April 30, 2021

The camp property lay waiting in silence.  Tall, leafless trees stood expectantly, reaching to the spring sky to soak in life and light.  Ice covered the lake, only a narrow band of frigid water indicating any melting of winter's hold.  Cabins were clean and ready.  Tables and chairs were arranged in appropriate rows for meals upstairs and for lectures downstairs.  Grocery supplies were stocked.

Now all that was missing were the NCEM missionary candidates!

Walter and I arrived mid-afternoon on May 1.  Our vehicles was loaded with clothing, books, my guitar, mission jackets and shirts and last but not least, our quad!  A couple of the new missionaries had already arrived and were finding their rooms or cabins that would be home for the next three weeks.  We also began to unload the classroom supplies.  And Jason, the camp director and host, pointed out the RV that would be our home away from home.

Because the last Candidate Orientation & Training had been November, 2018, we had two years' worth of new missionaries to orient and train.  When COVID restrictions prevented us from holding our training in 2020, Doris and I took the schedule we had prepared and re-invited the speakers.  On paper, it looked workable!  

Ten people arrived and settled into their accommodations.  Soon, we gathered in the dining hall to share a meal, restaurant-style.  In the weeks ahead, this gathering would be the foundation for building relationships and preparing as warriors for the battle against darkness.  As we shared time in the classroom and in the dish pit, God was equipping each one for their ministries.  

No one was more pleased about the noise and the chaos than Jason.  After over a year of empty cabins and a quiet lodge, Jason was grinning with thanksgiving as he listened to the adults chatting and preschool kids getting acquainted.  

The camp was bustling and our new missionaries were getting their training!  The next three weeks would be pure delight as the silence turned to activity for the Kingdom of God!