UPDATE FROM MAIL PROCESSING
Texas WATS Operation Continues to Expand
The WATS operation in Big Sandy has grown rapidly in its first six months. Already, operators there have handled more than 50,000 calls.
Beginning in March 1984 with 10 WATS lines, Big Sandy answered 10% of the weekend calls responding to "The WORLD TOMORROW" telecast. Now with 50 lines, operators answer 40 to 45% of the thousands of calls that pour in each weekend.
Further expansion is planned to keep pace with the increases in TV stations and response. By fall we will have 75 lines in Big Sandy and 125 in Pasadena.
Area Code Distribution for WATS Lines
With two separate WATS operations, it is necessary to carefully divide the nation's area codes between them. Doing this ensures that manpower and equipment will be adequate to handle the number of calls coming in to each site. It also enables more callers to reach us immediately after the telecast airs.
The following map shows the current area code divisions for our WATS lines. The shaded area is served by Big Sandy, the remainder by Pasadena.
Teens Thrilled About SEP
Many young people who attended one of the SEP sessions this summer have written in to share their excitement about this special experience. Parents have also written to express gratitude for SEP. They all thank Mr. Armstrong for establishing the camps and for his personal interest in the youth of God's Church. Many teens made new friends and appreciated the new opportunities afforded them. For some, SEP was a turning point in their lives. Following are a few comments:
I was at SEP for the first session this year. I had a terrific time. There is not enough to be said for SEP??"I think I'll remember it forever. I'm glad you think the kids in God's Church are important. You and God' s ministers let us know that we can't let ourselves get away with things we know are bad just because of our age. I'm 15 years old and I hope I can go back as a camper or worker someday.
T.W. (Paulden, AZ)I've had the great opportunity to attend the Big Sandy SEP session and I'd like to thank you so much for the camp. Also for all the concern for teens in God's Church today. Thanks for all the work you've done in helping to teach us God's way of life. At camp it's such a blessing to meet other teenagers from God's Church that live all around the world. These friendships are worth a great deal.
C.S. (Milwaukee, WI)I would like to thank you for helping me to go to camp. I had a really great time there and learned a lot of things. Thanks again for helping a girl's dream come true.
M.M. (Toledo, OH)Just a big thank you to you and everyone involved with SEP. My son just returned from the first session at Orr. He had a wonderful time and it came at a time in his life when he needed something special. Thank you, thank you!
Mrs. J.O. (Belton, TX)I would like to thank you for founding the SEP summer camps. I just returned from the second session in Orr. I got to do a lot of fun activities which I don't think I otherwise would have been able to do. I greatly enjoyed the jet skis and water-skiing.
I also enjoyed the numbers of young people there my own age who I could talk to and get to know. So many people from so many places! I am from the Portland, Maine Church, and there are about 20 YOU members there. Going to camp allowed me to meet over a hundred new teens. I got addresses from several and plan to write them in the near future.
Camp is great if you approach it in the right attitude. You must be willing to learn from your mistakes. It's just like water skiing — if you are scared and tense you aren't going to have fun. You must trust in God that everything is going to turn out all right. After all, it's God's camp!
J.L. (So. Windham, ME)I would like to thank you for the SEP camps for our young people. My daughter has gone to camp for two years and this year she was chosen as a worker. When she calls home she is so happy to be able to be at Orr. She loves the atmosphere at camp, one that can only be found where God's Spirit is. She enjoys the sermons on the Sabbath because they are geared to teenagers. It is such a good experience for our young people. Thanks again for the activities that are provided for our young people growing up in the Church.
Mrs. R.H. (Bryan, OH)I recently read the article in THE WORLDWIDE NEWS about SEP camp at Orr. It was very encouraging to read the impressions the campers had at SEP.
I attended camp at Orr in 1980. I was at a point in my life where I didn't want to go on living God's way of life. It seemed like the Millennium was a long way off and sort of unreal. But camp made it seem real. It was a place where people cared about you, a place where everyone was happy. It truly was millennial.
That's what made me start thinking. It was a turning point in my life. I think now if I hadn't gone to SEP I probably wouldn't be in the Church today. But thankfully, through you and the staff members at Orr, God showed me which way I should go.
What I'm saying is thank you for the Summer Educational Program. I know that many more activities have been added since I was there. I hope every teen has the opportunity to attend.
S.L. (Navarre, OH)
— Richard Rice, Mail Processing Center
