Dusty Wilson - Maintainence

Dusty is a true native, growing up in nearby Monett. The summer of 2003, his youth leader convinced him to volunteer at Camp Barnabas. That year he was a Barnstormer, the volunteer role that serves meals and cleans dishes and bathrooms for camp. He came back as kitchen staff the next two years and, in 2006, was the "master burger flipper" each opening day of camp while holding down a full-time job in the area.

In 2007 he had decided to take a break from camp even though God kept nudging him to come out. He then ran into Larry Tidwell, camp’s maintenance director, at a local restaurant.  Larry encouraged him to come and visit. Two weeks later he’d quit his full-time job and agreed to work the rest of the summer at camp. As the end of camp approached, he began to dread leaving. At the same time, the full-time staff were talking about the value of having him here year-round. When he accepted a full-time position in maintenance it was a win-win situation for everyone. “Dusty raises the bar for all of us,” says former co-worker, Michael Mrosko. “He works hard and we work hard to keep up with him. He makes us all better at what we do.”