UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Seems like I just wrote the first Daily Report and now I'm writing the last. What a fantastic mission journey this has been. Early tomorrow morning 11of our team members will depart for home. 17 of us will be staying here for another week. On Sunday 13 others will arrive to join us for a second week of missions.
During the last week we have had the opportunity to plant a lot of seeds---amongst our own group, in those whose homes we have worked in, and in those who have observed us. Now it is God's job to water those seeds so that they can grow according to His will and to His glory.
The best summary of our week was presented during our evening devotions earlier tonight. Rev. Chuck Johnson led this period of worship, praise and thanksgiving. I am not going to share the details of this part of the week as I believe that is better done face-to-face with us when we return home. So please ask us about these devotions and the rest of our week.
We are requesting that you keep our team members who will be travelling this weekend in your prayers and also that you pray for those of us on mission here next week.
Today was a great day of accomplishments on the project side! Yes, some of our team qualified on additional pieces of equipment and yes, some of us stepped outside of our boundaries to perform new and different tasks than we've ever performed before. It was great to see the list of completed project items growing. Similiarly, it was wonderful for us to spend time with the owners of the homes we are working on.
...........but these things were not the highlight of the day.
At 6:30 this evening our team served a turkey and pork dinner with all the trimmings to the members of the Christ and St. Rock United Methodist Churches. The food was teriffic and the fellowship we enjoyed during dinner was wonderful. It was great to renew the friendships that we have made on previous trips! Our hymn sing following dinner was a tremendous amount of fun and could have lasted into the wee hours of the night.
...........but these things were not the highlight of the day, either.
So now you're wondering-- if these weren't the highlights, what was? I believe that many of us began to recognize tonight that after tomorrrow our team that has been living and working together since last Saturday morning will disband. Our thoughts have turned to remembering what we've experienced this week and to what all of these experiences have meant to us. All of a sudden we have realized how much our level of spiritual maturity has grown this week and how close we feel to God right now...........and that is the highlight of this day and all other days!
.....and then the rain came!!! Shortly after lunch today it began to cloud over and by about 2:30 it was raining. Not a real problem unless you were one of the 10 of us who were working on the Smith project. We worked diligently to get the house shingled before the down pour----however, we lost the race. Before we knew what was happening it seemed like we were in the ark and it was leaking badly.The framing crew saved the day when they drilled holes in the floor so the house could drain. We may be reassigned to a dryer location tomorrow.
Our other two "indoor" projects were wonderfully successful today. Among other things insulation, tile floors and kitchen cabinets were installed. Reports are being received that members of the two teams responsible for this work are beginning to receive phone requests to make guest appearances on the "Bob The Builder" show.
It is difficult to believe that it is now Wednesday evening. We will work a full day tomorrow and about a half day on Friday. On Saturday morning 11 members of our team will depart for Pennsylvania. Thursday evening we will serve dinner to the members of Christ church (where we are staying) and to 14 members of the St. Rock UMC (where we worked in January and April of this year). On Friday after our work ends we plan to enjoy some of the local foods. Please ask us how we liked our "Po Boys" when you see us the next time. We will also take some time to tour the area to see how Katrina's effects are still impacting the area.
All of us here realize how active God is in our group and recognize that we are truly on a "Mission Journey" with Him and for His glory. A number of you have responded to these daily reports stating that you are praying for us. We feel the impact of your prayers and believe that you, as our prayer partners, are an important part of our mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Please know that we are praying for you also.
"When we step outside of our routine to serve others, we see God and ourselves in new ways!"
We have become a fine tuned and productive group of brothers and sisters in Christ who are focused on making a difference in His name. Pastor Rick Waters urged us during devotions tonight to think of this week as a "Mission Journey" rather than a mission trip. On a journey one never ends where he began and neither will the 28 of us who are here in Gulfport. Because we have stepped outside of our routine to serve others we are not where we were when we left Pennsylvania and we will not be where we are today when we return to Pennsylvania.
..............................................NEWS BITS.......................................
• we've met all of the homeowners whose houses we're working on. Great people who have shared their story about how Katrina affected them and still dominates their lives.
• those who have now passed the competency test on the framing nailer: Rick Waters, Chuck Johnson (had to repeat test to qualify as his first attempt was scored poorly because the reserve air blast blew his hat off), Gray Yearick and Janet Durrwachter (the results of her qualification needed to be reviewed via instant replay--seems like most of the judges were distracted by her out burst of excitement during the actual test).
• Arlene Beechert has passed the multi-tool achievement appraisal by demonstrating great skill with a hole saw and a saber saw.
• Joell Fowler has given each member of our team and all of the members of our host church (and almost everyone else we've met) crosses that he has made out of nails. What a symbol of his talent and faith!
• Chet Harbach inspired all of us with his solo music before devotions this evening.
• "Pinky" Talley, Sandy Sanafelt and Barb Stapleton have formed a group called "The Painter Sisters". They performed for the first time this evening---a CD may be forth coming.
• and the list could go on and on...... there are so many stories involving everyone of our team members. I could mention everyone by name and share something I've learned about them. We are blessed to have exactly who we have on our team and are enjoying our fellowship and work together tremendously.
