Upon arriving in Fairbanks in late April Bill started volunteering to find a new program where recently released prison inmates were doing community service at the soup kitchen. Because I've been involved with jail ministry on every level including going on Death Row in Huntsville, but Penny has never walked such a path so it was an amazing time throughout the summer at Stone Soup.
One of the many blessings about staying in Fairbanks is our five day a week volunteering at the food bank. We love being part of the food bank family, plus knowing they would hire us if we chose to spend a year like we contemplate each summer. We're offered positions with a much higher rate of pay, but as far as friendships and quality of life at your place of employment, it doesn't get much better than the Fairbanks Food Bank.
For 15 years we were not sure not only what village God would call us to, but where we would be living. The first seven years we did turn down housing so we knew we would be living in our tent. Penny and I totally dislike tent camping, but do what we're called to do by our Heavenly Father. Now, spending the summers in Fairbanks we needed to spend big money for living quarters . This quiet lovely street we called home for three summers and really enjoyed living in the backyard of our landlord, with very good neighbors.
Abby is just the perfect person to be leading daily meals and loving up on the homeless and hurting in Fairbanks. She also leads all the volunteers that show up to help out.
Abby also helps out with fundraising wherever she is able. Abby is a member of the Fairbanks Roller Derby Team, so when they were offered an opportunity to play to benefit the soup kitchen " STABBY" fly's into action. The event raised thousands for the homeless and hurting while we were able to see a new side of Abby in her hot little shorts!!
Our denomination has had a site opened for several months and it's such a blessing to finally be here. Spending our time working with Habitat for Humanity is amazing, having our living quarters in their warehouse is soooo cool.
As usual, the time passes far too quickly as I worked finalizing one house, then a block away doing rough framing. I love rough framing.
The joy of not only this trip, but maybe this year was finding out the team led by Tim that leads volunteers with constructing each roof is in fact my VERY good friend Tim Sheafer. I've not seen Tim in about ten years since he left Brethren Disaster Ministries to look for a new ministry that took him to Habitat for Humanity. Just amazing that we were able to do the Lords work again!!!
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 Baptist 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.
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
Pictures will be put on soon.
