Grace and peace...
We finished the work on Eddie and Betty's house yesterday, so today we moved on to Birdie's house. Birdie is an older woman with some type of speech impediment who was just thrilled to have the team there. Her home and her neighhborhood reminded me of homes in Central America. It was build on a cut-out of a mountainside. Ground level was a good five feet below the road level. The work was painting and the challenge was stabilizing ladders on the sloped terrain. The team got done what was needed and what we could, although weariness was evident on the part of all. It's been a long week.
I got to thinking about this work we are doing this week. We are on a mission trip. We have done them before and, God willing, we will do them again. But these are not OUR trips. We are the participants and leaders, but the mission of the team, like the mission of the church, does not originate in the heart of humans who lead Christ's church. These are God's trips and they originate in the heart of God. And the mission of God is often times not what we initally think. The mission of God seems always greater, always, higher, always bigger than our human minds can imagine. In our case, we may have thought the mission was to work on a few houses for those who truly are in need, but God's mission on this trip has been, is and continues to be greater still. It certainly is the work of our hands, but it is more as well.
Our mission has been rooted in a larger mission of God this week. In case you didn't know it, our youth group has some strong personalities. We are not that different than other youth groups. But still, we have some intense personalities. We also have students who have experienced pain, rejection, betrayal, and struggles with parents, to name a few issues. At the same time, all of these students, like the many in this camp, are searching for meaning and identity in their young lives. They are watching the grown ups all around them to see if we really believe our faith does do all we say it does. They are questioning whether God is for or against them and whether God can be trusted with their lives. So we come here thinking that our work is to paint and build and do some landscaping while God is saying, "I have so much more in mind for this trip. I want to go to those places from which those strong personalities originate... I want to go to that pain of the students... I want to go to that place of search... I want to go to those doubts... AND I WANT TO MAKE MYSELF KNOWN AND LET THESE STUDENT KNOW MY GREAT LOVE FOR THEM." Whatever else has been happening this week, that mission of God has broken through in undeniable ways and is has been good.
Late this afternoon, we met at the stable on the ranch and went horsebackriding. All of us rode through fields and through mountain trails. Some rode for the first time. One of the young men on this trip, DJ, was riding his horse, Striker, in front of me on the trail. My horse, Joe, got a little too close for comfort and Striker took a step forward and kicked Joe with all he had. Fortunately for Joe, Stiker did not live up to his name and missed Joe. Unfornately for me, I took the full force of the kick on the muscle part of my shin. We decided to change the name of that horse to El Diablo. My sin nature about which I will speak on Sunday was trying hard to make its way out. Translation: I was ready to shoot that horse. Six hours and one ice pack later, I am just now beginning to get feeling back in my foot and lower leg and what I am feeling is sore. Ironically, DJ, Striker's rider, slipped and injured his knee the other day. His horse kept brushing him against trees which aggrevated his knee. So this evening, DJ and I were a mess during worship. We hobbled around together and discussed what we would be doing together while were WEREN'T going white water rafting with the rest of the team in the morning.
Even with conflicts that have arisen from the strong personalities, even with the questions and doubts, even with the injuries, God continues to amaze me with his provision and care. Tonight after worship, our team went out to the field on top of the mountain and we, the leaders, washed the feet of the students. It was a moving experience that was rich in symbolism of the kind of life we are to live as a follower of Jesus here in this place and, more importantly, when we get home. Particularly meaningful was when my daughter Christina washed my feet. Like last night, many tears were shed, especially when we moved over to the large cross around which the entire camp circled and sang praises to God. Even the steady rain that began to fall could not take us away or diminish our spirits. God was on that mountain tonight and his missional purposes were being fulfilled.
I look forward to being back with you on Sunday. We return Saturday evening and hope to see you in church.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Day Four - Wednesday, July 29
Grace and peace...
