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Building the stairs at Mrs. Laura's house was a bit exhausting!
Lunch with the residents at CCC
God's Fire performing for the residents at Colonial House
How awesome is this new deck at the Mission House?!
They built the whole the awning at Colonial House in just a few days!
Immanuel UMC starting the day with prayer at CCC
North Oldham Middle School at Jefferson Street Homeless Shelter
The Acts 1:8 team wasn't afraid to get dirty at Refuge in Kentucky Church!
Marion UMC kicked off the week playing wheelchair basketball!
Dardenne Presbyterian Church, O'Fallon, MO July 27-August 2, 2008
Calvary Baptist Church, Florence,SC July 20-26, 2008
Check out the YouTube video of Jeremy singing a song he wrote about his mission experiences in Louisville. The song - I Saw God Today. See it, hear it here. http://www.youtube.com/edgeoutreach
Union UMC (Delaware) and Shiloh UMC (Kentucky) July 6-11, 2008
What a busy and exciting week! We had a group from Union United Methodist Church in Bridgeville, Delaware and a group from Shiloh United Methodist Church in LaGrange, Kentucky that melded together perfectly to form one awesome team. They worked way faster than we expected them to and really had us at EDGE working hard on Monday trying to keep up with all the progress they were making! One team worked at Mrs. Laura's house building front steps for her so that now she can get in and out of her house by herself. She is even walking down the street to visit her friends, which is something she hasn't been able to do in a very long while. They also cleared out a bunch of poison ivy and weeds from her back yard, which was a very dirty and itchy job! Mrs. Laura was able to walk down her front steps and around to the back of her house to see the progress. She didn't even know she had a couple of trees in her back yard! The team was very blessed to be able to love on her for the week and to help her get back on her feet again.
Some members of the Union and Shiloh team were at Jefferson Street homeless shelter pressure washing and priming the front of the facility. This is an important project for Jeff Street because it will help them fit in better in the neighborhood as the demographics change. It was in the middle of a bunch of project housing, but that has been torn down and mixed income housing is being built right across the road. But that looks much newer and different than a lot of the older buildings in the area, such as Jeff Street. This summer EDGE is working with Jefferson Street to make sure the building doesn't stick out like a sore thumb and they can continue their important ministry to the homeless community in downtown Louisville.
The team rocked out at Christian Care Communities this week too. They got the huge pavilion under a coat of primer and started drawing the mural on a wall outside the activity room. But anyone who works out at CCC says that the best part about the experience there is the relational aspect of spending time with the residents. At any point in the day, half of the team would be inside CCC talking to the residents, cleaning for them, playing games, and singing hymns with them (Amazing Grace is always a good one!). On Thursday they had lunch at the pavilion with some of the residents and everyone loved it.
The team also put in the next piece of the puzzle at Refuge in Kentucky Church this week. The bathroom is now under drywall and it looks awesome! They also did some more painting outside the church and everything is coming together to really make a huge difference.
I think the greatest thing about this team is that they went out 3 of the 4 nights they were in town to love on people, even after a long, hard day's work. Some of the members at Union have a stick ministry called God's Fire where they do choreography to Christian music. It is really fun and inspiring to watch! Monday night they went to CCC, Tuesday they went to Apple Patch in Crestwood, and Wednesday they went to Colonial House in Shepherdsville where Immanuel built the awning a few weeks ago. At Colonial House they also did karaoke with the residents there and were having so much fun that they didn't want to leave!
I can't wait to see what the last three weeks of the Mission House summer will bring!
Melissa
Mission House Coordinator
Last week a group built a deck for TMH!
This was a little different. Some folks from a South Carolina church came to Louisville on a mission trip but it wasn't with EDGE nor were they staying at The Mission House. They called us and ask what they could do for us. We'd been thinking of how beneficial a deck would be and asked if they'd like to build one for us. They provided skilled labor and funds to build this fantastic deck on The Mission House, extending the usefulness of the building for the groups who stay there. They even prayed over the deck and for everyone who would walk on it in the future. How cool this that!
