see equipment shortages. In every area of camp we had to think through what had to be done – while thinking through the programming questions of what should be accomplished in each area, and how best to do this.

Always in our minds was the reality that Campers Were Coming, and we were far from ready for their arrival!! During the days we unpacked and cleaned every one of the 27 buildings, 4 gudges, and 3 instructional area shelters – while learning the content and how to teach in each of the 11 instructional areas. Almost everyone was trained in CPR, good swimmers took ARC Life Saving, and 3 became National Riflery Association instructors. We had to learn how to prepare and lead a cabin devotional, and appropriate ways of discipling campers. We had to learn the DL songs, and about camp fires, testimonies, banquet night, skits, and hike procedures. We knew we had to be ready! The days were long and hard! We knew We Had No Choice!

After listening to knowledgeable DL campers, staff and board members in the previous five months, I knew some patterns had to be changed – and I also knew these changes would have to be well-received by the staff. They included discontinuing the following: biking camp, cross country camp, kayaking as an instructional area, bringing in a different Bible study leader every session, the 5:00 Bible study, using sandwiches and frozen leftovers as tripping food, and having all of the campers and counseling staff out of camp on the same day.

We were all living in our stretch zone, and I think would have moved into our panic zone apart from the fact that God had brought to the DL staff many exceptional people. These included four young men who today are on the Deerfoot Lodge Board of Directors: Brent Karner, Jeff Littauer, John Fox and Steve Mayer.

In reality, we did have many choices. We could have formed two distinct groups – the returning and the new staff. We could have been resistant to changing our understanding of the right way of doing things. We could have quit…feeling too much was being expected of us. We could have become proud of what we were accomplishing.

To God Be The Glory, Great Things He Has Done…through us, because we chose to work In Partnership With God

It is easy to think of DL only as it is now: a full camp, a large staff, a sufficient supply of camper and staff scholarships, a beautiful, functional facility including a “boulderless” ball field, lots of boats, excellent vans, all desired maintenance, kitchen, and office equipment, a complete staff manual, 100 people for each work weekend, good salaries for the full time staff and a large number of financial contributors.

I am hopeful that as I tell my experiences at DL, you will remember that it has taken 28 years to go from where DL was in 1982 to where DL is today. As you read my perspective of these years, I trust you will be encouraged as you learn how God has guided and provided… and He has! I trust you will also be encouraged to remember that it has taken a total of 80 years, even with God’s guidance, provision, and just plain old hard work by the staff, board of directors, and many, many volunteers, for DL to become what it is today. So if you are in a very difficult position, and it is where you believe God would have you to be, hang in there. On my desk I keep the words Winston Churchill spoke during World War II: Never Give Up, Never, Never Give Up, Never, Never, Never Give Up.

In the nine months before I walked into DL to begin my first summer as Director, my mom died, I had been asked to resign as the Director of a large camp/conference center in TX, was Chairman of the Christian Camping Convention, turned down several jobs, and when our money was just about all gone, was asked to become the Director of DL. I spent two of the next five months away from my family who remained in TX, sold a house, bought a house, flew back to Texas to drive with our family to the new house, arriving on June 2. The movers arrived in pouring rain on June 5, a day later than scheduled, giving us more time to scrub walls, floors, cabinets and counters. Between the 5th and 7th of June 16 family members or Deerfooters had come to help clean and get things settled. On June 8 Sally Jo and I drove our oldest daughter to La Guardia Airport in NYC for a flight back to Dallas where she would rejoin her high school orchestra for the long anticipated high school orchestra competition in Vienna, Austria, and stay on to work in Christ Camp of Germany, where Sally Jo and I had previously worked two weeks as consultants. On June 11 I took a day trip to Massachusetts and Vermont where I picked up DL staff. On June 12 the counselors and I left for camp.

As we headed for DL I was tired, excited and very aware that I had only been at DL once before, in December for two hours when there was deep snow!

Upon arrival, the first person I saw was Jeff Littauer, a senior at Wheaton College and the only person I had previously known with DL experience who would be at DL for the summer. Jeff had agreed to open the facility and be Guide leader. Here he was, mowing the ball field, with drops of blood on his face – my introduction to black flies.

I do not remember what I did during those first hours, but at 10:00 that night I was heading for the Lookout when the generator was turned off – as it was every night. Suddenly it was pitch dark. I did not have a flashlight with me. I tried to work my way down the “S” shaped path to the cabin where I had only been once before. It was hopeless.

Into the darkness I called “will somebody please come and take me home!” The person who came was also without a flashlight, and he almost walked me into the lake.

Lord, Help!

