This year, our church's adult mission trip is close by. We are going to Baldwinsville, NY, near Syracuse, to help a missionary pastor we support. John Stevenson, and his wife Roberta, are doing a church rescue mission at Faith Baptist Church there. Recently, a family that was in our church for years moved into staff positions at that church and at the Christian school they run. The McCarthys are dear friends of ours, and we are so excited with them to see God moving them into full-time ministry, which has been their desire for several years.
Anyway, a team from our church is there this week helping with work projects and helping them with their VBS. We aren't running the VBS--they are, but we're just providing a few more staff.
I was not able to get the time off to go for the whole week, but I went up just for the day this past Saturday with another team from our church to help them put on a roof on part of their church and school building. We have done several roofs in the past, but they were all asphalt shingle roofs, and this time, they wanted a metal roof. None of us, even our roofing experts, had ever done a metal roof before, so there was a lot of learning.
We left Brockport at about 5:30 Saturday morning and drove to Baldwinsville, getting there around 7:30. I rode with Matt and Cathy Sommer who will soon be my daughter, Ella’s, mother- and father-in-law. My daughter, Abigail, and a young man from our church, Guy Hills, also rode with us.
Abigail is staying the week with Bekah McCarthy and helping out in the VBS kind of as an unofficial member of the mission team from our church, since she is still a teen. Dan Sell and Ed Burch rode together for the day too, but in Dan’s truck.
Abigail helped Bekah and Bekah’s friend Mo do some painting while we worked on the roof. From the looks of it, they may have gotten more paint on themselves than on the walls. Not really, but I’m sure they all spent a long time in the showers getting the paint off—their legs and arms were pretty well covered.
Guy helped scrape shingles off areas that needed replacing before lunch, and then helped us with the metal after lunch. After some figuring to get our bearings, since this was all new to us, Matt, Cathy, and I worked on the ground getting the metal sheets pre-drilled for screwing to the roof, then we’d lift them up to Dan and Ed for them to screw down.
We were able to finish one side and get another almost done. It was slower than we’d hoped with the learning curve, but hopefully it will go easier for them now to complete it. We did manage to get all of the roofs covered with tri-flex at least so the weather won’t hurt the plywood.
They fed us very well for breakfast, lunch, and supper: bagels, donuts, juice, coffee, and milk for breakfast, taco salad for lunch, and meatball subs for supper.
We went home at around 8:30 that night, very tired, but glad to be used of God to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
We go home today! I’m ready, mentally anyway. It’s been amazing and fantastic here, but I really miss my wife and kids and home. Once again, I’ve been challenged about sharing my faith. There are so many lost people in this world. When I see people like Pastor Desmond, and see their passion to reach people for Christ, it challenges my complacency in witnessing to my co-workers and neighbors and so on. Lord, please give me boldness and help me to see the opportunities You bring my way!
We had our final excellent breakfast: French toast, sausage, fruit, and orange juice. I’m really going to miss having fresh fruit for breakfast every morning. We decided to make one last trip to Hopewell church. We mounted the 2 x 4 studs on the walls for the partitions between the men’s and women’s areas and the common area, and hung the brackets for the urinal. Hopefully, we finished everything they wouldn’t have the tools to complete by themselves.
Then it was time to return to Fair Haven for the last time and finish up the packing for the return trip home. We ate a light lunch, and then it was time to go to the airport. I went to a Jamaican Bobsled Café in the Montego Bay airport, and bought Krista and myself matching Jamaican Bobsled Team t-shirts.
Our first flight was from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was uneventful, just like I like them. I was assigned a seat by the Lees again, but the flight was pretty empty, so once I was sure there was extra room, I moved to a row by myself so I could be by a window for when I wanted to look out, and stretch out over three seats when I wanted to nap. It was great!
I bought supper at a Burger King in the Charlotte airport. Our plane to Rochester was delayed coming out of Atlanta before it got to Charlotte. That was good because we had to go through customs and re-check our bags for our last flight, and we might not have made it otherwise. Once we finally got on board, there was a problem with the plane’s auxiliary power, so we sat at the gate for almost an hour. Then an older man on the plane was having trouble breathing, so they had to get him and his wife and their luggage off the plane before we could leave. We prayed for him and his family! I sat next to Pastor Ken on this last flight. Once we finally got going, the rest of the flight was uneventful again.
