Olympic Refuge

Dear Friends of the Refuge,

Almost two weeks ago a parenting feat of extraordinary bravery was undertaken. Four adults (three moms and one dad) decided they would take thirteen children (all under the age of thirteen) on a twenty-four hour camping trip. Shockingly there were no mortal injuries, broken bones or concussions, and no one left the Duckabush crying. Personally, I think that each of the afore-mentioned adults deserve some sort of medal for their efforts, since the ratio was 4.25 kids to every adult.

On Sunday afternoon we met up with another family and started out for the Duckabush. The drive was long and hot (not having air-conditioning did not make it any more fun.) We finally arrived around 5:30 pm. Our other guests were there just ahead of us. The next hour was spent showing everyone around. We explored everything from the “Duckabush House” to “Methuselah’s Rest.”

When camping, there is nothing like having a good stick.

Let me introduce the kids. From youngest to oldest they are as follows: Isaac (16 mos), Sarah (4) , Elise (4), David (5), Adam (7), Jesse (8), Daniel (9), Abigail (9), Rachel (10), Max (10), Brigette (11) , Phillip (12), and myself (Joshua-12).

We were/are quite a crew in case you haven’t noticed.

Back to our adventure. Grandma put table cloths on the picnic tables down by the gazebo and Grandpa started a fire. We carried down drinks, salad fixings, fruit and all the basic necessities for a camping-out dinner (had to borrow some roasting sticks from the neighbors). Around 7 pm we roasted hot dogs and cooked hamburgers on the grill. After dinner the older boys (myself included) were sent to set up the tents. There were three tents in total: the really big one, the not-quite-so big one, and the itty-bitty one. The biggest tent could have fit my brother’s bunk-bed inside it, the big one was grand enough to hold my entire family inside, and the itty-bitty one (which, incidentally, is the one that I ended up in) looked as if it would be too small for one person. Upon closer inspection we saw that it was somehow larger on the inside than it appeared on the outside. Accordingly, we called it the Narnia tent. In spite of this I touched both ends when I lay down.

One tent was too big, one tent was too small, but the littlest bear’s tent was just right.

After we finished setting up camp, we all returned to the fire and (once it had been rekindled) began roasting marshmallows. You certainly can’t have a camp out without s’mores! We talked and roasted, and roasted and talked until about midnight. The younger kids didn’t last that long. After stuffing themselves with burnt marshmallows, graham cracker pieces and half melted chocolate squares, they ran around playing until it was time to go to bed. When the fire went out there were only seven or eight of us still at the fire sitting around the embers. After we finished talking the boys went to the tents and the girls to the “Duckabush House.”

No campout is complete without flaming gobs of marshmallow being waved wildly about.

I would like to point out that the girls who camped in the living room somehow ended up with the biggest tent of all. The boys stayed up (okay, I stayed up) until about twelve thirty or one o-clock, before falling asleep. I’m not sure what time the girls went to bed (in their big, huge tent which covered practically the whole living room—do I sound bitter?). I do know that they did not get up until 7:30 or 8 am, which means they got a lot more sleep than we boys.

It’s a good thing the Duckabush house has cathedral ceilings.

The night was relatively peaceful, although we heard a cat out in the darkness. From then on the boys made meowing noises to each other to see who could make the most realistic cat noise (and consequently scare the others). Finally they all fell asleep and stayed that way for roughly five hours. At about 5:30 am, my brother Daniel got the notion that he would holler “IT’S MORNING” at the top of his lungs. Do not ask me where he got this notion, or why he chose to act upon it. All I know is that he woke nearly everyone up with his bellowing. The rest of us (save a very lucky few) were woken up when Phillip yelled “IT’S 5:30, DAN, GO BACK TO SLEEP!!!” at the top of his lungs. Over the next half hour we all awoke and managed to get dressed and crawl out of our tents. Our fearless leader (otherwise known as my dad) took us down to the gazebo and started a fire, letting us warm our numbed limbs. We waited about 90 minutes until the sleepyheads, AHEM, I mean girls woke up around 7:45 am. There was one, unidentified person (who’s initials are Kathy Edgren) who didn’t wake up until after 8 am.

