Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 1

We made it safely to Sweetlake UMC today after first going to the wrong church...fun adventure, but this is only the beginning! We settled into our cozy gym for the night and we're getting up bright and early tomorrow morning to go to church with our hosts at SLUMC. Then we are going to prepare for the rest of our week and maybe even catch a beach on Lake Charles in the afternoon. Today's journal entries come from Ben Ruby and Rachel McEuen. Parker Pierpont says, "Hi Mom!" and look for your kiddos in the video links posted below! [edit: upload taking too long tonight :/ here are a couple of teaser vids, we'll try and get the rest up tomorrow]

June 19, 2010

Ben Ruby:

I think I am going to see God through the people I work with because I am going to meet new people from our church and really get to know them. I saw God today through the people in our vans because Matt made us change vans to meet new people and the entire way to Lake Charles! I also saw God when we left the church because it si good to know that people care about you back home.

Rachel McEuen:

When we arrived at the church, of course I felt a slight (and typical) pang of discomfort in my stomach knowing this place isn’t home and being all too anxious in regards to the week ahead. When I try to think of the next 7 days, of course I envision a lot of work. As well, it was hard to see the blessings of the day when travel is so wearisome and when our time here proves to be a heavy load on our shoulders. In short, I ashamedly feel tired and lazy, but it’s a feeling I can easily shake off. This is because I know there’s something that overpowers any of my sligth discomforts. Because I know is that there is something that lies in store behind the inevitable sweat and teamwork that outweighs any kind of “hardship” I could imagine. In a funny way, I am certain some wonderfully uncertain thing far beyond what I could envision will take place this week. And I know that it is in the uncertainty that growth in faith can take place when God is present in all places if we will only take the time to find him… in even the most wearisome or trying of tasks.