The team has left for the work site leaving me in the hotel to work on Sunday's sermon. Hopefully I will finish the work that I began on Monday.
The team's work is fairly light today. Paul and Edwin will install a water heater and Neil and Mary Jo will be adding a window sill to the window in the bedroom and painting it. Clean-up, putting the tools and such back in their proper places will follow, I'm certain.
As I reflect back upon this week, I would feel remiss if I did not say a word about each team member. Paul Miller has been a fine leader, capable, keeping the team on task, flexible in all situations, faithful, and generous in his praise. Edwin Brown has, once again, proven himself to be a man of great skill with the ability to figure out how to fix anything. His wry humor is a thing of joy! Neil Harmon, aka Doc, has shown, once again, his willingness to work on whatever project he is needed, together with any team member, using his gifts and abilities, and has continuously encouraged each person in their particular work. Mary Jo Miller who, after working on the trailer skirting yesterday with the guys, is affectionately known as Snippy, because she can snip vinyl siding proficiently, was the only first timer on this mission trip. No one would have known because she hit the ground running on the first day and never stopped working, supporting, encouraging, and enjoying the mission.
Missing from this trip was Kim Merkl who fell a few days before the trip and was injured. We missed her particular gifts and talents on this trip, which we know from the Mississippi trip, and particularly her delightful Southern sound.
God called this team to winterize - and somewhat beautify - a trailer that was damaged by flood waters. The team stepped up to the task and glorified God throughout the week.
And the family we served? I suspect that husband Carlos will be painting the outside of their trailer. Yesterday, when I showed Abida, the wife, the skirting Paul, Edwin, Neil, and Mary Jo had put around the trailer, she looked at me and said, "Ah..so beautiful." In the next breath, she pointed at the trailer and said, "Carlos should paint, don't you think?" What could I, a wife, say, but "Yes!"
This week has been an experience of grace; but isn't every week?
Friday, October 22, 2010
All Good Things Must Come to An End
"There is an end to everything, to good things as well." ~Chaucer 1374
I have never been particularly fond of endings to good things. My feeling is that if it is a good thing, wouldn't it be lovely if it could continue forever?
Our week on the work site has been filled with many good things: vision, teamwork, new learnings, the use of all sorts of talents (some of which we didn't even know we had), making new friends-in-mission, laughter, and great joy.
Today it ends. We're done. The work we have been given to do will be completed. Our names will go up on the local Shalom Zone wall as an indication of this. We will say our good-byes to the young family for whom we have been winterizing the trailer, head back to the Econolodge, pack our bags, and, perhaps, be on the road, depending upon the time, for home.
If we are able to head for home today, it means that we will miss saying "goodbye" to our new mission friends from Michigan who have welcomed us into their circle and shared two meals with us. The meal they cooked for us last evening was delicious. They were so gracious that it was as if they had invited us into their homes and treated us as if we were special guests.
Today it ends. Another chapter in the mission life of our church family will be completed. With two mission trips in 2010 under our belts, it seems probable that there will be many more. Both trips have tweaked our mission imaginations and called us to look beyond our ordinary, daily lives to places beyond! There are persons who have expressed interest in going on mission trips who have not yet been. Isn't that exciting? Even as this good mission experience ends, it seems that another will rise up. What fun to believe that God will continue to open up new beginnings for mission!
So "goodbye, Abida and family," "goodbye Michigan mission team," "goodbye Carolyn," (our site coordinator), "goodbye breakfast at Econolodge," "goodbye peanut butter and jelly lunches," (and dinner leftovers), "goodbye Lebanon, TN, home of Cracker Barrel," "goodbye."
There is an end to everything, to good things as well.
We go; but as we do, we will take each experience we have had, each person we have met, with us back to Wilmington. Maybe, just maybe, we will discover that even though things come to an end, they do not leave our hearts and minds. In some way, large or small, they become a permanent part of us. It seems that in God's world, endings take on new meaning.
Keep us in your prayers as we travel. See you soon.
I have never been particularly fond of endings to good things. My feeling is that if it is a good thing, wouldn't it be lovely if it could continue forever?
Our week on the work site has been filled with many good things: vision, teamwork, new learnings, the use of all sorts of talents (some of which we didn't even know we had), making new friends-in-mission, laughter, and great joy.
