Monday, June 30, 2008

The Wrecking Crew








Well, day two of our mission found us, not at the Root Cellar, but at a housing complex owned and operated by the Portland Housing Authority. The first thing we did was to demolish an entire room in the basement of a 16 floor complex. Although everyone worked hard there was one person who stood out among the rest of us. Her story goes like this.

"In a time of Ancient Kings and War Lords. The people cried out for a hero! She was Xena...I mean KAREN, Warrior Princess Demolition Leader!" Our team leader was a one woman wrecking crew. She knocked down walls, moved refrigerators and stoves, pulled up rugs and nails like nobody's business! To say that I was more than impressed with her skills as a wrecking ball is an understatement.

Shortly after that we moved on to another complex where we found ourselves happily painting the outside of furnace doors at elderly housing and the seniors that we met were more than happy to sit in the beautiful sunshine and watch. But, then again, we were more than happy to paint. Of course painting with Peter, Trevor and Monica wouldn't have been fun if at least one of them didn't walk away with bright red paint all over them.

See? God does have a sense of humor. The end of the day had us back at the root cellar where we put on a stellar puppet show that the kids just loved. Coupled with games and crafts, all in all I'd say God blessed us with a very fun-filled day.
David

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Looks Like We Made It







The hour and a half it took to get here in Carol Read's van was very uneventful and before we knew it, we were parked in the parking lot of The Root Cellar. This very nondescript brick building looks very small on the outside but, once you step through the main entrance you will discover that it is quite a large and spacious building. Our first contact was with Peggy. A serious woman of God who very generously allowed us to cook a meal that the Root Cellar provided for us. However, before that we were fully engaged in shampooing rugs, painting a bathroom, replacing ceiling tiles and rehearsing a puppet show (just one of three) that the teens will be putting on. We got quite a bit done in just under 5 hours. Needless to say we are all exhausted. God is Good.
David

Commissioning the team





In the June 29 church services, we had a formal ceremony commissioning the team. This consists of a prayer. During the prayer, people from the congregation place their hands on the team members.

The significance of this is: a) It is a practice that was done in Biblical times; b) it's a symbolic acknowledgment that the team is representing the people of the congregation; and c) it is an act of corporate involvement of the congregation.

Portland Maine Mission 2008

Our Purposes

--To strategically fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus—by putting into practice Jesus’ command to ‘love one another as I have loved you.’

--To teach Sudanese, Somali and American children the awesome love of Jeus through Safari-themed Bible lessons, games, music, crafts

--To distribute food and clothes to those in need in Portland, Maine at the Root Cellar. 90% of the population the Root Cellar serves are African Immigrants—mainly from Sudan and Somalia

--To paint the teen center bathroom at the Root Cellar, shampoo the rugs and replace ceiling tiles

--To help with community projects near the Root Cellar that include painting, yard clean up, minor repairs, etc…

--To encourage the Root Cellar staff through Jesus’ love

--To host a Citizenship celebration for Immigrants and their families who have become USA citizens over the past year—Happy 4th of July!

--To strengthen our relationship with Jesus Christ and one another