Official Statement:
On Sunday, October 15, 2017, we had a big wildfire on our property. We want to praise the Lord for His protection using brave firefighters and civil protection officers. They got the fire under control and each family returned safely to their homes.
This was a National Crisis with more than 500 fires in Portugal that weekend. Around 2pm, a fire started about 2 miles away and spread to the valley in front of our property. Suddenly, the wind changed direction towards us, so we began an emergency evacuation at 8pm. The fire was brought back under control around 2am. The fire department kept watch over our campus for 48 hours.
We are thankful that there was no major structural damage to our buildings. We lost our playground, and our low and high ropes course and the climbing tower was severely damaged.
We want to thank everyone who gave us encouraging words, offered help, opened their homes, and prayed for us.
God is still in control and we are trusting Him through this.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.Proverbs 3:5-6
How can you help?
We are praising God for all that He has already provided in order to help us rebuild and restore what was damaged, yet there is still much to be done.
Immediate Needs
New Chainsaw & tree removal tools: $1000
Bulldozer rental: $3000
Dining Hall repair starting fund: $6000
Future investments
New Playground: $25,000 (estimate)
We desire to be a place that our local community is welcome to visit, and currently, our property is home to the only playground in the area. We are looking to relocate our playground so it can be an attraction for our campers and community. It will need to be professionally installed for European codes and have a fence built around it.
High Ropes course/Climbing Tower: $40,000 (estimate)
We are hoping to install something that we can use for team-building opportunities in our camps, as well as for public school day camps. We will relocate this activity site to be more accessible to the main part of the camp property.
Used Tractor: $40,000 (estimate)
Our property has a lot of potential in the newly cleared land. To maintain all that we have, we need a tractor to keep up with the cleaning of brush, mowing, etc.
Dining Hall: $25,000 (estimate)
The structure of this building contains quite a bit of rotten wood that needs to be replaced as soon as possible.
Site-Plan: $3,000 (estimate)
We are looking to evaluate our current and future use of the property with a site plan by Abner Flores (flight included) and local authorities. The road down the middle of the property is accessible to locals, and we can now better utilize the west side of our property because of the fire. However, we need some professional guidance in this area.