Witness to Faith

TNT College/Young Adult Mission Trip
 

Excerpts from Bethlehem Farm Mission Trip
(2006)

by Mary Megan LaPorte

We arrived at the farm late that Sunday night. It was pitch black as we drove up the 4 minute long driveway to the farm. As we got closer, the land began to flatten out. We were driving and Ricky and I saw what we thought was a bag on a fence blowing in the wind. As we got closer, we saw those bags turn into a huge herd of cows lying on the side of the road. When they said farm, I really did not think we would see barnyard animals. Living in the suburbs of Chicago, we do not get to see some of the great things God created. As we got out of the cars, I looked up and saw millions of stars glowing in the pitch black sky. I felt so small staring up, it was truly amazing. The next morning we had a tour of the farm. There was so much land, so much history, and so much beauty.

Our first day of work was bringing back memories of my mission trips I have been on years before. Brian, a man our group worked with had a story that touched us so much we wanted to help him along the incredibly rough road he’s been traveling. He recently lost his wife and took on his niece and nephew after they lost their mother. He is a retired candle maker with an incredible talent. Only weeks before we came to West Virginia Brian’s house caught on fire due to an electrical shortage. Brian was staying at a friend’s house down the street until he could get his house running again, but the house needed a lot of work. He found an abandoned house less than a block away from his house that he was allowed to stay in for free as long as he cleaned it up. The abandoned house was in no condition for a human being to live in. The house was covered in filth, animal droppings, garbage, and rotting food. The people who lived there before basically got up and left the house without taking anything with them. Faye, another woman we helped, needed her house to be fixed up, but Brian really needed a place to live.

Brian with Mission group —
front row: Joey, Kerry, Sara, Bridget,
Erin & Mary Megan. Back row: Chris,
Colin, Brian, Neal & Adam.
 

At Brian’s, we made a big difference at both of the sites. The guys helped Brian sort through the wood that remained at his house from what could still be used to rebuild, used as firewood in the winter, and what was too burnt to use. The piles started off being almost 10 feet high but at the end of the week, the guys could see the ground and had a good stack of firewood ready for Brian to use. In the abandoned house, the girls completely cleared out and washed down the kitchen and laundry room, threw out clothes and garbage in the upstairs bedrooms, and began to make the house smell better. We wanted to help Brian as much as we could by fixing up the houses, but really we helped him more by listening to his stories at lunch. From the things he told us, he has helped out immensely with his family by becoming guardians to his niece and nephew, dedicating his time to keeping his town clean and historical, and by being as generous as he could possibly be. Brian deserves the best because he is the best, and we all felt extremely proud helping him out in his time of need.

Faye with Mission group —
back to front: Colin, Faye, Ricky,
Bridget, Tim, Joey & Mary.

The trip was amazing; not only because of the way we were able to serve, but because of the time we had to spend with each other. We had lots of good times that week. From going to Big Biscuit and getting lost in the woods late at night to going bowling in town to playing Monopoly late into the night to playing a softball game with the women at the Federal prison to a bonfire. We spent a lot of time together at the sites, cooking meals together, and through our nightly activities. I cannot remember a time when I was not laughing that week.

I am so grateful I had the opportunity to serve people again. I have not had the chance to help those in need in a long time, and it was good to be back. The trip gave me a great feeling of accomplishment because of the service projects we were assigned, helping Faye and Brian by just listening to their stories, and allowing me the chance to reconnect with people I have not been able to talk with in a long time.
  what fills your heart?
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