2022 Return to Bremen, Kentucky

 Two months earlier God absolutely led us to Bremen, Kentucky. A dear friend of ours is the National Director of Minanite Disaster Services. Steve told us " the national news coverage is all going to Dauson Springs and no one is going to Breman, please go there". Once we arrived in Breman the National Guard told us to turn around and leave." We don't want tourist here in Breman" Even though we had Brethren Disaster Ministries signs on our vehicle. We turned around. Penny asked "what are we going to do"? I went three blocks and took a left saying " I'm going to find a dirt road and go that way around" We did find a dirt road and did make it to the devastation. After dodging another check point we found ourselves where God wanted us to be. After passing out food and gift cards and more importantly hearing stories from traumatized people we prayed with them. Then we returned to a church that caught our eye.

Power Baptise Church had converted their gymnasium into a distribution center. We left dozens of lunches and dozens of gift cards, saying "we would return".

So now in Feb. of 2022 we did return with our pastor and one of the leadership team. We dropped off several thousand dollars of gift cards and asked then to make a list of what's truly needed. Then we traveled to Walmart and spent 2280.00 on household items and had a blast loading carts. When we checked out employee's as well as costumers stopped and watched in amazement as the carts were checked out. We returned to a joyful group of people at the distribution center. We left town knowing we did as God led our congregation to do, help our neighbors in need. Even when our neighbors were a few hundred miles from Home. Pictures to follow.   

2021Tornado's in Kentucky

Dauson Springs, along with so much of Kentucky was destroyed from mind blowing tornado's just a couple weeks from Christmas. As PleasantDales Disaster Response Coordinator, this just broke my heart watching the news reports from the effected areas.

Knowing our denominations disaster response " Brethren Disaster Ministries" doesn't arrive until after the clean up, and stays for months and years to work on rebuilding brought joy knowing I would be involved in that effort. 

There's a reason God brought Penny and I together and this is one of them. Penny asked "what are we going to do over Christmas? Are we going to set around with friends and family, or are we going to travel to Kentucky"? So, that Sunday at PleasantDale during Joys and Concerns I announced Penny and I would use Penny's time off from high school teaching to travel to Kentucky. We're going to make up lunch bags and drinks to give out to folks God places in our path and if you feel led to donate Walmart gift cards please drop by our house and leave on our porch like always, if we're not home. We're leaving the day after Christmas, in four days. Over the four days we were given 42 gift cards, and 3,000.00 plus in cash.

On Christmas day we left the family celebration with our 11 nieces and nephews, formed a procession line to make up large lunch bags with a flashlight in each bag. The lunch meat was in coolers with loaves of bread to give out. Cold drinks were in coolers. This 1600.00 worth of lunch bags Penny and I paid for so all the money and gift cards didn't go for the food or gas. We paid for the gas.

Pictures will be put on soon.                

2023Fairbanks

 At some point in the next days we'll take time to put the pictures with the posts. We've been so lazy about posting since the two year disruption covid-19 has brought about. We've been lazy about posting, not about following God's plan for us.

Also, this forgetful writer is guilty about putting the posts in the correct order, so bare with me!! 

2023 Following God's tugging on one's heart

 Our summer was filled with work at Stone Soup Cafe, five shifts each weekday, working in the large garden in downtown Fairbanks, as well as four shifts a week at the food bank. Yet, something was pulling at our hearts and we didn't know what. Then we were led to call home to our dear brother in Christ, Jeff. We said we feel strongly that he needs to pass a hat in his study hour class at our church and we didn't know why. We asked to please send the money to Stone Soup Cafe. 

When the money arrived Hannah asked "what is this for? We used the money you gave for garden and kitchen upgrades. Where do you want this money spent"? We said "we don't know, that's for you to decide". Three days later we arrived for work to find out the boiler had went down. Abby said " we're on a shoestring budget and don't have the funds to repair now. We're able to cut corners in the kitchen but the homeless won't be able to shower. May we use the money for the repairs"? We said "we told you, that's for you to decide". A repair company was called and the boiler was repaired late that evening. And wouldn't you know the repair invoice came to nearly 1872.00, which was what our Discovery Class had sent from our church in Indiana. PRAISE THE LORD for laying this on our hearts. 

2023 God's plan for us

 Staying in Fairbanks is polar opposite from traveling on to one of the villages at or above the Arctic Circle. We feel this is where God wants us for the time being and that was never more evident when the village of Circle was basically flattened from the ice breakup. Had we been in the village of Circle our gardens would have been destroyed and we would have been homeless like a good portion of the village. The natives who were displaced traveled to Fairbanks and other locations to live with family or friends. Penny and I would have had no choice but return home to Indiana with a failed effort. God has a plan for us and it wasn't to return to Indiana.  

2023 Fairbanks Food Bank

 Through a volunteer at Stone Soup Cafe we were made aware that volunteers were needed at the local food bank. Because PleasantDale has a food distribution program partnered with Community Harvest Food Bank in Ft. Wayne, going to sign up to volunteer seems so logical. We found a amazingly Godly staff and volunteers so we signed up for three weekdays , along with Saturday as well. It wasn't long before we had a group of new friends that were completely separate from any of the people we've been involved with over the past 16 years. This has completely opened up so much more social activities for us in Fairbanks. We're now part of the Fairbanks Food Bank family and we couldn't be happier.

  As a volunteer at the food bank, at the end of each weekday shift a chef has a meal prepared for us to enjoy. Since we only eat one full meal a day, this saves us three days of purchasing meals each week for quite the savings. Also, as a volunteer you are given ten pounds of either produce or baked goods to take with you. It's a Alaska state program. What Penny and I do is take our baked goods in loaves of bread, return to Stone Soup Cafe to donate for the next days meal. We receive 9 loaves apiece so three time a week we donate 18 loaves, 54 each week for an amazing savings to the soup kitchen. 

Volunteering on Saturday's is at the other end of the building, the Federal program offers no meal, or free baked goods or produce, but we love the volunteering.

2023 Alaska Garden Project: Fairbanks

Our dear friend Alexa (sister of the village chief, Jessica) shared with us " what you do for our elders is amazing! We just love having you two in Circle each summer, but if you really want to help my people, stay in Fairbanks next summer and base your summer around volunteering at the Stone Soup Cafe, it's the soup kitchen, to love up on our hurting people the way you love up on us. Before we returned to Indiana, we spent time going to the soup kitchen. It was like God led us around to make it clear, this is where we need to be in the summer of 2023.

So, the last week of April brings Bill to the newly rented cottage on the west side of Fairbanks, where we will live for the next four months. Volunteering at the Stone Soup Cafe is a win win for so many people. Crossing paths with so many natives we've not seen in years is wonderful and natives see that we know their relatives gives them a sense of ease so they begin a friendship with us. Volunteers see that we have a relationship with so many people from the villages, that prompts them to begin discussions with the same people they've avoided. The staff sees so many of the homeless and hurting are friends of ours, so they're more relaxed at us being there.

Stone Soup Cafe has a very large garden a couple blocks from the soup kitchen. It not only offers us an opportunity to continue gardening as we have for 16 years. It also allows us to apply for yet another grant from Church of the Brethren " Global Food Initiative". So, a few days after we arrive Stone Soup Cafe receives a 9000.00 check in the mail. 7,000.00 is for garden upgrades and 2,000.00 for kitchen upgrades. In the first weeks the staff at Stone Soup Cafe is overjoyed that Penny and I were led to spend our summer in Fairbanks.