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!