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Eric Sawchuk Fund


I will custom build for you a camo fletching cover for your quiver. $25 includes shipping, and I will donate $5 from every purchase to the Children of Eric Sawchuk Fund. I make this stuff as a hobby, but I want to do something to support Eric's family in this difficult time. If you are interested in ordering one, send me an email at misadventuregear@yahoo.com and I will email you more information.





Here is the story about Eric Sawchuk

Aloha all friends and outdoorsmen,
This is a very sad day. Eric Sawchuck, an avid rifle & bow hunter, the owner of HawaiiSportsman.com and producer of Hawaii Sportsman TV passed away Sunday, 2/1/09 while goat hunting in Makua Valley area in Makaha Hawaii. Eric was 41 years old.

Eric was stalking some Goat bucks, when he slipped off a jagged rocky outcropping, and fell 20 feet to a rocky ledge, where we think, he hit his head, that caused his death. Eric then slid down another 80 feet of broken rock where luckily he was stooped by some Keawe (mesquite) bushes. If those bushes had not stopped him, he would’ve fallen another 500 feet down a steep cliff. According to the coroner, he died instantly from the head injury.

Eric died doing what he loved best, hunting, and he wouldn’t have wanted to go any other way.

Eric’s show was seen on Olelo channel 52, in the Hawaiian Islands and was a free show. He was about to expand to bigger markets across the US. He made no money doing his show and did it for free to help the hunting community come together. He was an advocate for opening up lands for the public hunter. Everything he did was for the betterment of all hunters worldwide.

Eric’s web site www.HawaiianSportsman.com is the only one of its kind in Hawaii, where hunters cane come together and discuss hunting. Eric did this for free also, never charging any one to utilize his site. Check out his sight and you will read the comments about his passing and how much he will be missed.

Please pray for his family and take a moment to reflect on all that Eric has done for the hunting community in Hawaii. He left behind two beautiful children Kino 9 & Jessica 5 and a wonderful wife Theresa.

Eric and his wife Theresa are emergency nurses at Queens hospital. They have helped save more lives then we will ever know.

He really opened my eyes to pig hunting and especially bow hunting. He was my bow hunting mentor. He was always nice to everyone and showed aloha to all. He would offer help to anyone that needed it, and wouldn’t ask anything in return. He was my friend and my companion in the field. I will miss him and always cherish our time together.

Eric and I filmed hunts of each other and of others. He would give free DVD’s to the people that hunted, to cherish there hunt for years to come. He was working on his first DVD to sell in sporting good stores and to lift his family up and offer a better life for his kids. His friends will try to continue and finish his work and get his DVD out.
Eric was a perfect example of the Phrase "Pay it forward." He would always give before ever expecting to get something back in return. I hope we all can learn from him and keeps his energy moving through the hunting community.

Eric, I look forward to seeing you on the other side, Bow in hand, still doing what you did best, Hunting, and teaching. I will miss you Eric, more then you will ever know.
I have set up a bank trust fund for Eric’s Kids to help with there future. There mother has been fighting cancer for over a year and things are not looking well. She told me the other day after Eric died, that she was always expecting that Eric would take care of her beautiful children when she past, and now she doesn’t know what to do. Eric has been caring for the whole family with his one nurse’s check. At the same time, he was still providing free access to his show and web site. He has left behind some debt that the family will have a hard time cleaning up.

If there is one thing I am going to do, it's to make sure his kids have a fighting chance. If you can send this out to all of your hunting buddies, I would really appreciate it. Anything you can give or do will be appreciated. $20, $50, $100, anything will help them. The more people that send something in the better. These kids have nothing left. I have opened the account for the kids with a donation from my family.

Make checks payable to: Children of Eric Sawchuck Fund.

All donations can be sent to: Bank Of Hawaii Kahala branch, Children of Eric Sawchuk fund, 4634 Kilauea Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816, Phone: 808-694-6722 Fax: (808) 694-6717

If you have any questions, you can call the bank at 808-694-6722. I know as hunter and outdoors man and woman we can help these kids. I have attached a letter from one of Eric’s friends who never even met Eric in person, he just knew him from his web site and conversations they had on the phone. And the link to the article from the paper. Read this letter and my letter and you will know this was a good man.
Anything you can do will be appreciated.

Link to article in paper: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902030331

PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANY ONE YOU THINK CAN HELP. THE MORE IT SPREADS AROUND, THE MORE WE CAN POSIBBLY HELP THE CHILDREN.

