Category: Salkehatchie Series

Roofing Lessons

Posted on by Wendy
Roofs can bring us closer to God.
Roofs can bring us closer to God.

I was recently talking with a friend of mine about a mission opportunity she is considering. She’s thinking about going to a Salkehatchie work camp this summer with her son, but she’s undecided.

I encouraged her to go and I told her it would be life changing, but I warned her they may put her on a roof. They tend to have a lot of roof work that needs to be done.

In most cases all roofing for the day, has to be completed by lunch time because walking on shingles once they are hot, takes years off of their life. Therefore, all able-bodied people on the worksite, are encouraged to get on the roof.

My friend defiantly informed me that she would not be getting on a roof. I smiled and let it go. I knew it was fruitless to debate it with her.

But, I also knew that she would likely change her mind. I had been in her shoes just a year earlier. When I decided at the last minute to attend a Salkehatchie camp, I too, was quite certain I would not get up on a roof.

First of all, I knew nothing about roofing. Secondly, wasn’t I too old to do something like that? I was already in my mid-forties.

My daughter told me they would probably have me do things like fetching water and getting supplies. That seemed to be right about my speed.

When we arrived onsite early Monday morning, we said a prayer and then I was invited to get on the roof.

Up the ladder the teens went. Up the ladder the men who were a good deal older than I was, went. I have never been a fan of ladders. I don’t necessarily mind going up them, but I have never liked coming down them. Yet, up the ladder I went.

After a short tutorial on how to remove old shingles, I was in the groove with all of the seasoned volunteers. After the first day, I didn’t even hesitate to go up that ladder. Going up that ladder represented something so much bigger than I was. Being on that roof with that particular Body of Christ and being the hands and feet and face of Jesus, became so much more important than any of my perceived physical shortcomings. It became more important than any of my fears.

I learned so much that week about serving others. I learned that climbing ladders and working on roofs, just like any other seemingly insurmountable tasks are completed one step at a time and being overwhelmed by that which seems impossible, is forgetting the Who we serve.

I went in knowing that, “all things are possible with God.” I left with the deep conviction that, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

My friend who is on the fence about the roof can too and so can you.

We should never fear a ladder. It’s simply a way to take us higher and things like roofs can bring us closer to God.

What roof is God calling you to today?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Making a Positive Kingdom Impact

Posted on by Wendy
We all have the ability to make a Kingdom impact on those around us. What will yours be?
We all have the ability to make a Kingdom impact on those around us. What will yours be?

I received a text from my daughter last week showing me her A in a class that she had really been working hard in. She had been sitting on an 89.5 and then an 89.7, but this particular teacher refused to round up. She was frustrated, but kept at it. When she finally got her A, she sent a picture of the grade in Power School.

She captioned underneath it, “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.” I smiled. I was so pleased for her. She worked hard and finally saw results.

But, her next text brought tears to my eyes. She wrote, “Picture Mr. Bill saying it, for dramatic effect.”

Mr. Bill was her site foreman on two mission trips. He spent a week teaching her and other teens how to roof houses and do other repairs for people who were unable to do for themselves. She was super shy and unsure of herself her first year and he said she was always scooting out of the way, which earned her the nickname “Skooter.”

The next year she returned to the same mission camp with mommy in tow and a little more confidence and he took her under his wing again. I got to watch my child bloom on a roof in South Carolina.

The entire experience made such an impression on me that my entire family is going this year. I found myself getting so excited last week when I received a confirmation e-mail that we had been accepted into the camp. I was already happy to be going back. I already knew that God was calling us there.

Then I got her text and I was reminded of the impact the we all have the capability of making on the young ones around us and that God is always at work. Mr. Bill could have simply given her instructions on how to use a nail gun, but he cared enough about a shy teen to get to know her and two years later, when she reached a goal she worked really hard at, she thought of him.

It makes me think about all of the people who come across our paths and how we treat them in whatever our dealings may be. It doesn’t even have to be mission trip or a teaching type situation. It can simply be a conversation with a bagger at the grocery store or a waitress at a restaurant.

