A Day of Presentations

Today started off with us walking in the rain to the hospital. When it rains it means more mud to walk through. I don't think I've mentioned it lately,but I love my ugly, dirty hiking boots!

After getting to the chapel for worship the day continued to get better and better. We went back to our work site and painted the outside of the house with creosote, a black oily wood preservative. It is nasty to paint with! At noon we had the dedication ceremony where Steve Freeman presented the keys to the house to the family who it was built for.  People from the hospital attended along with some neighbors and school friends of the oldest child who will be living in the house. There was singing, dancing, scriptures read, prayers offered and a lot of tears of joy.

Stanley, the outreach coordinator for the hospital, and Sue Owens both said the current house that Grace and her 4 children were living in was the worst they had seen. It was barely a roof over this family's head. Parts of the walls were missing, and parts of the roof was missing. Grace, the mother of 4 children, lost her husband in an automobile accident almost 2 years ago. When he died she could not afford to continue renting the apartment they were living in. Her parents did not have room to take her and her children back in so Grace found a shack to live in.

The gift of this small two room house with no electricity, no plumbing, no air conditioning, no kitchen is a BIG thing. Not only will this house provide a safe place for this family to live, but it is life changing. Grace was overwhelmed with emotion as she thanked us. She knows it is a gift of love from God and the members of our mission team and the members of Friendswood UMC.

Pictures (clockwise from top left): Grace and her children with the Mission Team; Steve Freeman speaking at home dedication; Painting the house with creosote; A cross made by Mike Schmitt is left in the window as a reminder of God's love; Looking at the inside of one room in Grace's new house; Looking through the hole in the roof of Grace's old house (shack)

Leaving  the work site is hard. We will never see our new friends again but we can only hope they experienced the love of Jesus through the fruits of our labor and the joy in our times of fellowship and play.

This afternoon we unpacked our duffle bags filled with donations and presented them to Sue Owens - hospital supplies, sheets, towels ,wash cloths, puzzles, games, beach balls, baby hats and sweaters, receiving blankets, diapers, clothing, markers, pens, gifts for the nursing students, toys. Thank you to everyone who contributed items for the people of Maua. They may have few possessions but they have an over abundance of joy.

Blessings!

PS: One more presentation: the Brock Kitchen Dedication at Maua Methodist Hospital - watch the video at YouTube