Summer Twists and Turns - Part 1

It's hard to imagine but another VBS season arrived so quickly.  As is my usual routine, I began making trips into communities to visit with leaders and friends and to follow up on VBS team accommodations the last 2 weeks of May.  That included flying to Norway House and Shamattawa in Manitoba and to Sandy Lake and Wapekeka in Ontario.  I would have made it into several more communities, but weather and airplane maintenance plagued travel plans.  However, the visits I made were well worth it.

Sandy Lake was one of my stops in Ontario.  I got to see a number of people there and visit with a few of the newly elected Councillors and the new Chief.  We talked about the struggles including a string of deaths from illness, age, and suicide.  I prayed with them and they appreciated it along with looking forward to the LAMP team coming.  The team also conducts a memorial service for those families in the community who have lost loved ones in the past year.

Doreen Fiddler and me at Sandy Lake airport.

The weather finally cooperated for me to make it up to Shamattawa in northeastern Manitoba.  The community suffered the total loss of the Anglican church by fire due to a furnace malfunction.  I was able to get the word out back home and got donations for communionware, altar paraments, and stoles.  The altar cross was too large and heavy to ship.  So I brought it up with me when I drove and was able to deliver it in person to Rev. Mary Ann Miles.  She appreciated all of the items we were able to get to her.

Rev. Mary Ann Miles with the new altar cross

I was able to get to two other communities.  However, on the return flight from Wapekeka, the alternator belt on the airplane failed.  Thankfully, the engine keeps running because it has magnetos for the ignition system which produces it's own power.  I turned off the Master switch and conserved battery power to lower the landing gear and power up one radio to fly back into Sioux Lookout airport.  It would take several days get the Lance in for maintenance.  So that would require an alternate plan.

I was scheduled to return to the ministry school for the first week in July.  Since the plane was unavailable, I flew up on one of the regional airlines to Kingfisher Lake.  I would be doing another training on the family and parenting workshop.  It's always great to see Bishop Lydia and her husband James who interprets for me.  Leon Dawkins, a U.S. board member and team member to Shamattawa was with me.  The goal is that Leon could take the workshop and possible do that along with VBS in the future.  The attendance was great and I got to reconnect with a few of the people who attended in February.

James Mamakwa (Lydia's husband and my interpretor), me, Bishop Lydia, and Leon Dawkins, LAMP  US board member

The worship service during the week of the ministry school in Kingfisher Lake.

 We made it back in time for the "shift change" with my next flying buddy for the next 2 weeks, the first week beginning the actual VBS season.

One of the things I've tried to do is to host the teams upon their arrival at Sioux Lookout.   That way, it takes the pressure off the team to find a place to eat since all of them stay at local hotels.   I would have the Big Trout Lake team and a brand new team from Indianapolis which was heading to Bearskin Lake, Ontario.  Or so I thought.

Just hours before the teams arrived, I received a phone call that the accommodations at Bearskin Lake had fallen through.  There would be no place for them to stay.   Suffice it to say, I was not looking forward to telling the team that they had no place to go after a 17 hour drive.  But through divine intervention, the Lord provided an alternate plan.  The Big Trout Lake team was down 5 members from last year.  The Bearskin team had 5 members.  So after a couple of conversations with the team leaders and with Shelly at the LAMP office, the two teams combined at flew up to Big Trout Lake.
That was a huge relief for everyone involved, including yours truly.  Thank you Lord!

So the next morning, I met the teams and helped them with airport parking and getting all of their cargo to the airline counter.  Thankfully, the flight was a larger Dash 8 aircraft instead of the usual Beech 1900.  That meant ALL their cargo would make it on that flight.  Another round of Thank you Lord.

ALL the cargo for 2 teams heading to Big Trout Lake, Ontario

The combined teams going to Big Trout Lake.

 The next Tuesday, with the backup alternator belt installed, we flew up to Big Trout Lake to visit the team and community.  It was good to see my friend Stanley who made sure the team was well cared for.  And it was even better to see that the joining of the two teams was amazing!  Everyone gelled together so well you would never know there were two different teams.  In fact, the teams were already talking about coming back together next summer!

BTL team leader Kari Lewis made the illustration of Jesus the children stood next to for pictures

It was a long day but one that was incredibly encouraging and educational.  Encouraging because of the synergy of the two teams.  Educational because I learned (again and again!)  that the Lord has everything in His mighty hands.  No one could have scripted a better outcome than these two teams coming together to serve Big Trout Lake.

The flight home was uneventful and with the old adage of "killing two birds with one stone" this week, I prepared for the next week which would be busiest week of the summer with 6 teams heading north into communities; 2 in Manitoba and 4 in Ontario.

And that's when more twists and turns took place.  But that's for the next installment.

Until the next time...
<><
Pastor Dennis