Annsley's Trip

Well, it is a little late, but I just wanted to share with you a couple of MY grits and butter moments!(: Well, I think I should start off by saying that I worked in the sports camp this week, so I had a lot of time to personally get to know the participants. by the end of the week, we had a grand total of 10 kids! Three of my personal friends that I met were named Hannah, Maria, and Geena. Let's just say that Hannah was nice, but had a very short fuse!! She was Jenna's age, going into the fifth grade, but when you look at her, she looks like my age. So the first day, I kind of got to start talking to her, and we became pretty good friends. My mom was there that day, so she told me that as I was walking off to go to the port-a-John, Hannah said that she wanted me to move to Tennessee so that we could be better friends. Oh and I forgot to mention that Hannah had just moved there less than two weeks ago from Alabama. My next Grits and Butter moment is about Geena. Her grandmother was having Southside do some repairs on her roof. So that was pretty cool too! But Geena plays softball right across the street from where we were at the park. So as I was talking to her one day, she said she had her last softball game of the season a couple of hours ago on that field across the street. I then asked her why she didn't just skip on this for a while, then after her game was over, she just come back. Then she said that she didn't want to miss a minute of Sports camp. She said it was the BEST thing she had ever done before. So those are just a couple of my Grits and Butter moments that I wanted to share with those of you who are reading this. -Annsley Gray

Grits and Butter, a Week Full of Blessings!!!

When I asked the kids for their grits and butter cards last Saturday I knew it would be good, but I still was not prepared for what God had revealed to them in just 6 days, mercy how they bless my heart!  My devotion for Friday night was about how God's plan for us is always revealed and always clear, but sometimes we may not see it right away nor may we fully understand the meaning. It is when we LISTEN to what God is telling us, and do what He says that we LEARN exactly what it all means. Going on this trip will mean lots of different things to all of us. God has revealed to us things about ourselves, our families, our friendships, our church, our community....some in warm very heartwarming ways, some in very convicting and humbling ways. There are still many truths to be learned as we continue to "process" all that God has shown us during the course of this trip. It has been a glorious week and no doubt one that has impacted many for the Kingdom.

I want to leave you with the thoughts of our young people. These are their "grits and butter" moments, and as a friend of mine so properly called it when he read the whole grits and butter story - God's really in this stuff:
-God arranged so that I got to see my new friend I met at sports camp (Maria), for the last time on her bike on the way home from dinner at the church.
-God used my size to help get tools and materials from trucks that others couldn't get.
-I saw a mountain and I thought...God is as big as a mountain and I am so small...
-God was in it all from day 1 to day 4.
-Having a clean house to live in.
-We were cleaning Mrs. Weston's house and singing our verse and when we got done I said God and sin is like cleaning a "frigrator". Before it is clean it had sin all over it, after it was clean God washed all the sin away.
-There was a horse at one of the construction sites, a piece of comfort just for me.
-I'm not as shy as I was before this trip.
-The rain at the construction crew on Monday, I was on the roof and it was hot!
-Finding treasure in all that trash!!! Seeing how happy she was with the job we did.
-When we put the light in Mrs. Flodell's bathroom and bedroom she cried and said she had never had a light over her head. We went outside and continued working and when I came inside a few minutes later she was still there crying and cutting the light off and on.
-God uses different types of people to share his love.
-Mr. John (92 years old) helped me realize even if something isn't right with you, He still loves you.
-When I got a cross necklace from Ms. Amy I started thinking who to give it to. After about 2 days at the sports camp I saw the choice was clear - Malachi. When I gave Malachi the necklace he was ecstatic. His grandma even looked at what the beads meant. I love Malachi and hope he had a good time.
-We were able to finish both of our houses and finish everything we needed done, and I was able to go to another house and help there.
-Boulder splash, that's when Malachi went to a little stream and threw a pebble in it and yelled "boulder splash!" Which started a whole hour of throwing rocks in the stream. I learned God can help children understand the love of Jesus through something as simple as throwing "boulders."
-Hannah Lester (a girl from sports camp) said she wanted me to move here so she could have a good friendship with me.
-Gina missed her last softball game for sports camp. She said it was THE BEST THING EVER!
-It made me feel good finding an old ladies yearbook for her from her elementary time.
-God protected me at basketball camp.
-Glad we have a safe house.
-When Mrs. O saw the bathroom we finished for her, her eyes lit up. She started crying and couldn't stop hugging me and telling me how much she loved me.
-Riding through mountains through the pastures on Wednesday morning and "How Great is our God" came on the radio. The sun was peeking through the clouds and it was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.
-At sports camp we found out one of the kids homes was actually being worked on by our group.
-It was fun to watch the smiles on the kids faces as they received their goodies at sports camp.
-When I was going to Mrs. Lowe's house I had butterflys. When I got there she was so happy to see me. Her house was being worked on and she was so happy that she had a bathroom. This was her first time ever having one, seeing her made me thankful that God sent us there last year. When I left she was crying. I know God used us to show her He loves her.
-How Miss Flodell said she had never had a light in the back of her house for 60 years.
-Just about the time it was gonna rain on Monday the people from the school came out to say we could use the gym.
-I made new friends Maria and Hannah.
-I've never been to the mountains so on the way up here (when we were close enough to see the mountains) I couldn't believe what I saw. All I could do was stare. It was so beautiful. All I saw was God.
-I am thankful for food.
-I should clean my room, not throw stuff around, put trash in the trash can, and take care of the stuff I have.
-I need to smile and love on people because everybody needs some love. Everybody doesn't have friends and family like me.
-Everything we have needed to get done has gotten done quick.
-The team at sports camp were able to help each individual kid.
-The trip has shown me that I'm not in the way of everyone and I'm here for a reason.

