I’ve heard this question posed a few times since our last post, so I thought I’d shed some light on the subject.
“What do y’all do at camp, now that summer is over?”
Great question, I’m so glad you asked!
After summer is over, Ironwood has a “staff break.” This year for our staff break, we had a “stay-cation” and cleaned out all the bedrooms! Fun stuff. 🙂 The next two weeks are called “orientation weeks.” That is when our new yearly staff on Ministry Bound and Defined arrive and get acclimated to their new jobs! (Click the links to learn more about what these ministries are.) These two weeks are also when Ironwood Christian Academy kicks off their school year. Here are some “back to school pics” of our kids, just for fun!
Bethany is teaching K-2 this year, so she gets to enjoy teaching Rori in her classroom. Madelyn is still living her best life in Ironwood’s daycare called Pygmy Post, and doing K4 at home on the side. Peter is in “the big kid classroom,” and is thoroughly enjoying his new teacher. Nan (Bethany’s mom, Sara) teaches his history class over Zoom each day at 7am at the kitchen table, so that is a special treat for everyone! We’ve almost completed 5 weeks of school already! Time flies when your having fun!
Okay, but what is THERON doing, now that summer camp is over?! Good question!
Fun fact about Ironwood, we run camps all year long! With the exception of maybe 5 or 6 weeks out of the year, there are always camps running, and many times there are two or three running at once. Ironwood is blessed to have three facilities: Rivertown, Broken I, and Ikes’ Roost. That means that there are separate meeting, eating, and “playing” areas for each space and schedule, so that multiple groups can attend camp at once, without running into each other. Click this link to be able to see the different facilities! All that to say, Ironwood is very busy with all different kinds of camps. These might include: marriage retreats, men and women’s retreats, young adult retreats, and mother/daughter or father/son camps. Sprinkled throughout the year, Ironwood also hosts specialty camps, such as airsoft camp, a church tech retreat, pastor/pastor’s wives/pastoral staff retreats, counseling retreats, and even a board game retreat called Tabletopia! To read up on all these camps, click here.
Theron’s job during the nine months of “not summer camp” is to coordinate and host some of these camps! As the coordinator, he works with the pastor from a church months ahead of time to nail down all the details before they arrive. Hosting a camp means that he is the person “on call” to answer any questions, give announcements, and lead the campers from one activity to the next.
The first camp Theron hosted this year was a Family Camp for a church in Los Angeles. It was their first time at Ironwood, and they have already made plans to come back for a longer stay next year! The next camp on Theron’s schedule was a Women’s Retreat from Pahrump, Nevada, as well as another women’s retreat from a church in San Diego, California. This week, Theron is serving the men from that same church at their church’s men’s retreat! The rest of September has included a young adult retreat, a Desert Science camp, and more men and women retreats. If Theron isn’t the one hosting the camp that week, he’s working at serving them in their activities, in their services, and during store and coffee shop time.
In addition to a busy camp schedule, Theron also jetted across the U.S. to South Carolina where he recruited summer staff at Bob Jones University. Click here if you’re a college student looking for a ministry to serve in this summer!
Church activities have also kept the Bowmans busy! Theron taught some of the men’s Sunday Schools of the month, and Bethany taught the women through the book of Jonah. The kids’ theme in Children’s Church this month was “God is All-Powerful,” so they have been enjoying memorizing Colossians 1:16 together. Bethany was able to attend a “Ladies’ Retreat Away” in Bakersfield, CA, where she and 17 others studied the book of Hebrews, ate lots of food, drank lots of coffee, swam, soaked in the hot tub, and even painted candles. Such a fun time!
Theron and Bethany also hosted a Young Adults activity in September, where we tried Halo Ball and savory s’mores. Both were a hit!
And here we are, at the cusp of October! Yesterday the highest temperature was 86 degrees, and we all wore sweaters! The cooler weather has been such a nice change. The change of seasons reminds us of the faithfulness of our good God. Though life changes, He remains immutable, never changing, always faithful.
We have seen many of the Lord’s blessings this month!
Praises:
- Bethany was able to transfer her care to a hospital that is much more suited to her and baby’s needs. She and baby are both doing great!
- Another evidence of the Lord’s faithfulness was shown in Rori’s recent baptism. It has been amazing to see the work of the Holy Spirit in her life, and her baptism was something very special.
- One more big blessing was the surprise news that the church our family served at for 6 years in Virginia, CityLight Baptist Church, chose to take our family on for missions support. What an encouragement this was to our hearts, and how special to have a direct connection to those who are still such dear friends! Come out and visit us, CityLight Fam!
Prayer Requests:
- Continued safety and good health of Bethany and baby boy
- The Lord’s continued financial provision
- Wisdom to parent Peter, Rori, and Madi
- Spiritual growth of each of us!
Thanks for sticking with our September update. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and if the Lord leads you to do so, please consider supporting our family financially. More news to come at the end of October!
Love, The Bowman Bunch
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