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Monday, December 31, 2018

OWLS Year-end Camp Update

Since a number of you have called and emailed asking where we are, where we are going, and what has been accomplished up in Rabun County, I figured the easiest thing to do as a way to update all of our friends is to copy one of my letters in response.  If anything therein is unclear or sparks additional questions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Thanks!
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                I am so glad you spoke up this morning and sure appreciate all the encouragement you have been through the years. Another Christian brother and regular encourager sent me the following thoughts taken from an outline of a recent interview. I hope you enjoy it and understand why I found it so effective in refocusing my efforts on serving youth and especially boys and (whenever possible) their dads through Christ-focused outdoor ministry.
                “No matter what our culture says, boys and girls are different. Boys need a place where they are free to explore. Where covering themselves in mud and crawling through a creek is celebrated and not met with sideward critical glances. Where communicating with grunts, head nods, and hand signs is enough. Where ideas don't have to be explained and analyzed to be accepted and acted on.
Boys need a safe place to run bare-chested, jump from tree to tree, build forts, explore, and conquer, until they collapse into the tall grass and get lost in the clouds. It is in the stillness of those moments in nature, that boys truly commune with God. Conversations deepen (even if only briefly) and transformation occurs.
Paul met God in the middle of a hiking trip, Peter and his friends followed Jesus after they met on a fishing expedition. It was in the dead of night, after a wrestling match with God that Jacob received his true name. It is there – in the wilderness – where bonds are forged, identities are fostered, and boys become young men. There they are tested, learn what they are made of, find their place in the group, and discover their personal identity.
Let us do all He allows to support and encourage organizations training the next generation of courageous young men who honor God, lead with integrity, serve others, and experience adventure in the outdoors.”
To answer your request, yes, I would love to show you the beautiful tract of land where we are developing (while also using) the long-awaited mountain camp for the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School. As you know, a little over a year ago, God brought together factors which I see as a miracle, allowing us to close on 55 acres in Lakemont (Tiger), GA for the creation of the OWLS mountain camp and the establishment of permanent on-site staff housing so I could spend more of my time focused on actual ministry programming rather than travel and logistics . Controlling the entire valley surrounded by a continuous ridge line, bordered by the Chattahoochee National Forest, and only a few miles from lakes Burton, Seed, and Rabun, not to mention the two most well-known whitewater streams in the area, the Chattooga and Tallulah Rivers, this is the clear answer to prayers for an outdoor Christian evangelism training center for the OWLS Ministry. I hope when I get you up there we have time to hike the ridgelines, splash down the creeks, climb into the "bear cave," visit the former moonshine still locations, and survey the trails on and around the property. 
Our early doubts as to how receptive the city kids, their mentors, and families would be to traveling so far up to the mountain camp have proven to be completely unfounded. We not only have continued interest on the part of our existing mission base but now have some very exciting additions to allied youth and family groups seeking to participate in OWLS experiences. Just a few of these are Trail Life USA units in AL, GA, and SC, Transitional Youth Programs sponsored by Fulton and Clayton County's Sheriff’s Dept. Chaplains, and a renewed interest from City of Refuge through their Redeem-Advance ministry. Seems like they all can't wait to go to a place where they have to make hard choices over where to make camp, whether to go backpacking or paddling, try their hands at shooting rifles or bows and arrows, dividing up into teams for the most challenging game of capture the flag, or working together to build a bonfire they will talk about for years.
With the Lord’s help and that of several very generous donor/ministry partners, in the roughly 15 months since our acquisition of the camp property, we have been able to reduce our indebtedness by almost 40%, improved several miles of our trail system, roughed-in roads to eventually access trailheads, campsites, and parking, removed approximately 48 tons of dangerous and unsightly debris, entered into an agreement with neighbors and the Rabun County Roads Dept. wherein the county has agreed to maintain the access road to the camp property at no expense to us, negotiated a reduction in cost-to-serve from the power company of about 20%, as well as, verified initial PERC tests proving suitability for needed future septic installations.
As you will soon discover, at this point, our biggest need is to complete grading and gravel spreading for the roads on the property. This must be done, not only to allow access for the vans and other vehicles bringing OWLS participants, but also to protect the initial investment, prevent erosion from making the roads completely impassable, keep our creek clean, and permit future development requiring road access (such as power line or water system installation, as well as any building construction). That should not, however, discourage you from visiting the property as I can usually get most of the way up in my 4x4.
Please give me a call or email and let’s find a convenient date when we can get together, catch up, and see what God has been up to in N.E. Georgia.
Thanks again!
Blessings,
Ben Simms, Director
Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School
The "OWLS" Program
Phone: 770-845-6900

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