We arrived in Rochester at about midnight (we were supposed to be there around 9:40PM). The Barrys gave me a ride home. Everyone was asleep, but I looked in on them all, and kissed my little ones and my wife. It’s good to be home!
Thank you, God, for the privilege of serving You on this trip. Please use it to teach and challenge me even though it is long over now, and use it to encourage and challenge others as I share my experiences with them.
We had our final excellent breakfast: French toast, sausage, fruit, and orange juice. I’m really going to miss having fresh fruit for breakfast every morning. We decided to make one last trip to Hopewell church. We mounted the 2 x 4 studs on the walls for the partitions between the men’s and women’s areas and the common area, and hung the brackets for the urinal. Hopefully, we finished everything they wouldn’t have the tools to complete by themselves.
Then it was time to return to Fair Haven for the last time and finish up the packing for the return trip home. We ate a light lunch, and then it was time to go to the airport. I went to a Jamaican Bobsled Café in the Montego Bay airport, and bought Krista and myself matching Jamaican Bobsled Team t-shirts.
Our first flight was from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was uneventful, just like I like them. I was assigned a seat by the Lees again, but the flight was pretty empty, so once I was sure there was extra room, I moved to a row by myself so I could be by a window for when I wanted to look out, and stretch out over three seats when I wanted to nap. It was great!
I bought supper at a Burger King in the Charlotte airport. Our plane to Rochester was delayed coming out of Atlanta before it got to Charlotte. That was good because we had to go through customs and re-check our bags for our last flight, and we might not have made it otherwise. Once we finally got on board, there was a problem with the plane’s auxiliary power, so we sat at the gate for almost an hour. Then an older man on the plane was having trouble breathing, so they had to get him and his wife and their luggage off the plane before we could leave. We prayed for him and his family! I sat next to Pastor Ken on this last flight. Once we finally got going, the rest of the flight was uneventful again.
We arrived in Rochester at about midnight (we were supposed to be there around 9:40PM). The Barrys gave me a ride home. Everyone was asleep, but I looked in on them all, and kissed my little ones and my wife. It’s good to be home!
Thank you, God, for the privilege of serving You on this trip. Please use it to teach and challenge me even though it is long over now, and use it to encourage and challenge others as I share my experiences with them.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Today’s breakfast (did I mention how well we ate?) was omelets, potato wedges, fruit, cereal, and orange juice.
As I said, today is our “tourist” day. We started by going to a market. I found gifts there for my family, except for Krista. When I was in Haiti, I found a really cool Haitian looking nativity scene, and I was hoping to find something similar here in Jamaica, but no such luck. I’ll have to keep looking to see if I can find something worthy of her.
After the market, we went to the Bellefield sugar plantation for a tour. We got to sample sugar cane and coconut, and see all of the things they did and do with them. We toured the mansion and the grounds, and had a fruit and rum cake snack.
Then we went to experience Jamaican culture by eating lunch at Tastee Pattie, a fast food restaurant that is big there. It was a bit spicy, but quite good. After lunch, we went to Doctor’s Cave swimming area. It was fantastic—lots of sun and swimming. We met a couple from Argentina who were on a cruise ship, and had a nice talk with them out on a float in the middle of the swimming area.
I stopped at some shops on the way back to Fair Haven, but still didn’t find anything for Krista.
Supper tonight was barbecued chicken, rice, salad, fried bread sticks, and chocolate cake.
In tonight’s devotions, Jon and Ethan gave their testimonies, and Pastor Ken gave the lesson on forgiveness and Joseph’s example of doing it. Afterwards, I prayed with Chris.
We planned our presentation service at our church back home for January 31 evening service.
Before going to bed, we played a little Dutch Blitz and Spoons. It was nice to goof around and just have fun with these people, since we’ve been working so hard all of the rest of the time.
Home tomorrow!
As I said, today is our “tourist” day. We started by going to a market. I found gifts there for my family, except for Krista. When I was in Haiti, I found a really cool Haitian looking nativity scene, and I was hoping to find something similar here in Jamaica, but no such luck. I’ll have to keep looking to see if I can find something worthy of her.
After the market, we went to the Bellefield sugar plantation for a tour. We got to sample sugar cane and coconut, and see all of the things they did and do with them. We toured the mansion and the grounds, and had a fruit and rum cake snack.
