Yeah God, the house is done and the VBS was a huge success!!! Thank you so much for the prayers today! We really needed them and we really felt them! The Great Physician helped out sickies feel better by this evening. That is a huge Yeah God as being sick on the road is no fun for anyone!!! Trust me, we have been down that road before! Aub’s, Kristin, Karleigh, Spencer, and Kalie recovered enough to join the group this afternoon for the house dedication, (Kalie actually rallied this morning to head out with the team as did Spencer. However, Spencer was back at the compound by lunch!
With the reduced number of team members, the challenge was on for us as we needed to get a lot done on the house and we knew we would have probably 100 or more students at VBS for the final day and BBQ! At the VBS, the team worked on clearing rocks from the volleyball court and prepared for the BBQ. The kids arrived so eager to play and see our students! They just light up with joy. Again, the babies came and the toddlers came and the elementary kids came! We passed out the “Jesus Me Ama” shirts and the kids were thrilled! It was hard for the team to leave as all the kids were saying, “See you tomorrow”, (in spanish of course) and unfortunately, we won’t be there tomorrow. You can’t do enough down here, it is a bit overwhelming! But hanging on to the images of the dirty, smiling faces of the children fuel us to keep making as much effort as possible! GOd will take care of the rest, we are simple to shine the light!
On the construction site today, we had an all out assault system in place. With 4 team member down, we had our work cut out for us! Let me just say, these students impress the heck out of me and the other leaders! They were sore and aching this morning, half of them left the compound with their eyes barely open….But, they pushed through for Christ and got it done! We asked Janet and Jesus if they would leave for the afternoon so we could paint the inside of the house, get the lights up, the beds in and the gift baskets in place. The gift baskets contain, bedding, towels, dishes and other misc. household essentials! We cranked up the pass after lunch and were feeling a little stressed when our VBS team showed up and jumped in to help get it done. Aaron and Tanner were amazing as they built the two full size beds while pretty much everyone else painted the inside of the house. Joel, Bernd, and Roy were focused on getting all the trim cut and installed around the windows and doors. The kids were asking for Karlgih and Anna from the moment we arrived…Karleigh was back at the compound, trying to regain some composure and Anna was at VBS. After lunch when I went to get Karleigh and drop Spencer, the kids were so excited for their playmate to arrive! Then when Anna arrived, they were excited again. Great connections were made with these kids and Anna and Karleigh, as well as the other girls, I am sure, will be sharing stories for quite some time!
Anyway, we got the house completed at about 4:15pm, Janet and Jesus returned, with their entire extended family, just about and we gathered in a circle in front of the house. I had the keys and as we began to pray, I passed the keys to the person on my left. This allowed each person to touch the keys and pray for this house. After passing through the hands of about 38 people, the keys arrived to the hands of Jesus and Janet! With at least half our team in total tears, they expressed their gratitude. Janet was very emotional and crying as she said thank you! I turned to her and gave her a hug and I could feel her emotions run through her body and in to mine! She was crying, I was cryng. The hug lasted about 20 seconds as she didn’t want to let go. We both caught our breath and parted to allow every other person to hug them too! They used the keys to open the door and enter their first home! You could see the joy, the appreciation, the pride, the comfort and the peace as their prayers for the last 3 years had been answered! It was almost as big a blessing for all of us to be allowed to serve this family in this way!! I believe our students are forever changed!!
We are excited to share the stories when we return in a few days! Again, thank you for putting comments up on the blog and photos. It became a nightly ritual for us to gather, pray, do the devotional and then read the latest responses posted!
We will be up and outta here at 6:00am, headed for the border. Please be praying for a speedy, uneventful crossing!
As we read this, there are tears just running down my face! Up here in Oregon, our hearts are full of love and pride in the wonders that you all accomplished this week! What a beautiful gift you have given to a very grateful family. Jesus and Janet had to have been so overwhelmed and so very happy! And this children – how lucky they were to be touched by our very caring and loving teens!
Today is for good times and celebration!! We hope you have fun and excitement (the good kind!!) and enjoy the high that comes with the success of a job so very well done.
Christie, we are so excited to hear your stories and give you the biggest hugs!! You light up our lives and we can’t wait for you to get home!!
Way to go Team! The Laughlin family is so proud of all of you. We know that each of you has grown in your relationship with Christ and see that as a blessing for you and Willamette Christian Church!
Shanon, Terri, Aaron and Bernd – we will be praying for you as you begin the long drive home. Thanks to all the leaders who helped this week we appreicate your dedication to caring for and ministering to all of this great group of teens.! You truly have a gift that God is using every day!
We can’t wait to see you on Sunday!
I am wondering if we will recognize the team when we see you on Sunday because it doesn’t seem possible for any of you to be the same after this experience. How I wish I was with you as you gave the keys to Janet and Jesus. I truly hope none of you will ever forget how you felt at that moment. You have all represented your families and your church with such honor. So thank you to each student and adult for an amazing job.
Anna, my sweet girl, I can’t find the words to tell you how proud we are of you. You are so generous with your love, I know you have left your mark on the children. Your sister and brother are so proud, too, and can’t wait for you to get home. Braden is wating impatiently for his rock from Mexico. Sophie even wants to take you to Spaghetti Factory to celebrate your return and you know that’s not a place she ever chooses, so you can see how much she misses you. Daddy and I do too.
Lots of love,
Mom
You all are awesome. I hope you enjoy your “fun” day. If you make it to Seaworld make sure you sit in the front rows so you can see
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I am sure it is going to be hard on those kids to not have their loving playmates and teachers there today. Keep them in your prayers. We are all anxious to have you back home. Have a great day and drive safely home. Shanon, Terri, Aaron and Bernd thank you for taking such good care of our “babies” (I mean teenagers) and leading them through this wonderful experience and adventure. We are greatful for what you have taught them and enabled them to experience. You are in our prayers.
Take care and have a safe Trip.
I am betting those you encounter on the way home will even sense something more special about this group as you return then they did on the way there. I wait for the stories.
Mac Dad
What an amazing experience to hand the keys over to them. It makes me appreciate my home so much more. Rather than being worried about having formica counter tops rather than granite…like all the NICE houses have…they are blessed to have a roof and a bed to sleep in. How much we have in America!
Can’t wait to hear the stories! The trip to Sea World should be the best. You just can’t beat a show with waving whales and happy faces!
SAFE travels on the road. I heard on KLove that a missionary team in Texas was traveling on the highway and had a tire blew out. 14 were killed and 40 injured. We need to pray for all those involved. They too, were doing work for Christ and in the blink of an eye, their world is forever changed.
Thanks to all who have made this happen: The leaders, students and staff.
Give us news of your fun day and we pray for continued health and safety.