Thank you for your support,
Ralph Gray Friend and hunting companion

God gave me back the desire of my heart

 

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart, Psalms 37:4 (NIV)."

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4: 11-13 (NIV)”

I just wanted to share with you what has happened in my life during this last 18 months. I had a great job as a cable installation technician, and on January 30, 2008 while I was extending a ladder to do an overhead disconnect, the ladder lost its footing on snow packed and icy pavement. The ladder went over, and my hand was still wrapped to the pull rope. As the 70 pound ladder fell it lifted my body right off the ground, causing me to land with my full body weight all 220 pound on my left shoulder.

After the initial hospital visit to the emergency room, the doctors only felt that I had bruised my shoulder and prescribed an anti-inflammatory medication. Well as time progressed, so did my discomfort level. The workers compensation company that handled the case for the company called me to ask, just how I was doing. I explained, and they said we want you tested further.

Now, as a bow hunter I was having great difficulty in drawing my very new Mathews Drenalin bow, so I did not practice with it but just a few times.

Well the company I was working for at the time of my injury, just could not handle my work restrictions that the doctor had put me on. So, on May 21, 2008 they let me go because I could not perform my job duties that I was hired for. I then contacted the workers compensation company, and they took care of me with no problems. It was later ruled that I would need surgery to fix the problem with my left shoulder.

Since having this problem, I just did not practice and so my bow hunting that I love to do was not a reality. I was so frustrated, about not bow hunting, that I just did not know what God had in store for me either.

Well I under went surgery on November 17, 2008 and after the surgery the doctor told my wife, that he had to remove 1” of my collar bone, the collar bone joint, bursa sack and a rotator cuff tear repair. When the doctor came into recovery to see me, he just shook his head and explained everything to me, telling me that it would be a long and painful recovery process.

 

Several week’s past, before I had my first office visit with my surgeon. He explained to me at this time, that he felt I would never draw a bow again. I can tell you that I totally felt crushed.

Well I started physical therapy, and found that my two physical therapist were also bow hunters. I explained to them the frustration I was having just lifting my bow, and discovered I could only lift it up about 10 degree’s. They explained to me that they would help me, help myself and I would be hunting during the 2009 bow hunting season. Well I also prayed about this, and give God the glory in the following occurrences.

God now gave me the drive, and ability to follow thru with the program that the physical therapist had given me to do. At about 2.5 months they asked me to start to lift my bow while grabbing the bow string, and just bringing it taunt to steady it. I finally was lifting my bow pretty good, so I decided to turn down its draw weight to about 60#. Well 3 months to the day, I went to our local Mathews Bow dealer called Spirit Quest Archery. I headed into the indoor range, where I shot my bow for about 3 hours.

You can probably imagine the joy I was feeling at this sudden change. Here my doctor had told me, that I probably would not be able draw my bow again. God made this happen, and I am so full of joy that yes, God has given me the desire of my heart once again.

Recently I went into a local sporting goods store, I thought hey I can draw my bow, I wonder if I can hold a rifle off hand. Well, I think God made the decision of what I am to use, because I thought I was going to drop the rifle it hurt so much to hold.

I just wanted to share this with you.

 

 

We have an awesome God

 

Jon Erdmann

By Whitetail Freak Hunter at 2009-02-18 Well my physical therapist, both of which are bowhunters told me that they would have me bowhunting for the 2009 season. Well after working real hard at my physical therapy I found myself back shooting just 3 months to the day on Feb 17th, 2008 at Spirit Quest Archery shooting for 3 hours.

Well lets back up a bit.... just 2 weeks after having 1" of my collarbone removed along with the collarbone joint and bursa sack, and R/C tear repair I started physical therapy. I thought my God what have I done to myself as I was experiencing alot of pain. Well my physical therapy started off slowly at 3 days a week for 30 min workouts. Then the weights were added to help build up resistance and stamina. Well several weeks back my physical therapist asked me to start working with my bow and drawing my string. Well I lowered the draw wt from 70# down to 60# which I also have an 80% let off on my Mathews Drenalin bow.

This felt good, and with my weight training I have increased my reps on the pully weights along with increasing the amount of weight as well. This has been paying off, by leaps and bounds as I am up to 100 pounds with a cross bar now pulling straight down with 4 sets of 10 reps.

Some may view this as getting back shooting to soon after just 3 months from having the kind of surgery that I have had. My surgeon had told me that I probably would never shoot my bow again, which is probably the worst thing he could have told me.

