November 18th, 2006
Dear Friends,
Greetings after a long month
of October!
Sorry so slow with getting
this update out to you, but better late than never, and boy have we been busy
(like normal?).
Our Boise wedding reception on October 4th was attended
by a handful of close friends that affirmed us and welcomed Karen and her
children into my world. It was a special time.
We have been holding church
services (roughly at 12:30 pm each Sunday) here in our own home (currently the
ranch lodge) each Sunday for several weeks now. We even had visitors here
yesterday to participate. That was cool. Call first if you want to join us, to
verify that we are here...
Karen is continuing to be
welcomed with open arms into the Idaho City community. She got a job as
the relief Postmaster here in town, and the locals have really taken a
liking to her (as did I *grin*). But pray for her as she establishes her
network of support here.
Marty and MaryBeth, who
moved out here from Minneapolis almost 2
months ago to help us at the ranch, have moved back over here to the Idaho
City area after a busy month getting experience working at Mikylar's World in
Horseshoe Bend (a group home for disabled adults about an hour from here).
Someone graciously offered them a cabin to stay in in Idaho City, and MaryBeth
now works in Idaho City and Marty comes up here several days a week to the
ranch to help with projects. They are truly an answer to prayer, but pray for
them both also, as they also establish a new circle of friends and Christian
support. Right now, we are winterizing one of the cabins here onsite for them
to winter in with us. We're all looking forward to it. One of the RV's that was
donated is still in Portland, and the other
that was supposedly going to be donated, the owner landed himself in jail
before we could pick it up, and we are hesitant to get very involved there
right now.... So we're fixing up a cabin for them instead.
The kids have all grown to
enjoy this place here, and we are bonding as a family. It is a special thing,
and I love every single one of my now 8 kids (and they seem to love me too :-)
). It was fun watching them
sledding down the hill and building snowmen the other day in the new
snow. We are currently homeschooling, and Josh has been helping with that as
well. We really enjoy his company and help as well. If any one has any old
homeschooling text books that are no longer being used, we could certainly use
them. Thanks.
Steve, the 18 yr old
homeless kid that I took in last spring after he asked God to forgive him and
asked Jesus to be his new Lord and Saviour, is no longer with us. As we geared
up for winter here, and winterizing the lodge, we couldn't give him the focused
attention that he needed. With the added freedom that he then enjoyed, he began
making poor choices and destructive decisions, until we finally had to find a
new place in Boise for him to live. After one
of our board members in Boise rented him a room and helped him find a job, he
then disappeared and cut off all contact with us and this board member. We do
not understand this, and were sad at heart over his decisions, and have
continued to pray almost daily for him. The kids here still occasionally pray
for him at the dinner table even. Pray for him. Then several days ago, we found
out why no contact. He got himself put in jail for the two weeks he was
missing, for petty theft. The boy needs prayer. He's out now, and our board
member is still working with him, but the situation has more to play out before
it is all said and done. Just pray for both Steve and Todd (our board member
working with Steve).
We accepted an offer on
Karen's house for sale in Portland, and that
is set to close in December. That will be a load off our backs, and an answer
to prayer. Pray that it closes ok.
The people helping us with
financing for the ranch are telling us that we are about 3 weeks out from
full funding (land here, possibly some local houses for staff, and
renovation/construction money). KEEP PRAYING! As soon as we heard this news
last week, it seems like all the seams started coming undone around here, pipes
breaking, people getting rattled, people in the community making wrong
assumptions about us, etc and so forth..... Am I surprised at the timing? Not
really, if truth be told..... *carefree smile*
Through a loan from
someone close to us, we were able to purchase hydro pipe and some solar
panels. The solar panels are up and functioning, the hydro line is installed
(waiting on a donated hydro head to get here now), and we are doing much better
on power now. It was almost a necessity for having a family with so many kids
here, and it will be as we gear up for camps next summer.... *chuckle*
A young couple that works
with at-risk Hispanic youth in the Treasure Valley came up and attended church
here with us last week. They have a very similar vision to ours where they want
to establish homes for Hispanic youth coming out of Juvenile Corrections
that have parents still in prison elsewhere. These youth all but have beds
waiting for them in prison, unless someone can take them in and show them
in a new way of living.... But it was a blessing to fellowship with this
couple, and we will be coordinating future efforts I am sure. Peter and Jeri.
Pray for them.
