Saturday, March 5

Last weekend we had an Able Church winter retreat. It was the first function of its kind that we've had on the Camp Daniel grounds. There were about 20 retreat attendees, plus all of the Camp Daniel staff. They slept in the dorms, and ate in the Hartley House. Jen and Marceaux set up the one unfinished dorm room as a chapel/meeting area.

There were times for indoor small groups and lots of outdoor activities as well. We had a fire down by the lake while everyone split up into teams and played monkey ball. (it's soccer with your hands, on ice) Everyone had a lot of fun with great fellowship.

Thinking toward summer: Deacon Jim, from the Illinois youth group that volunteers here each summer, came up to decide on which projects they'll be tackling this July. On Friday, Tony Sr, Tony and Karol sat down with the salesman that we buy Camp Daniel clothing from. We ordered t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets for camp this summer. Tim Kelly had a great idea last year that we implemented; t-shirts for the red team and blue team.

Monday, February 14

Around noon last Thursday, the group of 31 from Silverbirch Ranch came to Camp Daniel for work days. This year, Silverbirch has 30 students in their 1 year program. They brought their students at this same time last year, as well. They worked the half day on Thursday, stayed overnight in the dorms, then worked til noon on Friday. It was very cold, so most all of the jobs were inside. Below you can see three of the group that primed and painted the ceiling and upper walls of the two dorm bathrooms. This crew worked on drywalling the large dormer part of the ceiling in the dorm of the Trapline Lodge.

A few months ago, Tony and Karol put together information and ideas that they've gathered over the past 15 years, about bunk beds. It was finally time to come up with a do-it-yourself design for the dorm bunk beds. Plans were painstakingly drawn up, then Tim built a prototype. We've been very fortunate to have great people step up to help with different aspects of construction. Again, we had a volunteer to build the bunkbeds; a couple at a time. So the plans were passed along, and a few months later, we have three bunkbeds! The Silverbirch crew sanded, conditioned and stained the beds. They look great!

This crew was learning how to put up tongue and groove in the Trapline Lodge. Many of the volunteers learned new skills while at Camp Daniel, and we were very appreciative of the help! I believe that's called "win, win".

Monday, February 7

Tim and the guys have been working in the Lumberjack Lodge dorm. In the pic below, you can see that supports for the poured concrete counter. This smaller counter is also in the bathrooms. It will have a mirror above it. It's basically a primping area. These counters were poured in place, which is the same way that they did the first two baths.

For the large counter, (which will have 3 sinks), Tim decided to do it differently than he did the first two baths. Instead of pouring the counter in place, they poured the concrete counter upside down. When dry, it will be flipped and put in place. The benefit is that the top (which was the bottom when the concrete was poured) will be very very smooth. The downside is that this counter is extremely heavy, and the fit had to worked out quite precisely before it was poured.

Tim and the guys also insulated one of the attics above Molly's place. Dave Detloff has spent a few days here recently, working on tongue and groove in the Trapline Lodge dorm. This week, much time will be spent preparing for a large work day on Friday. We have 30 people coming from Silver Birch Ranch. We're excited at the work that'll get done. That's a lot of jobs to find and get organized for!

Tony spoke at Living Hope yesterday for Missions Sunday. He spent much of last week preparing for the service. It went great. There was a lot of fun Steelers/Packers banter throughout the entire service. All of the CD staff was at the Super Bowl party that Living Hope puts on as an outreach to the community. There were many new people there, and many people that attend Able Church.

Tony was super excited last week when he got a professional video camera in the mail. It was donated by a church in Ohio over a year ago; but we just received it, as we had to wait for the church to raise the money to buy a new camera. The main plan for the camera is to shoot a Jesus Film specifically for people with disabilities.

Jen and Marceaux have been very busy with the Able Church Special Olympics basketball team - The Able Attack. They won both of their games last Saturday. Recently, the Bury's sent out a missionary newsletter to their friends and supporters. Marceaux has also been doing handy work with the snowblower, fan on the bus, and the large bullet heater. He's also been doing Bible studies with the guys.

