On a Wheel and a Prayer

We had another exciting month at Camp LiWa www.campliwa.org this month.  We did not take a normal break between projects since we did not have to move to a new project.  We keep busy with the camp being in full swing with lots of activity and things to be done. 

The main task for the SOWERs for July was to build a new log cabin. Ron and Don spent time getting the base for the cabin ready. Because of the permafrost, they don’t use footers but build on platforms.

Jenny spent more time in the kitchen cleaning and helping with the food prep.

The July group of SOWERs www.sowerministry.org. Peg and Jack from Idaho, Bill and Ruth from Florida, Larry and Marg fulltime RVers and Jenny and I. Picture was taking at Jo and Mark’s house where we had an ice cream evening.

The cabin walls go up. Ron (Camp LiWa Staff), Jack, Larry and Don as they place log on top of log after log.

Jo(camp administrator) and Jenny in the back table as they go through yet another camp registration.

Don, Jack, Larry and Bill at the daily quitting time routine of putting on the temporary roof. Walls are nearing completion at this point.

We recruited help from all available persons to move the 8X12X32’ center beam.

You want this beam to go up there??? Ron looking up, Mark, holding on, Don, wondering what he’s doing and Jeff’s fingers pointing up. John, a volunteer there with another group, helping with the beam efforts is in the background.

The cabin work for the SOWERs is complete as our time is up and we off to another project. The cast of characters are as follows, left to right: Ron, camp staff, Jack and Larry, Sowers, Dave, camp Director, Don, SOWER, Mark, camp staff, and SOWER, Bill.

Jenny had the opportunity to share her story with several groups of the “SALT” (Servant and Leadership Training) girls. SALTs are young people who have volunteered at the camp to do a bunch of the hard work at the camp, like washing all the dishes, cleaning the dining area, etc., as well going through training to become counselors for a later camp.

SOWER’s, Peg and Ruth, working with the staff registering the campers.

SOWER, Marg, helping with the registration. "Sam", staff family helping along with other staff. Registration is a BIG effort each week of camp.

What a privilege to work at Camp LiWa for these past two and a half months.  It has been another opportunity for Jenny and I to grow spiritually and emotionally as we worked side by side with these dedicated Christian folks who work so hard as they present the Gospel Story to the children of the Fairbanks, AK area.

Thank you for your continued prayer and financial support.

Love, Don and Jenny

2010 May/June Camp LiWa  www.campliwa.org

We arrived at Camp LiWa (about five(5) miles NE of Fairbanks, AK) on May 12^th, about 3 weeks before the “official” SOWER (www.sowerministry.org) start date of the project.  We contacted the camp staff to let them know that we were in the area and asked if we might be of service.  The answer was a resounding “YES”, as many things needed to be accomplished before camp started in four(4) weeks.  So we went to work.     

Don installing cement board for the ceramic tile base in the new Ranch House Cabin.

The camp was blessed with two much needed new stoves for the kitchen. Here Jenny is “curing” the new grill.

Jenny and Becky(one of the camp counselors) painted the entryway to the lodge.

Jenny and Becky prepared meals for a retreat group. They look to be having difficulty in taking direction from the Wilderness Camp Director, Collin.

Jenny made a daily trip to the Food Bank with end, Kris, the camp Chief Chef. Fairbanks has an exceptional food bank for homeless. The homeless organizations get first choice of whatever is available on a particular day and the rest is available for other non-profit groups.

Don installed tile in five(5) different bathrooms and a kitchen/entryway in the new Ranch House Cabin.

The camp has a great Petting Farm and guess who got involved in animal care? Two young goats about to receive their twice daily bottle feeding.

Jenny putting a splint on the broken leg of one of the Petting Farm ducks. The duck recovered quite well and was able to join the flock of five.

We were joined at the camp by fellow SOWERs, Dave and Alice, from Palmer, AK, on May 31st for their very first SOWER Project.

