Denare Beach – August 16-22, 2026

The progress on the homes continued this week as we welcomed Leonard and Twyla from Iowa, who hold dual Canadian/US citizenship.  Great to have some team members from south of the border! Twyla is Assistant Cook and Leonard’s plumbing experience arrived just in time.  We also welcomed Denis back for another week along with John, who have both served on several previous projects.

We’ve been warmly hosted in the Denare Beach/Flin Flon area by local volunteers, Dave and Sara-Lynne. They attend the Salvation Army Church in Flin Flon, where the MDS leadership/long term team attended on Sunday. Mid-service, PD Mark was asked to provide the congregation with an explanation of what MDS is doing in Denare Beach. What a great way to connect with more community members! After a team lunch at a restaurant, Dave and Sara-Lynne led a tour of some Flin Flon culture and historic sites, along with hosting us at their home on a beautiful lake property.

In exchange for the use of the Denareplex, MDS agreed to paint the main community center space. Denis, a professional painter was the man for the job. A scissor lift was rented and Denis with Dave got to it on Monday to beautify our temporary home. They also replaced damaged ceiling panels for a great, finished look.

We’ve been so blessed by local kindness. On Wednesday, neighbors Rita and Kim showed up with about 4 gallons of freshly picked blueberries!! They wanted to say thanks for all MDS is doing in the community. Despite losing their own home and soon to start rebuilding, they took the time to bless us. Wednesday evening, we hosted Alistair; our new friend the fiddle maker we met last Saturday. Alistair read a piece of his original poetry and serenaded us on the violin, accompanied by MDS volunteers John and Ethan. Homeowner Kim joined us for dinner as well. On Thursday evening we enjoyed an amazing tour led by Dave of Flin Flon’s mining history. No tour of Flin Flon would be complete without a visit to the local ice cream parlor – so we did that too.

Oh yes, and we did some work on the project houses too:

• The home of Kim is at the stage of installing the hot water tank and plumbing fixtures. Along with a few touch-ups, and a building inspection this week, this house will be ready for occupancy soon!
• Doors and trim were installed in Ture’s home, as it is second in line to be finished. Work has started on installing plumbing fixtures and finalizing cabinet installation.
• The Monias home looks amazing with the cabinets now fully installed. Interior doors are in the process of being hung.
• Steve’s home has been a buzz with the painting finished, followed by floor prep and flooring installation started. Work on installing the exterior railings is complete. Cabinets are on site and ready for install.

Thank you to our leaders and long term & weekly volunteers for a very special week, hard work, conversation, music, laughter and lasting friendships.

Laurie, for Denare Beach
Office Manager Aug 16-22