Overdue Home Life and Ministry Update
Hello, friends and family! We are well into fall now, and it’s been a while since we’ve given you an update.
First, we want to thank everyone who attended our Ministry Report night in August! It was so fun to share stories and testimonies of God’s faithfulness from the summer with you. We truly have felt so supported and cared for all along this journey, and we came home from the evening of sharing with full and grateful hearts. How good it is to be part of the family of God! The picture below is from that night.
A few days after the Report Night, I had the privilege to preach at Evergreen (you can watch / listen here if interested), and after that, I was working fast and furious on the many areas of ministry oversight that I’d not done much work on while I was away for the summer. School started up for the girls and it’s taken awhile, but they’re finally settling back into the groove. We are in the homestretch of the soccer season for Mabel and Estelle, and halfway into ballet season for Rosie. I’ve started swimming with the girls in the mornings, and we are all enjoying the relational and physical benefits of it! Leanne is nearly done with the process of becoming a part time caregiver for her mother with Alzheimer’s disease. She is really grateful for the built in opportunities there will be to see her folks, to give her dad some respite, and to support her mom as best she can.
Needless to say, the Fall hit us hard. We have been rather overwhelmed with the many things taking up physical, mental and emotional space in our lives right now. I’m sure many of you can relate, as things tend to kick off all at once in Fall. But I admit, the shock of being singular-minded for several weeks at camp to the sudden always-multitasking transition has shaken us! I’m still trying to find my rhythm and catch up on the tasks that piled up in my absence. I welcome your prayers for the Lord to give me peace in my heart, even in the midst of a rather full plate. There have been many blessings, though, amongst it all. One was a really special reprieve to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun! Leanne was in a destination wedding for a good friend, so we were “forced” to go spend some days in a tropical resort 😊. It was a sweet gift for us to get those days together. A huge thank you to my Mom and Dad for watching our kids and the dog while Leanne and I were away! They made it easy for us to just be there and enjoy ourselves. The picture above is from the concourse at Oracle Stadium in San Francisco. We had one night in SF, so we took public transport down to the ballpark and got some cheap tickets to enjoy a game. What a beautiful stadium and beautiful views from the stadium out into the Bay!
RNR Ministry from Home
One of the most common questions we get from folks is when we will be heading back north. Our expectation is that we will only be at Rock Nest from mid-June thru mid-August. So we are home for the duration of the school year.
But that doesn’t mean that our ministry investment at Rock Nest is dormant. No, not at all. We are quite involved, insofar as we are able to be, in that ministry from here. One of my main roles is in connecting with churches and individuals, inviting them to come serve as individuals or teams. The Lord has been incredibly gracious to me, in that He has brought three different churches to me, rather than me going to them. They’ve heard through the grapevine about this ministry and have expressed an interest in finding out what it looks like to send a team. I can’t tell you how encouraging it’s been to see the Lord opening up doors for these connections.
We also participate with the Rock Nest team (Daniel, Geneva, Vance, Leanne, Ryan) on a weekly Zoom call on Mondays mornings. We are working together on planning, thinking, praying, and moving the ministry forward together. And we also participate, as we can, with the UIM Canada Team of missionaries in a once-a-month group Zoom call. So all of that is to say, there is still plenty of work happening in our ministry with Rock Nest, even as my primary ministry role and the bulk of my time goes to serving at Evergreen Bible Church while I’m home.
Financial Partnership Update
We have not provided a financial update in a while, so I wanted to take the chance to do that. For our monthly support needs, we are receiving around 50-60% of our need for each month. This doesn’t include the one-time gifts, but rather just the monthly support. One-time gifts are also tremendously helpful with expenses (like our trip to Nebraska next summer for the 5 Year Conference with UIM!). Those are also a huge blessing, and we are really grateful. In January we will start drawing a monthly salary from UIM, and at that time I anticipate that my salary at Evergreen will also be reduced in part. We are so thankful for those who are partnering with us in this ministry.
Just as a point of clarity, the goal is that 1/4 of my salary comes from UIM on a monthly basis. We won’t just receive support during the months we are “boots on the ground” at Rock nest, but rather, that portion of our salary will be something we receive on a monthly basis, all year round. Financial partnerships will cover a portion of our salary, and help with the travel, ministry expenses, and administrative costs we will incur. If you would want to join us as a financial partner, you can give online at https://www.uim.org/donate-online. That link also has the information for how to give by sending checks directly to UIM.
Big Decision Need
Since the summer, we have had a couple big, looming questions.
- What is a good long-term transportation option for our family?
We have two very reliable vehicles. They are great for everything in Vancouver. But both have some significant downsides for being our transportation to and from Rock Nest. Frankly, they just aren’t big enough to hold all our family, all our stuff, and perhaps even our dog, should he come next year. But we also do not intend to sell either of our vehicles, as these vehicles we have are excellent for our lives around Vancouver. So we are praying that the Lord would supply the wisdom for how to solve the travel vehicle dilemma.
- What is a good long-term housing plan for us when we are at Rock Nest?
Last year we stayed in a house at Rock Nest, but we are unsure if 1) that will be an option for us next year and 2) if it would be the best option for us. We have wondered about building a small little place at the camp. We have considered a motorhome. We have wondered about a park model trailer on the property. And I’m sure there are other ideas, as well. But we simply don’t know what’s best. The Lord knows, so please pray with us that he will make these major investment decisions clear to us.
Prayer Needs
- Pray for peace amidst the overwhelming fullness of life.
- Pray for the ability to focus and get my work done. I have found myself easily distracted and struggling to juggle the many things that come my way.
- Pray that we will have success in connecting with groups and individuals who will come to camp, so that we have adequate staffing for the ministry next summer.
- That we will continue to find partners to join us. We especially are hopeful to find more churches who would get excited about being a part of this ministry, which includes knowing, caring, and praying for us. And it could include sending teams to come serve with us. And perhaps, too, there might be individuals in churches, or the churches themselves, who would partner with us financially, as well.
- Pray for wisdom, relative to vehicles and housing, as mentioned above.
Conclusion
Thank you for praying for us and with us. We continue to be excited for the work the Lord is doing in this ministry, and we have confidence that the Lord will continue to lead us, as He has already been doing. Thank you for your partnership in this unique gospel work!
Ryan and Leanne Donovan
Rock Nest Summer Schedule 2026
- Summer Staff Arrival Date – June 24
- Summer Staff Orientation – June 25-28
- Teen Camp (13-15 years old) – June 29-July 5
- Junior Camp 1 (9-12 years old) – July 8-13
- Junior Camp 2 (9-12 years old) – July 16-21
- Family Camp – July 24-27
- UIM All Staff Conference in Nebraska – Aug 4-8 (Happens every 5 years)