Then we went to experience Jamaican culture by eating lunch at Tastee Pattie, a fast food restaurant that is big there. It was a bit spicy, but quite good. After lunch, we went to Doctor’s Cave swimming area. It was fantastic—lots of sun and swimming. We met a couple from Argentina who were on a cruise ship, and had a nice talk with them out on a float in the middle of the swimming area.
I stopped at some shops on the way back to Fair Haven, but still didn’t find anything for Krista.
Supper tonight was barbecued chicken, rice, salad, fried bread sticks, and chocolate cake.
In tonight’s devotions, Jon and Ethan gave their testimonies, and Pastor Ken gave the lesson on forgiveness and Joseph’s example of doing it. Afterwards, I prayed with Chris.
We planned our presentation service at our church back home for January 31 evening service.
Before going to bed, we played a little Dutch Blitz and Spoons. It was nice to goof around and just have fun with these people, since we’ve been working so hard all of the rest of the time.
Home tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I slept a little better last night, praise God! We had another fantastic breakfast, today of pancakes, bacon, fruit, orange juice, and cereal. Today we went to Bethel Primary and Junior High School, where we did our skits and Christi’s dance like we did yesterday at the other school.
We had some open time today, so we went back to Hopewell Baptist to do some more work on the bathroom. We finished the floor and have two toilets and a sink fully installed. All of the plumbing is in too for the urinal. They need to finish the septic pit and the sewer line to it (we started both of these). Pastor Desmond is planning a cement landing above the drain line outside of the new door.
After lunch, we went to another orphanage: this one was called SOS Children’s Home. We did our skits and dance there too.
Then we went back to Fair Haven for supper: fish, pork roast, potatoes, and cheesecake with strawberries. During devotions, we spent some time praising God for what He has been able to accomplish through us. Christi and Ken gave their testimonies. I did the study on Timothy and his diligence with the Word of God in his own studies and in his passing it on to others. After devotions, I prayed with Pastor Ken.
Tomorrow is our last full day here, so we’re being “tourists”. We discussed and decided on what we wanted to do. I got to call home again before going to bed.
We had some open time today, so we went back to Hopewell Baptist to do some more work on the bathroom. We finished the floor and have two toilets and a sink fully installed. All of the plumbing is in too for the urinal. They need to finish the septic pit and the sewer line to it (we started both of these). Pastor Desmond is planning a cement landing above the drain line outside of the new door.
After lunch, we went to another orphanage: this one was called SOS Children’s Home. We did our skits and dance there too.
Then we went back to Fair Haven for supper: fish, pork roast, potatoes, and cheesecake with strawberries. During devotions, we spent some time praising God for what He has been able to accomplish through us. Christi and Ken gave their testimonies. I did the study on Timothy and his diligence with the Word of God in his own studies and in his passing it on to others. After devotions, I prayed with Pastor Ken.
Tomorrow is our last full day here, so we’re being “tourists”. We discussed and decided on what we wanted to do. I got to call home again before going to bed.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Today we had to get up earlier than we usually have while we’ve been here, 5:30AM. We had a great breakfast again: eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal, and orange juice. Somehow I missed that we needed more dressy clothes to wear to the schools and orphanages. I thought we only needed slacks and collared shirts for church yesterday. So, I don’t have any clean ones. Several of the guys offered to loan me some, but we decided that since we’ll be doing the skit where I’m supposed to be a track athlete, it would be OK if I wear shorts and a T-shirt. Whew!
This morning we went to the Merlene Ottey High School, where we did their opening assembly. We did both the Sin Chair and Burdens skits, and Christi danced to “I Will Praise You in this Storm.” All of the students here wear uniforms to school. I think they look really nice! Too bad Americans are too independent to wear them.
On the way down the mountain from the high school, we saw Pastor Desmond on the side of the road, and he flagged us down. He asked us to come in where he had stopped at a pre-school. It wasn’t on our agenda, but we’ve come to expect God to bring things to us on mission trips that we hadn’t planned, but He had. The school didn’t have any power because they had not been able to pay their electric bills. But we had a great, however short, time with them. They did a song and dance for us, and we did the Sin Chair skit for them. Then Pastor Desmond had us sing with them for a while. It was great fun.
