Well friends, I just got back from a wonderful (albeit decidedly UNleisahly) mission trip in Kentucky. 8 kids + 6 other adults + 5 days of sleeping on the top bunk makes for one exhausted Lady. It was worth it, though. My work crew spent the week building an extra room onto the trailer of a 70 something woman. Her 13 year old great-grandson was displaced by some recent flooding and is staying with her until his parents can get their home cleaned up. The best part of the trip was that he became part of our team and reminded us all of just exactly why we do missions.

The second or third morning we were working, the boy came out to lend us a hand. His shoes were untied ( a big safety no-no) and we kept hounding him to tie them up. Finally he went inside and when he returned and while later had on velcro shoes. One of the girls noticed and asked him about it. Embarrassed, the boy admitted that he didn't know how to tie his shoes. Nobody had ever had the patience to teach him when he was young. That girl undid her laces, stuck out her shoes, and said, "Well, we've got all day now." The boy learned how to tie his shoelaces. The girl learned just how much most of us take for granted and what it means to share our blessings with others.

There were lots of great things that happened last week and the love of Christ was shown through all the kids at both our worksites. Their hard work and awesome attitudes were amazing to watch and I could not be more proud.

Fondest regards,

The Lady