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1956-1957 1958-1967 1968-1979 1980-1989

1956 New girls cabin was 1958 New chapel was built 1968 Anne Bell and Reba Thompson 1981 Lake lodge and shop built
built and cabin #3, which 1958 Nine full weeks of summer camp acquired the first ―Rolling Chapel‖ 1984-85 Dale McCauley served as
was destroyed by fire, was 1960 Nina Briggs, our longest time Florida worker, cele- 1969 Winter volunteer program began camp director
brates 15 years with CBM. She covered a large territory
1973 Offices were built onto the chapel
1986 Camp director‘s house built
replaced around Lake Ochochobee and across the coast of Florida. 1979 Chapel was expanded and pews were 1986 Ron and Sherry Yeater joined
1957 Another boys cabin Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Krug, Mr. and Mrs. Art Yohner and purchased CBM; Ron appointed camp director
built Mrs. John S. Smith joined CBM as associates.
1967 Gym was built.

New double cabins Nina Briggs New chapel 1958 Chapel expanded 1979 Lake Lodge five bedrooms and conference room Ron and Sherry Yeater

―Changing Lives—One Heart at a Time‖ I continued working at camp during the summers: first as a kitchen worker, then as a junior
counselor and finally as a senior counselor during college (that ―one week‖ turned into
Reaches Russia! eight summers!). It was at camp that I met so many missionaries. I was greatly im-
pressed by their ministries and calling. In January of my senior year of high school, I pub-
licly surrendered my life to serve the Lord on the mission field.
years. I started a youth group in an established Russian church. One of the main
I grew up in a non-Christian home in Springfield, Missouri. At the After graduating from Bible College and Seminary, I served the Lord in Russia for 12
age of 11, my father passed away. It was at that time that I began instruments the Lord used to bring teens to Himself was….can you guess?... CAMP! I
having questions about spiritual things. The problem was that I didn‘t organized and led 10 summers of camp in Russia; and basically reproduced Camp Gilead!
know where to go for answers. When I was 14, my family moved to We did everything the way we did it at Camp Gilead, only in Russian! We saw many
a small city in Florida called Polk City. Just up the road from our young people come to Christ at camp and then discipled in the youth group during the
home was a Christian camp (Camp Gilead). Without my knowing it, school year. I trained some of those young people and eventually began handing my
my mother looked into the camp and actually enrolled me in that responsibilities and ministries over to them.
summer‘s first week of camp, teen camp. When she told me I was
Leon Fisher going, I informed her that I was NOT! After a long argument, I In 2006 the government forced me to leave Russia. I was crushed. They would not let me
agreed to go for one week if she NEVER made me go again. She return for 2 years and even now I am only able to get a visa for 30 days at a time. They
agreed. were under the assumption that if I were not there, the youth ministry would die (anything
outside of the Russian Orthodox Church in Russia is considered a ―cult‖). The joke,
That first week of camp was quite an eye-opener. I finally got the answers I was look- however, was on them! I had already turned my responsibilities and ministry over to the
ing for! That very first night of camp, outside Cabin 4 South with my counselor Mark young people (some of whom were 13 and 14 when they were saved at camp, but now
Stewart, I received Christ as my Personal Savior. My mother was quite shocked when I were in their early 20‘s). They took the reins and ran with them!
came home Saturday and said I was going back to camp on Monday to work in the
kitchen the rest of the summer. Ms. Hazel had offered me a job in the kitchen. When I Today, the ministry in Russia is thriving! Those young people have taken the ministry
farther than I ever could have. The first young man who came to Christ at our very first
returned to camp on Monday, Ms. Edith took me in her office and explained that she camp at the age of 15, is now a pastor and one of his best friends (who trusted Christ at our
would like me to be in a different Bible class each of the remaining 7 weeks of camp. It second camp) is now the youth pastor at the church.
was the best discipleship program I could have had!
The next summer I returned to camp and worked in the kitchen. That summer I met the On June 15, 2005, it was 29 years since I received Christ at Camp Gilead on the bench
youth pastor of a local church in Lakeland, Florida (we had moved to Lakeland by that outside of Cabin 4 south. Praise the Lord for the ministry of Camp Gilead USA and Camp
time). I began attending the youth group and church; and the next year was baptized. Gilead RUSSIA!

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