Spring Break Mission Trip Day 5 & 6 – March 14-15 – Success!

Our last day in Orlando went great!  There is no way that I could capture in this blog all that happened today, so let me list a few highlights.  We began Wednesday morning by splitting our group into 2 teams.  One team went downtown Orlando to work in a rescue mission.  Jon Davis and Tam Odom led this team.  We did everything from make beds and clean rooms for homeless families, serve food in the dinning hall, hang out with the children when they came into the shelter after school, and share our faith.  It was incredible!  The staff at the mission said that we were the hardest working group that they had all year!

My team went back to Redeemer Church and handed out Easter postcards in a nearby subdivision for them.  We also washed and detailed cars/vans for single moms and other members of the church.  My favorite van that we cleaned was owned by a single mom who had 2 girls, one was 14 years old and in school and the other was in preschool.  They had been raising a sheep for a Future Farmers of America club at school, so the back of their van was full of hay!  We cleaned the van spotless and one of our students noticed that a break light was out on the van.  We ran to the local auto store to find a replacement bulb, and we fixed her light for her.  She was so appreciative.  She told me, “What a blessing!”

Scripture tells us, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:27, NASB)  We did this and more during our trip to Orlando.  Our students represented our King well.  Saints were encouraged.  People heard the Gospel.  Widows and orphans were served.  This was a successful mission trip indeed!

Spring Break Mission Trip Day 4 – March 13 – Play Day Passion

I want to begin by apologizing for our Mission Trip posts going up late.  We are staying at a hotel that does not have WiFi, so this is really making it hard to for us to put up timely post.

Today was our “play day” on the mission trip.  We went to Disney Studios and had a great time.  The students said that they were amazed how much energy I had in the park.  They were getting tired and I was going strong!  For those who know me and my passion for all things Disney, this should not come as surprise.

While we laugh about my passion for Disney, I want our students to see a greater passion in me for serving the Lord and the people here in Orlando.  Tomorrow is our last day here and I pray that the Lord gives me strength to set the pace in that area as well.  I always want to be the first to serve and the last to leave whatever project we are working on.  I think that it is important to model for our students the joy and satisfaction that comes from serving God and the people that He loves.

Our last day here should be especially challenging and satisfying.  We are going to split our team into two groups.  One will be serving at an inner city mission feeding the homeless and helping needy families.  Our other group will be washing cars for single moms in the community, finishing some maintenance work, and handing out promotional material for the Easter Service at Redeemer Church.

I will give you an update tomorrow!

Spring Break Mission Trip Day 3 – March 12 – Clean

As we get ready for bed (it is 12:35 a.m. right now), I know that we are all going to be “cleaning” in our sleep!  We cleaned carpets, washed and waxed floors, built crosses for the church’s Easter service, scrubbed and cleaned the outside/front of the church building, cleaned out and repacked a large storage unit, washed/waxed and detailed 2 cars…and I think that about covers it!  Then, we had a little fun tonight by going to Downtown Disney.

Tomorrow we are going to a theme park to have some fun with the group (probably for about 13 hours)!  I challenged our students tonight during our meeting time to “party like it’s 1999” tomorrow in the park and on our last day here, Wednesday, “work like it was our last day on earth.”  By what I have seen from this group of students, I have every reason to believe that we will meet both challenges well!

Well, good night all.  It is almost 1 a.m. and a fun day awaits tomorrow (I guess really today).

Spring Break Mission Trip Day 2 – March 11 – “Transformed Church”

We overcame the time change and made it to Redeemer Church on hour early this morning.  Our students enjoyed worshipping with the church and hearing Pastor Andrew share about what it means to be a “transformed church.”  He shared from 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 and mentioned that a transformed church is called to sacrifice, to share, and to serve.  Needless to say, this message really resonated with our students.

Really, that is what missions is all about!  We sacrifice time, energy, and resources to serve others.  We share kindness, possessions, and time with those who need it.  We serve selflessly, intentionally, and passionately.

After this morning’s worship service, we ate lunch, changed clothes, and went back to the church to begin the facility-wide cleaning project.  We unloaded closets and removed clutter.  We swept and mopped all of the tile floors.  We moved all of the chairs out of the sanctuary and vacuumed the entire building.  We even cleaned windows!  (I know what you are thinking parents…”I wish I could get my kids to do that at home!”)

Tomorrow, we are going to begin shampooing all of the carpet and stripping and re-sealing all of the tile floors.  We hope to finish the entire job by the end of the day.  On Wednesday, we are planning to go downtown Orlando and serve at a homeless shelter there.  Our students are excited about that as well.

That’s all for now.  It is getting near midnight and time for bed.  We will update everyone at the end of Monday!

Spring Break Mission Trip Day 1 – March 10 – The Trip Begins

Twenty two of us left Charleston Southern University this morning at a little past 9:00 a.m. to embark of the 2012 Spring Break Mission Trip to Orlando, Florida.  (Jon Davis is going to join us after he finishes preaching at his church tomorrow).  After driving through some rain and passing a few wrecks on the interstate, we arrived in Orlando and were greeted by Andrew Oates, pastor of Redeemer Church – www.redeemerorlando.com.  This is our second year of partnering with this new body of believers and we are looking forward to serving with them this week.

