UCB Bible Camp Project in Argentina

Short Term Volunteers and Building Teams Advance the Completion of the Maine Building

2012-01-31T13:37:00.002-03:00

During the month of November 18 people from three States (Pennsylvania, Florida and Washington)

participated in two different work teams. Below is a small collection of their labours of love!

Important Advances on the Main Building

2012-01-31T12:25:00.001-03:00

2010-05-09T16:08:00.001-03:00

Building Team Advances The New Fence at Camp & Accomplishes Many Maintenance Tasks.

Thank you folks from West Hampden Baptist Church for eight days of hard work!! Some invested in getting the team here and some came! Fourteen in all, seven teenage girls, two men, one couple and three ladies arrived on April 16th. to spend ten days in Chivilcoy working at camp. While the teen girls and ladies worked on many maintenance projects (pictures to follow later), the men worked on setting 200 lb. concrete steel reinforced posts for the future fence. Of the 170 posts to be set on the southwest line, 66 were concreted into the ground.

On Tuesday, May 11 a second team arrives from Clinton Baptist Church to continue setting posts. Lord willing we'll set all 104 that remain.

How about a typical day on the fence line?

Loading 200 lb. fence posts onto the trailer.

Heading out the front gate and up the road to the work site.

Day #1 - trying to get a system. Praise the Lord for a local friend who came out with his post hole digger and dug the 170 holes as a donation to the camp. Even though most of the holes needs some kind of adjustment it beats digging them all out by hand.

Posts were set in brick rubble and cement. Praise the Lord for tools that make progress faster and easier!

Slave driver (left) seen with whip. Was he about to use it to get one more load of cement rolling? Two of the eight days involved headlights in order to accomplish the days objective!

Each post was installed with pride and precision.

Before work could even begin, two days were spent cleaning the fence line of brush and black acacia trees with big thorns. I think one of the men even had an encounter with an ugly spider!

We're deeply grateful for this investment of time, know-how, ingenuity, energy and finance. Looks great!

2010-05-09T15:36:00.002-03:00

Phase I Of The Main Building Over 75% Completed! How about a virtual tour?!!

Looking from the dining hall at the kitchen entrance and food serving window.

Looking at the kitchen from the dining hall door toward the kitchen's exterior door.

Looking from the kitchen into the dry storage area.

Dry storage area

Exterior kitchen door (right), exterior entrance to dry storage area (left)

Janitor's closet off dining hall.

Multi-use storage area off dining hall.

Above & Below: one of two cooks quarters (bathroom and bedroom)

Above/below: service area - access to kitchen, dry storage & cook's quarters.

The front of the main building. The far right takes in the kitchen, the left some of the dining hall.

2010-03-25T13:29:00.002-03:00

Work on main Building Advances

In March work began in earnest to enclose the main building at camp. The 65 x 115' structure has over 22,000 bricks, over 1,000 feet of bond beam and over 300 feet of columns. The dining hall will have the capacity to serve 300 people sitting down and the industrial kitchen will be equipped with commercial ovens, stoves and walk-cooler.

Our goal for finishing the building is January of 2011. As work progresses the goal seems more and more possible!

Many do not realize the terrific amount of detail work involved in masonry, especially when nearly every brick laid must follow the same lines and levels! Mario, the man above at the bottom left side of the picture. He owns the company that is doing the masonry. Pray for his salvation and that of his workers.

Above and below, the divisions of the kitchen end of the building appear.

The above picture shows the kitchen area looking out through the serving window into the dining hall. Below shows the exterior entrance into the dry storage area.

Join us in praying for God's supply to continue closing in this building, which is our third and largest so far. By God's grace, and through His provision, we're praying there will be no pause in the work until the building is finished.

Praise the Lord for building teams coming in April, May and October to donate time and talent toward this project!

Many Hands Make Light Work

December through February brought some record breaking rains to central Argentina. Though it has brought growth to our trees we've never before seen, it also keeps our 25 acre lawn reaching for the sun!! We cannot adequately express our gratitude for the long hours Martin and Sandra have spent on the riding mower, tractor and bush hog and using the gas powered weed eater. Debbie and I usually do a lion's share of this work. Martin and Sandra live on location, and Martin works full time at a nearby restaurant. Our goal is for them to work as full time director of property maintenance. Please join us in praying for funds to pay their salary.

