A message from Bonnie

Dear Sue and team,  This morning was an unbelievable blessing  in  church!  During the service our Michigan team was able to share how God opened doors for us while we were gone and how He allowed us to minister there.  We immediately were able  to  share how you and the Sicklerville team blessed us here.  Then I took the kids down stairs and gave them their  backpacks.  I really wish you could have seen their faces!  They were overjoyed.  Then one little 7 year old boy said, "We need to stop right now and thank God for sending this church to us.  And we need to pray for them ,too." Another asked, What is the name of the church?"  When I answered,"The Church of God.",  little Elizabeth said,  "Boy, they sure named that one right"..  You touched more lives than you imagined.  Thanks for being obedient to His Word.  Bonnie

Home Safely

Excerpt from Charlie's Facebook:

Back from Appalachia West Virginia. Our team of 11 had a wonderful time meeting some fine folks there. As we were leaving the coordinators there said the local people that we served gave us the ultimate compliment: "They're just like us." I'm so proud of our team for showing great unity and cooperation, especially the 4 students! We had a group prayer on what I think was called "Moonshine Rock".

 (In case you missed the Powerpoint presentation in church this morning,...I will put a couple CD's in the library for you to borrow and watch on your home computer.)

Update

Day 5 - Friday

Thursday, we finished the concrete pad in time for a little later than normal lunch.  After lunch, Charlie and I went with a member of the Peoples Church to World Vision to pick up supplies.  The rest of the group did some cleaning at the Community Center.  We took early showers when we got back and went for ice cream at Dairy King.

Today (Friday) in the morning, Glen, Charlie, Logan and myself went to finish the roof project.  Sue, Sarah, Baylee went to Jeff & Lisa’s farm (Jeff is program director at the Center) to water 5,000 mums and weed his high tunnel full of tomatoes and peppers.  They also moved picnic tables and benches for the team picnic Friday night.  Molly, Coral, Barb, Alicia did some drywall work at the Center.  After lunch Charlie & I did another trip to World Vision to pick up supplies for the Center.  The rest of us stayed at the center finishing concrete, painting and drying work.  Tonight we all went to Jeff & Lisa’s for a picnic dinner.  It got rained out and now we are all back playing games, etc.

Not sure what time we are heading home tomorrow….wish we could stay longer.  It has been a GREAT experience!!

Don’t forget to come Sunday.  The team will share much more with you then.  I will TRY to have a slide presentation with some of our pictures also.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support.

Love,

mARILYN

Awaiting Concrete Delivery

Well...Its Thursday morning and all 11 of us are waiting on a concrete delivery truck.  They are finding a couple odd jobs for some of us in the mean time.

Yesterday, on our day off, we went to Blackwater Falls....very beautiful!  There will be several photos of this in the slide show when we get back.  After walking 214 steps to the falls (and then back up), we ate lunch at The Purple Fiddle and then walked around a couple shops/antique stores.  We then planned to go swimming at a state park but it was closed due to ecoli, so we toured their Nature Center and returned to the Center about an hour before we needed.  It gave us time for some much needed rest.

For dinner, they took everyone (both groups) to a local pizza place.  Then we all attended the church service at the Pentecostal church.  The people here are so friendly.  We really enjoyed it.

Better get back to the crew.  Our concrete should be here soon.

Love to you all,
Marilyn

p.s.  We got the message about Bill Mowery and are praying for him.

Having Fun

Day 3 – Tuesday

On Tuesday, our team was split.  Seven of us (Glen, Sue, Charlie, Marilyn, Logan, Alicia & Baylee) went back tp Ms. Kay’s house to lay the shingles on her roof, the other four of us (Molly, Coral, Barb & Sarah) stayed on Community Center grounds to prep an area for a concrete pad.

Talk about overcoming fears!!  I had to get on the scaffolding with Glen ….for some reason it was MUCH scarier than being on the roof where I could sit down or have more room to stand and move around.  It took about a half an hour before I could stand up straight and stop clinging to the roof!  I’m proud of myself though and thank God for the opportunity.  Dave DeRouchie is a wonderful teacher and excellent at involving EVERYBODY in the project.  His wife, Bonnie (who organized our trip) is a wonderful story teller.  She rode in our bus with us last night as we toured the area.  When we get back, ask Logan to tell you about the rocks on the river….an unforgettable experience.  I asked Alicia what she thought about her first mission trip.  She said to tell you that West Virginia is a beautiful state!  Barb, Molly and Sarah will have a story to tell you about “flying rocks” when we get back..?...Not sure what that is about, but should be interesting.

More later.  Today (wed.) is our day off and we are going hiking to some waterfalls and possibly swimming at a state park.

-Marilyn

Connection Problems

Just a note to say... Sorry for the delay in blog entries.  We were having internet connection problems.  Tonight  but we found a spot in the dining hall where we are able to connect, so we will try to get there each evening but don't hold me to it  :)

Comfort Zones in the Rear View

Day 2 – Monday

Last night at orientation, Stephanie with World Servants ministries (sponsor of the mission in Philippi) shared with us some keys to having a successful mission trip.  In addition to giving practical tips like staying hydrated, keeping safety first and being on time (I’m working on that one!), she also encouraged us to be flexible and realize that God may have plans for us that we don’t expect.  I think that’s advice that our team is truly taking to heart.  Even with only having arrived just yesterday, we’re already learning to be flexible and to step out of our comfort zones to follow God’s lead.

