RUGGED CROSS OUTDOORS

Transcription

1 RUGGED CROSS OUTDOORS MAK AKING A DIFFERENCE IN I THE LIVES OF OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS Rugged Cross Outdoors, 1733 N. 9 th Street, Sheboygan, WI Phone: , address: info@ruggedcrossoutdoors.org By RCO Executive Directors It s hard to believe that in a couple weeks Christmas will be upon us and soon families will gather together to tell stories and enjoy each other s company. RCO would like to wish each and every one of you a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please remember those who are less fortunate and struggling in these tuff economic times. We would like to encourage all of you to join RCO in doing something different during this wonderful season of giving. Whether you decide to give your time or your money, there are so many things we can all do. Invite someone who may be spending the holidays alone over to your family gathering; Go to a retirement home baring gifts and socialize with the residents for an afternoon; Encourage your children to give away a gift or two to needy children in your community; Or, make a contribution to your favorite charity/ministry. It doesn t need to be a huge gift to make a big difference! Did you know that for just $0.17 a day, ($5.00/month) you can make a significant impact on the RCO Ministry? That s the equivalent of giving up only one cup of coffee from Starbucks or Caribou Coffee each month! Your small monthly contribution can help RCO in many ways: feed the needy, put a smile on a INSIDE THIS ISSUE December 2009 Volume 1, Issue 2 1 Planting Seeds in the Youth of PA 1 What Place Did You Finish 2 Past, Present and Future 7 Prayer/Praise, Financial Status & Announcements 8 child s face, give someone with a disability a chance to live out their dream, or better yet, help to save someone s eternal life! It all starts with one person who is willing to make a difference! Why not start with you? If you would like to make a monthly donation, please fill out the attached gift card and send it to us or visit us at and you can make your contribution on-line. God bless all of you and thank you for your support! Planting Seeds in the Youth of PA By Jim Duflo, Executive Director With rolling hills and fall colors blanketing the hill sides, the RCO team landed in Pittsburg, PA on Thursday Oct. 22 nd and then headed to Dayton, PA for our 2 nd annual youth hunt. Anthony Infante, Volunteer Field Staff picked Tom DuBois, Executive Director and I up at the Pittsburg airport Thursday night. However, like most mission trips, it did not start without a fight from the devil. Andy Kaminski s flight was canceled Thursday night due to Bad Weather in Chicago. Andy and Tom looked into the situation only to find out all flights were on schedule at the O Hare Airport and that there was no bad weather down in the Chicago area. Despite the discrepancies, Andy would still not be able to fly out until Friday morning. This turned out to be a blessing! Andy s vehicle broke down on the way home from work that Thursday night and he would have ultimately missed his flight. If that would have been the case, he wouldn t have been able to secure another flight for Friday morning and would have missed the trip altogether. God is great! Anyway, Anthony had to make another trip into Pittsburg to pick up Andy. As we prepared our equipment in hopes of capturing some great hunting moments with the youth, we began praying for a safe and joyful time. Despite our prayers, the devil reared up his ugly head again! Anthony Infante s son, Elliot had been ill that week and it was worsening. The common cold had turned for the worse and he was hospitalized with Pneumonia. He would be hospitalized over the entire weekend. As a result, Anthony needed to attend to his family. However, with the help of Anthony s brother-in-law, Dave Barrett, we were able to proceed with the youth hunt as scheduled. This year we had six youth joining the RCO team throughout the weekend. Michael, Jacob, Tom, Braden, Arianna and her brother Trevor were excited for the weekend s hunt. The first evening s hunt started as soon as the last school bell rang on Friday afternoon. The RCO team waited in the parking lot of the school to meet the youth and their parents. Please see Planting Seeds in PA on page 3 God so loved the World, he sent His one and only Begotten Son.

