That kind of week

Last night after dinner, “Miss Alma” spoke to our group. Miss Alma has grown the programs here at the Powell Valley association almost entirely on her faith. The shoes for children program (over 500 pairs of new shoes for kids, three times a year.). The book bag program, and the other programs here grew out of a special conviction that God laid on her heart.

She began with no resources, no big name backer, just the insistent call that God wanted her to do something for children here in Lee County. What began as her story of how the shoe ministry began, turned into a very personal testimony of the power of how God works in our lives.

For Alma has had a hard life the last few years. She lost her husband. Her daughter was shot and killed in New Orleans. She has virtually no family left and many of us in the same situation might fall into an inconsolable sadness and despair.

But Alma has learned another lesson – that God will comfort, and in the midst of tragedy and loss, he will give us a renewed purpose and joy in life, if only we will let him. At the end of her talk to us, we felt not like we had heard a story, but that we had worshiped.

That sense of inspiration seems to have filled our day today so far. The group at Darbyville was smaller than before, but as the morning wore on there was a growing energy. You could see the connection between the kids there and our own church family growing. Projects started by Tim and Joe began to come together and you could see the progress of their work and the real improvement that they will leave behind. Martha and I finished the cross garden. And then, as the morning wore down, David O’Dell came in, even more enthusiastic than normal, announced that a boy in his class had come to the decision to give his life to Christ.

This afternoon will be a busy one. There is a sense of urgency because our week is running out and there is so much we want to do. One group, made up with (David O’Dell, Belinda, Drewry, Emily, Shannon, Lacey and Sarah) will be at the trailer park again, and another will go to Carol and Shirley to teach at the nursing home. Another (Pam, Lucy, Martha and Barbara are here as I write this, packing book bags and preparing the farewell gifts for tomorrow. And in one of those opportunities that God sends your way, the association had a truckload of squash delivered (You read that right, a TRUCKLOAD), and David O’Dell and several of the teenagers will be delivering squash to people in the trailer park and in Chapelle Gardens, a subsidized housing community in Jonesville.

Like so often happens on mission trips, we are all finding that while we thought we were coming here to do for others, we’ve gotten as much from this trip as the people who we came to serve. New friendships. Having the opportunity to be part of the children’s lives, making a dozen small differences in the life of the church. One by one the blessings to US have been piling up. You can sense it in the smiles of people here. We’re tired, but there is a sense of joy among us. The teenagers arrived for lunch today singing, and before long, we were all singing with them. It’s been that kind of week.

One last thing before I close today. All week long Darbyville Baptist, besides our daytime bible school, is holding a revival each night.. All week we have heard some of the kids in VBS talk about the revival and tonight, we are planning to go and join them. None of us know what to expect, certainly a different worship experience than we are accustomed to, but it will be good to join our new new friends in worship. More on that tomorrow.

Tom

PS - as always, you can click on the small image for a larger version.