Ways to (HELP)
Visitors of a
Different Kind
By Mike Newton, Facilities Director
Throughout the year, I enjoy the frequent compliments of our guests. The Tejas staff hears it year around. When the
kitchen does well, (and they always do) Michael and his staff enjoy the applause for their creativity and hard work. When a
comment is made about the positive demeanor of our staff, or the level of service with which we approach a given group, the
effect of that praise is evident and it makes us want to do it better still. From food to facilities,
we do it right, and our visitors tell us so. These accolades are a sort of reward to us for our
investment in our daily labor, and I think it is safe to say that we all relish it. Naturally, we respond
to reward, but there is another way – to work, looking toward the reward that is not always right
in front of us, spurring us on. Throughout the retreat season here at Camp Tejas, we have some
visitors of a different kind. These visitors are not here to get, but are here to give. They come
from all over the country from various backgrounds with skills that run the gamut. Some are
teachers, engineers, homemakers, military officers, carpenters, electricians and nurses to name
a few. They bring not only their life skills, but they all have a story, and I love to hear them all.
Most are members of retiree volunteer groups that travel the US, working at Christian camps
and conference centers across the nation. The groups that help us the most are Campers on
Mission, MMAP, RVICS, SOWERs and Texas Baptist Men. They typically spend about three weeks at
each camp, often without finishing the project and seldom seeing the fruits of their sweat. There is a Christ-likeness in this type
of work that encourages me. I’ve said it before in previous articles, and I will say it again, this is what I want to be, just as our Lord
served us and endured the labor of His calling to the
finish. For the joy that was set before Him, endured
the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)
I guess what I’m driving at is that our guests
compliment the camp’s excellence, and volunteers
help us to achieve that excellence. Their fingerprints
are on every facility. As I frequently say, there is so
much about the camp that volunteers make possible.
From a nice spot to sit outside, to a conference room
that can seat up to five hundred, these servants
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