How It All Began

Can I tell you the amazing story of how we got to Canada?

Phil went to Camp of the Woods with his church in 1971 & 1972.  In 1973, he was able to spend the summer there on staff. 

Jump forward 32 years…

Phil and Pete Van Dyken decide to go to Canada to fish, and they return to the area around COTW because Phil loved it so much.  Phil returns to COTW to reminisce and take pictures.  He does the same for the next 4 years.

 

Pete becomes mission leader at our church and determines to find John Cofield, one of the members of the family who founded the camp.  John is our age and went to Tennessee Temple with us.  Pete finds John & family in MacDonald, Tennessee, and arranges a meeting for us all.  It was an immediate connection.

After a couple more get-togethers, we decide to support COTW with a monthly donation.  This helps to encourage John to step out of his job as a teacher and return to full time staff for COTW.  We arrange to go to Canada together (Phil & I) and spend time at the camp.

In May 2010, we go to camp for Phil to fish and for me to help prepare for camp.  The theme of camp is The Amazing Race and I am able to help develop the race, since I have created several through the years.  We have a wonderful time and feel very much like we have found a ministry to be a part of.

I return later in the summer with two other ladies to spend two weeks working with the kids during Junior camp.  It was lots of fun.

This year we have returned again to work with COTW.   We both found important roles to play in the camp ministry.  We are hoping to return next summer to spend the whole summer in camp after we retire.

This is the short version of the story.  There are many other details that make this story more and more amazing.  We see the hand of God in it all.  “He who began a good work in [us] will be faithful to complete it.”