Review of Lakeshore 2013

I had intended to write this on Saturday, but that didn't quite happen. I survived the week, but was apparently sleep-deprived because I came home and slept for 14 hours. Anyways...

I heard that a group stayed at Lakeshore through Saturday and they were able to pour the concrete, praise the Lord! Last I knew there were some from Clinton who were returning today and tomorrow to wrap things up, so please pray for success and safety in their work.

There was a great turnout at the Friday night evangelistic service, with about 60 people from the community coming to enjoy a jambalaya dinner and hear a message from Pastor Don. Keep these folks in your prayers and ask that the Lord would use this an opportunity to open their hearts to the Gospel.

For all of us at Lakeshore, Friday night was a very happy but also sorrowful evening as we realized that we would be leaving all of our dear friends and returning to our "normal" lives. Many have pointed out that Lakeshore is just a brief foretaste of heaven, where we will never have to say goodbye. And although sad to leave such a wonderful place, I think we were all very encouraged to continue living the Christian life, and the sweet time of fellowship was an opportunity to be reenergized for the struggles of living in the world. It reminds me of the multiple times in The Pilgrim's Progress where Christian finds himself in places of wonderful rest and encouragement before traveling onwards through the trials of his way.

After the closing of an event like Lakeshore I think it is a natural question to ask, was it a success? And we can think about this in a couple ways. We can look at it from the human perspective. We showed up at Lakeshore with a specific list of things we wanted to accomplish by specific times. Did we get that done? Not completely. So did we fail? Most certainly not. From the start we were continually confessing that this was God's work, and that He was sovereign over every moment. Does God let the weather interfere in His plans? Or broken machinery? Hardly. On the contrary, He uses those things to work out His plan. The larger goal of Lakeshore was to glorify the Lord, grow closer to Him, and share the Gospel with the surrounding community. It was used to strengthen each of us, to develop perseverance, faithfulness, and submission in each of us. Because of the trials of the week, I would guess that this goal was more successful than if our plans had worked out perfectly.

In thinking back over the week, there are a few moments that are still very strong in my mind. One of those was on Thursday morning. On Wednesday night that the decision was made to work through the night. So Thursday morning many people were looking exhausted and worn-out. For some reason I had not slept well that night, so I stumbled downstairs to breakfast also very tired. The feeling in the dining hall was definitely subdued. We were discouraged. Our energy reserves had been depleted. The day looked very bleak. People were still slowly filing through the breakfast line. Then someone standing in line, having seen all the bleary-eyed folks trying to keep up their strength, began addressing us all. I can't remember his exact words, but it was such a precious moment as he reminded us of the joy of being alive, that here we were together, serving the Lord, in a glorious world, that every breath we took was gift from God, and that there was so much to praise the Lord for, even on that dreary morning. The tension was suddenly released as he gave us a much-needed perspective on the situation. It was so beautiful to see how God used this person to give everyone the endurance and joy to continue in their work. This simple act of encouragement had a significant impact on my day, it completely changed my perspective on the day. It was a small thing, perhaps some don't even remember it, but the little moments can sometimes be the most profound. It reminded me that there is always an opportunity for me to reach out to those around me and share the joy of the Lord with those who may desperately need it.

There are many other things I could say about the week, which I might do later, but I just wanted to share those thoughts as they are things which stand out in my mind.

While perhaps not successful in human terms, the week at Lakeshore was completely successful in God's perspective because we accomplished what He wanted us to do.

To keep up with Lakeshore Baptist Church, please visit their site here.

I hope to do another post about Lakeshore, more of my own personal perspective, and you'll be able to find that at my own blog, along with all of my other writings.

Our thanks to all of those who read this blog through the week and offered your prayers up along with us. Thank you to those who attended Lakeshore and who gave such dedication and passion to serving the Lord in whatever position needed. Thank you to those who organized the event and who sacrificed so much time to coordinating each aspect of Lakeshore. We pray that Lord willing we'll meet again at Lakeshore in 2014.

Soli Deo Gloria 

Deacon Training Recordings

On Sunday, January 6th, Lakeshore Baptist hosted a Deacon Conference and a Deacon Panel to follow. Here is the link to the conference recording and the link to the panel discussion.

Lakeshore Report from Pastor Mitch, 1/11/2013

CONTINUED PRAYER ALERT:

[Pray for the those setting the pillars. They are tired and yet their work is
proceeding slowly. They hope now to pour on Saturday. If you been following this
blog, you know that this is later than hoped. May the Lord greatly bless them with
strength, accuracy, and endurance.]

Today is wrap-up day and preparation for the evangelistic service preceded by a
jambalaya dinner cooked up by Keith Owens, father of the civil engineer overseeing
the foundation project. The ministry team has gone out all week door-to-door
passing out tracts and flyers, sharing the gospel of the Lord Jesus. We already
have four persons requesting rides so the “fear” of having no one come is out of
the question. In the past three years we have seen 45-65 attend this meal and the
preaching of God’s Word. We are thankful for the Lord’s promise in Is 55 that His
Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish the purpose for which He
sends it. This year we will have Don Elbourne, the pastor of the Lakeshore Baptist
Church, preach the sermon. In the past, Don has not been available to preach at
this special service. Circumstances have changed this year and we are so thankful
that he can declare God’s Word to those who may some day be a part of this
congregation.

