SOWER Mission Day 6:

We wrapped up our week on the work site today by finishing the front porch frame, installing the soffit frame and roof boards and hauling the shingles and rolls of felt paper up to the roof so they'll be ready for another crew from other West Ohio Conference churches that comes in next week. The SOWER house takes six weeks to complete, and there will be other crews serving two weeks in July and two weeks in August to finish the job.

Before leaving tonight and heading home, we said farewell to Andy and Georgia but told them we looked forward to seeing them again, and their finished home, next year. In the meantime, we hope what we accomplished showed the love of Christ to not only our home owners but to their neighbors who saw the new house rising as they drove past during the week.

God is good.

SOWER Mission Day 5:

This was a day the Lord made, of course, but boy, what a day. Blue sky and bright sun, an occasional cool breeze and zero humidity accentuated another delightful day on the work site with Andy and Georgia, who spent it with us watching with great happiness as the roof trusses were installed and stabilized and the boards were nailed on the back half of the roof.

Georgia serenaded us with music on site again, but this time she had company as Roy Rutter and John Vingle joined her in Victory in Jesus from the United Methodist hymnal. Even the dogs next door barked their appreciation afterward.

We will complete our week tomorrow with a mixture of satisfaction and sadness. We'll finish the roof and frame the front porch, but leaving Andy and Georgia will be difficult. This is the first year of the four that our Reynoldsburg UMC team has come to SOWER that our homeowners have been on site with us during the work days, and the chance to interact with them has added a new and rewarding dimension to the week. May God bless Andy and Georgia, and bless the other work crews who will finish their home for them by the end of August.

SOWER Mission Days 3-4:

We're still here, and our wireless service is restored, so here's what your SOWER team has been up to the past two days: Four walls up.

After much cutting of lumber, measurements and marking Tuesday, the back wall rose off the floor and was braced in place before we left the work site for the day. Today, despite a morning-long rain, we worked through it, the other three walls went up, were attached, and guess what? The house is plumb square, 28 feet by 28 feet, and awaiting installation of the roof trusses tomorrow.

We have continued to be blessed in our mission. Tuesday, Georgia sang to us before we left the work site. Today after work, we were able to visit Wilma Mays at the home we built for her last year. She seemed to be a much healthier and happier woman in her new home.

Tonight, our new home owners, Andy and Georgia, joined us for dinner at the Pine Mountain State Park Lodge about 15 miles from Henderson Settlement. We have enjoyed working for them and with them, and getting to know them, as much as they have us. We see the Lord having worked through us to bring them noticeably closer not only to us but to each other and to Him. Hopefully we are winning souls.

 

SOWER Mission Day 2:
We were blessed with great weather for much of the first day of construction (until a late-afternoon downpour forced us to close up shop), and by the fact that Andy and Georgia were able to spend the day with us, helping us on the job as well as sharing stories about their lives. We were able to get about half the floor covered and the floor of the front porch complete before the rain fell about 3:30 p.m.

Our devotion tonight told the story of our day, not neglecting the gifts that God gives us (1 Timothy 4:14) while working as a team, using our gifts not to compete with each other but rather to complete each other (1 Corinthians 12).

SOWER Mission Day 1:

Our 12-person SOWER team left Reynoldsburg about 9 a.m. Sunday and arrived at Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky about 3 p.m. It gave us enough time to get settled and to visit our work site, where we met the owners, Andy and Georgia Maiden, who are at the far left of the photo.

We feel blessed this week that our homeowners, both of whom are on disability, will be able to be at our work site and interact with us. In past years here, the residents worked and were not at home during the day when we were there. We missed a wonderful chance to be not only the hands and feet of Jesus but to witness for Him as well. We have that chance this year and look forward to reflecting His light.

Construction on top of the existing foundation begins in earnest Monday morning.

Day 6: march 9 2012

Experiences like this one change lives, move mountains, part oceans, open hearts

when we part from places like this one it brings a tear to your eye. It will light a match to who you were before. you can't help but look back and wonder why. We were reminded to today by LeMayor that we might be physically separating but that spiritually we are eternally connected.

We will bring home a wisdom deeper, a light brighter, a soul stronger, our river wider, humbled by what we have waiting for us to return to.

It is us that has blessed them or rather them that has blessed us? A dove placed in our hands to take home with us. When we return that dove will fly higher and faster then ever before.

Day 5: Wed. March 7th

Thankfully today was a much busier day at the church and the lord blessed us with many patients to see and help. Between our team and the hatian medical staff we were able to assist somewhere between 80 and 100 patients, and perscribed about three perscriptions each.

lord we ask that you keep our eyes aware and wide open, our ears ready to closely listen, and our hearts ready to love and care. we ask that you will allow us to make a lasting impact and develope the close knit relationships necessary to provide for the people of Haiti.

lord we ask that you make our purpose clear to each and every one of us and that you give us the strength and courage to act out our purpose to the absolute best of our ability.

but most of all we ask that your will be done

please keep us in your thoughts and prayers

God bless

Day 4: clinic at the guest house

Day 4 march 6th 2012

Day 3: first day of the mission

Day 3- march 5 2012 today was our first day of our missions work. we began our medical lab and our work at the school. some of us were able to visit Nadaje, who is seven months pregnant. her past two pregnancies have ended in miscarages. the encouraging words from an american doctor had a positive impact. You could see a complete turn around and a smile on her face. a fifteen year old boy, whose nick name is can-can, has a learning disability and is unable to attend school. please keep Nadaje and Can-Can in your prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Greg and Chip were able to meet with the principle of the school to discuss ways for improvement. throughout the day we were able to get numerous good pictures of the children from the school, and they all had smiles and laughs to see themselves on camera :) there are more similarities rather than differences between all of us. one common ground that we all share is the need to be loved. and love can be found everywhere you look. my dreams are not far from your dreams and our dreams are not far from their dreams.