The rain and clouds (finally!) ended Saturday, a beautiful  sunrise greeting the early risers doing Bible time and prayer. The sun was a welcome beginning to a day of endings. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us there is a time for everything. And Saturday provided stark evidence of such.

We are likely the last team here working with World Compassion Network and CrossRoads Missions. And one can sense it around the area. Habitat has built out their plan.  Before, you couldn’t throw a rock and not hit a church van parked at a site. Now I noticed one other team.

That doesn’t mean it’s all “back to normal”. Strike up a conversation with anyone and you will get their tornado story. The manager of the restaurant we had dinner was celebrating getting her building permit earlier that day to start construction of her house. A beginning to end her family’s three years in temporary housing.

We finished up many projects that others began.  Carrying logs down and back up a hill to clear a site. Tackling a HUGE downed oak tree clean up. Running a drainage line to help dry up a muddy yard. Ending painting at the foster cat house.

We started and ended several projects to bless the congregation of First Christian Church and the CrossRoads Missions team leader. Tyler with World Compassion Network shared ( sadly?) that one of the challenging parts of his job is finding churches willing to open their sites for this work. First Christian said yes and the 30 or so congregation members endured three years of strangers traipsing through the building, taking up the parking lot and a fellowship hall turned dining hall.

That’s ending now. Some members will miss the energy and people. We built new flower boxes for their community garden, cleaned and fixed their sign, organized the closets, deep cleaned the appliances and entire building – including hours in the showers.

We blessed Curtis (the CrossRoad Missions site leader) by washing his camper as he prepares to end his years of mobile living far away from home. They are already planning their new beginnings to help clean up in Tennessee and North Carolina. God bless them.

For us, the team ended the day with a bonfire, burning the huge pile of accumulated brush and Kudzu. But it was more than a fitting end to that burdensome vine. We invited everyone to write on an index card a struggle or burden weighing them down. After giving that burden to Jesus, they tossed it in the fire. Ending it as the smoke carried that burden up in the clear night sky. 

We begin our journey home on Sunday.  This team is ending the trip but have grown personally. It is just a new beginning in their walk with Jesus. There is a stained-glass window in the church sanctuary of Jesus knocking at the door. It’s looked over us since the beginning. Terri and I are glad the members of this team said yes and opened that door when Jesus knocked.

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