Immanuel UMC - June 23 - 27
Well Immanuel UMC decided to work all 5 days at the Mission House--they're not big on this whole 'break' thing! But they got a lot done and saw God in some powerful ways.
Immanuel pioneered a new relationship for us at Colonial House, a rather special assisted living retirement home. They planned on building rabbit hutches the first day, but some residents got so excited about cornhole sets that the team decided they had to build some--so they did! They then built a huge awning that'll provide shade and allow the residents to come outside even when it rains. Then they worked fast and still got the rabbit hutches done--a joy to their caretaker and many residents who no longer have to bend over to pet them.
Immanuel also kicked off our projects at Christian Care Communities (CCC) for the summer. This was a job of Biblical patience. The team spent much of their time cleaning up and sealing up a rusty fence that's above a stone wall where a mural is going to be painted this summer, so they made sure no more rust would wash down and stain the wall after being painted. While rust converter and primer was drying, they spent time scraping a giant pavilion to be primed and painted in future weeks. Most importantly, they visited elderly residents and wheeled many of them outside for some fresh air and conversation.
Evening reflections revealed how actively God was working. One team member told how she spent a while asking questions and talking to a gentleman who gave no response to anything. Beginning to tear up, she explained that as she got up to leave, the gentleman thanked her for spending time chatting with him--such a small gesture had a powerful result. Another team member mentioned that when she was visiting with a resident at Colonial House and the resident heard about some of her struggles, the resident called people over to pray over the team member--ministry was being done in both directions! These are the kinds of stories we've grown to love at the Mission House, and they're all evidence of how incredible our God is.
Carter
Mission House Coordinator
First Story of the Summer! June 25, 2008
We are only in our second week of official Mission House operation and so much has happened already!
Our first team to work this summer was a group of about 40 people from North Oldham Middle School. They had a great day out at Jefferson Street Baptist Center painting and learning about homelessness. We were definitely not short on help! We were crammed into some pretty tight spaces but we got the job done. Many of the youth had never had any service experience before so this work day was a great way to get them acquainted and we hope to see more of them at EDGE soon!
The next team we worked with was quite different from our first. The Acts 1:8 group is a team of about 20 college students who were hand-picked as leaders in their Baptist campus organizations to participate in an 8 week program this summer. They are also going to the Dominican Republic in July through EDGE. As a way to jump-start their summer, EDGE challenged them to a huge project at Refuge in Kentucky Church in downtown Louisville. This church has some truly amazing ministries: they provide a meal and games every week to local children, they open up a clothes closet and food pantry, and run a huge health fair once a year where they usually see over 1,000 people! EDGE wants to help out Refuge Church because they suffered some major damage from a storm that blew off part of their roof. We look forward to doing some work inside later in the summer but the Acts 1:8 team kicked off the season by working outside doing landscaping, painting, and scraping in the front and renovating a playground used by the daycare at Refuge. I am blown away by what this team was able to accomplish and by how much they improved at working as a team as the week went on. They were in charge of planning everything out and tracking down their own resources. They got ALL their landscaping materials donated, were able to haul off the old playground gravel to a landfill for free, and got a ton of lumber for free! Praise God! He definitely had His hand in the mix at Refuge last week. When we prayed to close out the work week, everyone could feel the Holy Spirit moving in that church! To see pictures of the site, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/EDGEpictures .
On Wednesday the 18th we welcomed our first team to stay at the Mission House, Marion UMC. They were a group small in numbers but big in heart! They kicked off the trip by playing wheelchair basketball to get an idea of what it is like to have a handicap. Then, the ten of them went to Options for Individuals, a daycare for mentally handicapped adults. They did a fantastic job putting up textured wallpaper (because some of the people there are blind), painting, making a chalkboard with chalkboard paint, repairing some cabinets and rocking chairs, and helping with a birthday party. After that they served as camp counselors at Country Lake Christian Retreat camp for individuals with mental and physical disabilities, Camp Freedom. Everybody had a great time and we can not wait for them to come back again!