A time of R & R follows an afternoon sanding and staining the entry gates into camp!

Tables for the Dining Hall Arrive!

In July of last year, while on furlough, we were invited to be the missionaries of the week at a vacation Bible School held at Merrimack Valley Baptist Church in New Hampshire. During that week around four hundred boys and girls were exposed to the gospel. We had the privilege of challenging them with missions. Each day the children brought pennies and participated in a competition to see who could bring the most (boys or girls), with the goal of helping the camp purchase tables for the dining hall. By the end of the week the children had brought $3,500.00 in offerings! Recently, after much searching, 38 tables were purchased for the dining hall. The 38 tables will seat a total of 304 people! The tables are presently wrapped and in storage until the camp is inaugurated. Thanks boys and girls at Merrimack Valley!

2009-07-28T17:55:00.011-03:00

Fall & Winter Advances (below the equator!!)

Teens and adults from Buenos Aires and Chivilcoy churches gathed on Monday, July 27th. for a day of work, fellowship and worship.

Above: teens work hard tieing steel for concrete fence posts presently being built.

Below: others work to spread a fine layer of dross gravel over the coarse graveled parking area at the kitchen end of the main building.

Above: Poplar trees are extracted from our "tree farm" for transplanting.

Below: holes are dug and trees planted on the front fence line. Some trees needed replacing and a second line was formed.

Below: Martin Gorosito prepares a delicious asado for the group!

Above & below: the asado is enjoyed in the warmth of the maintenance building!

Below: a time of fellowship

A Welcome Donation!!

A beautiful willow tree was donated by a couple from the Chivilcoy church. What a blessing to have the old backhoe to avoid heavy lifting!

If this tree makes it through the first couple of summers (with lots of water and ant protection) it will soon be a great source of much needed shade.

Below: The limbs of the tree were planted up back on the "tree farm".

Fence Posts Under Construction

Lord willing around 25oo feet of 8 foot fence will go up on the south and west sides of the property. The west side separates us from the train tracks and the south side from neighbors who have nearly destroyed the old farm fence, cutting it to let their sheep in.

Concrete posts and storm fencing provide for an attractive barrier.

Never Underestimate the Importance of a Juicey Asado!!! Did you know that the average Argentine consumes around 150 lbs. of beef a year compared to Americans who consume around 90? Having a covered grilling area is an important part of a camp operation in Argentina.

The umbrella style grilling area will have 8 square yards of grill, sufficient for 300 people to eat simulteaneously. The grills will be raised under the roof providing a work area out of the elements.

Work on the Main Building Progresses

Though much work is almost unnoticeable, the structure ends are reinforced with additional steel columns and beams to give support for brick walls. All foundations are complete (below) for raising walls.

Below: recently the main entrance was errected on the front of the building, which will provide two sets of double doors for entry into the main room.

Please continue to pray for God's provision for completing the main building! We're excited about what God is doing and anticipate with excitement the advancement of the project at camp. Recently the children of Vacation Bible School at Merrimack Valley Baptist Church of Nashua, New Hampshire gave over $3,500.00 for the purchase of tables for our maine building!!!!

If you would like to be involved in any way in the camp project, please contact me through the GMSA (gmsausa@gmsa.org).

2009-02-26T19:25:00.004-02:00

A beautiful sign carved in cypress was purchased and donated by a local believer. It reads: UCB Park (Unión of Bible Centers), our logo on the right and below: camps, retreats and conferences.

The roofing of the main building (below)

As God has supplied further structure has been added to give strength to future walls.

Fellowship churches have given toward the purchase of 21,000 bricks needed to enclose the building (above). The parking area at the kitchen end of the building was recently graveled.

2008-11-27T17:27:00.003-02:00

Structural Work Completed for the Main Building
On the 27th. all the structural work for the main building was concluded. Lord willing the steel roof will go on in December!

Columns are set in concrete.

Rafters were transported to the site in halves and welded on site. Workers battled 100º temperatures!!!

Rafters are lifted into place and then bolted on top of the columns.

The rafters span 70 feet (21 meters) and the building is nearly 120 feet long.