Today it ends. We're done. The work we have been given to do will be completed. Our names will go up on the local Shalom Zone wall as an indication of this. We will say our good-byes to the young family for whom we have been winterizing the trailer, head back to the Econolodge, pack our bags, and, perhaps, be on the road, depending upon the time, for home.
If we are able to head for home today, it means that we will miss saying "goodbye" to our new mission friends from Michigan who have welcomed us into their circle and shared two meals with us. The meal they cooked for us last evening was delicious. They were so gracious that it was as if they had invited us into their homes and treated us as if we were special guests.
Today it ends. Another chapter in the mission life of our church family will be completed. With two mission trips in 2010 under our belts, it seems probable that there will be many more. Both trips have tweaked our mission imaginations and called us to look beyond our ordinary, daily lives to places beyond! There are persons who have expressed interest in going on mission trips who have not yet been. Isn't that exciting? Even as this good mission experience ends, it seems that another will rise up. What fun to believe that God will continue to open up new beginnings for mission!
So "goodbye, Abida and family," "goodbye Michigan mission team," "goodbye Carolyn," (our site coordinator), "goodbye breakfast at Econolodge," "goodbye peanut butter and jelly lunches," (and dinner leftovers), "goodbye Lebanon, TN, home of Cracker Barrel," "goodbye."
There is an end to everything, to good things as well.
We go; but as we do, we will take each experience we have had, each person we have met, with us back to Wilmington. Maybe, just maybe, we will discover that even though things come to an end, they do not leave our hearts and minds. In some way, large or small, they become a permanent part of us. It seems that in God's world, endings take on new meaning.
Keep us in your prayers as we travel. See you soon.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
These Hands
Some years ago, at the celebration of my grandmother's life, my father spoke of her hands. It was a moving tribute that has stayed in my mind. He used the image of her hands to tell the story of her life.
Today as we continued working on winterizing a young family's trailer, a song entitled Hands, by Jewel, kept playing through my mind.
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's minds.
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's heart...
We are God's hands. We are God's hands.
So prominent they were in my mind, that I felt led, at the end of the day on the work site, to take pictures of the hands of our team. The pics are on my Facebook page and will be posted to the Grace Church FB page on Thursday.
The hands of Edwin and Paul worked diligently underneath the trailer insulating it against the cold that is sure to come and fixing plumbing leaks and a sewage concern. They spent their days on their backs looking up at the underbelly of the trailer, except when they made road trips to Lowes.
The hands of Mary Jo and Neil were busy all day framing doors, cutting and putting molding on walls, and painting, at times in difficult spaces. My hands were painting, spilling the paint all over the toilet and floor, cleaning it up, cleaning the bathroom as a result, and finally, after stepping back for a short time, painting again.
The thought came to me, thank you Jewel, that our hands are really God's hands. We came to Tennessee as members of Christ's holy church called Grace UMC, willing to be a hands-on presence of the living God. Today, looking at the hands of each team member, through the lenses of the camera, was an interesting exercise in faith, a reminder of the reason we are here in Tennessee doing the work that we are doing, a reminder that our hands are the only hands that God has.
Pray that as we continue our work here, we will use our hands, God's hands, faithfully.
Today as we continued working on winterizing a young family's trailer, a song entitled Hands, by Jewel, kept playing through my mind.
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's minds.
We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's heart...
We are God's hands. We are God's hands.
So prominent they were in my mind, that I felt led, at the end of the day on the work site, to take pictures of the hands of our team. The pics are on my Facebook page and will be posted to the Grace Church FB page on Thursday.
The hands of Edwin and Paul worked diligently underneath the trailer insulating it against the cold that is sure to come and fixing plumbing leaks and a sewage concern. They spent their days on their backs looking up at the underbelly of the trailer, except when they made road trips to Lowes.
The hands of Mary Jo and Neil were busy all day framing doors, cutting and putting molding on walls, and painting, at times in difficult spaces. My hands were painting, spilling the paint all over the toilet and floor, cleaning it up, cleaning the bathroom as a result, and finally, after stepping back for a short time, painting again.
