Last full day at the Lucas House

ItI'm spending my last full day at the Lucas House on Colorado Blvd. It's been a little over 5 months since I moved in here. Despite the lack of floors, walls, hot running water and only partial electrical service this house eventually became a home.

Getting my things ready to move out onto the streets as I have no sure commitment as of today for a new place. Waiting for Bruce Bell to come back from being out of town to see if his offer to camp on his mountain still available. We can always go back to Bill Lee's ranch in Spring Gulch too. So, I'm not without options.

Met with Pastor Bill Robertson and his wife, Mary, this afternoon at 2 Brothers Deli where he generously bought lunch. The Robertsons may be able to let me stay short term at their home. Additionally, we discussed my efforts to found house churches up at York Gulch.

I am reconsidering my entire Colorado mission due to the current situation. I may even travel to Minnesota to do mission work where my step daughter lives so I can be closer to her. Of course, I would have to get her mother's blessing first.

I am at a crossroads here. Is this current situation a mere obstacle to overcome or is God telling me not in so many words to move on? That is the question.

Glenda Watson owner of the coffee shop has offered her home in Lone Tree to me and has also offered the use of the coffee shop itself for overnight stays. She has been such an enthusiastic supporter of my mission here in Idaho Springs.

Allen has to work tomorrow so he can't help me move my stuff. Plus, I don't know yet where I am staying.

Oh well! Marge, Rich and Jeremy Nelson are coming up from Denver this afternoon bringing supper for Allen and me. I look forward to visiting with my oldest Colorado friends!

Yellow roses blooming on Colorado Blvd. See pics below.

Until next time, God's Grace and Shalom to you all!

BR Schoenbein
Allen Yates
June 28, 2015- Sunday

Major Developments In Mountain Pilgrim Ministries

Bonnie Coffey left Idaho Springs today as well as Mountain Pilgrim Ministries. Her reasons are personal. I will miss her and the help she lent me very much. Best wishes to her in the future and traveling mercies as she drives back to Florida.

This development comes on the heels of another change. The owners of the Lucas House where I currently live want me to vacate. Evidently, they no longer support the goals of my mission which is to reach out to the rural mountain dwellers here in Clear Creek County. Brian and Becky Blackwell have resisted my efforts and the efforts of Pastor Robertson of the Neighborhood Church to unite the churches here to reach out to the greater Clear Creek County. So, I am persona non grata at both 842 Colorado Blvd and now at First Baptist Church. Oh well!

I have encountered similar resistance to spreading the Good News from the religious elites in other towns on my journey but none so virulent.

I'm encouraged however by my sending Church, Mercy Church, Neighborhood Church and United Church. Their support has been unwavering!

So, I need to leave on Monday and to date I have no place in town to stay.  I have been invited to camp out at Bruce Bell's at Bell Mountain and of course I can camp out at Bill Lee's ranch up in Spring Gulch. I no longer favor camping at Bill Lee's because someone stole Bonnie's expensive teepee tent with her belongings in it so I don't feel safe there at night.

I have pretty much packed my things already. I found I have accumulated way too many things since I first arrived here 5 months ago. I will be throwing some items away and giving away others.

This Sunday I am moderating Mike Horner's Adult Sunday School Class. Next Sunday July 5 I am scheduled to preach the Sunday morning service at Mercy Church in Englewood.

That weekend I am also house/dog sitting for the Watson's down in Lone Tree. They own the Frothy Cup Coffee Shop.

I have been tempted to cave in due to these negative developments and leave for more fertile ground; but, I have decided to stick to my plan until October 1, 2015.

Until next time God's Grace and Shalom to all of you! 

BR Schoenbein
Allen Yates
June 26, 2015
Friday

39 years ago today I was reborn into a new life!

June 23, 1976 I was saved in every way a person can be saved. Saved from slavery to my own ego, from darkness, from the world system, from fear of death, fear of life...from all oppression in the Present Age...and then also from eternal death the second death in the Age To Come.

I have suffered from the inevitable ebb and flow of life from horrible backsliding from the consequence of missing the mark of being a genuine human being as God designed as His Image Bearer back in the Garden.