Cross beams are bolted on adding strength and stability, and will later be used to secure the steel roofing.

What´s next? Our next priority is to close in the building. There are several columns and around 380 feet of small beam to build and incert in the present structure before walls will go up. Pray for God´s supply as we look toward enclosing this important facility!

2008-11-20T16:07:00.004-02:00

Main Camp Building Under Construction

Tuesday afternoon work began on the main camp building. The area was squared for the building and each column location was marked. Yesterday 16 holes were dug for columns, which were concreted in to place this morning (11/20).

The main building will be the hub of the camp. It includes a large dining/meeting hall, industrial kitchen, game room, storage area, cooks quarters and bathrooms.

We praise the Lord for funds for the structure and roof, and invite you to join us in prayer for needed funds to enclose the building. We´re praying against a November 30 deadline to confirm the job with the mason.

2008-10-07T10:12:00.007-03:00

New trees are added In June 20 new trees (Fresnos) were added to our eastern fence line. A group from a sister church came out and helped with the planting. Around 20 other trees were donated and added to the grounds throughout the winter months. We´re grateful for many advances that will help keep our trees alive during the hot summer months and against the constant onslought of ants. We´re installing a drip watering system for around 60 trees, we have a 1,000 liter tank trailer to reach the furthest trees and over 400 feet of 1" garden hose!

The new camp house receives its inhabitants
In mid august Martin and Sandra Gorosito along with their four children moved into the completed camp house. Their only responsability is to be present and help keep a portion of the grounds. However, they´ve already been a big blessing by helping water trees and fight ants. Our long term goal, once funds are available for a salary, is for Martin to be our director of property maintenance. If you would like to be a part of making this happen drop us an e-mail.

Importantant equipment added to the project.
For a year and a half we had been seeking to aquire a small tow-behind backhoe for our tractor. Last month a friend "happened" to see one and spoke to the owner. The owner was preparing to sell it and we were able to seize the opportunity. The back hoe will be a blessing for the hundreds of feet of ditching we need to do to lay electrical, water and sewer lines (as well as many other things) in the days ahead.

A beautiful hand carved sign donated
A couple from the Chivilcoy Church recently donated this beautiful hand carved sign which we´ve installed just inside the entrance to the camp. It´s carved on a slab of cypress. Andy helped prepare the posts for being stained.

"Maintenance"
Someone has to do it! As summer draws near it´s time to prepare equipment for a hard workout. General Director, Terry Thompson gave us hand changing oil and filter in two tractors, sharpening blades, greasing equipmente, ect. Andy, Kristi and Danny put a coat of paint on the soccer goals.

Main camp building under constuction
Lord willing, next month our main building structure and roof will be up! This 70 x 117 foot building will be the hub of the camp. It will include: 50 x 73 foot multi-purpose room with a folding division (chapel and dining hall), game gallery, bathrooms, storage, cooks quarters, walk in cooler, etc. God generously provided for this first phase of the building. Stage two will be closing in the structure and building interior divisions. We´re currently waiting for a bid for stage two. Pray with us for God´s supply! Below, steel structure for the building is seen. Once painted the trusses will be welded together. In the second picture below, the 16 columns are seen.

2008-06-20T18:11:00.011-03:00

Another Goal is Realized!

In February local masons began enclosing the camp house. The end of April Luis and Bev Arce arrived to help prepare for a building team scheduled to arrive on May 31st. By the time the building team returned to the U.S. on June 12th. the house was basically finished!!!

Lu Arce spent the month of April doing all the plumbing for the house (laundry room, bathroom and kitchen), making preparations for the electrical installation, helping with purchasing building supplies, and building kitchen cabinets.

After enclosing the house and stuccoing the interior walls, the masons had just a few days to tile the entire floor before the building team was scheduled to arrive.

Danny and Rita Chamberland, Pastor Bob Philbrick and Roy Welsh arrived on June 12th. from Clinton Baptist Church in Maine.

During the 12 days they were here the team expanded!! Back row: Andy, Kristi and Debbie Gibbons, Rita Chamberland, Bev Arce, Lois McAllister, Lois Kenney (our co-workers), Roy Welsh. Front row: Danny and Tom Gibbons, Danny Chamberland, Lu Arce and Pastor Bob Philbrick.

