Sharing With One Another

As I write this blog, there are only 2 more days left on this project here at the Florida Baptist Children's Home.   It has been a very good month with much accomplished with our official assignments and many personal projects have, also, been done.

The men have begun a big project in washing all the buildings and the painting of 2 of them.   Since this is a 2 month RVICS project (and not the usual 1 month), there will be 6 couples to complete what the January team does not.   (However, we will not be one of them.   Three new couples will come in and 3 couples will stay on.)   Monday, they will help set up for a banquet for the Board of Directors.   It is always good to end a tiring month with an easier job!

The women, not only, worked in the pantry and donation centers but had more of a variety of work.   The total cleaning of the library was accomplished.   Also, some table clothes were ironed for use at the banquet on Monday.   On Monday, we will iron some more and help set up tables for the evening meal.   We have all been invited!

This week we shared a meal and an evening with a different home for the children housed here.   It was another good, learning experience at a different home.   What a gift these parents have!

On this blog, I am always referring how we work together on our ministry but hardly ever mention how we minister to one another on our own time.   Needs are met in emergency situations but, fortunately, we don't have many of them.  For example, this month 2 of men have shared cleaning a huge RV and another making RV's headlights like brand new.   Also, John thought another couple (who had just been introduced to the Pegs and Jokers game) needed a game board and made them one.    We use and share our given talents in many, many ways.

On Wednesday, we bid Florida Baptist Children's Home goodbye for the second time.   As always, it is with mixed feelings that we leave but Lake Swan will welcome us with open arms with 5 new couples to experience new things.   We have much to be thankful!

A Very Full Week

Our ministry is not only service to the organization for which we are assigned but, in many ways, they ministry to us and our team.  This past week has been very busy with many different experiences.

Work---This was the week the concrete was poured and the sidewalk was totally finished.   This was a more laborious job (with the added heat) than what RVICS likes for the men to do.   But, a brand new sidewalk if now available for the children to use going to their buses.   Another job was begun.   They are now powering washing and scrubbing the outside of a house for painting this week.   The ladies continued to sort in the donation center and pantry.   This is work that is necessary every week of the year.

Ministry--Each of the team couples were invited into the residence home where the children live for supper.    What a delight to see the interaction of the "parents" and children.   Our hostess house had 4 girls and 4 boys from elementary school to high school.   These parents are indeed given talents by God for the work they are doing.  It is so good to do the work we do and see how it is used and benefiting their ministry.

Socializing--As every week, we did take time for just visiting.   However, this week, we invited the director of maintenance and his wife to a cook out with the group.   It was a great evening to be outside in January in Florida!   They, also, spoke of their experiences as working as house parents and other ministries they have had here.

It seems surreal but January is flying by for us.   Tomorrow, we will be our last full week of work at this location.   It will be another good week!

Welcome 2013

Christmas is past and a New Year has arrived.   Once again, we begin another calendar year with RVICS.   The New Year's Day found us picking up our RV where we had stashed it a month before and headed for the comfort of the southern US.   No, it wasn't hard to say good bye to the cold and piles of snow of Indiana.

January 2013 finds us in Lakeland, Florida, at the Florida Baptist Children's Home.   This is our second time to work here.    We have found this place to be an unbelievable ministry to hundreds, if not thousands, in the area.   As the name implies, this is a home for children who have been found in difficult home situations.   On campus, they live with a family in a home and function as a normal family would with public school, school activities, church, etc.   In addition, this has become a huge distribution center for donated  food and other items to other Christian agencies across the area.   They are truly the feet of Jesus.

Our RVICS group for the month consists of 5 couples representing Pennsylvania, Iowa, West Virginia and 2 of us from Indiana.   As always, we were excited to meet new faces and old friends.   In this case, half were new friends and half have become "old" friends.   After worshiping, working and playing together for a week, this is a great group!

We hit the road running last Monday and much was accomplished.   The ladies worked in 2 different locations.   One set worked in the pantry, dating, sorting and rearranging items plus sorting a half dozen large, chest freezers.   The other group sorted and put away items in the 2 story donation center.   Even though there are a few other items on our "to do" list, much of our time will be spent in these 2 areas the next few weeks.

When we arrived the Christmas decorations were everywhere on campus.   The first full day was spent undecorating everything and storing them away for next year.   The next 3 days the men found muscles they never wanted to know they had, tearing out an old, broken sidewalk.   A tractor for hauling away the broken concrete, sledge hammer and large pry bar were the tools used.    After some feet, it was found that some of the concrete was a foot thick.   A jackhammer had to be rented to help!    All of this was done in record high temperatures of 80+ for the week!   The good news is the old sidewalk is now gone.   This week the forms will be built for a new walk and new cement will be poured.

It is good to see progress and know that we make a difference.   This week, we will do it all over again.

Goodbye 2012

As we close out 2012, as always, we say "Where did the year go?"     It just seems to speed go quickly but a day at a time.

The year began with healing for Don.   For the first time since we have been retired (5 years ago), we experienced "true" retirement as the world describes it.   We spent our time in the RV in a winter resort in Palmetto, Florida, walking, biking, visiting friends and just doing whatever we wanted whenever we wanted.   It was great but after a couple of months we were more than ready to be productive again.

After doing 4 RVICS projects, spending time with the "kids", vacationing in the summer, getting upgrades done to the house, we found it was December.    We were able to return to Hartford City for a week before heading out to Oklahoma to help our daughter with her family as she recovered from pneumonia and returned to Hartford City.   The last week was a very special one as we had all the kids under our room for a few days.

Memories were made as the first cousins got interact with one another and we got to see the grandchildren's personalities as we don't always see them.   Sara has become a little lady who still prefers quiet time.   Ashley, too is becoming a little lady who has many interests.  John is a reader and a Lego builder.   Nathan likes to do pretend.   Luke is becoming an avid reader and a Lego lover.  Hannah is a princess who can do girly things and likes boy toys too but not snow pants.   Andrew is a lover a people and cars but not snow and cold.   Together, the girls did all kind of girl things together doing their hair and nails.   John and Luke could be seen doing Legos.   This is just an example of their interaction.

What a special time BUT all things do come to an end.   On December 29, we told them all good bye.   But the next day, we started out for our next adventure.   To begin the year 2013, we once again are looking forward to what the Lord has for us and where He will take us.