Camps and Retreats at the Ranch last year
- Retreats—We were able to gain permission from the tribe to allow people to come out this last year as long as they did essential services at the ranch and didn’t go up to Nespelem. So we were able to host a geology/work camp featuring Patrick Nurre at the end of July and we were able to host our Labor Day/work weekend retreat this year. We had a lot of fun working with those serving out at the Ranch.
- Character Camps—Sadly, this summer we were unable to hold our normal character camps due to the Boys and Girls Club, not opening. Instead, we were blessed to be able to do work retreats out at the Ranch! We are praying that we can have Character Camps this year… pending the COVID restrictions at the tribe.
Prayer Requests moving forward
We thank the Lord for their answered prayers! He will continue to answer these in His time and way, one by one.
- Please pray for the health and growth of the church in Nespelem. Pray also that Pastor Bob would be encouraged and glean strength from the Lord. He has been preaching sermons posted to Facebook during this pandemic. Pray that those who regularly attend the church, especially the children, would keep their focus on the Lord during this difficult time.
- Please pray that Dennis and Darlene DeLano would be safe and productive as they work on the many projects at Peniel Ranch.
- Pray especially for the safety and health of the children on the Colville Reservation as they are isolated in their homes right now. Pray they would choose to seek their comfort in the Lord in these uncertain and disappointing times.
- Please pray for more help for Pastor Bob as he pastors the church in Nespelem and Omak.
- Please pray that God would bring more families and individuals who would be willing to serve full or part-time at the Peniel Ranch. Pray also that other churches and ministries would utilize the Ranch as well.
- Please pray that the Lord would send a mechanic who can work on the tractors and vehicles at the ranch that needs to be repaired.
- Please pray that God would open the doors to start a horse program at Peniel Ranch and that He would supply the people, horses, and structures for the program.
- Please pray for God’s wisdom and guidance as we plan our camps and retreats for this year!
Projects completed in 2020
At the ranch, there is a never-ending amount of projects. God gives us the strength that is necessary to fulfill all the tasks and also gives us wonderful people who come out and help.
- Yardwork—Never ending! With volunteer help this summer, we were able to mow lawns, weed-whack, clear leaves, and pine cones, weed, plant, and harvest from the Ranch garden, and trim/haul away tree branches. What still needs to be done: Mowing lawns, weed-whacking, clearing more pinecones and leaves, and more trimming dead branches from trees.
- Ranch House—Some rooms need drywall repair and completely new paint, while others need just a touch-up paint job. I was able to go through and pack up some things and move things around so that we will be able to use the Ranch House for camps. With the help of my friends, we were able to do a spring cleaning of the house. It was a BIG job, but it is nice to see it is almost finished!
- Shalom Cabin—We didn’t have time to work on it much this last year but we hope to be able to finish it this year. We still need to finish repairing and putting in bathrooms, trimming and painting of rooms, installing kitchen cabinets, and completing some exterior work.
- Fish Pens—Thanks to some strong young men, we were able to unload the barge which was full of excess pieces of fish pens, and docking. We also moved one of the metal fish pens up to the swimming area and used it to make a new dock. We are now waiting for a permit to remove the fish pens from the water.
- New dock—We were able to finish it! Thanks to Seth Baker and Daniel DeLano (the oldest son of Dennis and Darlene), plus other volunteers like David Anderson, Torey, Ed Davies, Dean Justus, Shayn Bancroft, and Luke Davies. We were able to form the dock and weld it together. Seth learned how to weld like a pro and was able to do the rest of the dock just by looking at Daniel’s work and getting a few pointers.
Written by Lauren Davies
