Written by John T.

Well here we are, just a couple of weeks after our Longhorn Lodge arrived on the land, two stories and hours of fellowship richer. Three train cars arrived with all of the materials, and our first crew of older staff brothers arrived from our other churches such as Berkeley, Davis, San Diego, Riverside, and Minnesota. They came just in the nick of time as we had to move 200 walls out of the containers, which averaged 400 pounds, with some reaching even 1,000 pounds. Many brothers flew out in shifts of 3-4 days, sacrificing their time and enduring the pain of many hammered thumbs in order to raise the walls and build the lodge up through the second floor. It was by no means an easy task, as we faced an army of spiders, the scorching Texas sun, and hands riddled by splinters after a hard day's work moving our lumber.

It was also great that the sisters came out to join us for a work day on Saturday, laboring hard alongside the brothers. It was great that we all got the opportunity to put at least one nail into the house to commemorate our time and work spent at this place. We got the opportunity to think about the future students who will be enjoying this lodge, and it was inspiring to think of the many retreats that we will be able to hold here and the undergrads who will enjoy the labor that we have put into this place. Sunsets are truly beautiful out there as the sky is so clear and the colors spread across the sky, and it is so evident that God has blessed us with this beautiful land as an avenue to enjoy his creation. We look forward to the completion of this lodge so we can use it, so please keep up the hard work everyone!

Some of the brothers who came to work and the progress on the lodge.

Our sisters hard at work securing the siding in place.

The early crew on our most recent work day.