Summer is here and with it comes a flurry of activity. Some years we have several weeks worth of work groups, while other years only a couple. This year we have several work projects and they seem to all be happening on the same week. We are enjoying the good weather and the opportunity for Little League games in the ball field here at the shelter. My honeybees are alive and thriving, pollinating everything in sight. June is a time for swarms so I expect to split the hive before half of my bees seek alternate quarters. Maybe this year I will be able to harvest some honey to give away!
My wife Michelle and I have been busy getting ready for all the summer activities. We are hoping to go camping several times again this summer. We are blessed to live in a place where we can enjoy both the water and the woods, camping and kayaking, fishing and hiking. Michelle has been busy working in her garden, planting mostly flowers this year with the addition of a few strawberry plants. Our growing season is so short here, and rabbits and deer so plentiful, her vegetable garden has been more frustrating than fruitful. Our oldest son Chase will be 17 this summer and has a full work schedule. He just completed his junior year in high school and is working full time at a local machine shop for the summer. He is planning on doing work study this upcoming school year and looking to take some college courses in CNC machining. He loves welding, cutting and working with metal in general. Our youngest son Jonah will be 13 this summer and absolutely lives for fishing and hunting. He just finished the season shooting trap on the school’s trap team, and now is in his last year of Little League. He is going into 8th grade this fall and looking forward to football and wrestling.
We are busy as usual here at the shelter. It seems like we are always running to one place or another, if it’s not the grocery store it’s the doctor, or a job interview, or to pick up a donation of food or clothing. We typically put on 15,000 miles a year just running errands. Thankfully we have dependable vehicles and reliable staff who work together to meet the needs of our residents. We have four single male residents and one single female staying with us right now. We have had several single men check in and out in the last few months, some moving into apartments/houses of their own, while others not able to comply with our rules of absolute sobriety. We have two single male participants in our Transitional Housing Program and they are doing well. We are serving a total of 7 households, occupying all 4 of our apartments. We do have empty beds, but they are getting scarce. Overall things are going smoothly here at the shelter, our program participation numbers are consistent year-over-year. We still have our Friday morning men’s group and Friday afternoon ladies group and church services on Sunday but we suspend our Tuesday morning and Wednesday night Bible studies during the summer due to work groups and scheduling conflicts. Some of our residents are interested in the discussions and message while too many are not. All we can do is provide the opportunity.
The last 10 months have been both challenging and faith building. This year so far we have provided 1,456 nights of shelter, serving 29 total residents including 19 single men, 3 single women and 2 families comprising 7 people. We have received approximately 100 calls from people looking for shelter. We have been very busy with only an occasional lull in activity just long enough to regroup and do it all over again.
Please keep in prayer our staff, especially our case manager Gene, who is going in for triple bypass heart surgery later this week. He has had several heart attacks this spring and spent several days in the hospital on numerous occasions. Please keep him in your prayers as he undergoes surgery and the long recovery process throughout June and July. Kathy, Russ and I will be filling in as case management while he recovers. We are also happy to welcome a new intern to the shelter! Shayna comes to us through the Workforce Investment Act. She is working here at the shelter learning job skills and training to better equip her as she pursues her career goals. Right now she is helping out by baking bread every day for the food pantry, helping keep the pantry stocked, and working in the office answering phones and taking messages.
Thank you for your continued prayers. It is through your persevering faith in God’s ministry here that we are able to keep doing His work in our community. We are so thankful for your donations of time spent in prayer on our behalf, the gifts of day-to-day supplies, and your generosity of financial support that keeps us moving forward in HIS perfect timing.
In His Service,
Micah Dewing
Shelter Director
Jeremiah 17:5-8 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land. “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (NLT)