Getting Some Much Needed Help With The Colorado Mission

Bonnie Coffey gave up her belongings and left her home in Florida to come here to the Colorado mountains to assist me with the Mission here.

She left Tampa, Florida several days ago and stopped off in Atlanta, Chattanooga and Nashville to visit family and friends. She should arrive tomorrow or Tuesday.

She will need to acclimate to the altitude in the next several weeks ad we will be heading into the interior if the Arapaho National Forest here in Clear Creek County. We will be going door to door to the cabins and houses in these isolated valleys and mountains proclaiming the Kingdom of God and the love the Idaho Springs churches have for them.

We have lots of preparation to undertake before we head out the first week of June. The Mission will go through to October then its off to winter in Florida.

First pic is of Bonnie the second is Cascade Creek Rd which is representative of the dirt roads we will be traveling.

BR Schoenbein
May 10, 2015
Sunday

Photos

Pics of John Lewis Dyer a circuit preacher who preached in the mountains here in CO from 1861 thru the 1890s. When he was living in IL he was ordained by circuit preacher, Peter Cartwright who incidentally ran against A Lincoln for Congress in 1846.

Last pic is of Chief Red Cloud of the Sioux.

More Pics

May 9, 2015- Saturday

There's been a break somewhat in the rain. Had rain now 6 days in a row very unusual. 5 inches of snow forecasted for tonight! Yuk!

Bonnie Coffey is on her way here to go with me into the Arapaho National Forest of Clear Creek County to proclaim the Kingdom of God to those who are isolated in their cabins and homes up in the mountains and down in the valleys.

Bonnie will be a huge help for me! She's in Chattanooga, TN but will be leaving tomorrow morning and drive straight through to Idaho Springs.

Yay!

Pics shows Bryce who's from Alaska and is bicycling from here to Mt Evans and the core group at the Clear Creek Neighborhood Church meeting last Thursday and John Jones and his little boy Jamison meeting Glenda at The Frothy Cup coffee shop.

Early 21st Century Circuit Preacher Colorado Mountains Circa 2015

Bruce Rudolf Schoenbein- circuit preacher covering the mountains, gulches and canyons of Clear Creek County Colorado.

Busy day yesterday

Hiked to an abandoned mine in Silver Plume, CO yesterday with US Marine John Jones and his little boy, Jamison.

A Year And A Day After I left Home

It's been a year and a day after I left home in Illinois. And, I haven't regretted my decision to do so one bit!

Last night I attended my second meeting with the Celebrate Recovery group at First Baptist Idaho Springs, CO. Wow! What a great group of fallen but forgiven believers who like all of us are wounded by the vagaries of life.

In attendance were, Joel, Megan, Bill, Dan, Debbie, myself, Henry, Mona, Andrea and Vernon.

We discussed our unhealthy attachments- some to our pasts, alcohol, nicotine, other drugs, internet/social media and the like.

These saints are so inspirational and encouraging. They have the courage to confess their expectations, attachments and addictions in a public forum. What power there is in a group setting like this!

I attended the breakfast club again this morning at the Sunshine Cafe with Bruce Bell, Cheryl Holcomb, Russ Van Dyke, Jerry Hanke and Jack Morgan. Jack is the former mayor of Idaho Springs so we discussed politics for a good part of the morning.

One item on the agenda was the upcoming closure of the Henderson Mine which comprises 68% of the tax base of Clear Creek County. So, there is a lot of consternation concerning how this tax revenue will be recouped.

Tonight, I will be attending Wednesday night services at First Baptist. Tomorrow I will attend the core group of the Clear Creek Neighborhood Church as an ad hoc member.

Friday I'm planning on spending the day panning for gold on Clear Creek with Joe Eaton.

Then on Saturday, Lord willing I will be hiking the 12 mile round trip to Spring Gulch and back. I'm searching for a rancher named Bill, last name unknown who raises burros and draft animals. I'm looking at using a pack mule to carry all my gear and foodstuffs up the ridges and down the valleys of Clear Creek County. This county is 400 sq miles of forests which covers 86% of the land  and towering canyons and low valleys. This is some of the most harsh and punishing landscape in all of America.

Some of the outlying areas I'm planning on visiting is York Gulch, Spring Gulch, Barbour Forks, Devils Canyon, St Mary's Glacier, Alice, Empire, Dumont-Downieville-Lawson and Georgetown.

I'm waiting for Bonnie Coffey's arrival in the next 2 weeks to help me out. Then, in late May we are heading out mule or no mule. We will likely cover southern Clear Creek County first then northern Clear Creek County. This will take up the next 4 months before winter hits again.

We are planning on visiting with people who inhabit these isolated pockets and letting them know that the churches of Clear Creek County care for them and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God as well.

We also will be looking to organize cell groups or house churches out there.

Well, gotta go and look over some reading material Pastor Bill Robertson gave me yesterday regarding Calvinism versus Arminianism.

God bless y'all and talk to you later!

BR Schoenbein
April 29, 2015- Wednesday