May God use the experiences of our week to remind you, teach you, challenge you, and possibly send you - just as He has done us.

Lessons from TN

I can't believe that this trip is coming to an end!
Last year I was blown away from the way some of the people here live and the lack of knowledge of knowing how to live.  I cleaned homes I never thought I could even step foot in. God used the people and their circumstances to teach me a lesson or two.:-)  God sent me to a house that changed my heart forever. That is where I met Mrs. Lowe and was able to clean her house and do some things for her, but most of all He allowed her to open up to me and from there a relationship between Mrs. Lowe and myself formed.  Throughout the year I have talked to her about once a month and she calls me often and ask for prayer or just calls to talk.  She tells me numerous times that I am like family to her and one of the only "family members" that she has. 
Now fast forward to this week.  I was able to go and visit with her yesterday and was over joyed when I pulled up and saw a construction team there working on her "shack".  She was beyond excited to see us and was so proud of what was going on at her house.  For the first time ever, she was going to have a bathroom! This time when I said my "good byes" to her it was different.  I was sad, but for different reasons than before. Last year, my heart was broke knowing I was leaving her in that shack. This year, I left knowing that she has everything she needed to live a "normal" life. Her living circumstances are a lot better than a year ago, but her heart still hurts from things that have happen to her in the past and the way she has been treated by family and "church members" over the years. 
Today, when I pulled away from her house, it became clear to me why God sent us there last summer.  It wasn't only for us to clean Mrs. Lowe's house and to get her connected with One Accord Ministry. Although all those things are great and because of that one visit we made last summer resulted to her having a construction team at her house a this very moment. The reason God sent me there last summer was to show me that He loves me no matter what the circumstance is in my life and that it is not about me, it is about Him and His calling on my life.
Also, this week God has reminded me of the wonderful family that I have. We have visited with so many people that don't have family around. Today I talked with lady that was telling me that her husband has never bought her a birthday present or anniversary gift and they have been married for 39 years.  I am beyond blessed with a godly husband that loves me know matter what and I was reminded today how I take him for granted.  My prayer is that what God has shown me this week will not just be a memory but an action that I live out everyday.  I have so enjoyed being here and loving on the people in TN, but I am very much ready to bring this love home and love on the people of Florence, SC.
Lori Dulaney

My Experience by Katelyn Bair

Hi, this is Katelyn Bair. At the beginning of the week, I started at a construction site and was very surprised to find that the woman's neighbor had a horse. The horse was extremely close to her house so I got to spend a lot of time with him. I fed him apples and he seemed to really like me. It was a blessing and a bit of comfort for me because my mom had told me I wouldn't see a horse this week. We worked on that house for two days, finished the construction completely, and moved to another house. I was sad to leave the horse, but I was glad to find that the second house had 5 kittens and several cats. We painted the deck that day. Then I was sent to the sports camp for today and yesterday. That was also a ton of fun. I met several kids and had a lot of fun playing games such as dodge ball, kick ball, and whiffle ball. I've spent a lot of time with youth kids and adults I'd never had the courage to talk to before this trip. Um, I've really enjoyed my experience here in Tennessee, and I hope I can come again next year. I wish this wasn't our last day here. Bye, and thanks for reading my blog!:)

...and Butter

Two days have passed since my last blog and to put it in my simple terms, those two days have definitely been the butter on my grits :) 