Roberto Quiroga (right) and his employee, Jorge, both believers from our churches in Buenos Aires, came and did tile work in the bathroom, laundry room and kitchen.

The poison and paint crew had a tough job! They poisoned and stained about 1,000 square feet of tongue and groove board for ceilings.

In addition they gave three coats of stain to almost 200 linear feet of crown molding and base board!!!

Part of visiting Argentina is enjoying the finest beef in the world! We enjoyed several "asados" at camp during our team´s visit.

The first order of business was to build steel studded divisions...

...and begin building a structure for the tongue and groove ceiling.

Once the studding was up it was time to run conduit for the elctrical installation.

Our mason, Mr. Quiroga, built a brick wall so we could install a Chilean made air tight stove, which is the only source fo heat for the house.

As things came together, the ceilings were insullated and cables were strung through the conduit.

Danny Chamberland, our resident drywaller, had the divisions sheathed in short order!

Bob Philbrick and Roy Welsh worked hard installing the ceiling...

...both inside and outside in the wrap around porch.

Lu Arce hard at work installing the kitchen cabinets he built.

Tom Gibbons stains interior doors.

We had a fabulous paint crew that left the entire house painted before the team left!!

Thank you Kristi and Andy...

...Danny and Rita...

...Debbie and Bev!

The end result is beautiful! It´s almost like "Estreme Home Makeover"!!!

Home Sweet Home! A hearty thanks to all those involved!!

Lord willing, Martin and Sandra Gorosito from the Chivilcoy Bible Center will be moving into the house by the end of July. The first phase of their participation is to be care takers. As God supplies for a salary, the second phase of their participation will be for Martin to be our director of property maintenance. A critical need in order for them to move to the location is for the Municipality to gravel the half a mile of dirt road from the paved highway to the camp entrance. If it rains it´s impossibe to get in and out. Pray with us for the $6,000.00 needed to do the job.

2008-06-20T17:59:00.003-03:00

Earthwork completed for the next building phase!

In April the earthwork was completed for the construction of our next building project at the camp facility. This 50 X 74 foot building will be the hub of the camp. It includes the kitchen, kitchen storage, cooks quarters and bathroom, multi-purpose room for dining and chapel with a folding division, public bathrooms and a game gallery. Our goal is to have the steel structure and roof up by December, as the Lord supplies.

The first step is the removal of the grass and part of the top soil.

Next, red dirt harvested from our future man made pond is trucked up and compacted to make a solid base.

2008-03-20T18:35:00.005-03:00

Praise the Lord for His faithful supply and the continued work on the Argentine camp project. In November the steel structure for the house was errected, as pictured below.

Summer in our part of Argentina means maintenance. Nearly three hundred trees needed to be kept watered, protected from ants, and 25 acres of grass needed to be kept cut.

Debbie kept 8 to 10 acres cut with 20 hp Husquvarna riding lawnmower with a 48 inch deck. Tom and others used the big tractor and bush hog on the rest. Even our camp dog, Zafira, was tired out by all the work!!

January 19-25 Dave Daniels and Cliff Rissinger donated their time to prep and pour the slab for the camp house.

Little Mateo Gorsito wonders what the big deal is!!! Dave Daniels is tuckered out after a long days work.

Work is presently underway closing in the house. Mid April through mid June there will be people here busy working on finishing it. Lord willing Martin and Sandra Gorosito will be able to move in in July. Our goal is for Martin to be the camps maintenance director in the future. Phase one is to live there - a big need when building in a rural area because of theft. As the Lord supplies the funds for a salary Martin will leave his employment to be full time at camp.

2007-12-23T11:49:00.000-03:00

Camp House under Construction!

In November the structure and roof for the camp house were errected. Praise the Lord for this giant step forward. Below you can observe most of the stages involved. January 19 - 25 two men from Clinton Baptist Church in Clinton, Maine come to pour the cement slab, which will be stamped, leaving a finished floor.

Recently three young men visited for a week to work at the site. They´ve been extensively involved in similar projects in both Chile and Uruguay (UCB -GMSA camp projects). While at the camp in Chivilcoy they were able to complete mudding and hang the ceiling in the bunk house and bathroom; build a 20 foot steel structure work bench in the maintenance building; install exterior lighting on the maintenance building; build a drain field for the septic tank that will serve the house and actually serves the maintenance building bathroom; and spend hours cutting grass!

