March 2024

Hello friends and family!

Spring has sprung in the desert. The cottonwoods have leaves, weeds are blooming in the sand, wind comes howling out of nowhere at 40MPH, and we’re half-way though an18 day stretch of nonstop camp. ‘Tis the season to be busy!

Camp News

February and March are both full months here at Ironwood. We’ve hosted 19 different groups in the last five weeks, including some very unique ones. A church in Newberry Springs brought almost 120 people to a Valentine’s banquet where many unsaved people from the community got to hear a gospel message. Another church from Anaheim brought their security team for a weekend of spiritual encouragement and tactical training. Our biggest event was a family camp from the Wilds of North Carolina. Their whole staff was able to spend some time strengthening relationships with each other and getting a well-deserved vacation. Just in the last month, so many people were exposed to the Word of God at camp. What a great tool to reach souls from different places, with different interests, in different walks of life!

Several of our staff had the opportunity to go Tweakage, a gathering of camps from across the nation, for a time of idea sharing and fellowship. They returned with fresh excitement for the work to which God has called them. Many are also eager to implement new ideas that will help us better reach people for Christ, strengthen families, and serve churches.

Palkki News

Gabe has had a very busy month. Early in February, he started training to take over Camp Prep, which is what we call the process of cleaning the camp facilities for whatever camp is coming in. It doesn’t sound complicated, but it’s no picnic to organize a dozen people to clean hundreds (if not thousands) of square feet in bathrooms, bedrooms, and waiting areas in about four hours. Although the extra responsibility does crowd his work hours, Gabe is excited to use his gifts of process organization and management to make this part of camp life better for the staff members who are regularly scheduled for Camp Prep. In case you’re wondering, this does not mean he has less to do in the Auto Shop. There are door handles to replace, road vehicles to service, and the white Jeep to fix. (There is always the white Jeep to fix.)

Last month was banquet season for me. Despite some struggles with flat duchess potatoes and clumpy chocolate mousse, plus the challenge of running banquet alongside completely different meals, my team turned out three beautiful and tasty banquets. I got to give a kitchen tour during the Wilds family camp and enjoyed connecting with people who serve God by doing the same work I do. It was also fun to catch up with my aunt and uncle, who have served on the Wilds’ staff for many years.

Camp is a unique tool. And camp workers often find themselves doing unique things for their jobs. Like picking up 56 pizzas from Dominos. Or painting a building bright purple. Or saying, “No Luke. You may not carry the antique rifle with the bayonet around the buffet room while we’re serving dinner to campers.” 

We also find ourselves doing a lot of mundane tasks. Like servicing vehicles. Or data entry. Or making dinner. Or any one of a thousand things that people with ‘normal’ jobs do every day.

The fact is, camp people often have so much to do, that it’s easy to wonder, “Is this really ministry?”

Whenever I start to ask that question, I’m transported back to being an eleven- or twelve-year-old staff kid at a HGBBC summer staff reunion. I remember looking around at these ‘big kids’ who were living for God, raising babies to love Jesus, serving as missionaries, studying at a Christian college so they could display Christ to the world as teachers and nurses and businessmen.

And it clicked for me, right then and there. Camp ministry wasn’t about making meals or running games or cleaning bathhouses. It was about the people who got saved, who grew closer to God, who devoted their lives to Him because of camp.

So I make dinner – and I teach my kitchen crew that God loves hard, cheerful workers. I clean a cabin – and I have a conversation that informs me how to pray for my Camp Prep partner. I live in my little blue camp house – and I keep the door open to girls who need someone to listen.

Because I’m in camp ministry and ministry is about people changing for God’s glory.

“Him (Christ) we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:28

Love in Christ,

Gabe and Cheyenne Palkki

PS: As always, there is new content in the Gallery and Pray pages!