We had pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Four of us ate while we played “Carcassonne” (one of my favorite board games). Phillip and I tied for victory with over one hundred and fifty points apiece. There was some talk of a hike up to Muirhut Falls but we abandoned that idea for a long tour of the Refuge building (led by Grandpa) and a delicious lunch back at the Duckabush house.

We’re not quite ready for the drywall team.

After lunch we played many games, including “Loot” and “Slamwich.” I was victorious in them all (not that I am bragging or anything). Once we had finished that, we headed off to the Duckabush River to swim. Mrs. Burt came by with two of her children bringing our numbers up to 15! The water was frigid, just the way I like it. We had a great time swimming in the river and climbing around rocks and fallen logs. When Max heard you have to put your head under in order to be a true Duckabushite, he promptly waded in and dunked his head. Phillip, Leah, Rachel and I swam all around. Phillip even collected a sample of the clay rock from the bank across the way. It all ended much too quickly for my liking, and it was time to head back. We took the long way back to the Duckabush house, in order to give a nice tour of the Wilderness Northwest camp. Some of the group (okay, all of the girls) drove back home in the van.

Although there were a few minor scrapes and bruises, we didn’t leave anyone in the river.

When we got back to the Duckabush House, the older boys rushed off to take down the tents (which, by the way, is considerably easier than putting them up). After that was over we all returned to the Duckabush House and had cake and ice cream. It was Max’s 10th birthday and we ended our camping trip with a birthday party. What could be better than celebrating your birthday in the Duckabush? Of course, I might be a little biased.

All in all I had a very good time and I presume that everyone else did also. One thing is certain, none of us got enough sleep. I know this because my brother David was asleep before we turned onto the highway from Duckabush road. Rumors are Max and Jesse did the same thing. Phillip and Daniel lasted 45 minutes longer but were fast asleep by the time we reached Shelton. The rest of us spent part of the drive planning out loud who else we could take with us to the Duckabush for another camping outing. How soon can we get out there again?

Joshua

In our last posting (July 14) when we spoke of hot weather in late June, we expected things to cool down a bit. Well, it didn’t happen. Instead it got hotter still, and these past four days we set new records for summer heat in the greater Puget Sound region. Fortunately, out here on the Olympic Peninsula (in these mountain valleys) we run about 5-10 degrees cooler, but it is still very hot. We’ve now had enough days of bright sunshine to be in a full scale drought. Grass burning up and trees beginning to show the signs of lack of water. Everything dry and brittle with lots of dust. Feels and looks more like Texas than evergreen Washington. Fortunately, we have the water to rescue the trees (young trees not yet established) but “watering” is now a big part of each day to preserve what God has given us in the way of natural beauty.

Our work at Wilderness Northwest (children’s day camp adjacent to us) this past week went well. In five days we presented 18 sessions on outdoor life to the children. Good weather, good behavior, many Bible verses learned, three girls baptized - overall a great camp (largest ever). The camp director, Jody Weed (also Refuge Vice President) did a great job of pulling it all together - with the help of many dedicated folks to be sure. Both Mark & Alan took time off from the Refuge project to assist in the camp. We praise God for His blessings on the lives of these children. Ministering to children whose ages range from 6-13 is a tall order. But it was obvious that God’s hand was in it.

Children of the Refuge, testing one of the support beams for structural integrity

As to progress on the main lodge - the roof rafters are almost all in place and about half of the center section of the roof decking has now been laid, so the roof is about 75% complete. Our goal is to have the main lodge “dried-in” by the end of August. Main electrical power lines are now in and boxes mounted. Almost all of the interior framing is completed. We still have the south stairway to complete before we can begin putting up the exterior log siding. We will be taking full advantage of the dry weather, although we’d appreciate it being a little cooler.

