Elk, WA – Dec. 14- 19, 2025

After a six-day train trip, ten young men from New York arrived in Elk to help finish up the four houses started from scratch early in October. Their skills and enthusiasm were evident right up until supper on Friday night.

On Thursday, they knocked off work a bit early to take a tour of a local dairy farm that is fully computerized. Dick and his wife have lived on the farm for 55 years. The fires that devastated the area in 2023 came very close to their farm but did not damage it. Dick also serves as chair of the Spokane Regional Long Term Recovery Committee.

The NY group will explore the area on Saturday before leaving for home via train early Sunday morning.

There are now four houses closed in. House #1 has the electrician roughing it this week with the expectation that it will be inspected and ready for drywall January 1. Thanks to Dick, a local volunteer for plumbing that house. By the end of the day on Friday, the other three houses were also ready for electrical and plumbing.

Friday was the last day of the Fall season here in Elk. Much of the day was spent closing the camp in such a way that the new team of volunteers arriving on January 1 can hit the ground running. Clark Upton, the Area Coordinator from Portland, was with us and will return in a couple weeks to assist the new team.

Over the weekend, nine of the LTV made an overnight trip to the coast. It was the first time for five of them to see the Pacific Ocean. On the way home we enjoyed the scenery on the way to Coulee Dam.

Long Term Volunteers began leaving for home on Friday morning when Rollie Ulrich, Project Director for the month of December, headed for Spokane airport. Early Saturday morning (1:30 am) Jennifer, Jolene, Kathleen and Kristine will board the 1:15 am train for their return to NY. They have served here since November 23. Hannah, Dale and Ed served here for the month of December. Don, Em and Nate have been here since October 8.  All have flights out of Spokane on Saturday.

LTV have been enriched through interactions with each other and weekly volunteers. We have made friends with two of the homeowners. We have interacted with shop owners, cashiers and the local lumber yard. We know some of the LTRG staff quite well. We have been nourished spiritually and physically by the Williams Valley Road Mennonite Church.

Be on the lookout for some Elk news in February. A brief report is already available on the MDS YouTube channel.

You can see two of our homeowners being interviewed.

Written by Don Yoder