So, Happy 39 th birthday to me as I rededicate myself to the Most High!

Allen trained on a burro yesterday for the first time. Allen is a natural with animals! He and I cleaned up one of Bill Lee's pastures to ready it for a cow Bill had purchased.

We hike up and down Laughing Valley Road...more like a trail than a road! Then we climbed up the bluff above Bill's homestead...well I climbed, Allen ran...just liked he trained in the US Marines

I gave a report on our progress to Mercy Church my church home down in Denver. Allen and I enjoyed the fellowship and the church supper very much. Pastor Long's sermon was very convicting as it reminded me of my lack of trust and faith in God's provision.

We are running into lack of zeal and interest in our mission by the churches in Idaho Springs. Financial support for our door to door canvassing in the back country has not been forthcoming. So, we are reassessing our purpose here in Clear Creek County. It's a sad thing to see resistance and lack of assistance by the very people who should be elated by our connecting with the unchurched and lost!

The so called "Church" needs to be converted from "Christianity" to "Jesusanity!"

Anyway, enough of that! I am taking over Mike Horner's Sunday School Class at United Church this Sunday. Then the following Sunday I'm preaching at Mercy Church down the hill.

Tonight, Michael Ellington from Empire and I are supping and hanging out at my campsite in Spring Gulch for a few hours this evening.

Allen is starting a carpentry job tomorrow John Jones found for him. After that Allen may be heading out to the wilds of Alaska to fast, pray and proclaim the Kingdom of God!

Well, gotta go. Ciao! Grace and Shalom to y'all!

BR Schoenbein
Allen Yates
Bonnie Coffey

June 23, 2015

Trained with the burros today!!

Bonnie and I took out 2 of Bill Lee's burros this morning. I had Bandit and Bonnie had Blaster.

Had very few problems handling the beasts. They're like large dogs. I took  Bandit up on our bluff and then descended down a mile or so east of the ranch. He seemed to handle the rough rocky terrain well but he was not as nimble as I thought he would be.

We walked the burros for a few hours then took them back down to the ranch to corral them.

We're shooting for early next week to begin our door to door canvassing with the burros.

Allen the itinerant evangelist from Texas who has joined with our mission discovered fresh bear tracks down below our encampment about 150' below the ridge line. So, we are being extra careful tonight to clean up our camp. But, we expect a night visit tonight.

Tomorrow Pastor Bill Robertson will be picking us up to attend Clear Creek Neighborhood Church service at 6pm.

A verse I came across this morning is " weeping for the night but joy cometh in the morning."

My cousin Bill Schoenbein passed away last Wednesday and a high school chum of mine also passed away a couple of days ago.

Death reminds us of the brevity and fragility of life. We only have a short time to accomplish what God has for us so remember that night draweth nigh.

God bless you all! Shalom!

BR Schoenbein
Bonnie Coffey
Allen Yates

June 17, 2015- Wednesday

End of the 4th day at Spring Gulch

Rain and fierce winds again today. Told Bill Lee the mule rancher we would be coming down to the corral tomorrow morning rain or shine.

Allen panned for gold down. Found a huge flake! Lots of smaller flakes too.

This is Allen's first day of his 40 day fast. He's starting his mission here in Colorado after his fast. He is emulating Christ's fast in the wilderness beginning his ministry.

We're battening down the hatches anticipating yet another storm coming now out of the west! When will this monsoon weather quit?!

Not much happened today but resting up for tomorrow. I did descend the nearly vertical slope on the north side of our campsite to go down to Spring Gulch Creek to join Allen in his effort at panning for placer gold. The hike up was incredibly difficult!

Gotta go storm hitting now.

First pics of the gold flakes Allen found in the Creek. Last pic is the Idaho Springs Cemetery about 3-4 miles down the valley.

Weiney roast tonight up at camp

Met with Allen Sunday am at Sunday School at United Church another itinerant preacher who was on his way to Alaska. He's considering joining me on my mission here in CO. He's a 25 year old former US Marine from TX.

