The Life story continues...
In the summer of 1969, I had a summer job/ministry at Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, NY. That continued for the next summer and for a few weeks in 1971, the year I graduated from HS. Just a couple of notations here:
- I recently found out that the Inn (which was renamed the Lodge) was sold and closed. This was a shock to me as those summers were used by the Lord to develop depth in my walk with Him. Some of my work mates were attending a college in Tennessee and I became impressed with that school because of these guys I worked with. I applied but my HS grades were under par so I was denied entrance into the college but did get approved to attend their Bible College. That summer in 1970, I knew Word of Life was opening their own Bible Institute so after being rejected in Tennessee but accepted into their Bible Institute, I reasoned why travel to Tennessee when NY was closer to home. I applied to WOLBI and was accepted for the fall 1971 school year. Thankfully the "BI" is still open. The campus was not in Schroon Lake but nearby Pottersville where my sister and I went to camp at the Ranch in 1968!
- And just a quick note, I finished my Bible College studies at Washington Bible College in Maryland near DC. Sadly, that wonderful life-changing school closed in the early 2000's. I don't think I had anything to do with the sales of these ministries, but...
So I was a dishwasher at the Inn in '69 and '70 and just a few weeks into '71 after my HS graduation. There were some circumstances out of my control God used to have me leave the Inn and begin a new summer career in New Hampshire. I did return to WOL in the fall for my Bible Institute training so there were no negative feelings on eith part of the Inn Staff, WOLBI or myself. My parents who came to get me and bring me home had plans for the fourth of July weekend at Rumney Bible Conference in a camping trailer they had there. We discussed me possibly joining the staff there for the summer. Upon our arrival at home, the mailbox had a packet from RBC explaining their dire financial situation due to a costly winter campaign promoting the summer ministry but the late arrival of the mailings yielded little as summer family plans were already made by the families receiving the promotion. In the letter was a paragraph about summer staff layoffs which seemingly put my prospect of a summer ministry job in jeopardy. Still, we prayed and planned to talk to the Conference leadership. We were familiar with Tal and Evie McNutt who led the Conference and Camps in Rumney as I had attended Winter Weekend Snow camps with our youth group. And they were familiar with me due to my family at the Conference. I spoke with Tal that Friday night upon arrival. He said due to my experience at WOL and my attending the BI that fall, he had two openings which I could potentially fit into. The first was a dishwasher at the Conference ministry which was significantly scaled down from the Inn's over 400 guests and my thought was this is a no brainer ... So I would talk with Evie in the morning. Then the other was a position at the boy's camp, Pine ridge where I would serve as a much needed Jr. Counselor. But of course, my mind was made up. I was a deeply experienced Christian Camp Conference dishwasher. Oh by the way ... The dishwasher was a weekend position only. The rest of the week, I would be on the maintenance crew. Morning arrived and at the Lodge during staff breakfast, Tal introduced me to the Pineridge director who immediately began the interview. I was kind of shocked as I was expecting to be with Evie first. Don Weston, a physical education teacher in the NY Catskills hired me immediately during the interview saying, "You are the person we've been praying for." I couldn't argue with that so I told my folks of my new job and bid them farewell. My cabin would be the older boys cabin and the Sr. Counselor was Jim Engler. That, folks began a long relationship with the Englers which exists even today. Less than a year ago we were together with them here in Florida. That summer in 1971 was my first at Pineridge. I had the joy of leading a number of boys to Jesus that summer. I forget the boys name but the first young boy I prayed with was my first child I ever led to Christ. I returned in the summers of '72, '73 and '74. 1974 was the most notable as I was now a Sr. Counselor and the staff Bible Teacher. I also helped with a few other staffers to lead in music for the campers. I didn't return to Bible College in '72. I worked for a local department store and taught youth at our church in CT. In 1973 into 1974 I attended my first year at WBC in Maryland. And I just couldn't wait to return to Pineridge that summer. Another notable thing occured in '74, I met one of the girl camp's Jr. Counselors that gave me a heart throb. That summer I turned 21, but the girl was 17 (4 years younger and still left with a year of HS). I mean, I had already two years of Bible College in. But the two of us were smitten by the love bug. I would often spend my days off in the SnakShak at the Conference and on some occasions during my 1973 season that girl would walk into the SnakShak. Boy was she a doll. But I was too shy to talk to her. At times my sister would come with my folks for a week's vacation at the trailer park and on my time off I would visit. And who would be there? This striking young doll of a girl I was too shy to talk with. Here my sister was hanging out with this amazing girl. But it wasn't until the next summer the shyness was gone and we spent time together. I had transferred my Bible credits to a new College in Glen Cove, Maine but never attended. This girl that the Lord put in my life had her last year of HS in Lexington, Massachusetts about and hour and a half from my town of Southbridge. I couldn't be in Maine when the girl I was falling for was in the Boston area so I went to work for my uncle's garage near Old Sturbridge Village. My Dad worked there too. So here we're the two Tremblay brothers with their nephew/son making it 3 Tremblay's! That was 1974. In 1976, my sweetheart and I were married. But I'm jumping ahead as things occured in those years from 70-74.
The events yet to be told we're with Ray at a church in Worcester, at Word of Life Bible Institute and with a group in a few towns over that became some of my deepest Christian friends ever and how we wanted to see God change our world. So come back and hear...
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