come and see

A little road-weary, but mercifully missing the bulk of the Ky/In rainstorm today, our little team o' eight made it home safe and sound.

There's so much to tell, and show, and no 'right place' to 'start.' And once I start, I'm not sure where to stop.

First of all, if you're wondering 'what it's like' -- to see the Gulf Coast, to be on a mission trip, to spend a week 'doing that' -- I'll say the only thing that makes any sense: COME AND SEE.

It's like meeting Jesus at every turn ... it's like the light comes on and you say, 'Ohhhhh, so this is what He meant.'
When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come and see." (John 1:38-39)
This is where the presence of Christ is made known.

Second of all, and more significantly, don't ask me. Ask one of the people on this week's trip. Or the April (Beaumont) trip. Or our first, the November (New Orleans) trip. They'll be happy to tell you. They'll even help you pack.

Randy's sermons this month have focused on the theme of "Seeds" - so far, the efforts to prepare, plant, cultivate. A running idea through all of that, to my mind, is the significant notion that GOD is the sower, GOD is the one who tends the vine ... we are the growth, the upshoots, the evidence of the mastery of the gardener.

If there is one thing that makes itself known in doing mission work, it is that GOD is at work ... in us, around us, among us, and hopefully in some small way, through us. None of this is our doing ... the work, the sweat, the effort, the change, the progress, the difference. None of it is ours. All of it is God's. We're just so blessed to be in the proximity when it happens.

In the next few days, I want to share stories with you -- from the trip, from the work, from the people we met there, on the road, and who knows what else! There are pictures galore, and the album should be up (along with the previous two trips) in the next few days (look to the right and click on the links there).

For now, on this night that we've arrived safely home, by way of blessing and benediction for a remarkable week, let me offer my thanks to:

> Larry - our volunteer coordinator, for his direction and encouragement in each day's task (even when we didn't want it!)
> Gayle - a volunteer just like us, for bringing every one of his 80 years of lived wisdom to inspire us in every single thing (but I'm still not swinging my leg over!)
> Shirley - for bringing her 'mission trip vet' energy and encouragement to everything we did (and for roasting by the heat vent waiting for Gayle to make a pattern)
> Toby - for his gift of optimism and his constant reminder that there's hope to be found (and never missing the opportunity to be punny)
> Bob - for his gentle questioning and intense search for information and knowledge that brings help (even if Janet whips him at travel Scrabble - those 's'es will getcha every time!)
> Rod - for terrific humor, a great laugh and an passion to see this mission grow into all it can be (and for making the traffic jam in Louisville far more entertaining than the people in the Vibe were ready for)
> Janet - for showing us a living definition of open-hearted and flexible (and for always making the coffee!)
> Marian - for always being ready to laugh and taking everything as it comes, all the while showing deep faith and gratitude (and that gardening wizardry!)
> Nolan - for asking the hard questions when they needed asking, and for keeping a loving eye on everyone of us at the same time (even if sometimes he rolled his eyes when he did it!)
And to the congregation and staff of Geist Christian Church, for allowing and empowering the overwhelming and humbling opportunities to serve as God calls ... for investing time, talent and treasure in the possibilities of mission ... for being partners in comfort in ways they may not even know.