A Great Year for the Refuge
A GREAT YEAR FOR THE REFUGE - A GREAT YEAR AHEAD!
Dear Friends of The Refuge: It is the first week of January 2009 as I write this, and we have more snow on the ground (and on the trees) hanging around longer, than any of us (including the natives) can remember. It’s downright “Alpine” around here.
We not only had a beautiful ‘White Christmas’ but even celebrated in an old-fashioned way by gathering with Kathy & the grand-children as son Tim read stories to us by candlelight (thanks to a power outage). Robbie cooked a Christmas Dinner, which I transported (by repeated sled trips) over to Duckabush House, being as how our car was half buried in snow over at the cottage.
We’ve since shoveled pathways between key locations to make it easier to get around. The sled comes in handy for getting firewood and groceries to the cottage, since our car is now parked at Duckabush House. We got up to about 2 feet of snow (total) and it is not melting much even though temperatures are rising. Well enough about December & January. Now, on to a review of the past year.
2008 was a ‘Great Year’ for The Refuge. God has been so good to us, this past year, that we feel it is important to give Him praise - even though we too are feeling the effects of the economic downturn. It’s hard to believe that we have not updated our blog since August. We did get a newsletter out in August and also in November so we’ll try to fill in the gaps via this blog.
So, what was so great about 2008? Well, for starters, getting the building wired with the resulting light and power made a big difference. And now, with the sprinkler system installation virtually complete, the propane fireplaces all hooked up, and the rock-facing work on the central wood-burning fireplaces underway (about 1/3 done), we are getting close to a ‘dried-in’ building. Even as I write this, volunteer Dave Gibson is at work with Mark Pomerinke, our contractor, on applying facing stone. The weather may be cold and snowy outside, but work can continue on the inside, and we’re grateful for that.
Before the first snows, some of our grandkids helped us get the leaves raked up. Note “Bandit” providing security.
Joshua - one of the best wood splitters of all time. Rachel, Daniel, David & Sarah - great carriers & stackers.
Perhaps the greatest blessing in 2008 has been the way in which our Friends of The Refuge have stuck with us, giving of themselves, often sacrificially, both with their prayers, their volunteer labor and their financial support. It’s been a long haul, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. We’ve resisted the temptation to set an opening date, but it would be nice to be able to celebrate next Christmas in the main lodge. Even if we aren’t open to receive overnight guests, we will at least have a warm and dry building, totally enclosed and heated in which to celebrate.
Another 2008 blessing has been the ministry that God has allowed us to share in here. In addition to our annual Pastors & Wives Retreat, we’ve been blessed with having Christian families in residence here at Duckabush House at various times. In November we were particularly pleased that the Hastings family was able to be here for about 10 days and took great care of things while we had to be gone over Thanksgiving. They also helped out by providing the music for the “coming out” of Little Tree at Duckabush House on 13 December.
A captive audience for The Little Tree.
The Hastings Family sings with joy.
Our thanks also go out to the Rowland family, who graciously sang for us at Little Tree’s second ‘coming out’ party hosted by Ray & Frankie Rasmussen in Olympia on the 14th. We are indebted to all three of these families for helping us launch our first story book for children in the “Tales from the Refuge” series. Getting these stories out is not costing The Refuge a penny. And, as we’ve noted before, all proceeds from the sale of Little Tree’s Mightiest Deed, go to The Refuge.
The Rowland kids bring Little Tree to music.
Granddaughter Sarah eyes the treats.
We are presently at work on What Little Star Saw, (Robbie has finished the story) and that will be published before next Christmas, Lord willing. Then, hopefully, we will publish The House That Faith Built, the story of how The Refuge came to be, and an account of our faith journey with this project, by late summer. Again, our purpose is to encourage our friends to trust God for everything, including the preparation of their children to be what God wants them to be.
Will 2009 be another Great Year for The Refuge?
The answer is YES, because God is in it. For many ministries, the current state of the economy, with financial corporations ‘going under’ and revelations of massive fraud, has meant a curtailment of activities, laying off staff and loss of support. We are not immune from the effects of this economic crisis (recession - maybe even a depression), but we are trusting God to see us through to completion of construction so that the limited ministry we are now able to provide may be enhanced with the completion of the main lodge.
We cannot know God’s timetable, but He has always been right on time in the past, and we expect Him to provide for us - through our Friends of The Refuge - in 2009 as He has in the years since we broke ground. Because we have no paid staff, and because we have no debt, we have no heavy interest payments to make; because we have no portfolio of investments, we won’t see our financial worth evaporate. In short, since we have no financial entanglements, we have no fears in that regard.
We believe that those who give to this ministry do so, because they realize that they are investing in a project that will yield handsome returns - in eternity. They do not expect short term financial gain - they are looking at long-term ‘eternal’ value added - the changed lives of those who do and will come to The Refuge. God has, and He will, reward those who give to His work with both temporal and eternal blessings - we see it every day. So, that’s why, in the face of tough times ahead, we can believe that God will see us through to completion of this project, and that 2009 will be a Great Year for The Refuge!
If you would like to be part of this Great Year, you can contact us at director@olympicrefuge.org or by phone at (360) 796-0484.
Our mailing address is PO Box 641, Brinnon, WA 98320
God bless you.
Robbie & Jim Edgren
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