"And Jesus said, whenever you have done it to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you have done it to Me."
A simple cup of cold water brings refreshment to a parched soul, and to a parched people. Today it was our privilege to share that cup of cold water from Christ to three specific people in Port Antonio. We were able to bring some "refreshment" to these people. Yet, in reality, we became the ones who received the wonderful refreshment of God's Spirit and presence in our lives as we ministered as His hands, His feet, and with His heart. Pastor Grant had selected three specific "homebound" members of each of his congregations-Port Antonio, Drapers, and Norwich-to be the beneficiaries of the gifts and talents of our young people's hands at work. Sister Babbylyn from Norwich, Sister Belle from Port Antonio, and Sister Frances from Drapers blessed us by allowing us to be with them in ministry today. Our group was divided into three teams-fifteen youth and adults headed by Alan Jewell led the work at Drapers, six young people and adults headed by Barry Brubaker led the work at Port Antonio, and I headed (now that is a scary thought from a handy person perspective!) a group of eight young people and adults at Norwich.
Tonight at our devotional time our kids shared the impact of the day on their lives. We heard amazing stories of how these kids' lives were touched by the opportunity to serve that cup of cold water. I want you to know that it was a HOT day today, but the heat did not detract in any way from our kids giving 110% of effort in their work. All of us left our work sites tired, hot, sweaty, and spent following a tough day of labor. I was so proud of the work of my group, and our finished product of painting at our friend Sister Babbylyn's home was quite good if I do say so myself! If you are a parent who is reading this blog, or if you know of one of the young people on our trip, ask them about their work today. You will be blessed by the stories that you hear.
For those who are parents of our college kids (all recent graduates)-Laura Paynter, Jeremy McClure, and Ryan Wilson-I want to say a special word of thanks to you for the impact of these three young people on this mission trip. They are setting fine examples for our younger kids and serving as wonderful role models. They are assuming "adult" responsibilities and even asking for more to do to assist the more "aged" adults. They are interacting so well with our younger kids as well, making them all "feel important." You parents can be very proud of the job that you have done in raising such fine young adults. Their ministry and presence with our group has been a blessing to me and many others this week. Their investment in these days is being well spent and laying wonderful foundations for the future of many of the youth on our trip.
I have asked our young people to submit some of their personal journal thoughts to me to share with you. Here is what I hope will be the first in a series of these youth reflections.
From Ethan Fromm: Today I met a woman named Mablel Frances. This woman and her condition totally altered my life. I felt so humbled by her condition and yet still how right she was in her mindset. All she said was, "God bless you," and "We are all together as one." She hugged and kissed us. Her yard was a total mess and covered in litter and fallen trees. It was so hurtful to see her living space. But, I feel like her influence has changed my outlook on Christianity and it has made this whole trip worthwhile.
From Sheridan Fromm: Today our church group went to people's homes to work on their houses. These people were homebound and some could not even get out of bed. I went to Norwich Church to help paint at Sister Babbylyn's home. When I first walked in I was shocked at what I saw. She was so happy yet her home was nothing to be happy about. She constantly had a smile on her face, and I could not help but smile back. The home was covered in mildew and there were bugs and lizards in the home as well. We moved out the furniture and started painting the kitchen. When we asked her if she wanted us to paint the dining room, she said no. She insisted that it was fine even though there was a lot of dust and many paint chippings all over the room. We had plenty of paint left so we painted the dining room and an outside wall of the house. We had a little helper name Chaevaroy, and he was a little boy. He did not go to school because he had sickle cell anemia. I felt like he enjoyed us coming to help the lady. When we finished painting we walked outside and prayed with the sister. I was truly touched at how to us, all that we did seemed so little, but to her it meant so much. When I got back into the bus, I asked myself what it would be like to live in that situation. My heart felt challenged as I thought about the question. I don't need so much to be happy. All I need to know is that God will love me and so will my family. Today's work was a great life lesson that may have changed my life forever.
[Side note: If I am not mistaken, Sheridan is the youngest young person on our trip. She was a part of my group today at Norwich. She worked so hard from the time we got there until the time we left. She told us her Grandfather Dunn taught her how to paint. She is an excellent painter and was so responsive to Sister Babbylyn. I know her parents (and grandparents) would be proud!]
From Blakely Thomason: Today we went to Sister Frances' house. The first thing that I saw was that the tiny house was grown up with bushes and lots of plants. When we walked inside, in the first room was a little old lady that was on the bed. She gave us all hugs and told us that we were truly doing God's work. Sister Frances was not able to walk or move around. All she can do is sit up on her bed or lie down. She has a hearing problem and much more. Sister Frances' house was so dirty that I don't think that anyone has tried to clean it in a very long time, and the outside was so grown up that you could not walk up or down the stairs that led to the house. While many of the youth worked outside, I worked inside. The boards on the floor had holes in them and some of the holes were so big that you could not even go into those rooms. It was the most sad thing to see. After all was said and done, we cleaned the inside of the house and cleared all of the overgrown plants. It was a very rewarding day!
I know that you all are proud of your children as they worked so very hard today. I know that I am!
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