I begin with this evening. During chapel tonight, a young man named Andrew talked about humility before God. The message was about being honest with ourselves about who we are and the need to live consistently for Christ. He spoke of how it happens that we are faithful and committed to Christ only to fall away again to a lifestyle of selfishness and sin. He told his own sturggles with this pattern and then showed a video of a dance done in a church that was, in a word, powerful. I've seen the video probably a half a dozen times before and cry everytime. It shows the personal nature of the life the Father in heaven wants to have with us and the many distractions that pull us away from him and eventually turn destructive. It shows the Father protecting us and fighting away those destructive things in order to gain back the personal relationship with us. Afterward, we sang a song that spoke of the love God has for all of us.
Sometimes words can't describe an experience. Something happened in that chapel tonight that brought together four days of work, laughter, prayers, conflicts, and study. God fed the minds and stirred the hearts of all of us. Not one person, myself included, left unchanged. Tears were flowing. During the last song and into our group time after evening worship, God settled on the group like the fog on these Blue Ridge mountains. God engulfed us and hearts were opened. Students opened their hearts, shared their struggles and sins, prayed for renewal of life and cried in each others' arms. Christina led the discussion, Amy had history with them and was able to talk directly to their life situations and I led a prayer of invitation to commitment/renewed commitment to live for Christ. Around a fire ring on a Tennessee mountain, we stood on holy ground and talked, wept and prayed. Heaven and earth touched this night and the presence of God was palpable.
Some have said it takes the lens of history to accurately see all the factors that play out in any given moment. It will take weeks if not months to begin to see all of the dynamics at work in this night and on this trip whole. For now, I can say that a handful of people you know and love have drawn close to God this night.
Briefly, we finished Eddie and Betty's home today and we will spend our remaining work time helping others teams complete their projects. Also, yesterday we had rain all afternoon and night. We are sleeping in cabins with tin roofs and heard the rain fall all night long. Even an occassional slamming door didn't take away that sound and peaceful sleeping. Oh, and we took an evening swim in a place called Bluehole at the Cherokee State Park. It was good to relax together after our longest day of work so far.
It is late. Very late. No rain tonight, but I think sleep with be just as sound. Time for bed.
I begin with this evening. During chapel tonight, a young man named Andrew talked about humility before God. The message was about being honest with ourselves about who we are and the need to live consistently for Christ. He spoke of how it happens that we are faithful and committed to Christ only to fall away again to a lifestyle of selfishness and sin. He told his own sturggles with this pattern and then showed a video of a dance done in a church that was, in a word, powerful. I've seen the video probably a half a dozen times before and cry everytime. It shows the personal nature of the life the Father in heaven wants to have with us and the many distractions that pull us away from him and eventually turn destructive. It shows the Father protecting us and fighting away those destructive things in order to gain back the personal relationship with us. Afterward, we sang a song that spoke of the love God has for all of us.
Sometimes words can't describe an experience. Something happened in that chapel tonight that brought together four days of work, laughter, prayers, conflicts, and study. God fed the minds and stirred the hearts of all of us. Not one person, myself included, left unchanged. Tears were flowing. During the last song and into our group time after evening worship, God settled on the group like the fog on these Blue Ridge mountains. God engulfed us and hearts were opened. Students opened their hearts, shared their struggles and sins, prayed for renewal of life and cried in each others' arms. Christina led the discussion, Amy had history with them and was able to talk directly to their life situations and I led a prayer of invitation to commitment/renewed commitment to live for Christ. Around a fire ring on a Tennessee mountain, we stood on holy ground and talked, wept and prayed. Heaven and earth touched this night and the presence of God was palpable.
Some have said it takes the lens of history to accurately see all the factors that play out in any given moment. It will take weeks if not months to begin to see all of the dynamics at work in this night and on this trip whole. For now, I can say that a handful of people you know and love have drawn close to God this night.