Other projects are wrapping up as well. The Pike Street gang has really excelled.
Today there were 12 working on that project and they were laboring to see how
much they could get done. The house is wired, insulated, and 85% sheet rocked as
of 2:00 PM this afternoon.

The distribution team has excelled at getting a whole warehouse of clothing ready
for passing out to community members. This ministry is carried on by the church
Wed-Friday each week.

Many of the young people are now tidying up the grounds for tonight’s meal and
preaching. May the Lord be please to bring many to hear His Word. What a blessing
it has been to see Him work.

By the way, I thank the Lord for the media team comprised of Colin Miller, Savannah
Liston, John O’Connor, and Megan VanderMeulen. They have been the digital
scribes who have recorded the efforts at this year’s Lakeshore Project so that others
might be blessed by looking in on what has been done and see the prayers that have
been answered.

Praying that you might be blessed in the seeking of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mitch Axsom

Assistant to Larry Springer

Thoughts on Lakeshore Ministry

This morning I joined one of the ministry teams on their morning adventures. It truly is an adventure, as they never know what kind of neighborhood they'll be in or what kind of reception they will receive. One thing that struck me was the emphasis on reaching out to people and just trying to meet their needs. There must be a balance between urgency and patience, as Pastor John reminded us. Urgency in that the souls of people are at stake, and we know not when the Lord may come, but patience in that God has been building His church for thousands of years, and whatever He ordains will come to pass. Many people in this area have experienced deep pain and suffering, they have lost loved ones, lost their homes and all they have known, they might be afraid or angry because of what they've gone through, and so as Christians we need to be there for them. If they are lonely, they need someone who will be there to listen and sympathize. If they are afraid, they need to be comforted. And instead of focusing on handing out a million Gospel tracks or knocking on a certain number of doors, the emphasis is on building relationships with people because "hit and run" evangelism typically doesn't work. It takes time. Patience. Willingness to be flexible and do what God wants rather than following our agenda. And so I appreciated this approach to witnessing because it is about reaching human beings made in the image of God, not just addresses to check off on a list. It was a great experience, definitely something outside my comfort zone, but very rewarding nonetheless.

Surprise for Laszlo

 We had these Lakeshore t-shirts made as a surprise for Laszlo. The saying "Situational Awareness" is something that he is always saying and the little person on the right is supposed to be him. We all thought it was fitting to include him on our shirts.
MV

Lakeshore Project, Day Five!

Despite broken machinery and an afternoon of rain yesterday, the foundation crew has been making much progress and they are tentatively scheduling the concrete pour for this afternoon. So please pray that they would complete the preparations in time, that the Lord would hold off any further rain, and that God would protect all the workers as they continue to labor despite their lack of sleep. 

Also pray for the evangelistic service tonight. The ministry team has been working all week to spread the word about this, and we pray that God would bless it, that many people would attend and be impacted by the preaching of the Word. 

This area was under a tornado alert all through yesterday, and by about 1pm it appeared that the rain, which had been held off for several days, would break through. The construction team recruited every able-bodied person they could find to help protect the foundation area from the imminent downpour. I was blissfully unaware of this situation (I'm not sure if I was blissful, but I was certainly unaware), sitting in the church blogging, when I was asked to come help with videoing the scene. I was put in charge of the umbrella, to be opened in case of rain with the intent of protecting a very expensive camera from water damage. So out we trudged to the foundation site, at which point I stood around being generally useless and looking generally ridiculous with my umbrella, while everyone else grabbed shovels, tarps, and were rushing about doing important things. Like, "hey, people, I wanted to come check out what you were doing, but I'm allergic to rain, so I have to carry this umbrella around instead of actually helping you." Eventually it did start raining, so I was able to have a purpose and feel useful as I tried to shelter the camera from the wetness. 

Yesterday afternoon was quiet as people took the opportunity to rest and clean up. Well, some people did. Others decided that since they were already wet and dirty, they might as well play football in the mud. We'll probably get some footage of that up here soon. :) But praise to the Lord that we only received a steady, gentle rain all afternoon, instead of the storms, wind, and possible tornadoes that were possible. 

Last night was very special as Pastor Mitch unveiled the Lakeshore 2013 t-shirts. Since it won't make sense unless you see the shirts, I won't say anything more until I get some photos. Suffice to say, they were loved by all. 

We were warned that this would be a difficult day as everyone is preparing to depart and it is easy to lose focus, but we need to be sure to finish well and complete our projects to the best of our abilities. So please pray for strength and grace from the Lord that we would be able to do all that we need to accomplish. 

