Photo – Deanna cooking at a remote tree-planting camp, 1988.
Her brother Ross was one of the planters. After Bible school in Texas, I didn’t know what to do next, so after prayer, I decided to return north, back to the Yukon.
On the way, I detoured several hours down logging roads and across a vast lake east of Prince George to visit Ross and Deanna at their camp.
I couldn’t have imagined that three years later I’d marry Deanna, and that Ross and his future wife, Karin, would join us to plant churches together for fifteen years in the Amazon Basin.
A Current Word – Reforestation
1. When God Laughs About Tree Planting
Thursday afternoon, I drifted into a nap because I’d been up since 3 a.m. In a drea,m I found myself talking with God. He had somehow put me in charge of a reforestation project.
“Lord,” I said, “they’re planning to do it one way—but wouldn’t this other way be better?”
From our hillside view He looked with me—though I couldn’t see His face—and replied gently,
“Oh, that’s all right. Let them figure it out. The only thing is, they have to agree.”
Then God started laughing.
“Even with something as simple as tree planting,” He said, “you cannot believe all the things that can go wrong.”
I woke up smiling. God felt like a boss who was also a friend and mentor. I felt safe.
“No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.” — John 15:15
2. The Role of Educators
That evening I was reading a true-life account by Dr. Delwyn Fredlund—a mentor, friend, and world-renowned soil scientist—who quoted C. S. Lewis:
“The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles but to irrigate deserts.” — C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man
Tree planting and irrigating deserts—it’s a godly image. From the beginning, God placed humankind in a garden overflowing with abundance:
“A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it separated into four headwaters.” — Genesis 2:10
That same river flowed outward into arid lands—even into the territories of Israel’s enemies. God has always been interested in turning wastelands into gardens.
3. The Psalmist’s Revelation
Psalm 1 says those who meditate on God’s Word thrive in every season. Thriving is within reach for all of us.
The next morning our reading was Psalm 149. Ancient Hebrew poets often placed their theme in the center, surrounding it with parallel thoughts. When you notice those patterns, the psalms open like flowers.
Bedtime is when we surrender our strength and thinking. Sometimes God speaks most clearly when our defenses are down—when He can bypass our reasoning and reach the heart.
Paul and Silas discovered this in a Philippian jail.
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God… and suddenly the prison doors flew open.” — Acts 16:25-26
Praise and rest are not opposites—they’re partners. Together, they open prison doors.
🌾 Conclusion
God has a job for you that will delight you.
He wants to help you create pockets of thriving.
He’ll handle the hard stuff while you learn to rest in Him.
“When God laughs about tree planting, it’s not sarcasm—it’s confidence. He already knows His forest will grow.”
What stands out to you this week?
Deanna’s Journey to Healing
Deanna is enjoying gentle morning walks as she recovers from surgery last week.
This stage brings its own challenges. We’re deeply grateful that the surgery went well, but Deanna is now in a slower, more limited phase of healing, and there’s still a long road of treatment ahead. Your prayers mean so much to us.
Family debrief after a good meal.
Prayer Requests
For Deanna’s quick, safe recovery.
Pray for clear pathology results—no evidence of disease.
Pray for wisdom and timing as she meets with her radiologist to schedule three weeks of daily radiation.
Pray for strength and peace during her next targeted-therapy session.
For God’s movement among lost peoples everywhere, even in urban and suburban centers.
That believers everywhere rediscover the joy of throwing themselves into God’s adventure with abandonment.
Leadership Training in Marabá
Our Marabá Mission property continues to serve God by training leaders. And yes—special meals are still special. Food and Christianity remain a winning combination.
Photos of the Week
Dr. Fredlund’s book makes great family reading—engaging, well-written, full of faith and science. Raised on a Saskatchewan farm, he became one of the world’s top soil engineers and a humble man of God.
Early in his career, he had the same dream for three consecutive nights. Each time he woke to write down equations he didn’t fully understand—ten pages of math that became a breakthrough in unsaturated soil mechanics, shaping his life’s work.
Sometimes revelation looks like taking a rest after lunch. Sometimes it looks like math scribbled in the dark. Either way, it’s God watering the desert to create a garden.
Tree Planting
When I visited Ross (farther back in the photo) in 1988, I had no idea that one day I’d marry his sister and we’d spend fifteen years planting churches together in the Xingu River Valley.
Deanna and I were married in 1991. Shortly after, we went camping and salmon fishing with her family on Vancouver Island. We’re still eating salmon whenever we can, and the adventure continues!
Closing Prayer
Draw us into friendship, Until this world grows dim Beside the brightness Of reality with You.
Partnering in the Work
We each play a part in the Great Commission. Some plant churches in marginalized communities. Some help leaders grow and work together. Some sustain the mission through prayer and giving.
When we do our part—whatever it is—it just feels right.