Dave and Don installing new kitchen cabinets in the new Ranch House Cabin.

 

Dave and Don making trim boards for the Ranch House Cabin.

Dave and Don installing trim boards.

 

Alice and Jenny sprucing up the kitchen with a new coat of paint.

Alice and Jenny helped a lot in the kitchen. Kris, the Chief Chef, Jenny, Alice(SOWER) and Becky, Counselor/Cook volunteer for the summer.

 

The summer staff of the just the Wrangler Program of the camp. Besides the Wrangler Program, the camp has Base Camp and Wilderness Camp. Kids from Alaska, California, Russia, Washington state, and Kansas who gave their summer to help at the camp. The joy we had in our interface with these young people is difficult to express.

The staff and some of the counselors joined us for our daily devotionals at 7:30AM in the Lodge meeting room. It was truly a privilege to have them worship with us.

 

And here is why we do what we do. THE KIDS at camp. Here they are waiting for lunch.

This is one of the few times where we have had the opportunity to see a camp while it is in full swing of presenting the Gospel of Jesus to young people. What a grand and glorious experience.

Thank you for your interest and support.  Please continue to lift us up in your prayers.  Please pray for our good health and safety as we continue our journey of service.

 

Love, Don and Jenny

We left Nanoose Bay Camp at project end at the end of April and headed to our June project with intent of taking holiday for the month of May.  We ended up getting to Fairbanks in less than two(2) weeks and went to work at Camp LI-WA on May 12th.

We drove to the north end of Vancouver Island and boarded the ferry at Port Hardy headed to Prince Rupert in British Columbia, Canada.  It was about a fifteen(15) hour ferry ride.  We saved over 1200 miles by taking the ferry and considered it our Inland Passage cruise at minimal costs.

The ferry was quite large and very new. This ride was peaceful and pleasant, nothing like the one we were on to get to Vancouver Island.

On the ferry. Not a warm, balmy trip but, again, so peaceful.

The scenery is beautiful.

Scene as we traveled up the Cassier Highway.

The first glacier we saw as we made a side trip to Hyder, Alaska.

Stop where we had lunch as we left Stewart, BC. Ice was just coming out of the lakes.

Lots of WILD LIFE…

Yukon River where we stopped to take a lengthy hike along the river bank.

So much beatuiful scenery.

We spent one night at Burwash Landing. Delightful people and a relaxing and pleasant place to park for a night stay.

Two weeks of vacation travel through some God's Creation. We are truly blessed.

 We ended up getting to Fairbanks in less than two(2) weeks and went to work at Camp LI-WA on May 12th, a little over 2 weeks before the project officially began.(More to come soon)

Thank you for your prayers and your encouragement in our ministery.

Don and Jenny

Nanoose Bay Camp is located on a peaceful bay on the Inside Passage of Vancouver Island.

We picked up Tony and Amy (our good friends from Minneapolis about to experience their very FIRST SOWER’s Project) at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport late on Thursday night and drove to Port Angeles, WA.  We boarded the early AM ferry and headed to Victoria, BC. We had a trip that was unforgettable.  It was said to be one of the roughest trips EVER in the history of the passage.  We were very thankful to be on land.

After a lengthy process with Canadian Customs, (about and hour and a half, their concern was that we might be taking jobs away from Canadians with our volunteer work) we were on our way to Nanoose Bay, BC.  

There was a great deal of work to do as the result of the major storm.

Tony and Don removed two(2) large widows from an internal wall of the tabernacle and rebuilt/filled-in the space.

Amy and Jenny did a lot of painting and cleaning. Here they are painting a wall in the lodge kitchen.

Tony mowing the large athletic field.

Don had a chance to do some cabin furniture repair.

Painting the wall replaced in the tabernacle.

A lot of cabin cleaning was accomplished by Jenny and Amy.

Painting in one of the dorms.

