Lighthouse Christian Ministries

After visiting son, daughter and granddaughters, the best thing we did during our stay in Wenatchee was to volunteer at the Lighthouse. About 5 years ago we were excited to see and help with the very beginnings of this ministry to the homeless, and now we are amazed at the growth. The Lighthouse is the hub, serving meals, teaching Bible studies, having church, and from that has come forth a building for housing men and women, a house for women and children, another house for men in transition, and now a medical clinic that will be free or very low cost. It is awesome what God has done through our friend and all his helpers in the Lighthouse ministry. This friend is the same in whose orchard we have been parked for the last 2 months!

There is a fully equipped kitchen filled with all donated appliances and tools more than adequate for preparing and serving 3 meals a day to 60 or 70 men and women, and sometimes children, every single day. All the food is also donated and seems to be just the right amount and variety for each meal.

This wonderful lady is Jude! She puts together delicious meals from whatever has come in for that day. Keith and I helped with the preparation and serving, as well as the dishwashing and table clearing. James is a volunteer who comes almost daily and knows how to do just about anything that is needed! Our days there were filled with lots of fun and laughter, and the tremendous reward of seeing needy people well cared for.

I especially enjoyed and became friends with Jennifer, a beautiful lady who comes in and plays the piano and sings during most of the meals, bringing calm to the crowd. Her worship is truly inspired by God. I learned in the Bible that David played his harp and sang to Saul to soothe the King's restless spirit. I think Jennifer does the same thing for those who come into the building seeking food for the body, but also finding food for the spirit.

Here are a few of the well-fed folks finishing up their meal. God blesses them, every one, and especially those like us who get to see the blessings. Mr. Keith and I are so happy that we had this experience. Keith spent 30 years in the ministry to the homeless, with me helping him the last 10 years before his retirement. We hope to return to Wenatchee someday soon and become regular voluteers at this amazing place, the Lighthouse Christian Ministries!

Our Time in Wenatchee

 Our nearly two months in Wenatchee are drawing to a close much too quickly. We didn't get to visit everyone we had hoped to see and we didn't take any sight-seeing drives, but we managed to stay incredibly busy somehow. Our most rewarding times were when we got to see our family and friends, and our volunteer hours at the Lighthouse where we worked in the kitchen serving meals. I'll save that for another blog! We enjoyed a few walks. Wenatchee has a wonderful trail all around the two cities. Mr. Keith is sauntering along part of the trail in East Wenatchee.

 Here is a gorgeous view of Wenatchee across the Columbia River.

 The Wenatchee Valley is famous for fruit trees. We were so fortunate to be parked right next to an orchard. These blossoms are cherries, I believe.

 What a sight greets us every time we open our door! Beautiful, pink apple blossoms. We won't be here for the Valley's long standing and well attended Apple Blossom Festival, but we know from our years here how much fun that is. We have so many memories of this great event from years past.

 Each time we come back to Wenatchee between our job assignments we like to drive by the old 'homestead' on Gellatly Street. When I lived here the house was painted white. A couple of years ago we found it to be painted a grey color, and this time it is a pretty tan. I wonder if the current owners are experimenting? I thought about the mailbox out front. It originally graced our driveway near the town of Mossyrock in 1968. It moved with us to Vancouver where it stood along the street next to our house for 11 years, then it came with us to Wenatchee in 1983. It still seems to be in fairly good shape for a 46 year old mailbox!

 Much to our dismay, Mr. Keith was hospitalized by a cat bite which became infected. It wasn't Montie's fault! We had some company who came with a little dog. The dog sneaked some cat food and Montie attacked, causing much shrieking by the dog, thus causing Mr. Keith to grab Montie's tail to get him away from the pup. Montie, in his distress over the cat food thief and the pain in his tail, turned and bit Keith. This kind of infection is very serious for someone with a low immune system, so the hospital stay was in order till it's resolved. This is the beautiful view from Keith's room on the 5th floor.

