The Last Day

Words cannot describe how God has shown up this week. He often shows up when we least expect it and He meets us in places where we need Him more than anything. It truly has been a blessing to watch the members of this group not only experience God in worship but in every aspect of this trip.

We finished every project we set out to do. The group on the roof stayed two and a half hours past our normal departure time in order to complete what we started. Everyone dug in as a unit to put the finishing touches on a week long project. One of the men that we worked along side us at the Fountain of Life Outreach ministry said this kind of job can take about two weeks but we finished in a week. Be proud of the team on the roof because they were motivated to finish this project and they did.

The team working at the home of someone associated with FOL also finished all their tasks. The shed was demolished and hauled away, the skirting was put on, the deck was power washed and sealed, and new windows were put in. As a sign of her appreciation, the homeowner treated the group to a delicious lunch. Then they came to then roofing worksite after a days work and helped us to complete our task.

As wonderful as it feels to serve and give back, the part that ended up motivating the team the most was being aware of who we were serving. The more we grew in our relationships with the people of FOL, the more we enjoyed serving them. They are incredible people who love God with an incredible passion that you can't help but partner with them as they serve the community and glorify God. Our heart as a team is to continue to serve this ministry even when we go home. We have been so impacted by the people here that we want to use our resources to help where they need it.

Last night in our evening worship, God showed up in magnificent ways. Students and adults alike experienced God like never before. They were embraced by the tender voice of God speaking beautiful things over them. Students and adults raised their hands in abandonment and were overwhelmed by a God who can meet our deepest need in such profound ways. What a mighty God who chooses to love us despite us.

I want to thank you all for praying for us. God met all your prayers as we finished what we set out to do and everyone was safe.

Here are the final pictures from the trip:

Day Two and Day Three

I apologize for not having an updated the past two days because they have been long days. The group continue to work hard on all our sites. The VBS group is having a blast sharing Bible stories with the kids. Tuesday they did the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Joe English played a great Jesus yesterday. Jessica Avallone and Caroline Carlson played Mary and Martha. Yesterday, Adam Jackley had the opportunity today to share the Gospel with the students.

The group at the outreach center continued their work on the roof. We were able to remove all the shingles off the roof, lay down all the new felt, and we started to put new shingles on. Yesterday they continued the same task and we hope to finish up the roof on Friday.

The group at the other work site continued to accomplish various tasks. This group is helping a member of Fountain of Life Ministries who needs some work done on her home. They have power washed and resealed a deck. They have put in new windows. They are worked to repair the skirt on the trailer and they began a project that involves demolishing a shed. A long list of work that they hope to accomplish on Friday.

Last night our group attended a dinner and a church service at Fountain of Life Ministries. There is one word that best describes it: powerful. God was clearly in that place moving in the hearts of His people. All the members of our team were deeply moved by what they experienced in God's presence last night.

Today is our day off and we will enjoy it canoeing. Pray for us as we finish up our projects on Friday. Pray that everything goes well and that we continue to be injury free. God has been doing wonderful things in the lives of those on this trip. Students are drawing closer to God and experiencing Him in ways they haven't before. It's been a beautiful thing to witness. God is so good!

Thanks for your prayers!

Here are some of the photos from the past two days:

Day One

It was a great first day! Everyone was hard at work and we completed more than we anticipated on the first day. We worked three different sites today. One group worked on the roof of the Fountain of Life Outreach Center. Another group worked on other buildings associated with Fountain of Life. And another group worked to put on a VBS. All members worked very hard to accomplish what we set out to start at the front end of the week.

Those working on the roof tore off all the old shingles and felt. They also worked on pulling up all the old nails that held the felt down. This task proved to be the longest and most tedious because of the amount of nails and how deep into the boards they were. Nonetheless, we worked hard to finish one half of the roof. We will continue to work on the second half of the roof tomorrow.

The other group worked on the skirt of the building and they also installed a new office window. There are many tasks to accomplish at this site so the group will take each on one at a time.

Finally, the last group had a great day working at the VBS at a church nearby Brandon Cratty had an opportunity to play a Roman Soldier for the kids as part of a Bible story. The VBS group appeared to have a successful first day and are looking forward to the rest of the week.

It was indeed a great first day. No one was injured. Only a couple small scrapes. Continue to pray for our safety as the week goes on and that God would continue to meet us in profound ways.

Here are some of the pictures from the first day: