Update August 3
It’s been a long time since I moved from one place to another. I was reminded on Friday of a fact that I’ve known for many years but had forgotten. The last days before you move, and the last day when you are moving, things appear out of nowhere. Things that were never on your list suddenly come to light needing to be packed and loaded. In my estimation, moving the books the week before was going to be the longest hardest day for the volunteers. It turned out not to be. When Rod and Dwayne Clark backed their trailer up to the curb near the library Thursday there were already several items aboard from Dayspring. The volunteers had lined items from the library and offices out on the sidewalk next to the parking lot. None of us felt confident it would all fit into the trailer. One of the late appearances on the list had been the library check out desk, which was a U-shape, roughly 16 feet long and 8 feet wide. We did manage to pack that and everything that was out on the sidewalk in. But we still had fireproof safes and the copier left inside. Justin Seeley had the solution: hire a truck. Pastor Stephen Fanning was willing to drive it. That settled, the Clark brothers headed east with the packed trailer. Their neighbor’s son Junior was sitting between them in the front seat of the pickup. Larry and I followed a few minutes later.
We had fourteen volunteers that morning. Pastor William Grinder and his wife Julie drove in from Cardwell. Jim George came from Wilsall. Three men that I believe have helped on every trip were Larry Vanover, John Skillman, and Ron Larson. There was a great need for clean-up after we left. The Grinders were up to the task of helping my wife Ann and her mother Maxine Skaw in that regard.
Larry and I caught up with the trailer on the way to Livingston and stayed with them all the way. Stephen followed shortly afterwards, and Justin followed him in his SUV.
I really must apologize to those on the Billings end. Even with Tim Voogd’s help by 4:00 the crew was worn down by the heat and heavy items being unloaded. We still had the biggest section of the library desk and a huge piece of countertop and many boxes behind them. The desk and countertop were on dollies, but I suggested we all take a break and wait for Stephen and Justin to arrive. After our break we pushed the desk out of the way and completed unloading the boxes about the time that the young men arrived.
Once their trailer was unloaded the Clarks were free to go but they generously stayed to help unload the truck with the copier and the super heavy file cabinets. By 5 o’clock I was lying on the grass, sipping a bottle of cold water and praising God for His faithfulness. I am so grateful for safety for all the men and women who had helped. He protected us over the hundreds of miles and thousands of loadings and unloading tasks. His servants performed a mountainous task, larger than any of us could have imagined.
I spent Friday retrieving more loose items. Saturday my mother-in-law and I collected patio furniture from Bozeman. It was a little bit eerie. Not a car in the parking lots. No one driving by or waving. It was truly the end of an era, the close of a chapter. Praise God not the end of the story.
What’s next? As happy as we are to have everything moved, it all must be moved again out of storage. We will still be enlisting volunteers. As a Manhattan volunteer I know the drill. Five hours driving and five hours working makes a very full day. As Rod said on Thursday, we need more Billings volunteers. That will be my focus. God has met our needs this far. He will not forsake us now.
The plan is to acquire temporary buildings. Until they arrive, we will leave all the things we moved in storage. Tim has suggested that a campus beautification day might be in order. I would love to have volunteers that enjoy gardening and landscaping respond to help. I will let you know when we get a date and time.
Thank you all for your continuing support with your prayers, with vehicles, and with tiring hands-on contributions. May the Lord richly reward you for your sacrifices.
To His Glory
Art