LAMP Report – Sucker River Saskatchewan: February 25 Return

  -   March 22, 2025

Sucker River Trip 2025

The letter to you about our last mission trip to Sucker River has been difficult to write.  The trip was very physically challenging: driving to Toronto in a snow storm, -40 in Saskatchewan, no heat in the school.  How do I report that without discouraging you from considering a trip in the future? My wife Jan wrote a review that I’d like to share with you:

Something draws us to Sucker River, even in the winter.  We didn’t even question going, we just asked who was going.  We made the VBS Roar program plan for 3 days in Feb, during the kids winter break.  Pastor Randy (LAMP Pastor in Saskatchewan) would join us this time and he had reserved a van for our transportation.  There would be 5 of us and Esther (local resident) would join us to help.

I have been to Sucker River presenting Group VBS materials for 3 years prior, twice a year.  It has almost become expected and/or common place.  Maybe a bit of apathy/complacency has set into my mind, yet the Holy Spirit quickly replaces that with ‘we need to go’ as the pictures of the children’s faces once again trigger my thoughts and memories.  I EXPECT God to walk with us, and guide us as He always has.  We have many accounts of God sightings, God providing, and God winks during the previous 6 trips since 2022.  I never gave a thought to anything different.

Yet this winter 2025 trip was different.  The challenges we encountered have me questioning our (perspective/focus/determination/perseverance/resolve???)

I can list the challenges that seemed to shake our minds and bodies – sometimes literally.

  • Friday (14th) before we leave, P. Randy tells us he can’t get the van (too cold for any of the available to have dependable batteries)
  • Ray struggles with reserving a rental vehicle in Saskatoon (still not certain when we land if we will have what we need)
  • Friday night/Saturday we begin to watch the weather more closely, 8-10 inches of snow predicted from home to Toronto (flights in Toronto are being cancelled, P Randy mentions they are in a deep freeze ‘severe cold warning’).  We decide to leave immediately after church Saturday night (putting some of us in a bit of a tail spin.)
  • Saturday night drive to Toronto, snowy roads all the way.  Ray excels in his driving skills.  We spend the night at a hotel in Toronto.
  • Sunday flight delayed.
  • Arrive in Saskatoon to an extreme cold warning -20F real feel -32F.
  • Cargo door frozen shut on the plane, delay in getting luggage.
  • 1 hour to shop for food before closing (P. Randy and Peter sprinting skills!)
  • Success for Ray in a truck rental, although too small to get all us and gear to Sucker River.
  • Over dinner, P. Randy is able to confirm a Ford Flex rental from a friend (who comes in on her day off for us!)
  • Frigid temps for loading and unloading vehicles.  Thankfully P. Randy has an extra extension cord to plug in our truck!!
  • Monday drive to LaRonge/Sucker River, uneventful P. John (Lutheran Church in LaRonge) welcomes us with homemade goodies from the congregation and a plan for pizza at the school later.
  •      Arrive at school and we are greeted by 2 children Allard and Alena – they help us unload and stay in the school a short time to get warm.
  • By pizza dinner time we are finding the school cool, usually it is 70F. We turn up the heat.  It doesn’t seem to help, it is -39F outside.  The kindergarten room is really cold (our usual place for lessons).
  •      P.Randy calls Devin (Sucker River Band Counselor/”mayor”), Devin is in Grandmother’s Bay, the maintenance man Simon, is in British Columbia, our friend and Fireman Maurice is in Prince Albert). Who would be able to help with the heat?
  • The boiler is blowing cold air, the propane is gelling at -40 degrees (C or F: all the same) We find a couple of space heaters, and Randy has a box of quilts he brought for the community.  Dare I say it was a cold night in our light sleeping bags (why would we need heavy ones in a normally 70F school?)
  • Tuesday lessons are held with space heaters trying to mitigate the 8.12C in the classroom, and quilts on top of the kids coats & boots to listen to the lessons in the gym (that gym had to be in the 30’s F).  Peter calculated the hallways & Classrooms were around 45F.
  • Challenges with credit card to buy KFC for community dinner.
  • Tables stored in shed were unable to be moved with bare hands or your fingers would get frostbite.  Needless to say when P.Randy & Darlene offered us housing for Thursday night (after VBS) rather than the school, Cindy jumped for joy!

Oh and one more thing…we had  Manual ticketing at Saskatoon airport on our return flight.

Our trip summary and debriefing upon our return is difficult.  There is a part of us that asks where was God in this?  Then we have to ask “do we expect mission trips to be easy and when they are not we think we aren’t supposed to be going? ” Do we still in our humanness treat our Heavenly Father as a “Grandpa that grants us clear sailing?”  Is that what we are promised when we declare the Gospel?

The reality is we never know what spiritual impact we are making.  We never know how the Holy Spirit is working where and when we cannot see.  God did indeed provide!

  • Our flights were not cancelled / our plane did not flip over (issue at Toronto A/P on the 17th)!
  • Pastor Randy was with us on the trip.
  • Devin did much to help us with heat.
  • Rental vehicles were provided.
  • Connections with Pastor John & members were reinforced.
  • In spite of the cold, 26 children came to hear about Jesus.
  • It got warmer, the temperature rose to 1F on Tuesday, with a real feel of 4F!
  •      The maintenance crew partially restored heat.
  • More connections with the community were made, as P. Randy said, “the community trusts us.”

So we continue to believe we are making an impact.  We continue to pray for Sucker River and we continue to resolve to bring the love of Jesus to the children.

But we need more!  Sucker River needs more!  The average age of volunteers for this trip was in the 60’s (trying not to reveal too much).  And although we will go and do as God leads until we can’t, or believe He is stopping us, we are praying fervently for more younger volunteers to come alongside of us.

Is God tugging at your heart, convicting you of serving more?  If it be winter, summer, Sucker River, Trinity, Guatemala?  Pray and walk out in faith.  And if you are not able to go, please continue to pray.

Pray without ceasing!!!

Ray Pratt