Dear Friends of Sanctuary Inn,

It is a great privilege to write you this month and share some things that are on my heart.

First, let me say how grateful I am for you — because you are standing with us in this great adventure and this great faith journey. To see how God has brought us from the idea of Sanctuary Inn to the actual place of Sanctuary Inn! Wow! God’s goodness continues to overwhelm me.

A challenge that our board gave to us this last year (you know — that 2020 year) was to make the ministry of Sanctuary Inn more accessible to people who couldn’t physically be on the property. COVID restrictions, distance, and schedules may prevent someone from coming to us at Sanctuary Inn. So, what are we currently doing to extend the ministry of Sanctuary Inn beyond Welches, OR?

One of the first things that we implemented was The Innkeepers podcast. On The Innkeepers, Kara Githens and I (Steve) interview people in the missionary world and in the world of missionary care. We have recorded our first season (8 episodes) and we are now recording our second season. It has been great fun and a great privilege to talk to these men and women who have been guests on the podcast. Our first season topics include:

That is a taste of season one. You can find our podcasts on most podcast platforms and you can go to our YouTube channel and subscribe to the podcast.

Another way that many of you are in touch with the ministry of Sanctuary Inn is through this newsletter. We endeavor to monthly update you on the latest happenings here at Sanctuary Inn. Upcoming events, photos, the latest news and information … it’s all in the newsletter. And did you know that when you get the newsletter in your email inbox you can hit “reply” and send us a quick note back? Try it sometime! There will be news soon about upcoming workdays (You and your “bubble” of family or friends can come serve together.) and other events.

A great way to share the ministry of Sanctuary Inn is also on our YouTube channel — you can take a virtual tour of the property and you can watch the fundraising dinner we did last September — it’s a great source of information on the history of Sanctuary Inn and if you have a friend that you want to introduce to the ministry you can start with the information available there.

Have you signed up for our prayer updates? About twice a month we send out current prayer requests. It is a great encouragement and blessing to know that people are praying with us and for us.

Sanctuary Inn is also on social media, Facebook and on Instagram. We try to post current events and great photos in both of these places. On the Instagram feed I am posting a weekly video (3-4 mins) around the topics of missionary care and/or thoughts about our walk with God. You might enjoy watching those as well.

Of course we are always available on email ([email protected]) and we are doing our share of Zoom calls this year. Kara, our Care Coordinator, is available for conversations if you are in missions and you could use a conversation with someone who is a great listener and great encourager. She also knows of a variety of missionary resources that may be closer to where you are serving. You can contact Kara for more information at [email protected].

So, there it is — Sanctuary Inn working at being available and working towards fulfilling our mission statement “…to equip, refresh and restore” even if you can’t be here in person. God’s heart is for you and we want to encourage you as you serve God in ministry and as you stay in touch with the ministry of Sanctuary Inn.

– Steven Price for the Sanctuary Inn Team

Twenty inches of snow fall at Sanctuary Inn

Sanctuary Inn got around 20 inches of snow over this last weekend. It is all melting now. It has been a beautiful and eventful start to our week! We are grateful that we haven’t lost power in this storm like we have so many times before. We’re praying for those who are struggling without power in the greater Portland, OR area and in many other places in the United States.