Last summer, our family had three
different opportunities presented to us.
They weren’t just coincidences, they were ‘God-i-dences’! Each one of them involved moving from our
Satus home. God closed the doors for two
of those and continued to open doors and give confirmation for us to pursue
this ministry opportunity.
Bethel
Ridge Retreat is nestled at the foot of the Cascade Mountains. There are two houses on the property for the
volunteer staff. So at the end of September,
we moved from our “Satus house” to our “Mountain Cottage”. We are serving here at Bethel Ridge Retreat
as volunteer support staff.
"The Mountain Cottage"
We moved up to the Mountains, and continue to marvel at God's wonderful creation. The evergreen trees, the nature all around us, it's just a vast difference in where we moved from in the Satus basin. Desert, sagebrush, dusty, fine soil(dirt), hot, not much wildlife..
Patio with steps to the backyard.
East facing view
North facing view
Gregg and Glenna Hires started this ministry to
provide and equip couples, families, and individuals with the tools they need
to build and maintain healthy families and relationships. Both have experienced the death of their
first spouses, single parenting, and then the blending of their families. They both have counseling degrees in several
areas, including Grief & Loss and Marriage & Family Counseling. They have a faith-based, not-for-profit
office in Yakima at Bethel Ridge Family Resources. There are two cabin style lodges here in the
mountains with 3 bedrooms each, living room with fireplace, fully equipped
kitchen, and hot tub on the deck. These cabins are used for private counseling,
marriage & ministry retreats, respite for pastors & missionaries,
romantic getaways, and special gatherings.
Also, marriages or families in crisis situations can come to the cabins
and get intensive counseling for a few days.
There is an Intimate Marriage Weekend Retreat about once a month. It’s a great place for maintaining your
marriage and learning new communication patterns. Kind of like getting the oil changed in your
car. Being purposeful about ways to
better your relationship and communication skills. It’s also great for newlyweds or engaged
couples! Shane and I attended the last
Marriage Retreat and definitely learned new tools for our tool box!
Gregg & Glenna Hires
Another couple moved about 4 weeks before we did, and are also volunteering here at Bethel Ridge. Barb takes care of the office work, prepping the cabins, and checking people in. Dennis does some of the grounds maintenance & hot tub maintenance.
Dennis & Barb Elder- Volunteer Staff
