California Dreaming: The desert blooms as paradise…..

…..when God is with his people there. Everyone is free to read this post but it will make the most sense to those who have experienced one of our 4 day conventions. Those special 4 days of the year used to fall in Sept for us when we lived in Wisconsin. We would wait with great anticipation, prepare our hearts,bake cookies, gather clothes, pack the camper and head to the Wisconsin Dells area. And this is what it looked like…..

When we moved to S.Cali we heard much talk among our friends about the new convention grounds that was being worked on out in the high desert in the "town" of Shelter Valley. It was a run down campground/RV park. We went out there on a work day that first April we lived here. In the 1 hour 20 min drive we drove through citrus groves, Indian reservations, mountains and then desert. We saw sleet, snow, rain and a rainbow. And we arrived to be greeted by sand, tumbleweeds, scraggly trees, 40 degrees and gale force winds! Dave and I looked and each other and said, " This seems like a crazy place to have convention." But we were also given a warm welcome by people who had a vision of how to transform these grounds. So we pitched in and did what we could.
This year we had the privilege of attending the first convention at Shelter Valley which had a population of 300 before we tripled their population for 4 days and nights. It was a nearly perfect place to have convention- quiet (except for the wind), separated and peaceful. The RV campground is called Stagecoach Trails and has a western feel. This was on a stagecoach route back in the day and the names of the various sleeping quarters reflect that: Texas, New Mexico, Frisco…

We rented a camper and off we went …..

Dan N. greeted us and helped everyone find their campsite or their dorm.

Inside the big white tent which was specially designed for high winds.

When the tent is removed that area is once more a fenced in basketball court.

Looking toward the lodge- some of the dining tables.

Ha- caution tape around the cactus!

Looking at the lodge where the food prep was done and the veranda where the 2 tray lines were set up. Everyone who was able went through the tray line (including our ministers) and then found a place to sit or stand.

My friend Jane was one of the salad people.

Yummy biscuits for breakfast- convention is very carbilicious!

The resident cookie monster in the bread/cookie department.

The kitchen where the best and most varied convention food I ever had was prepared. Lovely to have fresh strawberries and oranges every day.

The view from our campsite

Dave and I had fun jobs serving on the tray line. We worked with these two special people- our dear friend Hyesoo's brother Ryan and his lovely wife Ane.

Many of you know this lovely young lady-Jacinda who is also a WI native. She served water, tea and coffee. Somedays the drinks even had "sparkles" in the glasses- otherwise known as "sand"!!

Socializing

Some of the young children and early teens.

The Grant family who helped make all this possible and who welcomed us to their property.

Simple, serene and perfect. Although we almost had meeting canceled due to high winds! But we happily lived and ate outside for 4 days here. And most of all we were fed spiritually.