The first working day of Lakeshore was very successful! God answered our prayers for safety and productivity as the crew began demolition on the old church building, which has been renamed the "Shell." The work went faster than expected, and as one person commented, it is the first time we've heard Laszlo say that we are ahead of schedule.
Last night during our evening worship service, there was a time of public thanksgiving from the various crews. The mission teams spent the day distributing fliers at businesses along the interstate not far from Lakeshore. We had some very positive interactions with several people. It was encouraging to see what an impact Pastor Don has had in this community. People recounted stories of how Lakeshore Baptist helped them in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Others mentioned that they donate to the Mercy House. The new building has garnered a lot of attention from the community, and many people spoke of how they've been watching the progress here.
I was on a missions team with someone from Connecticut, and we were commenting on how different the public reception is towards religion. Up north people are openly antagonistic towards the church. It would not work very well to hand out fliers for a church dinner. But here most people at least nominally acknowledge Christianity. So while that means we receive a more positive reception, it poses other challenges. It can be difficult to distinguish between those we meet who are truly believers, and those who claim Christianity in name only. After returning from our tasks on Monday, we were discussing how people need a personal connection in order to participate in something. Many people will not attend an event simply by seeing a flier somewhere. It usually takes a one-on-one conversation for someone to become interested enough to attend. So for the rest of this week we are going to focus on reaching the immediate community of Lakeshore by going door-to-door and talking to individuals. We hope to make some personal contacts in this way.
The construction team made a lot of progress yesterday, more than expected. For those on the missions team, we saw the start of their work in the morning, and then when we returned late afternoon, we couldn't believe how much they had accomplished. We will posting pictures soon so that you can also see the progress!
There are a lot of younger people in the construction crew this year. I think the organizers were a bit concerned about having so many high school and college age workers with less experience at Lakeshore. Over the weekend there was a lot of emphasis on teamwork, following instructions, and team safety. It was wonderful to hear a highly positive report from the team leaders last night. They noted that it is a rare thing to see young people work together with so much peace, unity, and diligence. God has truly been good in giving us all the grace needed to be successful at our tasks.
After a humid and sticky Saturday, the weather has been cooling down. Today is supposed to be the warmest day of the week, with a high of around 60 degrees. It is getting down in the 30s, and maybe even 20's at night. I think this is ideal for the construction crews, since their physical activity keeps them warm. For others who aren't quite as active, it seems a bit colder! I am thankful for the winter wear I brought "just in case." As we trek across frost-covered boards at 5.45am, every layer I can add is appreciated. The sun is shining brightly today, so that will definitely help keep things warm.
Please pray for continued safety for the work crews today. Since yesterday went so "swimmingly," (the word used by someone in our devotions this morning, for which I am very grateful, as I am now not the only person I know who uses that word), it will be tempting to be more careless today. So pray that God would keep us all alert and on-task so that we can achieve even more for His glory.
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