End of an Era | Meadow Haven

The end of an era has come here at camp. For the OG staff, it seems unbelievable that it can actually be so, but alas…things are changing around here. And it is good.

There is a side of camp most people never see. The side where we’ve always envisioned full time staff housing would be built. We currently have our garden and bees over there, and a small single wide trailer we affectionately call Meadow Haven that has housed volunteers, summer staff, and full time staff through the years.

We are grateful to have some locals come and help us clean our volunteer cabin (aka Creekside Cottage) and Meadow Haven after we have people stay in them. One day this fall while cleaning Meadow Haven, our friends asked if we’d ever be willing to sell the trailer. We knew at some point we’d want to, but this was always down the road in our minds. However, we knew their need and it seemed the opportunity was nudging us in the direction we knew we needed to go. The deal was done!

The sale was the easy part — moving the trailer was a whole other thing. The buyers had to work hard to find a trailer mover who could work in their timeline and budget. Once they made this happen, we then had to work with them on actually removing the trailer from the property. Our entrance doesn’t allow for a lot of wiggle room, what with the bridge on either side and then a mountain straight out front. The movers ended up having to actually remove one side of the bridge so the trailer could make the turn and clear the sign. Naturally, rain came about the same time they were supposed to move. They waited that out and gave a day to allow a little drying out, then finally they began the move. After a few ditches in the landscape and a bridge reassembly later, the trailer happily drove away to its new land where a young couple could settle in and make a home. We were thankful all went well for them.

Now we are able to begin clearing the space over on this side of the property and begin praying for God’s provision for staff housing for the future full time staff we are also praying for. We never know how God is going to move, but we rest assured He will — in His timing and in His way. We look forward to getting to share what His provision looks like in the months ahead!

Until then, may we all take a moment of silence to remember the legacy of….Meadow Haven. For those of you mourning this loss, just know, the memories will remain with you forever.

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Photography | iPhone pictures by Shaun and Marty
Author | Cassi

2021 | Summer Staff 15 Year Reunion

Although everyone couldn’t come and not everyone even caught word about the gathering, we brought the family together for a little celebration! A FIFTEEN year staff reunion!

To have been here to see God cross so many paths over so many years all for the joint mission of helping teens find Jesus, or at the very least grow in their own walks with the Lord — there really aren’t any words to convey what it means to us full-timers.

We hung pictures all over the Axis walls from the beginning of Whisper Mountain’s summer staff through this past one…fifteen years later. What fun to watch all the reactions and hear all the memories being shared!

Meeting the kids of some of the staff was (crazy) exciting and fun. Knowing the younger version of their parents and seeing how they’ve grown into godly parents now adds depth almost like a parent watching their kids become parents. God’s faithfulness through the generations of our staff brings such hope, especially in these heavier times we live in.

Bazooka Ball was requested by quite a few, but more relaxed than when campers play! Pretty much, throw the rules out and just shoot whoever! Has it’s charm, until you’re the target! Good times, good times!

As is normal with all things surrounding Whisper Mountain, the time spent connecting with people was the highlight of our time together. People who wouldn’t otherwise have any reason to connect, people from all sorts of different backgrounds, experiences, denominations and walks of life have the mutual love of God and camp bringing them together. There’s just something entirely encouraging about this.

Ending our time together around the fire seemed just right. We got to hear testimony of how the effects of camp continue to impact their lives even now. The timing of their summer spent here, learning what discipleship looks like, understanding the importance of Christian community, finding clarity on soul-searching issues, how they are using what they learned in their living presently, and so much more was shared around that fire. Sometimes when we commit to something we don’t fully realize the impact it will have on us. Maybe something sounds fun, or distracting, or worthwhile, but we don’t always see the real work God was drawing us to until months or years later. Hearing testimony of this and recognizing God’s goodness all over again both astounds and encourages us.

Our time together went fast that day and we were missing quite a few, but how amazing to have gathered so many from year’s past. To share the memories, to celebrate God’s faithfulness and to recapture the vision of Whisper Mountain going forward was such a gift.