And now Immanuel UMC is in the middle of their stay at the Mission House. They are working at Colonial House in Shepherdsville and at Christian Care Communities. But you will have to stay tuned to see how their week and the rest of the summer unfolds!
Melissa
Mission House Coordinator
Check out the YouTube video of Jeremy singing a song he wrote about his mission experiences in Louisville. The song - I Saw God Today. See it, hear it here. http://www.youtube.com/
Union UMC (Delaware) and Shiloh UMC (Kentucky) July 6-11, 2008
What a busy and exciting week! We had a group from Union United Methodist Church in Bridgeville, Delaware and a group from Shiloh United Methodist Church in LaGrange, Kentucky that melded together perfectly to form one awesome team. They worked way faster than we expected them to and really had us at EDGE working hard on Monday trying to keep up with all the progress they were making! One team worked at Mrs. Laura's house building front steps for her so that now she can get in and out of her house by herself. She is even walking down the street to visit her friends, which is something she hasn't been able to do in a very long while. They also cleared out a bunch of poison ivy and weeds from her back yard, which was a very dirty and itchy job! Mrs. Laura was able to walk down her front steps and around to the back of her house to see the progress. She didn't even know she had a couple of trees in her back yard! The team was very blessed to be able to love on her for the week and to help her get back on her feet again.
Some members of the Union and Shiloh team were at Jefferson Street homeless shelter pressure washing and priming the front of the facility. This is an important project for Jeff Street because it will help them fit in better in the neighborhood as the demographics change. It was in the middle of a bunch of project housing, but that has been torn down and mixed income housing is being built right across the road. But that looks much newer and different than a lot of the older buildings in the area, such as Jeff Street. This summer EDGE is working with Jefferson Street to make sure the building doesn't stick out like a sore thumb and they can continue their important ministry to the homeless community in downtown Louisville.
The team rocked out at Christian Care Communities this week too. They got the huge pavilion under a coat of primer and started drawing the mural on a wall outside the activity room. But anyone who works out at CCC says that the best part about the experience there is the relational aspect of spending time with the residents. At any point in the day, half of the team would be inside CCC talking to the residents, cleaning for them, playing games, and singing hymns with them (Amazing Grace is always a good one!). On Thursday they had lunch at the pavilion with some of the residents and everyone loved it.
The team also put in the next piece of the puzzle at Refuge in Kentucky Church this week. The bathroom is now under drywall and it looks awesome! They also did some more painting outside the church and everything is coming together to really make a huge difference.
I think the greatest thing about this team is that they went out 3 of the 4 nights they were in town to love on people, even after a long, hard day's work. Some of the members at Union have a stick ministry called God's Fire where they do choreography to Christian music. It is really fun and inspiring to watch! Monday night they went to CCC, Tuesday they went to Apple Patch in Crestwood, and Wednesday they went to Colonial House in Shepherdsville where Immanuel built the awning a few weeks ago. At Colonial House they also did karaoke with the residents there and were having so much fun that they didn't want to leave!
I can't wait to see what the last three weeks of the Mission House summer will bring!
Melissa
Mission House Coordinator
Last week a group built a deck for TMH!
This was a little different. Some folks from a South Carolina church came to Louisville on a mission trip but it wasn't with EDGE nor were they staying at The Mission House. They called us and ask what they could do for us. We'd been thinking of how beneficial a deck would be and asked if they'd like to build one for us. They provided skilled labor and funds to build this fantastic deck on The Mission House, extending the usefulness of the building for the groups who stay there. They even prayed over the deck and for everyone who would walk on it in the future. How cool this that!
Immanuel UMC - June 23 - 27
Well Immanuel UMC decided to work all 5 days at the Mission House--they're not big on this whole 'break' thing! But they got a lot done and saw God in some powerful ways.
