Monday, March 31, 2014

First Work Day

This was our first work day on the project. Following the morning devotion, we met the staff of OWL and had a tour and explanation of the facility.

We all boarded a bus and began our tour of the facility. Our tour leader not only told us the role of each of the facilities, but also told us about how it was funded and the benefits of the facility. 

The first stop was at a retreat called the "Bunkhouse". This facility has a nice kitchen, some small cabins, and a sleeping facility. The building shown in the background is the kitchen and dining area. There are 6 cabins surrounding this building. 

This building is the bunkhouse. It has two sleeping areas and a large conference room in the center. The building was designed as an architectural project by a group of students from Louisiana Tech. It is certainly a unique building.  

 The next stop was at the greenhouses. Originally the greenhouses were used to produce tomatoes for the salsa project that provides some revenue for the center. The salsa making venture now has become large that tomatoes must be sourced from outside the center. The greenhouse is now being used for the production of ferns for sale.

 A small orchard provides some fruit for the jelly making operation of the center. Again is the production and sale of the jellies grows as fast as the salas, other sources of fruit will need to be developed
.

The next stop was at the Conference Center. This is a large multipurpose building where meetings are held, The building is not only used for events of the center, but also can be used by the public for a fee. 

A hotel is available for use by the parents  of the children who are in the center. The facility is designed much like a hotel, with the exception there is not a television in the room, so that reduces the demand for the facility. 



There are two beautiful lakes on the property. The lakes are stocked with fish. The species include catfish, bass, crappie, and brim. I certainly hope to reduce the number of fish in the lake before I leave the project. 


The center has a equine center that is used for therapeutic purposes . Many of the children have emotional problems, and this is a way to help them over come their problems. The center currently has 26 horses that are used for this purpose. 

Our first project was to clean and prepare the outdoor chapel area for a wedding that is scheduled in the near future. 

It will be intersting to see what tomorrow brings. 

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