Briefly, we finished Eddie and Betty's home today and we will spend our remaining work time helping others teams complete their projects. Also, yesterday we had rain all afternoon and night. We are sleeping in cabins with tin roofs and heard the rain fall all night long. Even an occassional slamming door didn't take away that sound and peaceful sleeping. Oh, and we took an evening swim in a place called Bluehole at the Cherokee State Park. It was good to relax together after our longest day of work so far.
It is late. Very late. No rain tonight, but I think sleep with be just as sound. Time for bed.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Day Three - Tuesday, July 28
Grace and peace...
Today was a day of working, struggling and seeing God's hand among us. We continued to work on Eddie and Betty's house The porch railing is complete, all but about five feet of scraping was done, much of the house got a coat of primer and some of it got the final coat of paint. Al MacKenzie is going to pick up some mulch tomorrow and we will do some landscape beautification. Rescreening will be done as well.
It was the usual start to the day. The other guys in the guy's cabin are from the Church of the Slamming Door Way Too Early in the Morning. These guys have something against cabin doors that close quietly Oddly enough, they are from Largo. Our skulls begin rattling about 6:30 a.m. when they got up. With that awakening, we made our way to the breakfast carbo-load. This morning it was hash browns, biscuits, fried chicken breast, cereal, and muffins. Believe it or not, our bodies are craving such food. We have been working hard. At 8:15 or so, we followed our leader, Hillary, to the worksite.
Hillary. Oh, Hillary. Let me tell you about Hillary, our young site leader from Alabama. Yesterday she drove her car into a ditch. After we got her out (no damage to her BMW), she got lost taking us to a park in a town with two stoplights where we were to have lunch. This morning, an announcement was made to the campers during breakfast saying some car keys were found. Hillary's. Then on the way to camp, she drove off the right side of the road several times and then drove across the center line several times. She was alone, so none of us were driving with her and she wasn't fiddling with the radio or cell phone. On the back window of her car, someone had written "Nice try." It was an inside joke from earlier in the summer. We concluded it must be a commentary on her driving. Sweet girl, loves the Lord, fun, happy and driving is just not her skill.
Lunch today was at the Horseshoe Bend Park in Copperhill. On a beautiful day with blue skies and perfect weather, we ate our Subway sandwiches at a pavilion next to Toccoa River. After lunch, we sat next to the river like people in a Monet painting. A few brave souls waded into the -75 degree water. Or so it seemed.
The family at the worksite is amazing. They are constantly working alongside us and excited about getting the work they were unable to do for themselves done. Eddie even went out to a nearby Amish market and bought watermelons to serve to the team tomorrow. I found out about this after we left and it is an act of great generosity on his part. Like the Hondurans, he doesn't have much, but what he has he wants to share with gratitude to God and the team.
On the worksite, the youth played the "Who I would rather get in a fight with" game. To play, you must choose between two people and decide which one you would rather fight. They were desperate for entertainment. The choices today included Batman or Superman, Twoface or the Riddler, Captain Kirk or Sirius Black, Sauron or Gimli, Pastor John or Pastor Norm (they like Norm better), Pastor John or Derek Womack (they liked Derek better... I see a pattern), and various combinations of themselves. This occupied two hours of arguing while painting. Nerd central.
The team is coming together well. Again, the leaders are having to deal with some tensions and some interpersonal things with the students, but overall the unity is strengthening by the hour. I'm proud of our older students for how they are including and looking after the younger students, Charlene and Dominque (7th graders) especially.
Shortly, we will head for chapel. I can tell you that two in our group are experiencing God in new ways, perhaps for the first time. It seems we are witnesses to an awakening of souls. I know we are all are experiencing soul renewal. I want to say that the several who are on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough are most on my mind, but the reality is I see that God has something in mind for every single person on this trip. Watching it unfold is like seeing large cumulonimbus clouds unfurl. You know what it is, you can't hurry it along and it is breathtaking to experience.
