Thursday, May 1st
It was late in the afternoon. We had just gotten the RV from
storage and were in the process of loading it in preparation for our departure the
following Monday when we got a call from the MMAP office. Director, John Riddle
called to let us know we had gotten our first choice of project locations for
July and to ask Jim if he would consider coordinating the July project at Camp
Berachah. (After 5 years of doing MMAP projects, Jim has never wanted to be a
project coordinator. He felt he did not have the experience to do so.)
Out of curiosity Jim asked John who was scheduled to be at
Berachah with us in July. That’s when John shared the shocking news - that morning
our very close friend and fellow MMAPer, Gary Bridgman had died quite suddenly
of an apparent heart attack. Vonda, Gary’s wife had just called MMAP HQ to let
them know. Gary and Vonda were supposed to be the MMAP coordinators for the
July project. Jim sat there in stunned silence, then weakly said, “That can’t
be. That just can’t be.”
Gary and Vonda had just stopped at our house to visit us
when they were on their way back east to do projects in January. Gary had just
turned 69 in September and appeared to be in fine health. We were planning on
stopping by to see them at their home in The Dalles, Oregon on our way to
Washington. We had first met them in 2011 when we went back to Pennsylvania to
do a MMAP project. It was such a blessing to connect with these fellow Pacific
Northwesters all the way back in Pennsylvania. The four of us instantly bonded as life-long friends. We were with them there for two months. Over
the last three years we did three other MMAP projects together and attended the
Oregon R&R with them in August of 2012. In between projects we stayed in
close contact. Because of Gary’s vast knowledge of construction (as a retired
shop teacher and also a master craftsman) Jim (the “beginner”) considered Gary
his mentor on MMAP work. Again Jim
repeated, “That can’t be.”
But it was, and we spent the next four days packing the RV
in what I can only describe as a somber, reflective mood, pondering the reality
of this news. Jim agreed to be the July project coordinator and we prayed that
God would help us do whatever it is He wants us to do. I also called Vonda
later on Thursday and was amazed when she answered her phone. I figured one of
her daughters might be taking her calls. In typical Vonda fashion, she sweetly
answered, “Hi Helen. How are you?” Surprised to hear her cheery voice, I said,
“Vonda, we heard about Gary. What can we do for you?” To which she replied,
“I’m just praising the Lord. I’m sure I’m in shock, but I know where Gary is
and I can only praise the Lord.” WOW! We told her Jim would be coordinating the
July project and she was pleased to hear that. (This project would have been
their 50th project.) We also told her we would do our best to stop
by to see her, as we had planned.
May 7, 2014 - First day on the road
We left Sun City on Monday morning, May 5th hoping to get to
Washington by Saturday, May 10th. However, day one threw us a bit of a delay
and we were running a day behind schedule. If nothing else happened we would
reach Washington by Sunday afternoon.
About 30 miles outside of Las Vegas (our first planned stop)
the truck started giving us grief. It was coughing and barking and losing power
even on small hills, so we figured we'd better get it checked before we tried
the climb up the grade to St. George, Utah planned for day two. We called some
good friends (now retired from MMAP) who live in Henderson, Nevada to ask if they
could recommend a reputable diesel mechanic. Not only did they say they had a
great diesel mechanic, they told us to come park the RV in front of their
house. (Friends are such a blessing!)
They had already called the mechanic before we got to their
house – a mechanic who specializes in Ford diesel engines. And as soon as we
arrived late Monday afternoon, Jim and our friend, Jerry took the truck to the
repair shop. It took them all day Tuesday to fix it (had to replace the
turbocharger - a pricy fix.) But it was such a blessing that I had put aside
money for the trip that I had earned at H&R Block the first of the year.
This repair took a big chunk out of the money, but didn't totally deplete it.
