Stamp it!

(pictures appear starting with most recent) Laying down large, patterned rubber mats create our chosen pattern as Jared tamps the surface with a large rubber mallet.  While watching the whole process, it is obvious this crew knows exactly what they are doing. 

Once the concrete had set, Jared dusted the surface with a powdered colored mixture that would be pressed into the crete during the stamping process.

Once the concrete was poured, Dale used the bull float to make sure it had a smooooooth finish.
As the concrete flows into the walkway form, Eddie makes sure every corner is full and level


StampCrete supervisor, Mike Witmer, watches as stones are dumped for the walkway foundations.

An eye for color

Janelle Witmer, a customer rep. from StampCrete in Leola, was a tremendous help when it came to choosing the color and pattern of our walkways and Hope sculpture foundation.

Skilled Hands - Skilled Work

Day after day, we are amazed at what God is doing with the construction of this garden!  Last week,  Elam Lapp of E.L. Masonry and Gid Lapp, worked to lay the block foundations for the memorial walls.  This week we were so blessed to have five crew members from E.L. Masonry come and spend eight hours completing the memorial walls with the split face block.  Praise God for generous businesses in the area who continue to invest in this ministry!

Building the memorial walls was time consuming and tedious. Above, Brandon Martin smooths the mortar joints.
Robert Stewart, carefully positions one of the final blocks on the supporting pillar.
Larry D. Mutzabaugh shows that jobs like this require skill that only comes from years of practice!
Craftsmanship was the name of the game as Juan Salasar makes sure every joint is even.
This was not regular project as the walls needed to be constructed with groove on each side of the pillars so the mounting wall could be slid in to place.  It took a precision finish - and that's what we got.  All eight wall side were positioned without a hitch.

It was a hot day for the crew including Amos Fisher who was in charge of providing each of the layers with mortar mud that was just the right consistency.  Awesome work guys!

Mark your Calendars! June 14th, 2009

Do you have your calendar marked for June 14th for the Garden of Hope dedication?  Don't forget!  Guests are welcome to drop in between 4:00-7:00pm and a short dedication service will be held at 6:00pm.  If you haven' t received an invitation, you can see details at wwww.LancasterGardenOfHope.com.  At our website you will also find an order form to order memorial plaques for families who have lost babies.  Questions?  Call 768-7137.

Working until dark

Working well past daylight, Junior Miller, Eric Holland and Daniel Fisher helped backfill and tamp the garden grounds around the memorial wall foundations. 

Before leaving for the evening, the guys helped, Project Coordinator,  Brian Waltman move the blocks into position for the mason to use the following morning.  All of the grey block and split face block needed for the garden, along with the sand and cement, were donated by New Holland Block.

A community effort

The Garden of Hope is truly a community project.  Not only did the community help raise the funds for the Hope sculpture, but they are coming together in a mighty way!  Praise God!  After a week of rainy weather that delayed backfilling in the garden, the soil finally dried out enough to continue the work.  In the above picture, Vince Anastasi uses special equipment to prepare the soil in the center circle for grass.

Vince and Darla Anastasi and Wilmer Martin made sure everything was neat and smooth.

A strong foundation

Once again, early in the morning, skilled men arrived at the garden to help with the construction of the Garden of Hope. Gid Lapp and his brother Elam Lapp, owner of E.L. Lapp Masonry, quickly got to work with the task of building the memorial wall foundations on the footers that had been poured yesterday.

Unlike the footers, the foundations could not get wet. Dark clouds threatened throughout the morning, but the two men raced on trying to beat the weather.

Over 100 large blocks needed moved to be within easy reach of the masons. Thanks to Alvin Esh and his son Taylor, all the blocks were moved within an hour and the masons were able to continue laying without even pausing.

Wanted to get the foundations laid before the rain, Gid and Elam didn't even stop for a mid-morning break! Elam's three year old son, Javelle, however was happy to eat the snack. He had a grand time playing in the sand pile, stone pile and dirt pile. What more could a little boy want?

Four foundations laid, ready to cure. No rain. Perfect. Thank you again God!

A busy day!

Early in the morning, a crew of five men arrived from Scenic Ridge Construction. It didn't take them long to begin digging the footers for the memorial walls.

The men worked quickly and steadily as the threat of rain continued to loom over head.

We are overwhelmed at the amount of volunteer hours that local businesses and their employees have donated to the garden. Pavers, concrete, block - worth thousands of dollars - all donated. May God bless those who are blessing the community and honoring the lives of the precious babies.