I was exhausted and had no clue where I should begin the next day – when 30 people were looking for my leadership as the new Director of Deerfoot Lodge.

What a difficult way to begin, even if I was living In Partnership With God.

Twenty one years before becoming the Director of Deerfoot Lodge I received a life changing challenge.

While driving back from my admissions interview for Baylor Medical School, I remember thinking “I can be a doctor… but do I really want to be a doctor?” My father was an MD and my older brother, and our mutual friend, Paul Groen, were in Baylor Medical School. I had never really given any thought to being anything but a doctor.

One evening while at a concert, Mr. Garret Groen invited me to come to his home so he could talk with me. It was an easy yes for me as Mr. Groen lived a block from our home. The Groen’s home was set back on property with several large trees, and impressive due to its modern design. I was warmly greeted at the door and we went into the living room. We were still standing when Mr. Groen said “Chuck, I just cannot get it out of my mind – I think you should consider going into the ministry, not into medicine. So often we present the finest product in shabby packaging. I believe that Jesus Christ is “the finest product” and we should present Him to the world in the best packaging. I challenge you to do this!”

Our Lord never asks anyone to do anything “half way”:

The Lord does good work: consider the design, the inter-relatedness, the beauty of creation. Remember the detail God went into when it came to building His portable temple. How He directed the tribes to stand around the temple. How He led the children of Israel by day, by night. How He directed King Solomon to build His beautiful temple.

The Lord asks for our best! Who we are, inside and out, and what we do is how we bring this “finest product” to our sinful world. Our Lord asks us to “Be holy, because I am holy.” — I Pet 1:16, to “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” — Ps 37:7, to work hard: “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” — Ecc 9:10, to take time for reflection: “consider the lilies of the field” — Mt 6:28, and to “run with perseverance the race set before us.” — Heb 12:1

My challenge at DL: Finest Product, Best Packaging. As Director of Deerfoot Lodge, I had the privilege of working at this challenge with the full support and guidance of the DL Board of Directors. The underlying question in every Board discussion was/is “what is best for the ministry of Deerfoot Lodge?” Building godly young men requires DL to work at modeling excellence in every area of camp: program development, selection, training, and compensation of summer staff, food service, nursing care, equipment, marketing, camper scholarship provisions and facility. I mention facility maintenance and development last so I can bring special focus on the 2000 hours given each work weekend by volunteers to provide the beautiful, functional facility.

There are many differences between the Lord and us! One is… the Lord does it right the first time!! The DL Board was very comfortable with my sending them a report the week before their next meeting – and then my giving them an amended report at the meeting. They were pleased that I had continued to think through the best way to do something. Their openness encouraged me to say to the campers and staff “show me a better way to do something, and we will do it.” At the end of every summer I walked one on one with every male summer staff member. They knew the questions I would ask. What were the goals for the summer you wrote down in staff training? How did you do? How could we have prepared you better for your work this summer? If you were Director, what would you do differently? How can I do my job better? The staff knew I wanted straight answers and they gave them! Because of their suggestions, changes were made.

The finest “product” is Jesus Christ. We have the joy of working In Partnership With God as we bring Him into the lives of people – and through people, to a world in great need. Let us do all for the Glory of God.

There was a tremendous difference between our home in TX and the house I bought in Greenville, NY. Each has proven “perfect” for the lives we have lived in each location.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4. It has taken hours of work, many given by Deerfooters, but look at what the Lord has provided. We consider our home and its location a gift from God.

Our location provided hundreds of acres behind our five acres where we could walk, horse back ride, dirt bike, snow mobile and cross country ski. A half mile away is a PGA certified golf course. Within easy walking distance is a resort for young families. We are encouraged to bring our grand children to use their playgrounds off season.

And our house? Today all floor coverings, windows, kitchen cabinets, interior doors and trim, siding, and roofing have been replaced, and three large bay windows have been added to the west side of our house – great views and sunsets. The damp basement is now dry, and has two 4’X 6’ south facing windows, a nice play room, a great little study, and a large wood working shop. The sorry deck on the back of the house has been replaced with a screened porch, deck and patio which together have almost as many square feet as the first floor of our home. From our kitchen and family room we look over beautiful flower gardens and a scruffy lawn to a wall of 15’ Colorado Blue Spruce and beyond, to the woods. On the south side of our home is large natural slate patio, made private with a stone wall, berm, and extensive tall grasses – creating an out-door room which we use for a month before, and a month after the deck/patio are comfortably useable. To the north-west of our home are the vegetable garden, rhubarb, blueberry and raspberry patches. This year we froze a winter’s supply of blue berries, red raspberries, and organic vegetables.