The view from another window, of Saddle Rock. I looked at this Wenatchee Valley landmark for 22 years from the back deck of the house on Gellatly Street. I miss it, and I always watch for the first sighting of this magnificent rock formation as we're driving into town after being away for months. We'll leave it once again next week when we hitch up and head out down the highway for our next job in Missoula, Montana.

Orchards and Pianos

 Our days here in East Wenatchee and Wenatchee are passing pleasantly. On a walk down to the river I snapped this photo and was thinking about how it will look in a few more weeks when the fruit trees burst into bloom. The buds are beginning to swell already. I think these are apple trees. The apricots are the first to bloom, so beautiful in their pink and lavender dress!

There are apple trees next to our rig. I always wondered who wrote the old song, "It's cherry pink and apple blossom white..."  He must not have known that cherry trees sport purely white blossoms, while the apple flowerets are pinkish white. I can't wait for these to bloom, but we may be gone by then.

A wonderful fact about the Wenatchee Valley is that there is a paved walking trail completely around the cities along the riverbanks, up one side, across the river, and down the other side, depending on where you begin. There are probably close to 12 miles of trail. Just up the road from where we are is the beginning of the trail on the East Wenatchee side. Or maybe it's the ending. Hmmm! We picked the wrong day to walk. The wind was fierce, raindrops began to pelt us, not to mention tumbleweeds zooming about. I caught this one with my cane as it tumbled by.

When we began full time RVing I knew I had to have a piano in our rig. I researched and found this Yamaha digital piano and I have been very happy with it. One slideout is my music room, complete with 3 file boxes of the music I also couldn't dispense with. Selling, giving away, donating almost all our possessions in order to move into our 5th wheel was not easy. The one thing I couldn't part with and also couldn't take with me was the Yamaha upright that I used to teach my students for many, many years in my home studio.

So... my solution was to ask the pastors of our home church if my piano could come live in the fellowship hall. They, both musicians themselves, gladly agreed, and I believe it does some service for recitals. Knowing we would be in the area for a couple of months, I obtained a key to the church so I can come practice whenever I have a chance. The other day, I let myself in, found the light switches, walked up to my beautiful instrument, lifted the lid, and got  teary and emotional as I sat down and tenderly began to press the keys. I've missed this lovely and very important part of my past life. I hope someday I might have my big Yamaha with me again. In the meantime, I will be happy with my little digital. It serves me faithfully and well and I am grateful to have it.

Going Home

 Once again we're on the move. Our job in Oregon ended and we were anxious to travel back to the town we consider to be our "home", even though "our home is where we park it". We had no trouble moving in the slides, unhooking the water, sewer and power hoses, and hooking up BigTruk. A couple of the residents of the park in Fairview, and one employee, came to say good-bye and to wish us well as they saw us preparing to leave. In the last few days 4 people have given us money to help us on our way! What a surprise, and what welcome gifts! People are good. We needed to stop by the Tire Factory in Gresham and get a minor valve repair as well as having the right amount of air pumped into each of the 12 tires on the 5th wheel and on BigTruk. We felt happy as we left rainy country and traveled into sunshine.

We had a scary time a few miles past The Dalles. Mr. Keith told me, over the walkie-talkie, that the orange fuel warning light had gone on. We were positive we had 70 gallons of diesel on the day before our departure. Our thoughts were that maybe someone had stolen our diesel during the night. We were near Biggs Junction so we carefully pulled into a Pilot Truck Stop and got in line. Mr. Keith turned off the motor till time to move up, and when he restarted, suddenly the gauges shot back up to say we had 61 gallons of diesel. Big sigh of relief! Back on the road we went, and happily crossed the bridge into Washington. The photo above shows us traveling down the highway into the Ellensburg valley.

We stopped for lunch and a potty break, for us and for the cats, somewhere over Satus Pass, then continued on. Before we got to Tonasket I saw the awning for the bedroom slide shoot up in the air and begin wildly flapping in the wind. Oh, no! That awning was just installed in October! We didn't stop because I could tell it wasn't detached, just unrolled somehow. We will get that fixed while we're in Wenatchee.