Highlight: The Mercy House

The Mercy House is located across the road from Lakeshore Baptist, it developed as an outreach to the community after Hurricane Katrina. The Mercy House provides food, clothing, and other items to those in need here.

Notes on Wednesday Night Messages

So the official Wednesday night message was given by Pastor McDearmon of Ballston Lake Baptist, New York. The theme of this sermon was the topic of love and unity within the church. Through the New Testament there are at least 30 exhortations to love one another, host one another, forgive one another, serve one another, and the list goes on. And each of these qualities flow out of the the command to love one another, because everything else is an expression of love. It was a very convicting message. How are we to witness to the world if we can't keep from fighting with each other? I'm pretty sure that this was recorded, so I'm going to be looking into getting that uploaded so you can listen to the message yourself.

After the actual Wednesday service was over and the adults left, Eddie Exposito came to speak to the youth. 

Now, this has a very interesting story. I was getting pretty exhausted by the time of the Wednesday night service. And then between the end of the church service and the youth meeting, I somehow woke up. Don't ask me how, but it happened. When Pastor Eddie came to speak, I found myself incredibly awake and verging on hyperness. Of course being in a church service, there are not many way to express that energy in an acceptable way. Then Pastor Eddie began speaking. He is a very charismatic (not in theology, just in his style of speaking) speaker, he has a great gift for relating to young people, and generally being a very entertaining person. So...his hilarity and my hyperness resulted in quite the evening. It was amazing. His message was fantastic. I was pretty much laughing the entire way through, which was okay because that's the way he meant it to be. Apparently it was quite the phenomenon, for two good friends who were sitting with me, reported that they had rarely heard me laugh with such intensity. It does happen, just not usually when people are around, haha. I eventually crashed, several hours later, but for a good amount of time I was, as the saying goes, bouncing off the walls, which was pretty fun actually!

On a serious note...I made some notes on the message from Pastor Eddie and I want to share these things with you. He was making some general observations about the Christian life, lessons that we all need to be reminded about on a constant basis. So there is not necessarily a strict unity between these points other than being important ideas to remember. 

- It is easy to act like we are the entire team, instead of a team player. Pastor Eddie used the example of a football team, but since I can't really relate to that, I thought of an orchestra. It would be the height of arrogance to think that as a violinist we are the entire orchestra and can play a Beethoven Symphony on our own. Rather, we are dependent on other people, for we each have talents, and if we can allow others to use their gifts rather than insisting that we do everything, we will make far more progress in whatever we're doing. This applies to church life, family life, work, situations like Lakeshore, and pretty much everything in life. It takes humility to admit we don't know everything. It takes humility to ask others for help. But this is what the Christian life is about. He made a good point about humility...it is the one virtue that once you realize you have it, you have lost it. When you said, "oh wow, look at how humble I am!" you have suddenly become filled with pride. 

- We have all probably had experience with young children who throw tantrums when they can't get what they want. When the child has exhausted their temper, the parent calmly asks, "are you ready to obey now?" That's a lot like our life. God is in control. He is sovereign. No amount of tantrums can change it. We are only being foolish when we fight against God's will for our life, because in the end we will be exhausted and God will say, "ok, ready to listen now?" 

- The Christian life is about the long haul. The day-by-day plodding. Not the exciting mountaintop experiences. Not the glamorous and ostentatious roles we can play.The ordinary job of living for God. This is what truly matters. 

- If we find our joy in Christ, nothing that happens to us can take away our happiness and fulfillment in life. I'm afraid we are too often people-pleasers. We are so focused on satisfying the people around us, we forget that our true happiness comes from living for God, whether this pleases people or not. But it can give us such confidence to pursue God's will because we don't have to be in bondage to the opinions of other people! To live for God, not men, is an incredibly liberating truth. 

- Christians need to be defined by being gracious. There are a couple reasons for this. 1) God is sovereign. So stop stressing out! What God ordains is what will happen and it is good. So why worry about our lives? I know that I can easily become a worrier, I can become stressed out over a myriad of things, from the trivial to the significant. But God is sovereign! When people disappoint us, or when things don't go according to plan, we should be gracious, not being angry at others for their role in the situation, but rather accepting God's will. So let go of the frustration and live in the joy of the Lord. 2) God is merciful. What is the Christian life about but the grace of God? We've talked about that a lot this week. Every other world religion is based on law and works. Christianity is based on law and grace.  Giving people what they don't deserve. We ought to give the same kind of grace to those around us. Just think, Christ took the ultimate punishment for the sins of all the elect, how can we not show grace to those who may annoy us. Just let go. Every moment of our lives is a chance to repent, to reconcile, to  forgive, so let us be free from bitterness, resentfulness, and anger. Christianity is about unconditional love. Did God love us because we met His conditions of worthiness? Hardly. We need to be full of unconditional love for every person in our lives. And since we can't do this on our own, for we are depraved and sinful, this brings us right back to the cross and the constant need of Christ's grace and strength in our lives.

