Ready for the Weather to Cooperate

Just a little update as most of us are waiting out the winter storms. This week backfill and compaction work was completed and passed by the engineers. The concrete contractors were out yesterday to finish getting ready for pouring the slab. So, now their comment is that as soon as we have a clear day above freezing we'll pour the slab. This morning has been a mixture of sun and snow. Sun earlier, snow now. Bigger storm forecast for tomorrow. But for now, here are some pictures from earlier this morning.

Looking South from the Crosses

Looking West from the Crosses

Camp including the construction site.

Closeup of the construction site, ready for pouring the slab.

Getting to Work

While the forecast is for snow this weekend, we keep plugging away on getting the concrete work done. The perimeter walls have been poured and while the contractor is getting ready to backfill and preparing the site for pouring the slab, Phil, Tay, and Salvador are laying the drain lines. Here's some pictures.

Tay and Salvador in a Momentary Pause

They Are a Blur of Activity





Phil Pondering

Looking West Along the South Wall.
If the building was done, we'd be standing in a restroom.

Looking East

Tay and Phil Catching Up

While the forecast is for snow this weekend, we keep plugging away on getting the concrete work done. The perimeter walls have been poured and while the contractor is getting ready to backfill and preparing the site for pouring the slab, Phil, Tay, and Salvador are laying the drain lines. Here's some pictures.

More Foundation work

Today turned out nice, sunny, calm, and clear. The contractors have worked over the last week putting in the perimeter forms and then today, those perimeter forms actually were poured. It went really fast. The next step is to strip the forms in a day or so. Then we need to have the main area smoothed out and compacted. A rebar grid gets installed, then they are ready to pour the slab. They say that when they are ready to pour the slab all they need is a 24 hour window of clear weather.

Our prayer and hope is that this can be done by Christmas. Then the outfit will come in to actually start putting the building up. They think they can have it up with the roof on by the end of January.

We will see.

It is also fun to remember that at this time last year we were being hammered by 100 mph winds that knocked down a bunch of trees and the power to Camp for several days. So, I also included a couple of "nice" pictures to tell everyone that this is what Camp always looks like in December.

Better than a lot of summer days.

Just looking out over the ocean

Here you can see the basic shape of the building. Where it bumps out on the north is a store room and where it bumps out on the south is the entry way and restrooms. The rest of the perimeter matches up with the old Missions Building dimensions.

A look at the perimeter foundation

Another view of the perimeter




Pouring the east side

Close up

Another view of pouring the east side.

Freshly Poured Concrete

The day started off rainy, but ended up sort of sunny. This morning the pumper truck arrived along with the concrete crew. Soon the cement trucks started showing up and they poured all the big blocks that will support the new Missions Building.

This pumper truck had a tremendous reach; could almost reach all the way across the building, but they ended up having to move it to reach the blocks on the east end. Once the building is up you won't see these blocks, but when all is said and done this building will have some deep roots and solid anchors.

Here are some views of the truck as they got started this morning.

Ready to Pour

Ready to pour had a couple of meanings this week. Tuesday and Wednesday we got a "bunch" of rain. The sky was ready and it poured.

Thursday and Friday have been just beautiful and even warm days. The folks working on the concrete forms have finished the first stage of forming the concrete blocks that anchor the various steel posts. These forms passed inspection and now we are scheduled to start pouring concrete on Monday!!

When that happens we will get some pictures put up of that process as well. We are going to be putting in the concrete in three steps - first the blocks, then the perimeter, and the slab last. Then once the slab cures we can start on putting up the building.

The north wall

Just one of the blocks

Close up of the bolts

Galatians 4:19

The concrete guys have been working this week to place forms creating the blocks where the steel beams will attach. So, when you look at these pictures, each of these holes is a place where the building will be anchored.

It put me in mind of the purpose of forms. The forms create the desired shape for the concrete. Instead of oozing wherever the prevailing forces guide it, the form shapes the concrete according to its intended use.

In Galatians 4:19, the apostle Paul writes about his labor toward the end that "Christ be formed" in the Galatian Christians. Maybe it is that Christian ministry is about helping people take shape in a way that Christ be used. One way to look at it, is that we are the shell of the form and Christ becomes the content. Another way is to see that we are the geletinous mass being formed into the image of Christ.

Either way, it seems evident that Christ needs to be at work in our lives and ministry to transform us while transforming this world.

Forms being placed for the blocks anchoring the building.

Readiness and Anticipation

The words "readiness" and "anticipation" characterize where we are today with the Missions Building Project. The demolition and site preparation is completed. The steel building package has been delivered. What you see here are the dig outs for the footing. We are still working on some scheduling with the concrete contractor, but we plan to pour these footings starting late this week or the early part of the following week. A part of this will be the proper placement of the bolts that attach the building to its foundation. So today, all lays waiting in anticipation and readiness.

Close up view from above of the building site.

Here the view is drawn back to see the building site in relation to the rest of Camp.

Giant Tinker Toys

The last few weeks have mostly been about preparing the site and getting some of the final foundation details ironed out. It was pretty exciting today as the building package arrived. It took four trucks, but now we have a yard full of pieces. We also got to work with the men who will be putting the building together.

Still need prayer and support for some more details to get worked out -- specifically prayer for the various contractors' timing and for continued mild weather. But we know God is good and the different pieces of this project will come together at the right time.

First Truck

Building Pieces All Laid Out

Starting to Unload

Last Piece

Last Truck Goes Out

A Clean Slate to Work With

End of the Week and Things are Leveling Out

Here are several views of the site after this week's activities. The site is pretty well cleaned up. Now we are working on creating the runways for the equipment and setting up to start digging the foundation trenches. Thanks for your prayers and support as a lot of things are coming together now.

Power on the Move

What's happening today includes Tillamook PUD arriving to move the power pole across the road from its current location. It was necessary to move the pole as the existing power lines were too close to the building. Here are a couple of pictures of TPUD at work.

Still Working on Demolition

We had a great Friends of Wi-Ne-Ma Day on the 13th. Good turnout including a number of those who worked on the original Missions Building. Here are a few more pictures to show where we are this week.

Looking Forward to Friends of Wi-Ne-Ma Day

This was the scene on Friday, the fifth day of demolition of the Missions Building. They brought in a "tub grinder" and it is grinding the waste wood to be hauled away by the semi-truck load.

Well Begun is Half Done

The demolition crew moved in Monday and by 2:00 the north wall of the Missions Building caved in with a nudge from the excavator. Now the crew is sorting in about 4 piles - lumber that is still basically intact, broken lumber and plywood, metal, and garbage like tar paper and insulation. They plan to take about three weeks to clean up and prepare the site so check back every so often for a new view.


Septemberfest is in now, so the folks are enjoying the show. Here are some pictures from the last couple of days.

Here We Go!!

Family Bible Conference closed with a wonderful acknowledgement of the start to the Missions Building project. Clark Tanner of Beaverton Christian Church who was one of the featured speakers, invited the group to form a circle around the Missions Building and prayer was offered as we look forward to physical construction. Then the group started moving chairs out of the building. A steady stream flowed from the Missions Building to the old Snack Shack where we are storing a bunch of stuff.

Demolition has begun. The porches were taken off in August and we are salvaging that material. Several volunteers were in Tuesday-Friday this week to take down the ceiling panels. The demolition contractor is scheduled next. In the next few weeks the look will change quite a bit as we actually start this project. We can use your prayers and support as the physical part of this construction project begins.