Here we are heading towards the Columbia River and the beautiful Vantage Bridge. We usually travel over Blewett Pass to Wenatchee, but we were unsure of the snow conditions, and we wanted to try the less mountainous route for a change. Later I figured out mileage and discovered the route through Vantage and Quincy is about the same, within a mile, as the route over Blewett Pass. Good to know!

We were so happy to pull into East Wenatchee about 5:00. The sun was still touching the foothills and the gorgeous, snow covered Cascades. The Columbia River was glowing with a reflection of the sky.

Setting up at the First Fruits Produce Market went smoothly. We love being right beside an orchard, though at this time of year the trees are bare and have just been pruned. We've stayed here a couple of times before, once for about 5 months in the winter of 2009 and again for 5 days last October. Our dear friend Bob has put in a 50 amp hookup for us. We are thankful to God for a safe trip and for this wonderful place to park for the next 2 months! We have family to visit to our heart's content, as well as the many friends we've missed since we've been workamping. Though we've made many new friends in our various places of employment, we always have to leave them when the job ends. Old friends warm our hearts and we are glad to be with them again.

Wenatchee WA to Fairview OR

It is always with sadness that we leave Wenatchee and family and friends there. Here we are, looking at the mountains ahead towards Cashmere and Blewett Pass.

We can't keep up to the speed limit while climbing so here we needed to pull off to let the line of vehicles behind us go by. The morning was a little foggy on Blewett Pass, but the scenery was as beautiful as always with the fall colors beginning.

We made it through Ellensburg and headed up the hills between that university town and Yakima. That's quite a climb, too. If I remember correctly, Manashtash Ridge is about 2600 feet in elevation, rising quickly, but there are two lanes both sides.

Safely through Yakima and the Yakima Indian Reservation towns of Wapato and Toppenish, we are going on towards Goldendale.

Approaching Satus Pass we drove through miles of scorched and dead trees. It's always so sad to see the devastation caused by forest fires.

At a rest stop for lunch we were treated to this magnificent view of Mt. Adams. We also saw the tips of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens from this vantage point, but Mt. Hood was hiding today.

On the road again — surprised to see that since our last trip through here several years ago, windmills have sprouted up all along the ridge leading down to the Columbia River. I love these huge windmills. They look so imposing and powerful, and somehow, friendly. We also saw large numbers of them marching up the ridges around Ellensburg.

Our first view of Oregon, the cliffs on the other side of the Columbia! We are ready to begin the steep incline down to river level at Biggs Junction.

I wanted to snap the sign saying "Welcome to Oregon", which I did, but I was disappointed that it doesn't show up in the photo unless it is enlarged. (Click to enlarge.) It's right above the 5th wheel.

The Columbia River Gorge is breathtaking, all along the way. I-84 runs right along the river the whole way till it reaches the metropolitan areas. We were getting excited, knowing our journey was almost over.

Home at last, at least for many months. Our site is pretty, right there on the end of the row. The Portland/Fairview RV Park is the largest in the Northwest and kept very nicely. We will like it here! There will be many day trips we can take from here as we explore this awesome part of the world, giving me lots more blogging material. Stay tuned!

Bozeman MT to Wenatchee WA

I am a little late putting up my blog posts. There is so much excitement and so much work travelling, setting up the rig, visiting people. Well, better late than never. This was our last day in Bozeman. We pulled into the Tire Factory to make sure all 12 tires on the 5th wheel and the truck were good to go.

Heading west from Bozeman, looking at the snow and wondering how Homestake Pass would be... there was snow right up to the road but none on the road.

This view is nearing Missoula. We've passed this way so many times. It is always beautiful.

Here we're getting closer to the ascent to Lookout Pass. There is a rainbow over us. You can barely see it in the picture. Clouds are looming and some rain has begun to fall.

Lookout Pass and the Idaho border! And a rainstorm. I know I shouldn't be taking photos while driving, but I sure like the view of my hubby pulling our house and all our earthly possessions down, or up, the road.

