Judea Project 2008

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

This past week was the Judea Project, a local missions week. It is the first part of the three year mission plan. Next summer is the Samaria Project, which is an out of state mission trip, and the summer following that will be the the EOE (ends of the earth) trip, which is an out of country mission trip. The project started on Sunday afternoon with a free car wash for the community. Other services and outreaches that we did were visiting church shut-ins, visiting nursing homes, door-to- door canvasing (with surveying) for pick-up games with children, working at the Cookeville Care center, giving goody bags to teachers (school starts this Monday...YIKES), cooking a meal at the Cookeville Rescue Mission, prayer, and a creative outreach where groups had to use money to minister to someone in someway.

The teenagers did a great job throughout the week. Several of them were able to share the Gospel with people. I was able to be involved some, but not as much as usual, or the last two times we did the Judea Project. I'm grateful to have been there some to experience the week with our students. The aspect of the week that stood out to me the most was on Tuesday when we went to a nursing home to find several of our church shut-ins (elderly whom cannot come to church). I had four students with me, and we went down to the bottom floor of the nursing home, where many patients are that have alzheimers. We found a couple of them, but they were sleeping. Then, a nurse pointed out a patient named, Annette, who we were supposed to visit with. Annette was in a wheelchair and was being pushed up and down the hallway by her husband. I began to talk with him, and I tried to address her, but he said she wouldn't respond to me. He goes to our Sunday night service, and spends Sunday mornings with Annette. I'm not sure if I have ever seen him before or not. Several times during our conversation, he would pat her head, and kiss it. He called her his "baby doll". It was such a beautiful picture of love and commitment. He said he had been to Annette for 27 years. He told us his first wife died, and that he met Annette about 6 years later. It was such an encouragement to see this man's love for his wife.

Well, this was the last week of summer here in Cookeville. Students go back on Monday. Guess it's time for Ryan and I to work on the fall schedule...here's a couple more pictures of our students from the week:

Look at these beautiful people!