Summer Twist and Turns - Part 2

Week 1 of VBS turned out to be a blessing in disguise as previously chronicled.  Week 2 would be the busiest week of the summer with 6 teams coming north.  That meant hitting the week hard up front, especially considering that the communities were in 2 different Providences and  ranged from 50 degrees  to almost 56 degrees of latitude and from 90 degrees to almost 98 degrees of longitude.  That's a lot of geography to cover!

But the Friday before, the Muskrat Dam team and the U.S. side of team that goes to Sandy Lake came to the cabin for supper.  It's really enjoyable to catch up with everyone under a relaxed environment.  And if there are any issues or concerns before the team gets to the community, then we can talk through them beforehand.

The Muskrat Dam and Sandy Lake teams after supper at Pastor Dennis' rental cabin.

The next morning, I met the teams at the airport and helped them get their cargo checked in.  Then I headed over to the Lance to make sure it would be ready to go on Sunday for the flight up to Norway House.  Everything was looking good... that is until the weather forecast started painting a bleak picture for the flight.  Sunday morning came with weather fine where we were, but worse than forecast up at Norway House.  So that trip was unfortunately scrubbed.  Hopefully the front would move through quickly and the skies would clear enough for flying up to Shamattawa.

Monday morning, the forecast was better with skies clearing up north.  With my new SiriusXM GPS and weather device, I could get live reports from airports.  Things were looking up.  We took off and headed straight north for Shamattawa.  And then with 30 minutes left in our flight, the Volt and Ammeter in the Lance dropped to Zero!

I could only guess another alternator belt had broken.  There are procedures to follow when something like this happens.  A good thing was that my Portable GPS and electronic aviation software on my iPad provided most of what I lost when everything electrical was turned off to save battery power to lower the landing gear later.  To make a long story short, my training and procedures for this type of emergency worked and we landed safely at Shamattawa.   Then it was off to find the teacherage the team was in.  A quick stop at the band office took care of that and got us going in the right direction.

The team was excited more than usual because for the first time in 3 summers, they had an actual building to conduct VBS instead of outside with no protection from the weather.  After lunch, we walked over to the building they would be using for the week.  We quickly got set up just in time for the throng of children that came.  It was a good thing there were a couple more of us as they broke an all-time VBS attendance the first day of  VBS with 88 children registered!!!

Lori reading the lesson book for the day.  Each child got one to take home.

This team, even though it's small, is very gifted and committed.  They have Leon who loves to play guitar and sing with the kids.  Lori and Eric love the interaction with the kids, particularly the puppet shows and the lesson books they give to the children and read through each day.

Lori and Eric captivating the children with the puppet show.

Dave is the master of the games.  This year, they brought water balloon balls.  These are small balls that absorb water and then are thrown like a water balloon.  Then you put it back in water and it soaks it up like a sponge.  They're reusable and are easy use and transport.  And you get just as wet just like the real deal.

The kids were having a splashing good time with the water balloon balls.

The VBS progressed with snack and craft.  The bead necklace crosses were a hit and kept us all busy helping the kids string their beads and tying knots.  The VBS went by really fast.

My trip to Shamattawa wouldn't be complete without little Miley giving me my hug!

Even though I wasn't able to get to Norway House, this was a special year for the 2 teams from Trinity Lutheran Church at Fergus Falls, Minnesota.  It marked their 10th year of serving these 2 communities in northern Manitoba.  What a great blessing they have been.

The two teams were celebrating their 10th year of service with LAMP and their communities.

After VBS was done and cleanup was over at the building, we headed to the airport to take a closer look at the Lance.  The alternator belt was shredded for sure.  After a couple of phone calls, taking the Lance to Thompson was the best course of action.  I filed a "NORDO" (no radio) flight plan with flight service, said goodbye to the team, and took off for Thompson.

There was no way to fix the broken alternator belt except to get the Lance to a maintenance facility.

The flight there was uneventful and the next day, arrangements were made at an aviation maintenance operation to have the Lance evaluated.  However, that would require leaving it behind at Thompson.

So the next day Andrew, LAMP's director of flight operations had a break in his schedule and flew over from Flin Flon to Thompson.  Then we headed south Wednesday morning to Little Grand Rapids, Manitoba.

The community had been evacuated in mid-May due to a severe fire in that area.  The people were out of the community for 6 weeks until repairs could be made to the power grid and station.    This year, a new priest, Father Aurl, was assigned to the community.   I had been in communication with Father Aurl during the evacuation and with the team leader Janine Cain to keep her apprised of the situation and if the VBS would be possible.  I did manage to locate one of the band counsillors who was in Winnipeg, Clinton Keyper, and discuss when the people would be moving back into the community and if the VBS would be possible.  With their moving back in starting the end of June, that would leave two weeks before the team would arrive.  Both Father Aurl and the counsillor said the team should come, especially with the trauma the children experienced during the evacuation.