How we treat people matters, but it’s more than that; how we connect with them matters. When we are around people we don’t know, people who may be shy or struggling, people who are powerless to give us anything, do we treat them like they are special? Do we treat them like they are a fellow child of God? Do we treat them like we believe they have enormous potential?

Haven’t we all had someone treat us in that way? Isn’t that what Jesus calls us to do? Isn’t that a picture of Christian love?

As I’m gearing up for Vacation Bible School season, my daughter’s text reminds me that we all have such great potential to make a huge, lifelong impact on the Kingdom of God. That impact can last long after our physical time has passed. It can be positive, negative or neutral. I’m going for positive.

Care to join me?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Living with Bold Faith

Posted on by Wendy
What is God calling you to do?
What is God calling you to do?

I had lunch a few days ago with a very dear friend of mine. We hadn’t spoken in months and we had a ton of catching up to do. We worshiped at the same church for many years and we were Vacation Bible School partners for close to ten of them.

We began talking about my VBS plans at my new church. We talked about the theme and then I told her I had to put together a budget which was new for me. My last church had an awesome associate pastor who did that. She loved VBS too.

When I told her how much I thought it was going to cost, she asked me if the church had the money. I told her I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t worried about it because Jesus loves VBS. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. “Yes, He does,” she agreed.

Anyone who knows me knows what a heart I have for VBS, and co-directing all of those years truly was a faith builder. My friend agreed. There never looked like there would be enough volunteers, but when the week started, there were always plenty. If someone got sick, another person would pop up to help. There were years where there didn’t look like there would be many children attending. There were always plenty, and every single VBS was different and meaningful to all involved. We also had money that would come in from all kinds of unexpected places from people who wanted to help.

Like the fishes and loaves, there was always more than enough. My adult experience with VBS has taught me that if it’s a ministry that Jesus loves, there will be enough.

Last year on my Salkehatchie mission trip, the director put some snacks out on the tables for the teens to eat. She also bought bottled water to take to the work sites. She told me that she never replenished the water or the snacks, the donations just kept pouring in. We never ran out.

We were working on the houses of elderly people who couldn’t help themselves. We were being the hands and feet and Jesus was clearly on board.

The Bible has a story about a man named Nehemiah who wanted to rebuild the crumbling walls of Jerusalem. He was a servant to King Artaxerxes. He was his cup-bearer. He prayed and fasted and when he went before the king, he asked if he would allow him to go and rebuild the walls. The king agreed. Then he asked for a letter to guarantee his safe passage. The king agreed. Then he asked for a letter allowing him to cut timber from the king’s forest. The king agreed. Not only that, the king sent army officers and a calvary with him to keep him safe.

Nehemiah boldly asked the king to help provide something that God would bless. Nehemiah had no idea what the king would say, but he was called to do God’s work, and God provided. The wall was built in 52 days.

And so it us with all of God’s children. Whether it’s VBS, or a mission trip, or starting a Bible study, or anything else, if God calls us to do it, we can go forth boldly, knowing He will provide.

He proves that over and over in the Bible. He’s proved it over and over in my life.

So Christian, whatever He’s calling you to do today, take the next step in bold faith; remembering, if God is for us, who can be against us?

Have an awesome day!

Wedy 🙂

 

 

God Knew

Posted on by Wendy
We couldn't have possibly known last summer that South Carolina would have catastrophic flooding. But, God knew.
We couldn’t have possibly known last summer that South Carolina would have catastrophic flooding. But, God knew.

I clicked on the Weather Channel yesterday morning to figure out what I should wear to church. It had been raining for days and was unseasonably cool. But, when the page opened up, the headline made me catch my breath. It read, “Catastrophic Flooding in South Carolina.” What to wear to church was completely forgotten.

A Salkehatchie summer mission trip, to South Carolina, has made a lot of people there very dear to me and my daughter. I silently prayed for their safety as I scrolled through pictures of the horrible devastation that had roads that looked like rivers and Interstate Highways closed, due to flooding.

As the morning went on, I began to think about the couple that we were able to help on that trip. When we arrived, their ceiling was caving in from a roof leak in the front of their house. In the back of their house, the roof had leaked so badly that the floor had rotted completely out and was literally being held up by the carpet.

