We called it The Carpenter Shop. But really that only named a small portion of the building. It was kind of like how my kids call Fairview Hardware, “The Popcorn Store.”
The Carpenter Shop was named for the section with a full wood-shop which had no less than ten well-made power tools to fashion wood. There was another room for spraying finish and paint on our custom trim and paneling. From that room, if you kept walking inside the building, you would have found the machine that created our signs, more tool storage, an office, a bathroom, a room full of paint, a room for electrical parts, and several large bays and shelves for storage. Those bays were filled with plumbing parts, trowels of every kind, lumber, tile, and the leftover materials from countless projects.
The outside of the building had nine lean-to bays that held roofing and landscape supplies, ladders, two trucks, a large tractor, and our favorite piece of machinery; a Sky-Trak telehandler.
And then one day…all of it was just gone.
In the early hours of July 18th, a fire started in the Carpenter Shop and, in the morning, there was nothing left to be salvaged. The fire was hot enough to melt the spare mirrors and anything aluminum into puddles. It was hot enough to engulf several more vehicles that had been parked nearby, but it did not spread to the trees or structures around it and we see that as an act of God’s protection.
And when you reflect on a “Job Chapter One” kind of morning, you cannot charge God with wrong (verse 22). You acknowledge that it was horrible (and it was!) and do your best to see God’s sovereign hand in all of it.
There were many meetings in the following days to talk about a new building, if the Lord would provide for one. Word got out quickly to the Barakel community, thanks to social media, and we had a great outpouring in the coming weeks of donated tools and money for the new Carpenter Shop. Our hope right now is to put up a new building before the snow flies.
The fire didn’t slow my construction projects down either. We had people signed up to volunteer all summer long and lots of work in other parts of Camp to accomplish. There were several roofs to be repaired, trim work at the East Side Chapel to finish, and we had about ten Summer Staff girls that were staining buildings faster than I could buy stain. We contacted our workers and they were able to bring up the tools that they needed for their time here.
Because we couldn’t have campers this summer, we had really ramped up the effort to get additional volunteers to improve our facilities. This meant that for most of the summer, Monday through Saturday, I had from three to five projects at a time to keep moving. I got my hands dirty plenty of times, but I had to step back and let other capable people do the hands-on work more so than in past years. My phone, work truck, and notebook were my most used tools this summer.
It was an intense season, but so much work was completed. Around 20 buildings have been stained or painted, 40 windows were installed in the East Side Chapel, Several roofs have been replaced or repaired, and two of our empty staff homes made great advances in their renovations. Though fall retreats have also been canceled, we are hoping to have this place in great shape when winter camp rolls around.
The social distancing of the last several months has had its toll on our family. We missed seeing the friends and family that we normally see over the spring and summer and our family was pretty isolated from what was going on in camp this year. They did, however get to spend many afternoons at Shear Lake, which was a good place to catch up with other families on Camp’s staff. Sarah just renewed her lifeguarding certificate, so it’s comforting for me to know that’s she not gotten rusty at the guarding of lives since our kids enjoy swimming so much.
The summer season is finished at Barakel and we are taking time off, 906 miles away in Williamsburg, VA. The main attractions are the pool and a lot of cool historic spots where America defeated those lousy Redcoats. We are hoping this is a great time for our family to spend some quality time together as I’ve been distracted or tired most evenings this summer.
Please pray that Camp Barakel would once again be full of campers this winter and that fear would not be the deciding factor in staying away. Pray for our family dynamic as we continue to homeschool (on purpose!) in the fall and that we would be willing servants to the task that is before us here. We are so thankful to those of you that have kept us here through your prayers and by investing in us financially.
Dan for the Haines Fam
Sarah, Asher, Isaac, Jonah, Elijah, and Seth
FAQs
-No, we don’t know how the fire was started.
-Yes, I lost a lot of my own tools in the fire. I’m still working with renters’ insurance to see what they are going to cover.
-Yes, I’ll write about the kids soon!
