Friday, 9/16/11

Last day of ministry in Kentucky! After our morning devotion the mayor thanked the volunteers and told us how much the week had meant to the community. He asked for prayers for an event that is being planned by the three states (Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia) for November. It will be a “Take Back Our Land” march through the tunnel, and it will kick off an effort to stop the drug transportation system through the area.

Our assignment was to work in the library at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College. It is a beautiful campus in a little hollow (pronounced holler) adjacent to Pine Mountain State Park. It was appropriate that our morning devotion was based on Psalm 121 (I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.), because the campus is surrounded by hills. Mrs. Gene and I quickly volunteered to work in the Antiquities room. We examined about 25 old Bibles that had been donated to the college and recorded information from them. The librarian is trying to determine whether any of the books are especially valuable or unique, and whether they are connected to graduates of the school. Among the more interesting were a family Bible from the early 1800s that contained several personal items (letters, obituaries, etc.), a Hebrew Bible from 1882 that belonged to a Jewish soldier, and a very old Dutch Reform Bible.

Martha and Helen worked in the resource room where the school has current and past literature and curricula for students and area ministers to use. Louise quickly finished cleaning a workroom and went looking for something else to do. She found two other MissionsFEST volunteers who had been assigned to make new clothes for four puppets. The problem was that neither of them knew how to operate a sewing machine and they were praying for some help. She joined up with them for the rest of the day!

Friday night is always celebration night at MissionsFEST. Our host was Northside Baptist Church where we were served spaghetti, salad, huge rolls (homemade, I think) and various desserts. I was struck by the effort this must have been. Like most of the churches in the area, Northside’s attendance has diminished over the years. Their attendance board showed 35 in church last Sunday.

After dinner we went to the sanctuary and enjoyed music, a slide show, and testimonies from the volunteers. The group from New Orleans reported that they had completed mud-out on four houses, including sheetrock removal and clean-up. Other teams reported from prison ministries, prayerwalks, cookie ministries, block parties, etc. One group of nurses gave a clinic for expectant moms, some groups visited nursing homes, and some made lap-robes and adult bibs. One group discovered a man who had been bitten by a snake and got him to a hospital. The stories all seemed to have one theme: “God put us where we needed to be this week!” At the conclusion of the evening we sang “Blest Be the Tie”, exchanged hugs and email addresses, and went back to the hotel to pack for the trip home.

As for me, I’ve fallen in love with Kentucky and can’t wait to go back!

Thursday, 9/15/11

What an exciting day! The weather was horrible - rainy, cold, and windy. After our morning devotion our first task was to prayer walk the area around E. Cumberland Baptist Church where we would be helping with a block party later in the day. Because of the weather we elected to prayer drive instead, so we drove the van slowly up and down the narrow streets stopping frequently. Our group prayed silently but fervently!

We went back to Old Yellow Creek BC for lunch. By the way, we have learned that "yalla" is the correct pronunciation! Chili dogs, chips, and homemade desserts.

We had a little free time before returning to E. Cumberland BC to set up for the block party at 3 p.m. By that time the rain had stopped, but the wind had intensified. I wore two shirts, my fleece jacket, and a raincoat, but was still cold. We set up tables and chairs and tied a balloon on anything that didn't move. A couple from the Clear Creek Baptist Bible College brought their activities van with a popcorn machine, sno-cone machine, and games. (Too bad we didn't have hot chocolate!) There were three inflatables delivered, but with the high wind, only two were used.

The block party was from 5 p.m. until 7, and we helped with games. About 85 people showed up and registered in spite of the bad weather.

One highlight was a beautiful little girl named Bella. We all fell in love with her. She was there with her mom and older brother and sister. I played with Bella while her mom went to the nurses for blood pressure and blood sugar checks. Turns out her blood sugar was quite high, so they counseled her about that. She asked for prayer for her family, her boyfriend, and their relationship, but asked that we not mention the last request to him if he showed up.

As we continued to talk, I learned that she lived very near the church. She said she had thought about coming there but was "shy and embarrassed". I told her how much we enjoyed meeting the pastor and about his puppet ministry. Then I introduced her to one of the church members and left them talking.

Will this block party change this young lady's life? Maybe not, but we loved on her and her family and planted a seed!