Another group worked on a house that had a tarp and cement blocks on the roof. No one knows how long it had been there. But, when the Two Rivers’ Director and her team, toured all of the homes of the people who had requested assistance, and there were many, one of the team members spotted the house with the tarp and said he felt led to talk to the owner. Upon learning that he was a disabled Vietnam Veteran and had no means to fix his roof, his house was chosen.

Keep in mind that according to Clemson University statistics, South Carolina has been in drought for 8 out of the last 10 years. But, according to a weather report, the Metro Columbia area, which was where we were working, got 5 to 10 inches of rain in just 24 hours and it was still coming down.

I thought of the couple that we helped. They had needed help for a long time. Their church had reached out to members of the community for assistance, and I’ve no doubt that they had prayed about it. But it wasn’t until last summer that help arrived with a brand new roof and new ceilings and floors on the inside and apparently, just in the nick of time.

There’s no way, that their home could have survived ten plus inches of rain. I suspect they would be homeless now. And the veteran with the tarp on his roof? There’s no way a tarp could have held out that kind of rain either. I suspect he too, may have been homeless, without intervention.

We had no way of knowing in the unprecedented heat wave last June, what was coming in October, but God knew. God knew unprecedented rain would be coming. He hand-picked each one of us and each one of those homeowners. God intervened and each one of us who volunteered allowed Him to intervene through us.

As horrible as all of the flooding is, and it’s bad, God reminded me this morning that He is here and working, even when it seems all is lost. Please join me in prayer for all of the residents of South Carolina. May they stay safe and dry and see blue skies soon. And may they all have the blessing of seeing God at work in the aftermath.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Lessons from a Shingle

Posted on by Wendy
It's impossible for one shingle to keep out the rain on its own.
It’s impossible for one shingle to keep out the rain on its own.

I learned a fair amount about roofing on my Salkehatchie summer mission trip. I learned that shingles are heavy. I learned that you can’t walk on them when they get hot because it shortens the life of them. I learned to wear gloves when handling them because you will get pieces of fiberglass in your fingers that become painful later.

But, probably the most important lesson, was that a shingle only does its job when it is in unity with other shingles. There’s a black tar line that runs along the center of a shingle. It must line up with the ones on either side or the roof will eventually leak.

They have to work together to keep the inhabitants of the home warm and dry. If just one shingle is in the wrong place, the roof can leak. Leaks lead to all kinds of problems from mold, to wet ceilings, to eventual ceiling collapse, if the roof isn’t repaired.

I was reminded of the importance of shingles working together, at a team meeting at church last night. We are desperately trying to build communication between all of our church committees, so that we can all work together and grow together in unity, and avoid any leaks which happen when we get out of unity with each other and with God.

It’s a lot trickier with humanity than with shingles. Inanimate objects stay in a nice straight line once they are nailed down. But, people, well, we are all over the place. We are broken and we tend to take our focus off of God and place it on ourselves. That leads to all kinds of leaks and problems.

It has been said that churches are the most peaceful and wonderful places ever, until you put people in them. Yet, that’s what Jesus has called us to do. He’s called us to come together as a family and create a solid line, like those shingles, and call as many people as humanly possible, to join with us and build his kingdom.

Knowing that we have an enemy who would love to see us fail in our mission, has made all of our church members pray constantly for guidance and unity. We know that when you are in a war, you really should expect some resistance.

But, I wonder what our world would look like if all Christians came together and prayed for guidance and unity. What if we all used the Bible as our straight line and prayer as the nails, and joined together? I think we would be impenetrable to anything and everything that comes against us.

When the shingles are nailed together, the people in the house, stay dry during storms.
When the shingles are nailed together, the people in the house, stay dry during storms.

Maybe we could learn a lesson from shingles. Maybe it’s time for more unity among all Christians. If we all worked together, who knows what the outcome would be? I imagine it would be spectacular.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

He Calls Out

Posted on by Wendy
It's not the flower that makes the gardenia so special; it's the scent. It's not something we can touch or see, but sense.
It’s not the flower that makes the gardenia so special; it’s the scent. It’s not something we can touch or see, but sense.