- Pastor Eddie talked about something which was called "putting the best construction on things" when I was growing up. In other words, if someone slams a door or even shuts it more forcefully than we think is appropriate, we will immediately conclude that the person has lost their temper. And then we'll want to tell on them, lecture them, or just keep the smug knowledge that they are quick to anger and we are not to ourselves. The person could have experienced 500 aggravations in the day, and the last trial was just too much. Yes, it is wrong to be angry, but can't we give others the grace we would ask them to give us? We don't want people to expect us to be perfect, so why don't we do the same for others? Or maybe they just heard some really bad news about a loved one and they are struggling with the emotional trial of that. Should we be ready to jump on them for being so un-Christian as to slam the door? I feel that much of what Pastor Eddie said on this topic could be summed up in the word, empathy. Instead of judging others, we can try to understand why they are behaving in a certain way, or recognize that their actions are a result of some difficulty and imagine what it would be like to experience that ourselves.

- Another thing he mentioned was a result of Christian fundamentalism. It is the assumption that people who deviate from our superficial criterion of behavior or life are more "evil" than those who appear to be decent people. In other words, we would probably say that a drunk with tattoos and piercings was more needy of the Gospel than a soccer mom with her mini-van, perfect manicure, accomplished kids, and respectable life. Really? Why is that? Because a soccer mom fits into our criterion better than a bum? But what about their hearts? Who are we to say that one needs Christ more than the other? Does the Bible make this distinction? I can't recall any verses like that. On the contrary, the Bible consistently maintains that we are all fallen, we are all depraved, we are all in the same desperate situation without Christ. 

Lakeshore Report from Pastor Mitch 1/10/2013

PRAYER ALERT:

[We are trying to get all 40 holes dug for the 12 x 12 supports. The ground is a
tough clay and the digging has been slow. They are actually finding parts of an old
house way down there which makes this kind of an archeological dig. Chris Lavigna
just told me that they found a wheelbarrow wheel, gas pipe, and other items which
makes the digging difficult and slow. We request prayer for patience and endurance
so that we may be able to get all the holes dug in hopes that that we can pour
concrete tomorrow. We also need good weather to complete these phases.]

The Pike Street workers have finished the insulation are now putting sheet rock
in the ceilings and walls. Our prayer is to have the whole house sheet rocked by
Friday.

Last night we recognized Debra McDearmon for her many years of service as the
kitchen manager for the Lakeshore Project. She has been responsible for feeding
three meals per day for the whole crew for a week. She has organized many
workers into an army of cooks serving up the best tasting, most filling meals one
could imagine. She has every kind of snack and drink available for the 110 workers
here this year. She will be turning over the reigns next year to Christine Smith who
has served as her administrative assistant for the last two years. We hope Debra
can come back next year to enjoy more of an emeritus role, but if not, we thank the
Lord for loaning His servant to us. We have been blessed.

We ask you to pray that we can be efficient the final two days and maximize our
time here while maintaining a safe environment.

Mitch Axsom
Assistant to Larry Springer

Lakeshore 2013, Day Four!

I think for some people this still seems like Day Three as the foundation crew are still hard at work after continuing through the night. There were only brief updates on the progress last night as we had a message from Pastor McDearmon from Ballston Lake Baptist Church in New York. Then for the youth gathering there was guest speaker Eddie Exposito from Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Slidell, Louisiana.

The original schedule of pouring concrete on Wednesday was delayed due to several setbacks. There is a possibility of pouring on Friday if all goes according to our plans, but of course God's plan is what really matters, and He is in total control, so we just do the best we can and submit to His will.

The Pike St project is still on track for being sheet-rocked by the end of the week. The demolition on quonset hut Mark was completed yesterday.

The ministry teams are still going out into the community, inviting people to our Friday night service.

In other words, this is the point in the week where we just plod along with the work we have, even if it isn't very exciting.

Ministry Team and Distribution

Foundation Update

I thought I would make a slight update as to the foundation of the church. As of 12:30 AM I finally finished my shift. Thankfully God has held off most of the rain. We had an intense, roughly ten minute downpour once, but God has been gracious too keep us working. When I finished my shift we had all the tall rebar posts (seen in the picture) in place and the holes protected form the rain. The auger is continuing to run even now, and people are using shovels and picks to remove large roots, cement, and wood from the holes that it attempts to bore. Please continue to pray for us. Not only should you pray for God to hold back the rain, but also for safety. As we all get more and more tired it is easier to make mistakes. Please keep us in your prayers.
MV

Foundation Update - Prayer Request

The foundation crew has decided to split into shifts and work through the night. So please pray that God would bless their work, give them strength and endurance to persevere, and protect them all from any accidents as everyone is already exhausted and working through the darkness.

Highlight: Construction Crews

There are three main projects this week:

- Demolition of quonset hut Mark
- Foundation of new church building
- Sheet-rocking of Pike St. house

In this video we will give you a glimpse into each of these projects so that you can feel like you're here with us!

