Bethany History
For years Treva Turpin dreamed of turning the homestead of her parents, Harold and Esther Stadsvold into a camp for area children. During the 7 years Bill and Treva Turpin spent in Indonesia with New Tribes Mission, the thought of the camp ministry was pushed into the recesses of her mind. But the thought of the children's camp ministry was about to surge into the front of Treva's mind upon the Turpin's return to the U.S. in 1995.
It took 2 years before the Turpin's found themselves back "home" in Brayton Iowa. God had a plan for them to experience an established camp at East Iowa Bible Camp where Bill found his place in the kitchen and Treva in the office doing administrative duties. Weekly, Treva took visits to take care of her aging parents and in 1996, Bill and Treva were offered the home and property. It wasn't until a cold January day in 1997 that they settled into 2144 310th St, Brayton IA.
Some early photos of meeting times and free time , maybe even sleep time. But they were all great times. Maybe you recognize yourself or a friend?
The Barn, the impossible.
The barn was nearing collapse and Bill Turpin had prayed for years that a big storm would take it away. It became apparent that it was needed for the camp ministry so a major rebuilding of it started in 2004 and took much of that year. It was done with many hands and volunteers from Hard Hats for Christ, neighbors and friends. God provided all the funds, labor and wisdom to see the barn restored to its former glory. The rebuilding began in the basement with the foundation and ended in the peak, what an amazing transformation.
Cabin
Casey's cabin is how this is remembered. He was driven to build this...