On the first day of my summer mission trip, we were told to keep an eye out for something at the house we were working at, that we could bring back to our host church and share with the rest of our mission team. It could be anything, but it was supposed to be something of significance to us that represented something special about our week.

I heard the teens talking about it all week. Some of them had no trouble finding an object and some of them struggled to the very last minute. After we all shared communion together, we all went up one-by-one and shared our objects and our stories and left them on the altar.

It was a very moving ceremony and there wasn’t a dry eye in the sanctuary. Some of the teens were very nervous, but it was amazing to see how they supported one another in love and friendship after only a week together.

There were shingles, nails and all types of items that though they seemed insignificant at first glance, the accompanying story that linked them with God made them extraordinary. Of course, God has the power to do that in all of our lives. We can give Him the tiniest, everyday, anything and He can make it magnificent. We just have to be willing to give it.

When it was my turn to share, I went empty-handed. I didn’t have a physical object. I had plenty to share. I saw God at every turn that week, but not necessarily in the physical.

I have shared on my blog before that I pray when I walk in my neighborhood and quite often, when I am really struggling with an issue, God sends a hawk across my path. It has happened way too often for me to discount. I mean, it will fly right in front of me.

I have always reasoned that if God can call every animal on the planet to get on a boat two-by-two, He can certainly send hawks across my path. If He can make a donkey talk, He can send me a hawk. It’s a spiritual connection I have with Him.

A large part of my work on the trip was working on the roof. Roofing isn’t really that hard, but it’s very hot and very tedious. The entire week that I was on the roof, a hawk cried out close by. I mentioned it to my daughter, several times. I would smile and look at her and ask, “Do you hear it?” She would smile and nod.

I never saw the hawk that week. I only heard it, but I knew God was close. I could feel Him.

The second thing I shared was that there was a huge gardenia bush next to the house, the largest I had ever seen. Every time I passed by it, I got a whiff of its sweet scent and I found myself thanking God for planting it there. I couldn’t see Him, but I could sense Him. That gardenia bush could have been anywhere, but it wasn’t. It was right beside the house.

The entire experience reminded me that God calls out to us in so many ways. We can see Him and feel Him in the world around us if we seek Him. We don’t have to be able to hold these encounters in our hands; we only have to hold them in our hearts.

Perhaps you needed a reminder today to seek Him.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

The Power of Group Prayer

Posted on by Wendy
One praying Christian is a threat to evil. Two or more gathered in prayer, is a force to be reckoned with.
One praying Christian is a threat to evil. Two or more gathered in prayer, is a force to be reckoned with.

I’ve been thinking a lot about prayer this summer. I’ve believed in the power of prayer for as long as I can remember. My mama always said our prayers with us before bed time and we always blessed our meals. But, I wasn’t always comfortable praying out loud and I certainly wouldn’t have put my hands on someone while I was praying.

That seemed a little bit over the top for me. I thought that was something that maybe those snake handler Christians would do.

This summer on my mission trip, while we were touring the homes we would work on, tragedy struck in the family of one of our volunteers. A close family member was struck and killed by a tree branch on a beach during a school trip. She was quietly asked to step off of the bus where she was given the news. Those of us on the bus were given the news too. She was devastated.

The excited chatter of new friends and old acquaintances stopped as she got back on the bus and took her seat by me. I held my breath. What could I possibly say to this stranger I had only met a couple of hours earlier? She sat with tears streaming down her face. I told her I was so sorry for her loss and she quietly nodded her head.

Our director got back on the bus and asked us to join together in a prayer. As she began, I put my hand on my seat mate’s shoulder. I don’t really know why, but I felt lead to. At the same moment, the man in front of me did the same and the woman across the aisle from us placed her hand on her back.

It was a powerful moment and as she quietly sobbed, I could feel her drawing strength as well. I could feel the Holy Spirit at work.

She decided to stay the week and complete the mission. She said she was surrounded by family to support her. It was an unbelievably strong testament. No one would have blamed her for leaving. We became good friends as the days passed and I feel blessed to have met her.