Thoughts on Tables

The teams at Lakeshore face difficult challenges on a daily basis. Recently, one of these most crucial dilemmas has been the arrangement of tables and chairs in our dining hall. This may remind you of a saying, "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic," which supposedly illustrates the futility of attempting to solve irrelevant problems at a time of epic crisis. However, this saying is not appropriate as we are not on the Titanic, at least last I checked. I believe we are in Mississippi, and therefore the question of arranging tables and chairs is a very valid issue. You may think this is an unimportant problem. It is actually vital to the success of this project. Let us imagine what would happen without tables and chairs. As people receive their plates piled high with delicious nourishment, they would glance around the room to find an empty chair. Finding a room empty of chairs instead, they would stand there for a few more minutes, pondering the gravity of the situation. The line of pondering people would grow, while the food would become cold. Some may attempt to eat while standing, but this is not advisable. It is very easy to make a mess while doing it. Some people might sit on the floor, but they could easily become victims of those standing above them as they inadvertently drop their plates. The situation could escalate very quickly.

Therefore, with the importance of tables and chairs being established, there are many crucial considerations in determining how to place these objects. Logically speaking, there are several possibilities. The tables could be on one side of the room with the chairs piled on the other. This would be most efficient, space-wise. However, it does not encourage the effective use of tables and chairs during the process of eating. Chairs could be placed upon the tables, but this also has many complications. Another option is to arrange tables and chairs in the conventional method, but place them more closely together as to maximize space. However, this may result in much frustration as the unfortunate folks who go through the line first find themselves at the far end of a table. When they have finished eating their meal and prepare to exit, on one side there is a wall. Walls are generally not good exit options, unless in an emergency. On the other side is a solid line of people, chairs back-to-back, with this line appearing to stretch on ad infinitum. It is humanly impossibly to extricate yourself from this position. You may wonder how I can make that statement with such confidence. It is because I have been in such a situation myself. It is impossible, save for divine intervention, which has not occurred yet.

Today was an auspicious occasion as another table arrangement was tested. Yesterday the tables were moved so that the rows were 12 inches apart rather than 2 inches. It was an immense step forward. This is progress! It became possible to exit a table after eating, and this was a very beneficial innovation. So today the tables were moved yet again. There is mixed feedback on it. Mixed feedback meaning that I and one other person disagree about the benefits of this new arrangement. I consulted with my math expert and she determined that we gained 2/5th of a table worth of seating. I think that means that this new arrangement today allows four more people to sit inside rather than suffering the blasts of wind sweeping across Lakeshore from, well, wherever the wind comes from, presumably the west, but maybe the Gulf. I will need to do further research on this before I make a definitive statement. This new arrangement included moving the tables from...ummm...my internal compass is experiencing technical difficulties. Let's just say the orientation of the tables was changed so that they ran east/west instead of north/south or vice versa. My strong intuitive sense told me that this was more crowded than the arrangement from yesterday. The data says that we gained four seats from it. I asked my math consultant if the benefit of four chairs outweighed the sense of cramped space. She wisely answered, "the benefit would outweigh the drawbacks if you were one of those four who could sit inside now."

With the conflict of my intuition and the wise counsel of my friend, I'm not sure if this new arrangement is good or bad. I will withhold my final opinion until, well, I'm not sure when. I'll let you know if or when I do actually figure it out.

Random Photos

The original, the unique, the AMAZING Lakeshore fruit tree!  Have you seen a tree like this before? Didn't think so. 

This shirt was found in the distribution center and found an appropriate  home with the Lakeshore mascot 

Lakeshore 2013, Day Three!

From my limited observations today it seems that the lack of good sleep, long days of work, and the challenges encountered each day are beginning to wear on everyone. As we were warned on Sunday, the first day or two would be great, everyone would be excited and enthusiastic, but from today on it would be harder to maintain that momentum. For those who worked late last night and were up at 5.15am today, this is going to be a rough day. This is the point where we remember that our strength comes from the Lord, not from ourselves. So throughout today, please pray for all those who have been laboring so diligently in the past couple days, pray that the Lord would give them all endurance and grace to finish this day well.

In the area of prayer, please remember the ministry teams as they continue their work today. In this community there is much alcoholism, drug abuse, poverty, broken lives, and suffering, so pray for those who are reaching out and presenting the Gospel to those in need. Continue to pray that the Friday night evangelistic service would be blessed by God.

I have a few thoughts on the week so far...

Lakeshore is amazing in that it is such a great opportunity for people to use their gifts. This is a place where God just blesses the organization plans so that the people serving in each area are doing what they love. This has been the theme I've heard from many people, and it is true of myself as well. I could be happy in pretty much any situation here, I did not come with any plans of what I intensely wanted to do, I knew that doing anything tech related would be fun, but I knew it was about serving, not about just having fun. And yet I ended up blogging which is one of my absolute favorite things to do. Although, honestly, I have many favorite things, so maybe that isn't a very strong statement, haha. But I enjoy writing, and written communication is my strength rather than verbal, so being on the media team is a fantastic experience. I'm also especially enjoying this as it is an opportunity to see others working and using their talents. Being on the media team means I get a glimpse into many aspects of Lakeshore, so I can see how others are using their gifts to glorify God in whatever role they might have.