This year the garden club asked if they could include our home on their tour. Our children cannot imagine that we would ever sell the place! Our son Dirk, the associate pastor of a church 25 minutes away, and his wife and three sons come frequently to our home… their home. Hardly a week goes by that we do not have “visitors” of some kind, many of them Deerfooters. This week a tree surgeon, three pastors, and an Albany County highway worker and their families have cut Christmas trees on our property – and enjoyed a meal or hot chocolate. While I was Director of Deerfoot, for the 2 or 3 days before staff training began, the 3 section chiefs and my assistant for the summer came to review details for the summer and to finalize staff training.

When in a difficult situation, let us not be too quick to turn from “giving thanks in every situation”. God’s hand was integral to my being asked to resign in TX and to being hired by DL as Director at a critical time in DL history. We also believe that God’s hand was integral to the quick sale of our home in TX and the purchase of our home in NY. As I continue to tell the DL story, my expectation is that you, like me, will see God’s involvement historically, and to this day. Often there is an incredible amount of work involved in what the Lord asks us to do. Consider the experiences of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David, Nehemiah… James, John, Peter, Paul – they all had to trust God and use every bit of preparation, brain power, and physical strength they had. The result? God’s work was done, and the people involved had the satisfaction, the joy of experiencing God using them in His work.

Have I seen every tough situation turn into a satisfactory result? Absolutely not. There are times when my biblical understanding tells me how things should work out, but my logic continues to say “impossible”. Yet, I must push on, for I seek to live In Partnership With God.

We can smile now at the tears we shed when our family arrived at our new house on a rainy, gray day and was greeted with the smell of cat urine and cigarette smoke. God knew that he had provided the right house for us, and this fact has become increasingly obvious as we have lived in our home.

If you are going to live In Partnership With God, you too must push on, earnestly seeking His wisdom.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” — Psalm 37:4

The day our Dallas home was listed it sold for the asking price of $117,000. We were not surprised as the house was located in a “preferred” neighborhood ½ block from an excellent grade school, 4 blocks from the junior high/high school, 5 minutes from the LBJ freeway and close to shopping. Now it was time to find a house in New York.

We decided we should buy a home in the area where I had been staying when in NY. This location was near I 87 and I 90 and enabled me to be at DL in 2 hours, to Boston and New York City in 3 hours, and to the Albany airport in 30 minutes. From this location I could travel conveniently to where most DL campers, staff, and alumni lived.

With $72,000 in cash I began to look for a suitable home, believing that the Lord would provide the right house for us as He had done in the five previous locations where He had called us to serve. But there were some real challenges:

1. My compensation package was 1/3 less than our package in TX where there was no state income tax, no sales tax, and property tax was about ½ what it was in NY. Out of $30,000 had to come both halves of Social Security, medical insurance, state income tax, and we had always given 10% to the Lord for ministry. Retirement fund? Forget it! Don’t be tough on the DL Board of Directors. They were guaranteeing this package while also contributing to keep the camp alive until, hopefully, campers and contributions significantly increased.

2. Our family wanted a home with 4 bedrooms, a larger dining room and located on property suitable for horses.

3. Our oldest daughter would be a senior in high school – heading for college in one year.

Bottom line: I knew I would have to buy a house for cash as there would be no $ for a mortgage. My options were limited: a remodeled old house was far too costly, an old house that had not been remodeled would require an investment of time and money we knew we would not have, and a newer home in good repair would be expensive.

After weeks of looking, the two best options were a house located on five acres next to an active railroad track – with a bar a block away on a busy road, or a house located on five acres with a small barn, 75’ from busy NY state route 32. This house was in poor condition even though they said it had been “remodeled”.

One day the realtor called to say she was quite sure she had found our house. The snow was falling heavily when I was taken to a house located in Greenville with an asking price of $54,000. Greenville itself was not too impressive: at the main intersection was a blinking light – and a burned out gas station. We drove on a slippery side road to the house which had 4 bedrooms and a larger dining room than we had in TX. Traffic was certainly no problem, and I could see the house had copper wiring and pipe, and was reasonably well insulated. But there were some negatives: the windows were aluminum with no storm windows…I could feel the cold drafts. The house was finished out with what I called early American mobile home – in this case, the cheapest of everything you could buy: cupboards, doors, trim, and floor coverings. And the totally unfinished basement with 4 very small windows was damp to the place where the washer and dryer were on skids. There was a large wood stove in one end of the family room – the electric heat was very expensive for daily use. Out the small kitchen window I could see the 4X8’ deck was coming apart, and through the snow…a burning barrel 50’ behind the house. This house could work, though it was NOTHING like our home in Dallas. I paid $52,000 – leaving money to build a pole barn and extend the garage to have a mud room/laundry room.

