Mission: Possible

Today, I have a special announcement to share.

Seventy-three days ago, Sean Costil and I launched our beautiful website, Fine Job Fly Fishing Co.

Some people may ask, “What is so beautiful about this website?”

Well, if you haven't heard about The Life of Finn or experienced and felt the journey behind it, you may never truly understand.

Because Finn is more than a character. Finn is a vision, a mission, and a message for our communities and the generations to come.

Sean Costil was the first person to believe in my vision. Sean is our co-founder and creative and digital designer, and he helped bring our website to life.

What a truly committed and loyal friend. I am grateful to have him beside me on this journey.

We then shared our vision with a special person, friend, and mentor, Jason Mitzner of Home Waters Fly Fishing and Guide Service. Jason believed in our vision and fully supported us.

Next, we reached out to Brian Hoyt and Gregg Melton of McKenzie Masters. They, too, believed in our vision for Finn.

Brian and Gregg have been so supportive of our mission, and we hope to continue working side by side with them on our Mission Possible Project.

I was passionate about sharing our mission with others. I would work long hours in the evening, then wake up at one or two in the morning to start writing again. To this day, I continue working hard to reach people who may connect with the vision Sean and I share.

Along the way, I have received some very special replies from people who believe in what we are trying to accomplish, including Nick and Ty of the Talbott Brothers, the folk-rock duo, and Takashi Murata from Japan.

Every person who takes the time to listen, learn, and believe in Finn reminds me why this journey matters.

I want to thank McKenzie River Trust for believing in our vision of Finn. I also want to recognize Anyah Preston, a truly special and genuine person who serves as a land steward with McKenzie River Trust. Anyah believed in my vision for Finn and was deeply moved by the manuscript of my children's book, The Life of Finn.

I also want to thank Elizabeth Goward, who believed in my vision and helped make sure it reached Anyah.

These two wonderful people helped support our efforts to bring Finn's first message to Finn Rock, a very special and beautiful place along the McKenzie River.

This is an important first step in sharing Finn's message with our community.

I also want to thank my dearest friends, Crystal and Jordan, for believing in my vision. Jordan is working on creating a beautiful piece of glass art of Finn, and we will be working together to bring this part of the vision to life.

Recently, I met two more special people who took the time to hear my story.

Marty Mealey, director of Leaburg Library, thank you for believing in my vision for Finn.

Randy Dersham, thank you for taking the time to listen to my journey and learn about Finn's mission. Randy directed the award-winning documentary feature Oregon's Boat: The McKenzie River Drift Boat, which celebrates an important part of our river's heritage.

I am grateful for the opportunity to meet people who care so deeply about our river, our history, and our communities.

I also met two special people on October 9th: Patrick and Colette, both wonderful people. Patrick is a musician, master engineer, music producer, and audio engineer. Colette is a writer and an amazing person. Thank you both for your time, your new friendship, and for believing in Finn.

Ken Engelman, owner, publisher, and editor of McKenzie River Reflections, has been another important part of my journey.

Ken is passionate about his work and his project, the McKenzie River Discovery Center. He has also guided me as I worked on three columns sharing my personal journey and the vision behind Finn.

My columns are:

• There Is Something Special About the McKenzie River That Keeps Bringing Me Back
• From an Idea to a Mission
• From Fly Fishing to Finn: How a Love for the River Became a Vision for Community, Stewardship, and Giving Back

All three columns were written by me, Lupe Phillips.

I may not consider myself a professional writer, but I love to write. I have learned that sometimes the most important stories begin with a simple idea, a love for something special, and a desire to give back.

Ken, thank you for your encouragement and for helping me share my story with the community.

I also recently met Tom Hoyt, who currently serves as a director of the Bohemia Foundation and is a member of the McKenzie River Guides Association and McKenzie Masters, an organization that raises funds to benefit the McKenzie River watershed.

Tom, I learned a great deal from our conversation. Thank you, sir, for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with me.

One of the things I have come to appreciate on this journey is how much we can learn from the people who came before us. Their stories, experience, and dedication helped shape the communities we love today.

Those stories deserve to be shared with the next generation.

Sean and I will continue working on Fine Job Fly Fishing Co. We want to get out into our communities, meet people face-to-face, listen to their stories, and share the journey of Finn.

We want to visit the beautiful communities that make up the McKenzie Valley, including Cedar Flat, Walterville, Leaburg, Vida, Nimrod, Blue River, Rainbow, and McKenzie Bridge.

We also hope to visit local schools and share Finn's story with children.

We would love to visit the Springfield and Eugene communities, too, and share what we are building.

Sean and I have made a decision: we want Finn's message to grow through personal connections and word of mouth, rather than relying on social media.

We believe Finn's message is important enough to be shared directly with people, one conversation at a time, throughout our beautiful communities and, one day, across our great nation.

We owe it to the next generation to preserve our history and share the stories of the remarkable people who have worked so hard to build our communities.

Sean and I have a vision of creating an educational program or school for kids where they can learn about our local history, build a drift boat, learn to fly fish and tie flies, discover rafting, and experience the importance of mentorship and stewardship.

Imagine children learning from experienced guides, boat builders, fly fishers, and community members. Imagine those relationships growing into lifelong friendships, a deeper appreciation for the outdoors, and a desire to give back.

I believe this vision can become a reality because we have amazing people around us who want to see our children succeed and who care about the future of our communities.

Our message is simple:

Fish. Mentor. Steward. Give Back.

We want to bring our communities together, protect what we love, and preserve our river, our history, and our way of life for future generations.

Finn is our way of beginning that conversation.

And I believe this is just the beginning.

With gratitude,

Lupe Phillips and Sean Costil Fine Job Fly Fishing Co. The Life of Finn