 It’s been a different kind of step for each one of us, but so far we’ve accepted the challenges and left those comfort zones behind us.  For one, it’s letting yourself relax and sleep in a bunk room overflowing with women when you’re uncomfortable in crowded situations, for others it’s climbing a ladder and working on the side of a roof when you’ve got a fear of heights.  We’ve prayed in front of a group, talked to strangers, driven a bus on narrow, twisty, country roads, been the lone boy at a table full of teenage girls, and joined a worship group with zero practice time, all because we’re trying to be flexible in this journey of ours.  It feels great to know that we can go beyond the limits of our fears and our discomfort and come out stronger people on the other side.

In addition to the work God is doing on us, we’ve been busy working in Philippi as well.  Rain kept us inside in the morning, so we cleaned the walls of the church sanctuary down the road to prep for painting.  After lunch, we stripped shingles off a roof and covered it with paper.  The home owner, Miss Kay was great, as were her foster kids, 6-year old Elizabeth and 4-year old Logan.  We’ll see what God has in store for tomorrow. 

Blessings to you at home!   

- Sarah

  

Feeling Guilty?

Day 1 – Sunday

We made it here safely approximately 6 pm.  Dinner was ready and we were rushed inside to meet the other groups and share a spaghetti and meatball dinner with salad, garlic bread, cantaloupe, and brownies.  Wow! What a welcome!  After dinner and a welcoming orientation, we unpacked the bus and picked our bunks.  My bunk was missing springs and we asked for wire or a coat hanger to fix it.  Instead I was ushered into a private room with two double beds.  I was told I could use that room if I wanted to.  Sarah joined me since her bed looked just as “delicate”.  We were the last to pick our bunks, but we ended up with the really nice private room…each with a double bed to ourselves.  WE FEEL SO GUILTY…not….haha.

“But many who are first will be last and the last first.”  - Mark 10:31

Tomorrow we will be tearing off a roof at a foster home.   Please pray for safety for all!

Packed and Ready

Well....we're packed and ready to go!  We leave in the morning after church.  I've had the John Denver song, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" in my head the last two days.  I love seeing new places and traveling with friends; but what I love most is knowing that what we are doing is God's will, that He is walking with us, and that we are pleasing Him.  Please remember to pray for each team member throughout the week:  Pastor Charlie, Marilyn & Logan Zahora, Sue & Glen Sansom, Sarah Pickel, Barb & Baylee Jenkins, Molly & Coral Coulson, and Alicia Dougherty.  Thanks for having our backs!!

Final Preparations

 

Final preparations are being made.  Before we know it, we will be on our way….On our way to be the hands and feet of Christ.  Through email communications, we’ve learned that some of the jobs we may be doing include:  roof repair at a foster home, drywall/painting at the community center where we will be staying, plumbing, electronic repairs, cutting of firewood and possibly landscaping.  It sounds like there will also be some great opportunities to share our faith with the people there.

Next Thursday (Aug. 11) will be our final Mission Team meeting at 6:00 PM.  We will also be picking up the shirts one day next week and hopefully will have them available at the meeting.  After the meeting, we will assemble the school supply kits and put them into backpacks/bags to distribute to the kids in the Philippi area.

I’m getting excited! ...and oh so thankful for this opportunity.  Thank you to all our wonderful supporters at New Cumberland First Church of God!

Why go?

Excerpt from TalkPoints.com’s “Do, Love, Walk”:

The prophet Micah has a very important question to ask before you go on this mission trip:  Why does God want you to be a part of this trip?  You can find the answer to Micah's question in the Bible Micah 6:8:  The Lord requires you to DO JUSTICE (fairness) LOVE MERCY (kindness) and WALK HUMBLY with your God (openly surrendered).

Those who return from short-term mission trips will often tell you that it was a challenging week, but in the next breath they'll say something like:  "lt was one of the best experiences of my life!"

Why Is That?

1.)       It's a great experience because we've been created to DO JUSTICE in our world.  When we actually roll up our sleeves and get involved in doing for others what we would hope they would do for us, we're doing what God wants us to do.

2.)       It's a great experience because we've also been created to LOVE MERCY.  Showing mercy involves doing acts of kindness for others especially those who really need the most help.  Whenever we get involved in doing random acts of kindness, we're doing what God wants us to do.

3.)       It’s a great experience because we've been created to WALK HUMBLY WITH OUR GOD, which means that we need to be openly surrendered to what God wants.  We need to include Him in each step of the way.  lf we decide to walk humbly with God, the Bible promises that God will show us the way.  lt takes focus and faith, though.  Mission trips help to give us the focus on God we all need.  lf we walk humbly with God and surrender to His purposes God will be our guide.

            So, welcome to this incredible mission opportunity to plant the seeds of justice, mercy and humility within yourself and others.  Micah tells us that God requires this of us:  we're to live God's mission of justice, mercy and humility in our world.  lt's what life is all about!

"Dear God, help us to realize that we are going on this mission trip not just because we’ve chosen to go, but because You have invited us. Teach us during the coming days to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with You.

May our team represent Christ to the people we will soon be meeting and serving.
Amen."

NCFCOG Mission Team

 

This blog is started for the mission team of 10 from New Cumberland First Church of God, who will be serving in Philippi, West Virginia, from August 14 to August 20, 2011. May this blog be used to record down our thoughts, prayers and preparations for our trip, to glorify God.