Hello friends and family!
2024 has already been a very eventful year! When a big God chooses to work through small people like us, we can start to feel like a water balloon on the end of a fire hose. I’m so thankful for a Master who mixes just the right number of opportunities to serve Him with enough of His grace to keep us from exploding!
Camp News
We hit the ground running on January 1st with a work team from a church in South Carolina. This is a group of people who may never get to enjoy Ironwood as campers, but they still choose to spend a week cleaning and fixing and building so that Ironwood can better serve others. We are so grateful for their servants’ hearts and labor! The team was immediately followed by Nehemiah Work Week during the second week in January. Between the two weeks, a massive amount of work was accomplished! Here are just a few things that got done:
· New roofs
· New fences
· Spring cleaning
· Bunks and ladders
· Septic tanks and systems put in
· New RV spots
· Pilings for the canoe dock
…and so much more!
God blessed camp with enough extra funds to purchase many ‘want-but-can-do-without’ items that help us reach people for Christ, strengthen families, and serve churches. The Meetin’ Hall (the largest meeting room on property) got new lights and fans. The MAG shop got a new plasma cutter for the Metal Shop. Resident Staff homes got Wi-Fi upgrades. This is just a little bit of the ‘stuff’ God gave us to use for His glory!
In another chapter of God’s provision, we had a new couple join Resident Staff in January. Gabe and I are especially excited to have our friends Jesse and Stephanie Stanley working alongside us long term. This month also marks job transitions, in which some of our ministry crew will learn new work areas and take on new responsibilities. While you rejoice at everything God has given to camp, please continue to pray for its greatest resource: our staff!
Palkki News
Gabe was a crew leader for the first two weeks of January. His main project was overseeing the construction and installation of the new metal fences around camp. This project gave him a chance to learn more about welding, a skill he’s been eager to grow. When he wasn’t building fences, there was the brake booster and a door latch assembly to replace on the orange truck, and the hydraulic cylinders to repair on the backhoe.
I didn’t have as much interaction with the work crews as I have in years past, but it was fun to catch up with old friends on both the South Carolina team and the Nehemiah Work Week team. A new semester means a lot of grades to be recorded and binders to be built in my office. I was also able to take on the project of reorganizing and developing the music playlists that we use as staff. From the kitchen to the office to the game field, camp needs a lot of different kinds of music accessible to a lot of different teams. It’s been fun to meet the needs of our staff in this way!
For those of you who have been praying, we were able to purchase a new (to us) vehicle last month! While insurance and registration have been a much longer process than we expected, we’re thankful for God’s provision of a Toyota Camry with less than 150,000 miles on it.
Working for God can feel a little overwhelming at times. So much to do. So much He’s given. So many decisions! And I am often weak and foolish.
And then you get a verse like 1 John 4:17. “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgement, because as He is so also are we in this world.”
That last phrase always hits me like a bucket of ice water. The full force of God’s character and nature resides in us!
You, Christian, have complete access to the essence of God Himself. He lives in you and through you as you go to work, clean the house, shop for groceries, attend church. That kind of power source makes up for any human weakness!
But there’s a flip side. If God abides in you, you must do as He would do in this world. What did God do? He loved the world enough to send His only Son. In the complexity of life, it’s easy to forget that our calling is very simple. Love like God does. Wholeheartedly. Sacrificially. With eternity in view.
“As He is, so also are we in this world.”
Let’s live like that’s true.
Love in Christ,
Gabe and Cheyenne Palkki
PS: Don't forget to check out the Gallery for some fun new pictures! Also, we've finally gotten the 'donate online' option up and running in our Support page!
PPS: Gabe isn't as excited about naming our new car, but I'm open to suggestions. If you have an idea, leave a comment on this post or try out the Contact page! Pictures in the Gallery!