Projects this month were both familiar and surprising. Right when you think you know what to expect, the Lord shows more of how unique He has planned this world of ours! Everything from snow to distinctive reactions occurred on our service day. We had three projects, and each has a very different and interesting story attached.
The first project was a return visit to Mountain Fellowship Camp in Suches, GA. A Vessel group cleaned up a ton of brush from the many storms that have come through the area. With such a large campus and so many kids to prepare for throughout the warmer months, there is always more to do than we have time for. After our group finished up, we were invited to use the campus for free for our group and anyone else that wants to come out in the future. It is always a blessing serving faithful institutions such as these!
Our second job was a first for me. This project was the one I chose to personally serve on the site of. It is the saddest and maybe most prayer worthy project we did Saturday. Jessica, a woman with 6 kids, recently divorced, and living in a hoarders home was in desperate need of help. The plan was to fix her van, repair her roof, and rent a very large dumpster to toss out 90% of stuff in her house. This home was in absolute disarray. Thankfully, there is a housing program for Jessica and her family that opens up in August. In the meantime, we wanted to make the current home as livable as possible. Teaming up with some men from The Ridge Community Church's men's ministry, we were set to go Saturday for the project... Then just like what happened with all the projects on March 12th, we had to reschedule all of them to March 19th because of a rare instance of snow. We came to find that our project with Jessica was going to take an even more positive turn. Since the dumpster sat at her place of residence for another week, her and some friends decided to take it upon themselves to fill the dumpster that we were going to fill for her. We lit a fire under her, and for the first time ever, a service project turned into an encouraged DIY project. This left the roof and the van for us to tackle. The roof has been repaired, and the van will be fixed soon. It is amazing to see how God moves others through His people to step up. Please pray for Jessica and her family, as there are more challenges ahead and a need for Christ in that situation.
Lastly, we have Julia Boyd of Mountain Lane Apartments in McCayesville, GA. This kind lady was in desperate need of landscaping and grounds keeping. The apartments there serve to help the poor and destitute in the McCayesville and Blue Ridge areas. They are income based, helping many who can't help themselves or are in very challenging circumstances. They get very little funding and do what they can to keep the place running as efficiently as they can manage. We sent out 8 men to lay mulch, cut timbers for beds, and grounds keep the whole property! The finished product was a professional and meticulous effort on the part of the group. Julia was so moved that while the work was done, a community day was enacted for the residents. Even some people from the county got involved. That has led to the encouragement of many and our story with Mountain Lane Apartments in the local newspaper. A local ministry called First Fruits also shared the story in their circles as the project itself came from them.
Praise God for His hand in all of this. Vessel, in some way, has managed to promote the kingdom, even if just a little bit, and that is something we treasure.
#vesselministry #serviceprojects #communityservice #nonprofit #northgeorgia #westernnorthcarolina #youngadultministry #servelocal
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