Our family arrived in June, the day before the moving van. It was raining hard. As we walked through the house, Sally Jo and daughter Carla started to cry. In addition to what I have described above, we could smell cat urine and see the white walls were yellowed due to cigarette and wood stove smoke. My heart was in my throat as we began scrubbing. When the moving van arrived the next day, it was still raining. Oh Lord, What Have I Done?

“Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 – see # 2 above

Greetings from Israel.

I am here with son, Dirk, on two week study tour – a tremendous experience. We had a reading list of 7 books before we left. I read 4, worked on two others…but have not touched the Source by Michener. Maybe when I get home!

The days begin with breakfast at 6:45 and end with a time of sharing / summary of the day about 8:30. The last two nights have also had hour before dinner – I wrote Sally Jo…now you…and Dirk is waiting for computer.

He is doing blog about the trip: pastor-dirk.blogspot.com. He posts every day.

Walked in Jordan River this AM…in Nazareth this afternoon. Truly a beautiful place.

After 5 days in this area where Jesus lived / worked, tomorrow we head for Jerusalem. Because Dirk works on the computer for blog, you may not hear from me again for at least 10 days.

You are special…though I do not know who all of you are!

Chuck

Finding a summer camp nurse is one tough job! I knew that DL would need one and I also knew that the DL housing for a camp nurse was very limited; the money to pay a nurse was also very limited! The nurse would have to make most patient care decisions on her own. DL did not have a telephone which the nurse could use to call a doctor. Speculator was six miles down the road, and there was no doctor or clinic in the town. There were hospitals in Amsterdam and Johnstown – both about an hour from camp. DL needed an experienced nurse, someone comfortable providing the nursing/medical care of boys from 8 to 23. I did not know one person qualified, much less willing, to come.

John Engstrom, the athletic director at Stony Brook Academy knew Bill and Lynn Gosling. Bill was in capital development at Stony Brook. When a new Director of Development was hired, Bill had been asked to resign. John told Bud Williams, a professor at Wheaton College who taught in the P.E. department and at Honey Rock Camp, of the availability of Bill and Lynn. Bud, a friend of mine, knew I had just become the Director of Deerfoot Lodge and called me to see if DL needed a camp nurse. I called Lynn and learned she had 17 years of nursing experience and was an EMT. Lynn, Bill and their two daughters and two sons arrived at DL in June. DL needed a nurse and the Goslings needed a place to go for the summer. Talk about God having a plan!

The Goslings moved into the Health Center. At that time there was no second floor so Bill and Lynn lived in what is now the isolation ward (10’ X 12”). Their daughters moved into the small area where the stairs now go up to the second floor. When John or David was in camp, the other slept on the floor in the “clinic” room, the room where every sick or injured camper came, day and night. It was wild, yet the Goslings kept their cool through it all.

O yes, I should mention that Lynn was legally blind! We had a letter from her ophthalmologist saying Lynn, with the aid of magnifying devices, was able to see sufficiently to perform the duties of a registered nurse. Lynn Gosling was “Jo Nurse” at DL for 15 summers! She was terrific!!!!

As Lynn worked hard in the Health Center, Bill looked for ways in which he could help. During the first session he added outlets to Antlers so we could have fish tanks, he made town trips, he drove hikes – he never stopped.

As Bill had considerable writing experience, he agreed to develop the first DL staff manual. His resources: a small DL tripping manual, the staff manual we had developed over seven years at Sky Ranch in TX, my copy of the Honey Rock Camp manual from 1961 – and the “oral tradition” available to him. Bill sought to include everything fundamental to DL: the camp philosophy, job descriptions and standards of performance, daily schedules, the camper and staff policies and much more! Camper attendance was up only 4 per session from the previous summer (52), so I had inadvertently hired one more counselor than proved necessary. Bill asked a counselor with DL experience, Tom Coleman, to write the instructional area section of the manual.

I knew DL needed a nurse. I had given little thought to the development of a DL staff manual, but obviously God had! In six weeks Bill put together a staff manual of over 100 pages – I wish I still had a copy. Through the years the manual grew to an indexed 616 pages. Chief Ron continues to seek suggestions for the improvement of the DL manual from campers and their parents, staff and DL Board members. The entire manual remains open to revision as an updated copy is printed each year. Today this manual has been purchased by or given to, upon their request, over 700 camps throughout the world. Camps are encouraged to use its content in any way that will strengthen their ministry.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory ….throughout all generations!” — Ephesians 3:20-21