To another kind of classroom
Gina Dorough always thought she’d teach at Hall-Kent Elementary School forever. It’s where she had her first full-time teaching job and for the past 12 years has served as third grade teacher, assistant principal and most recently principal. She said it has always felt like home.
But over the past few years she has begun to see how her time at the school has not been an end unto itself but rather preparation ground for a new place of learning and discovery. This summer Dorough and her family of five have left Homewood to serve at a Bible camp on 84 acres on Lookout Mountain in Mentone, Ala. And they plan to stay for as far in the future as they can see.
The Doroughs’ journey to Ponderosa Bible Camp started three and a half years ago when her husband, Chris, reconnected with a former colleague who had gone on to become the camp’s director 15 years ago.
The Doroughs ended up going to visit Jeff and Ann Nelson at the camp on their way to Chattanooga soon thereafter. (Jeff actually grew up not just as a Ponderosa camper but also a student in Homewood schools.) The family liked it and decided to go back. Before long, they were there for days and weeks at a time and started to support the camp financially as they fell in love with its ministries, Dorough said.
While the couple began to pray about what their place was in the camp going forward, Dorough felt like they were being called to the camp full-time. Six months later, her husband began to feel the same way, and they started to raise financial support to work for the camp, as they are responsible for raising all funds to live off of while on staff.
In fact the family was ready to move to camp after the 2011-2012 school year when Principal Carol Lord was in car wreck and unable to return to work. With these new developments, Dorough decided to stay at Hall-Kent another year as principal and continue to raise support. And she can see the purpose in this past year, too.
“Being principal for a year really prepared me to see the bigger picture,” she said. “Here at Hall-Kent you work hard and give 110 percent. I am not above anything. I am here to serve others, to ask what my blessings and gifts are and see how I can use them to serve.”
Dorough also talks about how she will take other things she learned at Hall-Kent with her to camp: how to work with kids and see their needs above and beyond what they say; how to see adults’ strengths and put them in their best spot to do what is best for the students; and how to talk to parents about their concerns about their children.
During the summer, Ponderosa welcomes campers ages 7-19, with different weeks designated for different age groups. The camp also plays host to teen staff members and college-aged counselors to help lead the campers through Bible studies and the fun of activities like horse back riding and swimming.
“It’s about presenting the gospel and being intentional about sharing with the campers,” Dorough said. “We are excited about building relationships with campers over time.”
During the school year, the camp facilities are used for retreats, but the staff still spends most of their time reaching out relationally. As a part of a “mailbox ministry,” they mail age-appropriate Bible lessons to first through 12th graders for a sort of Bible correspondence class.
But the aspect of working at Ponderosa Dorough is most excited about is teaching the Bible to students in Dekalb County Schools in “Released Time Bible Studies.” Through this program, more than 900 second through sixth graders go off their school campus each week with a Ponderosa staff member to attend a Bible class.
“I’ll still get to teach and be in schools, just in a different way,” Dorough said.
The Doroughs will live on camp property along with several other staff families, including two of the Pierces’ 11 children, now grown and married themselves.
Her husband, Chris will be in charge of grounds keeping and hopes to start a garden, while Gina will provide first aid, lifeguard, help with administrative duties and run the snack shack. But regardless of specific jobs, Dorough said all the staff must be a jacks-of-all-trades, taking on whatever duties present themselves.
Dorough said it’s bittersweet to leave Hall-Kent, where everyone has been sad to see her go but supportive and encouraging in her new endeavor. Her kids are quick to remind her that they are excited to go to Ponderosa.
Caleb, 7, cried when his mom told him they decided not to move to the camp fulltime after last summer. Every time Braeden, 4, goes to camp he asks, “Are we going to be there forever this time?”
The family has sold their house and much of their belongings. Once at camp, they will live in a two-room nurses’ headquarters for the first six to eight months until new staff housing is built.
“We feel like God has called us there, and we’ll be there until he calls us away,” Dorough said. “We feel like we were called to step out in faith and trust that if we are supposed to be there God will provide. We are growing in our faith more than anything else.”
To learn more about Ponderosa and the Doroughs’ journey, visit ponderosabiblecamp.com and doroughmission.blogspot.com.