More to follow at a later time.........

Luke 18:27 Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God." NIV

Intimacy With God

READ | John 15:12-15

Sometimes God seems far away from us. In those moments, we may wonder how personally involved in our lives He actually is. At such times, we should rely on what the Lord Himself has said in Scripture.

Psalm 139:13-17 says that the Lord knit us together in the womb and loves us unconditionally. We also know He plans to prosper us spiritually (Philippians 1:6). These truths confirm that He knows us intimately.

Jesus’ life further testifies to the divine desire for intimacy. He consistently reached out to strangers, inviting them to draw near to Him. He spoke words of encouragement to His disciples and other followers, teaching them the profound truths He’d received from His Father (John 7:16) and holding them accountable for their actions. He invited certain ones to accompany Him for deeply personal experiences, such as the transfiguration and His last prayer retreat to Gethsemane (Mark 9:2; Matthew 26:36-37). These are all indications of real friendship.

Jesus’ final act—dying on the cross—made it possible for us to join His “inner circle” as a part of God’s family. The Holy Spirit, each believer’s indwelling companion and guide, also witnesses to God’s closeness and detailed knowledge of those who are His.

God has made intimacy with Him possible, but we often hold back. Distracted by earthly concerns, we put limits on His involvement in our lives and set family and friends as a higher priority. Let’s commit to placing the Lord first and pursuing Him with our whole heart (Mark 12:30).

Ephesians 4:32 - 5:2 And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.

Well several weeks ago a Sunday started out so wonderful, with an awesome time of worship at church... my day went down hill about mid afternoon. It seemed like it was one thing after another getting me primed for later in the evening. When I got home I found that my new neighbor was again parking his vehicle on my lawn, and I had a grump on. Well I marched right over there and told him what for, that it was my property etc yadda yadda etc....... Boy I was Mr Landowner bigshot telling him to get his vehicle off my property to. All the while his wife yelling "you don't have to be so rude, you don't have to be so rude".... I turned and stormed back to my house.

Well after I got back in the house and took off my hunting hat, I could not help but see what it says..... Invisible Romans 1:20

Boy then it hit me... what have I done Lord. I felt so under conviction about my actions, I just felt sick inside that I had let the enemy win over the way I should have acted. Well I went back outside and around the corner to see if they were still outside, but they had gone in as their truck was now in their driveway, and the outside was dark.

I came back in and prayed about my actions, and how bad I made the Lord look in their eyes if they had seen my hat..... what I must have conveyed to them, I felt so sick inside.

Well the next morning, I heard my neighbor start up his truck at 06:30am... a suped up 68 long bed chevy muscle truck. I put on my slippers and coat and headed out the door and waited for my neighbor to come out. He finally showed up, saying "Hi There". I told him that I had been a complete jerk about this issue, and asked if he would accept my apoligy for the way I had acted last night. I told him about my day, but that when I do something so stupid that is shows that I just haven't passed walking on water 101 yet. He extented his hand, and thanked me for coming over so early. He did say that he had intended to come over tonight so we could talk about what had happened.

When I got back inside the house my wife asked me where I had gone, so I explained what I felt the Lord wanted me to do in this situation with our neighbor, which now has opened the door.

In todays text I would like to share with you -

Matthews 6:14-15
“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Colossians 3:13
"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others."

Luke 6:38
"Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

My wife commented that she loves how the Lord is changing things in my life...... and you know, so do I.

I pray that in some way this touched and effected at least one of you out there.  Please dear sportsman and hunter start your week out this week by by attending a church and asking God to make His presents known in your life.  Remember a moment of commitment on your part to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior will result in a lifetime of adjustment, that is so awesome.

Ephesians 5:1 - 2, Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

 

READ | Philippians 3:7-11

God wants people to know Him more than anything they have ever known before. If He preferred anonymity, He would not have orchestrated the writing of a multi-author book about Himself. But Bible reading is just a first step. Knowing about God is different than knowing God. Anyone can learn a few facts about Him, but only a dedicated believer takes the time and energy to be His friend. Do you remember when you first met your wife or husband? Do you remember just how much you wanted to find out about her or him, their every little detail right down to the cologne or perfume they wore that made them smell so irresistable? Well that is how God wants our attention toward Him and not like the way we are with some distant cousin or those we call aquaintences.