Thank you to all who made the effort to join us! Reconnecting was just what we needed! To those who couldn’t make it, your legacy lives on and we hope to see you at the 20th reunion!

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Big shout out to Megan Hunt for making our amazing shirts.

picture from Megan

picture from Kaleigh

She designed and screen printed them and we couldn’t love them more! Even the little ones were included with each one tailored to their parent as staff!

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Author + Photography | Cassi Werner

Come Celebrate a Decade of God’s Faithfulness

Did you know Whisper Mountain Camp has been in operation for ten years?! We have seen God be faithful from the very beginning in answering audacious prayers and in providing what we didn’t know to ask for. We have seen Him faithfully at work in the intimate and personal depths of our hearts and those who’ve come through our gates. There is much to celebrate and many who have been a part of the journey. We want to gather as many as are able to come celebrate with us, to share how they’ve encountered or witnessed God in this place, and to enjoy the simple fellowship of the church coming together to celebrate the God we serve!

Saturday, of Labor Day weekend, (September 3, 2016) we are throwing a party. The party begins at 11:00 with (a free) lunch served from 11-1. We will have a Celebration Program at 1:00. Beyond these two things, this is a come and go as you please kind of event. Think Open House! Our camp store will also be opened throughout the day for those looking to remember their time (and represent when they go back home!).

Come enjoy the Whisper Mountain atmosphere you keep hearing about and seeing pictures of but haven’t experienced for yourself yet!

If you are able to come celebrate with us, please fill out the form below. We want to be sure our plans include you!

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We hope to see you there!

 

Burning the Barn

In December, I took a few pictures of our old Tobacco Barn, knowing she was on her last leg! It wasn’t quite 2 weeks later when she finally gave up and crumbled! We weren’t there when it happened, so there’s no documentation of that,but we were there to witness the sad heap of history of this Whisper Mountain property!

shaun’s iphone pic

The guys have been working hard to get things cleaned up. There are lots of piles: the burn pile for all the rotten wood, the keep pile for the siding that will go in our new building someday, the get rid of pile for the odds and ends of the few things that were still left inside, the sell pile for those tires that finally found a loving home!

While it feels sorta hard to say goodbye to something that’s always been there, it’s also pretty exciting to see the space clear up so we can keep moving forward within the vision of WM! Change is like that, you know? Sad and exciting!

For those of you who’ll be coming this summer, things will be looking a little different on your drive to the top!

And while we are talking burn pile, here’s a reminder from Shaun:

If you don’t know what that means, ask him!

Have a great day!
Cassi

 

 

she coordinates chaos beautifully

Whisper Mountain would not be functioning if it weren’t for our Chaos Coordinator, Patti! What you don’t know (unless you hold a job position like she does!) is she works her tail off in the behind the scenes operational portion of WM, aka the not so fun part of this camp gig! If you’ve come to camp you’ve probably seen her in the kitchen ( yes, she’s responsible for such goodness ANNNDDD she is accepting applications!!!!!) or hustling on her golf cart to take care of office stuff in between all the cooking.

She leads quietly, having sacrificed a bunch to be serving alongside her man. The road she has chosen would make the average woman bitter, but she has allowed God to make her better by choosing love instead. And she beams with love.

Patti is an encouraging friend, remembering details about people to later bless them unexpectedly. She carries burdens she could easily walk away from. She makes the most of situations, allowing God to use her gifts and talents in ways that bring Him glory. She humbly carries on when no one sees her struggle, affirms her worth, or praises her work.

We are celebrating Patti today. Would you like to join in by leaving an encouraging word for her? The perfect gift for her birthday — cause she’s not thinking they are really worth celebrating anymore!!!!

Have a great day, friends!

Celebrating Father Martin

Our morning here in the WM office began with some donut celebrations for Father Martin’s birthday! Is there a better way to begin a Friday?! We don’t think so! Here’s a few reasons we think Marty is worth celebrating:

He is the first to go out on a ledge to help anyone who needs it. His self-sacrificing heart has led us (and touched many of you, we know!)