Pray for our students and us as leaders. Pray for safety, health, stamina and above all hearts that will be malleable to the shaping by the Holy Spirit. We miss you and look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Today was a day of working, struggling and seeing God's hand among us. We continued to work on Eddie and Betty's house The porch railing is complete, all but about five feet of scraping was done, much of the house got a coat of primer and some of it got the final coat of paint. Al MacKenzie is going to pick up some mulch tomorrow and we will do some landscape beautification. Rescreening will be done as well.
It was the usual start to the day. The other guys in the guy's cabin are from the Church of the Slamming Door Way Too Early in the Morning. These guys have something against cabin doors that close quietly Oddly enough, they are from Largo. Our skulls begin rattling about 6:30 a.m. when they got up. With that awakening, we made our way to the breakfast carbo-load. This morning it was hash browns, biscuits, fried chicken breast, cereal, and muffins. Believe it or not, our bodies are craving such food. We have been working hard. At 8:15 or so, we followed our leader, Hillary, to the worksite.
Hillary. Oh, Hillary. Let me tell you about Hillary, our young site leader from Alabama. Yesterday she drove her car into a ditch. After we got her out (no damage to her BMW), she got lost taking us to a park in a town with two stoplights where we were to have lunch. This morning, an announcement was made to the campers during breakfast saying some car keys were found. Hillary's. Then on the way to camp, she drove off the right side of the road several times and then drove across the center line several times. She was alone, so none of us were driving with her and she wasn't fiddling with the radio or cell phone. On the back window of her car, someone had written "Nice try." It was an inside joke from earlier in the summer. We concluded it must be a commentary on her driving. Sweet girl, loves the Lord, fun, happy and driving is just not her skill.
Lunch today was at the Horseshoe Bend Park in Copperhill. On a beautiful day with blue skies and perfect weather, we ate our Subway sandwiches at a pavilion next to Toccoa River. After lunch, we sat next to the river like people in a Monet painting. A few brave souls waded into the -75 degree water. Or so it seemed.
The family at the worksite is amazing. They are constantly working alongside us and excited about getting the work they were unable to do for themselves done. Eddie even went out to a nearby Amish market and bought watermelons to serve to the team tomorrow. I found out about this after we left and it is an act of great generosity on his part. Like the Hondurans, he doesn't have much, but what he has he wants to share with gratitude to God and the team.
On the worksite, the youth played the "Who I would rather get in a fight with" game. To play, you must choose between two people and decide which one you would rather fight. They were desperate for entertainment. The choices today included Batman or Superman, Twoface or the Riddler, Captain Kirk or Sirius Black, Sauron or Gimli, Pastor John or Pastor Norm (they like Norm better), Pastor John or Derek Womack (they liked Derek better... I see a pattern), and various combinations of themselves. This occupied two hours of arguing while painting. Nerd central.
The team is coming together well. Again, the leaders are having to deal with some tensions and some interpersonal things with the students, but overall the unity is strengthening by the hour. I'm proud of our older students for how they are including and looking after the younger students, Charlene and Dominque (7th graders) especially.
Shortly, we will head for chapel. I can tell you that two in our group are experiencing God in new ways, perhaps for the first time. It seems we are witnesses to an awakening of souls. I know we are all are experiencing soul renewal. I want to say that the several who are on the verge of a spiritual breakthrough are most on my mind, but the reality is I see that God has something in mind for every single person on this trip. Watching it unfold is like seeing large cumulonimbus clouds unfurl. You know what it is, you can't hurry it along and it is breathtaking to experience.
Pray for our students and us as leaders. Pray for safety, health, stamina and above all hearts that will be malleable to the shaping by the Holy Spirit. We miss you and look forward to seeing you on Sunday.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Day Two - Monday, July 27
Grace and peace...
