Sprucing Things Up

This time of year, as the weather turns cold and the camping season slows down, provides us with an opportunity to focus on other important things. As you can imagine, maintaining a 560-acre ranch takes a great deal of manual labor. Two big projects that Eric has been finishing up are winterizing the remote out-buildings and learning the water system. He is now a certified operator in training for small-water purification and waste-water management. He has become well-versed in all of the Kansas state regulations for water monitoring and testing. Most days, he comes back and gives me a debriefing. I learned today that you have to flush the waterlines to the toilets and put antifreeze in them so that the pipes don’t burst!

Preparations are underway for outlining retreats and camps for 2013. It takes a tremendous amount of preparation and planning to host as many camps as we do. From preparing curriculum, activities, maintenance, and cooking, it is quite a large undertaking. As most of you know, preparation and prayer is vital for setting up success. Coming up in the next two months, we have a pastor and deacon retreat and a college retreat. We are also excited that two one-year interns will be joining us this month. Both of them are eager to get started and have a great love of God and hearts for service. They will not only provide much-needed assistance in daily ministry, but companionship as well.

After living out here on the ranch for several months, we have adjusted quite well. It took a little while to adjust to the fact that the closest Target is over an hour away. But it hasn't taken us long to find out where the go-to spots are nearby. In all of the quaint, small towns, everyone has been very friendly and willing to help us out as the ‘new’ people in town. God’s beauty is all around us. We have a full bank of windows in the front of our house. I have enjoyed sitting at the kitchen table having tea, and watching the deer parade across our front lawn in the early morning hours. Colton and I go exploring at least once a day. There are several trails to walk, fields to explore, and a lovely golden retriever here named Abby that we enjoy playing fetch with. We love the peaceful atmosphere out here, whether it is walking down to the lovely old wind mill or crossing the Cottonwood River. We can feel God’s presence all around us, and we take comfort in that.

Please be in prayer this month for the following:

1. The new interns joining us. 

2.That God provides us with volunteers for service projects.

3. Financial resources to finish the new dining hall and minor improvements on existing buildings.

Peace and Love,
Eric, Sunshine, & Colton