A group this summer came and built a bridge down at our lake!

X-Barn street course expansion continues

Here's what the new street course in the X-Barn looks like! There's a quarter pipe, a 1' low-box, a kicker ramp, and a square rail that stands just over a foot high!! It's a great addition the X-Barn. Last weekend some teens at the Ranch for an X-Day already got to break in the new park.

Things are in full swing now that spring has sprung!! Over the past weeks I’ve spent a lot of time on a project that we’re working on in the X-Barn here at the Ranch. The project is an area where students can do what’s known as “street skating.” That’s were they skateboard on the ground doing “flip tricks”, or on a rail, or a box. We’ve had a half pipe which is known as “vert skating” for the students. It’s been around for a while and gets a lot of use. However, I noticed that many of the skaters like to skate on the ground, and haven’t had much room for that since the floor of the barn is very old and has uneven planks.
Well, a few weeks ago I started visiting local businesses to raise money for our project with the help of Morgan, a volunteer. Shortly after that we purchased some materials at Lowe’s that we’re using to build a floor in the barn made of plywood. Cliff Knepper built a rail for the park out of some old steel rails Lynn had in their back yard. Many people have helped with this project, including Roger Berti, and several of our teens from Vizion. Thanks to everyone who has helped!

Here are some pictures of the addition now. It’s to a point where students last weekend were able to use the area, but it will undergo more work before unveiling it this summer. Part of the plan is to build a “low-box,” a bank near the back wall to ride in on, and a wall to separate the addition from the rock wall area. I also need someone who is skilled in electrical wiring to help install the new lights that were donated for the addition. Please call 814-444-9500 if you’d like to help finish the skatepark project. Thanks and God-bless you!!

-Joel G

Mr. Smith and Joel put nails in the floor.

Morgan helped inspire this project. Here he puts steps up to the half-pipe.

Roger, a board member, here works on the floor for the skatepark expansion.

This is an expansion project to create a skateboarding area in our barn for street skating. It started with a frame and plywood. Several volunteers as well as a member of the Teen Quest board of directors worked hard on this project.

Here are students inside Chytil Hall the first weekend in use.

This is Chytil Hall. One of the new additions to the Ranch!

We worked hard to complete this building just in time for our largest weekend of Snow Camp with nearly 280 people! Sixty six made commitments to the Lord the night we finished this building that served as our meeting hall. Praise the Lord!

This winter, another addition was complete at the Ranch on the back of our newly built Fletcher Hall.

The inside of Fletcher Hall was completed just prior to our first weekend of Snow Camp. It now serves as a dinning hall for the hundreds of students who are our guests this winter.
-Joel G

The building you see in this picture is the newest addition to the Ranch. It was an open-faced "pole building" that was just keeping our vehicles out of the elements a few months ago when we began converting it to what you see here. Upon completion by this January, it will serve our guests as their comfy-cosy heated dining hall. But that's not all it can be used for. It will probably be used as a sort of multi-purpose room for activities, meetings, and sleeping until it becomes a permanent dining hall when the new kitchen is completed! Dozens of volunteers and Teen Quest team members have worked on this project and it's just amazing to see how the Lord Jesus has met our needs for space through its developement. The following pictures will give you a glimpse of what exactly has gone into it...
-Joel G

As of today, the inside is waiting for spakle and paint when the Upward Reach team returns later this week. It's hard to believe that just a few short weeks ago, this very room was just a gravel-floored garage and storage space. Praise God!
-Joel G

-Joel G

Special thanks to the workers from Upward Reach program who have done so much work on our new building, including framing, drywalling, putting on the face, installing windows and doors, as well as the other projects they have accomplished. God-bless you!
-Joel G

Larry, from the Life Church, installing our cieling lights with some buddies.
-Joel G

Some of our weekend retreat guests have even gotten in on the action: this is Steve from the Life Church in Maryland. He brought his pastor and a group of men from their church to get away for a men't retreat, and they decided to take some time to assist with our project while they were here. Thanks guys!!!
-Joel G

Skirting the cement...
-Joel G

Mark helped with spreading the freshly poured cement.
-Joel G

This is Joel (yes-it's me), one of the full-time missionaries at Teen Quest.
-Joel G

-Joel G

Special thanks to Steve and Russ who came all the way from Michigan to volunteer their time and experience in helping us pour the cement floor of our new mulit-purpose room. They are seen here with our director, Mark.
-Joel G

The new cabin is getting sidding!
-Joel G

Dan, a volunteer, is wiring the building for electricity. We will use our new cabin this winter as a bunk for our staff guys.
-Joel G

-Joel G

Several contractors and experienced workers were part of the team, including a couple guys on the board of this ministry!
-Joel G

-Joel G

-Joel G

-Joel G

-Joel G

September 24, 2005, the Somerset Alliance Church brought a team of volunteers to build our 1st cabin at the Ranch. Previously, we have housed our guests in the lodge and in the ranch house as long as we have no more than about forty five. However, during the summer months, we have rented a local state park camp site to house our large numbers in cabins there. This cabin will be the first of several that we will build at the Ranch to hold up to 200, by God's grace.
-Joel G

-Joel G

The stable has since been stained completely, wired with electricity, internally and externally, stocked with about a thousand hay bales, and closed in for the winter.
-Joel G

Thanks to all the workers from the Somerset Alliance Church who helped us in September!!!
-Joel G

THE STABLE AT THE RANCH

Volunteers working on the beginning stages of the stable at the Ranch.







The stable is built with the help of many volunteers. Inside there are stalls for each of our horses, a tack room, and 1,000 bails of hay stacked for the winter months. Only the doors need to be completed.

New Welcome Center At Ranch

Above is the new welcome center at the Teen Quest Ranch. This new building will be used to house our nurses station, ranch registration office, camp store, and information center.

We will be dedicating this building to the lord and to His work. If you are in the neighborhood any time soon stop by and check out the new blessing God has given us here at Teen Quest.

- Posted By Joel Witt