The thought came to me, thank you Jewel, that our hands are really God's hands. We came to Tennessee as members of Christ's holy church called Grace UMC, willing to be a hands-on presence of the living God. Today, looking at the hands of each team member, through the lenses of the camera, was an interesting exercise in faith, a reminder of the reason we are here in Tennessee doing the work that we are doing, a reminder that our hands are the only hands that God has.
Pray that as we continue our work here, we will use our hands, God's hands, faithfully.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Babe's Wisdom
In a playoff season where we are waiting to see who will play in the World Series, wondering if the Phillies and the Yankees will play against one another one more time, I thought it might be fun to glean a nugget of wisdom from the great Babe Ruth. Here it is:
"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
The team we brought from Grace Church to Nashville plays well together. While each person on the team is individually gifted and talented, it is what is accomplished together that is meaningful. Collectively, decisions have been made as to how to redo the walls of a bedroom, how to fix the electric and plumbing concerns, how to frame windows and doors, how to do the difficult work which needs to be done underneath the trailer, how to put Kilz on the walls to prepare them for painting, to name a few of the team's tasks. If the first two days on the work site are any indication of the collegial spirit of our team, I think the Babe would be pleased.
Tonight we fixed dinner for our team and a team of eight from Michigan. Our team worked together to prepare two delicious stir fry dishes served over rice. It was definitely a group effort. In a week that was rough for Ohio State fans, the Michigan team was magnanimous in its remarks about the Ohio and Michigan rivalry. The folks on the team even shared their homemade peanut butter cake with us as we brought out the ice cream and cake for dessert.
The Michigan work team has been doing mission trips for much longer than we have; so we learned some new and interesting ways to approach mission trips in the future. It was good to talk with a team who is so experienced and kind enough to share their wisdom. I should also mention that we really liked them when they volunteered to do the dinner dishes! They will cook for us on Thursday evening and I believe we will volunteer to do the dishes. Seems only fair!
If the way a team plays (works) together as a whole determines its success, then I would say we have already had a successful week. And it's only day two on the work site! To God be the glory!
Off to sleep. Sweet dreams. I'll write more tomorrow.
"The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime."
The team we brought from Grace Church to Nashville plays well together. While each person on the team is individually gifted and talented, it is what is accomplished together that is meaningful. Collectively, decisions have been made as to how to redo the walls of a bedroom, how to fix the electric and plumbing concerns, how to frame windows and doors, how to do the difficult work which needs to be done underneath the trailer, how to put Kilz on the walls to prepare them for painting, to name a few of the team's tasks. If the first two days on the work site are any indication of the collegial spirit of our team, I think the Babe would be pleased.
Tonight we fixed dinner for our team and a team of eight from Michigan. Our team worked together to prepare two delicious stir fry dishes served over rice. It was definitely a group effort. In a week that was rough for Ohio State fans, the Michigan team was magnanimous in its remarks about the Ohio and Michigan rivalry. The folks on the team even shared their homemade peanut butter cake with us as we brought out the ice cream and cake for dessert.
The Michigan work team has been doing mission trips for much longer than we have; so we learned some new and interesting ways to approach mission trips in the future. It was good to talk with a team who is so experienced and kind enough to share their wisdom. I should also mention that we really liked them when they volunteered to do the dinner dishes! They will cook for us on Thursday evening and I believe we will volunteer to do the dishes. Seems only fair!
If the way a team plays (works) together as a whole determines its success, then I would say we have already had a successful week. And it's only day two on the work site! To God be the glory!
Off to sleep. Sweet dreams. I'll write more tomorrow.
Deja Vu
Today our team began its work onsite at a small trailer park lined with trailers that had been filled with approximately four feet of water during the devastating spring floods from the Cumberland River. Water inside a trailer can only cause problems: mold and mildew, damage to the electrical wiring, rust, to name a few.
When we were on our initial mission trip in Biloxi, you will remember that we were working on a new home for a family because their trailer had been damaged by flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. In the case of the young family for whom we are doing the work this week, the damage to their trailer was not as severe and is felt to be repairable.
Most of the team worked on tearing out wall board in the "master" bedroom, dousing the space with mold killer, putting in insulation, rewiring outlets and switches, and replacing the dry wall.
Edwin spent his day working on plumbing issues and electrical issues, each of which, seemed to open up a new can of worms.
My job was to go into the local Lowes store and buy any immediate supplies that we needed.
