MDS Elk Washington Update

Elk, WA Weekly Report – March 1-6, 2026

During my Sunday walk along Deer Lake's shoreline, I watched the final thin sheets of ice crack and recede. The sun pierced the chilly air, warming the trees while the grass is still caught in winter's hold. Flocks of turkeys, each numbering over twenty, gathered around patches of food before drifting onward, much like the groups of white-tailed deer that seem to claim all the land in this area.

We had a great time connecting with Clark Upton our project coordinator, and the very capable Gayle and Dayton Frey OM and PD for the month of February.  They had a very organized system making it easy to understand what had recently happened and what we should expect in the next few days.

Long term volunteers come from, Nashwauk Minnesota, Goshen Indiana, Port Moody and Abbotsford, BC. This week’s weekly volunteers are from Thorpe, Greenwood and Withee Wisconsin.

The team brought enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and a strong willingness to learn. They diligently worked on the following tasks:

Steve's House (House 2)

• After finishing the painting, they installed baseboards, doors, casings, and windowsills.

Linda's House (10-2)

• Progress was made with drywall mudding and sanding; texturing is expected soon.

Eric’s House (10)

• Drywall mudding and sanding were completed, with texturing anticipated shortly.

Bill and Native’s House (1)

• Final touches are being made to the kitchen
• Electrical fixtures are expected to be installed soon
• The final plumbing fixtures will also be installed soon
• Door installation has begun

Our cooks prepared lots of amazing food for every meal which delighted everyone at the table.

On Wednesday’s sunny afternoon, the group took a field trip to Darilane Farms near Elk, WA.  It was very interesting to see a dairy operation of 230 cows that was fully automated.  Dick, the farmer, expressed his gratitude to the MDS volunteers a few times as he told stories and jokes in his tour.

The week started out sunny with rain on Wednesday, fog and sunshine Thursday and overcast Friday.  Some mornings were freezing but warming at times to 50 degrees.  

Site tweetments included western bluebird, red crossbill, house finch, northern flicker, 2 bald eagles, red breasted nuthatch, quail, western meadowlark, and many wild turkeys (not that wild)

It was a delight to see how the weekly volunteers reflected on their efforts and how they felt used by God to be a blessing to the clients.

Duane, Adeline, Karin, Helmut, Ray and Jack.