June 3 – July 21: Mission Trip Recap

I began my journey on June 3, with my first stop in Bakersfield, California. I had a wonderful time catching up with Jim and Debbie Damato—Debbie made an amazing pasta dinner, and Jim and I attended a nearby Celebrate Recovery (CR) meeting together.

From there, I headed to Grass Valley, where I got to spend time with my nephew and his wife, and meet their two little ones for the first time. The last time I saw Dave was at his wedding ten years ago! I also reconnected with Danny Deschene, the former director of CRI.

Next, I traveled to Reno, Nevada, where I met with a state rep and a pastor of a Native American church, Pat and Tim.

Over the course of the seven weeks, I shared my testimony 20 times. The first two were at Bayside Blue Oaks and Bayside Folsom. Funny enough, a few CRs didn’t even know I was coming—definitely a lesson learned! From now on, I’ll make sure to contact ministry leaders directly before showing up, especially when someone else helps with scheduling.

I also shared at Eureka Church of the Nazarene and Arcata Church of the Nazarene, and led a session with information we use in Native Nations training. That week was packed—every night was booked!

On June 14, I traveled to Dunsmuir, California, to stay with dear friends Dave and Jana, who moved there five years ago. I was blessed to share at Weed Berean Church in Weed, California. Then on June 17, I continued north to Corvallis, Oregon, where I stayed with my good friends Paul and Lori.

During my time in Oregon and southern Washington, I shared my testimony four times—at Rolling Hills Community Church, Crossroads Community Church, Longview Church of the Nazarene, and Eastside Imago Dei. Another lesson learned: one of the state reps had scheduled several churches that were up to 2½ hours apart!

On June 25, I headed to Auburn, Washington, where I spoke at Seattle Christian Church the next evening. Darla Lorbeski, one of the state reps, heard I was in town and quickly scheduled the event.

Two days later, I traveled to Post Falls, Idaho, and stayed with dear friends John and Regina. While there, I shared my testimony in Spokane, Washington—a place that holds deep personal memories, since my mom was in a mental hospital there several times when I was growing up. It was an emotional moment. Interestingly, the only two times I cried while giving my testimony were in Weed (where I once struggled with weed addiction after my sister Jody drowned in Alaska) and Spokane. It’s amazing how God weaves those connections into my journey.

On July 1, I headed to Clarkston, Washington, near the Nez Perce Reservation, and shared at the First Church of God. The next night, I was in Pendleton, Oregon, on the Umatilla Reservation, where Michael Van Pelt recently started an open-share CR. The evening before, I enjoyed dinner with Michael, his wife, and another Native American sister in Christ—we shared stories and encouragement.

I spent the Fourth of July in Boise, Idaho, staying for about a week with D. Osborne, the wife of my first sponsor, Butch, who is now in heaven. It was a blessing to reconnect. I shared my testimony three times while there—at Grace Bible Church, Vineyard Christian Church, and The Experience.

On July 15, I headed to Twin Falls, Idaho, to share at Lighthouse Christian Fellowship. Steve and I had stopped there during our previous mission trip, and it was great to reconnect with the ministry leaders and participants.

One of the highlights of this trip was seeing many of the people I visited later at the CR Summit at Saddleback Lake Forest. It’s such a joy to visit them in their home CRs and then see them again all together!

Lessons Learned

Every trip teaches me something new.

• Travel pacing: Keep drives between stops no longer than 3–5 hours.
• Communication: Always confirm details directly with ministry leaders, even when someone else handles scheduling.
• Gratitude: I only had to stay in hotels 14 nights out of the entire trip! Staying with friends and family saved a lot on lodging and food—and gave me the chance to bless them back by cooking and spending time together.

What’s Next

On October 14, I’ll be heading back to New Mexico to visit several new CRs and attend a rally in Aztec on Saturday the 18th. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with Derek, Ginger, Chuck, and their CR groups. From there, I plan to travel to Cortez, Colorado, then on to Albuquerque, Las Cruces, and possibly San Antonio.