Skoolie Build Day Three

Today we removed two heaters, all of the ceiling panels and insulation, and removed debris.

Caroline removed most of the rivets!

Heater removal! SO MUCH Antifreeze!

Heaters, ceiling panels, and all insulation removed! 

We have a cute little project manager! :)

Our HARD working crew from RUF at PITT

Skoolie Build Day Two

Today we removed part of the heater, the entire rubber flooring, the wall panels, and wall insulation. We were considering keeping the ceiling, but the test panel that we removed showed insufficient insulation for this climate. Most of the panels were attached with rivets. It was a slow go until our construction guru, Uncle Dave, showed up to give us some pointers. Thanks, Uncle Dave!

A volunteer removing wall panels.

Mid- day progress shot!

Starting the removal of the steering wheel shaft!

Skoolie Build Day One

Today we cleaned out the entire bus and removed the center aisle flooring. We also removed the driver's seat bolts. Someone had already removed the seats and brackets ( Praise!) in the past. We had four people continuously working while one person prayed. These tasks took 4.5 hours total.

I read The Gospel Coalition blog this morning before beginning and it was so appropriate considering the project that we embarked on that day!

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/scotty-smith/gods-glory-not-mans-approval/

The day ended with a major sweeping job to remove so many years of dirt from the bus floor!

The beginning state!

Removing bolts from driver's seat.

Giving it a good sweep!

SRM Skoolie #1

This week we began converting a 1974 Blue Bird International school bus into a tiny home for emergency housing. We have a group from RUF at PITT volunteering this week! Four of their team members and I are doing demo this week. Below are a few pictures of the bus before we started.

A New Year!

The busy Christmas season has come and gone and January provides a moment to look back and reflect on our first nine months on the Reservation. I (Tollie) have been thinking about this time and place. The Lord brings to mind Isaiah 61. While I have heard and read this scripture many times, living on the Yakama Indian Reservation has brought new meaning to it for me.

Isaiah 61New International Version (NIV)

The Year of the Lord’s Favor

61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]

² 

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,

³ 

    and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

⁴ 

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
    and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
    that have been devastated for generations.

⁵ 

Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
    foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.

⁶ 

And you will be called priests of the Lord,
    you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
    and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ 

Instead of your shame
    you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
    you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
    and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ 

“For I, the Lord, love justice;
    I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
    and make an everlasting covenant with them.

⁹ 

Their descendants will be known among the nations
    and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
    that they are a people the Lord has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the Lord;
    my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
    and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
    and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
    and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness
    and praise spring up before all nations.

The poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners; we see the darkness and despair. We also see the spark of hope. A crown of beauty for ashes. We see lives drastically changed because of the Gospel. Joy instead of mourning and praise instead of despair. The light in the eyes of those who He has called unto Himself and now they understand. They really, really, understand the Truth!  They know between right and wrong and it shapes their daily lives. In overwhelming poverty, a light shines forth that can only be Him. Our Father and Creator sees fit to allows us to witness these events. We give Him all the glory! 

Please see a few pictures of the holiday season. Our Hope Fellowship children's Christmas program was a highlight as well as celebrating with team members on Christmas day. We had opportunity to wrap presents for church attendees as well as deliver Christmas food boxes to homes.

Hope Fellowship Christmas Program :)

Sunday playground fun. It has been unseasonably warm for December! 

Helping make Christmas blankets for our Kingdom Kids attendees!

Kingdom Kids Christmas party fun!

Packing up Christmas boxes to deliver to homes. Little man likes to help:)

1.5 hrs. from the reservation are some beautiful mountains. Snow! 

Our first Happy Birthday, Jesus cake!

We made Nativity stones for Zeke's preschool! 

Fall 2017 happenings!

Thanksgiving week is upon us, so we wanted to give a Fall 2017 update!

We have had a great season with no health issues and much traveling. We are praising the Lord for health and safety! September 15-October 14 we drove to and attended a pre-field training at Mission Training International in Palmer Lake, CO. This was a precious time of connecting with other missionary families and learning from those who have been on field. 