May 9th - Day three of the trip
We got on the road Wednesday morning at 8am. We stopped for
the night at Nephi, Utah, about 50 miles south of Salt Lake City. The good news
- the truck ran like a champ. Travel was slow because of road construction on
I-15 and heavy rain and snow flurries in Utah – not dangerous, just slushy. It was
COLD in Utah – 39 degrees when we got to the RV park at 3:30 that afternoon.
Glad we opted to stay in a full-hook up park versus at a truck stop or a
WalMart. We had thought about those options to help save on travel expenses. I
did comment to Jim that we had saved two nights RV fees by staying at our
friends’ house…..it only cost us the added truck expenses to save those two
nights! (Gotta smile – what is….is!) I prayed that Jim would get a good night’s
sleep since he didn’t on Tuesday night because of anxieties about the truck.
We believe the truck problem is fixed, and the mechanic said
he didn't see anything else at this time that we should be concerned about. He
even commented what good shape the truck is in for its age. (Should be after
all the $$ we've put into it the last few years!) He said if we ever thought
about trading it in, we should be able to get a good price. (Well, that's under
discussion in the Spring house now.) The last thing I want is two car payments.
Maybe we can sell the truck to pay off the Kia we just bought in March and then
go into debt for a newer truck. Or maybe we should just buy a couple of horses
to pull the trailer! At least this old farm girl would be able to tell if the
horses were getting sick and either fix 'em or shoot 'em! OK, OK-I’ll stop
whining – I was just glad to be back on the road.
Day Four - May 8, 2014
Four days from home and three days on the road, we made it
to Idaho. We stayed at a nice RV park in Hagerman, Idaho, about an hour east of
Boise. The 332 mile drive from Nephi, Utah past Salt Lake City and into Idaho
was uneventful…..and we liked it that way! In the six+ hours on the road, we
had a little rain (heavy at times) and there was snow on the nearby foothills
as we left Interstate 15 and got on to Interstate 84 going into Idaho. The temperature
warmed up from the 40’s into the low 60’s by the time we reached the RV park.
A
couple from Oregon, staying in the site next to us asked us about the MMAP logo
on our truck, so we had a chance to tell them what we do during the summer. We gave
them a MMAP brochure and our business card. They said they have been praying
about where God wants them to serve since they recently retired and are on the
road for a while. Their two sons both pastor churches in Washington, one in
Maple Valley near where we will be in June and July, and one in Stanwood where
we hope to be in August. We will probably check out both churches. This couple
is making their way up to Stanwood, so we invited them to stop by one of our
projects to get a better understanding of what MMAPers do. We pray this was a
meeting set up by God and they will decide to become MMAPers.
We ended the day with some more rain.
Day Five – May 9, 2014
We drove from Hagerman, Idaho to Hermiston, Oregon. We got a
bit of a late start and bucked a head wind most of the way with more
intermittent rain. 350 miles – 6.5 hours of straight driving (didn’t stop for
lunch.) Lots of up and down hills – rough driving for Jim. He was beat by the
time we got to the RV park in Hermiston. The truck was still running
well….thank you Lord! I spent the
evening compiling a DVD of pictures of Gary on projects with us to give to
Vonda.
Day Six – May 10, 2014
This was the last leg of the trip and we were back on our
time schedule - Hermiston to Tacoma with a stop to see Vonda (via I-84 then
north on 205 to I-5). We set out earlier than normal – 7:30ish – so we would
have time to visit with her and still make it to Tacoma by early evening. The
entire distance was 362 miles, so a straight drive to Tacoma would have been an
easy task. The Dalles is 120 miles from Hermiston, so we called Vonda as we got
closer to her place, and she met us just off the freeway at the first off ramp
to The Dalles. We followed her to her house above the Columbia River. Vonda
lives on her daughter, Shae and son-in-law Mike’s property in a beautiful
one-bedroom, one bath home that Gary had just finished adding on to the side of a
huge shop building where they have housed their motor home when they weren’t on
the road on MMAP projects. Mike’s father lives in a small guest quarters on the
other side of the shop as well.