His heart to humbly seek the Lord in all things causes him to be effective in every day life and especially in this gig of camp ministry!

Whether at work, within family life or at play, his exemplary walk of godly manhood strengthens the men in his circle of influence.

His life teaches us that no job is too small for the servant leader. Do what needs to get done and do it with cheer!

His life is lived with faithfulness in marriage, work, friendship, family, and walking with Jesus. (And we all know behind every great man is an amazing woman!! jk. no, but really.)

Lest you’re beginning to believe him to be a saint, let’s behold the true state of Father Martin…

…a total goofball!

Celebrate Marty with us by letting him know (in the comments works!) why you celebrate him!

Thanks, friends!

5 years with this guy

What started as a two week stay to help with some painting around camp has turned into a five year anniversary serving as full-time staff. We celebrate Ramsey today because without Ramsey we wouldn’t laugh as much, our lingo wouldn’t be as cool, the property wouldn’t be up to par, our unit wouldn’t be as strong, and our hearts wouldn’t be as full. His friendship and camaraderie, his willingness to step up to the plate whenever needed, his growth as a person and follower of Christ inspire us and those who come to Whisper Mountain. If you don’t know him, he has a gift of making anyone feel at home with him. God uses this to encourage many on a regular basis. His loyalty and thoughtfulness to friends, family and those like family brings God glory as he serves with us at Whisper Mountain!

If you have the time, leave him a comment letting him know why you’re glad he’s around! Here’s the link to more about Ramsey through the years!

A Big Day + a giveaway

Today’s a big day for WM! Big days generally require donuts! Although we’ve completed 8 summers of camp, today marks the 8th birthday of God providing the land for Whisper Mountain Camp!

Oh my goodness, you guys! Marty prayed for free land and after waiting painfully long and going through some dark days, God provided! God always hears and He always answers — though never within our logical time frame. Can I get an amen?! (If you’ve never heard the story of our beginnings, be sure to ask us when you come next time!)

To celebrate WM’s Birthday, we have a couple party favors for you!! We are giving away a bundle of goodness for one person to receieve this book, a hoodie, some coffee and a mug. But we couldn’t leave everyone else out so we are also offering 25% off your order in our online store!

Use the code Big 8 when you order — this week only! Offer ends Saturday at 8:00pm. To enter the bundle of goodness giveaway, leave us a comment here telling us your favorite Christmas movie! We will randomly select a winner this Friday!

Thanks for being a part of our journey in camp ministry! We like how we go together like donuts and coffee! Happy Birthday to us!

[Psst…Now leave us a comment so you enter to win! And go shopping!]

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UPDATE >> the randomly selected winner is:

irockrach@yahoo.com who said…

Charlie Brown 🙂

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope you guys have a filled-with-goodness, not-too-stuffed-you-get-sick, happy kind of celebration! Anybody else have ham with their meal? The turkeys at camp hope so!

What are you most thankful for this year?!

here’s to a guy who’s all in

Heart. Soul. Mind. Body. Fully in, fully given up.

I wish you all could see the blood, sweat and tears this man (and his woman) give toward Whisper Mountain and with life in general. He would never allow me to document him, first of all, but there's plenty that stays unmentioned or unnoticed or silently dealt with. But that Audience of One knows it all. Knows every pain, every struggle, every intention, every string of the heart, every dream and every hope. While this may bring discomfort to some, I believe this brings a measure of peace for Marty. To have someone fully understand him, know him and support him better than any of us could. There's peace in this.

I am most encouraged by his faithfulness. His willingness to show up day in and day out, even when he should be having a day off, even when his body is pleading with him to take it easy for once.

Dad's faithfulness is what has allowed him to touch lives over the years. Often people just need someone to show up for them, in the big and small ways. 

Today we celebrate Dad, Marty, Father Martin, Coach, and whatever else you know him as! He turns the big 5-8! If you have the chance, send him birthday wishes, give him a call or text! Let him know how he's touched your life! I know it'll brighten his day!