Our team of 33 was made up of 7 families from different churches, denominations and states. From this group of energized believers the Lord formed a strong team to do a tremendous amount of word in 3.5 days! Divided into 5 teams, they supported a nursing home, homeless shelter/food pantry, a senior day care center, 2 women’s shelters (one operational, one under construction), a teen center, a church and 2 residences of sick, elderly or disabled individuals who were in need of help with repairs. The work accomplished included ministering to homeless folks, seniors and nursing home residents, installing an OSB ceiling and a new loading ramp at a teen training center, replacing two damaged walls/installing new drywall over a brick wall, rewiring and installing outdoor security lights, installing a new sump pump in a flooded basement, weeding, mulching and planting a flower garden at the women’s shelter/teen center, sorting a HUGE storage area full of clothing donations, installing a new kitchen sink and toilet at the homeless shelter/food pantry (the new kitchen sink enabled the homeless shelter to pass an inspection), stocking shelves at the food pantry, clearing overgrown brush at Grace Community Church and cleaning grout on a tiled floor in women’s shelter.
At the beginning of the week our resources were allocated to these projects and we had very little wiggle room to help with one additional lady’s residence that came up later, but felt the Lord calling us to help her. This lady really touched our hearts as she has been battling cancer for 4 years and had such a great servant’s heart. Her mobile home had some major leaks and was in bad need of plumbing repair. We obeyed the Lord’s call despite limited resources and the Lord provided! Through the week the Lord provided a new shower from Lowes at 10% above cost, a low cost (but like-new) toilet from Habitat for Humanity, and a brand new water heater completely free of cost (the old one was under warranty). On the last day, we laid hands on her and prayed for healing one last time, and the Lord reduced her pain level from 9 to a 1 or 2! Praise God!