Trenton and I are quickly learning that there is no “normal” here at Camp des Cimes. I imagined that by the time I wrote this post following the summer season, that we would be completely settled in and getting used to our new routines. It turns out that the off season at camp is always changing and busy! Since we last wrote, there have been new roles assigned, big team projects, and many visitors. Please read on to learn more about what we’ve been up to the past month and a half!

camp projects

The biggest and most consuming tasks so far have been renovations on the dortoir (a.k.a. the dorm) and the terrace off of the grand chalet (the main building). The dortoir is about 300 years old and currently consists of 4 bedrooms for campers. As you can imagine, at 300 years old, the dortoir needs renovations every so often to keep it functioning well. To make this happen, we had a work team of about 15 people from the US and Germany come here on a short term mission trip from to get it up to standards. Together, we did lots of demo, leveled the floors, redid the entryways and some of the walls, and laid plumbing for future bathrooms. The current bathrooms for this building are in a concrete block building outside, so having bathrooms will be a major improvement for future campers! Click on the photos below to see some of our work.

Our other big project was waterproofing the terrace right off of the main building. The terrace had been leaking through to the ceilings of the rooms underneath, so this project was much needed as well! It has been really fun to not only see this project realized, but also to learn a lot of new skills along the way.

Lastly, we were able to do lots of organizing of camp spaces this past month. Our art room had become really crowded with lots of supplies and decorations to the point where it was not very usable as an art room anymore, so we relocated a lot of those supplies down to the basement of our big building. I also got the opportunity to sort through and organize all of the books in our camp library. Things at camp always find a way of becoming disorganized again with all of the campers in and out, but it feels great to start from a nice, clean slate:)

GEM France

Last week, we were fortunate to be able to attend the yearly Greater Europe Mission (GEM) France retreat. This retreat took place at Camp des Cimes, and we had over 70 people here participating. This was a great time for Trenton and I to get to know some of the other missionaries serving through GEM in France and to be spiritually refreshed as well. Each day we heard great messages, had individual and small group time to reflect, had free time to relax, and participate in group activities in the evenings. We even got to go a on big hike near camp which was really refreshing. We are so grateful for this week because of what the Lord taught us through GEM speakers and for the rest after several weeks of hard renovation work. See some photos below of camp in the fall and of our hike.

roles

In between the various projects and renovations and GEM France, we have also been working on our new personal roles here at camp. Trenton will primarily be working on maintenance of the buildings around camp and the upkeep of the camp grounds. With fall in full swing, that means a lot of leaf management for the moment. I will be trained in camp’s invoicing and accounting systems to slowly start working in those areas over the next few months. I’ve also taken over Camp des Cimes’ Instagram and will be working on our social media. (Go follow @campdescimes !) Trenton and I are both also continuing to help in the recruitment process for our summer American counselors. Lastly, we have started French lessons! I am teaching French to Trenton and two of our other team members, Natalie and Harrison. The lessons have been fun so far, and we are excited for what higher french levels will mean for community engagement for these three!

prayers

As we continue to settle into the day-to-day here, please pray for a smooth transition period for us both. Camp des Cimes is a place very near and dear to us, but moving countries and starting new jobs takes some adjustment! Please pray that we can get the swing of this new normal and walk with the Lord in it. Please pray for our recruitment process, that the Lord can line up wonderful people to come serve here next summer. Pray for ease in the French language learning process for Trenton, Natalie, and Harrison. Finally, please pray that we find local community and can start making meaningful relationships in town and at church. We have obviously been called to Camp des Cimes, but we want to honor and serve the Lord in our relationships with people outside of camp as well.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!