Immanuel pioneered a new relationship for us at Colonial House, a rather special assisted living retirement home. They planned on building rabbit hutches the first day, but some residents got so excited about cornhole sets that the team decided they had to build some--so they did! They then built a huge awning that'll provide shade and allow the residents to come outside even when it rains. Then they worked fast and still got the rabbit hutches done--a joy to their caretaker and many residents who no longer have to bend over to pet them.
Immanuel also kicked off our projects at Christian Care Communities (CCC) for the summer. This was a job of Biblical patience. The team spent much of their time cleaning up and sealing up a rusty fence that's above a stone wall where a mural is going to be painted this summer, so they made sure no more rust would wash down and stain the wall after being painted. While rust converter and primer was drying, they spent time scraping a giant pavilion to be primed and painted in future weeks. Most importantly, they visited elderly residents and wheeled many of them outside for some fresh air and conversation.
Evening reflections revealed how actively God was working. One team member told how she spent a while asking questions and talking to a gentleman who gave no response to anything. Beginning to tear up, she explained that as she got up to leave, the gentleman thanked her for spending time chatting with him--such a small gesture had a powerful result. Another team member mentioned that when she was visiting with a resident at Colonial House and the resident heard about some of her struggles, the resident called people over to pray over the team member--ministry was being done in both directions! These are the kinds of stories we've grown to love at the Mission House, and they're all evidence of how incredible our God is.
Carter
Mission House Coordinator
First Story of the Summer! June 25, 2008
We are only in our second week of official Mission House operation and so much has happened already!
Our first team to work this summer was a group of about 40 people from North Oldham Middle School. They had a great day out at Jefferson Street Baptist Center painting and learning about homelessness. We were definitely not short on help! We were crammed into some pretty tight spaces but we got the job done. Many of the youth had never had any service experience before so this work day was a great way to get them acquainted and we hope to see more of them at EDGE soon!
The next team we worked with was quite different from our first. The Acts 1:8 group is a team of about 20 college students who were hand-picked as leaders in their Baptist campus organizations to participate in an 8 week program this summer. They are also going to the Dominican Republic in July through EDGE. As a way to jump-start their summer, EDGE challenged them to a huge project at Refuge in Kentucky Church in downtown Louisville. This church has some truly amazing ministries: they provide a meal and games every week to local children, they open up a clothes closet and food pantry, and run a huge health fair once a year where they usually see over 1,000 people! EDGE wants to help out Refuge Church because they suffered some major damage from a storm that blew off part of their roof. We look forward to doing some work inside later in the summer but the Acts 1:8 team kicked off the season by working outside doing landscaping, painting, and scraping in the front and renovating a playground used by the daycare at Refuge. I am blown away by what this team was able to accomplish and by how much they improved at working as a team as the week went on. They were in charge of planning everything out and tracking down their own resources. They got ALL their landscaping materials donated, were able to haul off the old playground gravel to a landfill for free, and got a ton of lumber for free! Praise God! He definitely had His hand in the mix at Refuge last week. When we prayed to close out the work week, everyone could feel the Holy Spirit moving in that church! To see pictures of the site, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/
On Wednesday the 18th we welcomed our first team to stay at the Mission House, Marion UMC. They were a group small in numbers but big in heart! They kicked off the trip by playing wheelchair basketball to get an idea of what it is like to have a handicap. Then, the ten of them went to Options for Individuals, a daycare for mentally handicapped adults. They did a fantastic job putting up textured wallpaper (because some of the people there are blind), painting, making a chalkboard with chalkboard paint, repairing some cabinets and rocking chairs, and helping with a birthday party. After that they served as camp counselors at Country Lake Christian Retreat camp for individuals with mental and physical disabilities, Camp Freedom. Everybody had a great time and we can not wait for them to come back again!
And now Immanuel UMC is in the middle of their stay at the Mission House. They are working at Colonial House in Shepherdsville and at Christian Care Communities. But you will have to stay tuned to see how their week and the rest of the summer unfolds!
Melissa
Mission House Coordinator