Please pray!!! We hope to accomplish much in the coming months.

As mentioned - the pouring of the slab in the camp house in mid January.
We´re searching for a mason to build the exterior walls, install windows and exterior doors, and stucco the inside of the exterior walls, all this once the slab is completed. Please pray that God will lead us to a mason. Because of the ongoing construction boom in Chivilcoy it´s almost impossible to contract anyone. This work needs to be done before May so work on the interior can continue.
The possibility exists that a group (or groups) of men will come in May from our home church, Clinton Baptist, to do interior divisions, drywall, install doors, electrical, ceilings, etc.
We also expect Lu & Bev Arce to return in May to work on the house (plumbing, kitchen cabinets???).
We´ve been trying for some time to contract someone to do the earthwork for our main multi-purpose building. Again, the construction boom has been a major obstacle! Pray that we will be able to get this first phase of the main building completed before the southern cone summer ends.
Pray for God´s supply to continue with each project.
Pray for the architect as he prepares plans to present in the Municipality.

2007-09-22T12:22:00.000-03:00

Work on the interior of the maintenance building begins!

Lu Arce works on enclosing an area that will include a small bathroom and bunk room. The bunk room will sleep 4 to 5 people and will help provide housing when building teams visit to work on the camp project. It may later serve as an office.

This picture shows the complete second level storage area. This is one of two storage areas.

The other second level storage are will be just over the high windows shown below. These two storage areas double the square footage of the maintenance building.

Luis and Bev Arce, along with Danny Gibbons at the rear entrance to the building.

We´re rejoicing that the City Council recently approved us to build the camp facility in the zone the property is located. A recent zoning change stated that this ring of land around the city was reserved for raising animals!! Lord willing, soon plans will be presented to the Municipality for the maintenance building, the camp house, and the main building. The structure for the house will soon be in place. We´re presently waiting for a bid from the mason for building the exterior walls and installing the windows and exterior doors. Funds are available to do the earth work for the main building, which will be 72´x 113´. This building will include a large multi-purpose room which will have a folding divider, the kitchen, a storage area, a game gallery, bathrooms, and sleeping quarters for cooks.

Thanks for your faithful interest in the camp project! Keep praying for God´s provision! Our goal is to inaugurate in 2010!

2007-08-31T10:49:00.000-03:00

Great Advances at Camp!

Earth work was completed for the construction site of the camp house. The house will have a full view of the main entrance. Bricks were also purchased for the house, and the steel structure and roof are presently under construction and will be erected on site when necessary permissions are granted.

After seven months of delays, in July our contracted mason began working to enclose the maintenance building. In all nearly nine thousand bricks have been laid. Work is expected to be completed by September 7th.

We look forward to Luis & Bev Arce´s arrival in mid-September to install lights and plumbing in the maintenance building!

Please pray with us that God will protect this growing project from theft and vandalism. This has been a recurring problem. We recently had a monitored, battery backup alarm system installed in the maintenance building to aid in protecting the many valuable things that will be stored inside.

2007-06-09T17:51:00.001-03:00

May 29 through June 8 we hosted the first official foreign building team for work on the Argentine camp project sent by Clinton Baptist Church in Clinton, Maine.

Four men (two married and two single) arrived in Argentina on Tuesday the 29th. and began work on Wednesday morning. Heavy frost the first morning was no obstacle for these seasoned "Mainers."

Lef to right: Dave Daniels, Josh Whitcomb, Danny Chamberland, Andy Gibbons (from Chivilcoy), and Joe Gurney.

The team´s first priority was the floor and foundation for the maintenance building.
Over a period of two days the 33 x 43 foot floor was prepaired, forms were built, and the concrete was poured and finished.

A hard days work deserves a delicious Argentine "asado" cooked over hot coals at the work site!

The camp tractor and cement mixer were used as cement was mixed and shuttled in wheelbarrows in the back of a utility trailer to four culverts on the property.

Four sets of retainer walls were built to eliminate the erosion of the internal camp roads around the culverts.

