Today's blog post was written by my David - my husband, ministry partner, and best friend. Enjoy!
Deacon’s Year End Report
Greetings and Blessing from the Oasis Renewal Center. 2012 was a year of incredible blessings for
the Oasis as we have seen God’s plan for us revealed. I am truly awed and humbled by the gifts we
have received, and the stunning vision that the Lord has laid out for us. Not only has this been a transformative year
for the Oasis but for me personally as well.
Thank you to everyone who has supported and encouraged us this past
year. We hope that you will continue on
this journey with us.
Most of you know the story of our journey this year. Susan and I talked and prayed about where our
lives should go and how we could best serve the Kingdom, and we began to
develop the idea for the Oasis Renewal Center.
We wanted to eventually open a retreat center, combining her gifts in
worship and counseling with mine in hospitality and administration. Sort of like a church and bed and breakfast
rolled into one. We wanted to create a
serene, safe place where people could come and grow closer to God and each
other. We expected that sometime much later - like when we retired - we
could open a place like that.
It was a pleasant dream and we began to explore Arizona looking for a
community to eventually settle in.
Arizona has such a diverse climate that we looked at alpine valleys,
searing deserts and lush riparian wetlands – all within an hour or so of a
major airport. A thousand
miles later we ended up back in Sonoita – a beautiful high desert oasis we had
driven through the summer before and were immediately drawn to. And then we got a big shove and all of the
reasons to wait simply vanished. (Both of us found ourselves unemployed within
a week!) What had been a distant dream
was suddenly much closer and we felt called to pursue it. It’s hard not to believe that God has a plan
for us when you look at all the improbable pieces that have come together for
us in order for the Oasis to be born.
Fittingly we purchased the Oasis on December 21st and held
our first Christmas service there two days later.
The biggest lessons I have learned through this process are patience
and faith. My faith has been tested
regularly this year and quite vigorously at times. We had been given the vision to pursue the
Oasis, both Susan and I felt it clearly in our hearts and in our prayers, and
yet there seemed to be so many insurmountable obstacles. How could this possibly work? The truth is that without faith and patience
it never could have; this is nothing that Susan or I could have done on our
own. There is no way our works or our
efforts could have led us here, only our faith and our desire to serve as we
had been called could have made this possible.
We had to trust that God would provide us what we needed, when we needed
it – and He has.
There have been a half dozen times in the past year where we have hit a
brick wall trying to follow our call and it seemed like we would fail. Through patience and faith we persevered and
trusted that God would provide, an in each case we have been given our daily
bread – just enough for what we need today. I am struck by the fact that in each case we
got exactly what we “needed”, not necessarily what we wanted or what we asked
for but enough to carry us through. The
birds trust in God that they will have enough to eat that day, and
He provides that for them. They don’t
get a month’s supply, they get their daily bread. As we have progressed on this journey I have
learned to trust that He will provide the same for us as we pursue our service
to the Kingdom. I could go on, but the
important point is that we have been blessed with exactly what we needed when
we needed it so often this year that my only reasonable conclusion can be that
God is at work.
And so let’s recap where the Oasis is at the end of 2012 and where we
hope to go in 2013.
The Oasis received nearly $10,000 in donations last year from dozens of
generous donors around the country – and we are so grateful for your support! We have received donations of time, talent
and treasure from many wonderful people.
A number of folks have gone down to the property to help with the
renovations or have already committed to in the next few months. Others have contributed tools, furnishings
and art work. And several folks have
donated their unique talents as we have developed our ministry and marketing
materials. To everyone, thank you again!
As I said, God has given us our daily bread. We have raised enough money to purchase the
property and begin the renovation. Our
current donations will allow us to complete the demolition phase and remodel
the bathrooms. We are updating the two
full baths and reconfiguring the four bedrooms to accommodate up to 12 guests. We have most of the tools and materials we
need for this phase, and several volunteer laborers!
The current state of the property is charitably described as “rustic”
although we expect that when we are complete with the renovations we will be on
track to achieve the upscale feel we are looking for. Two of the guest rooms will feature a pair of
twin beds, a dresser, night stand and sleeper sofa. The twin beds can convert into a king bed for
couples. A third guest room will have a
queen bed, dresser, futon and a private bath.
The fourth guest room will feature a pair of twin beds, a dresser and
night stand. We are well on our way to
furnishing these rooms with our donations and commitments to date.
The next major indoor project that we need help with is the wood floors
and trim throughout the living quarters.
We are looking to install bamboo wood floors and trim in all of the bed
rooms and the living room. We selected
bamboo because it is a durable and sustainable resource that fits well with our
philosophy of being good stewards of creation.
The wood floors and trim will give a warm, relaxed feel to the
Oasis. Our projected cost for this
project is approximately $5,000.
The second major indoor project that we are looking to undertake is the
renovation of the kitchen. We have
purchased a beautiful dining room table with chairs and bench seating. The problem is that the cabinets and
countertop are... well, hideous. (Olive green tile!) We will need new cabinets, a new stove,
dishwasher and refrigerator. We will
tile the countertop and backsplash once we collect these pieces. We also need a washer and dryer. If there are any of these items that you can
help with we would greatly appreciate it - just let me know!
Once the indoor renovations are complete we will begin work on some of
the exterior updates. The most critical,
and the most expensive, is the 35 year old roof. It has been patched but really needs to be
replaced sooner rather than later. We
want to coordinate the roof project with the addition of a grid-tied solar
electric system. Our goal for the Oasis
is to create a self-sustaining community resource so this is an important
piece. It’s also a very expensive piece,
with a final cost of $20-25,000.
Our 16-acre property sits on a hill top amid scrub oaks, juniper and
waist-high native grasses. We plan to
carve walking paths to quiet seating areas, build a labyrinth and install a number
of fountains and ponds. It’s so exciting
to see the wonderful gift God has entrusted to us, and frustrating to have to
wait to see it completed. Faith and
patience again.
We ask that you continue to pray for us and support us in any way you
can. If you can help with volunteering your
time, or donating needed items; donating for a specific project, or to the
general fund, it would be greatly appreciated.
Please let Susan or I know if you can help.
David
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