FLOOD RECOVERY

It is amazing to reflect on what God has done through Camp Alandale in the 45 years it has been operating. Thousands of abused and neglected children have attended camp and found hope in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, and 2024 was no different. Although this year came with many difficulties, God continued to display his care for these foster children. 

We were at a loss at the end of last year, trying to figure out how to move forward after so many unexpected difficulties. The Camp property had just been flooded, displacing our program, and the additional setbacks felt relentless. Our original timeline to return during the summer of 2024 was quickly pushed back by adverse winter weather and poor road conditions. As we headed into spring, we received notice that the washed-out roads leading to our property would not be repaired until 2028. This was devastating news as the unreliable road conditions made running camps an extreme safety risk–one we were not willing to make. 

As we took in all this information and sought the Lord to see how it would resolved, He moved in miraculous ways. We originally planned to rent another site for winter 2024 but, with the road setback, we sought to extend rental plans through summer. After looking at numerous rental sites, we settled on Camp Sky Meadows located a few miles from our property. Sky Meadows had everything we needed to run the camp program and even some additional perks that functioned better than our property. After the news broke on the 2028 road repair timeline, we consulted with Camp Sky Meadows to try and work out a long-term rental agreement. Renting was not ideal, mainly because it would cost well over $100k per year to rent for 12 sessions, but it was the only viable option. 

At this point, things began to fall into place. The management at Camp Sky Meadows informed us they would be willing to sell the entire property to us, instead of bargaining a long-term rental. Since then, we have been working on a deal to acquire Camp Sky Meadows as our own property. Our staff is filled with hope because the Lord has proved Himself to be faithful time and time again. Despite all the challenges of the past year, it’s evident that God continues to make ways for the gospel to go forth, ultimately furthering his Good News!

Since the flooding occurred in August of 2023, our staff has been so encouraged by the amount of prayer and support we have received from our camp family. There has been such a willingness to jump right in and get things done despite the tough situation! Many people have helped organize workgroups, donated to the flood recovery fund, and called to pray with us. It has been such an encouragement to see the camp family in action, responding to needs as they arise.

Immediately after the flooding, we continued in prayer for guidance and constructed plans to get the camp property functioning as soon as possible. The plan that we initially came up with was to reconstruct the camp property in 2024 and rent out a facility for winter and summer camps. Our goal was to be back running camp at our site by winter camp 2025. On one side, we were able to find a site to run camps in 2024! We toured many potential campsites and ultimately settled on a camp that met all our needs (Camp Sky Meadows) located a couple of miles from our camp. We have since completed our winter camp season and the site worked well for us! We are also encouraged and excited that we have a place to hold camps this summer. On the other side, the reconstruction has been difficult. The wet winter left the roads in poor condition, so it has been challenging to get work groups up there and to complete projects. So far, we have reconstructed the outside of the residence and jacked the cabins in preparation for moving them.

That brings me to where we are currently. One of the issues that has persisted since the flooding is the high groundwater. There are many new “springs” that are popping up around the property which has created some additional problems. Septic flooding and tree uprooting are a couple of them. The other big issue (and I mean BIG), is the road. Since the river is now located where our road used to be, it has created issues for the Forest Service in their approach to fixing it. One of their main priorities is to complete the work with the least amount of ecological impact. With that in mind, it doesn’t sound like good news for us. From what we understand right now, their plan is to connect a road from our camp to the upper road that goes out west. With this plan, we would have a route to the west and the east, but it adds a couple of miles of dirt to our driveway. Things are still up in the air so it could change, but it is still a question mark for us at this point. That brings me to the biggest obstacle (sorry for the suspense)...

We have received a timeline from the Forest Service: they plan to finish our road repairs sometime in 2028! Upon hearing this news, we will likely be forced to remain off-site until completion. It is tough news to face but we are trusting God with this. The date of completion is even a question mark at this point. When we had the much smaller washout in 2019, they gave us a timeline of 6 months and it was completed in just under two years. So, it is tough to know if that is actually when it will be complete.

You may be wondering as you read this “Well, what’s the plan?” and at this point, we are still unsure of how this plays out. We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28), so we are trusting Him! And after many years of experience at Camp Alandale, there’s one thing I know that is true. GOD LOVES THESE KIDS! Our main priority is and has been to continue to have kids at camp. We will seek God’s will in this while pursuing our mission to bring the gospel to abused children. God has been faithful to provide for Camp over the last 45 years and I have no doubt that He will continue to do so. Although it is tough and burdensome right now, I know we will look back on this in the future and see exactly what God was doing. We can do what we can (and we are looking at many different options), but the one thing we SHOULD do is pray for God to move and trust that He has a plan. Please join us in praying for Camp Alandale’s future in this next season!

August 20th, a week after summer camp ended, Hurricane Hilary passed through Angelus Oaks and all of our onsite staff were able to evacuate safely. Despite preparations, damage still occurred to a few areas of camp property due to flash flooding and high winds. The river rose significantly with the rain, washing out all roads to camp, flooding the main residence, and scattering heaps of mud and debris. Four of the girl cabins were moved by the current, crashing into each other. This was disappointing news to face but we are grateful that the rest of camp property remains safely intact! The areas of camp located further from the river remain in safe condition, such as the lodge, boys cabins, west side cabins, pool, and other key areas. This is deeply encouraging. We know that the Lord is continuing to guide and protect Camp Alandale.

The severe damage to the roads is the most significant issue. The flooding of the river wiped out all the roads leading to camp. Because much of those repairs will be up to the state and county, the timeline for repair is out of our control. In the meantime we plan to work on repairing the damage to camp property and moving forward with the winter and summer program however and wherever the Lord provides.

A MESSAGE FROM THE FOUNDERS: Karen and I, Robin, founded Camp back in 1980. Over these 43 years there have been lots of attacks from the enemy trying to close down the ministry. With God’s grace, we have never given in to these attacks and this situation is no different. This is God’s camp. This is God’s ministry. It is our father God’s loving heart that wants all of us to continue to reach out to the hurting. We know God loves these abused children even more than we do. He has a plan for this ministry to continue into the future. Because God is for us we know that no evil force can stand against us.

We, the Board and all the staff, want to thank you for your prayers and support. Thank you to the volunteers that are already showing up to help. God bless you all!