At the end of the day all equipment had to be removed from the site to avoid theft. A little train departed each afternoon for the neighbors, and each morning was retrieved for the days work.

The camp tractor and bush hog were put to use doing the final cut of the season. It took the property nearly a month to dry enough for cutting following heavy April rains! Lu Arce is seen below cutting grass (we cut 25 acres in all).

Concrete work and nasty colds make a snooze a welcome event at the end of the day! Danny Chamberland and Dave Daniels conked out before supper!!!

Late night "Rook" made for some fun down time!

Another task at hand was the construction of a septic tank to serve the maintenance building bathroom and the bathroom of the future property manager´s house.

The water table was just 90 cm. below the surface of the ground, but that didn´t prevent progress!

A concret slab was later poured over the hollow brick lid.

Below: the Gibbons, the Arces, Lois & Loida and the "building team" enjoy a well deserved all you can eat "asado" (grilled beef and salad bar) before the team headed to the airport for their long journey home.

Left to right: Debbie, Tom, Kati, Kristi (Gibbons), Loida McAllister, Lois Kenney, Bev & Lu Arce, Joshua Whitcomb, Dave Daniels, Danny Chamberland, Joe Gurney, Andy & Danny Gibbons.

The team of workers: Lu Arce, Dave Daniels, Josh Whitcomb, Danny Chamberland, Joe Gurney, and Andy Gibbons.

2007-05-02T12:17:00.000-03:00

Mid April the tractor purchased for the camp property was finally finished being outfitted! Among other things, power steering, hydraulics and a bush hog with a 1.5 meter cut were added to the Fiat (50 hp. diesel).

Work still has not begun on closing in the maintenance building. A local construction boom has made it almost impossible to contract labour. Lord willing our mason will begin work this month. We´ve been waiting since last October!!! The end of May four men are coming from Clinton, Maine to build two septic systems on the property.

We praise the Lord for the generosity of churches and individuals toward the maintenance building project, the purchase of the tractor, and now for the construction of a house!

2007-02-28T14:57:00.000-03:00

For six months we waited for the beaurocrtic system to progress so electricity could be brought one half mile into the camp property. By the end of December the work was finally complete. The pictures above and below show the lines and transformer that were instlled. The picture below shows the camp property in the background.

Early in January we contracted a company to install heavy duty cable from the electrical meter over 150 yards to the maintenance building. This made electricity available withing the property!

Final connections are made by the contractor so the electric company can install the meter.

With electricity installed our next project was to have a well dug! In mid January this goal was realized. Forty meters deep, a two horse motor and 20,000 liters of water an hour!!!

A memorial gift in memory of Tom Gibbons´grandmother was designated for a gated entry into the property.

Join us in praising God for all that has been accomplished in the great challenge of building a camp facility in Argentina! God has truly been generous.

What´s next? Any day now a mason will begin enclosing the maintenance building (pictured above). We have the doors, windows, bricks, etc. to finish it. Luis and Bev Arce of Merrimack Valley Baptist Church will be with us from March 15 to June 15. Lu will work on installing lights, plumbing, a bathroom, and bunk room (among other things) in the Maintenance building. The first of June four men are planning to come and build two septic systems for six future cabins.
The down payment has been made on a tractor, which Lord willing will help keep the 25 acres of grass cut. Funds have been committed to build a property maintenance manager´s house on the grounds. Lord willing that will be accomplished this year.

If you´re wondering how you can be a part of the Argentine Camp Project please contact Tom Gibbons at Gospel Mission of South America.

2006-09-17T13:08:00.000-03:00

In June some 60 people gathered from different Bible Center Churches for a day of tree planting. Over 200 trees are presently planted on the camp property. With spring just around the corner, our battle with ants will begin soon!!On September 11th. work began on internal roads. Praise God for the donation that makes most of this project possible. Pray for funds needed to complete this project.

Excavation is done in order to obtain dirt suitable for building the base for the roads. With no rock in the soil it´s important that a proper base is prepared for the gravel finish.