Having lived in parsonages and apartments, where someone other than Mark or myself has normally cared for repairs and replacements, it is a store that can be somewhat intimidating initially. By the end of the day, one store employee was smiling at me, saying "I thought you weren't coming back anymore today! haha" and I was feeling right at home - at least in the plumbing and check-out sections of the store.
I now have added a skill set to my very weak home repair abilities. I can choose a faucet for the kitchen sink. I should say that, after being shown how to choose one in the first place, I know how to return/exchange the one without the sprayer for the one with the sprayer. And I know how to find the aisle with the faucets, a third time, in order to get one more faucet when a piece of the faucet breaks as Edwin is trying to put it on. I did share with Edwin that there was only one more faucet left in Lowes of the type we were using. Translated: There's only one more chance to make it work!
At lunch time today, we sat around, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and addressing questions/situations in which we have to apply our experience of God to our lives. The discussion was fun and amazing; providing thought-provoking insights, as always.
There were many times today that I thought to myself: "Didn't we already do this? in April in Mississippi?" Feelings of deja vu danced in my head! Team members standing at the beginning of the project, discussing how to accomplish the tasks at hand; going to work and accepting the challenges; numerous trips to Lowes; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; faith discussions over lunch; good humor and flexibility on the part of each person on the team; a collegial approach to our work; and the belief, at the end of the day, that we hopefully have been living letters of God's love for the young families we are serving this week, written not with ink but on hearts.
It's a sure thing that, just as in Mississippi, the first family for whom we are working has gotten under our skin and into our heart. Young Carlos, the 18 month old, offers hugs and smiles without condition. He wants to help; we can see it each time he tries to do what the team is doing. Such energy and passion!
Have we already done this? In many ways, the answer is "yes!" However I suspect that there is a surprise or two in store for us; that God is doing a new thing in our team this week. Can't wait to see what that is.
Keep us in your prayers. You are in ours.
When we were on our initial mission trip in Biloxi, you will remember that we were working on a new home for a family because their trailer had been damaged by flood waters from Hurricane Katrina. In the case of the young family for whom we are doing the work this week, the damage to their trailer was not as severe and is felt to be repairable.
Most of the team worked on tearing out wall board in the "master" bedroom, dousing the space with mold killer, putting in insulation, rewiring outlets and switches, and replacing the dry wall.
Edwin spent his day working on plumbing issues and electrical issues, each of which, seemed to open up a new can of worms.
My job was to go into the local Lowes store and buy any immediate supplies that we needed.
Having lived in parsonages and apartments, where someone other than Mark or myself has normally cared for repairs and replacements, it is a store that can be somewhat intimidating initially. By the end of the day, one store employee was smiling at me, saying "I thought you weren't coming back anymore today! haha" and I was feeling right at home - at least in the plumbing and check-out sections of the store.
I now have added a skill set to my very weak home repair abilities. I can choose a faucet for the kitchen sink. I should say that, after being shown how to choose one in the first place, I know how to return/exchange the one without the sprayer for the one with the sprayer. And I know how to find the aisle with the faucets, a third time, in order to get one more faucet when a piece of the faucet breaks as Edwin is trying to put it on. I did share with Edwin that there was only one more faucet left in Lowes of the type we were using. Translated: There's only one more chance to make it work!
At lunch time today, we sat around, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and addressing questions/situations in which we have to apply our experience of God to our lives. The discussion was fun and amazing; providing thought-provoking insights, as always.
There were many times today that I thought to myself: "Didn't we already do this? in April in Mississippi?" Feelings of deja vu danced in my head! Team members standing at the beginning of the project, discussing how to accomplish the tasks at hand; going to work and accepting the challenges; numerous trips to Lowes; peanut butter and jelly sandwiches; faith discussions over lunch; good humor and flexibility on the part of each person on the team; a collegial approach to our work; and the belief, at the end of the day, that we hopefully have been living letters of God's love for the young families we are serving this week, written not with ink but on hearts.
It's a sure thing that, just as in Mississippi, the first family for whom we are working has gotten under our skin and into our heart. Young Carlos, the 18 month old, offers hugs and smiles without condition. He wants to help; we can see it each time he tries to do what the team is doing. Such energy and passion!
