Our History at Rock Nest Ranch
In the summer of 1997, I (Ryan) went on a mission trip with a group of other teenagers from Glenwood Community Church in Vancouver, WA. The group was large, so the decision was made that half of the group would go to Rock Nest Ranch to work on various construction projects, while the other half would go to a nearby village to conduct a VBS program. I was invited to be on the team that served in the village. The group camped nearby and we served in the village of Nadleh, just outside of Fraser Lake, BC. It was on that trip that the Lord gave me a unique desire to be a part of bringing the gospel to First Nations people.
After graduating high school in the summer of 1999, I spent the summer serving at Rock Nest Ranch as a camp counselor, before heading off to Multnomah Bible College to prepare for a career in ministry. I would also serve all summer in a similar role in 2000. After the first semester of my sophomore year of college, I was tired of sitting in a classroom (and especially tired of homework!), and I wanted to go put some of my ministry education into practice in a more significant way. So I decided to take a break from school and I moved to BC for 6 months to serve as a missionary intern. I was given the opportunity to serve with and live with several UIM missionaries during that 6 month period, and it all culminated with my first chance at taking on a leadership role at Rock Nest, overseeing the work crew team who took care of the dishes, cleaned the bathrooms, and kept the place tidy.
In the summer of 2003, while I was serving as an intern in Youth Ministry and College Ministry at Glenwood Community Church, I had my first chance to lead a group to serve in ministry to First Nations people. What an incredible experience that was, to invite others to join me in this ministry! There wasn’t a need that summer for a group to serve at Rock Nest, but based on my connections with missionaries in the area, we were able to bring a group of teens to put on a Vacation Bible School program in the village of Sik-E-Dakh.
As I graduated in 2004, I was wondering if I was called to be a missionary in BC among First Nations people. I was still serving at Glenwood, and I was able to bring another group of teens to serve in Sik-E-Dakh, as well as spending another week serving at Rock Nest. I thought that perhaps the Lord was leading me to become a full-time missionary with UIM at that point, and so I began to undertake the application process. As I prayed and considered the possibility, it became clear to me that it wasn’t the right time to join UIM as a missionary. So instead I pursued church ministry opportunities in the US.
As I graduated in 2004, I was wondering if I was called to be a missionary in BC among First Nations people. I was still serving at Glenwood, and I was able to bring another group of teens to serve in Sik-E-Dakh, as well as spending another week serving at Rock Nest. I thought that perhaps the Lord was leading me to become a full-time missionary with UIM at that point, and so I began to undertake the application process. As I prayed and considered the possibility, it became clear to me that it wasn’t the right time to join UIM as a missionary. So instead I pursued church ministry opportunities in the US.
In the coming years as a served in Youth Ministry, I was able to bring many teams of both teens and adults with me to serve at Rock Nest. Over the course of the last 20 years, I’ve been able to make 23 different trips to Rock Nest Ranch, bringing with me 260 people total, and introducing 172 people for the very first time. It is safe to say it has been a major part of my life, even at a distance.
It was the summer of 2006 when Leanne first joined me on a Rock Nest trip. We were dating at that point, and I brought a group of friends with me to participate in the ministry. She had no idea that she was marrying into a ministry, but to date, she has come with me on 8 different occasions. And our kids have now participated a couple times, as well (technically Mabel has been there four times, though she doesn’t remember the first two – once in 2012, when she was growing in Leanne’s womb, and then again in 2013 when she was just 4 months old!).
Up until 2023, we had assumed that this is a ministry that would continue to happen a week or two at a time, as we brought groups some summers. We had no sense at all that the Lord might call us into more significant involvement. But we are excited to serve the Lord as a family in this new way, and excited for our kids to grow up with this incredible ministry as such a big part of their childhood summers!
Why Rock Nest Ranch?
There are a lot of ministries and camps that a person could serve with, so why this small missionary camp that’s located in what, to many, seems like the middle of nowhere?
What is Rock Nest Ranch?
Rock Nest Ranch is a ministry of UIM, International. It is a camp ministry that has a particular focus on sharing the good of Jesus Christ with First Nations kids, teens, and families in central British Columbia, Canada.
Our Calling to Rock Nest Ranch
Sensing a call to consider joining Rock Nest, which would mean becoming missionaries with UIM, Ryan and Leanne began to pray, think, talk, consult, and wonder.