We prayed a lot as a group, over the week. We held hands almost every time. We began and ended each day holding hands in prayer on our work sites. We also ended each day with a prayer back at the church with everyone joining hands and sharing something about their day.

A few days ago, I was having coffee with a friend who has really been struggling physically. We talked a lot about prayer and my trip and when I went to leave, I asked her if I could pray with her. She agreed. But, then I found myself putting my hands on her neck that was hurting her so badly, as I prayed for her to get some relief. I was just as surprised as she was, but she said later she felt better.

I think we seriously underestimate the power of prayer, especially when we pray in groups. God is always listening, but the Holy Spirit seems particularly energized when we gather in a group in Jesus’ name. Remember Pentecost?

I’ll admit it can be uncomfortable, but the results are amazing. Maybe it’s worth a try.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Equipping the Called

Posted on by Wendy
“God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” Rick Yancey

I volunteered to help with my son’s band camp yesterday. It’s July in Georgia and needless to say unbelievably hot, you know, like a hundred degrees in the shade. The moms all sat under a huge tent with ice, water and Gatorade for the band kids whenever a break was called.

It was hot in the shade. Thankfully, when they broke at noon to go inside for lunch, they remained indoors for the rest of the day. The moms had done our duty and after some cleaning and packing up, we were free to go home.

As I trudged to my hot car in the sweltering heat with sweat rolling down by back, I pondered how it was possible that I had been able to work for an entire week in heat like this on my South Carolina mission trip. We didn’t stop at noon either. We broke for lunch and kept working until 5:00 or so.

We also didn’t sit around under a shaded tent. We were out in the sun. We did start earlier, 7:00 instead of 8:00; maybe it was easier to acclimate that way. Could one hour make a difference? I didn’t think so.

Then a favorite quote popped into my mind. “God doesn’t call the equipped; God equips the called.” Rick Yancey

Of course that was it. I was able to join with others and work in that oppressive heat for a week because we were doing God’s work. We were each called to be at that place at that moment for that purpose. We were being obedient. We began each morning in prayer for safety and the strength to stand the heat. God provided us with what we needed to get through the day.

Why wouldn’t He? We are all His children and when we are answering His call, He will equip us. It doesn’t matter how impossible or insurmountable the task me seem. It doesn’t matter how ill-equipped we may feel. “All things are possible with God.”

And that I suppose, is a true definition for faith. I’m going to remember this little lesson the next time I feel in over my head when God calls me to serve. Maybe you will too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Loving Our Neighbors

Posted on by Wendy
We didn't have to travel far to find neighbors to love.
We didn’t have to travel far to find neighbors to love.

Over the past few days, I’ve written about an amazing ministry that I was able to participate in, in South Carolina. I’ve written about the many volunteers, who graciously gave their time and resources to be the hands and feet of Christ for the week.

Today I’m going to share a little bit about the people we served, the Smiths. The house that I helped work on belonged to an elderly couple. They were both in their eighties. They had been hard workers all of their lives. They even had an in ground pool in the back yard that had trees growing in it. They had a huge garden at one time, that now sat dormant.

I imagine at one time, their home was the talk of their neighborhood. They were members of a fairly large church and only stopped attending when their cars stopped running. Mr. Smith had been a contractor at one time. Mrs. Smith had worked at a fabric store.

They were proud people who simply had the misfortune of getting old and sick. They could easily be my neighbors or yours. They could easily be me someday or maybe you.

When I began picking shingles up off of the ground, Mr. Smith approached me and told me he had a lawn tractor with a cart and he could pull it up for me to load them onto. He said it would take me forever to get it done on my own. He didn’t want a hand out. He wanted to help. He and I spent all afternoon chatting as I loaded shingles and he would drive them to the dumpster for me and wait for me to unload them.

Mrs. Smith stayed inside the house and always invited the girls inside to have coffee with her. She couldn’t stop bragging about how hard they worked.

Their roof had been leaking for quite some time. The ceiling had caved in, in the front and back rooms and the floor had completely rotted out in the back room. Seriously, it was being held up by the carpet.

When everything was replaced and the back room was repainted and carpeted, Mrs. Smith was like a child on Christmas morning. That was the room she spent most of her time in. Having survived two broken hips, she didn’t get out much.

