Thanks to everyone who came out to see us off so early in the morning.
Here is the video recap of today.
Including lunch at Chicken Express, where we met the Brackins
OKC 2017-Day 0-Flight to OKC
OKC 2017-Day 0-New Friendships and Reunions
185 minutes, 1186 miles, 31K feet, 19 + 3 relationships cultivated.
Here are the stories of our team at Day 0.
On flying
Roz: During the flight I saw the earth from above- the different landscapes and colors of water. I wondered what God saw during creation. I saw the ice crystals on the inside of the airplane window and was blessed by the details the Lord puts into all His works.
Lorin: Chris says he NEVER sleeps on the plane. Guess he’s pretending so [that] I’ll stop talking… Also, as I looked out the plane window, I marveled at the beauty of the mystery of the world that God has carved out for us.
Craig: Prior to boarding the flight, I was experiencing some intense internal pain. Team members prayed for me and by God’s grace the pain subsided enough for me to rest peacefully the entire way to OKC. God is good and I know He is watching over me.
Kevin T.: [I got to know my flight] neighbor Lisa, a teacher from Oklahoma. She was with four of her students for a competition in Anaheim. It was nice getting to know her and speaking to her about her faith. I think God put us together to just encourage each other. It was awesome to hear about her faith and how she’s Gospel-oriented while teaching in a public school. I was reminded how encouraging it is to meet a complete stranger and find out how much we have in common. It was awesome to see pictures of Lisa’s family and hear stories of her grandchildren.
On Reuniting with the Greenwoods
Pam: [What] joy and merriment in seeing and sharing a meal with the Greenwoods who we met while working on their home last year!
John: It was such a blessing seeing the Greenwoods again! They gave me and Alice some great advice about married life – that it’s all about communication and always talking things through together. They have been married 50 years!!
Lorin: It was like we haven’t been apart for a whole year! We’ve been texting each other about once a month, so it felt like we were picking up on our conversation and continuing it. Hearing her voice again, it sounds like the same voice that you just can’t get from texting. I was just really happy to see both of them again and to catch up on family. I felt blessed seeing them face to face and seeing them healthy. It added a whole other dimension to our friendship.
Here’s a link to the photos for the day
Preparations and Last Minute Checks for our Luggage and our Hearts
Just a few weeks ago, we were all nervously just learning each other’s names, sharing our fears, strengths and weaknesses.
From the fear of heights, apprehension in making new friends, to a lack of carpentry skills- the OKC team isn’t exactly the A team. However, that’s God’s blessing in disguise. It’s through our weakness, not our strength, that God uses us mightily.
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” –1 Corinthians 1:27
As we pack our things tonight, making sure we haven’t forgotten our toothbrush for the umpteenth time, God is quietly preparing each of our hearts and minds for the week ahead of us.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made
perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about
my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. -2 Corinthians 12:9
We are not going on this trip alone. We have the Father, Son, and Spirit with us. Nor are we the only volunteers in this mission. Our faithful readers and prayer-warriors are in the heart of this trip also!
“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that
we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.” –Colossians 4:3
To you who is reading this, we hope that you continue be in this journey with us- whether it be through prayer, commenting words of encouragement, or simply just stopping by for an update.
OKC 2017-Commissioning service
Sunday, on our last Sunday before we leave for OKC, our team was commissioned during our church service.
At our church, every missionary or service team member selects a small group of friends or family to support them practically and spiritually for the trip. This allows people who are not physically going on the trip to be part of the effort.
In previous years, we flew out in the late morning, but this year, our flight is at 9AM next Sunday (4/30/2017) so we won’t be able to make it to service and get into the airport in time for check in.
Team leader, Craig experienced our church’s intimacy when we realized he didn’t have a microphone for himself, so Pastor Dan shared the one clipped to his own shirt.
After Craig announced our names, he mentioned that we will be sponsoring Miss Smith’s home, and acknowledged Mathias and Gary Murakami, our stay-at-home team members this year.
Click here for some photos from the commissioning
Pastor Cory led us in a time of prayer, helping us to stay focused on the spiritual elements of the trip. Sometimes it’s hard with such a task-oriented trip to remember we’re trying to serve God and be open to His leading.
Please pray for our team’s preparation, and for Paul, our friend and previous site manager from Mississippi, who will be flying in to OKC a day before us. It’ll be great to reconnect with him and Chris H, our site manager in OKC.
Only a few days away!
OKC 2017-Support Letter
Thanks to everyone that’s been supporting us in prayer and donations.