Rita, Cleo, Reece, Sara, Barbara, Nancy, Mary, Hailie, Shirley and Ruby have reminded Jennings and I both of the value of family and true friendship.  Each in their own special way, these women from 60-93 blessed our hearts in ways I cannot begin to explain to you.  They each have a story - and I could spend hours telling you each one - from the one that wanted to take the hammer and knock my diamond off because we knocked the stick out of her door jam, but let me fix it AFTER we had already cleaned for her :) - and then cried tears of joy when we gave her a prayer shawl as we left her...to the two single ladies that God has brought together as neighbors to care for each other - one who can't talk and the other who has come up with a "system" for them to use on the phone so she knows if the other is in trouble.  I think the best way to sum up these women and their lives is how Jennings so simply put it "mama we just need to love people."  I said "what people Jennings?"  He said, "everybody mama, cause everybody needs love - and everybody just don't have the kind of family and friends like we do."  Enough said...

We had a God ordained opportunity to re-visit the house that Jennifer, Tricia, Jordan and Jenna spent the whole entire week at last year.  This is the home of Billy Joe and Rowena Weston.  I knew when the opportunity came up it was not going to be a pie job, but what I didn't realize was that God's intentions for us went far deeper than house and yard work.  Trina spent 4 hours with a push mower wading through knee deep grass while Heather, Shawn myself and the children tackled the kitchen.  Now when I say tackled the kitchen that is exactly what I mean.  I knew what to expect, but knowing and seeing are 2 different things.  We prayed before I went in the house, but on my way back out to "debrief" the gang I prayed some more.  I knew they had never seen anything like this and I also knew when we went there could be no gagging, no holding noses, no stares, no cringing at the sights, nothing but smiles and acting like everything was fine.  We were going into "clean" house and what I would soon come to realize was to help "mend" hearts.  The kitchen counter tops were covered up to the bottom of the cabinets, kitchen table stacked as high as it could be without falling off, stove and sink full, all covered with months of old food, trash, live roaches, dead roaches, live maggots, dead maggots, ants, other random bugs and rat droppings.  The floor was just as bad along with remnants from the dogs that live in the house and don't make it outside when necessary.  Combine all that with the smell you can imagine accompanied it, and the flys we stirred up when we moved pots and dishes, and to say we were overwhelmed is an understatement.  When we finished we had 13 big black lawn size garbage bags full.  We only scratched the surface...but this was not what upset me.  When I went to pray with her before we left she started talking about her past, the people who had hurt her....friends, family, church people, her husband....all "Christian" people.  She talked about how much she missed Jennifer and Tricia and how she longed to see them and how much she missed them.  One of the few places still kept clean in her house was a shelf they fixed for her with their pictures.  You see for her they are 2 of only 3 people that she feels loved by and cared for.  We started talking about her salvation and got to the point where she admitted to Shawn and myself that she was not sure...she could not tell me for sure where she would be when she died.  Oh how she wanted to be in heaven with her mama but she had just been hurt so badly and hated too many people, how in the world could God ever love her and ever forgive her...we kept talking and many things came up that we were able to share with her that it was no accident that we ended up back at her house.  But she just kept going back to the "church people" and others that had hurt her, and her husband who is supposed to be a Christian but does not treat her like he should, and she just didn't think God could love her like she was.  Finally, I looked at her and I reminded her of how Jennifer and Tricia had come in her house and cleaned it up, took out all the trash and made it look like new.  Cleaned her up, made her feel better, look better, smile and most importantly feel loved.  I told her that was exactly what Jesus would do - He would come in and take her just like she was, fix her up, clean her and love her...right where she was.  I told her to forget about all those other church people and her husband...that Jennifer and Tricia and those girls, that was what Jesus looked like.  At that point she cried, we all cried.  She still was not ready to pray and be sure of her salvation, but she did let us pray for her.  Walking out of that house was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  We did what we could, we did what we were sent to do...cleaning out the kitchen was the small part - and I'd do it all over again tomorrow.  I'd sit on her couch with bugs crawling on me, I'd kneel on her living room floor with dog mess and everything else on it if it meant that God could use me to let her see His face again. 

That is what it's all about.  That is why I cannot ignore when God tells me to GO, because there are people all over this world that need to see Jesus.  That is why we come on these trips and why we do things at home...that is why everyday in everything we say and do we should bring honor and glory to His name because you never know when you are going to be the ONLY Jesus that someone will see...

