Hello to everyone that loves El Porvenir! We are looking forward to the day when we can all be together again on this mountain. Things are improving, the number of coronavirus cases in New Mexico are some of the lowest in the country. However, we do not know when we will be allowed to host groups again. We are still hopeful that regulations will ease before our fall 2020 retreat season begins this August.
Here’s some great news: We can now offer lodging to individual families, so I’m excited to announce the opening of 2 family cabins, 2 RV spaces, and 2 tent camping spots. If your family is looking to get out of the house and into the mountains, you can come stay at camp, hike the beautiful trails, go fishing, play disc golf, shoot hoops, enjoy the BEST of what we have which is God’s great outdoors. It will be different, there will be no indoor meeting spaces, no facilitated adventure activities, no food service, each family will need to be self sufficient. El Porvenir staff will clean and sanitize between stays. Our two family cabins have full kitchens and baths. For more details, click here.
We are working hard to get El Porvenir ready for group events. This week we’re cleaning out the pond making it ready for more trophy rainbow trout. Last week camp staff were painting walls, repairing furniture, fixing water lines, and scrubbing the kitchen. If you’d like to volunteer to help, we are able to host small work groups within the gathering size restrictions (less than 5 per group), so reach out to us.
We also want to communicate our financial need. Our camp depends on summer revenue. We have significant fixed expenses, some of which cannot be reduced when we don’t have guests. After expense cuts, we are still facing a $200,000 shortfall from the cancellation of the summer season. If cancellations extend into the fall, that impact will grow. If you love this place and what happens here, then I ask you to consider sending additional support.
The El Porvenir leadership has planned well for emergencies, we have sufficient cash reserves to weather this storm. But without additional support, 15 years of emergency and capital fund savings may be wiped out in a single year. We trust in God and in our supporters to ensure that this doesn’t happen. Our goal is unwavering to emerge from this crisis STRONG, with healthy cash reserves, and with our facilities in better shape than ever. For the next 12 months, our financial model needs to change. Even with the tremendous support we already receive, we typically lose over $20,000 per month when we aren’t serving guests. We are praying for additional support so that we can confidently keep working while we are shut down without fear of depleting all our savings. We need additional support to keep pushing forward. Will you support us?