Once again, it’s not so much that we are asking for donations, each team member is contributing some of their own funds, and our church helps make this team happen.
It’s really to let others partner with us, especially if they’re unable to join us (physically) on the trip. We believe God could rebuild these homes with or without our help, but if we get the opportunity to participate, we’re trying to jump at that opportunity. So we extend that invitation to you as well.
We also hold ourselves accountable to those who support us, and we prayerfully make decisions on how we use our resources.
So if you want to partner up with us, feel free to read the support letter below, and commit to pray for the team, or if you want, you can support us financially as well.
If you wanted to see a copy of our support letter, it’s available via this link
Meet our Team-Kevin L (and our last meeting in Calif)
Roz, attentive at our meeting
It’s still a few weeks away, but with Easter and all the activities surrounding it, we had our last team meeting before we leave for OKC. We went over our itinerary, packing list, and had a round table discussion exchanging tips we’ve learned over the years.
Miss Shirley’s Gofundme
Chris C has been corresponding with our site supervisor from COHFH, Chris H. The tentative plan for our work week in OKC is 1 day on new construction (with Jose H) and 4 days on a Critical Home Repair project that Evergreen SGV will sponsor.
We will be sponsoring the home of Shirley S who lost her husband to cancer last year. COHFH has set up a GoFundMe page for her (https://www.gofundme.com/shirley-s-home-repair) if you want a little bit more information. The money raised here along with the funds from Evergreen SGV will go towards the much needed repair work on Shirley’s house.
Support Groups
Each team member has a small support group to support them materially and spiritually for the project. This has always been helpful to be a sounding board for the team member, plus making sure that logistical and spiritual needs for the individual are uniquely met.
Meet Kevin L
After the meeting, Jimmy was able to shoot video on our last newbie, Kevin L. We welcome Kevin aboard the team. Impressed that he was able to talk off the cuff without any warning.
Meet Our Team-Brandon L
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| Brandon L |
Brandon’s joining us for the first time, while has been coming to Evergreen more than most, but some on the team were part of Evergreen before Brandon was born. Yes, we’ve got an age range….
Hello, my name is Brandon Lum and I have been coming to Evergreen SGV my
entire life. I have always had a heart for missions during my
adolescent years, but never came across the right opportunity. Craig
Kakihara, the OKC team leader reached out to me, and I immediately knew
that this was the Lord presenting the right opportunity for me to serve
Him.
As I look forward to my first missions trip, I am anxious, yet
excited. Some of my anxiety arises from trying to be perfect at
everything I do. I want to do the best I can for the Lord, but it is
human nature to fall short of my own expectations. I ask that you would
pray that I find joy not only in my hard work, but also in my
shortcomings, knowing that the Lord is pleased no matter what
transpires. Our Lord is a God who hears our prayers, and I am confident
that His plan will come to fruition this year in OKC.
In reading Brandon’s intro, was led to reflect on this post from five years ago, was reminded of this post and how the men (and women) had grown… https://sgvhabitat.blogspot.com/2012/05/end-of-day-end-of-week-end-of-work.html
In Brandon’s intro you can see his maturity and humility at a relatively young age.
2017 OKC Kids’ Church
Kids’ Church
Virginia taught about what we’ll be doing in OKC, and how the kids could partner with us and pray for us.
“Auntie” Sunday A., the main teacher, did things a little differently this year. She wanted the kids to remember our names, so they could pray for us while we’re gone. That
meant that each team member would have a word associated with their
name and do a hand motion. We weren’t prepared. It was pretty hilarious, and exhausting. One of the team values is “be flexible,” I guess it starts now.
After the intro, the kids prayed for us. It’s always a sweet time. Pam said that one year, one of the kids prayed that the sharks wouldn’t be a problem for us in OKC. As far as we know, the prayer came true.
Virginia teaching at Kids’ Church
Meet Our Team-Kevin T
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| Kevin T |
We’re glad to have newbie Kevin T with us this trip. Hear of the interesting circumstances that allowed for him to join us this year.
We appreciate his faith, transparency and humility, and are honored to be praying for him during the trip.
Watch his video below
OKC 2017 Children’s message and Kids’ church
Children’s Message
At Evergreen, part of our service specifically addresses the kids.
Our team got the opportunity to share today. Roz led the time, and asked some questions of the kids, and of the team too.
Immediately after the Children’s message, we went to the Kids’ Church room, where some of the younger kids in our church have their own special service.
Click on the photo to see the photo album
