For the next few days, we’ll spend some time talking about each work group on this blog – painting, the A-team (manual labor group; they named themselves the A Team after the popular 1980s TV show), and the group working with children at the Nicholtown Community Center.  For today/tonight, we’ll just hit the highlights and show you some of the pictures from the past few days.

Today was like most days – awesome!  In morning devotionals, we listened to the song The Main Event by Kyle Matthews.  The lyrics speak to our ability to miss those things in our lives that are most important – the main events.  We were challenged to pay attention, for God would be present today.

We spent some time this morning at the Triune Mercy Center, a non-denominational church with a heart for serving the city’s homeless.  We really were all in awe of all the different ministries they had going on – music room, art room, library, children’s area, nurse’s station, a lawyer comes by twice a week to offer free legal advice, an eye doctor comes by once a week, a food pantry, and several different recovery groups, to name a few.  Beth Rooney mentioned at devotions tonight how impressed she was, and how this ministry gave her some ideas about some different ministries she’d like to see RRCB get involved in.  Stay tuned.

IMG_2079Painting crew – this crew painted the interior of a home for GAIHN (Greenville Area Interfaith Housing Network).  This home will be used as a transition home for a single mom and her 3 children, as they move out of the GAIHN program and toward self-sufficiency.

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IMG_1777(we’ll hope to put together some before and after pictures for the blog this week – they’re impressive).

A-Team – for the past few days, they’ve been pressure washing at the Phillis Wheatley Community Center.  They’ve had some unexpected road blocks, but finished up their work today.  Before and after pictures below

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IMG_2080Group working with children at the Nicholtown Community Center – unfortunately, we were asked not to use the videos and pictures we have of our time together because we needed to have permission to take pictures.  I’ve included a few below, as none of the children’s faces from the community center can be seen.  When we highlight this group, we’ll hope to paint you a picture that shares the joy that they exude – they being the children and our youth.

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Here are some general pictures from our fun away from our mission projects

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I told some of our adults tonight that I wish I could convey to you the joy I see in the faces of our group, how well they are representing you, and what a very meaningful trip it has been so far.  I told the group tonight – this trip has been a special one because of the giftedness of every single person on this trip.  I’m grateful to be able to walk alongside them.

More tomorrow. For now, sleepy time…