Rain or Shine: Maranatha at Camp Lawroweld

From September 21 to 30, 32 volunteers spent their days working amongst the autumn colours of Camp Lawroweld in the state of Maine. The project they had come to do promised to be big and exciting work. 

Trip leader Glenda Davidson and her husband Dr. Robert Davidson had planned on a large remodel of the camp kitchen as the primary focus, with the secondary focus being construction of a new pavilion for the Pathfinder club. 

But what happens when the original plans for a project get rearranged?

Due to permit complications, the kitchen initiative was scrapped completely, and the pavilion project had to be redesigned in order to work with the tools that were available. Volunteers spent the first days cutting trees, stripping the bark and sawing the fresh logs into planks for the pavilion. They stacked all the wood neatly so they could start construction once it dried. 

Then the rain began. 

The downpour continued from Sunday to Tuesday. Once again, the volunteers had to adjust their plans. 

Thankfully, there was plenty to do. 

The group worked on insulating the roof and walls of the maintenance building, organizing miscellaneous tools and supplies and taking stall walls out of the barns, which no longer house horses, but are used for storage instead. They also reshaped the campfire bowl into an amphitheater, tore down an old deck, and repainted and organized the basement of the lodge. 

“The best thing about the project was the camaraderie,” said Davidson. “The willingness of the volunteers to go above and beyond made it an amazing group to work with.” 

The volunteers connected every evening as they shared stories during moments of worship, as well as singing together with instruments and voices. Volunteers from other parts of the country were able to enjoy the bright, bursting autumn colors of Maine as they worked around the camp. 

The rain may have changed their plans, but rain or shine, Maranatha’s work at Lawroweld went on to be a great success and an opportunity for special connection. 

Since 2020, Maranatha has completed 7 projects at Lawroweld, a youth and family camp in the state of Maine. More than 215 volunteers have participated in various activities such as renovation, painting, clean-up and construction throughout the years. 

Each year, Maranatha works with organizations in the United States and Canada to provide volunteer labor for various construction or renovation projects at summer camps and retreat centers, schools, and churches. Work ranges from renovations of existing buildings to new construction, and saves thousands of dollars in labor costs.