Once the footers were dug, they were ready for concrete. It was a muddy mess, but the crew continued on, making sure each footer was poured and leveled according to the blue print.

The crew from Scenic Ridge finished up before noon, just before the sky opened up and poured rain. No problem. The footer were all set and the rain wouldn't hurt them a bit. Once the crew cleared out, the block truck from New Holland arrived.

Using a radio controlled lift, the operator maneuvered huge piles of regular block, split face block, sand and concrete onto the garden grounds.

Brian Waltman, garden project coordinator, spent most of the day at the garden coordinating the work and pulling together all the loose ends.

Early in the afternoon, Brian put in a call to Siegrist Excavating to have several scoops of topsoil delivered to the center of the garden circle.

While Kyle Siegrist, the backhoe operator, brought the soil from several blocks away and was able to dump it in over the pavers, leveling the dirt was left for Brian to do in the down pour. Of course, Ivory, the dog could help supervise.

With four scoops of top soil in place and leveled, the small area is ready for prep work and planting grass. If grass can start growing now, it will save on the amount of sod needed later.

It was amazing to look back over the day and see how all the work that needed to get completed without a heavy rain - got completed! When it did rain, it did not compromise any of the concrete or delay any of the other work. Thank you God! Please make sure you have plans to join the Garden of Hope dedication on Sunday, June 14, 2009 from 4:00-7:00pm with a special dedication service at 6:00pm. If you have any questions about the dedication, please call 717-768-7137. For questions about the construction of the garden, please call Brian Waltman at 717-615-7472.

Keep Checking In!

Please keep checking in to the Garden of Hope blog since there is a lot of activity going on both at the garden location and with behind the scenes planning! Do you have the garden dedication on your calendar? Remember to join us on June 14th, 2009 from 4:00 - 7:00pm. The board members will be greeting guests from 4:00 - 7:00 with a special dedication service at 6:00pm. Included in the dedication service will be special music, recognition of local businesses who made the garden plans come to life, reading of babies names on the memorial wall, special testimonies and of course a prayer of dedication. Please help us pass the word around!

More decisions to be made!

Brian Waltman, the Garden of Hope project manager, meets with Mike Witmer of StampCrete. As they look at the garden plans, there is much discussion about the color and pattern that will be stamped onto the concrete. Gracious contributers, like Scenic Ridge Construction, are donating donating the congrete for the pathways while StampCrete, in Leola, is donating labor and equipment to make the pathways a work of art!

Center circle completed

Glenn Eberly of Strasburg Masonry, recently completed the center circle in the garden. After leveling out the soil and laying a bed of fine stone, Glenn meticulously laid the pavers, forming a beautiful patter and solid walkway for all who visit the garden.

Let the digging begin!

Sam King (right)of Scenic Ridge Construction and Jim,a representative from Drive Kore, review the garden blueprints before using a high tech laser transit to stake off the garden focal points and elevation.


Jeff and Kyle Siegrist, of Siegrist Excavating, look over elevation prints for the garden before the digging begins. Although there are not mountains of dirt that need moved, it is imperative that the slope and fall of each point is accurate since the garden plot is on a slight incline.


Let the digging begin! After seven years, we are moving dirt! In this photo, Kyle Siegrist levels up an area for a garden gazebo and grades off an area for the garden walkways, sculpture and memorial walls.

Finalizing the garden plans

The Garden of Hope board of directors met several times with Al Olah of Rettew Associates to plan the layout of the garden. The detailed plans will allow the construction of the garden to flow smoothly since everyone will be working from the same blueprint.

Lancaster Garden of Hope

More than seven years ago, God laid a very special vision on the hearts of families who had lost children to miscarriage, stillbirth or early infant death. That vision was to create a memorial garden where these individuals could not only grieve the loss of their precious baby, but celebrate that life as well. A beautiful HOPE sculpture will be the focal point of the garden along with memorial walls with the names of babies who passed away and now live with Jesus. Of course, beautiful flowers, trees and plantings will create a peaceful atmosphere for a quiet place of reflection.
After years of praying, planning, raising money, waiting, waiting and waiting, the construction of the garden is now under way! Praise God for the many local businessmen who have stepped forward to help with the garden by donating their skills and materials or by selling them at cost. The Garden of Hope dedication is scheduled for June 14th, 2009 at its location in the Watson Run development just east of the town of Intercourse off of route 340. The garden board will welcome visitors from 4-7:00pm with a special dedication service at 6:00pm. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this very, very special communtity event.
Please visit the blog often so you can follow the progress of the garden and rejoice with us as this dream becomes a reality!