Day Two and all is well. We got started on our main work of the week. We went to the home of Eddie and Betty. Both of them were home and with us all day and all of us had a chance to visit with them several times during the day. Eddie is a likable guy who is without a job at the moment, but never seems to be without a good story. He was laid off from a chicken business a few months ago, lost his health insurance and suffers with bone-on-bone pain in his knees. This does not seem to deter his spirits. We found out today that he was pictured in and contributed writing to the Foxfire books. Remember those books with the brown covers on life in rural Appalachia? He told how his school teacher told the students to interview their grandparents and find out about mountain life of old. They came back with a paper written in proper English and the teacher said, "No. Write it the way they say with mountain expressions and all." The rewrite with words like "fir piece" (long way) was turned into a book which he produced and I have seen. I think I read it in Boy Scouts years ago. Fascinating guy.
His wife Betty was raised in the home we are working on and after her father passed away moved back to her girlhood home. With Eddie out of work and her working at a Thrift Store, they are simply not able to do what is needed at the house. That is our work this week We are bringing the exterior back to good condition through paint and light repairs. Today, we had one group of our team replacing the front porch railing and the rest of us scraping the entire house of flaking paint while dogs and chickens wandered through the yard as we worked. I have the feeling it will take a while to get truly cleaned. After the coldest shower ever in the history of all showers ever taken, I still have dozens of flecks of paint stuck on my arms.
I got to thinking about the people we are helping and our motivation for helping them. Our goal is to serve Christ. Our team in Honduras a few weeks ago met the working poor there as we are meeting them here. The working poor are in Pinellas County. They are in Dunedin. Someone mentioned Matthew 25 last night during worship. We may not be aware of it in the moment, but when we help someone in need - ANYTIME we help someone in need - we are honoring, loving and serving our Lord Jesus himself. That reality makes our work meaningful, especially in times like now when we step back and ponder it.
We've had some tensions on the team, although nothing that we haven't been able to work through. And we have also had some amusing moments so far. A few highlights:
We're having fun. This afternoon during free time, most of the team were together and talked about all kinds of subjects. I was with another group, but the report from them was it was a unifying moment for that group.
Even better was what has been happening in the hearts of some of the students. I see God moving in all of the hearts, and some in particular have been feeling something important. I asked you last night to pray for God to break through. Keep praying! It is happening! Under the stars on this mountaintop in Tennessee, God is stirring the hearts of our students. It is nearly taking my breath away. I want to tell you everything, but like last night it's late as I type. Plus, I want to see it play out this week. I will tell you it is good to be here and be a part of the movement of the Holy Spirit.
I am off to bed.
Day Two and all is well. We got started on our main work of the week. We went to the home of Eddie and Betty. Both of them were home and with us all day and all of us had a chance to visit with them several times during the day. Eddie is a likable guy who is without a job at the moment, but never seems to be without a good story. He was laid off from a chicken business a few months ago, lost his health insurance and suffers with bone-on-bone pain in his knees. This does not seem to deter his spirits. We found out today that he was pictured in and contributed writing to the Foxfire books. Remember those books with the brown covers on life in rural Appalachia? He told how his school teacher told the students to interview their grandparents and find out about mountain life of old. They came back with a paper written in proper English and the teacher said, "No. Write it the way they say with mountain expressions and all." The rewrite with words like "fir piece" (long way) was turned into a book which he produced and I have seen. I think I read it in Boy Scouts years ago. Fascinating guy.
His wife Betty was raised in the home we are working on and after her father passed away moved back to her girlhood home. With Eddie out of work and her working at a Thrift Store, they are simply not able to do what is needed at the house. That is our work this week We are bringing the exterior back to good condition through paint and light repairs. Today, we had one group of our team replacing the front porch railing and the rest of us scraping the entire house of flaking paint while dogs and chickens wandered through the yard as we worked. I have the feeling it will take a while to get truly cleaned. After the coldest shower ever in the history of all showers ever taken, I still have dozens of flecks of paint stuck on my arms.
