Fall in North Idaho is breath-taking. Pops of color paint the mountains' trees in oranges, reds, and glowing yellow hues. The St. Joe River scenically winds through the valleys lazily in some places and lively in others. My eyes find it difficult to keep their focus on the road in front of me as I drive through this fall wonderland. The beauty of this area is VERY distracting! The vibrant fall colors won’t last long, however. The snow is determined to cover up and snatch the last remains of loosely hung leaves clinging to their branches. Soon, winter will be here to stay.
North Idaho has its perks, but it also has its drawbacks. One of those drawbacks we are experiencing currently is a power outage which occur quite frequently in these parts. They are mostly caused by harsh storms, but other times there is no rhyme or rhythm to their cause. In this case, it was a windstorm that cut the power off at 3:00 am on Friday. It is currently 5:00 pm Sunday evening and there is no sign of the power company coming to our rescue any time soon. Thanks to our friends, Dennis and Melissa Baldi, who donated a generator we are managing okay. At any rate, we sit here contently drinking our coffee while our lamps are being supplied with light energy through our mighty, capable generator. The fireplace is crackling while we cozy up on the couch reading a good book on a brisk fall day. All things said, we are actually enjoying the down time and simplicity of it all.
Retreat season 2022 is officially over at Shiloh Ranch.
We enjoyed a fast and furious summer season that brought new faces and new servant groups to our doors. We held a total of seven retreats with new groups such as police chiefs, chaplains, and police wives’ retreats. Due to the generosity of family, friends, and donors, all guests were granted sponsorships unless they chose to cover the costs themselves! It was such a joy to serve these groups and meet such amazing people. We miss hosting these groups that fill the lodge with laughter and connection. Shiloh is meant to be filled, so we are experiencing some withdrawal from the lack of guests gracing this place.
Things keep moving along at a wonderfully, steady pace. Our latest and greatest news is the manager’s cabin is being reconstructed! Ryan Demarre, owner and contractor of North Idaho Custom Builders, has taken on the challenge of restoring this wreckage of a place. Funny what a little imagination and a lot of skill can do for a place! Holes are filled, new windows installed, closets roughed in, floors leveled out, brand new plumbing, and much more. We are astounded by this man’s talent and can’t wait to see the final, finished product! Ryan is quickly becoming a dear friend as well and is very supportive of our mission.
We are also extremely thankful for those who have helped out with this project so far: Ryan Demarre, Richard Abbey, Britta Harder, and Stan and Connie. We appreciate all your hard work! Please keep scrolling to see some of the progress that has been made on this project.
Coming soon...
We are working on planning our 2023 Faith Conference and are excited about the Lino Lakes Guns and Hoses Police vs. Fire charity hockey game which will benefit Protectors’ Peak this year. Planning for our 2023 retreat season will soon take place and we will be adding even more retreats to our schedule next summer! God is continuously blessing this ministry through our generous donors and volunteers who have partnered with us in this mission.
We can’t thank our friends, family, volunteers, and donors enough for their generous donations, time, and investment into Protectors’ Peak. You are helping change lives one servant at a time! God is at work in the lives of our police, first responders, and ministry leaders. Our hope is that each servant who comes to a retreat will experience Jesus and receive His gift of salvation. We need Jesus more than ever in these dark times! He is our hope and anchor, our help in time of need.
To close, we want to thank our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country. We can't thank you enough for all you do for our country! We also want to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Hold your loved ones close to your heart and thank the Lord for those He has placed in your life.
Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful blessings and goodness!
God bless you!
Nate and Becky Harder
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