2 Page 2 Venison Donation By Tom DuBois, Executive Director The Executive Director s at Rugged Cross Outdoors are committed to donating 90% or more of the venison harvested each year. Did you know that one out of every five children will go to bed tonight hungry? Did you know that one deer can provide enough meat to feed over 200 people? True story: After enjoying some venison spaghetti at a local food shelter, a little girl remarked, This is better than what we ate at McDonald s last night! You may wonder, How could this little girl s family afford to eat at McDonald s? Sadly, the girl and her family ate from the dumpster behind the restaurant. There are people right here in our country that are in need of their next meal. They are eating out of dumpsters right now as you read this article. How can we help? We can donate our venison to local food banks, shelters, and soup kitchens all across America. RCO has teamed up with organizations like Farmers and Hunters Feeding the Hungry, Love, Inc. and Sportsmen Against Hunger. They all assist in making the donation of venison cheaper and/or easier. This year in North Dakota, we donated two whitetail deer to Sportsmen against Hunger. We were able to donate both deer to Carrington high school. The school has a class that teaches students how to process various meats and wild game. Then they package the venison into one pound packages to be given to food pantries supported by Sportsmen Against Hunger. In Colorado, RCO donated one bull elk to Love, Inc. They use local processors that prepare the venison to be delivered to local food shelters/pantries in the Craig, Colorado area. This one bull elk contributed over 600 meals for people in need. Although the venison donation is for a great cause, it doesn t come without a cost. It cost $250 to have the elk processed for Love, Inc. Most whitetail deer cost an average of $50 to have processed. Some states do have programs available that allow us to donate venison at no cost and we use them when we can. Otherwise, this is a cost that RCO gladly pays. For the 2009 hunting season, RCO was able to donate over 1000 meals to those in need. Our ultimate goal is to be able to donate approximately 5000 meals per year. We thank our Lord for these opportunities. If you are a current RCO supporter, we thank you as part of your contribution goes towards this vital ministry avenue. Tom & Andy with Teacher/processor after donating two whitetail deer, in North Dakota What Place Did You Finish? By Jeff Wilcox, Ministry Leader Man I love this sport of traditional archery; it is so rewarding and satisfying as well as exciting and constantly challenging. You can be as serious as you want, or as kicked back and casual about the whole thing as you desire. You can get as competitive as you so desire or you can just shoot to shoot and it makes no difference; it is so simple it is somewhat mind boggling. Anyway at this particular shoot they had an event designed for young archers called the Silver Arrow shoot. It s where each shooter has 3 arrows to get at least one arrow in the bull s-eye and if he or she does that they get to advance to the next round where they move the target back 5 yards. Then they keep moving the target back to a distance where only one archer is remaining and then he or she is the Silver Arrow champion. Well, I had 3 grandsons all enter this event; Andrew who is 4 years old entered the 7 year old and younger division. Then I had Jacob who is 8 years old and Kody who is 9 years old enter the 8 to 12 year old division. In the 7 year old and younger division, there was a little guy, I believe his name was Joshua, who was 5 years old, and my grandson, Andrew. In Jacobs and Kody s class, there must have been 25 kids. It was the largest of all 3 classes! When it was all said and done Andrew took 2 nd place in a mighty fine shoot out with Joshua, Jacob finished with an impressive 4 th place finish and Kody represented the Wilcox family well with a first place trophy in his division. Please see What Place Did you Finish? on page 4 In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth

3 Planting Seeds in PA from page 1 Before we headed out to the fields to get into our tower stands, we all enjoyed fellowship over a meal at McDonald s. Jacob and his father would be with me for the Friday afternoon hunt. Michael and his grandfather would be accompanied by Tom DuBois and Braden would hunt with Andy Kaminski. The first evening ended with Jacob making an excellent 30 yard shot with his 243 cal. Rifle taking his first whitetail doe. It was a nice mature deer. We had to move from one side of the stand to the other. Jacob literally ended up on his dad s lap in order to make the shot. On the other side of the farm, Michael had his opportunity too but missed a nice doe. Unfortunately, Braden did not have a shot opportunity at a deer that evening. Everyone had an awesome time and positive relationships with the kids were being built. Saturday morning came early as we headed back to the same fields. Andy Kaminski took Tom, who was accompanied by his good friend, Wayne. He was along to provide some moral support. Tom DuBois was once again with Michael and his grandfather. I took the morning off since there were only two kids available to hunt. That morning would prove to be an exciting hunt for Tom. He was sporting his Thompson/Center Muzzleloader, a very reliable gun. Yet, his first shot attempt resulted in a misfire. Quickly reloading, Tom would get a second chance only to have his bullet miss its mark. Later in the morning, Tom would get a third chance but the results would be different. The third attempt hit its mark and we had another doe down. Michael saw a lot of deer, but nothing would come within gun range. You could see the disappointment building in this young man as he seen doe after doe go down. The Saturday evening hunt would be his last chance to get the job done. We were all praying that he would get another chance to redeem himself. Nonetheless, we all gathered around Tom s doe and engaged in fellowship. Tom then gave his testimony to all those present. It was a powerful testimony and a wonderful message to those kids there listening. In January of 2010, you can listen to Tom s testimony by going to the RCO webpage. Saturday afternoon brought 16 year-old, Arianna Evans into town with her father and brother, Trevor. Arianna has spinal bifida leaving her wheelchair bound and She is now undergoing kidney dialysis three times a week. Arianna and her family were teamed up with Andy Kaminski for an afternoon in the ground blinds. This was Arianna s second time hunting with RCO. Tom DuBois would not film a hunt this afternoon as he was assisting with the set-up of Arianna s hunt. I was with Michael and his grandfather. I was committed to doing whatever we could to get him his first deer. Page 3 We climbed into the stands at about 2pm and prepared for the afternoon hunt. Within the hour, both groups were seeing deer in the fields. Arianna was hunting with a cross bow, however, due to her disability her father would need to help her take aim and fire. It wasn t long before deer began moving through the area. Soon after the action began, Arianna and her dad were face to face with a small button buck. Arianna and her father slowly took aim and she squeezed the trigger. The deer ducked the bolt and it entered high just above the front shoulder. Michael, his grandfather, and I began seeing deer in the fields about 300 yards away. With time running out, we decided to put on a stalk on a group of deer that fed just on the opposite side of the corn field. We tried to get close but something alerted them to our presence. So, we stalked back through the corn finding ourselves eyeing up a young deer feeding in another corn row. After passing on this deer, we began another stalk on a group at the other end of the field. After glassing over that group we could only see a few young button bucks. However, we were looking for a doe. With only 45 minutes of light remaining, we made one last attempt at yet another group of deer tucked into the corner of another field. We worked our way through the corn quietly and got to within 100 yards of the deer. We could see the backs of the deer as they fed in the green field. I told Michael that this was our last chance so the three of us worked our way out to the outer edge of the corn to get a better look. We found five young does and button bucks feeding in the field only 60+ yards away. With light fading fast, a mature doe that had a leg injury stood up from the grass behind the young deer we had been watching. Michael s grandfather and I agreed that this would be the deer he should take. As she made her way out into the field, Michael took aim! But as hunting usually goes, a young button buck was in the way of his shot and literally starred us down for about five minutes. Finally, the young button buck had enough and bolted away. Now Michael could finally lay the cross hairs on the deer he was after. He squeezed the trigger and the doe ran off. We tracked his doe into a creek bottom and found her only yards away. As Grandpa congratulated his grandson with a big bear hug, I could not help but be thankful to share in that moment with them. This hunt was not only the most exciting hunt I have ever done, but the most memorable too! As for Michael and his grandfather, well, this hunt will be forever etched into their memories and will create great conversation for years to come! It was also captured forever on video for them to be able to play back and relive time and time again with those they love. I am the way, the truth and the life

4 Page 4 Planting Seeds in PA from page 3 You may be wondering what happened with Arianna s deer? Well, we never did find her deer. It had rained that afternoon, which made it tough to track. Dave Barrett ended up looking for the deer for another two hours the next day and still nothing turned up. The RCO team had to fly back home on Sunday morning to get back to work on Monday. Although Arianna was disappointed, she still had a memorable time with the RCO team. The youth hunt was a success. The goals were accomplished--we must continue to teach our youth the traditions and values of hunting. We must teach them to trust in what God has given us to harvest and use. If we as a nation continue in the direction we are headed, hunting as we know it will disappear forever. Our youth is the future! Most importantly, we must pour into them our time, love, and excitement for Christ and our appreciation for the outdoors and everything in it that God has created. Trust us when we say that these kids will NEVER forget these hunts!! If you would like to watch the youth hunts/testimonies mentioned in this article, along with other hunts, you can view them at at Tangle.com, or by becoming a member of the RCO Facebook group. We are still editing the youth hunts and hope to have them available to you by the end of January You may also be wondering how you can help to make youth hunts like this possible. Well, you can by supporting RCO! We can make this possible through the financial support from readers like you! Please pray about partnering up with RCO to make these hunts and other ministry opportunities possible. How do you donate to RCO? You can go to and click on the PayPal link or use the gift card at the bottom of this newsletter and mail in your support. Every dollar helps us continue to make trips like this possible as well as reach others through our other ministry avenues. Some Pennsylvania Youth Hunters Top Left: Arianna, her dad and Andy Top Right: Jacob Bottom Right: Michael & Grandpa Mike What Place did you Finish? from page 2 However I would like you to take a look at these pictures and you tell me what place they finished and who had the most fun? Kody Jacob That s what I thought-- They all look like champions! You can t tell what place they finished because they did not compete to win, they shot because they love to shoot! They shot for the simple joy of shooting; these kids were not concerned one bit about how they finished against the other kids. They just did it for the pure joy of it! You see, I think sometimes we as believers get so caught up in the events of life that we let the world and its troubles steal our joy. We start looking at each other and what they have or compare our lives with other people s lives and we lose focus. It reminds me of the time when James and John wanted to be in first place in heaven so they cornered Jesus and put their best performance in so that they could finish in first place. However, Jesus reassured them that their hearts where in the right spot but their focus was off target (Mark 10:35-45) and it caused a great commotion with the disciples. You see, when our focus is off our target becomes harder to hit if not impossible. All of a sudden the very things that Andrew Please see What Place did you finish? on page 6 Go into all the World and share the good news