I got to thinking about the people we are helping and our motivation for helping them. Our goal is to serve Christ. Our team in Honduras a few weeks ago met the working poor there as we are meeting them here. The working poor are in Pinellas County. They are in Dunedin. Someone mentioned Matthew 25 last night during worship. We may not be aware of it in the moment, but when we help someone in need - ANYTIME we help someone in need - we are honoring, loving and serving our Lord Jesus himself. That reality makes our work meaningful, especially in times like now when we step back and ponder it.
We've had some tensions on the team, although nothing that we haven't been able to work through. And we have also had some amusing moments so far. A few highlights:
- A quote heard on the ride here: Your breath smells like an attic
- A road sign at the entrance to I-75 north read "Valdosta 500'" One thought that meant we would reach Valdosta in 500'. We were in Lake City, FL. It was early and she was sleep deprived.
- Jean MacKenzie on naming a movie that begins with the letter S: Selma and Louise. Said a very amused Jean: (The actual movie in question is titled THELMA and Louise.)
- The boys were able to practice slam dunking a basketball with a five-gallon bucket as a spring board. After a particularly successful dunk, we will also be replacing our homeowner's clothesline in which one of the boys landed.
We're having fun. This afternoon during free time, most of the team were together and talked about all kinds of subjects. I was with another group, but the report from them was it was a unifying moment for that group.
Even better was what has been happening in the hearts of some of the students. I see God moving in all of the hearts, and some in particular have been feeling something important. I asked you last night to pray for God to break through. Keep praying! It is happening! Under the stars on this mountaintop in Tennessee, God is stirring the hearts of our students. It is nearly taking my breath away. I want to tell you everything, but like last night it's late as I type. Plus, I want to see it play out this week. I will tell you it is good to be here and be a part of the movement of the Holy Spirit.
I am off to bed.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Day One - Sunday July 26
A group of 15 of us have traveled to Copper Hill, Tennessee for a week of mission work here in the southeast corner of the state. As I write, I am bleary-eyed near midnight after a long day of travel. The night sky is breathtaking. The stars are brilliant. All are well and healthy and the trip looks promising for interpersonal as well as Kingdom gains.
We had a sleep-in at the church last night with the mission team. The theory was to have the team sleep at St. Andrews and load the vehicles the night before in order to relieve the parents of a 4:00 a.m. drop-off of their child at the church. A sleep-in was good in theory. However, the reality was that not much sleeping took place. The boys didn't sleep at all last night. I finally got to sleep at 11:30 p.m. night and was awakened about every half hour by a group of boys in the room whose concern for my sleep had them all whispering at 100 decibels be quiet! Amy Becker, our youth minister and my daughter Christina, another chaperone on the trip, got even less sleep in the girls' room. Needless to say, the 12 hour drive to Tennessee included frequent caffeine stops. Thankfully, I had a talkative teen named Danielle riding next to me in the vehicle.
We got settled into our homes for the week: cabins at a camp in the beautiful hills of Tennessee. The boys' cabin is about 40 feet from the chapel where we will worship nightly. The girls' cabin and all of the bathrooms are atop a 9,000 foot vertical climb from the base camp of Mount Everest. Give or take a few feet. I had to lean backwards to remain upright when walking down from the bathrooms this evening.
Al and Jean MacKenzie from St. Andrews joined us tonight. They are staying about 30 miles from here in their RV. They came bearing gifts of chocolate chip cookies (Jean is the demi-god of cookies), brownies, water and soft drinks. The water in the desert for the Israelites came to mind. Manna from heaven too. Al and Jean will be with us all week. They are beginning their two months away from Florida with a week of mission work with the youth team. Awesome. Later this week, they will take the bells for the bell choir to a specialist in South Carolina for routine maintenance. I look forward to spending time with them and the whole team this week.
We are at a camp led by an organization called Team Effort. There are other churches with us this week. Two churches from Florida (Orlando and Miami), one from Pennsylvania and the rest we'll meet and get to know later. We have been with Team Effort for the past three years and they do a good job of preparing the youth and leaders for a deeply spiritual encounter with Christ and leading us there as we care for the least of these in our mission work.
