Seasons of Wind and Waiting

Hello friends and family!

Fun Fact: In the Mojave Desert, there’s a period of time between Sort-of-Spring and The Inferno called Wind Season! And it’s going full blast! But so is God’s work here in the Sandbox. Here are a few highlights from the past six weeks:

Camp News

Ironwood hosted a lot of different camps in the last month, but I want to share a few in particular. There wasn’t supposed to be a Mother-Daughter Retreat this year to make room in the schedule for other camps. However, we decided to give it another chance and the attendance proves that this retreat is a valuable time for intergenerational discipleship and relationship building. RefresHer is a camp specifically for pastors’ wives from all over the country. It’s our chance to serve those who spend most of their time serving others. We also saw a Father-Son Retreat use our remote location at Ziph for the first time. These three camps show how Ironwood is accomplishing its mission by using the unique aspects of the camping ministry (like desert camping), strengthening families (by facilitating discipleship between mothers and daughters) and serving local churches (by giving their pastors’ wives a set-apart time of encouragement.)

Behind the scenes, life is still busy! Lots of the ‘stuff’ that make camp possible (kitchen equipment, for example) has arrived and is waiting for Sequoia Meadows to open for the season. Our summer staff numbers are slowly but surely climbing. 50 people have signed contracts, leaving 25 spots still open. And one staff house will be ready for move-in by the end of this month! The hope is to carry that momentum forward to begin work on the next staff housing project before summer.

Palkki News

Gabe has been working to get two vehicles ready for Sequoia Meadows. One of them is a work truck from our fleet that needed quite a few little repairs before it could be considered reliable enough to be sent up the mountain. The other is a truck that Ironwood inherited with the property. This vehicle ended up needing approximately 1000 miles (roughly 150 times down Cherokee Road and back) of drive cycles before it could pass a smog test and legally change hands. Gabe’s assistant, Ayden, spent nearly a quarter of his working hours last month driving that truck up and down the road. We’re so grateful for his diligence in a really long, boring job. And all of us are thankful that the truck finally passed the smog test! Gabe also got to be part of our good friend’s wedding last month. It was a special time to celebrate God’s very good plan.

Rosie and I have spent a lot of time hiding in our house from the temperature spike and the wind. We were able to host the Defined crew for dinner one night. An evening of food and fun can be a great foundation for relationships later on in the semester. Some other highlights of my month were a camping trip, our first ‘real date night’ since Baby Girl was born and getting a dishwasher! Rosie started eating solids and is getting very vocal, especially when things don’t go her way. Her favorite things are her board books (for chewing, not reading) and our puppy, Diesel.

Gabe and I both served in our church on Easter Sunday. It was a very full, busy morning, but we’re thankful for a church that prioritizes both evangelism and celebration of the truth.

Growing up at camp, spring was always a time of waiting. Waiting for the snow to melt so we could get our bikes out. Waiting for school to be finished. Waiting for the Georges and other summer staff to arrive. Every day was sweeter for knowing we were that much closer.

But as I got older, waiting lost its sweetness. The stakes were higher and there were fewer guarantees. There was no way of knowing if the job opportunity, or the dating relationship, or the pregnancy would end happily or in grief. It’s a universal experience in a broken world.

The Bible tells us that when we delight ourselves in God, the desires of our heart come from Him. (Psalm 37:4) But it also tells us that God’s ways are beyond our comprehension (Isaiah 55:8-9) so what we think is best isn’t always God’s plan. How do we live in this limbo between wanting and trusting?

Job 13:15 says, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. Nevertheless, I will argue my ways before him.” Granted, Job was struggling with his perspective on trials when he said that. But I think his heart was right. Even if the very worst possible scenario happened, Job was holding on to the fact that God is good. However, that kind of faith doesn’t end the conversation between man and God. Job kept his dialogue with God open, constantly bringing his requests, desires, and convictions to the only One who could do anything with them.

Maybe you’re in limbo today - waiting for God to give healing, meet a need, bring a loved one to salvation. Don’t give up. Hope in God! And keep talking to Him.

Love in Christ,

Gabriel, Cheyenne, and Rosemary Palkki

PS: I made Gabe drive me all the way up to Ziph to take pictures, so you really should check out the Gallery. And if you need a refresher on our prayer requests and praises, take a look at the Pray page.