Loch Leven Camp & Retreat Center

Today while walking around camp... I snapped a few photos. Can you name where they are located?

Advent season is here, and we are sharing video devotions each week as a way of walking with our camp family through a time of hope, joy, peace, and love. This is a short video from our Associate Regional Minister/Acting Camp Manager, B. J. Barlow... and our bear friend at Loch Leven. Take a moment to breath with us each week. It is a good season to reconnect to God's love and with each other.

Loch Leven Family, we are still trucking along as we work to bring the site back up to speed and I am happy to share all major issues at camp have been addressed for the time being. David, our camp staff, is busy cleaning and organizing our facilities for a longer than expected shut down. Emilio, our maintenance manager is working hard to keep our water, property, and facilities up to code. All things considered, we have reached a level of stability in our operations that is ...much more practical for our small team. We have also received a lot of questions about programming that we want everyone to have the answers to... 1) Yes, Loch Leven is still closed to the public. Only residents are currently permitted on the property unless special reservation is made. 2) Yes, you can make a reservation to come visit or retreat with a small group. Visit our website, LochLeven.org, to find our reservation form. 3) No, we will not have Winter Camp in January this year. We do not imagine we will be able to provide a safe enough environment by then to host a regional camp. If you haven’t visited our website lately, you really should check it out! Alisa Fraumeni Mittelstaedt and Michael Mittelstaedt have built an amazing and interactive tool to find out what’s going on at Loch Leven. Lastly, the PSWR Camp Ministry Committee is working on a special Christmas/Advent video devotion series that we hope to release weekly beginning after Thanksgiving. If you are looking for a way to visit Loch Leven from home, or if you just want to hear encouraging words from camp, keep an eye out for these short videos (we will share them here, on our website, and many other places). We miss you! We hope that you are staying as safe as possible... and we can’t wait to be together again!

We are excited to share with you all our new website! We are beginning to organize retreat style stays and work days. Everything will be coordinated through our online forms located on the new page. Check it out! Let us know when you’d like to visit or if you would like to put together a team for a work day at Loch Leven! We can’t wait to have you with us!

Thank you to the staff of Harbor Christian Church for SHOWING THEIR LOVE for Loch Leven by spending two days cleaning out the flower beds next to Cole. If you would like to schedule a work project or work weekend for your group, contact BJ Barlow at [email protected].

The El Dorado Fire is now 96% contained!!! Hwy 38 is still closed to non-residents. We hope that in the coming days we will be able to invite family units to come safely help with recovery and work projects. Things are going well at Loch Leven today. We have teamed up with Forest Falls/Bear Valley Unified School District to safely provide internet access to students in the area. A few local teachers and school personnel are using Stone Lodge to help students with distance education. It is amazing to see the community respond to the recent fire displacement. We are blessed to be a part of such an awesome neighborhood!

A few more photos of the property. We join our neighbors in celebrating the hard work of firefighters and so many others who have been working to keep us safe!

We learned that authorities are allowing residents of Mountain Home Village back home with a valid ID. The Evacuation Order still has not been lifted and the fire near Angeles Oaks is putting up a good fight. This week a firefighter lost their life while on duty at the El Dorado Fire. We pray for their family, for the safety of all firefighters, and for the family that was celebrating their baby on its way when this all began. There are many things we are grateful for and many things for which we grieve. May God hear all our prayers. Thank you for your continued support of Loch Leven. We are anxious to be back on camp and hope things will continue to improve. Until then, please know how grateful we are for all those working to support this special place!

"Clean... looking good... well secured." A really good report today from U.S. Forest Service. To listen for yourself, go to 2:15 in. Conversations are starting regarding re-populating Mountain Home Village but firefighters are making sure that no vegetation left will continue to burn or cause additional issues before lifting the evacuation order. We continue to ask for your prayers, support, and well wishes as we gear up to assess camp in person (hopefully next week). We've had several folks reach out about coming to help with recovery. Keep up the energy and know that as soon as we can, we will be forming teams of volunteers to help out. THANK YOU! :)

Friends, we don’t have much to report today as things seems to be holding steady near Loch Leven. There was a breach of the fire parameter far from camp late last night (north east). Although it impacts our neighboring communities near Angeles Oaks (and we continue to pray for safety for all), nothing has changed for us, and we remain hopeful that the worst is behind us. Evacuation orders for Mountain Home Village remain and hwy 38 doesn’t seem to be reopening this week. Plea...se continue to hold the Hernandez family in prayer as they experience an extended time away from home. It has been a hard week for them and so many others who have had to evacuate. Thank you again for those who are making donations to Loch Leven during this time. Each day we are experiencing loss as the camp is going unattended. We hope to be back at camp as soon as it is safe to be there. In the meantime, keep showing your love! We feel it, and we are so very grateful!

