A Massanetta Story: The Little Things

Jonne first fell in love with Massanetta Springs at Pioneer Camp in 1954, give or take a year. That elementary-aged girl could not have known how much this place would shape her life. Decades later, she has become as much a part of Massanetta as it is a part of her.

When Jonne looks back on those early years, what stands out is not one big moment. It is the little things.

It was “Uncle Midi” (Raynal) in Arts and Crafts, a warm and gentle presence who, as Jonne remembers, “made everyone feel important.” It was evenings on the hill, where leaders like “Uncle Phil” (Roberts) and Albert Edwards led vespers and taught songs like Be Thou My Vision. It was the steady presence of people who, in quiet ways, showed her what faith and service could look like.

Those moments stayed with her.

At 16, Jonne joined the wait staff. She lived in the old Cottage B, where the playground now stands, alongside the other girls, sharing space, stories, laughter, everything really. In the dining hall, she served guests and got to know people whose lives were shaped by deep faith. One day, she served a young Bennie Clemmer. At the time, it was just another small interaction. Years later, it would become something much more. He would become her husband.

In the evenings, after her shift ended, Jonne would head to Hudson Auditorium to listen to preachers she still describes as “giants of the faith,” including Peter Marshall. Night after night, those moments quietly shaped her.

Over time, Massanetta Springs became not just a place where Jonne received, but a place where she gave.

Since the Springs reopened in 1991, she has spent parts of most summers volunteering. You might find her greeting guests in the dining hall or at the front desk with a warm smile, creating centerpieces for the dining hall, or simply noticing what needs to be done and doing it. The same kind of quiet care that once formed her is now something she offers to others.

She’s proud of one particularly busy day when a linen delivery did not arrive before a large conference. By the end of it, she checked her phone and saw that she had walked 31,000 steps. “It made me feel so good,” she said, “to have a place where I could be of service.”

For Jonne, Massanetta Springs has always been shaped by small, faithful acts. Moments that might seem little on their own, but over time, change lives.

Each gift to Massanetta Springs may feel like one of those little things.

But together, they become something lasting. Thank you.