Every summer, Pleasant Grove sends a mission team to the region around La Ceiba, Honduras.
These teams do medical care, teach Vacation Bible School, and join in construction of facilities. Our church’s work is a part of the total effort of North Coast-North Georgia, a mission venture of UM churches in the North Georgia Conference in conjunction with the Methodist churches of the northern Caribbean coast of Honduras. Projects include the construction of churches, medical clinics, and a youth center. In addition, Pleasant Grove provides support for a full-time Nurse Practitioner who treats patients year-round in the Methodist medical clinics.
This summer, the older members of the Pleasant Grove UMC youth group sent a service team to Albany, GA to work with Mission Change. Mission Change is a hands-on, volunteer-driven non-profit organization located in Albany, GA that aims to highlight and serve the people and causes in everyday communities that often go overlooked and underfunded.
Each day teams serve the community in a different capacity, including serving breakfast at the Salvation Army; doing crafts, exercise and lunch with the Council On Aging; cleaning up parks, graffiti, and beautifying the city through the Keep Albany Dougherty Beautiful campaign; organizing canned goods and packaging boxes for food insecure families at the FoodBank, or other service activities. Evening gatherings allow our teams time to reflect on their day and share those things, big or small, that perhaps made them think differently about the people and community they served.
A Light in the Darkness
For more than 20 years, Susing had prayed for the people in her village in the Philippines. Most everyone in the village belonged to a cult, led by a false leader. Susing’s parents disapproved of her faith in Jesus and her mother used to beat her because she was a believer.
When the Pastor from a nearby village asked if he could bring shoeboxes, it seemed to be the answer to Susing’s prayers.
More than 40 children in the village who participated in the Greatest Journey have prayed to receive Jesus. They are sharing their faith with their parents. Many in the village, including Susing’s father, the village chief, and two of her children, have come to know Christ as a result. Many more have left the cult. One child, Mylin, was saved and now spends her time reading the bible to her mother, Bibit, who is illiterate. Bibit, too, was saved.
There have been other changes in the village too. Alcoholism is less prevalent. Children obey their parents, are kind to their siblings and they obey in school. Pastor Ramos still comes each week to teach Sunday school to young and old alike. All from the gift of a shoebox.
July’s item: Clothing
If you have any questions you can email me at lawmomathome@bellsouth.net or call me at 678-513-8116. As always, thank you so much for your willingness to help.
In His service,
Jennifer Wisniewski