On our last visit to their home, the couple thanked everyone with huge smiles. Mrs. Smith invited us all back to visit. Mr. Smith said something I will never forget. He had emphysema and was very hard to hear, so if you didn’t lean in, you would have missed it.

“I just can’t believe someone like you would ever help someone like me,” he said.

I was stunned. What did he mean, “Someone like him?” What made him feel so different from us? Was it because he was poor? Was it because he was old? Was it because he no longer had his business or health?

As followers of Christ, I don’t know that we always do a good job at loving our neighbors. I often get requests from people to donate to their overseas mission trips to Africa, South America and other far away places. But, what about our neighbors down the street? Can we in good conscience drive by the house with a tarp on the roof because their roof leaks, on the way to the airport to fly to our mission trip?

The story of the Good Samaritan says that our neighbors are anyone who crosses our paths. Are we reaching out to our neighbors? How many people would help others if a program like Salkehatchie existed in their town? What if they were able to serve by paying a couple of hundred bucks and giving their time instead of thousands for a plane flight?

These are issues that have plagued my mind since my return. I think we can do better. I’m going to try to organize some kind of outreach in my own community. Perhaps you are inspired to try something in yours too. Who knows what kind of difference we can make?

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂

Christians Who Walk the Walk

Posted on by Wendy

The sheer number of volunteers on my Salkehatchie trip was amazing. We had an awesome group of church ladies who got up well before 5:00 AM every morning, and made us breakfast. I’m not talking about cereal either. We had eggs, bacon, and sausage biscuits. They always greeted us with a smile and kind words too. They were the very picture of cheerful givers.

There were volunteers who brought us popsicles everyday too, which was a welcomed break from the sweltering Carolina heat. There were some sweet ladies who brought us cobbler and ice cream one night. There was a couple who donated and drove their tour bus so we could all ride together to tour the work sites.  Someone even put Bible verses and a treat, on our pillows everyday when we were out working. When I inquired who did it, I was told it was the Salkehatchie Fairy.

Daily treats were left by an anonymous volunteer called the Salkehatchie Fiary.
Daily treats were left by an anonymous volunteer called the Salkehatchie Fairy.

No matter how small someone’s contribution may have appeared on the surface, it made a huge difference to those of us on the front lines, like the cases of water that kept showing up at the church, or the two coolers full of drinks that were dropped off at our work site, by Good Samaritans.

Then there were the seasoned site leaders who taught newbies like me which end of a nail gun was up. My site had three men, a retired police officer, fireman, and Naval fighter pilot and a young school teacher, who had been participating in Salkehatchie since she was 14. She even had her own purple hammer.

I found it interesting and inspiring that all of the adult volunteers had spent a life in public service and even in retirement, continued to serve. Our teacher could have spent her summer taking a much needed break, but she too, chose to serve in the crazy heat. I was intrigued by a ministry that could earn so much loyalty from such a diverse group.

Of course, they were all deeply tied to one another through the love of Christ, who can use every single one of us for his purpose, if we are willing.

I have always felt like the best way to earn the respect of teens is to interact with them. It’s easy to tell them what they should do. It’s an entirely different matter altogether to walk the walk with them. These volunteers did just that.

Not only did they work patiently side-by-side with them all day, encouraging them along the way, but they made the effort to get to know them too. On the first day, our site leader called a break for everyone to have water and a snack and share something about themselves. Relationship was the biggest focus of the mission. He let the teens know they mattered.

When the kids on our site decided they wanted to do a talent show later in the week, the fireman and policeman learned how to Whip and Nae Nae. The teacher already knew how. The adults weren’t concerned about looking silly because they were building relationships with the teens. It was pretty hysterical.

Perhaps we could all learn a little something from all of those volunteers, truth like every single contribution to God’s work matters. Those popsicles were a blessing in that heat. There’s no bronze or gold medals. God can use all of it.

We could also be reminded that we are never too old to serve. But, perhaps the most important lesson from all of those volunteers is if we want to win more souls for Jesus, then we need to interact. We need to do, not tell. The doing can make all of the difference.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