Jacksonville, TX 2011: Day 4

Where to start?  The day was so packed with God’s many blessing that zeroing in on a manageable number to highlight is no easy task.

At breakfast this morning a small group of women seized the opportunity to begin ministering to a troubled and lonely woman who had joined their table.  When it came time for all of us to come together for our morning devotion, she looked on curiously.  As soon as it was over she joined us again.  You couldn’t miss her hunger and thirst for the Lord. But she distrusted Christians and told us about feeling judged and ostracized by too many in her past. But when Derik asked her if we could pray for her defenses just melted.  Hugh followed with a prayer that spoke of God’s love for her; it was an arrow that hit the bull’s-eye of her isolation and loneliness.

She wept with relief and longing as we all exchanged hugs.  Now imagine, this all took place in the lobby with a full breakfast room and guests by the check-in counter.  I wish you could have seen the expression on the faces of the guests.  In Bible-belt country you’ll see a whole lot of religion. But they didn’t seem to know what to make of what they’d just seen and felt.

Tom and Szilveszter continued their work on the same house.  They painted and worked on the intricate details around the edges of the frame. Carl, from World Challenge also joined Juan, our carpenter.  They commenced measuring and cutting wood so fast that it recalled the animation of old-style claymation creatures.

Master carpenter Dave, Derik and Brett led our team in building wheel chair access for a diabetic women who’d lost part of her foot to amputation. What we saw arriving at her house and the surrounding neighborhood was a degree of grinding poverty and dilapidation that we normally associate with a mission to a third world county.  But here in the U.S. there is no less need for us to be God’s hands and feet.

Enshil and Deborah worked along side the men in support roles.  Imagining that the project would take all day, we were wrong; it was dealt and done, from picking out the wood to the completion of a functioning ramp, in just a few hours.

But again, we learned that the projects themselves pale in comparison to the divine appointments that God unfolds.  Our host had been under the weather and unable to receive us when we’d stopped by yesterday.  But today, she did.  She was feeling so poorly that she had her space heater on full blast unable to move from her spot on the sofa.  We  put  in place a plan to get to the hospital the next day, if she’ll just follow through, and prayed over her and another young woman who happened to be coming by.  We learned that less than a week ago the young visitor had attempted suicide. Our prayers ministered to their hearts and spirits in a way that it’s hard to express in words.

The team of Godfridah, Lisa, Roger, Herb, George, Isabel and Hugh went back to Juanita’s home to finish up the tiling and painting. Herb and Hugh did a great job of installing the moldings, wood trimmings and other carpentry work, before the designated painting crew of George, Isabel, Lisa and Godfridah completed the artwork on the walls and doors. The ladies also used their creative skills to make protective garments from plastic bags to prevent speckling of shoes and clothing. Go Isabel and Godfridah!!

There was a bit of a drizzle here and there throughout the day, though not enough to hamper our progress.

They finished off work earlier than yesterday as Roger had to rally the troops to prepare for Tuesday’s Father’s Love meeting with the 10 to 12 year old boys, which started at 5:30pm. Now this was probably the highlight of the day for the team, as we’ve heard so much about the high-energy boys. The pick up started at 4:30pm with Roger and Brett driving separate vans to collect the boys from their homes. Derik and Hugh rode with Brett on his designated route on the south side of Jacksonville. Brett dutifully drove around, stopping at about 17 homes, though some boys were either not home, or wasn’t able to make it today. For the ten boys that Brett picked up, it was amazing to see how excited each was getting on board the van. It seemed as though the sight of the Father’s Love van was a ray of hope in the otherwise dull afternoon (the skies were overcast by then with a light drizzle). The pickup lasted about an hour and we got back to base at 5:30pm. Then the fun started!!!

The boys darted off as fast as they could to join the party of other boys in the gym (now about 30 in all) who were either picked up by Roger or had been dropped off by a guardian. They played basketball, air hockey, table soccer and dodge ball. Needless to say, the youthful spirit of the men in the BrinkThink team came alive, and laughter filled the air as they joined the boys in the games.

After about 30 minutes of games, it was time for Chapel and Basketball Brett rounded up the boys where they were officially introduced to the men on the BrinkThink team. The boys had the chance to ask questions and as the Lord would lead, Derik and Hugh had the opportunity to share about their lives in response to eager queries about their childhood.

The ladies, however, were on a different mission. Isabel, Lisa and Godfridah had a grand plan to make dinner for Juanita and her family. Their plan soon ballooned into a Top Chef ordeal so Enshil and Deborah were drafted in. On the menu was beef stew (a la African style), vegetable rice, collard greens and plantainos. They also made a few sumptuous beignets along the way, although the Top Chefs eventually consumed them.   They were fabulous!

The team was delayed a bit as they juggled too few pots.  But as Isabelle pointed out in response to Dave’s ribbing, “you can’t hurry perfection.”

Shortly thereafter, the ladies were ready to load up the van, and head on over to share dinner with Juanita’s family. Szilveszter and Hugh went along with the crew of Lisa, Isabel and Godfridah. As soon as they arrived, Isabel made jokes with Juanita in Spanish about arriving an hour late, and then she prayed God’s blessing on the meal. They enjoyed the meal together and shared many laughs as they gave God thanks for His love. Godfridah even got the chance to practice the seven Spanish words she’s learned since yesterday. Not only did Juanita express her heartfelt thanks for the kindness shown to her family, she gave gifts of beautiful handmade jewelry to the women.