Lakeshore is also a great place to learn and be mentored. I might love blogging (which I do!) but I'm learning how to do it better. I've heard similar comments from others as well. They enjoy cooking, construction, etc...but in being able to work side-by-side with more experienced people, they are learning how to improve and take it to the next level. I think this is really neat. We don't just come and serve this community, we come and learn and are served by the fellowship and experience of it as well.

The dedication and discipline of Lakeshore is also very encouraging. We didn't come here to hang out, be non-productive, and amuse ourselves. We came to serve God and this local church. We are reminded of this daily. The commitment to curfew, to attendance of the 5.45am devotions, the consistent focus on Christ and His glory has been inspiring. We are being called to do our very best in whatever our task is. We're not here to just "get by" with doing an okay job, we are asked to do the absolute best that we can, even if this involves some self-sacrifice. Case in point: Curfew. If you're at Lakeshore or have been, and have struggled with the curfew, you're not alone. I have this incredible ability to suddenly wake up at 7pm. The 5.15am morning routine is ok, and I'm surprisingly alert during the devotions, I think the walk through the dark and cold to the church helps wake me up. It is the whole breakfast, talking to people, doing anything, making my mind process information, situation that is hard. That takes a lot of coffee and a couple hours. But...since we are up at 5.15am, that means there's a good chance I'll be ready to work by 7.15am...which is probably the point of getting up so insanely early. There are certain people in my family (namely, my mom) who are hoping Lakeshore will inspire me to start a new schedule and get up at 5.15am every day even at home! To which I respond with a hearty "no way!" But it is a good experience to know that I can actually do this, even if it is not what I prefer.

I would also like to give a shout-out to everyone here at Lakeshore who makes it run, day by day, hour by hour. I'm just here documenting it, but if everyone else wasn't fulfilling their vital role, the only thing I would be documenting would be the slow deterioration of the entire complex. I would be telling a tragic story if there were not all these people working with such dedication behind the scenes. So THANK YOU! :)

Another shout-out to...the administrators and overseers of Lakeshore. You are amazing. I like things to be organized and structured. There is no stress in my heart this week because of the confusion and chaos, for those things don't exist here, or if they do, it lasts about two minutes until someone takes control and resolves the issue. It runs so smoothly. I have deep admiration for the way Lakeshore is organized and maintained. And that's a big deal, coming from this girl who almost always can imagine a better way to do things. Of course there can always be improvements, I'm not saying Lakeshore is perfect, but the underlying structure is really good, and that is what matters.

Reflections from Larry Springer

Last evening was my first opportunity to sit down and carefully review the progress of the project through the blog record. First, I want to commend Miss Savannah on the outstanding reporting of the project. She is not only recording the facts of our history, but doing so with added insights that give glory to our Savior. Although Savannah’s gift is on readily display, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the “quiet” gifts that one would observe every hour of every day. I know, because, in years past I have been in the position of an overseer. In my life, it’s been a rare privilege to see the grace of God displayed in the lives of His people during this one week of the year. Not just by one’s or two’s, but by the masses. Not just here or there, or now and then, but from dawn to dusk, for an entire week. I think that is what I miss most about not being amongst you, at Lakeshore. It has always been a time to reinforce and rejuvenate my confidence in the reality of the Gospel. I am reminded of Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 

(1 Corinthians 12:14-26 ESV)

As I recover from surgery, this has been wondrously and painfully brought to my attention to me this past week. In my case, the hand cannot say to the shoulder, “I have no need of you." Do you realize how many muscles in the shoulder are engaged when using a keyboard? A lot—I guarantee it. In fact, I’ve have experienced aches and pains related to this experience, in areas that don’t seem to be related to my surgery. But our bodies are made of finely integrated parts. So is the body of Christ. As the last part of that passage states, we should be constantly in a posture of suffering or rejoicing together. Year after year, at home and at LBC projects, watching all the parts work together, has been a powerful demonstration of truth to my soul. I hope you find that to be true, as well.

I do have a prayer request that may be related to the suffering together concept. Deb Stuber and I spent yesterday afternoon in court witnessing the sentencing of a woman named Judy. This third offense has required her to be sentenced to State Prison, for a yet undetermined time. She has a husband and two children she leaves behind. Her husband is not a believer, but it appears that God has granted him the strength to stand by her. He has attended our church, when he is able. Deb and other women have ministered to Judy through the prison women’s bible study. If she is not a sister in Christ, she appears to be very near the Kingdom. She speaks of her dependence on Christ and the comfort of the Word of God. She will now be entering a more hardened prison population and will need daily strength to survive. Please pray that she will not just survive, but become a light in the midst of darkness. The sisters have constantly reminded her that, as difficult as it is to understand, God has placed her there and will not forget her need. If you can find time to bring Judy's plight to the throne of grace and mercy, it would be appreciated.