Then we climbed a different mountain to get to the Robin’s Nest Orphanage. The drive up (and down afterwards) was very interesting! The road was narrow and winding. Several times, Michael had to sound his horn as we approached a corner that we couldn’t see around so we’d be sure not to collide with someone coming the other way. Lois suffers from carsickness, and she had a bit of a rough time, but she didn’t complain. What a trooper!
We did some work for Robin’s Nest. Scott and I worked together again—we seem to do that a lot. Jon helped the two of us sweep their roof (they collect rain water, so they need a clean roof), and then Scott and I whitewashed some trees. Whitewashing trees is a Jamaican thing. Almost all of them do it, some just to palm trees, others to all of them. We asked several people why they do it, and most of them didn’t know. One woman at Robin’s Nest said it is for beautification. My theory was so that the trees are easier to see at night. Others worked on moving rocks for a spring, fixing scooters, and other projects. Tony did some drawings for others to paint later in one of the boys' dorms. I love watching him work!
Then we did our skits and Christi’s dance for the kids. We also had opportunity to hold some of the younger ones and play with the older ones.
Tonight’s supper was chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, and caramel brownies. We were hoping the chicken we were eating was the rooster that woke us up every morning, but he was still crowing the next morning, so no such luck.
In tonight’s devotions, Ed and Steve gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught us about the steadfastness of Daniel and his three friends in Daniel 1. I don’t think I mentioned yet that Pastor Ken gave us all booklets with choruses, personal devotionals, and place for devotion notes and journaling. The devotionals related to our trip and challenges we might face here, so I used them while we were there instead of my usual morning devotions.
After our evening group devotions, I prayed with Charles before heading to bed.
This morning we went to the Merlene Ottey High School, where we did their opening assembly. We did both the Sin Chair and Burdens skits, and Christi danced to “I Will Praise You in this Storm.” All of the students here wear uniforms to school. I think they look really nice! Too bad Americans are too independent to wear them.
On the way down the mountain from the high school, we saw Pastor Desmond on the side of the road, and he flagged us down. He asked us to come in where he had stopped at a pre-school. It wasn’t on our agenda, but we’ve come to expect God to bring things to us on mission trips that we hadn’t planned, but He had. The school didn’t have any power because they had not been able to pay their electric bills. But we had a great, however short, time with them. They did a song and dance for us, and we did the Sin Chair skit for them. Then Pastor Desmond had us sing with them for a while. It was great fun.
Then we climbed a different mountain to get to the Robin’s Nest Orphanage. The drive up (and down afterwards) was very interesting! The road was narrow and winding. Several times, Michael had to sound his horn as we approached a corner that we couldn’t see around so we’d be sure not to collide with someone coming the other way. Lois suffers from carsickness, and she had a bit of a rough time, but she didn’t complain. What a trooper!
We did some work for Robin’s Nest. Scott and I worked together again—we seem to do that a lot. Jon helped the two of us sweep their roof (they collect rain water, so they need a clean roof), and then Scott and I whitewashed some trees. Whitewashing trees is a Jamaican thing. Almost all of them do it, some just to palm trees, others to all of them. We asked several people why they do it, and most of them didn’t know. One woman at Robin’s Nest said it is for beautification. My theory was so that the trees are easier to see at night. Others worked on moving rocks for a spring, fixing scooters, and other projects. Tony did some drawings for others to paint later in one of the boys' dorms. I love watching him work!
Then we did our skits and Christi’s dance for the kids. We also had opportunity to hold some of the younger ones and play with the older ones.
Tonight’s supper was chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, and caramel brownies. We were hoping the chicken we were eating was the rooster that woke us up every morning, but he was still crowing the next morning, so no such luck.
In tonight’s devotions, Ed and Steve gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught us about the steadfastness of Daniel and his three friends in Daniel 1. I don’t think I mentioned yet that Pastor Ken gave us all booklets with choruses, personal devotionals, and place for devotion notes and journaling. The devotionals related to our trip and challenges we might face here, so I used them while we were there instead of my usual morning devotions.
After our evening group devotions, I prayed with Charles before heading to bed.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Today’s breakfast was egg lasagna, cereal, fresh fruit, and orange juice. Yummy!
After that, we got ready and Michael took us to Hopewell for church. Pastor Desmond taught Sunday School. His lesson was about caring for our spiritual bodies as much as we do our physical bodies: being careful about what we put in our minds through what we watch and listen to, and so on.