Have we already done this? In many ways, the answer is "yes!" However I suspect that there is a surprise or two in store for us; that God is doing a new thing in our team this week. Can't wait to see what that is.
Keep us in your prayers. You are in ours.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Fun Facts about Nashville
On the eve of the start of our mission work outside of Nashville, our team spent the day in Nashville, nicknamed the Music City.
As we drove into the city for worship, we passed a pancake place with a lengthy line winding around the outside of the restaurant. Must be some amazing pancakes!
We went to worship at Bellmont UMC, chosen for what seemed to be its similarities to Grace Church. As we entered the sanctuary, its beauty touched us (See pics on facebook page). Apparently we had guest written all over us, because a very friendly guy named Hugh stopped by our pew to check us out. He let us know that over half of the congregation was on a retreat. We didn't know what impact that would have on worship, but were quickly put at ease as the choir sang its beautiful Introit from the back of the sanctuary.
After worship, we drove downtown Nashville, once again passing the pancake place. Still, a long line of persons circled the restaurant. Truly must be some amazing pancakes.
After parking, we went into McKendrie UMC just to check out the ministries of this urban church in the heart of Nashville. We will be keeping in touch with their visionary pastor whose passion for God and the Wesleyan movement is calling this church to step up in new ways.
From McKendrie, we found our way to lunch at a downtown restaurant. Large tv screens displayed football games. Some of you will be excited to learn that most of the screens were showing the Eagles playing Atlanta. I encouraged, or was that begged, the person with the remote to change the channel to the New England vs. Baltimore game. Three men who were watching the Eagles play were adament about not changing the channel. When they discovered we were from Delaware, they were interested. Turns out, they were from Hockessin! Can you believe it? We came all the way to Nashville to meet three guys from Hockessin! Eventually, I did get to see the second half of my game. It was exciting to find that there were other Patriots' fans in Nashville!
As we were eating, 2000 bikers made their way into Nashville into the very block and surrounding area in which we were eating. Edwin, who seems to have a secret fantasy of owning a Harley, spent a great deal of time looking at the bikes. You may not know, but I rode a 1200 Superglide (red) Harley once or twice when I was in my early 20s. Just a little known fact!
As we left the restaurant and walked along the Cumberland River, we heard the sounds of country music coming from the area where a benefit was being hosted. Paul thought he heard the voice of Dolly Parton. Turns out, he was correct! There she was, a few hundred yards away from us!
We made our way out of Nashville and drove to the Lutheran church where we found Judy, the woman we had waited for the evening before. We received our work "orders" for tomorrow and drove out to the work site so we would know what was expected of our crew. We'll be working in a trailer park on two trailers. One of the trailers needs to be prepared for the cold weather that is coming. The family seems lovely, their 18 month son Carlos a friendly little boy. The other trailer is the home of a couple who is expecting their first child in a few months. While much of the work in their home has been done, they are in dire need of a water heater. We'll go to get them one tomorrow and Edwin and company will install it. Road trip to Lowes, just like in Mississippi; I'm looking forward to it!
After leaving the trailer park, our team pulled together our food for the next couple of days. Then we headed for home, the chance to put our legs up and to write this blog on our day in Nashville.
BTW: Did you know that after drinking a cup of locally produced coffee in Nashville, Teddy Roosevelt coined the phrase "good to the last drop!"? Okay, that has nothing to do with our mission trip; but it is fun to know, isn't it?
Well, I'm off to get a few hours of sleep. Sweet dreams. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I'll write more tomorrow.
As we drove into the city for worship, we passed a pancake place with a lengthy line winding around the outside of the restaurant. Must be some amazing pancakes!
We went to worship at Bellmont UMC, chosen for what seemed to be its similarities to Grace Church. As we entered the sanctuary, its beauty touched us (See pics on facebook page). Apparently we had guest written all over us, because a very friendly guy named Hugh stopped by our pew to check us out. He let us know that over half of the congregation was on a retreat. We didn't know what impact that would have on worship, but were quickly put at ease as the choir sang its beautiful Introit from the back of the sanctuary.
After worship, we drove downtown Nashville, once again passing the pancake place. Still, a long line of persons circled the restaurant. Truly must be some amazing pancakes.
After parking, we went into McKendrie UMC just to check out the ministries of this urban church in the heart of Nashville. We will be keeping in touch with their visionary pastor whose passion for God and the Wesleyan movement is calling this church to step up in new ways.