Since we were here last summer, Redeemer Church has been steadily growing.  Last year, we helped the church to renovate all of their Bible Study rooms.  We did an incredible amount of work in only 3 days.  This year, we are going to be doing more outreach projects in the community, so pray that God opens many doors for us to share His name.

Well, it is getting late and we are going to lose an hour of sleep tonight (daylight saving time ends).  So, it is time to go to bed.  We will update you tomorrow.  Have a great night.

The Battle of the Bulge!

No, I am not going to write about the great WW II Battle of the Bulge.  Instead, I want to talk briefly about my Battle of the Bulge…primarily around my waist!

One of the most depressing days of my life happened about 5 years ago when a cardiologist gave me the bad news. He said, “You are at the age now that no matter how hard you exercise, if you do not watch what you eat, you will put on weight.” Terrible news! All of my life, I have exercised like a madman and tried my best to stay very active. Why? So I could competed in Crossfit? Maybe in the World’s Strong Man competition? Possibly to maintain my athletic edge in the church league competitions! No, no, and no. It was for the simple reason that I could eat what I wanted to and not worry about putting on weight! Candy bars, ice cream, midnight snacks, soft drinks, chocolate…a sugar junkies HEAVEN!

But the news, the terrible news from my doctor was, “No more eating what you want.” So now my routine has changed. Well, not as much as it needs to. I still exercise like a mad man, but my eating has not slowed down enough. I am heavier than I have ever been and I am on medication for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. So now when people ask me, “What’s up?” I reply, “My blood pressure and weight!”

But I will not give up this fight! For it really is a fight for my life. So tomorrow morning, I will get up (Lord willing), eat a small bowl of cereal, and exercise for about 30-45 minutes. The Battle of the Bulge will rage on.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

The title of this blog entry comes from Job 1:21. A year of change…that is what 2011 was for the Carter family.

The Lord gave…
The Lord certainly gave. My lovely wife Sherri reached her lifelong dream of becoming a nursing instructor. My oldest daughter, Kristen, got married to a great guy, Brent LaPlante. She also got a puppy and a new car. Katelyn keeps making great grades at school and she also got a new car! It is amazing to watch her mature into a strong woman of faith.  Daniel started a new school, Stratford High School. His football team went undefeated and his baseball team, the Diamondbacks, won their least ring tournament and are ranked #1 in the country for all 15-U AA – USSSA teams. I got a new job as the Dean of Students at Charleston Southern University. We also picked up a new dog, a miniature poodle named Hercules, and we got a new car.

The Lord took away…
My father went to be with the Lord on July 25. This is our first Christmas without him. Now I understand why people can be sad during the Christmas season. Our poodle for almost 10 years, Bo, had to be put to sleep.

In the midst of all the joy and heartache, God is still on this throne. He remains the same.  In a world filled with changes, it is so nice to know the HE never changes.  He was with my dad when he left this earth and He welcomed him to paradise.  He comforted my mom and the family during this process.  He really is Immanuel, God with us…in more ways than one.  The Lord gives and the Lord takes away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Gifts can come in strange packages

My blog has been silent for a while. Not because I have had nothing to say. On the contrary…I have so much on my mind. I guess I need to start with the biggest change in my life. My father went to be with the Lord on July 25 of this year. He was such a treasure…I miss him so much, but I really can’t dwell on it or I would be overcome with emotion. But I do want to share what I said at his funeral. It is therapy for me. Maybe it will be for some of you who have recently lost loved ones.

Gifts often come in strange packages…like a heart attack.

Dad had a massive heart attack in 1983. His heart stopped beating for quite some time. But he pulled through and the doctors said he might live 10 more years. Well, he made it 28 more years. I think these were the best years of his life. He saved the best for last. He finished strong.
During these years dad reconnected on several fronts.

Dad reconnected with hunting and fishing. If you don’t believe me, look at the back room (trophy room) of the house in town. There are 12 deer shoulder mounts, 8 deer antler mounts, 1 turkey spread, 1 largemouth bass, 1 rattle snake, 1 duck, 1 hornets’ nest, 2 antique decoy ducks, 4 rod and reels, and 2 fishing plugs all on display! Dad loved the outdoors and he reconnected with God’s creation after his heart attack.
Dad reconnected with his family. We took a Christmas trip to Pigeon Forge. He took many trips to see the grandkids graduations, performances, and games. Mom and dad went out to eat often…many times at Hardees in Kingstree. There are 79 pictures of family on the wall in his trophy room. He made it a priority to organize and get all of the Carter clan together for family reunions. Dad was a good family man, but he became a great family man after his heart attack in 1983. He reconnected with his family.
Dad reconnected with God and His Church. I never would have thought that Dad could or would love a church like he did Williamsburg Baptist Church. Dad was so passionate about the church that he drew the blue prints for the building on a napkin! He could not wait to see the church building go up and for the church to grow! As a matter of fact, the last time he attended church was for the purpose of going to help with Vacation Bible School. Crazy thing was he had a heart attack a few hours earlier that day, but wanted to attend church before he went to the hospital to get checked out. Dad also shared his faith every opportunity that he had. He would tell anyone who would listen that they needed Jesus. As long as I knew Dad, he was religious. But he fell in love with Jesus and His church the last few years of his life…and everyone could see it. What a blessing!