We mostly led the worship service. Pastor Desmond introduced us, then Steve led a couple of songs. Tony gave his testimony, and the men’s quintet sang “Heaven’s Joy Awaits.” Pastor Ken preached from 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. He reminded us that our deeds will be judged by God to see if they are eternally valuable.
We were told we had to be sure to be done by noon because there is a Pentecostal church right next door (less than 10 feet separate the two buildings), and their service starts at noon. Pastor Ken was done before noon, but then Pastor Desmond proceeded to lead about 30 minutes of singing. And this is not sedate American singing; this is energetic Jamaican singing! But the other church was singing at about the same time, so we weren’t disturbing them. I guess it was almost a competition!
After church, most of the team met people from the Robin’s Nest orphanage at a swimming beach called Doctor’s Cave, which is right near where we’re staying. They had fun helping the kids play.
Scott, Ed, George, and I stayed at the church to work more on the bathroom. Again, it was sort of quieter work because of the church having their service right next door. But we heard their whole service very clearly! Their preacher was definitely loud. He must have a really sore throat every Sunday night. We were able to get the sub-floor completely down and the tiles under where the first toilet will go. The sink is all ready too.
Then the four of us went back to Fair Haven, met up with the rest of the team, got cleaned up for the evening service, and had supper. We had beef with gravy on beans and rice, green salad, potato salad, and cake for dessert.
In the evening service, I led singing, Ed gave his testimony, our men’s quartet sang “Peace Like a River,” and Pastor Ken preached. His message was from 1 Peter 4:10, and he challenged us to use the gifts and abilities God has given us for His service. Again, Pastor Desmond led about 30 minutes of praise and worship after PK was done.
For our devotions tonight, George and Scott gave their testimonies, and Steve taught us about the importance of faithful fellowship, and the example the early church was of that. I prayed with Scott afterwards.
Before bed, we practiced the skits we will be doing tomorrow in the schools. I’m in a “Burdens” skit that talks about the sin burdens we bear, and how Jesus can take them away. I’m supposed to be a really macho dude that struggles with pride, bullying, and acting on anger. It’s fun to act that way, because that’s really not me. I’m more the skinny old man type. We’re also doing a skit called “Sin Chair.” I’m not in that one, but it is a wordless skit that parallels getting stuck on wet paint with getting stuck in sin, and how Jesus is the only way to be free.
After that, we got ready and Michael took us to Hopewell for church. Pastor Desmond taught Sunday School. His lesson was about caring for our spiritual bodies as much as we do our physical bodies: being careful about what we put in our minds through what we watch and listen to, and so on.
We mostly led the worship service. Pastor Desmond introduced us, then Steve led a couple of songs. Tony gave his testimony, and the men’s quintet sang “Heaven’s Joy Awaits.” Pastor Ken preached from 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. He reminded us that our deeds will be judged by God to see if they are eternally valuable.
We were told we had to be sure to be done by noon because there is a Pentecostal church right next door (less than 10 feet separate the two buildings), and their service starts at noon. Pastor Ken was done before noon, but then Pastor Desmond proceeded to lead about 30 minutes of singing. And this is not sedate American singing; this is energetic Jamaican singing! But the other church was singing at about the same time, so we weren’t disturbing them. I guess it was almost a competition!
After church, most of the team met people from the Robin’s Nest orphanage at a swimming beach called Doctor’s Cave, which is right near where we’re staying. They had fun helping the kids play.
Scott, Ed, George, and I stayed at the church to work more on the bathroom. Again, it was sort of quieter work because of the church having their service right next door. But we heard their whole service very clearly! Their preacher was definitely loud. He must have a really sore throat every Sunday night. We were able to get the sub-floor completely down and the tiles under where the first toilet will go. The sink is all ready too.
Then the four of us went back to Fair Haven, met up with the rest of the team, got cleaned up for the evening service, and had supper. We had beef with gravy on beans and rice, green salad, potato salad, and cake for dessert.
In the evening service, I led singing, Ed gave his testimony, our men’s quartet sang “Peace Like a River,” and Pastor Ken preached. His message was from 1 Peter 4:10, and he challenged us to use the gifts and abilities God has given us for His service. Again, Pastor Desmond led about 30 minutes of praise and worship after PK was done.
For our devotions tonight, George and Scott gave their testimonies, and Steve taught us about the importance of faithful fellowship, and the example the early church was of that. I prayed with Scott afterwards.