From McKendrie, we found our way to lunch at a downtown restaurant. Large tv screens displayed football games. Some of you will be excited to learn that most of the screens were showing the Eagles playing Atlanta. I encouraged, or was that begged, the person with the remote to change the channel to the New England vs. Baltimore game. Three men who were watching the Eagles play were adament about not changing the channel. When they discovered we were from Delaware, they were interested. Turns out, they were from Hockessin! Can you believe it? We came all the way to Nashville to meet three guys from Hockessin! Eventually, I did get to see the second half of my game. It was exciting to find that there were other Patriots' fans in Nashville!
As we were eating, 2000 bikers made their way into Nashville into the very block and surrounding area in which we were eating. Edwin, who seems to have a secret fantasy of owning a Harley, spent a great deal of time looking at the bikes. You may not know, but I rode a 1200 Superglide (red) Harley once or twice when I was in my early 20s. Just a little known fact!
As we left the restaurant and walked along the Cumberland River, we heard the sounds of country music coming from the area where a benefit was being hosted. Paul thought he heard the voice of Dolly Parton. Turns out, he was correct! There she was, a few hundred yards away from us!
We made our way out of Nashville and drove to the Lutheran church where we found Judy, the woman we had waited for the evening before. We received our work "orders" for tomorrow and drove out to the work site so we would know what was expected of our crew. We'll be working in a trailer park on two trailers. One of the trailers needs to be prepared for the cold weather that is coming. The family seems lovely, their 18 month son Carlos a friendly little boy. The other trailer is the home of a couple who is expecting their first child in a few months. While much of the work in their home has been done, they are in dire need of a water heater. We'll go to get them one tomorrow and Edwin and company will install it. Road trip to Lowes, just like in Mississippi; I'm looking forward to it!
After leaving the trailer park, our team pulled together our food for the next couple of days. Then we headed for home, the chance to put our legs up and to write this blog on our day in Nashville.
BTW: Did you know that after drinking a cup of locally produced coffee in Nashville, Teddy Roosevelt coined the phrase "good to the last drop!"? Okay, that has nothing to do with our mission trip; but it is fun to know, isn't it?
Well, I'm off to get a few hours of sleep. Sweet dreams. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
I'll write more tomorrow.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
"Waiting for Godot" in Lebanon, Tennessee
After arriving in Lebanon, Tennessee, after a day-long, uneventful van ride, we found ourselves in the parking lot of Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church waiting expectantly and unsuccessfully for our Godot, i.e., a mysterious woman named Judy, to arrive.
Judy is the name of the contact our team was given to call when we were 45 minutes out from our destination. We called her...texted her...called her again...with no response. Deciding to give her time to get in touch with us, we went out to dinner. Still no word from Judy. Unlike the two men in "Waiting for Godot," we knew we were in the right place at the right time.
After talking with a group on site from Iowa, and discovering that Mary Jo and I had no sleeping accomodations because Judy had the only key to the room in the trailer outback of the church where we would be staying, our team headed off for the nearest Econolodge, still waiting for a word from Judy.
We'll go back to the church tomorrow and wait for Judy. When she arrives, we'll get situated, take a look at the area, plan our menus for the week, and get ready to do the work for which we came to the Volunteer state.
Pray that we wait well. I'll post pictures tomorrow.
I'm off to bed in the Econolodge. Sweet dreams.
Judy is the name of the contact our team was given to call when we were 45 minutes out from our destination. We called her...texted her...called her again...with no response. Deciding to give her time to get in touch with us, we went out to dinner. Still no word from Judy. Unlike the two men in "Waiting for Godot," we knew we were in the right place at the right time.
After talking with a group on site from Iowa, and discovering that Mary Jo and I had no sleeping accomodations because Judy had the only key to the room in the trailer outback of the church where we would be staying, our team headed off for the nearest Econolodge, still waiting for a word from Judy.
We'll go back to the church tomorrow and wait for Judy. When she arrives, we'll get situated, take a look at the area, plan our menus for the week, and get ready to do the work for which we came to the Volunteer state.
Pray that we wait well. I'll post pictures tomorrow.
I'm off to bed in the Econolodge. Sweet dreams.
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