Invited him over for supper last night and stayed over with me at the old Lucas House. Tonight he's staying with us at our camp at Spring Gulch.

We had Rev Josh Nelson and his family for a wiener roast up here at the camp. When we came up this morning we discovered Bonnie's expensive tipi tent had been stolen over the weekend. We can no longer leave anything at camp overnight when we were staying down the hill in Idaho Springs.

Allen is starting a 40 day food fast tomorrow. He will be camping at a site 100 yards east of our site.

As I said he's considering joining my mission instead of heading to Alaska. I could use the help here in the back country of Clear Creek County.

Pastor Josh advised I would be preaching at Mercy Church this Sunday. So, I've got to start with on my message tomorrow.

Goodnight one and all and God bless y'all.

BR Schoenbein
June 15, 2015- Monday

We survived our first night camping up in Spring Gulch

Set up base camp up on the bluff overlooking the Chicago Creek Valley and Laughing Valley Rd on Bill Lee's property. We will be training with Bill's burros.

We're up about 8500-9000 feet. Found a bear track in our camp near the entrance of a game trail.

We created a fire pit and a latrine yesterday. Cooked stew over our camp fire afterwards we took a walk down to Laughing Valley Rd.

Night was very still and quiet with a light drizzle. Overall night was uneventful.

Today we are working on setting up camp and taking it easy. Forecast is for rain on and off.

Tomorrow Pastor Bill Robertson wants to drive up and take us to Thursday night church at Clear Creek Neighborhood Church. They are having a barbecue too.

Will be getting together with my young Marine friend, John Jones, up here next week.

Shooting for Bonnie and I to train on the burros first of next week. Afterwards, we will strike out deeper into the forests of Clear Creek County spreading the Good News of the Kingdom of God.

Finding out camping is hard work. Acclimating to the higher altitude.

Gotta go now. God bless you all!!

BR Schoenbein
Bonnie Coffey
June 10, 2015- Wednesday

Moving to mule ranch on Monday!!

We met with Bill Lee the muleteer yesterday and agreed to move to his ranch next Monday and start training  on his burros. We will spend the first week training then will hopefully start going door to door starting in spring gulch and bring the burros back home every night to corral.

Bill told us to pick out a good campsite so we went up high on a bluff over seeing the ranch. Its next to the tree line on top of a ridge.

Bonnie will sleep in her RV/van and me in my tipi tent.

We looked at a site just a hundred yards away to the east but I found a hyperdermic needle and old tents or remnants of tent material suggestive of a meth lab. I asked Bill and he confirmed someone was cooking meth up there over a year ago but had been driven off by him.

Our campsite has a spectacular view of south Clear Creek County with snow capped Squaw Mtn, Warrior Mtn, Chief Mtn, Saxon Mtn and the majestic Mount Douglas over between Georgetown and Empire.

Bill suggested that we buy a burro at an auction or on Craigslist. He would be happy to negotiate the terms. You can purchase a burro for as little as $150.

I'd like to buy one to take with me to the Appalachians in the next couple of years. Not only would it help me to pack my things and equipment but would draw positive attention to my mission.

I have my flyers almost done as far as design just need to get approval from the churches and then make enough copies to give out to the residents in the back country.

Will miss living in the old Lucas House, that's for sure. Life is about to become more harsh no doubt without ready water a refrigerator and a bathroom. But, that's what life on the road is like. Unfortunately, I've been a bit pampered these last 4 months!

Bonnie set up a Go Fund Me account to help especially with buying a burro. It should help.

If anyone is interested in contributing money to my mission you can go to my Go Fund Me acct at GoFundMe.com or you can wire me cash at Western Union which for me is the easiest since I can walk to Safeway and pick it up.

I would also appreciate your prayers for our success in reaching people in these isolated pockets of humanity out in the gulches, canyons and forests of Clear Creek County and for our safety.

Pics are from yesterday showing Lee's mule ranch our campsite and the view from our camp. Also I discovered an old mine shaft which I took a pic of.

God bless y'all !

BR Schoenbein
June 2 2015- Tuesday