by Rev. Doug Douma
SOLA Appalachian Christian Retreat in Unionville, NY
the Missions Banner, June/July 2025

Greetings and Happy Spring/Summer from all of us at Sola!

I like to divide Spring (and early Summer) in New York into two stages which I call yellow spring and purple spring.  In yellow spring we have dandelions, daffodils, and forsythias displaying their yellow glory. And in purple spring we see the beauty of crocuses, rhododendrons, and tulips. There is some regularity to the time of each flowers arrival, but plenty of surprises to look for as well.

Our own tasks at Sola have that same pattern of regularity plus uniqueness. Over the years we’ve developed a rhythm in our schedule with yearly events including hosting a neighborhood BBQ at our house, participating in a yard sale and village cleanup day, and going to the Memorial Day parade where Doug gives the prayer before the crowd. But there are unique events this year as well. We hosted presbytery at Unionville for the first time since we joined the Bible Presbyterian Church. Our new intern, William Przybyl, has started and will be working with us for ten weeks. And the warmer weather promises to allow us to work on this year’s projects: perhaps finishing a chicken coop and/or rebuilding the deck on the back of our house to improve our outdoor area for hikers.

Similarly this hiker season we look forward to the arrival of some regular “repeat customers” – hikers we’ve met in past years — and new hikers as well. We pray that God brings the right people to us at the right time.

– Doug + Priscilla, Maple, Birch, and Evergreen (Banzai + Hot Drinks, Maplecakes, Stormy, and Peaceful)