Our weary travelers (5,200 miles) are home safely and thank you to so many who prayed and supported us financially for this outstanding trip.

 A special thank you is in order to Woodpecker Truck in Troutdale, Oregon who donated a nice aluminum flatbed trailer for our use on this trip.

The trip continues from our last update... on Tuesday, May 1 Rick and Marv left at 7:30 am from Crow Agency, MT driving non-stop to Salem, OH arriving there at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, May 2. They  were the guests of Larry & Sally Brunk, owners of Brunko Distribution, where they picked up the five woodburning stoves.

After a well-deserved hot meal, a night's rest  and a shower, the two left at 11:15 am, Thursday, May 3 loaded with furnaces, hardware including ducting and a phone system for NIBS. They made another stop in Hartville, OH at 1:00 pm, unloaded ½ of the previous load to reload and added siding & trim for the NIBS boys’ dorm donated by Hartville Wesleyan Church.

They were treated to a gourmet dinner at an Amish restaurant, Hartville Kitchen, by Pastor Dan Sair, and then left at 5:45 pm for the long, long haul. Arrival in Alberton, MT at the Bible school was Saturday, May 5 at noon. A crane arrived shortly after that and unloaded everything. The team left at 3:45 pm on Saturday and drove non-stop home to Troutdale arriving at 3:30 am, Sunday, May 6. Needless to say, after eight long days and nights of travel, our two road weary truckers were glad to be home.

Rick and Marv were so blessed to be a part of this trip and to see how appreciative  the staff and students were at NIBS with the new furnaces and building supplies and thanked Frontier Missions over and over again for taking the time and making the effort to help make this happen.  To God be all the glory and thanks to so many of you for being such an integral part of this ministry on an ongoing basis.

I just heard from our traveling duo, Rick McPherson and Marv Boettcher, and thought I’d fill you in on how the trip is going. They are traveling from Troutdale to Montana, then off to Ohio, back to Montana, and finally a safe return home to Troutdale.

A loaded truck & flat bed trailer with two vehicles (a ’91 Plymouth Voyager van and a ’70 Ford construction van) and 16 boards of banana boxes filled with #10 shiners and two drivers headed to Alberton, Montana Sunday morning at 10 am. The students at the Northwest Indian Bible School were ecstatic as they unloaded 2,304 cans of fruits and vegetables. The ’91 Plymouth Voyager will be used by the Bible school as well.

I know you are asking “what is a shiner?”. A shiner is any can of food without a label. And how does one find out what is inside? Every metal can has a code on it and our volunteers use a code book to decipher the contents, then write on the outside with permanent markers what is inside. These #10 cans are the larger ones and they contain all kinds of fruits and vegetables like plums, peaches, pears, green beans, corn, etc.

Monday, our team left Alberton and traveled to Crow Agency where the other vehicle (the construction van) was delivered to Pastor Ken Pretty on Top for use in their ministry. After an overnight with Ken and Hannah, the two are now “on the road again” traveling to Salem, Ohio….this is what we call the “long haul”. It’s, of course, a much lighter haul since they’ve offloaded everything they had so they can fill it up at their next stop.

 We’ll keep you updated with more information as they call us daily. Pray for safety and continued provision.

Rick McPherson, VP of Operations, and Marv Boettcher, Field Director, are planning a trip at the end of April to Salem, Ohio to pick up five (5) wood burning furnaces for the Northwest Indian Bible School (NIBS) in Missoula, MT.

Marv Boettcher is trying to locate a lowboy or flatbed trailer to transport these "monster" furnaces which are needed to help the Indian students get through the frigid winters in Montana.  These furnaces will provide a more economical way to heat the Bible School.

Your prayers and support would be greatly appreciated for this trip from Troutdale, OR to Salem, OH to Missoula, MT and back to Troutdale.  Lots of miles, smiles, cheeseburgers... and truck stop coffee!

The stewardship of what God has entrusted to our care is a very important part of our Christian life. We can make a plan that improves our current living situation, meets the needs of our family after we’re gone, and also provides for the on-going ministries of our favorite missions and churches.

This 30 minute special website broadcast with Steve Jones and Rick McPherson will answer some of your questions regarding charitable giving, wills and estate planning. For additional information or to talk with Steve Jones directly please call the Frontier Missions’ office at
(503) 492-0904.