I know that many of you have been wondering about when this year's Men's and Women's retreats would be so that you can start planning on attending them. As of right now I don't have any concrete dates for either retreat, but I know that planning for both is ongoing.  Pray for the planning of these retreats, and that they will be a blessing to those who attend.  Last year the Men's Retreat was canceled because of a random East Texas blizzard.  Hopefully this year the weather will work out better and we will be able to get all of the CDR men together for a good ol' time.  The Women's Retreat went off without a hitch, and I know that all the ladies who attended had very blessed time.  As soon as I have dates for the retreats, and anything else planned for Camp, I will make sure to get on the blog and let you know.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

Camp Weather

Unless you have been somewhere on the other side of the world for 4 months, and had no idea what was going on in Texas, then you are aware of how hot it was this summer in East Texas.  Only one of the hottest summers every, there have been many problems around East Texas caused by this summer's heat.  Coupled with the extreme heat, a long drought has made all of East Texas very dry and vulnerable for fires.  I know that for the first time since I can remember, campers did not get to see fireworks on the 4th of July because of a burn ban.  For the past few weeks there have been hundreds of fires burning in East Texas, but thankfully I don't think any of them have threatened Camp.  Pray that God can bring East Texas a whole lot of rain, because without more rain, the fire threat will continue to linger.

The dry summer has caused other problems besides fires.  There are numerous dead trees in the woods of Camp right now and this can cause problems as well.  Last spring, I was out at Camp visiting with Ty Ford, and we were walking around in the woods, and I remember seeing dead limbs and trees everywhere.  There had been a bad storm or two that had blown a lot of them down.  There is a pavilion out in the woods that large tree had fallen right beside.  Another 2 feet and it would have fallen directly on the pavilion and would have demolished it.  Falling trees and limbs are going to be a problem at Camp for a while, so pray that God can make sure he protects the Camp Deer Run in the physical sense. Hopefully no damage will be done to anything structurally at Camp.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

Camp Donuts

So a couple of saturday's ago, my wife Sarah sent me this picture.  She decided she wanted to make Camp donuts that morning.  I was a little upset because she decided to do this on a day when I wasn't home.  I love Camp donuts, and was pretty jealous about her getting to eat them.  

Donuts are always the breakfast served for the Cheuks and Wenaches during their morning for outcamping.  I thought that other people may want to try cooking some Camp donuts at home, so here is how you do it.

Step 1...heat up some cooking oil, keep it under a boil.
Step 2...open up a can of biscuits.
Step 3...poke a hole in each of the biscuits to form your donuts.
Step 4...put the biscuits in the oil until the  donut starts browning, then flip.
Step 5...take the donut and dip in a mixture of 2 cups sugar and a quarter of a cup of cinnamon.
Step 6...Eat the donuts while thinking about Camp.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

The Hermit

I few days ago I had somebody ask me if the Hermit was alive and well at Camp Deer Run.  I can report that he is.  The Hermit has been a very mysterious inhabitant of Camp, and one that all of the campers seemed very intrigued to and curious about.

The Hermit has been a fixture at Camp for many, many years.  He lives out in the woods all by himself, and is a man of many different faces.  Sometimes he can be lonely man needing some nice cards written by the PeeWees to cheer him up.  Other times, when the Chueks or Nashamies need a little bit of a scare, he can be a grumpy kind of mean man.  They are told that sometimes he will sneak into Camp and get some clothes when he needs it, and will even grab some food out of the Mess Hall when needed.  But for the most part, he is content to live in the woods by himself and not cause any problems.

(Just in case you are unaware, I am not talking about a real hermit.  A staff member dresses up and goes out to to where the Hermit "lives" and plays the part of the Hermit.  He will stay hidden to where the campers cannot make out that he is a staff member that they see everyday, and sometimes he will let the campers ask questions about him.  Many times the staff takes their campers to see the Hermit to let them try and encourage him and say good things to him...a good time to show how Christians are called to build people up with the things they say.)

So yes, the Hermit is still at Camp.  He has become a fixture of Camp, and I am sure he will be for many more years.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,
Sparky

Labor Day Weekend

Every one always talks about Labor Day Weekend being the "official" end to the summer. Obviously this is not true for Camp Deer Run. The summer has been over at Camp for several weeks now. But just because summer is over, Camp Deer Run isn't over. I know that I often times think that Camp is just a 10 week experience that happens over the summer months. While it is true that this is the true "Camp Deer Run Experience", its important to remember that Camp Deer Run is a year round functional camp.

While things obviously slow down during the off-season, there are still many activities that are going on during this time. The first obvious example is how Camp serves as a place for retreats. Over most weekends during the year, groups from all over East Texas come out to Camp for their retreat. These can be youth groups, church classes, or family reunions. Camp is a good place for retreats because it offers plenty of activities, and also has several places to meet together as a group. It is also a pretty cheap facility compared to other camps around the area. I have spent several weekends out there for retreats and had a wonderful experience each time. If you are wanting to put together a retreat for a group of yours, call the Camp office at 903-629-7165.

Even though the summer of 2012 is still 9 months away, I know that preperations have already begun to make next summer the best Camp Deer Run has ever had. The Director, Ty Ford, has already started planning on when he is going to recruit the staff, what the theme of the summer will be, and what improvements need and can be made to Camp. Ty will also go around to churches during the year to speak about the work being done at Camp during the summer, and will also be working to raise funds. Scarecrow, The Maintenence Supervisor, is always working around Camp to fix whatever was broken during the summer. It really is a full-time, year-round job. If the small stuff wasn't worked on during the year, Camp wouldn't be able to function as well during the summer.

I want you to know about all of this so that you can start praying for next summer. Keep all of the work that will be done between now and then in your prayers, and ask God to give the decision makers wisdom and knowledge, so that they can make Camp Deer Run a place where God can do His work, and the campers can grow closer to Him. Great things have been done at Camp, and this will continue to happen for many more years.

Hail, Dear Ol' Deer Run,

Sparky