11/18/2024
The first two weekends in November, Journey Church sent teams of women and men to serve in the Appalachian community. Here are a few stories from our team of women who generously gave of their time and energy to serve others in need:
On the recent mission trip to the Bland Ministry Center, I was on the team of women that helped a young woman named Lindsey, who had recently lost her mother and was living in a hoarding situation. Eight women went to Lindsey’s house and helped with the clean-up – sorting clothes, toiletries, and food into keep, donate, or trash; washing dishes; cleaning the floors; setting up and organizing her bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and family room. Although Lindsey was very anxious about what was happening to all of her things, she genuinely seemed to appreciate our company.
What was really special about the trip was that although our primary mission was to help Lindsey, God also used us to bless others.
When we were finished for the day and waiting on the front porch for the truck to transport the trash and donations, Lindsey’s neighbor, Kristy, stopped as she was walking her dog and asked what organization we were with and thanked us for giving of our time to help out in her community. When Kristy asked how much we charged, someone jokingly said, “We work for food!” Kristy talked with us for quite a while and stopped by the Bland Ministry Center later with a plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies! She shared some difficulties she is going through and asked us to pray for her.
Lindsey’s godmother, Sharon, who seems to be Lindsey’s primary support, was so appreciative of how we helped Lindsay. Sharon shared with us many other ways she is helping her own family and neighbors, so as we were blessing Lindsey, we were also able to bless Sharon by taking something off her plate.
In giving up a Saturday to answer God’s nudge and serve at the Bland Ministry Center, I was so humbled see how God used our group to touch lives and be a blessing. I continue to pray for Lindsey, Sharon, and Kristy and I thank God that he used our team in such a tangible way.
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It was great to be able to serve along with my Journey sisters!
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I enjoyed getting to know other ladies in our church. And we were able to witness to someone we weren’t helping, that reached out for prayer and support.
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I enjoyed serving with several new ladies and was given a glimpse into how being the love of God really does reach further than we may realize.
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I enjoyed being able to serve with the other Journey ladies and getting to know each of them better. I even served with two Journey ladies that I had not met before. It was so rewarding seeing how we were helping one lady which lead to meeting and praying for her neighbor who was in need as well. It just shows how sometimes our actions speak louder than words. It was a blessing being able to share God’s love.
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Thank you, ladies, for serving, loving and caring for those in need!
If you’d like more information about serving in the community, click here.