Wow.Blessed.Amazed. Are a few words to describe our trip. Greensboro,Alabama is said to be a third world town in Alabama. The pastor of this church has been praying for 7 years that someone would come into the community and do what we were doing. So just being an answer to a 7 year plan was something really amazing to see! The church that we would help was a congregation of around 20 maybe and to pain a picture of what type of place it was, the bathrooms there didn't have great plumbing so if you were to go to the restroom you would go and then any toilet paper you would use, you would have a bucket or something to place it in.
We left Friday with not only leaving our mark on the apartments, but instead in the whole town! So sunday we hit the road running and was making good time till we took our final bathroom break right inside of Greensboro. We went back to load the vans and one of the vans would not start. Some may say well maybe the vans were not taken care of or the maintenance wasn't up to date or you could say that Satan knew the blessing we were about to receive and make and he was trying to make us go with a bad attitude. But we had contacted the church we were helping and the place we were staying and within an hour we had two different buses that we available for us to use. So we met up at the church and then headed to the Government Owned housing to hand out candy and flyers to the kids and families talking about VBS we would be doing every morning. The church had a few of their members there to walk with us, and I think that is because it wasn't too hard for us to stick out. According to the kids we were those white folks. So the members were with us to help create some ease and comfort. By the time we were finished with handing out flyers we had around 15 kids that followed us and played with us and seemed very excited for the week! So we loaded up and headed to Jena, Alabama to where we would be staying. So when we arrived to our place I was in heaven. The place we stayed was called Baseball Country. Two people basically turned their property into just what the name says. There is an indoor baseball facility with two separate rooms with bunkbeds. two toilets and one heating and air system. There would be no cell service unless you went to the house and received wifi or stood in one area and could possibly get one bar. The kids got a shock when they would see their showers, true outdoor showers.
They also had one full size baseball field, wiffle ball field, t-ball field, outdoor batting cages. We were fed 3 hot meals everyday and just enjoyed fellowship with one another every night.
So Monday morning we hit the ground running with eating breakfast at 6am! The kids were all excited about the first day of VBS but not necessarily the early morning! The kids planned this trip from lesson plans, to crafts, to recreation. The flyers we passed out said for ages 4-15, but through out the week we had kids anywhere from a year old to two show up because their 6 or 8 yr old sister was in charge of watching them for the day. So on the first day we would have a decent number of kids arrive and just enjoy the time they had with us. The kids were obsessed with wanting to get on our backs, hold our hands, and just be near us. They just wanted some attention, some love. They didn't even have to tell us what their home life was like, we could just tell by their actions, their clothes, and ultimately by how small they were. So the kids throughout the week would grow to love us and always try to get on the bus when we left each day. I had one girl ask me to be her mom and to take care of her. One day i took care of a one year old because his 6 year old sister was in charge of him for the day. He came dressed in fleece pajama pants, and a three quarter long sleeve shirt. He could even sing his ABC's and talk some. One thing that would happen everyday at 11:00 was that the church would bring their 15 passenger van and pick up the kids for free lunch. The kids would run to the van to get on because this could be the only chance they get to eat. They would pack that van with around 30 people on it! On Wednesday the lesson was tied more towards the Gospel and sharing the cross and our sins and everything. That day we had 7 kids accept Christ and one of those would get to be baptized on Friday! It was a glorious moment for sure!!
Throughout the week you saw the parents give us more trust with their kids, because you could tell that we came to love on them and to just be all about the kids. Antonio is the one boy that would be baptized on Friday and coming home and talking to his parents they all are going to start attending church! Praises that we not only were able to reach out to the kids but then also to the parents. Thursday was the last day of VBS with the kids and at the end we just went to pick up all the trash that was everywhere and all the glass from beer bottles that were just all over the playground and area where the kids played. We had people ask us why we were doing it and we just responded that we wanted to be here doing it and we wanted to do it for the kids.
There is one boy that was very close to our hearts, Day-Day. That was his nickname that we would give him and he was one that is more street smart than any of us there. He is only 6 years old but the things that he has seen and possibly done is such a sad story. He was a handful but we would learn some of why he was like that. Thursday one would witness his cousin dealing drugs right outside of the apartment. This was who he lived with and there is no telling what the cousin would use him for. This boy has so much ahead of him and it can go one of two ways.
Afternoon Schedules:
Monday and Tuesday afternoons after VBS we would go to a house that the church owned and needed help fixing up for people to stay in it as they would work in the community doing programs such out literacy outreach programs. The house had yard work that most likely had not been touched in years. We spent two long days working at the house, pulling weeds, cutting grass, cutting trees, picking up pine cones, weedwacking, cutting poison ivy/oak out, and just turning the house into a complete 360 than what it was when we got there. The heat index with our long pants and long sleeves on was roughly 104! It was very hot but none of the kids complained one bit!
Wednesday we took the afternoon and evening to relax and went to Tuscaloosa to Johns former church to shower and change and listen to Tim Simpson talk about life to us. We then went on a Stadium Tour, Tour of Mal Moore facility and then some of the true Bama fans got a special treat when we were able to be taken to Nick Sabans office and sit at his desk and wear some of his National Championship rings! Then we went to Midtown to just eat, shop, relax for a few hours.
Thursday we would adventure downtown to a place called Pie Lab and eat some of the amazing pies they had there and relax. Then we went to a place that makes bikes and skateboards out of bamboo! This was amazing to see the process and basically is a program that helps to give jobs. We then after difficulties would go to Greensboro Baptist church who lent us their van and their restrooms everyday to set up to watch a funeral. Mary Stewart Furtune was a member of Olive and has 3 kids, 2 of them which are in the youth group. So many students on this trip know the kids and adults knew her well. John had driven down early this morning to help with the services so we were able to have it lifestream and watch it. This was something that is so sad and hard but God was in the midst of everything!
Friday morning we would go to the church and finish out the week with the baptism and a block party with the kids. The kids loved just played with water balloons, ice and water. The simplest things to us was just everything to them.
This whole week we were there for the kids was like a whole week of Disney World to them. That is the only way I know how to describe it. The kids were so excited to see us and be with us, it would be like going on a family trip to Disney world, or opening gifts on Christmas morning. God was with us the whole week and we not only left a mark at the apartments, but in the community. Near the end of the week we had kids come that heard about it that didn't even live in the apartments. People would honk horns at us while we did yard work, people stopped us while we were walking downtown. God left His mark in Greensboro and we were just able to be servants for Him!
I went into the trip knowing around 4 of the 37 people. Today I went to church and had all the girls coming up to me giving me hugs, smiles, and laughs. I left the trip seeing how faithful God is and how much is Love is.
God answered the preachers 7 year long prayer in His timing. That shows that God is always working and may tell us to wait, but the wait will be worth it and it will be far greater that we can imagine!
Prayer Request:
Please pray for the community of Greensboro. That God will set a revival in that town and that HE will be known.
Pray for the apartment complex, that the kids would remember what they were taught and continue to remember it and show it.
Pray for the kids that accepted Christ and that they will show more interest in wanting to come into the Kingdom.
Pray for the kids and their living environment, that they will just be able to cling to God when they feel hopeless or afraid.
Pray for the Pastor and his church, as they are continuing to outreach to the the town and just trying to grow.
Pray that the students just grow and learn from this trip and then continue to serve Christ in missions!
The students who went are already wanting to go back or do something to help the kids, pray that God shows what HE wants to be done.
Thank you for your prayers and for reading through this long post. I could go on and on about the week. Just contact me for more information or with any questions that you have about the trip!
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