Maintenance Shop Fire

Sometime Friday night, July 17, 2020 our main maintenance building caught fire. The burning remains were discovered at 5:30 Saturday morning. The 8,000 square-foot maintenance building was a total loss; not one tool, or a single piece of equipment, or any of the supplies escaped destruction. This building housed everything needed for a well-maintained camp. We also lost nine vehicles, including our big hayride tractor, three pickup trucks, a Chevy Suburban, and a golf cart. We thank and praise God that no one was killed or injured, and that the fire did not spread to other structures, or ignite our storage of diesel fuel, gasoline, or liquid propane gas.

Saturday morning was filled with a sense of praise, accompanied by a sense of loss.

This time-lapse video, captured by a trail-cam setup on the East Side Waterfront, displays the immensity of the fire. The first picture, triggered by motion, was taken shortly before 3:00am. By then, the building must have been engulfed. The flames reached over the trees. Though the embers sprayed far and wide, the fire was contained to one building. We stand in awe of the protection of the Lord!

Prayer Meeting

With the smell of burning building still in the air, the staff men and some volunteers met at 1:00 in the Bus Shelter to pray and give thanks to God for His kind Providence to us in the midst of our loss. We prayed, offered thanksgiving, and asked Him for wisdom. Our immediate plan is to spend Sunday in rest and worship, and to trust Him to give us wisdom for Monday morning’s work.

Here are some of the items that we thanked Him for:

• No one was hurt or killed
• Even though we do not know the cause, we are thankful that it does not appear to be of a malicious nature
• There was no threat to campers because there were no campers on the property
• Our Fairview Fire Department responded very quickly; they were here within a few minutes
• It did not result in a forest fire
• It had rained on Thursday
• Because it burned without detection in the night, no one risked their life to try to save it
• The fire did not ignite the LP fuel tanks
• The fire did not ignite the gasoline and diesel fuel storage tanks
• The fire did not expand to any other structures, even though it melted plastic storage containers in a nearby structure
• The buses were untouched
• Even though it knocked out the electricity, we store 10,000 gallons of water in a tank that the Fire Department could draw from
• It was not windy last night
• We had many tools and ladders out at multiple work sites, so they were untouched
• We are thankful for the many many years that the building and contents were used in ministry
• We did not lose our supply of firewood
• The many members of Christ’s body who are willing to pray, and give, and help us.

Road Reunion

Insurance will cover a small portion of the total damage, plus we have a self-funded insurance account that we have built up over the years. Those two together could replace one used pickup truck, a used tractor, and the building, but would not cover the contents or the other vehicles. HOWEVER, the Lord’s people are stepping forward to help us, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude for what the Lord is doing through them. The loss was historic, but the affirmation of God’s love through His people is stirring. Let us praise His name together.

Donations began pouring in while there was still heat in the ashes. The next morning, a kind gentleman arrived at camp with a pickup full of new tools like rakes and shovels and other things we would need to clean up.

Two weeks after the fire, the Barakel community gathered at our summer bus stops with donations in hand. The reunion was sweet and the encouragement was overwhelming.

Donate to Camp

The Lord has provided and continues to provide. The fire site has been cleaned up. We have plans to construct two buildings to replace the structure. One will be a smaller carpenter shop that will be located between the vehicle maintenance garage and the bus barn. The other will be a large roofed storage shelter.

How Do You Feel?

• We feel helpless:
  Everything that was needed for maintaining camp was destroyed in a fire. We didn’t have a board, and if we did, we couldn’t saw it in two.
• We feel humbled:
  The destructive power of a fire brings Jude 7 to mind. It’s very humbling to recognize the Lord’s design for fire.
• We feel grateful:
  No one was injured, no other structures caught on fire, and even though we don’t know the cause, we have no reason to suspect malicious intent.
• We feel a firm confidence:
  “Well Lord, that was Your building and those were Your tools. How are you going to show Yourself strong this time? How will you be glorified in our lives and in this ministry?”
• We feel a deep gratitude:
  for the many who have stood with us financially.
• We feel affirmed:
  God intends to use this place for His glory. His people are the channels of His grace. Let’s roll!

SEPTEMBER’S STORIES

The bill from the architect who drew up the plans for our new Carpenter Shop came to $4,200. At the bottom of the bill he wrote: “TOTAL DUE: zero; DUE DATE: planting seed!”

The tractor company Minneapolis-Moline manufactured their M-5 tractor for four model years: 1960-1963. There is a beautifully restored 1961 M-5 tractor sitting in our Bus Shelter right now, freshly painted Bronze Metallic and Prairie Gold ̶ a gift from a man who says that Barakel has had a huge positive influence on his life and on the lives of his children and grandchildren.

Six men driving six pickup trucks (two of them pulling trailers) rode into our maintenance area on a recent Saturday to deliver 7,200 pounds of lumber, and several nice shop tools. The Cavalry had arrived, bringing a gift from a family whose son was intending to construct a building before his untimely death. The drivers were from that family’s church.

The stack of cards we have received continues to grow. “We are praying that our great God will redeem this situation and replace everything and do it abundantly, as only He can.” “So sorry to hear of your losses from the fire. Hope this gift card will be a little help as you replace tools, etc.” “Camp Barakel was a big part of our college years. We pray that God continues to provide all that you need...” “We are so thankful for Camp Barakel. Keep serving the Lord by helping to win this next generation.” “It was the unanimous decision of the church to give you this gift in your time of need.”

...to be continued.