Wednesday, 9/14/11

Today we worked at Coordinated Christian Ministries, where senior adults come once a month to pick up food. The ministry is located next door to First Christian Church of Middlesboro, and the food distribution takes place from the church fellowship hall. There are 97 clients, and our job was put each client’s food into two tote bags, which they bring back each month. Another group worked yesterday sorting the food and putting each person’s portion into a cardboard box. As we emptied the boxes today, they were nested or flattened and stored for next month’s processing. The food comes from government programs and other donated sources.

After we finished, the ministry coordinator gave us a tour of the CCM. The tour didn’t take long because their space is very small. The building is owned by the church and provided free of charge to the CCM. Within a narrow storefront building they have a food pantry and clothing area as well as a small kitchen and administrative space.

Our team, including the two ladies from Mississippi, worked with Christians from different denominations, including a young man who was just baptized last week. What an inspiration it was to hear that one of his first activities as a Christian was to find a place of service!

Tuesday, 9/13/11

Cookie delivery day! We visited three area schools with baskets of cookies. At Page School we spoke with the secretary and a science teacher, Bill, who happened to be in the office at the time. When we told them one reason we were there was to pray for the school, Bill invited us to use his classroom. He took us there and sat with us. We asked if he had particular prayer requests, and he wanted us to pray about the decision to end prayer before football games. The Freedom From Religion Foundation recently filed a complaint with the school district, leading to the decision. At Right Fork School, we were encouraged to pray on the school grounds, so we walked around the building. Our final school was Mill Creek Baptist Preschool. In addition to delivering cookies, we got to sing with some of the children, read to them, and even get some hugs.

After we finished, we drove to Cumberland Gap National Park, just a couple of miles from our motel. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

Monday, 9/12/2011

Today we teamed up with two ladies from Mississippi and the 7 of us baked about 1,000 cookies and packaged them up for the teachers at several local schools. There are 4 teams baking cookies - most of them will go to schools but some go to police and fire stations. Just a way to show love to the community and remind them that they are welcome at the local churches. Tomorrow is cookie delivery day, and we will also be reading to children at one of the schools.

Sunday, 9/11/11

We arrived in Middlesboro yesterday afternoon in time to check in at the hotel and get to our 5:00 p.m. orientation meeting at Old Yellow Creek Baptist Church. There are 140 volunteers from 12 states and plenty of work for everyone. Before the evening ended we had met the pastor, Ray Spicer, and his wife, Lois, from Riverside Baptist Church. We will be baking cookies at Riverside on Monday and Tuesday and delivering them to area schools.

At Bro. Spicer’s invitation we elected to attend church at Riverside and we were glad we did so. What a lovely group of people! It is a small church (30 in Sunday School last week), but they have a beautiful building and a wonderful outdoor pavilion. Their pianist wasn’t there, so I was invited to play for the service. Bro. Spicer preached about the cross and unveiled a rustic cross made by one of the church members. It was built from hemlock from a 100 year old barn.

After church we rushed back to Old Yellow Creek BC, hoping that they had not run out of fried chicken. Not to worry: there was plenty of wonderful food for the entire group of volunteers. Afterwards we went back to the hotel, changed clothes, and returned to sort and package the donations that volunteers had brought (hygiene items, notebook paper, and children’s socks and underwear). The donations filled ten 8’ tables! Top priority was given to packing donations for Kayjay, a town that was hit hard by flooding in June. The remaining donations will be distributed through the ministry center and the schools.

Among the volunteers who will be working in Kayjay is a large group from Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans. One of the members assured me with a smile that they were experienced at mud-out!

Friday, 9/9/11

Today was our first day on mission, and we started with a visit to the ministry center at Forest Lake Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa. This church fortunately sustained only minor damage compared to others in the immediate area. That is not to say there was no structural damage - there was - but the buildings and roofs were intact. Today the church lounge is a food bank, and the fellowship hall is a clothing ministry and a processing center. Many Sunday School rooms have been pressed into service for similar purposes. Until recently, there were people living in the basement.

We delivered a few supplies and some money. It was a drop in the bucket when you consider how much they are doing, but they told us that help has come in from all over and when it is all added together it enables them to keep going.

The lady in the picture with Helen, Louise, Martha, and Gene, is Louise Brock, who took time from her duties to show us around the center. Molly, the paper doll, is also making this trip with us!

On the way out of town we drove through some of the area that was devastated by the tornados. Tomorrow we will drive on to Middlesboro KY for MissionsFEST!