Zeke's teacher, Ms. Emily

Our people! 

It snowed on Tollie's birthday while we were in Colorado! 

We took a few days after the training to decompress before making the long drive back to Washington. YMCA of the Rockies at Estes Park is so awesome! Most of the activities are included in your stay. This is a super economical place to go as a family. 

When we got back to Washington, the fall ministry events were in full swing! 

Church Carnival (the BYGE coordinated this event:))

Firewood Ministry (delivering to elders in the community)

Pumpkin carving at Kingdom Kids (after school program)

Tollie and Zeke made a one week trip to Mississippi for a wedding early November. We are so happy for this new family that has been formed! Congrats to the Thompsons!

We were laughing and crying all day long! BFF's since first grade!!! 

Zeke spent the majority of the time in MS on some type of tractor, 4 wheeler, or side by side! He was super happy to see his grandparents and spend so much uninterrupted time with them. He grieved severely on the flight back to Washington. Thankfully, we had training at MTI on saying good good-bye's! It was very hard to see him grieve, but I am glad that he loves family so much.

We also got to see four of the children we had at Palmer Home for Children while we were in MS.

We are all settled in to our rental home and waiting for the Lord to provide a place for the long term. Zeke and Tollie have begun the preschool routine again and are enjoying it so much!

Our little man can say five verses and answer the first five questions of the Children's Catechism. We are focusing on kinesthetic learning which is the best fit for him at this age. 

We are thankful for so many things at this stage on field. We pretty much know our way around, where to shop, and have witnessed 6 months worth of ministry events. We are so thankful for the training that we received at MTI and how applicable it is to our daily life. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to transition to life on the Reservation!

First summer on the Rez!

Our first summer of ministry on the Yakama Reservation is coming to a close. We have blown many bubbles, drawn a few sidewalk chalk pictures, given several piggy back rides, and transitioned to life here in a studio space. One room living has been the way to go during this time. Zeke always knows where we are and this has been key to his security.

Zack has learned so much about roofing and general contracting this summer. Next summer, he will have a very active role in the construction that the work groups and staff complete. We were able to see the Lord's perfect timing in our move one month after we arrived. Due to a family emergency, Uncle Dave, the construction team leader, had to leave for several weeks. Zack coordinated the work during that time. We got a glimpse of one of his roles here. He is excited to learn more this fall and next spring which will enable us to love our neighbors well through sound construction methods.

Photo cred: Davy Granberry

The first step to becoming a school bus driver is complete. Zack got his CDL learners permit last week! The next month will be a time of completing driving hours for training. This license will provide income and benefits that we currently need given our level of support. Zack is glad to have the opportunity to see the kids on a daily basis and he will be another trained driver for the ministry routes. Zeke loves to wave and say goodbye to everyone aboard the church bus!

We will attend COMPASS at Mission Training International from mid September to mid October. This will be a time that we will learn about cultural differences, team dynamics, and personal growth.
All the current SRM staff have attended and we are looking forward to gleaning from others experience from their time on field.

We have a few prayer requests that we are sharing:

1. Housing! It is very hard to find decent and affordable housing on the Reservation. We have applied for a rural development loan and are waiting for approval. We have been looking for a rental home and have an option which we will view later this week! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

2. Schooling! Due to our transition and lack of preschools close by, we decided earlier this year to keep Zeke home for the next two years. Tollie will lead this work using The Homegrown Preschooler's A Year of Playing Skillfully curriculum. Please pray for Zeke and Tollie as they begin the end of August. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

3. Travel and Transition Again! We have gotten settled here in WA, but will leave for CO in a short six weeks. Zeke's transition here has been very hard. He is much better now that things are more familiar. We know that the time at COMPASS will be worth it, but we need prayers for our little man who is going to be confused why we are leaving our new home so quickly. We are anticipating another transitional time when we return back to the Reservation. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

 The below pictures are just a glimpse of summer time here!