This note was written to our staff from one of the homeowners we worked with this week:
Dear Pastor Faig,
My name is Mary and I live in Lumberton, North Carolina. This past week I was blessed by the hard work of the youth of Gayton Baptist Church and the adult volunteers that traveled to Robeson County. Adult members of your team arrived at my house on Saturday to begin prep work on my home. It was in need of removal of rotten wood, pressure washing, and painting. The youth arrived at my home on Monday and not only did this group work hard at this project, they also painted 2 bathrooms and as a real challenge several of the girls as well as Ann volunteered to clean up what I would call a “disaster room”. The energy, enthusiasm, dedication and love that all of the members of this group (adult and youth) showed to me was a true reflection of God’s love.
I would like to thank each adult volunteer and the youth for all that they did for me. I would also like to thank members of the church for their support of the youth program. Your church has a lot of young men and women to be proud of. May God continue to bless each one of them.
In Christ love,
Mary and Asher
Saturday, July 25, 2009
leaving Red Springs
On Sunday night, we gave each family group a fabric swatch. Margaret Busey was a devoted blanket maker for children in need, and as we dedicated this trip to her memory, it seemed fitting to use a quilt square.
When we gathered for worship on Friday evening, we called each family group to the front as we prayed a blessing for the homeowners and families we worked with this week. When each family group came forward, they added their square to a larger 'quilt,' symbolically representing the greater things we can do together. One of the families joined us -- I'm glad our youth got to worship with the family.
Larry, camp director at the Red Springs mission camp, closed our morning devotion time today with a prayer of blessing for us. After last night's worship, that was a great way to end our experience before we hit the road. Now that we're heading home, I pray that our youth will continue to grow and process this great experience, growing into stronger followers of Christ, continuing to do 'greater' things.
-Aaron
When we gathered for worship on Friday evening, we called each family group to the front as we prayed a blessing for the homeowners and families we worked with this week. When each family group came forward, they added their square to a larger 'quilt,' symbolically representing the greater things we can do together. One of the families joined us -- I'm glad our youth got to worship with the family.
Larry, camp director at the Red Springs mission camp, closed our morning devotion time today with a prayer of blessing for us. After last night's worship, that was a great way to end our experience before we hit the road. Now that we're heading home, I pray that our youth will continue to grow and process this great experience, growing into stronger followers of Christ, continuing to do 'greater' things.
-Aaron
Friday, July 24, 2009
Today is the end.
On Sunday night, I challenged our youth to listen to someone's life story this week. We often get so focused on ourselves that we forget to hear -- truly listen and take it in.This week, the youth running Bible school at the apartment complex have taken that to heart. I am impressed with their growth, the way they processed the lifestyles they saw, and the way they selflessly poured out all of themselves to show God's love to those kids. I am thankful for their leadership with the rest of our youth, and I hope those stories will continue to be told for a long time.
Thanks be to God for working in the lives of these children -- and our youth -- this week.
- Aaron
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
The People.
I met Tony yesterday morning when I walked into Polly's house in Laurinburg. The roof had leaks all over the house, so after the crew removed the old shingles, they put a brand new layer of plywood down before they start re-shingling. Another crew is on the ground replacing a handicap access ramp. A third crew is around back clearing brush away from the house, and a fourth crew is inside painting the kitchen and the hallway.
Over at John and Lou's house in Lumberton, two crews are working hard. John told me about the house fire they had on March 21. It started in the garage at the far end of the house, and destroyed a lot of the antiques he kept in the bedroom. His circa 1960's Gibson guitar survived, though, because it was locked up in the case. John and Lou were sitting down in the living room watching the Gospel TV show that John had hosted for many years, when Lou noticed how bright it was outside. When she got to the window, she saw the house was on fire. Fire crews from all around responded to the call. A neighbor, who helped the GBC bus find the house after it circled the block four times Monday morning, was ecstatic that our youth were helping John and Lou rebuild.
One crew is outside finishing the roof replacement, while the other crew is sealing smoke-damaged wall studs. The roof should be completed tomorrow, and the interior is ready for walls to go up.
The VBS crew had 8 more kids on Tuesday, and some of the moms spent the morning there, too. The youth are having a great time with these kids, sharing Jesus with them.
The crew over at Asher's house in Lumberton has been painting the exterior and the bathrooms inside. The house looks great, and Asher and his mom are so appreciative. During the summer, Asher spends his time at the Red Springs Camp, helping the camp director in any way he can. During the school year, he's a high school student in Lumberton.
Over at John and Lou's house in Lumberton, two crews are working hard. John told me about the house fire they had on March 21. It started in the garage at the far end of the house, and destroyed a lot of the antiques he kept in the bedroom. His circa 1960's Gibson guitar survived, though, because it was locked up in the case. John and Lou were sitting down in the living room watching the Gospel TV show that John had hosted for many years, when Lou noticed how bright it was outside. When she got to the window, she saw the house was on fire. Fire crews from all around responded to the call. A neighbor, who helped the GBC bus find the house after it circled the block four times Monday morning, was ecstatic that our youth were helping John and Lou rebuild.
One crew is outside finishing the roof replacement, while the other crew is sealing smoke-damaged wall studs. The roof should be completed tomorrow, and the interior is ready for walls to go up.
The VBS crew had 8 more kids on Tuesday, and some of the moms spent the morning there, too. The youth are having a great time with these kids, sharing Jesus with them.
The crew over at Asher's house in Lumberton has been painting the exterior and the bathrooms inside. The house looks great, and Asher and his mom are so appreciative. During the summer, Asher spends his time at the Red Springs Camp, helping the camp director in any way he can. During the school year, he's a high school student in Lumberton.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
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