media plug and getting dirty
Wednesday was surely a "strange" day. Having learned that Wednesdays are typically slower than Tuesdays, we were again asked to join JIMBO on a mission to pick up some paint that was being donated. This was an opportunity to witness a contribution from a large corporation to organizations like this that are helping to rebuild this area. Wal-Mart and Kilz had teamed up to make a large donation of over half a million dollars worth of paint (interior and exterior) to help in the rebuilding effort. Organizations like Habitat for Humanity and other Christian sites like Camp Victor and several others were there to get in on the big event. The idea itself was wonderfully generous and these organizations are so very generous for doing this type of thing, but the media stuff was a bit much for (Carolyn, Jimbo and me) to handle. We didn't much care for the way the event was set up or organized...in reality it lacked in organization. We listened to the announcement which, happy to say, was only about 5-7 minutes in total and included some words from the "big wigs" at WalMart, Kilz, and a captain of the local Salvation Army and so on, emphasizing the need to get us back out there and working on these homes. But then all the trucks had to be unloaded by the pallet load and brought into the warehouse so the trucks could be gotten out of the way and (we) could get in there to get our portion of the donation. And so we waited, and waited. It took 2 hours and all the while they kept emphasizing the need to get us "back out there" and "working" and yet we sat there so that they could get media shots and plug the thing on the nightly news. They interviewed our driver who was gracious and humble, appreciative of the effort, but from what I heard they chopped his interview up and misquoted some of what he said which was a big disappointment to him.
That being said, our driver (JIMBO - can you tell Iike saying his name!?) drove Carolyn and I around (both before going to the media circus and on the return trip back to the "dc") to show us some of the areas most heavily damaged and where there was even loss of life. He told us numerous stories and shared information he thought we'd be interested in knowing about. What a wonderful opportunity this was, but throughout this time of "sight-seeing" I was fortunate to have been offered, I often felt pangs of guilt because I knew the other members of my team from Bethesda weren't able to join in this time with me. I shared this with Carolyn and she quickly "poo-pooed" the idea and offered that everyone was going to take what they witnessed and shared this week and put it all together into one big story and that was our purpose here. Each of us to get a little piece to add to the puzzle and then put it all together and the puzzle is completed. Carolyn rocks. Period. We had the best time together all week and look forward to staying in touch with her in the future.
Jim is a Christian man - no doubt about it. He is orgininally from Kentucky and moved here just 2 weeks after the disaster and has been here every since because he feels the need to be here and doesn't anticipate leaving until the Lord tells him it's OK and it's time to go. From listening to him talk, that's going to be quite a while yet. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. He takes every opportunity he is given to raise his voice, share the Word, bring the love of Jesus to the people, and witnesses without shame. Whether that be with volunteers at the center, or people he is helping through services at Camp Victor is of no difference to him. He is solid, he is devout, and he is driven spiritually to do whatever it is the Lord calls us to do and firmly believes we should never doubt when the Lord calls on our heart to do what is right. All along any of our trips with Jimbo, he was forthright about his feelings concerning helping the people of this region and about his faith.
"TRUST ME" is what the Lord wants us to do. I heard those words in my heart when I first thought about taking this trip and shared that with the members of our congregation on the day when our mission team was commissioned for service. This man once again brought that message to me through someone named "JIMBO."
After we delivered the box truck back to the "dc" with the paint, the three of us then took a regular truck and trailer to pick up trash at several of the worksites. We loaded trash at 2 houses, taking a brief moment to greet the workers at one site and get a look at their progress and talked with the lady at the 2nd house, then moved on to the 3rd house. This was a woman who had taken in her elderly parents. Her father was in a wheelchair and her mother gets around with a cane. While there, they had said their dryer still hadn't been hooked up and Jim took another look. There were some screws needed to attach the power cord. Not having any with us, he vowed he would be back to get it going and we prepared to leave, stopping for a moment to chat with the daughter and her mother. While chatting with them, the father became quite emotional and started to weep. We went to him in the other room, comforting him and coming to the understanding that he was just upset about the dryer not working and worried about his elderly wife having to haul laundry and how difficult it was for her. Jim felt the need to PRAY! So we gathered in a circle and I can assure you I have never witnessed such a prayer - this was something that rejuvenated and brought assurance to this man that this problem would be resolved. Jim was on a mission to get this done and he was determined to make it happen. He prayed for screws, he prayed for each of us to be a blessing to each other, and things of that nature. I could never duplicate or convey the level of intensity of this man as he prayed and we all were moved to the point of goosebumps by the end. It was truly amazing. We offered our goodbyes, vowing to get that dryer done, and we headed back to the "dc" to wrap up the day.