The latest report from the U.S. Forest Service has good news for Loch Leven. If you would like to hear it for yourself, it begins around 7:00minutes in. The dozer line that runs along Loch Leven on the east side is holding strong. Firefighters are stationed on our camp property and are monitoring any spot fires. The area closest to camp has been mopped - which means crews have walked the property, checked the soil and surrounding vegetation by hand. They feel it is safe eno...ugh around Loch Leven to divert crews to other areas of the fire. All very good news! This being said, when the evacuation orders for our area have been lifted, we will need to respond as early as possible to salvage vegetation and provide stability around camp. We are concerned about the effects of the heat of the fire on our vegetation and will need to act as quickly as we can. Here is how you can help: 1) Donate to Loch Leven. We will need to buy seeds to replace vegetation around camp. We will need to hire a crew to thoroughly clean our building and property of ash and debris. Your financial support is needed now more than ever as we’ve lost a regular summer support due to COVID, and now have these significant expenses due to the fire. Click this link to be directed to our PayPal page. Be sure to make a note that the donation is for Loch Leven relief: https://www.paypal.com/donate/ 2) Volunteer to help at camp. We will be hitting the ground to assess every inch of camp as soon as we can. We need volunteers to walk the property, pick up small debris/trash, and assist in documenting any damage that we may have suffered. We will continue to observe CDC gudelines and will have to schedule any visits in advance (which can’t happen until evacuation is lifted). So, if you are willing, please get your proverbial boots tied so we are ready when the time comes. 3) Help us network resources. If you have connections with professional cleaning crews, landscaping companies, contractors, heavy equipment/tractors, or seed supply that might be willing to make a donation or otherwise lend help, please give them a call and begin a conversation for Loch Leven. Once we get going with a response, we will need all of the support of our community to do it well. 4) Continue to pray. We believe God hears our prayers, and we have most definitely felt the effects of the positive vibes from so many all over the PSWR and beyond. Keep it up at home, in your churches, and as often as you can remember. Thank you to everyone who has sent positive messages of love and support, who have helped keep our tribes in the loop by sharing information, pictures, and updates, and for extending your gifts to us as we move ahead. Loch Leven has provided our church with amazing memories, experiences, and life changing friendships. Let’s pull together at this critical time to do our part to show our love for Loch Leven!

We had a worrisome evening yesterday as we learned that the fire had reached the dozer line at Sam’s Peak. Luckily, all reports are showing that the dozer line has held the fire from entering the property (although Sam’s Peak is not doing so well). Here is a map with the fire line so you can see where the fire is in proximity to LL. This morning Cal Fire reports that the El Dorado fire is 23% contained and has no significant expansion of parameter last night. Wind direction is out of the South East. Please continue to hold LL and the Hernandez family in your prayers. We are grateful for the support and the help we are receiving from all over. Continue to Show Your Love for Loch Leven... we can feel it!

Dear Loch Leven Family, we just received an early report that a spot fire has crossed over hwy 38 at Angeles Oaks (north east of LL) and 300-500 acres are burning. This is a significant concern that we will be monitoring very closely. Although it is a bit away from our camp, this creates more risk as it is in line with Santa Ana winds. Pray with us. We will keep you updated as often as possible.

Not much to update today. Fire department was able to create a successful burnout around Mountain Home Village on the north side of the fire. This means there is buffer space between the fire line and MHV/Loch Leven. This is good news and we continue to be grateful for the hard work of so many keeping the area as safe as possible. The not so good news is that the forecast this afternoon includes a Santa Ana wind event that will blow in from the north. Although this means that the wind will be working in our favor, it puts those communities to the south east at greater risk. Cal Fire is reporting that they will not consider reopening HWY 38 and letting evacuated communities back home until after the Santa Ana Wind event this afternoon. Thank you all for your ongoing prayers and concerns. We will keep you updated as often as possible.

Here is a photo of the El Dorado fire from the CalFire live feed posted down in Mountain Home Village. Late yesterday the fire crossed the mountain ridge just south of camp and has held there today. The fire line is about one mile away from any homes in MHV. It’s seems unlikely that the fire will come down the mountain or cross 38 (fire department is determined to keep things south of 38), but we are still watching things very closely. Thank you for your concern and prayers. We are hopeful the fire will be contained and we will begin transitioning back to Loch Leven in a few days.

All staff have evacuated and are safe from the El Dorado fire. As of 6:00pm, 1500 acres have burned on the south side of highway 38. Fire fighters are creating a buffer along the Yucaipa Mountain Ridge hoping to prevent spread northward. Although we will definitely be keeping an eye on this one, at this point, with the hard working firefighters and the landscape between us, it seems less likely to spread our direction. Thank you for your ongoing prayers.