This story deals with some of the difficulties that were faced as a ministry to small churches began back in 1985. The organization wanted to build a facility that could be used by pastors and leaders in the small church setting for camps and leadership training. The land was acquired, but no funds were available at the time for development. It was interesting to look back and see how the Lord provided in unusual ways to accomplish His plan. I hope you will see what I mean by this story.

While living in the tent, my husband Willis and I, had the opportunity to salvage a 100-year-old boarding house in downtown Clinton. It had to be completely removed, along with all the debris. The city was going to turn it into a park. The idea was to salvage as much of the material as possible so we could build a house at the Higher Ground campground. This was about the same time we were trying to obtain a temporary line for electricity. The Co-op had a policy that they wouldn’t set a meter until there was a foundation and building materials on-site as well as water. So, this house project was timed in just the right setting for all that was taking place to develop the campground.

The old Shannon house, as it was called, had been one of the original hotels in Clinton. It would have been a great place to restore for historical purposes. However, it had been in a flood that reached a height of eight feet. It was, therefore, in the flood plain and couldn’t be used as it was. The city wanted it cleaned up.

John and Mary Hinkson, father and mother-in-law, and Loy and Penzil Moody, neighbors, were so helpful in helping us tear down the building. It was dismantled board by board, brick by brick and stone by stone. The foundation was made of hand-cut limestone rock. The bricks in the chimneys were made in Peru, Arkansas and I am not sure where the boards were milled. A newspaper that had been placed on a wall in an upstairs bedroom was 100 years old, according to the date.

Breaking into a new community is not easy. However, salvaging the house gave us an opportunity to visit with town folks. Eventually, their curiosity got the best of them. People got to see that we were not looking for a handout. We were working, and above all, it gave us an opportunity to let people know about the ministry.

One day, Willis was pulling trim boards off the top edge of a wall and throwing them on the floor. I offered a warning that those nails were sticking up and to be careful when he stepped off the stool. Shortly I heard a crash and it seems, he had lost his balance and fell backward off the stool. Yes, you guessed it he put both hands behind him to catch his fall and his hands landed on top of the trim boards that had two nails sticking up in the exact position as the palms of his hands. He did take note of how interesting it was for a preacher to be marked like that!

Willis used the Jeep to pull down the upstairs and ground-level porches. By this time, he was so ready to move on with the job. He cut the post at the top all the way around the upstairs porch and did the same with the first-floor porch. A big, heavy chain was then placed around the post and attached to the Jeep. He put the Jeep in 4-wheel drive and gunned it. To my surprise, the second-floor porch fell nicely in place on top of the first-floor porch. No wonder Jeeps have earned a reputation for brute strength!

The salvaging continued for several months. We took loads of lumber, bricks, and stones to the campground. Volunteers would pull out all the nails from the salvaged lumber and then place them in racks that had been built to hold them.

The house, built from these salvaged materials, had a hearth for a wood-burning stove made from the old chimney bricks, the wainscoting in the kitchen and living room were from the underside floor of the porches, and the house foundation boards, the floor, and the roof decking were made out of the mainboards. What a hard way to build a house! The hours invested in the salvage of the house, if a value was placed on them, would probably average out to about $150,000. But God did not provide the money for building a house; he provided an unusable house for a usable house.

Sometimes, when these stories are told, the question is asked, “If God could provide an old house to be salvaged, why didn’t He just provide the money?” Through the 30 years, I spent at the camp and in ministry, that question has been asked over and over. It just didn’t make sense to people that we were proceeding with this mission endeavor with no funds. Our answer was always the same. “We do not have the bigger picture or the answer to that question. We only know to be submissive to all that we understand God is calling us to do.” Therefore, we did not know the plans God had for the involvement of others; for the testimony that glorified Him; for the lives that were touched as a result of one person’s obedience; the people who would make a decision to take Christ as Lord and Savior or our own spiritual growth and relationship with HIM.”

“All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives. Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans will be established, the Lord has made everything for its own purpose.” Proverbs 16:2-4

“When a man’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice. The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16: 7-9