All activities are at “the barn” and when we went over to check it out, we met Patrick and Dana Johnson, who are one of the couples who are responsible for the program. They are a retired couple from Nicklesville, Virginia, who started coming here some years ago, and over the years have developed all the activities in the barn. The calendar includes potluck suppers, exercise classes, woodworking, quilting, games, pancake breakfast, and many other activities, including an Easter cantata this month! They come in October and stay through March each year, and really “take care of the flock” who camp here for the winter. They were teachers and farmers in Virginia, and Patrick was pastor of Moore’s Memorial Baptist Church, on Nicklesville Hwy, just outside Gate City, VA. When Art told him who we were, he told us that he used to listen to Art on the radio! Art was amazed to find a radio listener this far from home!

Patrick and Dana also trained in disaster relief, and had just finished the course when Katrina hit, so they have another ministry to those touched by crisis. Working with an association of Baptist churches, they have coordinated the cooking of meals for literally thousands of people over the past few years. We are tremendously encouraged to meet these new friends and hear their story. God is at work in Ocala National Forest!