Larry Springer

Construction Work

Working Late

Last night, I along with many other construction workers continued to work long past five. We drilled holes for the foundation and prepped the existing ones for concrete. As darkness set in, God blessed us with a generator form an off sight work project so that we could hook up some lights. Thankfully God allowed us to finish up what needed to be done by nine thirty. Though we are all extremely exhausted it is good to have gotten things done before the rain. Thank you for your prayers.
MV

Please Pray With Us

We were just dismissed from the evening prayer service and I wanted to share with you some of our petitions from this day.

In praise, the Lord held off the rain through this day. It threatened rain several times, but it did not actually happen. It sprinkled over at the Pike St. project, but just as the sheet-rock arrived, the rain stopped so that the workers could transport the sheetrock inside, so hallelujah for that!

There was also a time of crisis this afternoon as the foundation crew negotiated with the piling contractors to receive the correct paperwork to satisfy county code. Pastor Don and Pastor Mitch worked out a creative solution to resolve this situation in order for the project to move forward on schedule, praise the Lord for that!

As another praise to the Lord, the demolition of quonset hut Mark was successfully and safely completed. I had not realized until today what a potential problem this could have been, with standing water under the structure, electrical cords, nails, rotten wood, well, you get the point. But this was done without any injuries, so thank the Lord!

Please continue to pray....

That though the weather forecast includes a chance of rain tomorrow and Thursday, the Lord would intervene and prevent it from raining, at least through tomorrow. At 8pm, as I write, there are still people out on the foundation preparing the area for pouring concrete tomorrow. Pray for their safety as working this late there is a higher chance of accidents. We have been told that someone from the county will be here at 10am tomorrow to provide approval for the foundation. It is crucial that this happens, so pray that the person will arrive on time and that we would not be delayed. Pray for the workers tonight, pray that the pouring tomorrow would be successful. Pray that the Lord will bless the next few days and give us propitious weather for the work.

Pray for those at the Pike St. work and thank the Lord that they have finished the electric wiring and plumbing and will be able to start on the sheet-rocking tomorrow.

The week is going well, but there is much left to do and there is a growing sense of urgency as each day goes by. So please pray with us that the Lord would continue to be gracious in answering our prayers and allow us to finish all that we hope for this week.

Ministry Team Photo 2013

This is a photo of the ministry team which goes out into the community every day to witness and invite people to our Friday night evangelistic service. On the far left is Pastor Don Elbourne, pastor of Lakeshore Baptist Church. 

Highlight: Kitchen Team

Each day this week we are going to try to focus on one of the teams that make up the Lakeshore Project. Today: the kitchen team. Why is that? Well, because if we had no one making food, we wouldn't last long! The kitchen isn't a very ostentatious place to be, but it is vital to the success of this week. The kitchen team is up at 4am to prepare breakfast, they provide coffee (yes!), tea, and snacks throughout the day and they basically work non-stop all day, cleaning up from one meal to prepare for the next. We get 3 amazing meals each day, the crew is creative in making sure that nothing goes to waste and that they are efficiently utilizing all their supplies. The kitchen crew is always incredibly happy and as they serve us, they share their enthusiasm to the entire group. The fellowship and joy of this team is so encouraging and they are a great example of rejoicing in whatever job God has given you. Since it is hard to explain this in just words, we compiled a great video of the different kitchen crew members and their thoughts on Lakeshore and their role here.

Lakeshore Report from Pastor Mitch, 1/8/2013

Joy, Progress, Thanksgiving

These words express much of what is going on today at the Lakeshore Project.
Larry Springer wrote us a letter expressing his heartfelt concerns for those
attending the project this year. He mentioned that the “joy of the Lord” will be
our strength. How true this has been. The ministry team went out this morning
girded with the Lord’s joy in sharing His Word. Many of them had given testimonies
last night of His assistance as they went to many homes in the community. Casey
McGrory reported that only about 25% came to the door. She told us basically that
the joy of the Lord was not their strength. She related that a number of meth labs
have grown up in this area and that the crime rate is rising. We prayed for their
safety and the conversion of those in the community.

Progress marks the work on the foundation and the work at the Pike Street house.
I was told that they expected to pour concrete today, but there is a hold up in that
we need a report from the piling company on how deep the pilings were driven
and how quickly they were driven into the ground. This seems like a hold up, but
progress continues as they carefully prepare for the pour. Please pray that this
report will be sent soon for without it, we will not be allowed to pour.

Chris Goodman and Rick Lindenmuth are in charge of that work and they have a
good crew of college students swarming over the project. I spoke with one of them,
Joshua Wright, about his conversion. He said that the Lord dramatically saved him
when he was about five years of age. He knew at that time that the Lord loved him
and that he needed to learn how to love the Lord as well. He told me that at the age
of 14 he began reading the Bible more systematically and that last December (he
now is 22), the Lord particularly blessed him with a deeper understanding of the
grace of God. May the Lord give him grace to continue to grow all His days.

