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MDS Report—July 6 - 10

Wildflowers danced in the breeze and skeletal gray trees paused to observe the next crew of MDS weekly volunteers roll up to the Denareplex Centre on Sunday evening. After an 8-hour drive from southern Saskatchewan, all 13 volunteers (teenagers, young adults, and one married couple) were in high spirits of adventure with only a few
hints of apprehension.

As one of the members of that group, I can say that there was no need to be concerned. We were warmly welcomed and whisked off to our quarters to settle in before orientation began. A small patch of daisies growing freely right outside the bunk trailer door also felt like God’s special welcoming touch.

Everyone met in the dining hall/supply storage area to get acquainted with one another and learn the ropes. We walked in as strangers, but by the end of the week we were entertaining lively banter. There were people from all over Canada; Warman, Hanley, Riverhurst, Chaplin, and Herbert, SK; Aylmer, Waterloo, and Niagara Falls, ON; Winkler, MB; and Abbotsford and Port Moody BC.

One unique thing about this group—most people were new to the location and just beginning our times of service there. No one was familiar with the projects after Harold and Sandra Friesen handed their leadership duties over to Duane and Adeline Neufeld, however, it was a smooth transition and the work kept right on going. Duane also did an excellent job motivating everyone to be safe and wear PPE by awarding outstanding safety practice with a golden hammer!

The week flew by as the nail guns banged (and misfired occasionally!) and screw guns zinged. At Mr. Harrison’s house, a.k.a. the man who gives boat ride tours, several things were done. The gable ends were covered, the porch posts clad with siding, more framing put up for drywall, and heat blocking installed around ducts.

A beautiful, little house being built on the lake front for Mr. Lauze got work done on its interior. All the drywall was screwed on, the first mud coat done, and the second coat about 70% finished.

The Monias house got its exterior all dressed up; siding, gable, and posts. More framing was put in for drywall, and the upper story became cozy with insulation. At the O’brien house the inside walls were covered with poly, not only the main floor, but also the “dungeon”, stairs were built for an easier descent into the crawl space, the main floor got drywalled, and both bedrooms received their first coat of mud.

Plenty of work got done—but neither did the entertainment get skipped. Volunteers played beach volleyball with the music of waves lapping onto the shore, clambered around the Limestone “crevice’s” (giant crevices), and a few even braved jumping into the lake from a rock around 20’ high. Not to mention all the hilarious conversations and jokes that were tossed around at the job sites and around the tables.

Not all conversations were light-hearted though; hearing the Monias family’s story of loss on Wednesday evening was a touching moment for all who were there. It was beautiful to see their endurance and love even through hard times, and also a blessing to be able to serve them in a small way this week. As we heard in a devotional by one of the volunteers, just as the boy with five loaves and two fishes, we remind ourselves that “little is much when God is in it” (Suffield, 1924).

Trudy Martens and Martha Dyck