Spring Break 2008 - Trip Recap

We landed back in Portland at 9 PM on Saturday night. We all had bug bites. Some folks had sunburns from Friday's activities. One volunteer has a very sore knee. We all have hearts full of praise, thanking God for this opportunity to serve Him and our island friends.

During our brief mission trip we were able to:

*build and install new window screens on the school that 70 % of the island children attend
*help re-level an individual classroom that was sinking on it's foundation by 12 inches on one corner
*bring down 700 new reading books were graded into specific reading levels, grouped by themes, and placed in easy to identify plastic bins. The school library looks great! Now, it is more user friendly for both students and teachers
*home visitations in the five villages with a focus on elderly "shut ins"
*sport camps were held in each of the villages
*VBS "Kids Clubs" were provided for each village
*public spaces in a village called the Bight were cleaned of garbage and trash. This helps to reduce the health risk of disease and restore the beauty of this area.

Going on a mission trip is a cross-cultural experience. Third world poverty is the norm in Helene. These islanders have an ethnic mix of African and Caribbean backgrounds. On this island, there are no social agencies, no AAA, no MasterCard to solve the islander's daily problems, just God and His working though other peoples. We were all impressed by the prayers of the islanders. They prayed with a simple and honest convictions, knowing that God has answered their prayers, time after time. Their prayer life is far more personal than most of ours. We felt blessed to pray with them.

We also realized that we tend to "stress out" on many non essential issues. One church is having a revival. Last year, there were just 15 islanders attending. This year, about 50 now attend regularly. Four of the male leaders of this church have been active in a two-year bible study with our host agency, Alternative Missions. It is great to see the first fruit of spiritual renewal in Helene.

Thank you again for your prayers and support of this mission trip. As the team leader, I was delighted to watch each volunteer move out of his/her comfort zone and have to use his/her God given natural and spiritual gifts. I would not be surprised to learn in a few years that one of our volunteers has been called into full time mission service.

This trip was an amazing time of service and praise. God willing, we will be able to return to Helene for Spring Break 2009. I hope you will consider going with us. These trips to Helene seem to turn into God Adventures. Helene is a place of surprises, changes of plans, and great opportunities to serve.

This is your invitation to come join us in a God Adventure in Helene.

Alright? OK!
Scott G. for Team Sunset