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is 20 inches long and was 7lb and 13 oz, which should be easy to remember with his 7/13 arrival. He did great on his tests at the hospital, with minimal studying, and was discharged after just 24 hours. Clearly, he’s an over-achiever like his mother. We are so thankful that the process went so smoothly.
Thank you to those of you that have been praying for the baby and the rest of us. We are doing well and Sarah, though still dealing with fatigue and nausea, has been feeling better. We are grateful to you that share our excitement as we continue to expand this family and, with hope, the great family of the one who called us out of darkness into light.
I’ll start with the big news: We’re having another baby! Sarah is 15 weeks along and, Lord willing, our little boy or (yes, it’s possible) girl will be born around July 20th. Sarah, the boys, and I are very excited and if you’ve seen our last few updates, you’ll know that a healthy baby, not a particular gender, is all that’s on our minds. A recent ultrasound and doctor’s visit showed everything as it should be and we’ll follow up in about a month. Please pray for Sarah as she’s been tired and nauseous thus far in the pregnancy and we’ve love if that lessoned. Also, pray for me as I’ve been tired from doing lots of projects around our house. I attribute this to Sarah’s “nesting,” but it might be a little bit of me finally catching up on things I’ve put off.
This past March, we started another bathroom renovation on Barakel’s East Side, at Oak Cabin. I called the project, “Oak Cabin, My Cabin,” which alludes to a 1989 movie, which alludes to an 1865 poem which alludes to Abraham Lincoln. Makes sense, right? I thought so too.
Anyway, Oak Cabin had several problems with its two bathrooms that needed to be addressed. The showers were located in the middle of the bathroom, which didn’t allow for a proper changing area.
Our kids are growing fast and really enjoyed everything that summer had to offer. Asher passed the deep water test, allowing him to swim in the deep end of Shear Lake, and the other boys all did well with some floatation help. This is the first year that Sarah hasn’t had an infant or a 1-year-old to care for during the summer, which made it easier for her to take the boys swimming regularly and enjoy life with them.
With the fall season beginning, Sarah spends her days teaching 4th grade, 1st grade, and Preschool while keeping Elijah out of trouble as well. It’s hard because they are still so young and need a lot of attention. She also works two mornings in camp per week with food prep, and helps clean a lodge that houses volunteers. During retreats, she assists in serving and cleaning up after meals.
Games like Bear-Skin-Rug, Sword in the Stone, and Deer-Slayer are played near the primitive campsite with the help of blindfolds, sticks, and a healthy imagination. Ticks are killed. Trees are climbed. Bug spray is overused and relationships are built.
For many campers, this will be the only time all year that they will experience a night in an actual forest, without walls and screens protecting them from insects, raccoons, and early sunrises. A comradery is made between the campers, but so much more than that, an appreciation is encouraged and found in the great Creator of the forest, the wind, and the earth. The first chapter of Romans tells us that God’s eternal power and divine nature have been shown to us in the things that have been made. This has been called God’s General Revelation.
After the hot-dogs and games are over, the campers don sweatshirts as the air starts to cool and they meet up with the other tribes on a hillside for Chapel in the Woods. There, the Specific Revelation of God is revealed through the Scripture that is presented. This evening overlooking the red pines will be one of 10 Chapel services (The rest being indoors) that a camper attends during the week. The Good News of Jesus as Savior is intertwined in the speaker’s messages and many lives are changed.
I’m thankful to God for bringing so many campers each summer to make great memories and learn from God’s word, but here’s the thing: I’m certainly not counselor age anymore! Though I survived Thursday’s campout, I’m grateful to now be on the training end of things. God has provided our summer staff (born around 1999) to do the counseling and activities and we will gladly let them do the work involved in caring for 8 or 9 campers per week.
Sarah and I are thankful to be a part of this ministry and remember fondly our times as summer staff. Please pray for our family as this is a very busy time of year and I’ve been away a lot of additional evenings due to projects and responsibilities. We are grateful for your prayers and the financial support that keeps us serving through Christian camping.
"To Live and Serve our Best" 