5 Past, Present and Future Page 5 From the Sept.-Nov. Newsletter. Guess who these young archers are? It s our very own Andy Kaminski and Tom Kamins Kaminski ki. ki Talk About Faith! Blind Kids Camp, Camp T in Greenville, Michigan. These youth learn to shoot bows with help from instructors and most are 100% Blind! They shoot at a board with balloons on it. Story will be in future issue. During MI Black Bear season Father & Daughter take there first Bear. Left: Russell Utych, Bottom: 12 yr. Sierra Utych. RCO s Executive Directors, Andy Kaminski, Tom DuBois and Jim Duflo attend a Hunter s Dinner at the Rock Bible Church in Rock, MI. David LeTourneau of Presque Isle, ME. with his first 465 lb. Bull Moose. David s oldest son accompanied him on this hunt. Have photos you would love to share? Send us your favorite hunting memory and we will try our best to get them into the newsletters.

6 Page 6 What Place did you finish? from page 4 brought you joy are causing you to be discontent. We are no longer satisfied with just shooting our bows but now we must shoot them better than our neighbor. We are no longer excited about our $35.00 recurve we bought at a garage sale we need a $1,500 custom bow just like John Doe or Betty Buck, our neighbors down the street. Or maybe worse yet! Maybe our spouse don t look as good as our next door neighbor s spouse, so we start to take our focus off our family. Our whole moral compass gets bumped off target and our aim spirals downhill and finally out of control! There are so many things in this world that can distract you from your target, that it s overwhelming at times! Do you know what the meaning of sin is? It means to miss the mark. Do you know what it takes to keep from missing your mark? You must stay completely focused on your target, and DO NOT let anything distract you from your target. Do you recall when all the disciples where in a boat and a huge storm was brewing and they were all scared to death. They looked out to see somebody walking on the water and at first they thought it was a ghost but as the figure drew nearer they realized it was Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "tell me to come to you on the water." and Jesus told him fine come on out. So Peter got out of the boat and started to walk on water. However, all of a sudden, he took his eyes off of the target and he started to look at the storm all around him. Once he took his eyes off his target the whole world started to collapse as he sank to what seemed to be his cold demise. I believe that same thing is happening today to so many of God s disciples. But do not be discouraged! Just like Peter, when he was up to his neck in trouble, he turned his focus back on his target Jesus! At that very moment, Jesus reached His hand out to Peter and pulled him out of his potential icy grave! This same Jesus of yesterday is the same today (Hebrews 13:8) and what he did for Peter he will do for you. So what place are you in today? In the case of my grandsons, to man they took 1 st, 2 nd and 4 th place. But to them, and more important to God, they where number one in His book as God seen their hearts and they were right on target. DO NOT let anything distract you from your target. Take up thy bow and get me some venison