Gifts do come in strange packages. Sometimes in a heart attack. And most certainly in a short man from humble beginnings in Georgetown, SC. Miss you Dad. Love you Dad.  See you soon.

If these old walls could speak…

At this moment, I am enjoying listening Amy Grant’s “If These Walls Could Speak.”  Now before you jump to conclusions and think that I am REALLY old (I am a young 49), listen to the song for yourself.  Think about this for a minute.

For those of us who are over 40, we have probably already lived half of our lives here on this earth.  We have a great wealth of memories.  Not all of them are pleasant ones, but they are life-shaping memories just the same.  Looking back over my life, it seems like I have already lived several lifetimes.

• I was born in the mountains of Tennessee.  My earliest memories of this place revolved around me chasing and catching lightning bugs in a mason jar so that I could make a lantern!  I guess I really am a Tennessee hillbilly!
• I spent my elementary years growing up in Puerto Rico.  What a beautiful island.  I think that I talk very fast today because during my language building years, I was surrounded by Spanish speaking folks…and I don’t know any Puerto Ricans who speak Spanish at a slow rate of speed!
• My early teenage years were spent growing up in Cedar Swamp hunting, fishing, and working in tobacco fields every summer.  I still consider myself a country boy, and in the words of the late, great John Denver, “Thank God I’m a country boy!”

• During my high school years, we moved 15 miles from the country to the big town of Kingstree, SC, population 3000!  Here is where I developed my fine social skills (I have very few) and threw myself into high school sports.  Football was king, and nothing was finer than playing football at Williamsburg Academy.  It was “Friday Night Lights” before the television show.  I can’t imagine life without sports…and I would not want to.

So my life sure has been full…and that does not even count my married, college, seminary, children, and vocational ministry years!  Allow me to make a few quick observations about what I have learned about life so far.

• God is faithful.  Now I know that God is too vast and amazing to fully comprehend, but one attribute that I love more dearly as I get older is that He is faithful.  I am not.  I wander.  I am stubborn.  God is steady.  God is sure.  God is faithful.
• Life is hard.  This one for some reason always seems to catch me off guard.  I think that life one day will get easier on this old earth, but it won’t.  Life on this earth is hard.  Jesus said it would be – John 16:33.
• We can’t control many of our circumstances, but we control 100% of how we respond to them.  I love Abraham Lincoln’s quote on this, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  So true.  We have 1000 reasons to be angry and upset.  Get over them.  Let’s grow up and move on.
• Family and friends are some of life’s greatest treasures.
• You spend as much money as you make (sometimes we even spend MORE money than we make)!
• Life goes by so quickly and the older you get the quicker it goes!

Now, some of my not so serious life lessons…

• Honda and Toyota make the best cars.
• The world would be a better place if we all wore blue jeans and t-shirts.
• Disney World IS the best vacation spot in the world…period.
• Fishing in a one man boat on the Black River is therapy for the soul.
• Monday Night Football, a bag of popcorn, and a Coke are a hard combination to beat.
• A happy wife, a happy life.
• “Hidden Fees” on ANY bill should be illegal…are you listening hotels and phone companies?
• There is something terribly wrong with our tax system when our pay checks, property, electricity, water, phones, gas, food, and clothes all get taxed…and we STILL owe the government money!
• Having good health is too often taken for granted.
• Dogs are better pets than cats.  You know I am telling the truth.

Well, it is getting late and I am getting silly.  Enjoy life!

It is a Universal Principle- Day #4 and #5, Orlando, FL

Well, it is all over but the driving home!  Yesterday we finished all of our painting projects, cleaning up all the mess, and doing some deep cleaning over the entire church.  We also did a little neighborhood canvasing for Redeemer Church.  When we returned for the evening worship service on Wednesday, we were greeted with many “thank yous” from the members of the church.  They were really appreciative and humbled that we would serve them during our Spring Break.

Today, we got up and went to Universal Studios.  We had a great time of just relaxing, eating, and laughing!  It was a great way to end our trip.

As we head back to S.C. tomorrow, I am reminded of a universal principle that is found in the Scripture.  It is the “Law of the Harvest” and it is found in Galatians 6:7-10.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  Let us not loose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.  So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially top those who are of the household of the faith. (NASB)

This week, we had an opportunity to “do good” to those in the household of faith, Redeemer Church.  No doubt they were touched and blessed by us serving them, because they told us so every chance they had!  But make no mistake about it, we were blessed to be able to serve them.  Our faith was increased.  We made new friends.  We did Kingdom work.  We had the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.

This has been an incredible week.  We really enjoyed Universal today…and this week we experienced the universal truth that we got back what we gave, and then some.  It’s the Law of the Harvest!

Well, it is time to get to bed.  We have a drive home tomorrow!