Here is the second installment of what we’ve been working on here at the ranch this fall!
- We had a Reclaim work day! Several men contributed to make this day a success by loaning equipment, tools and elbow grease! We pushed hard this fall to wrap up the outside projects as winter comes early here! We worked on installing the outdoor wood furnace water lines and building a frame for the furnace to sit on, regraded the entire area surrounding the backside of the house to divert water from the foundation as well as create a flat space for the boiler, and worked on finishing the massive retaining wall we began building earlier this fall. These guys worked HARD! And then we ate chili 🙂 It’s incredible to see what a team of men can do when they unify their efforts towards a common goal.
- We finished the GREAT WALL 🙂 and got to share the gospel doing it! One of the ministries of Reclaim involves mentoring/investing in the lives of young men by teaching them a skill and sharing the gospel with them. I’ve been able to work with Brandon, Colton and Emmett extensively earlier this fall. Together, we’ve worked on laying a solid foundation for the retaining wall, how to reinforce it, and how to core fill it so that it will stand up against the test of time and storms. These guys are all post high grads from the Conifer area who I’m building a relationship with…not to mention the 110′ long 12′ high retaining wall with! Thus far I’ve been able to share Jesus with Brandon and Colton and challenge them to put their faith in him. They aren’t quite there yet, but have been open to discussing Jesus and what it means to be a man and asking lots of questions. Pray that they will trust Jesus and that I can continue to build a relationship with them!
- We finally installed the outdoor wood furnace that we anticipate will heat the entire Lodge building, indoor pool, greenhouse and garage. This was another one of those massive undertakings that I am praying will payoff in allowing us to further utilize the land for God as we develop a firewood ministry to bless those in the surrounding communities as well as heat our facilities.
It’s been a real boost to us to see these things come together after so much planning. Please pray for wisdom and strength for me as I tend to over do it with these types of projects and then suffer the consequences of burnout afterwards. Please pray that God would help me make healthy decisions and remember that HE is building this ministry – I just get to be a part of the story He’s writing here.