First, we learn about the Lord from His Word. Now hunters and archers do you remember how you felt when you purchased that new bow? I know you know what I am talking about here as I did the very same thing. I dug thru every magazine artical I could find, every internet posting I could find so I could get to know my bow better than anything to become aquinted with it on a very personal level. After all I was going to use this bow from target shooting to hunting game. So I had to make sure my sights were just right. I had to make sure that my broadheads were just right. And I have to make sure my arrow shafts spline and weight is just right for proper flight to match my bow.

By reading the Bible, believers begin to accumulate facts about God’s character, principles, and ways of operating. Unfortunately, churches are full of men and women who stop at this step. They know a lot of religion but cannot share faith. They have not allowed themselves to know God as He would want us to know Him. They cannot give you a passionate experience in knowing God, because they have only allowed themselves to know God in casual manor.

The second step is to meditate on Scripture. That means thinking about God’s words and allowing the Holy Spirit to interpret them. How has God spoken to you thru His Word? The next time you read Scripture, don't just read the Word and simply put your Bible away. Close your eyes blocking out all distractions, and ask God to really reveal to you what you have just read.

Finally, we must apply what we learn. Suppose you read Psalm 46:1 which says, "God is a very present help in times of trouble." Then, when trouble shows up, you rely on Him for help. When He answers—and He will answer, although not always as expected—you learn something: God helps you by responding to your trust and dependence with a custom-made solution to your problem.
 

I pray that this, has helped someone today. Please before you hit the woods to go hunting, pray to God to really reveal Himself to you. Ask God for that closer walk, that more gainful relationship that God so desires with you. When your out there hunting today, talk to God, as you just might be amazed at how He answers back.

  As we hit the woods in pursuit of a majestic whitetail buck, do we think of the most important things of all?

Do we pack away the survival supplies that are needed should we need them, no matter where our destination may take us?  Here are a few things to consider as you pack for that long awaited hunting trip.

Extra batteries
Fire kit X 2 or 3 (Which would also include a lighter)
Duck tape
Compass and whistle
Hand saw and pruners (for making splints with the Duck tape and trimming stands)
Extra blade
Beef jerky
Water bottle x 2
First aid with snake bit kit
A box of extra ammo.
A spoon and fork.
Chap stick
Pencil (Very important)

And the most important one is the greatest survival manual of all time. The…
B asic
I nstruction
B efore
L eaving
E arth.

Now, the most important destination that I would like to talk about is your eternal destination.

PLEASE READ | Luke 16:19-26

All of us are eternal beings because we were made in God’s image (Gen. 1:26). After physical death, our spirits will live forever. Where we reside—heaven or hell—will depend on whether we have accepted or rejected Jesus as our personal Savior.

Scripture teaches that all have sinned and owe a penalty (Rom. 3:23; 6:23). There isn’t anything we can do to earn God’s forgiveness. Knowing this, our heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus to take our sins upon Himself and experience punishment in our place. In that way, we become part of God’s family and look forward to spending eternity with Him in heaven. His only requirement for this amazing blessing is that we acknowledge we’re sinners who need a Savior and believe that Jesus died to save us (Rom. 10:9-10). Those who reject Christ will spend life after death separated from Him and all else that is good. But those who believe will live with Him forever.

Every person will ultimately dwell in heaven or hell, both of which are real places described in the Bible. In heaven, we’ll never again know pain, sorrow, or tears (Rev. 21:4). But Hell is the opposite. A place of punishment, it will be the scene of everlasting agony and torment. Today’s passage illustrates this hard fact.

Eternal punishment and the reality of hell are never easy topics to consider, but they are vitally important because they will really happen. Don’t let your emotions turn you away from the truths recorded in Scripture. Instead, take heed of the warnings, and be certain you are heaven-bound.

I pray that none of you hit the woods this hunting season forgetting to thank the Lord for your many blessings.  I desire to share with you about the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and how He has changed my life from what I was, to where I am now.  I am far from perfect in any way, but through God's forgiveness and saving grace I am saved, and know for sure my eternal destination should I befall an accident while out in the woods or driving through traffic.  I know that I know that I know my savior has redeemed me from what unforgiven sin would have lead me to.

Dear hunter and outdoorsman it only takes a moment of your time, for a lifetime of change.

If you do not have a Bible of your own, and would like one please let me know as I can get you one for free.

God Bless you all and have a safe and prosperous hunting season.

I leave you with one more verse from the Bible

Romans 1:20
For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.