UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
This is the final report from Mississippi for this team because we will hit the
road bright and early in the morning. There may not be another report until we arrive back in Altoona.
Friday was another good day for all of us. All the crews got as much work done as they could in the morning,
but the families they supported all expressed their feelings more openly today.
After we packed our tools and equipment back into the tool trailer, several team members headed to market street
on the gulf to buy shrimp or crawfish packed in ice for the trip to Altoona.
The tradition for the Friday evening meal is to eat out and invite the supported families to join us.
We also invited a few of our regular hosts from Christ UMC. The food and fellowship was again very special.
For our Friday evening devotions team members were to bring something from the projects they worked and speak
briefly about what made that item special to them. The resulting discussions were very interesting and generally
got to the heart of the positive impact that participation in missions has on individuals.
We have an exceptional collection of people who make this an exceptional VIM team. We also have great supporters back home.
God is good all the time!
It is amazing how fast the days go by on mission trips. We are already half way through the week and feeling the pressure of our time running out before we can accomplish all that we would like. Today one crew finished the painting at the site in Poplarville and got set up to continue laying laminated flooring. Tomorrow we will start a painting job in Long Beach, we will finish our work on another painting job in Bay St Louis, and we will begin a drywall project at another site in Poplarville. At our big job in Perkinston today, the insulation and ceiling drywall was completed, the electrical is nearly finished and drywall of the walls will continue.
This evening we enjoyed a delicious chicken meal that was prepared by Carol, Pinky and Jessica. Then a couple of people from our host (Christ UMC) came by with desserts. During our team meeting, we selected the people who will receive the two quilts provided by the HUB. Ron Yoder provided an interesting devotion, and shortly thereafter, people started disappearing. So here it is not even 10PM and most of the team has retired for the night.
Though our numbers are not large, this VIM team is covering a lot of territory and accomplishing a great deal. All of you supporters back home can be proud.
Today (Tuesday) we started two new painting projects and continued with carpentry and insulation work at our primary site in Perkinston, MS. The team is getting into a routine, and things are going pretty smooth.
We were offered even more projects today by the Katrina Relief organization, but now our plate is running over! We will do what we can, but our guidance is to try to do those things that will most help families get back into their homes, and several have deadlines of 1 May to be out of their FEMA trailers. Some of the lower priority tasks simply have to wait for another team of volunteers. Unfortunately, the number of volunteers has dropped off drastically.
All of the families that we are supporting are very appreciative, and the team members are having a good time doing God’s work.
We understand it was wet and cool in Pennsylvania today, but your Altoona District Mission Team was struggling to adapt to the shock of nice sunny days in the 70s. So far there have been no love bugs either. (Those who have experienced them know what a blessing it is not to have to deal with them.)
In regard to our projects, we started the day with two, and we were a little concerned that we would have too many people at our primary site. Once again it is amazing how things happen when you are on these missions. We picked up seven more projects that should provide us with more work than we can accomplish in our week here plus they are scattered over a large area so we will travel new trails during our mission adventures.
Our Monday evening meal with St Rock UMC was a delightful event. The food was great of course, but our team was impressed with the enthusiasm of the congregation who attended. They were very grateful that we were able to bring the Baptismal Font that Rev George Clippinger from Breezewood located to fill the St Rock need. We were asked speak to the youth about the volunteers-in-mission (VIM) program which we were glad to do. Then we were treated with a youth dance program and group singing that helped us fully understand that St Rock really rocks!
We truly appreciate all our supporters at home. I’d like to shout out a special thanks to the First United Methodist Church in Holidaysburg who not only provided registration fees for six team members from their congregation but also covered the cost to rent a mini van. Way to go 1st!
The Altoona District Mission Team had a very good, safe trip south to Long Beach on Saturday and Sunday. Our overnight stay in the Jones Memorial UMC in Chattanooga provided a nice break, and we all found a good meal. Sunday we drove through some rain on the way, but by the time we arrived in Long Beach, it was very pleasant 75 degrees. (Remember you too could be here. Better sign up for the next mission trip.)
Of course, our wonderful hosts at Christ United Methodist Church again hosted a meal for the team. We enjoyed the fellowship and a relaxed evening.
Tomorrow we have two projects to start working, and the folks at St Rock UMC have invited us to join them for an evening meal. (If you are getting the idea that we eat well, you are right.)
Thanks to all our supporters at home.