The sheer mass of forest burned around Little Grand Rapids was astounding.

We arrived mid-morning.  We secured a boat ride to the dock near the church and arrived just before lunch.   We met 2 of the new team members and Father Aurl.  The team stayed at the rectory which is attached to the church where VBS is held.  We all ate lunch and then set up for VBS.  

The kids love singing all the songs the team prepares each year.

This is the team's 12th year at LGR.  The VBS turnout is always good, especially this year after the evacuees returned to the community just 2 weeks before.  It was a typical day of fast-paced activity.  For opening and music, I was asked to do a song I have taught the kids before called "The Little Red Box".  The team did the lesson for the day with the children.  Then it was on to splitting the group of kids for logistical purposes for craft, games, and snack.

The LGR team and Father Aurl (right)

With Andrew's and my day getting quite long, decided to head back just before supper.  A call to one of the community members nearby got us a water taxi ride back to the dock by the store.  Then we walked back to the airport and departed for Sioux Lookout.

This was one of the worst fires in northern Ontario we encountered over the summer

The trip was somewhat challenging as we had to fly about 50 miles off course to avoid the heavy smoke from a major forest fire northwest of Red Lake.  The smoke stretched for almost 80 miles.  It was just another indication of the type of fire season we were having in northern Manitoba and Ontario.

We got back to Sioux Lookout in fine fashion sans the smoke dodging.  Unfortunately, after we landed, we noticed a small streak of oil on the left side of the Cessna 182.  It turned out one of the oil drain lines was rubbing against a bracket and wore a pinhole in the tube.  It wasn't catastrophic, yet, but needed to be repaired before flying it again.  It just wasn't our week for LAMP aircraft.

Thursday arrived and my plan was to fly up to Sandy Lake, Ontario to be with the team and community for their annual memorial service.  I had prepared music to play on my guitar and was really looking forward to going.  But I would have to fly on the regional airlines and early in the day, there were no seats available.  Then I got a call from Shelly at the LAMP office and a seat had opened up.  Thank you Lord!   I packed my overnight bag, grabbed my guitar, and headed to the airport.  I checked in and all was looking good.  But as the minutes passed, I could see that the weather was not looking good to the north.  More planes were landing and not too many taking off.  Flight delays were being announced.  But then I heard announcement after announcement of flights that were being cancelled.  I was hoping to dodge that bullet, but then my flight was called.  I would not be going to Sandy Lake.

The tarmac was full of aircraft going nowhere due to weather related cancellations.

This week was becoming one of the worst I've experienced as a LAMP missionary.  Some of the people in the communities and teams I only get to see but once a year.  I really looked forward to it.  But at least I was able to fly into Sandy Lake in May and visit with my friends and meet the new Chief and council.

With the cancellation of the Sandy Lake trip, that pretty much finished the week for me.  I only made it into 2 of the 6 communities.  This would be the first summer in 4 years that I didn't make it into all the communities.  In a way, I felt like I'd been punched in the gut over and over this week.   It was hard to take, but I kept looking to the Lord figuring He had a reason for all this.  Maybe it was to teach me to trust Him more than my elaborately engineered schedule for the week.  The teams would be fine as they were all experienced.  And their ministry to the community was much more meaningful than mine.  OK Lord.  I get it.

The next day, Friday, Andrew left to fly back to Edmonton on the commercial airlines.  We would have to wait to find out about getting word on the necessary repairs on both the Lance and the Cessna 182.   Saturday, would be another day of teams coming through Sioux Lookout on the way back home.

I pulled up the flight schedule for the teams coming from Sandy Lake, Muskrat Dam, and Wapekeka.  I was able to meet all of them and at least get a quick recap of the week in between their flights and drives heading south.  I met the Big Trout Lake team members that stay an extra week and go Wapekeka, which is a community that's drive-able from Big Trout.   I helped them with their cargo and getting it packed in their vehicle for their drive back to Nebraska.

The Big Trout Lake/Wapekeka team packed and ready to head home

It was a week to end all weeks.  But when you strip away all the airplane and airline schedule issues, the work of God's Kingdom in the communities went on.  The Gospel was proclaimed, peoples lives touched and changed by the love of Jesus, and the ministry of LAMP was fulfilling its mission of taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

And in the final analysis, that's what it's all about anyway.

Until the next time...