Wow - what an adventure this has been, and I still have 2 days to go!
That being said, our driver (JIMBO - can you tell Iike saying his name!?) drove Carolyn and I around (both before going to the media circus and on the return trip back to the "dc") to show us some of the areas most heavily damaged and where there was even loss of life. He told us numerous stories and shared information he thought we'd be interested in knowing about. What a wonderful opportunity this was, but throughout this time of "sight-seeing" I was fortunate to have been offered, I often felt pangs of guilt because I knew the other members of my team from Bethesda weren't able to join in this time with me. I shared this with Carolyn and she quickly "poo-pooed" the idea and offered that everyone was going to take what they witnessed and shared this week and put it all together into one big story and that was our purpose here. Each of us to get a little piece to add to the puzzle and then put it all together and the puzzle is completed. Carolyn rocks. Period. We had the best time together all week and look forward to staying in touch with her in the future.
Jim is a Christian man - no doubt about it. He is orgininally from Kentucky and moved here just 2 weeks after the disaster and has been here every since because he feels the need to be here and doesn't anticipate leaving until the Lord tells him it's OK and it's time to go. From listening to him talk, that's going to be quite a while yet. He doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave. He takes every opportunity he is given to raise his voice, share the Word, bring the love of Jesus to the people, and witnesses without shame. Whether that be with volunteers at the center, or people he is helping through services at Camp Victor is of no difference to him. He is solid, he is devout, and he is driven spiritually to do whatever it is the Lord calls us to do and firmly believes we should never doubt when the Lord calls on our heart to do what is right. All along any of our trips with Jimbo, he was forthright about his feelings concerning helping the people of this region and about his faith.
"TRUST ME" is what the Lord wants us to do. I heard those words in my heart when I first thought about taking this trip and shared that with the members of our congregation on the day when our mission team was commissioned for service. This man once again brought that message to me through someone named "JIMBO."
After we delivered the box truck back to the "dc" with the paint, the three of us then took a regular truck and trailer to pick up trash at several of the worksites. We loaded trash at 2 houses, taking a brief moment to greet the workers at one site and get a look at their progress and talked with the lady at the 2nd house, then moved on to the 3rd house. This was a woman who had taken in her elderly parents. Her father was in a wheelchair and her mother gets around with a cane. While there, they had said their dryer still hadn't been hooked up and Jim took another look. There were some screws needed to attach the power cord. Not having any with us, he vowed he would be back to get it going and we prepared to leave, stopping for a moment to chat with the daughter and her mother. While chatting with them, the father became quite emotional and started to weep. We went to him in the other room, comforting him and coming to the understanding that he was just upset about the dryer not working and worried about his elderly wife having to haul laundry and how difficult it was for her. Jim felt the need to PRAY! So we gathered in a circle and I can assure you I have never witnessed such a prayer - this was something that rejuvenated and brought assurance to this man that this problem would be resolved. Jim was on a mission to get this done and he was determined to make it happen. He prayed for screws, he prayed for each of us to be a blessing to each other, and things of that nature. I could never duplicate or convey the level of intensity of this man as he prayed and we all were moved to the point of goosebumps by the end. It was truly amazing. We offered our goodbyes, vowing to get that dryer done, and we headed back to the "dc" to wrap up the day.
Wow - what an adventure this has been, and I still have 2 days to go!