The south-facing ‘wall’ of the main lodge presents a daunting drop to workers on the third story and roof.

Again, we mention our first Pastors’ Retreat (spouses included), scheduled for September 4th (Labor Day). This will be a no-cost, one-day retreat for pastors in the area, to introduce them to the ministry of The Refuge and provide a relaxing day away from the cares of the church. Our speaker is Dr. Carl Armerding, founding president of Regent College (Vancouver, BC) and longtime director of the Schloss Mittersill Study Centre in Mittersill, Austria. Dr. Armerding is also a member of the board of The Refuge.

In August a number of folks will be coming out to help us - some from the East Coast, and we look forward to having a “full house” so to speak, here at The Refuge. We will also be visiting several area pastors to present the ministry of The Refuge to them. We will encourage them to make use of the facilities currently available even before we are fully operational.

If you are interested in knowing more about this ministry and what we offer, please contact us. Or, if you are within range, come out for a visit. But please let us know you are coming so that we can properly host you.

Well, that’s it for this time. We’ll keep you posted.

Robbie & Jim Edgren, Hosts

In our last posting in June we were lamenting that summer had not really arrived, but were thanking God for the warm dry weather in May - which meant progress. Then came the rain in early June. But, in late June we had a run of very hot weather (hot for us, at least) which slowed us down a bit, but enabled us to move forward with the third story framing and rafters. Now, as I write this, Mark & Alan are at work on the final roof decking over the remaining portion of the main lodge. Yesterday we had our first rain in almost three weeks, which was good for our trees, shrubs and grass, but made work on the roof more challenging.

A tranquil moment at Jeannette Pond

We include these detailed description of our progress for those of you who have been praying for us and have invested time and money, so that you’ll know what’s happening. We are also asking for special prayer for safety for our workers on the roof, as it is dangerous work, far above the ground. We pray for them each morning as they begin work. God has been good to us and we are thankful that we have had no accidents hindering the work or causing serious injury.

An early stage in the Main Lodge construction

We’ve enjoyed hosting a number of visitors in the last month or so. We welcome these visits, but do need to know when you are coming so we can lay out the “green carpet.” We’re looking forward to various friends coming to help work on the project and now have two RV sites hooked up with power and water, thanks to Ron Laughlin & Alvie Short. As always there is plenty to do on a project of this magnitude.

Progress continues on the first floor

Our first Pastors’ Retreat (spouses included) is scheduled for September 4th (Labor Day). This will be a no-cost, one-day retreat for pastors in the area, to introduce them to the ministry of The Refuge and provide a relaxing day away from the cares of the church. Our speaker is Dr. Carl Armerding, founding president of Regent College (Vancouver, BC) and longtime director of the Schloss Mittersill Study Centre in Mittersill, Austria. Dr. Armerding is also a member of the board of The Refuge.

This next week, July 17-21, Robbie & I will be helping out at Wilderness Northwest Christian Day Camp (our neighbors), as will our contractor, Mark Pomerinke and our two workers, Alan Reimann & Greg Burt. This means a temporary halt to work on the main lodge building, but this ministry to children and young teens is of primary importance and is a part of what we are committed to, here in the valley. We’ll charge on again with renewed vigor, being spiritually refreshed, on the 24th.

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With the third story nearly framed, we turn our attention to the roof of the center section.

We close, once again, by asking for your prayers. This is a critical time for us as we are now facing some major expenses in the development of The Refuge. The electrical and plumbing work as well as the septic and fire-suppression systems are “big ticket” expenses that will hit us all at once. We’re trusting God to provide the resources, and He will, in His good time. But, this is also an opportunity for you to be a part of His provision, by praying and investing in this ministry.

Well, that’s it for this time. We’ll keep you posted.

Robbie & Jim Edgren