We finally got all our
firewood in for the winter (I hope). Marty and I and several of the older kids
got Forest Service firewood permits and went up on Forest Service land above
here and knocked down and cut up several BIG trees (bigger than I could put my
arms around), and belayed them with straps down the hill to a truck and trailer
to bring home and cut up. Talk about a process! Belaying 1000+ pound chucks of
log down a 45 degree hillside 300 feet to the road is not generally an activity
for the faint of heart, can I say that? *chuckle* But between what the
"young professionals" group at Broadway Avenue Baptist church in Boise helped us cut up (as one of their service
projects a month ago), and what Marty, me, Josh, and the kids cut up last week,
I feel pretty comfortable about this winter finally. We still have a bit
more to do now that Marty and Mary Beth will be wintering here (another wood
stove to feed), but we are fairly confident that we can make it happen next
week (get wood cut and under shelter for their cabin).
We had a bit of a nerve
rattling scare several weeks ago. Someone complained to the Health and Welfare
Department that we were already running a youth ranch for minor kids here, and
that we might be sheltering runaways and whatnot, and they sent several Boise
County Sheriffs up here ready to haul kids off (at least that's what it looked
to me like). We explained to them that since we do not own the ground here
yet, we have not applied for all the business licenses and permits that
we need yet, and that the only children here so far were our own. We
introduced the 7 kids to them that were here at the time, and they
finally believed us and left. We were honest though, and told them what
our plans were and that we were indeed gearing up to run a youth ranch, but
that we couldn't take the final steps and make it happen until the land
contract was signed, and that as soon as it was, they would be hearing from us
about permits. But anyway. It was kinda scary. God is good though, and did
protect us.
Even though there is several
inches of snow already on the ground, we still have several big winterization
projects left to complete. We need to finish the barn for the rabbits (that we
already have) and goat and chickens (given but not delivered yet). We need to
winterize Marty and Mary Beth's new cabin. There are several logs of backup
firewood that need to be covered and protected. And there are several buildings
that need either tarped or plastic'ed over the roofs so leaking snow/rainwater
doesn't damage them further inside before we can get new roofs on them in the
spring. I need to do more work on the battery bank and power
system/infrastructure. We need to get a new pipe (about 40 feet worth)
installed to finish running drinking/spring water into the house. It never
ends..... *tired chuckle* I'm hoping that a number of us men can work together
next week to make it all happen..... *deep breath*
Our primary goal right now
is to get our 501c3 filed (finally), and the land bought, by December. Through
the spring, we intend to continue renovations. Next summer, we are
planning to host our first camps for the Hispanic community and some of the
other Anglo churches in Boise that have nothing in the way of camping now.
Somewhere in there, I need to move my family into a new house so that the lodge
can be used for these camps. This new house is yet to be revealed to us....
Will we build? Will we buy local? We don't know yet.... Pray for us in this....
Also to this end, we have a
number of small onsite cabins in need of repair, and a number of cabin sites
ready to be built on. If your church, civic group, or group of friends
would like to sponsor and/or renovate/build some of these cabins, we would like
to start talking with you immediately, so that we can move forward as soon as
the land sale goes through.
Someone donated the pieces
for a hydraulic wood splitter to us; we just have to assemble it now. What an
answer to prayer. Pray that we can do so soon.
So what about donations? We
need a backhoe and/or other earth moving equipment. We do not currently need
clothing or furniture, though we will later, when we start into operations,
furnishing cabins and gathering clothing for foster, Hispanic, and camp kids.
Finances and specific project funds are always accepted. A snowplow would be
really nice. Construction supplies for renovations and new buildings are
more than welcome. Food is always gratefully accepted :-) And prayer. God hears
prayer. Without prayer, we wouldn't be here. Thanks for praying for us.
Pray too for the various
staff that God has called and is beginning to bring here to us in preparation
for camps next summer.
There have been lots more
things happening, and many things that God and I have been discussing and
thinking about, but these are just some of the highlights. I am enjoying this
adventure, and I think that the others here are too. I would hope that each of
you are too, as you each by your prayers and thoughts add a small part to this
project. Isn't God cool? :-)
So as we go into the
Thanksgiving season, don't forget to thank God for the adventure He is leading
us and each of you through (if you aren't in on an adventure with Him yet,
ask Him soon to lead you on one - you won't be disappointed - I guarantee it).
Sincerely,
-Tim
www.bighouseministries.com
Tim Benedict
Thorn Creek Conference Center & Youth Ranch
21 Yellowpine Lane
Boise, Idaho 83716
208-392-6723
timbenedict@peoplepc.com
Sincerely,