Local rules dictate fires be hand-fed. Working at the task of burning some huge tree stumps and fallen branches. Warmest Don had been in months.

SOWERs living in Nanaimo, about 20 kilometers south of Nanoose Bay, invited us to join them for supper at their home one Sunday. A great time was had by all.

 Many other tasks where completed by the SOWERs team of Amy, Tony, Jenny and Don as the month unfolded. 

We are so blessed at each site we visit.  Nanoose Bay Camp was a delight and they were so very appreciative of our help.  This project was a special privilege in that we had a chance to serve along side our friends Tony and Amy.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Don and Jenny

February 2010 Pusch Ridge Christian Academy www.prca-tucson.org

Pusch Ridge Christian Academy is a private Christian school that is independent and not directly affiliated with any specific churches.  They accept no government funding and therefore are able to teach the Gospel without restriction. They have a strong academic program and an exceptional student athletic offering.  The girl’s basketball team won the state title four(4) years running from ’05 through ’09.  Both the girl’s team and the boy’s team won their respective conferences and went to the State Tournaments.  

The setting of the academy is pretty special.  It sets in the foothills of the Catalina Mountains with the Coronado National Forest http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/coronado/ border about 50 yards from where our home is parked.

A view of the campus from the front of the school. The green grass was enhanced in appearance by Don and Don as we applied a bit of supplemental coloring. Jenny and I went for a hike on our day off. See the highest peak on the left? Jenny made it to the top. It is 2600 ft up to a height of 5800+ feet and about a 3 mile hike in total distance. She spent 5 ½ hours for the round trip. I made it up about half the way and decided that it was “in my better interests” to seek lower ground.

Jenny and I had the opportunity to work with a grand couple this month. Don and “Charlie” have been full-timers for close to 15 years. They have worked about 125 projects in that time. What a delight to be able to work with them in service to our Lord. This picture was taken in the cafeteria at our break time.

Charlie and Jenny worked in the kitchen everyday helping prepare and serve lunch to around 250 students+/-. Here they are with Karla, one of the regular kitchen staff (Looks like a burger/fries day).

The full kitchen staff, Michelle, Debbie, Jenny, Karla, Kathy and “Charlie”. It took some-kind-a effort to get all six of these ladies to stop for a picture. They all work really hard to get the students fed in a timely fashion.

The ladies worked in the office as well as the kitchen. Jenny doing some filing to help the office staff of the school.

The major task for us at the school was to put in a sidewalk and steps from the upper parking lot. We removed all of the landscaping rock, dug the soil to the level we needed, replaced the removed soil with A/B materials, packed the base, built the forms, and finished the concrete. Here we are looking for what is level(?) and how to form the steps. Don, David(another volunteer, non-SOWER) and Don.

Don running the packer over the base material before the forming takes shape.

Don and Don working on forming the steps.

Wouldn’t you know it? The day mixer truck shows up, the skies open up and winds blow giving us some unanticipated opportunities. Don and David screeding (smoothing ) the concrete as Paul, the schools head maintenance man, shovels excess concrete into the wheelbarrow.

David, Don and Don discussing the task after finishing the second pour. Happy to have it nearly completed.

Jenny and I took a Saturday to go up to Apache Junction to see Jenny’s cousin, Sharon and her husband, Versil. They took us to Goldfield, a town where the people on horseback are almost as numerous as those coming by auto or their pick-ups. You can see the Superstition Mountains in the background.

We have been blessed by being able to serve at this project, just as we always are blessed by each project we go to serve.  The spreading of “The Good News” is happening at Pusch Ridge Christian Academy and it gives us great pleasure to be just a small part of this ministry.

We are heading to Prescott Pines http://www.precottpines.org/ for the month of March.

Please leave a comment and let us know you are out there.  It gives us encouragement to hear from you.

God bless you and yours,

Don and Jenny Rasmussen

612-298-8512

don@donrasmussen.com

www.OnaWheelandaPrayer.org