January 25, 2011

Sorry, but this blog update won't have any pictures. I've been in Arizona for a week helping my mom around the house after her second hip replacement. I'm so glad she had it done in January!! I just wish I could bottle up the sunshine to bring home with me to share with the Camp Daniel staff! They've been working in the supreme cold this past week. So here's a brief rundown:
Well, I should start with something that happened before I left; Matt Mandich and his son came to camp to give a lesson in welding, which is something that Tony, Marceaux and Tim all only kinda knew how to do. They were able to practice and learn many tricks and techniques. We have 2 kinds of welders, so now it's good to have people that can use them properly!
The Sunday before left, we were all excited to witness Patty Truetinger (camper and Mega and Able attendee) baptised. We've really seen great integration into Living Hope Church. Patty was surrounded by people from Living Hope that love her and are actively involved in Able and camp. Really, it's just how it should be. Also getting baptised that day, were Sara Gillstrom and Brian Suess, both of whom are very active in Camp Daniel and Able. We love them all, and were blessed to witness such a meaningful expression of faith.
Jen has been working doing occupational therapy. She's also been planning the Able winter retreat that we'll be having in February. She's been trying to track down winter sports gear, including broom ball, cross country skis and snow shoes. We're trying to keep the price as low as possible, so Jen's been trying to find inexpensive places to get some equipment. She and Marceaux stopped at Lake Lundgren to talk with them about their equipment. They got some good tips. Jen's also been working on the Dance for Disability. We were originally looking at September, but June is now being considered. Jen and those involved with Special Olympics, went to a basketball tournie last Saturday.
Marceaux has been doing bible studies with the guys. He also worked on getting the two school buses running smooth, as we had a church from lower Michigan drive up to buy them. So, Senior is happy to have those eye sores off the property, and the rest of the testosterone is excited to have more money in the skidsteer fund.
Molly has spent the past week babysitting at the Kocian's. She has been working on some photos that she took as a side job. Of course, she's still doing lot for Able, including Tuesday night bible study and prep work for the winter retreat.
Tim finished plastering the two dorm baths last week. Then he got a first coat of poly on the fourth bedroom. On Tuesday, during our staff meeting, the guys sanded that first coat, then Tim and I got the second coat on. Later last week, he brought the guys to a town near Stevens Point, to help Micah Weidner, whom was heading up packing a moving van for a family moving to Texas. The family is already there, as the dad has been seriously ill, and is seeing specialists in Austin; but all of their stuff was still here. After the truck was loaded, Micah drove it to Texas, then was planning on flying back. Tim was planning for a work day last Saturday, but it was cancelled on short notice. Sunday was all about football. The trash talk is flying as the crazy Green Bay fans take on Tony and family, whom are fans of the Super Spectacular, although underdog Pittsburgh Steelers. It's gonna be a fun two weeks! Tim also brought in the plow to get fixed and ordered doors for the dorm. We buy as we go to make the money go as far as possible. As leader of the youth group at Living Hope, Tim and Chrissy have been planning for a ski outing and a winter retreat. Both taking place at the end of this week.

Monday, January 17

Sorry it's been so long since I've blogged! But here we are, with a bunch of catching up to do. During Christmas, we generally don't work on big projects. We all took time to visit with family and friends, and really enjoy the holidays. The Kelly's were in Montana for two weeks visiting family. Molly visited with her parents at Camp Daniel, and in Eagle River. Jen and Marceaux did a lot of visiting in the Green Bay area. Of course, we had people at the Hartley House many times throughout the holidays.
The Able Church, as per usual, added a bunch of special events and activities during the holidays. One was cookie making one Sunday after church. Then on the following Tuesday, the group brought the cookies to a group home. While there, they sang carols and did the bell choir.
Jen has been working hard with Special Olympics basketball. She and the others involved in Able have been planning more special events for the summer and fall. Able is hosting a winter retreat in February, so Jen's been working on logistics of that.
Marceaux has been working on both snowblowers, here at Camp Daniel. He changed the battery on the bus, and also took the last load of garbage to the dump. I say "last load" because we finally got a dumpster from Waste Management. Marceaux is still doing Bible study with the Hartley House guys. He helped Tim with plaster in the dorms last week. Also, Marceaux is taking a homestudy course on mechanics.
Molly has been working with Able. And she has also been helping the Kocian's and the Weidner's with babysitting. Since she's good with all goods, and truly awesome with kids with disabilities, she's become the go to person for these families. Also over the holidays, Molly was given the opportunity to speak at her old church in Eagle River, to share about being a missionary at Camp Daniel. Right now, Molly is at her parents, recovering from strep.
Since the Kelly's got back from their Montana trip, Tim has mainly been working in the dorm bathrooms. With help from the guys, they did prep work and two coats of plaster in two baths in the Lumberjack Lodge. This week, he's polyurethaning the walls in the fourth bedroom in that same dorm.
After finally getting all of the Christmas decorations down, Karol started doing some work on camp crafts.
Last Thursday, Tony and Tim went to a Lion's club function in Wausaukee. They did a 15 minute presentation, and thanked the men for the support that they've given Camp Daniel.

Christmas

This picture goes further down. I accidentally deleted it. There's no moving around of pics with this program. Sorry for the inconvenience, but I'm not starting over!

I thought it would make for a fun blog to post pictures of the Camp Daniel missionaries' Christmas decorations. Some of us have been hording decorations for decades, while others are just starting to collect some holiday items for their homes. I think we all know which category Tony and I fall into!

So this is like a Camp Daniel Pictorial Tour of Homes. Free of charge.

Jo and Tony have Christmas decorations everywhere. It was hard to decide what to take a picture of! Anthony liked this new wreath that Jo has on the wall. To me, this picture is iconic Jo. She changes this hutch for every season, continuing the tradition that her mom started when she had it. Every item is Christmas, and the pieces have been collected over many years.

