Port Arthur Mission Trip-2011

I remember the day when our little family was walking through the Leukemia ward at Children's Hospital (Faith was three, Jaxon was two) to go see the huge train that was set up there. It was heartbreaking to see the kids, but encouraging to see the smiles on their faces; as if they didn't have a life-threatening type of cancer. Shawn and I immediately began talking about wanting to get our kids involved in missions and volunteer work when we felt like they were at the right age of understanding.

So, when our church posted mission opportunities, and we saw there was a family mission trip; we quickly went over to that booth and started asking questions, attending meetings, etc. We've been awaiting this trip for so many reasons. We wanted God to use us as his empty vessels to share His love through service. We wanted our children to truly see how fortunate they are. And, we wanted God to change our hearts--for good. Not surprisingly, He came through as a faithful, unfailing, Father. Before the trip, we taught the kids the key verse (Matthew 22:37-39), and we talked to them about people that are homeless and what that meant for them, and for us (Luke 14:13-14). We talked to them about the importance of not complaining (Philippians 2:14). And, we talked to them about eating all their food and being thankful for it (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Here's a little bit of information about Port Arthur:
-People mainly speak Spanish or Vietnamese, with some speaking English.
-There's hardly any white people (all Hispanic, Black, or Vietnamese)
-It's the first to evacuate if a hurricane is coming.
-MOSQUITOES are HORRIBLE there and your bug spray probably won't do you any good.
-It's HOT and HUMID
-I'm not complaining, it was worth every second to sweat and get my blood sucked for Jesus, seriously not joking!

Our mission while we were there was to serve the community (including its homeless). We did this by giving away free food/drinks/snacks, putting on mini-VBS' for the children, ministering to the ladies by giving them hand massages and manicures, and by visiting with them and loving on them. We also went door-to-door hanging up publicity about the events that were to come.

Day 1: We hung up information about that day's events. We set up tables, bounce houses, food, crafts, etc, at Sigon Market. Some of the ladies set up a manicure station for the little girls and their moms--it was the sweetest ministry. Some of these ladies had NEVER had their nails done; NEVER! The Lord held off the rain for a bit, but right before eating time; it poured! But, it kept a lot of the parents and kids there with us; so our team was thankful for that. Every kid there received a comic gospel in their spoken language to learn more about Jesus and his character. We met some homeless guys that actually live under the huge pavilion where we set-up, but there were some huge holes in the tin and things got wet for them. They were so excited to get free food, and one of the guys said to me, "Take my picture!" After the day was through, we had club time with our team that came from McKinney. It was such a blessing to get a chance to lead out in music with Katie and Kenneth.

Burdened Little Hearts: That evening in our hotel room, we started talking to Faith and Jaxon about what they saw, what they were feeling, etc. Faith and Jaxon really felt sad for the homeless guys they saw. I documented some of their responses in my journal.

Faith: Can't we get our dollars together and do something, mommy?
Jaxon: Can't the workers that are building our house, build them a house?
Jaxon: Mom, I've got a good idea, they can all stay at the hotel with us!
Faith: I don't like the holes that are letting the rain get all over them, it makes me sad.

BREAK.MY.HEART!!!

I honestly had a mixed range of emotions. First, I felt guilty for talking a shower at the hotel, wearing clean clothes, sleeping in a warm bed with a goose-down pillow, and let's not forget the A/C that was on 68 keeping me quite comfortable. And, of course, the icing on the cake is that I have a new house going up back home! I seriously wanted to scream and felt frustrated because there wasn't an immediate answer or a reasonable solution to the problem at hand. We were burdened and our hearts would never be the same. Then, the Lord quickly comforted me by whispering to me that everything would be okay...to be thankful and never take anything for granted. It was confirmed that we should continue to have a heart for these people and for our neighbors around us. Ah, He is indeed the peace that passes all understanding.

Day 2: The morning started off with us handing out more flyers. We partnered up with Trinity Baptist (the pastor, Brett, used to be an FBC-McKinnian). Shortly after we got in our cars again and headed to the Port Neches Splash Park. We served up some mighty-fine snowcones, and struck up some conversations with people that we out there with their kids and grandkids. I met three ladies who were very sweet and got to talk to them for a bit. They've been through Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Katrina, and gave us all the tips and advice on what to do if we're ever evacuated--we learned a lot that day! I was praying that the Lord would just plant some seeds. We gave their kids snowcones as well as the comic gospels that we'd been handing out all weekend. After showers and naps, we went back out to Trinity Baptist where we did the same thing that we did at Sigon Market. This time, it didn't rain, so we were able to sing songs and do a Bible story with the kids. We met a lot of great people out there, as well! Club time that evening was great, we shared testimonies, had some praise and worship, and some reflection time. Our family is already excited about next year's family mission trip!

And Jesus said, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22:37-39