Our project this week is painting and repairs to the home of a woman named Betty. We don't know much more than that at this point. Tomorrow morning the work begins. A young girl named Hillary from Alabama will be our leader from Team Effort.
The students are well-rested… most of them anyway. Amy, Christina and I may be exhausted, but most of the students slept well. We are praying that their rest translates into good energy for the work ahead.
Speaking of praying, I already have a sense of the work of the heart that is ripe in the youth. God seems to be on the move. I've had a number of conversations with the youth and while many are filled with excitement and joy, some others come with pain, uncertainty and questions. I suspect a few are seekers of God, but have not opened themselves up to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I ask you to pray that the Holy Spirit will descend in a mighty way and stir the hearts of the youth and all of the leaders who surround them to awaken hearts and recommit others. Something important is happening in these Tennessee hills.
It is late. I'm tired. And I really need to brush my teeth. I feel like I am wearing fuzzy slippers on my teeth. Off to brush and then to bed.
We had a sleep-in at the church last night with the mission team. The theory was to have the team sleep at St. Andrews and load the vehicles the night before in order to relieve the parents of a 4:00 a.m. drop-off of their child at the church. A sleep-in was good in theory. However, the reality was that not much sleeping took place. The boys didn't sleep at all last night. I finally got to sleep at 11:30 p.m. night and was awakened about every half hour by a group of boys in the room whose concern for my sleep had them all whispering at 100 decibels be quiet! Amy Becker, our youth minister and my daughter Christina, another chaperone on the trip, got even less sleep in the girls' room. Needless to say, the 12 hour drive to Tennessee included frequent caffeine stops. Thankfully, I had a talkative teen named Danielle riding next to me in the vehicle.
We got settled into our homes for the week: cabins at a camp in the beautiful hills of Tennessee. The boys' cabin is about 40 feet from the chapel where we will worship nightly. The girls' cabin and all of the bathrooms are atop a 9,000 foot vertical climb from the base camp of Mount Everest. Give or take a few feet. I had to lean backwards to remain upright when walking down from the bathrooms this evening.
Al and Jean MacKenzie from St. Andrews joined us tonight. They are staying about 30 miles from here in their RV. They came bearing gifts of chocolate chip cookies (Jean is the demi-god of cookies), brownies, water and soft drinks. The water in the desert for the Israelites came to mind. Manna from heaven too. Al and Jean will be with us all week. They are beginning their two months away from Florida with a week of mission work with the youth team. Awesome. Later this week, they will take the bells for the bell choir to a specialist in South Carolina for routine maintenance. I look forward to spending time with them and the whole team this week.
We are at a camp led by an organization called Team Effort. There are other churches with us this week. Two churches from Florida (Orlando and Miami), one from Pennsylvania and the rest we'll meet and get to know later. We have been with Team Effort for the past three years and they do a good job of preparing the youth and leaders for a deeply spiritual encounter with Christ and leading us there as we care for the least of these in our mission work.
Our project this week is painting and repairs to the home of a woman named Betty. We don't know much more than that at this point. Tomorrow morning the work begins. A young girl named Hillary from Alabama will be our leader from Team Effort.
The students are well-rested… most of them anyway. Amy, Christina and I may be exhausted, but most of the students slept well. We are praying that their rest translates into good energy for the work ahead.
Speaking of praying, I already have a sense of the work of the heart that is ripe in the youth. God seems to be on the move. I've had a number of conversations with the youth and while many are filled with excitement and joy, some others come with pain, uncertainty and questions. I suspect a few are seekers of God, but have not opened themselves up to a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. I ask you to pray that the Holy Spirit will descend in a mighty way and stir the hearts of the youth and all of the leaders who surround them to awaken hearts and recommit others. Something important is happening in these Tennessee hills.
It is late. I'm tired. And I really need to brush my teeth. I feel like I am wearing fuzzy slippers on my teeth. Off to brush and then to bed.
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