Before bed, we practiced the skits we will be doing tomorrow in the schools. I’m in a “Burdens” skit that talks about the sin burdens we bear, and how Jesus can take them away. I’m supposed to be a really macho dude that struggles with pride, bullying, and acting on anger. It’s fun to act that way, because that’s really not me. I’m more the skinny old man type. We’re also doing a skit called “Sin Chair.” I’m not in that one, but it is a wordless skit that parallels getting stuck on wet paint with getting stuck in sin, and how Jesus is the only way to be free.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
This will be our second and last day totally dedicated to working on the bathroom at Hopewell church (HIBC). We started the day with another fantastic meal at Fair Haven: I had French toast, sausage, fresh fruit (I love the fresh fruit everyday!), and orange juice.
Scott and I worked on the cutting again. We figured out I can hold my own cutting the PVC pipe with the hack saw, but he’s much better at getting a good, straight cut with the circular saw on the wood, so that’s how we’ve divided the cutting work. We help hold and double-check measurements for each other.
We were hoping to at least get one toilet and the sink installed, and the pipes and wall mountings in for the rest by the end of the day, and we pretty much did it. We’re trying to see if we can find more time to get them further along before we have to leave.
Tonight’s supper was pizza from Pizza Hut, so that felt like home.
After supper, we returned to HIBC. Our ladies had prepared a ladies meeting for the area women. It was very well attended by women not just from HIBC, but other area churches. Annette, Lois, and Christi all did some of the teaching, as well as Pastor Ken. While they taught, Tony painted a picture, and they used the painting process to teach how God works on and in us to develop us into the person He wants us to be. The picture turned out beautifully, and Pastor Desmond was very proud to display it in their church.
While they were teaching, some of us guys worked on the bathroom some more. We tried to do the quieter work—no loud sawing, for example. Right before they were due to start, we had one quick saw job to do… and we tripped the breaker. Suddenly, the whole church was dark while all these ladies were expecting to start a Bible study! We quickly got the power restored and were a bit more careful after that.
I got to call home again tonight. That’s been one of the hardest things on other missions trips I’ve been on—the long time with no communication with my family—so that made this trip a bit easier on me.
For tonight’s devotions, Lois and Annette gave their testimonies, and Jon taught us about Jesus perfect example of the importance of prayer to a believer. Steve and I prayed together after the devotions. Then the five of us that are singing the quintet, Steve, Ed, Scott, Pastor Ken, and I, practiced a bit for tomorrow morning before going to bed for another good night’s rest after a long day of working.
Scott and I worked on the cutting again. We figured out I can hold my own cutting the PVC pipe with the hack saw, but he’s much better at getting a good, straight cut with the circular saw on the wood, so that’s how we’ve divided the cutting work. We help hold and double-check measurements for each other.
We were hoping to at least get one toilet and the sink installed, and the pipes and wall mountings in for the rest by the end of the day, and we pretty much did it. We’re trying to see if we can find more time to get them further along before we have to leave.
Tonight’s supper was pizza from Pizza Hut, so that felt like home.
After supper, we returned to HIBC. Our ladies had prepared a ladies meeting for the area women. It was very well attended by women not just from HIBC, but other area churches. Annette, Lois, and Christi all did some of the teaching, as well as Pastor Ken. While they taught, Tony painted a picture, and they used the painting process to teach how God works on and in us to develop us into the person He wants us to be. The picture turned out beautifully, and Pastor Desmond was very proud to display it in their church.
While they were teaching, some of us guys worked on the bathroom some more. We tried to do the quieter work—no loud sawing, for example. Right before they were due to start, we had one quick saw job to do… and we tripped the breaker. Suddenly, the whole church was dark while all these ladies were expecting to start a Bible study! We quickly got the power restored and were a bit more careful after that.
I got to call home again tonight. That’s been one of the hardest things on other missions trips I’ve been on—the long time with no communication with my family—so that made this trip a bit easier on me.
For tonight’s devotions, Lois and Annette gave their testimonies, and Jon taught us about Jesus perfect example of the importance of prayer to a believer. Steve and I prayed together after the devotions. Then the five of us that are singing the quintet, Steve, Ed, Scott, Pastor Ken, and I, practiced a bit for tomorrow morning before going to bed for another good night’s rest after a long day of working.
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