She was excited to show off her “abode” (as she called it) –
the nest Gary built her. His craftsmanship was beyond compare (as we knew it
would be). He was a master craftsman in everything he did. We visited with her
for a little over two hours. It was bittersweet to finally see their place
without Gary being there – they had talked about it so often when we were on
projects together. She was in typical Vonda spirits – so sweet and upbeat and
praising her time with Gary. She said she cries a little every day, but is
still praising God – and God is holding fast to her.
She shared with us the circumstances of Gary’s death –he
apparently went very quickly (within an hour from the time Mike’s father had
been with him and when Vonda got home from Bible study) and he was in no
apparent pain the days and hours before. Seems to have just sat down in a chair
outside, had a heart attack and went to be with Jesus.
Vonda told us how she found him, sitting in the chair with
his eyes closed. When she realized he was not alive, all she could think of
(and even said out loud) was, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed
be the name of the Lord.” Then she prayed and thanked God for the 50 years they
shared together and for Gary being in Heaven. Vonda is certain many good things will come out of the
example of Gary’s life on friends and family. She is an amazing woman – and
moreover, God is an amazing God!!
IN
MEMORY OF A GODLY MAN – GARY BRIDGMAN
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| How to frame a building |
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| How to put up siding |
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| They built bunk beds |
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| They fixed rotting roofs |
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| He taught Jim how to add a porch deck to a staff house |
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And he always had a smile on his
face, even at the end of a hard work day
And,
best of all our memories - he knew how to have fun during and after projects
and on sight-seeing trips with us.
  
We
felt blessed to be able to visit with Vonda. And although we will miss Gary so
very much, it is such a peaceful feeling knowing we will be together with him
some day for eternity in Heaven.
We
left Vonda’s and got to our daughter’s house around 4pm Saturday, May 10th. We’ll
be in Tacoma until the first week of June. For the first week we arrived, we took
care of our two granddaughters while our daughter and son-in-law were on
vacation in Mexico, then the remainder of the month we’ve spent visiting family
and friends. We are parked in the driveway of friends, Ronnie and Melissa. They
live very near Meleea and are close friends of theirs too. (Like I said before
– friends are such a blessing!)
 
This is a view from Ronnie and Melissa's house. In the evening, we can watch the sun set over the Tacoma Narrows. Couldn't be more blessed!
The
weather in Western Washington is mostly gorgeous. Some days have been in the 70’s
and lots of clear skies and sun. Of course, rain is always in the forecast for
this time of year – but it’s still beautiful. Our first two projects (June and
July) will be at Camp Berachah in Auburn, WA. I’m sure we will have lots to
share with you at the end of June, and even more in July. Until then, no matter
what happens, we’re enjoying the journey through this life……hope you all can
say the same.
Some concluding
remarks –
I
know I may offend some of you with these next few lines, but I know for certain
Gary would want me to share the following thoughts with you. Are you looking forward to Heaven?
Anthropological evidence suggests that every culture has a God-given, innate sense
of the eternal –that this world is not all there is. However, those of us that
have asked Jesus Christ to be our one and only Lord not only have an “innate
sense” of some unknown “eternal”. We know what a wonderful place Heaven is and
we know for certain that is where we are going after our time here ends. We
look forward to it with excited anticipation. Jesus himself assured us (found
in John 14: 1-3), “Do not let your hearts
be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms;
if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you
to be with me that you may also be where I am.”
Yet,
let me conclude these thoughts with a stark reality - Heaven is not man’s
default destination. Again, Christ said, “Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the
road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7: 13-14)
(If
I have not offended you, but you still question what this talk of Heaven is all
about, I would suggest you read a book by Randy Alcorn titled simply “Heaven”.
It may answer a lot of your questions. Or contact me – I’ll be glad to discuss
my beliefs with you.)
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