Being able to serve at Camp Alpine was a huge miracle for us. We wanted to serve somewhere where we could use the talents that we had acquired while building a ranch for our family. We both loved the outdoors and the thought of being cooped up in an office all day was scary. We had made a goal five years earlier to serve the Lord, but with family issues, it seemed impossible. So we fasted and prayed that the way would open for us to serve. Then we watched as miracles happened and we realized that this would work. When we saw Camp Alpine listed on the church service list and were told by President Freeman that we had called on it within hours of it being posted, we knew that this was the mission we had been praying for. Our job after Girl’s Camp ended was basically to look around and see what needs doing. The old fireplace in Helaman Hall needed restoring, and we had built three fireplaces similar to it, so we rolled up our sleeves and proceeded to make it as good as new. It was slated to be removed and replaced with a propane fireplace at a huge cost, and we knew it wouldn’t cost much to restore it, so we decided to make it a Christmas Surprise for our Directors. If they still wanted to pull it down and replace it, there was only sweat equity wasted. The Directors were delighted with the way it turned out, so we can keep our jobsJ We found an old dusty create full of Eagle Scout plaques buried in the back corner of a shed that we were cleaning out and decided to hang them up in Helaman Hall. These plaques each list a scout, his Eagle project, and the year he did it in. They were too precious to be buried in a shed. We sanded them down and put a polyurethane shine on them and hung them up. The last one was dated back in the 90’s so we started doing research to see if we could bring them up to date. Several parents of Eagles noticed them and volunteered to help. Hopefully this tradition continues. We noticed that when the girls filled the amphitheater, some tripped over the awkward center steps, and some tripped on an old stump in the isle. We decided to take on the amphitheater. We poured concrete landings between the steps, blocked the backs of the benches to hold up the sloping hill, chain-sawed the old stump and roots and made a new bench, and smoothed all the isles so no one trips. We added fans in Sariah Shelter and Helaman Hall, and some day we hope to add LED lights. We kept busy for the year and asked to stay an extra month to finish out Girl’s Camps. The girls who come here are so very sweet and special! They are such fun to get to know and hang out with. We love the hikes, the skits, the meals, the laughter, and the fun activities. This is the best mission on the world!
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