Saturday April 18 - Arrival
Our travel went well, the stopover in Memphis was uneventful, not even an Elvis sighting. We arrived at 1st United Methodist Church of Long Beach (our gracious hosts) around 4 pm. The accommodations are more than adequate, we are sleeping in several of the classrooms. Thankfully no one has to sleep in the pews, at least not until Sunday morning. Our bathing facilities, however, are a little like campground showers. Check out the photo gallery, its the photo that looks like a plywood box.
Kevin McDowell led devotions tonight. He used Acts 4:32 as an example to show how all we have is given by God and how when we come together as a church with our gifts its a powerful example to those around us.
Sunday April 19 - Worship and Preparation
Today we spent with our hosts, 1st UMC of Long Beach, in worship. The message was from the gospel of John. Pastor Jim used the example of Thomas and his doubting heart to show how God can use our imperfections to help us grow in our christian walk.
While this was mostly a day of leisure, some preparations were made for the work week.
We were sad to learn a couple of weeks ago that our fearless leader from last year, Gary Munson, would be unable to travel this year. But our sadness lifted with the arrival of "Pocket Gary". Check out the gallery to view some of the exploits of Pocket Gary.
Mike took last years crew to see Virginia Moore's new home. You remember Virginia and her bunny/worm farm? She was so happy to see us and proud to show off her home. She has a unique ability to be proud and humble at the same time.
Monday April 20 - Making Ourselves Useful
There are 5 crews. Chris Hopp and crew spent the day at Bob's house doing siding and windows, etc. Bob is retired military and a retired engineer. He's had damage to his house and is taking this opportunity to add on so that he can house volunteer crews for future repair work in the area.
Ray and Arnie are the food crew. We have been eating well. So far there have been no complaints, and they must be doing a good job because Pete hasn't been to Sonic yet.
Howard and crew are running all of the electrical for a new home. The people who own the home are living offsite and have not been able to raise the funds to complete the work.
Ron and crew worked on Rosie's house. Her needs revolved around her back deck which needed railings. Being in a wheelchair this was a safety issue for her. After getting quotes from several area contractors she realized that it would be something that she would not be able to afford.
Mike's crew worked at Mark and Terry's mobile homes. There are two on the property one of them houses Mark's mother. Health problems have put Mark in a wheelchair and there is no ramp to get up to the house. His mother also needs a ramp as advanced age make climbing stairs difficult.
Psalm 40:1-3 was our devotion for the day. It speaks of waiting for God's plan to manifest itself in our lives. This is a great opportunity for us because these people in Long Beach have been waiting 3 years for us to become a part of God's plan. He is using us to refresh their lives and we will be refreshed through doing His work.
Remember to look for special appearances by Pocket Gary in the photo gallery.
Tuesday April 21 - Chickens, Donkeys and Armadillos…
and more of the same. While most of the crews did much of the same work at the same sites Mike and crew had quite the adventure. Lets just say that Pocket Gary will never be the same! Check out the photo gallery.
Matthew 5:13-16 was our passage for the day, we really struggled with the salt analogy, and we realized that God doesn't want us to lose our saltiness. But what does this mean in real life? We discussed how easy it is to be Christian when we are around other Christians, comfortable in our surroundings. But God wants us to be that bright light, to be salty even when it is difficult.
Wednesday April 22 - Renew, Refresh, Revive, Replenish, Restore, Regenerate, Revitalize
Mike's crew finished their work at Mark and Terry's. She prepared sausage and tomato sauce over rice with fresh biscuits for lunch. After they were done Mike, Justin and Jeff had some fun with shotguns on their 6 acres while Rich took a nap on Terry's couch (no kidding). They each left with gifts from Terry as thanks for their work (don't worry Michelle it isn't alive).
Howard's crew continued the electrical wiring at their site. It is a prefab house and the people who own it have been waiting a year for the electrical to be finished.
Ron's crew continued site hopping. They have worked on decks for 3 different families. Our list of jobs is about a page long with a lot of quick fix projects ranging from decks to roofing. They worked on Ophelia's house and she lives with her 52 year old daughter who Pete tried to marry off to Eric Pohlman.
Chris's crew continued work on Bob's house and probably will be there all week. He is happy that they have been able to fix some of the problems that existed due to settling of an 80 yr. old house.
Arnie and Ray continue to wow us with awesome meals, speaking of renewing, we feasted on French Toast for breakfast and Prime Rib for dinner. We couldn't be more blessed by their commitment to fine dining.
2 Corinthians 4:16 was our devotional verse for the day. On a day when most were tired and ready for the week to be over, we can rely on God's promise to renew us through this commitment as a group and as a church. The work is hard, but we are blessed to be a blessing.
Thursday April 23 - The Home Stretch
Well, today work took quite a toll on Pocket Gary. Considering he 'worked' with Mike and crew this comes as no surprise. Judging by his appearance he did more work than the rest of the crew. Seriously, they worked on Hazel's kitchen replacing her floor and fixing some wall damage. She proclaimed happily that, 'I have a new kitchen'.
Pete and Leo worked on a house doing some repair work for a 95 year old man. They experienced quite a blessing by helping out this family and brining joy and peace to an old man.
Ron and Eric were at a different location repairing a leaking roof. The husband is home bound with health issues.
On Chris's crew, Sara learned how to drive stick shift running errands with Bob's jeep. Jorie and Sara were able to share with Bob's daughter Malissa.
Howard and Kevin M. finished some final electrical details on the home they have been at all week.
Leo has been reaching out to a family here that was totally unplanned by us or our coordinator. He was assisting a young man, Jason, who was doing some electrical work at Bob's house and through the course of the day learned that his grandmother needed some drywall work. By God's providence it just so happens that Leo does that work for a living and he saw an opportunity to reach out. Every evening after work he has been voluntarily completing this task.
We have been making a conscious effort to do what Proverbs 15:30 says by remaining cheerful through our work. Hopefully the joy we bring will be an everlasting joy.
Friday April 24 - Weeks End.
Matthew 22:34-39, Matthew 19:16-22 & Matthew 25:31-40. What have we learned about ourselves. There are 21 different people on this trip and 21 different reasons for making this commitment but one goal. Our devotion to God and to our neighbor. We all have grown in different ways through our experiences, but in the same direction.
Tonight during our devotion time we were each encouraged to share how we've grown in our love for the Lord this week, and how we've improved in loving our neighbor. We also challenged each other to carry out what we've learned about ourselves into our daily lives.
See you soon.