MISSION TRIP PRAISE
Monday, June 19th – The Lord gave us a safe 11 hour trip from Slidell to the Choctaw Baptist Mission in Bethel, Oklahoma. It was slow travel for us due to some hard rain, an extra stop, and a Walmart run for the two bicycles, eggs, milk and etc. After unpacking, eating, and setting up the two trailers, we were all quite exhausted. Our 9pm meeting was brief so that all could get some well earned sleep. The mission team worked very well together to accomplish all the needed work. We praise the Lord for the good day of travel.
Tuesday, July 20th – Work began early this morning for the boys. They began ditch digging, construction of a storage shed, and trimming of the trees. There was a small mishap with a slice of the water line to the church building. Fortunately, Bro. Jason had it repaired by our 9am breakfast. The construction crew remained behind while the rest of the team departed for door to door visitation to pass out Bible Blast flyers. You must remember that you actually drive from house to house here due to the distance between houses. It is a unique way to visit. That afternoon there was a trip to the lake for a swim and then supper. (As you know, our Duffy cooked meals are fantastic.) We held our nightly meeting early to practice puppets and Tony Chestnut, bag candy, and review responsibilities of the Bible Blast. The Lord gave us the ability to accomplish much in this day. We eagerly await the first day of Bible Blast.
Wednesday, July 21st – The young men and not so young men continued to work on the drainage ditch and shed at 7am. They work till the breakfast break at 9am. At breakfast, I inform the greenhorns that they must work an extra hour today to insure that the work will be completed by Friday. It was a “Deal With It” moment for them but they did what was necessary. I did give them a choice, they could work now or stay behind during the swimming time. Needless to say, they chose to work after breakfast. And I might add, a lot of work was accomplished. I was very proud of them.
The two vans left to pick up kids and the result was 23 children in attendance for our first day of Bible Blast. Things ran very smoothly despite the young group we had and the new responsibilities placed upon several of the team. The hit of the Bible Blast continues to be the puppets. I love to hear the different accents required out of the young people. The children are just mesmerized by them.
Bro. Joey Matrone was the speaker for the Wednesday evening service. A group of the girls sang a special and I had the privilege to have outside nursery with Mason. We then enjoyed our supper meal of chili, beans, and corn. After a late night puppet and Tony Chestnut practice it was time to hit the rack.
Thursday, July 22nd – The early morning work on the drainage ditch resulted in yet another water pipe broken. I thank God that Bro. Jason once again took control of the situation and repaired the pipe. He has really had his hands full on this trip. We know that it is worth it in the long run, but it can be extremely frustrating at the time.
The Lord gave us 43 kids for Bible Blast today. Bro. Joey taught the Bible story of David and Goliath with a life size image of Goliath. His cardboard cutout was so tall that he could not stand it up in the building. He even brought a sword to cut off Goliath’s head. He used David Van Someren Jr. to be David the shepherd boy.
The drainage pipe was laid and covered today. The boys are rejoicing that this job has finally reached a conclusion. I believe that Jason Pettis is probably the most grateful that this project is done. The construction of the storage building is almost done. The crew (Bro. Duffy, Bro. Joey, Russell, Colton, and Bro. Sparks) worked well into dark last night. It looks really great!
One more late night puppet and Tony Chestnut practice. As I left at 10:30pm last night, the youth and young adults were playing a game called “Apples and Oranges.” Jason, Brittney, and Katie have proven very reliable leaders of the young people. I slept knowing that they were in good hands.
Friday, July 23rd – The boys were allowed to sleep in until 8am and the girls until 7:30 am. A little work on the storage shed and then a 10am team meeting to prepare for the Bible Blast, which include the Olympics today.
We held our Bible Blast Olympics with the 41 kids that showed for the last day. I was extremely proud of the Mission Team members as they gave their very best effort at a time in which they were quite tired. The great spirit of kids in Bible Blast seemed to kick in the adrenaline of the team. Friday requires a lot of detail work like Perfect Attendance Certificates, Olympic ribbons, who brought the most visitors to win the bikes, pictures with the puppets, and etc. This is in addition to the regular activities of the Bible Blast. I must say that I was thrilled with how smoothly the day went. I thank the Lord for the wonderful Mission Team that worked so well together today.
I also praise the Lord that we had eight kids come to know the Lord during the three days of Bible Blast. This is in addition to the sowing of the Gospel seed in the hearts of other kids through Bible and Missionary stories, and the encouragement brought to many, which would include the missionaries, Bro. and Mrs. Sparks. Praise God for His blessing upon us!
After a short rest, we all headed for Broken Bow for our traditional Friday evening pizza feast at Pizza Hut. There was much pizza, breadsticks, laughter, and fellowship. I could see the relief on the faces of the team. After months of preparation and meetings, they have assumed the responsibilities, fulfilled their duties, prayed, prepared, and performed. Now it is finished, it has passed by ever so quickly. After a Walmart run, we head home for a night of relaxation.
Saturday, June 24th – We let the team sleep in this morning and met at 10am to begin our leisure day activities. We took off to find the souvenir shop at Beavers Bend State Park, which is within the Quachita National Forest. After everyone had their time to buy what they wanted, we headed to the Broken Bow Dam nearby. We stopped at the top of the dam to take pictures and found that you could walk down to the shore. It was absolutely gorgeous. The gang spent a little time there and then we proceeded down to the spillway. This is where people fish for trout in the rapids. After finding a spot away from any fishermen, I let the kids wade in the rapids. Now that was a sight to see. The water was freezing cold but that didn’t stop this crew. Both the guys and the girls were falling all over the place. However, I do believe that most of them made it across and back. Joey even let Mason play in the water right at the edge. He was in his glory. It was a good to watch everyone laugh and enjoy each other after a long, hard week.
After wading in the rapids, we then found the Mountaineer Store to have some ice cream. When we were done enjoying the ice cream, we traveled back to the church for the rest of the afternoon.
Mrs. Sparks cooked us a meal of tacos with “Chocolate Bake Potatoes” for desert (it was really ice cream that looked like potatoes).
Sunday, June 25th - The team enjoyed Sunday services at Choctaw Baptist Church with Bro. Sparks and his congregation. We also had a fine dinner-on-the-grounds meal with the people. After the 2pm service, we had a little free time and then began our packing for the trip home around five in the afternoon. That evening there was further fellowship over left-overs and a bon-fire. We were honored to share this Lord’s day with Bro. and Mrs. Sparks.
Monday, June 27th - Up early and on the road by 7am. The Lord gave us safety during our 11 hour trip home. A blow-out on my camper and a stop in Alexandria to drop off Colton added some time. We are grateful for the Lord’s hand upon us. He is mighty good…He is mighty…and He is good…all the time!