January Newsletter, 2016 Rick McPherson
When you live in the Pacific Northwest, you get used to the rain. You drive in it. You work in it. You live in it. One local TV station spoofs the rain by making commercials of people doing all sorts of activities in the drenching, soaking rain. They’re actually quite funny, if you have a weird sense of humor.
But, last month was no laughing matter. We had more rain in December than any month since Noah was around. Over 15” is what they said. That’s a lot of water.
And in the middle of all that water we were taking trips to the Reservations and delivering Christmas loads with groceries, children’s toys, gifts, household supplies (blankets, pillows, sheets, and appliances), fresh produce, bread, Bibles and warm jackets, hats and gloves. All of the loads were delivered as an expression of God’s love, acceptance and forgiveness.
Back in November we had made our plans to serve three Reservations and God helped us fulfill our plans. We were blessed to be chosen as one of the non-profits to receive a portion of the toys donated to the Les Schwab Toy Drive. These toys, along with many others that were donated at our store, Low Prices, and given by customers and friends of the Mission, helped us make Christmas a wonderful experience for many Native American children. Because of the weather and the late schedule for truck deliveries, we actually sent five large boxes of toys by UPS to a distant Reservation address. Not quite like the Pony Express, but you get the idea!
You’ll see some great pictures of these outreaches on the back:
- QUINAULT RESERVATION, Lake Quinault, Washington
- NEZ PERCE RESERVATION, Lapwai, Idaho
- CELILO INDIAN VILLAGE, The Dalles, Oregon