2006-04-28T14:33:00.000-03:00

For decades the emphasis of the Gospel Mission of South America has been church planting accompanied by Bible Institute training and Camping Ministry. The GMSA came to Argentina in 1970. In the mid eighties National Church leaders and GMSA missionaries had a vision for youth camping ministry and began renting a facility each year for youth camp. As the churches being planted grew and others were added, the annual youth camp grew. In the early nineties families were invited to attend the last day of youth camp. Then, in the mid nineties the families were invited to attend the whole week of camp. This eventually evolved into three camps being held simultaneously: one for the youth, one for adults and one for children. Attendance could reach near three hundred. This resulted in a logistical challenge, the main issues being the availability of a facility sufficient in size, and the disrepair and inadequacy of what was available. Today three separate camps are held each year: summer family camp, summer youth camp and winter youth camp. Presently, each camp is geared toward believers, the purpose being the spiritual edification of those in attendance.

The Unión de Centros Bíblicos (Union of Bible Centers), founded in Argentina by the Gospel Mission of South America, has nine churches in two provinces and Greater Buenos Aires. All of the churches are represented in every camp that is held. Together with the Unión de Centros Bíblicos, we believe it´s time to expand and restructure the camping program. In order to do this, it´s essential that we own and operate our own facility. Not only do we intend to continue holding youth and family camps like always, it´s our goal to add to the program camps for children and young adults. We also have a vision for camps that are specifically evangelistic in nature. Our camp location is 100 miles from fourteen million people (Buenos Aires)! Evangelistic camps may include traditional camp settings as well as theme camps (soccer, basketball, horseback riding). These camps will also provide ministry opportunities for our church youth in counseling. We intend to use our facility for retreats for pastors and their families, leaders, ladies, couples, etc. Our facility will be the site of GMSA´s annual International Missionary Conference every third year. The design of the camp will make it feasible for holding annual seminary level training for pastors and leaders, and could potentially be used for year round Bible College level training.

The Unión de Centros Bíblicos, Our National Church partners, plays an active roll in the camping ministry. Presently the director for our youth camp and the director for our family camp are both National pastors. Our National leadership actively participated in the decision process of the July 2005 purchase of 25 acres, which was titled in the name of the UCB. We have also drawn National leaders into the process of choosing property layout and building design.

The GMSA is currently seeking a missionary couple to work full time in camping ministry in Argentina. We´re praying for a couple who will live on location, continue with facility development and construction, develop, direct and administrate the actual camping program and teach camping in our Bible Institute. We envision this future Director working with and training National brethren in the direction and administration of individual camps and retreats.

Once God had supplied for buying a property we made two significant attempts at a purchase. God sovereignly closed each door. We continued to pray and search, and God opened another door. We see God´s good hand in the whole process. Many have been motivated to pray, leaders have been drawn together, and we were able to purchase within a half mile of two major highways, just five miles from Chivilcoy, a city of 60,000 people.

The property measures 628 feet of frontage by 1849 feet deep. The total area is 25 acres, all previously used as farmland. The front and one side of the property are on rural roads, a neighbor on the other side and train tracks at the back.

After purchasing the property we planted 119 trees (poplars, willows, oaks, and some regional trees) as well as over 300 shoots (poplars and willows). A local believer and neighbor to the camp property has been helping with the forestation project. We had four planting days last winter (July & August) that included the participation of as many as forty people from our churches in Buenos Aires (picture at top). This winter the forestation project will continue, replacing trees that did not survive the summer and adding other varieties.

Since the land was subdivided off of 95 acres we had over 1,800 feet of fence line to install. This was completed in September of 2005. We´ve been especially thankful for several men from the Chivilcoy Church who have given of their time to maintain the grass at the entrance cut, the tree garden weeded, and most difficult of all, combat aunts. The man who is heading up the forestation project has not only donated his time but has repeatedly used his own farm equipment and employees on the project. Others have given monetarily, and one National church has begun giving to the project on a monthly basis.

It´s our goal and prayer to inaugurate the facility for use in January of 2010.

25 acres were purchased in July of 2005! Soon after future driveways were marked.

Tree locations were carefully determined to avoid planting them where buildings will be built.

A moment of fun while trying to keep warm!

Many hands make light work planting trees!

55 holes over four feet deep are dug for fence posts.

A willow begins to sprout (below).

The first day of spring (September 21, 2005), youth gather for a day of fun.

Learn how you can become a participant in the UCB camp project by contacting Tom Gibbons through Gospel Mission of South America.