Hey everyone!
I just wanted to post my letter about Mississippi on here, and for those who did not know, I was there on a mission trip with my youth group from Calvary Chapel, Uncasville. In Mississippi, we stayed a Diamondhead Church and worked with Willing Hearts Helping Hands, through God's awesome power. Thanks to all who prayed/supported me and others who went on this trip.
God used us for his glory in the lives of devastated people in Mississippi and used his visible power to effect us individually. Throughout the week our youth team was sent out to work along with a team from New Haven, Arizona, and New Jersey. Our team was given different tasks/jobs. Some things our group accomplished during the week was: cleaning up messed up yards, priming, painting, drywall, spackling, sanding, installing insulation, and picking up a LOT of garbage on the sides of roads. God kept our group from major injuries, we walked away from any given days work with only multiple bug bites and serious body odor to complain of.
We had many opportunities to just talk to the people living their. People would see us with our red biohazard bags walking down the road and would come to the road with gatorades, thanks, conversation, or an offer of air conditioned room to rest in. Seeing the hope/joy in people who have suffered so much really affected our groups view on materialism, and attitude. We all agreed after a day of the ab burning task of picking up garbage on the side of the road with the sun showing no mercy, in high temp. and humidity, that we would not complain when asked to take out a bag of garbage at home.
Towards the end of the trip, everyone was exhausted and aching for God. Most of the group would agree with my conclusion that working in a house was the least detested job because of its cooler temperature, and visible progress that we could proudly stamp in history with a picture, but I personally believe that picking up garbage was a crucial challenge from God, a serious reality notice, and had a major impact on our hearts. We found your basic garbage such as beer bottles, full baby diapers, and plastic bags. But most of all, we found once precious items, memories. We found old family photos that may have once adorned a refrigerator, parts of a mobile that formerly could have coaxed a baby to sleep, a collection of marbles and bouncy balls previously prized by a child, lonely stuffed animals slumped over in the dirt, credit cards, tools, small race cars, coin purses, and so much more. While picking up the remains of “hurricane safe” houses and houses that once held birthday parties, April fools day pranks, Christmas mornings, and family reunions, you really felt a whirl wind of emotions. I felt pain, anger, sympathy, passion, and opportunity. This could happen again, so why bother rebuilding houses that may be demolished again? Because we are showing people God’s love through our actions. We are touching people’s lives. This hurricane was devastating, but God made it into opportunity.
There is still so much to do there, and many people have forgotten this, or believe that after a year everything is back to normal, but thankfully God has not and will not abandon these incredible people.
