Remembering Pat

Sugar Shack

It was a chilly March day when I stopped by to see Frank and Betty Holmes. Frank was out in the sugar shack.

The collecting jugs were still hanging on the sugar maples that came as saplings from Ohio many years ago. Betty would collect 63 and 3/4 gallons of sap this Spring.

Frank was inside the shack watching over the boiling process. He's been doing this for years, carrying on a tradition that goes back to his father.

It's a wonderful thing to step out of a chilly day into the warmth and fragrance of a sugar shack.

The sap was on a steady boil, and was slowly getting there.

Frank would spend 28 hours in the shack this spring boiling down the sap. It has taken him as long as 40 hours in past years, but he had a bigger, more efficient stove this year. The yield would be seven quarts and a pint of fresh, homemade Washington State maple syrup. Well worth it, in my opinion, and greatly appreciated by the friends and family that get to taste it.

Betty had sent some instant coffee and creamer along with me out to the sugar shack. While Frank and I visited we enjoyed a treat that was new to me: maple coffee made with the boiling sap. Trust me, it's good! Stop by next Spring and have a cup with Frank.

Angels from Ecuador

When Shirley and Arlene were in Ecuador a few years ago they found themselves stranded in the middle of the night in a bus station in a small village. This was a dangerous spot to be in, but through the helpful intervention of the man in charge of the bus station they were able to find two angels to rescue them.

They were Maria and Belen. They were invited to stay in Belen's home for a few days, and Maria and Belen took them under their wings on sightseeing adventures.

Recently Maria and Belen came to Washington State to see Shirley and Arlene, and it was Shirley and Arlene's turn to take them on a big tour of the state. We were glad when they were able to be with us for a Sunday morning.

It's good to know that we have friends in Ecuador, and that they send their love.

A Love Story

On Sunday, March 1, Frank and Betty Holmes told the story of their time in Brethren Volunteer Service. It's a love story, in more ways than one.

It's the story of a love of God that sent them both out into the unknown in response to a call to serve. And it's the story of how they learned to love their neighbor through the daily interaction with war refugees from Europe.

But it's also the story of how a girl from Ohio and a boy from Washington ended up on the same BVS project in Sardinia, of all places, where they met, fell in love, and came back to the States and got married.

God works in mysterious ways! Thank you for telling your story, Frank and Betty.

Haiti Comes to Washington

Shirley Devereaux and Arlene Johnson went to Haiti on a mission trip. On a chilly winter's afternoon friends and neighbors gathered in Shirley's cozy home to hear their story and see their photos.

It was a story of challenges, and of being willing to follow Jesus beyond your comfort zone.

And it was a story of expanding horizons, new learning, and personal and spiritual growth.

We're glad you could go, Shirley and Arlene, and we're glad you could share your experience with us.