7 Page 7 "Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6 Booking RCO If you are interested in having the Rugged Cross Outdoors team at your church or event please contact us. We are preparing our 2010 schedule and beyond so book now. RCO is able to speak during morning services, outreach, such as wild game dinners, school events, and small group functions. If interested contact us at: info@ruggedcrossoutdoors.org In the Next Issue! Heaven Sent Bull- Andy Kaminski s story on his Bull Elk hunt. Remembering my uncle Chuck- Jeff Wilcox More photos and upcoming events. RCO is on Facebook, please join our group and stay connected with the latest happenings with RCO. See photos, videos and comments as to where we are and where we are going. Coming Soon! In the coming months RCO will be uploading videos to Tangle.com. Tangle is a Faith Based web site like Youtube, but safer and much cleaner content. You will be required to sign up it s Free if you wish to leave a comment on the videos. Otherwise, you can view them without an account. We will notify you when this is up and running.

8 Page 8 Prayer & Praise Report Prayers from the field: Molly (Back & Hip) Les (Nerve Disease) Curtis (Cancer) Jeff (Employment) Peggy (Breast Cancer) We need Prayer partners to cover the RCO ministry in prayer, please us at info@ruggedcrossoutdoors.org if you wish to be Prayer warriors for RCO. You will receive s as to specific prayer requests and dates to be praying. In the subject line of your put the words Prayer Team and include your name and location. Please pray about financially supporting RCO, its tax deductable. We are praying for monthly supporters to come forward so that RCO may move forward. If you enjoy reading about our mission trips and great stories, please consider becoming a monthly supporter. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a difference. Talk to your pastor about your church adding RCO to the monthly mission support. We would love to come and speak to your church if that would help. Please pray for our military personnel and leaders. Pray for those being impacted during these tuff economic times. Praise God for being able to provide over 1000 meals this fall to people in Colorado, North Dakota and Michigan. Important Announcement Starting in January 2010 the RCO Newsletter will be a monthly distribution. It will be downsized from its current size. This is to keep you informed and current on what is and will be going on with Rugged Cross Outdoors. Thank you for your support and patience. Financial Report Dec 08- Feb 09 March 09-May 09 June 09 - Aug 09 Sept 09 - Nov 09 YTD Total Actual $2,638 $1,819 $3, $10, $18, Budget $5,319 $5,319 $5,319 $5,319 $21,276 * $178,011 $178,011 $178,011 $178, ,044 *Overall financial requirements needed to operate this ministry on a full time basis. Making a Difference in the lives of Outdoor Enthusiasts!

9 Rugged Cross Outdoors is a 501(C) 3 non-profit organization that serves as the platform for our ministry Mission trips to the Woods, Lakes, Fields and Streams! The organization was created to fulfill the ultimate plan that God has instilled in our hearts to to go out into the outdoor world and share the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. We are committed to Glorifying Jesus Christ using what He has created to spread the Word of God, while at the same time encouraging fellowship amongst outdoor enthusiasts of all ages. Rugged Cross Outdoors also wholeheartedly values the next generation our youth! In order for us to ensure God s Kingdom will continue to advance as well as preserve the wonderful sport of hunting, we must reach out to everyone--adults, people with disabilities and/or life threatening illnesses, the poor and less fortunate, and especially our youth! The Rugged Cross Outdoors team engages in a multitude of ministry activities that support this overall mission. These ministries include our Outfitter Outreach, Youth Outreach, Speaking Ministry, People with Disabilities and Life Threatening Illnesses Ministry, our Outdoor Media Ministry, and our Venison Donation Ministry. For more information on each ministry avenue, please check us out on our webpage and click on the about us section. We re on the Web! Visit us at: Rugged Cross Outdoors 1733 N. 9 th Street Sheboygan, WI Rugged Cross Outdoors Gift Card Please accept my one time tax-deductible gift in support of Rugged Cross Outdoors! $1,000 $500 $250 $100 Other My employer will match my gift. (Please include matching gift form with returns) Monthly Gift $200 $100 $75 $50 $25 Other $ (Please notify Rugged Cross Outdoors should you want to discontinue monthly donations) A Christian Outdoor Ministry Method of payment: Check Credit Card: Discover Visa MasterCard American Express Check #: Credit Card #: Credit Security Code #: Expiration MM/YY: / Name: Address: Phone: City: State: Zip: Zip: Signature: Date: I would like more information concerning how I can help Rugged Cross Outdoors through: Hunting Property/Equipment Gifts Prayer You can also give by clicking and look for the Please make checks payable to Rugged Cross Outdoors logo to donate.