The Pike Street house is now being electrified and the plumbing is nearing
completion. The bathtub that was in the living room is now installed. They only had
to remove one stud in the process. I had thought that they would have to remove
a wall. How thankful I am that the Lord has very capable brothers manning that
job. Pastor Thomas Winn and Jim Leichter are over the plumbing and electrical
respectively. Our prayer right now is that they can be inspected at 3:00 PM today,
but since we have been told that the inspector will not be there until 10 AM
tomorrow, we have ordered the sheetrock and they are going to begin pre-cutting it
to put up tomorrow after the insulation has been completed and inspected.

The distribution team is getting the Mercy House warehouse in order. What
patience those sisters are showing as they sift thought boxes of clothing. Mrs. B says
that the big need is to keep the food pantry stocked. She only allows people to come
once per week and then their quantities must be limited. We pray that those coming
may be drawn to hear his Word.

Finally, how thankful we for the Lord’s mercies, the progress being made, and the
safety we have had so far. We trust the Lord to keep every heart praising Him and
working, not frantically, but with all their might for the glory of His name.

Mitch Axsom
Assistant to Larry Springer

Two Sagas

There were a few things from yesterday that I wanted to share, but I have heard that some people don't like reading book-length blog posts, so I thought I would not add it to the post earlier today.

The Vegetable Saga 

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of experiencing the process of peeling vegetables. As I wandered around Monday afternoon, doing my random media things, I discovered this group of kitchen crew members clustered around a giant pot on the floor, peeling vegetables and half-heartedly attempting to ensure the peels landed in the pot rather than the floor. Soon after I arrived everyone basically abandoned the goal of keeping things off the floor. After taking some pictures of the piles of potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, and enormous things that I think were turnips (maybe?), I decided to join in and find out what it is like to peel vegetables in Mississippi. I was properly schooled in peeling by the group and after dropping a potato I was officially counted a member. Six young people in close proximity, each brandishing a peeler, can be a daunting sight. There is the constant possibility of accidentally peeling someone else's hand instead of your vegetable, but somehow we avoided any serious wounds, and I think actually there was only one slight injury which was self-inflicted. As we were reminded after finishing, it would have been smarter to keep the peels in the pot, but since there was no way to redo the past, we also had the exhilarating experience of scraping peels off the concrete. And here is documentation of this auspicious occasion. Of course since I claim to be taking the photos, there is no proof that I was actually there, but that is irrelevant...

The Peelers!

Whatever things these are, they grow them gigantic in Mississippi. 

The maker of messes

The Peelers (for some reason I feel like this would be a great band name and a great band album cover...)

At Lakeshore most trash is either burned or composted. Once we picked up the peeling mess it was deposited in the compost bin

Thus ends the Vegetable Saga 




The Saga of the Dog and His Friends 

This story includes these elements: a group of small children, a dog, Mississippi mud, a borrowed vehicle, a police officer, and of course the protagonists, our LBC ministry team.

Once upon a time (more specifically, yesterday) there was a ministry team visiting a neighborhood in Lakeshore. There was a group of kids playing outside one of the homes. There was a large red dog, presumably belonging to the children, but which was wandering the area instead. One person on the team, though not especially fond of dogs, gave the dog a friendly pat, which was apparently a sign of eternal friendship because when the team prepared to depart, the dog was determined to join them. They attempted to lose the dog by driving faster, but after the dog swerved in front of them several times, it was determined that this was not a wise idea. They realized it would be slightly awkward to approach a house, preparing to share the Gospel, and having to start the conversation by saying, "I'm sorry, I ran over your dog." So suffice to say, they did not do this. When the team exited the vehicle (which had been borrowed by someone at LBC), the dog was still circling them. Dogs have a habit of avoiding vehicles, as it typically means they will be taken to the vet. Perhaps this dog had never been taken to the vet, for it showed no fear of the van. Instead, it leaped into the vehicle and proceeded to explore every space in it. Let's talk about mud now. It rained on Sunday. Therefore it is muddy. I suspect that it is muddy here regardless of the rainfall, just because it is Mississippi, but the downpour on Sunday only exacerbated the situation. The mud is also a very singular color, being a deep red/rust color. And while the group watched in horror,  the dog was kind enough to spread this mud over every seat in the vehicle. They attempted to extricate the dog, but only succeeded in separating the dog from the dog collar, and you can guess which of these two escaped them. A police officer showed up at one point, and the group gave him the collar and he said he would find the dog, which was by that point wandering the neighborhoods looking for another friend to haunt. The ministry team had the presence of mind to invite the police officer to our evangelistic service on Friday night, so perhaps the Lord will use this situation to bring someone to Himself! The ministry team was left with a troubling thought: the vehicle loaned to them was covered with Mississippi mud. Returning to the church and confessing this tragic event to the vehicle owner, they were relieved to discover this forgiving and flexible lady did not mind the situation at all, and in fact since she had six of her own dogs, the muddy dog tracks in her van did not bother her. So this was a happy ending to an unexpected situation!

Thus ends the Dog and His Friends Saga.