Moving on to our home. We have a regular Christmas tree in the living room, but this is my special antique tree, which sits between the kitchen and hall. Charlie Brown wouldn't have been given such hassle, had he brought home this aluminum beauty! We bought it at an antique shop in Crystal Falls, MI. It was a real find, as I already had many antique ornaments. Every one of the 180+ ornaments on the tree is antique.

More old stuff in our living room. All silver and red. Some of it is new. I specifically remember buying the snowman and the house (both in the foreground). We were with Greg and Kitt Cleereman, in Chicago, in January. We went to Marshall Field's (now Macy's), where the Christmas leftovers were 90% off. I was like a crazy person! I just remember Greg sitting there looking at me like I was nuts. Well, maybe just a little.

Jen and Marceaux have a real tree. They were going to put it outside, but it kept blowing over in the wind! So it's literally in the middle of their place. On the tips of the branches are pieces of popcorn that are "glued" on with a doughy paste.

This stocking hangs outside of the Bury's. It's a pretty arrangement that Jen's mom made.

Onto the Hartley House. They have a nice tall tree in the living room, but I felt like the deer had a bit more character. Other taxidermied critters in the house with Santa hats: fish and smaller deer mount.

The top pic goes here. It's probably the largest nativity in the county! The very top has the traditional nativity characters, and the rest of the shelves have more of a supporting cast of towns people, Roman guards, angels, etc. When Tony and I did craft shows, Tony made stables for nativity sets. We bought the sets, and he built the buildings. We bought Fontanini brand at wholesale and sold the many many pieces that they offer. Well, after we finished doing the craft shows, we had many pieces left, so they now take a place of honor in the dining room of the Hartley House!

This is a close up of Molly's pretty Christmas tree. It's all silvers, blues and purples. Pretty impressive for her first tree!

But even prettier than her tree is the way she lit up the exterior of her home.

The Kelly's are the only one with a proper fireplace for Santa! Those are some big stockings. I bet the kids picked them out!

Have a Merry Christmas, from all of us at Camp Daniel.

Who knows, maybe next blog, I'll show all of the snow we've shoveled!

Thursday, December 9

This blog will focus on what Jen and Marceaux have been doing the past week or so. They often go about their business with such quiet dedication, that what their doing gets sometimes overlooked on the blog. Well not anymore!

We begin two Sundays ago. Sunday is, of course, Mega day. Jen is a megaphone (worship leader) and Marceaux is in charge of security. After church they, along with Molly, went to the Mandich's for an Able Church meeting.

On the following Monday, Marceaux did a bible study with the Hartley House guys in the morning. Later that day, he finished sheet rocking his "Ham Shack" (the kids old playhouse, which will be for Marceaux's ham radio). Jen worked on "Miracle of Camp Daniel" book. She's been putting together the stories and history of Camp Daniel. She also organized and labeled all of the braille books of the Bible that are in the conference room. Jen then went through the basketball uniforms for the Able Attack Special Olympic team, check to see what we have and what we need for this season. Jen also did some therapy on Tim's shoulder recurring shoulder injury.
We have a staff meeting every Tuesday morning. After the meeting, Marceaux, Tony, Tim and the guys all worked to get the old plow truck onto a trailer and brought to the plow shop. The plow was taken off of the truck and installed onto Tim's truck, which actually runs.
Tuesday is Able Family Night. Twelve players participated in their first basketball practice. Roger Weid is the head coach, and Jen and Marceaux are both assistants. They had additional coaching help from Brian Suess and Bill Woods. After practice, was the pizza and Bible study time, during which 25 people participated.

On Wednesday morning, Marceaux did another bible study with the guys. Then he and Jen spent some time cleaning out the basement of their place. They are converting it into an "art cave/studio". They hauled in a large work table and hung shelves for supplies. Afterwards Jen worked on Tim's other shoulder, which is also injured. Jen also added to the Camp Daniel book that day, and did laundry. She spent some time in counsel with DJ, whom has been going thru some hard times. Marceaux finished his portion of the thank you cards from their wedding. He knocked out 40!

Thursday morning brought another Bible study. Jen worked on preparations for Friday night's Able Church. She also spent a long time counseling with Lori, DJ's girlfriend. She then had a fun night out with Molly, Karol and others at a Sushi restaurant in Green Bay.

On Friday, they left camp early to get to Green Bay, where they visited with some members of the Able Church. After Able, they brought the guys to Jen's parents house to spend the night before the big Special Olympics Bowling State Finals, which were early Saturday morning in Wausau. The guys placed 7th. After bowling they headed back to Green Bay to help with the clean up from the Mega Movie. After cleaning that mess, Jen, Marceaux and the guys, went to a concert at St. John's in Howard. They saw an acapella group that only uses their mouths for the instruments. Right up DJ's alley. The guys all had a great weekend. It was like a mini vacation for them. All thanks to the Bury's.