OUR FIRST DAY OF PROJECT WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND MOST HAVE GONE TO BED!!...........and what a fantastic day it was from its start to its finish.
Following breakfast, announcements and devotions we departed for our project sites at about 7:30. The morning went as do the first mornings of most mission weeks--defining what work we are to really be doing, locating the materials to do it with and getting the necessary tools to the work-site. By late morning these details had pretty much been dealt with and our team began to come alive. Spirits were good, laughter was heard frequently, and results started to occur. About noon we all enjoyed the gourmet level lunches that we had packed. P & J's seemed to be the most popular selection. We worked this afternoon until about 4:30. No, it wasn't so dark that we had to quit. Most of us we just plain beat. We enjoyed a delicious meat loaf dinner and great fellowship this evening. Dave Koskey led our Devotions which included a hymn sing. By group consensus we will be including music in our nightly programs the rest of the week. Solo and group selections will be included . The first scheduled practice for our newly formed choir will be Tuesday evening after dinner.
Our group has ask God to spur each of us to move outside of our comfortable boundaries this week to serve other persons in need. So, many of us are doing things that a few days ago we would not have envisioned ourselves doing. More details on this later. We have each been given a notebook and have been asked to record our thoughts each day about the following:
• What I have learned about myself.
• What I have learned about others.
• What I have learned about this team.
• What I have learned about God and my relationship with him.
We are given an opportunity to share any of the thoughts that we have recorded each night prior to Devotions.
And so..... all is well in Gulfport. We are able to see where God is working and are so thankful for the opportunity to join Him in His work!
Thanks for all your prayers. Know that you are in ours.
In His Service,
John
NEWS FLASH---After two long days of traveling we are OUT OF THE CARS!!
We are all thankful the trip from Pennsylvania to Mississippi was safe and that our en-route accommodations at Jones Memorial UMC in Chattanooga, TN worked out as we had planned. At this point in the evening all of us have moved into the Christ UMC in Long Beach, MS. The mattresses all seem to be holding air and everyone has organized their own "space" for the week. We had a great spaghetti and meat sauce dinner that was complete with a salad and garlic bread and dessert---all served to us by the great folks at Christ church. Some of us are already beginning to think about what kind of diets we'll need to go on when we get home.
After dinner(and our after trip showers) we held our first team meeting and participated in our first group devotions. Our group has been divided into two work project teams for tomorrow. Both teams will be doing interior and exterior work at residences in Pass Christian. We are fired up and ready to begin making a Christian difference in the lives of these two families who still have not been able to move back into their homes since Hurricane Katrina completely changed their lives.
As a bit of humor from those of us who told you that we were going south where the temperature was still summer-like: it was 38 when we left TN this morning and dropped to 34 as we traveled up the first mountain.
Note: We are now in the Central time zone, so it's only 11:17 pm here.
More to follow tomorrow......
Blessings and Prayers,
John
• The weather forecast for next week in Gulfport--high 70's with very limited chance of participation. (Bring shorts and an orange tank top if you have one)
• Our "Advance Team"--Ron & Carol Yoder and Barb Stapleton--was entering Tennessee at 3:15 pm today. Lowest gas price so far--$2.79. This team will be buying food and reviewing projects before the rest of us arrive. Initially, they'll be firming up the first two days of work with our group divided into three different project teams.
• Special thanks to Ron Hoover for managing all of the work project details during both weeks of our trip.
• Dave Fox has dropped out of the trip. The "Best" vehicle will be pulling the trailer. Some vehicle assignments have been changed. Those affected have been contacted.
• Christ UMC--our home away from home for the week-- will be serving us a spaghetti and meatball dinner Sunday evening when we arrive. Based on past experience this will be alot of good food and a great period of Christian fellowship.
• We have extended an invitation to the Pastor, Lay Leader and congregation from St. Rock UMC--where we worked in January and April--to join us for a turkey dinner on Thursday night. We've also invited the congregation from Christ Church to join us. Dinner will, hopefully, be followed by a hymn sing coordinated by our VIM music director, Dave Koskey.
• Janet Durrwachter has volunteered to coordinate our morning and evening devotions--10/18 thru 10/25. This will be a great way for you to share what you are feeling and how God has talked to you during our trip. See Janet to sign up for one of the slots.
• We have great devotions planned for Friday evening, led by Rev. "Chuck" Johnson. A missions oriented communion will be served and the members of Christ church will be invited.
6 of us from the Williamsport District are staying for the second week--and we will welcome Bob Bauder (First Church-Williamsport) to our team! The 7 of us will join 23 others from the Altoona District for the second week of missions.
Potential projects at this point could include: Installation of cabinets, doors and trim, redoing outside wooden stairs, installation of insulation under a house, installation of exterior siding, drywall hanging and mudding, installation of electrical fixtures and lights, kitchen and bath cabinet installation, plumbing, building a front deck and front stairs, framing and roofing.
We will arrive like a gang of ragamuffins unqualified to do anything and then God will transform us into a powerful work team able to accomplish whatever tasks we're assigned---all to His glory!