The rain stopped just short of the Washington border. This view isn't too spectacular, coming into Spokane Valley, but it's good to see the "Welcome to Washington" sign. Almost there!

We left the Freeway near George, passed through Quincy, and are heading down the slope to the Columbia. Now we're really getting close!

These beautiful cliffs with apple orchards at the bottom are just east of Rock Island. Wenatchee, here we come!

I can see Saddle Rock now, as we are coming into East Wenatchee.

To our surprise, there was not a single RV park with available spaces. It was October Fest in Leavenworth. So much for planning ahead! Fortunately, our friend Bob, who had put in a 50 amp hookup for us a few years ago, was happy to let us park by his First Fruits fruit stand and orchard. It's a lovely spot. We stayed there 6 nights.

Most of the apples in the area are harvested already, but not these Braeburns. We picked up a few that had fallen to the ground, but we know better than to pick the ones still on the trees. They were sure pretty to look at.

This pretty redhead, our granddaughter, is one of the reasons we always return to Wenatchee. Natalie spent 3 nights with us, which we loved. We walked down to the Columbia, just behind our parking spot.

And here she is with Grandpa. Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of the rest of the family. Silly me for forgetting my camera on most of our visits. 

To be continued...

Mansions

During the time I lived in Wenatchee I worked at the homeless shelter there, where my husband was the Director. One day a man named Royce came to the Mission. He was a talented ventriloquist with a little friend named Si. What a delight to hear him tell Bible stories and present the gospel of Jesus to all who would listen. He had traveled by bicycle from Montana and all over the state of Washington, trusting God to provide for him. He told us about a man he met in a town near here who was concerned that he and his dummy had no place to spend the night. The comment was, "Well, you are homeless, aren't you?" Royce's reply was that he was not homeless at all. He lived in the Kingdom of heaven in the mansion prepared for him.
What a wonderful statement! I've thought a lot about it since. Here are some other verses, favorites of mine. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Col. 3:1-3 

Before his ascension Jesus told his followers he would prepare a place for them. Could it be that when we give our heart to Jesus we enter our mansion at that time and are forever with Him? As a believer, following in Jesus’ footsteps, I know I am already in heaven with him, hidden in God! I don’t have to wait to die for it to happen! So if I am already in my mansion, I can never be homeless, no matter if I own nothing more than the clothes on my back.

 What security I have. What a sense of protection — peace and safety — to know I am in my “place.” I am surrounded by the walls of a mansion created for me by God. I will dwell there forever!
 

Fall Travels

 I've been way too busy during our time in Wenatchee with visiting family and friends, and getting repairs on the 5th wheel and the car, too busy to do a blog post. So here is my attempt to share some of the beauty we've been seeing. It's an unusually colorful autumn here in the Wenatchee Valley and points west. Some years an early frost turns all the leaves brown and they fall off. Other years, the frost delays and we get to see incredible yellows, golds, reds, and oranges everywhere. This photo shows the brilliance of some of the trees in the Wenatchee River County Park, where we stayed for close to 2 weeks. That's our rig, nestled amidst the beauty.

 A walk by the Wenatchee River on a warm fall day yields a treasure.

 I've always loved this valley, west of Cashmere and heading towards Peshastin. This year even the apple and pear orchards are seeped in color, as the fruit is harvested and the leaves have turned.

 Our time in Wenatchee is over. Today we headed up Blewett Pass and were thrilled with the gorgeous colors, every bit as lovely as the scenes we saw in the Colorado Rockies last October. I know I shouldn't be taking pictures while driving behind the 5th wheel, but I couldn't resist!

 Here is another view, near the Blewett Pass summit.

Coming down safely from Blewett Pass we then started up Snoqualmie Pass. There is snow on them thar hills! The highway was dry, though, and we passed through quite a bit of construction near the summit, and, as always, lots of traffic. It was a beautiful drive, though bumpy in many places. We arrived at our final destination, the Lost Lake RV Resort near Lacey WA, safe and sound. I'll have photos of the resort and its pretty lake very soon.