Update 07/24/23
I am rejoicing this Saturday morning even though I have some sore muscles from our strenuous activities yesterday. God blessed our task of moving Montana Bible College in amazing ways last Friday. Earlier in the week, we learned that due to the urgency of the haying season we would not have a stock trailer available that week. I investigated a U-Haul truck and found that their largest one would not accommodate all of our books. Tim Voogd suggested that we hire a truck and a trailer. I thought that was a great idea. Then the task of rounding up volunteers began. I prepared a short text and started sending it to people who had helped before. Before I had sent all the texts Larry Vanover responded that he was on board and would be willing to drive to Billings. John Skillman said he could probably help so I knew with Tim and Justin Sheely we could go ahead. I told Tim to reserve the truck. But God had much more in store for us. Thursday John Skillman said he could bring three of his able grandchildren, Madeline, Finley and Jay. Ron Larson was able to join the loading group and Friday morning about 7 o’clock, I got a text that Jason Dunkerton could help us also.
Larry Vanover was able to secure a small trailer to pull behind his pickup which gave us the capacity to handle all the books in the library without overloading any vehicle. When I say all the books, I had counted around 440 boxes, and weighing them determined an average of about 35 pounds of box. After checking my figures and weighing a few more boxes Thursday afternoon I adjusted my average weight to 40 pounds and the total to 17,600 pounds which added about a ton.
Larry and I arrived about 8:05 with a box of donuts from Rosauers. By the time I had four boxes out of the library to the curb, Tim had arrived with the truck and trailer, and volunteers were showing up almost all at the same time. Being the oldest member of the team, I really enjoyed watching the younger members exerting their abounding youthful energy hauling very heavy dollies full of books out of the building, down the sidewalk and up the ramp into the truck. We had some volunteers that were meeting us in Billings and at 10:10 AM I texted them that we were on our way.
Not only had we loaded the whole library, but we managed to add a few pieces of office furniture and 20 more boxes from a professor’s library. We were planning to have Tim, Larry, a student named Kaden Tilzey, his brother Cameron and his dad Vanni to help us unload. On the way to Billings, I got a text from Justin that his dad would be willing to join the party. Not only would Daryl Sheely arrive to help us but also his friend Dick Vetsch. We arrived about 1 o’clock with the pickup and trailer. We had hardly gotten admitted to the building and gotten the doors open before Tim arrived with the truck and the other trailer.
The books were being stored in the basement, which was accessed through a long, sloping, very narrow, winding, hallway. After we unloaded the pickup and the two trailers, Tim backed the truck over to a stairway basement entrance to unload the furniture from the back of the truck. Once the furniture was out, he drove the truck over to the double doors that we have been using to start. Books came down the ramp and down the long winding hall. But then we started bringing our empty carts up the stairway to avoid two-way traffic in the narrow hallway. The picture of the last two boxes of books coming down the ramp was taken at 2:13.
To put that in perspective let’s do a little math. If the furniture took 15 minutes, then the books were unloaded in an hour. With 460 boxes that is nearly 8 boxes a minute. There were 8 volunteers so that amounted to one 40-pound box a minute each. Since most dollies held 4 boxes that meant a dolly every four minutes for each man for an hour. It was hot, in the high nineties, so I sat out for many minutes. Thanks to all who did more than their share so that it could all be accomplished with such dispatch.
Praise God for all his provision. Thank you to all the faithful volunteers who made this such a grand success. Most of all I thank God for the safety He provided for us all.
We plan to make our final trip on Thursday the 27. Rod Clark is bringing his trailer and some of his friends from his Church in Wilsall. We plan to start at eight. If you can help us out either in Bozeman or Billings let me know.
For His Honor
Art