Kipp's Post #3...My GRITS Moment

I know that Amy wanted the children and youth to share their GRITS moment with her, but God had a moment for me last night. After we returned to the hotel, I was in the playroom, but I needed to head up to the room to put ice in our cooler. As I got on the elevator, I was joining a family of three who was already on it. We struck up a conversation, and the father of the family, Ephriam, turned out to be a pastor/church planter in the Phillipines! He is Phillipino, so he wasn't like a foreign missionary, but he was preaching to a group in Rogersville last night sharing about his work at home. He was leaving this morning to head to KY, then on to Ohio before heading back on August 6.

I connected him with Amy, Daniel, and Teresa, and before I knew it, we were watching a video of his work in the Phillipines...he has a christian school, he is planting churches in two sections of the Phillipines, and he loves Jesus! He shared with us two things that blew me away:

- Attendees at his school can be sponsored for $450/year...to be at the school, you are required to attend church on Sundays...with your parents!

- In one section of the Phillipines where he is planting a church, it is heavily Muslim, so they have to baptize in the middle of the night...if they are caught, they will be killed...

We prayed with him...he prayed for us...and hopefully he and Daniel will be back in contact. I was blown away that God arranged for us to be in TN when he was here from half way around the world...coincidence? The way I've heard it is this - "A coincidence is God's was of remaining anonymous"

A post from Melinda

Satan has been hard at work trying to keep me from posting on the blog.  I don't know what I'm meant to share, and I don't know who is meant to read it, but I am certain that the LORD has ordained for my words to touch someone, because it has been such a struggle for me to accomplish what should have been a simple task.  I started a facebook post during the drive here on Sunday, but my efforts were thwarted at least 4 different times.  Twice by unexpected stops due to an extreme case of car-sickness (poor Grayson had quite a miserable trip, but thanfully has felt wonderful since we arrived), once due to no signal, and once due to sparkling conversation with my sister!  Then Sunday night before bed, I attempted to post on this blog, but found out that I am still classified as a follower (from following last year's group) and am therefore not allowed to post.  After clicking on every possible part of the blog, I finally gave up and accepted that it wasn't simply "operator error".  So I once again attempted to post on facebook,  but I was interrupted by a phone call,  a nudge from "Words with Friends", and then I fell asleep.  I have asked three different leaders about sending me another invitation, but everyone is so crazy busy, all the time, that is still pending.  I have tried a couple more times Monday and Tuesday, but only now am actually getting something posted, well almost posted, I guess it is still possible that the hotel could lose power and this not actually make it to the blog. But I'm going to continue to strive to accomplish, what I feel the LORD has called me to do, at this moment.

I guess that is, in a nutshell, what all 67 of us are doing this week, in Tennessee.  The trip, the planning, the work, have all had their share of discouragement, and many different signs that Satan isn't interesting in Christians spending a week out of their year to devote their time, energy, talents, efforts, strength, prayers, and love to people for no other reason than to be a picture of the love of Jesus.  Some of us have been welcomed into the homes of lives of the people we have met.  Some of us have been thanked, we have been treated very kindly and respectfully, we have recieved as much from our actions as those people we are attempting to help.  Yet I pray that we all are mindful that although the wonderful feeling and "warm heart" that many of us get when we help others, is an earthly pleasure, it should be at the bottom of the list of our motivation. 

Instead, there are 4 biblical reason that should guide our hearts and minds this week.

1- Christians are expected to have compassion on those we see in need, because it is a result of having the love of God,  In essence, loving God and having his love in you, will cause you to have compassion for those who are less fortunate.

           1 John 3:17

              New International Version (NIV)

                  ¹⁷ If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them,  how can the love of God be in that person?

2-God loves a cheerful giver.

3-God is able to bless you abundantly.

4-A Christian's obedience to God's command to love one another and to take care of the material needs of those less among us who are less fortunate, results in praise to God.

          2 Corinthians 9:6-15

             New International Version (NIV)

                ⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”^[a]

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³ Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Although their are so many wonderful experiences and we have all been richly blessed, don't think that everything has gone smoothly and everyone has been gracious and pleasant.  At least a few of us have knocked on a door, only to be told "its not a good time", "I don't feel well", or some other less than warm responce.  For every bright smiling face on the Lunch Bus, there have been two sullen, unresponsive, indifferent ones.  The reason I remind others--and myself--of this, is to be sure that we have the right motivation.  If we are here to show the love and God and to obey his command, then it doesn't make any difference how we are recieved.  We are here, we are pushing forward in every attempt to abide by our Lord's command, and We Are Truly Blessed!

Please continue to pray for our continued safety and our ability to show the love of God to those in our path.

In His Holy Name,

Melinda