Team 26 Thursday Update

A note from one of our volunteers and a few pics from today. I have more to post tomorrow!

I have heard that when you go on a mission trip, you get more out of it than the ones receiving whatever you may do or say. Frankly, I really wasn’t sure that actually happened. In my mind, a mission trip is hard work, tiring, lonely (away from loved ones), and way out of my comfort zone. Also, mission trips cost money and currently being a family of 5, we struggle financially. The very thought of being away from my 3 kids for a week is not something that I wanted to do. However, my husband and I both felt that God was knocking on our hearts to maybe consider going to the Gulf Coast when we heard that a group from our church was going. Immediately, I thought how? How God? My husband doesn’t have any vacation days left, so we would lose a weeks paycheck. Where would our kids go that they would feel comfortable and have fun. It seemed too big of a sacrifice for me and our family. We could just go on with our life and let someone else go, I am sure they will have enough people to get the work done.

For some reason when I said no to the trip, something inside of me knew I was making the wrong decision. So, I prayed and argued some more with God, but in the end I knew we had to go. I needed to put my trust in God to take care of us financially and to watch over my kids. When I told God yes, I had peace. Now, I still didn’t know how things would come together, but just by saying yes and telling others of what we were to do it finalized our commitment.

It was funny, all of a sudden, there were several people that asked my husband if he could finish their basement, siding for a house and other carpentry related things for different people. My husband is a carpenter, so this was so unexpected that we would be bombarded with work. It was hard to have him gone so much, but we both knew what we were working towards and so thankful for the extra money. My friend offered to take my oldest daughter and my mom volunteered to take my younger 2. It was really working out!

As good as everything was going, I was all of a sudden fearful to go. What if something happened to me and my husband or what if something happened to my kids and I wasn’t there? What if I wasn’t needed, or maybe I would get stuck on something I really don’t like to do? So I really had to battle with these emotions and again trust God. This week that I have spent in the Gulf Coast has been an experience. There have been ups and downs, but I can truthfully say that I am extremely glad that I came here. I was able to meet and work along side a wonderful family and help try to get their house in better repair. I have made a lasting friendship with a 14 year old girl, who reminds me of myself at her age. That alone has made this week awesome, however there is so many other amazing things happening, it would take too long to type. I can see God working in others lives and my own. I am so thankful to God for allowing me to have this opportunity to draw closer to Him and to others. He is good all the time!

Gina Long