Pic Above: Pastor Toby Beck from Evergreen Bible Church was up on the boathouse roof doing some repairs in 2024. He was giving his all, using a saw that didn’t quite have the juice for the job. Thankfully, our team had some money to use, so we were able to get RNR a brand new replacement circular saw that is a part of the DeWalt 20V Lithium ecosystem for future use at the camp. But there are still many tools like this old NiCad saw at Rock Nest that are at the end of their most useful days.
Tool Drive for Rock Nest
After a busy summer of camp at Rock Nest, the UIM All-Staff Conference in Nebraska, and then the Evergreen Bible Church Family Camp, we are happy to be home! And I am back in my office at Evergreen, working away on plans for Fall ministry here at the church. But my mind is still quite engaged in thinking about Rock Nest Ranch, too!
One of the needs at Rock Nest that has become apparent is a need for an upgrade / update to many of the tools owned by the camp. As is the nature with a large property, there are always many repairs to do. And we have great hopes to have many work teams come serve with us and help move the camp property forward. In order to succeed in maintaining and building the camp property, new tools would be a huge help!
I am planning to travel back to Rock Nest on Sept 23, and I hope to bring a truck-bed full of tools with me. We are looking for specific tools, and our hope is to receive either new or high-quality used tools. We would love to restock our maintenance building with tools that will go another 20 years! Perhaps you might have tools that are on our list that are still in excellent condition, but that are collecting dust in your garage. Let’s talk!
You can see the flyer for what we are collecting and how we are collecting it in the picture below. Or you can see and download the flyer from our website, https://donovan5.xyz/tool-drive-2026/.
If you have any tools that you think might fit the need, let me know and I’ll be happy to consider if what you have is a good fit for us. If you would want to share this opportunity with others, perhaps friends who are “tool people”, or maybe folks who are a part of a Life Group or Bible Study, or any other connections you have, we would sure appreciate it!
Want To Go With Me?
I will be going to Rock Nest for dual purposes. One is to deliver the tools from the Tool Drive. The second is to help facilitate a Men’s Retreat that is happening at the camp Sept 25-27. I am planning to leave Sept 23 and I expect to get home Sept 28 or 29. The cost to come with me would be pretty minimal. You would just need to cover the cost of the retreat ($110) and the cost of your food in travel. I have space for 1-2 men to come with me. If you are interested, let me know soon!
And here is a promo video for the retreat, in case that is helpful. I am not leading or in charge of the retreat in any way, except to help be a helping hand as they use the facility. It is a rental from a gathering of some northern churches.
Prayer Needs
- Pray for tools :). We could use some high-quality tools, so pray that the right people see this opportunity and are excited to get on board.
- Pray for teams to come use the tools! We were joking toward the end of the camp season that we have an abundance of “high priority” projects that need workers. Pray that the Lord will raise up teams, small and large, to help us complete the many projects on our list!
Conclusion
Thanks for considering if you can be a part of providing some great tools for Rock Nest Ranch! We have great hopes that these tools will be a great resource for continuing to maintain and build the property, to God’s glory, for the good of people who will someday call on His name in faith!
Ryan and Leanne Donovan
