By: Aaron Adams
What a week it was! Our team recently returned from a week-long mission trip to rebuild and repair homes damaged by a severe tornado in December 2021 in the areas of Princeton and Dawson Springs, in the Western Kentucky region. I’ve been on enough of these trips that I shouldn’t be surprised by what I see accomplished. Truthfully, I’m not surprised by what gets accomplished. There are so many talented people that show up willing to work long hours to make sure the job gets done. I’m not surprised by what I see God do throughout the week. When we prayerfully ask God to lead us throughout the week, He does just that; He shows up and leads. I’m not surprised. I’m not surprised by the generosity of our church. You should have seen the amount of Gatorade, food, cleaning supplies, kitchen materials, and gift cards donated for the trip.
I’m not surprised. But year after year I am amazed. I’m amazed by the amount of people that give up a week, often using their own funds and vacation days to go and work hard. I’m amazed at the amount of “work hours” put in during a single week. I’m amazed by the number of projects taken on. I’m amazed by how I see God put together the team, and I truly believe each person in attendance was there for a reason and a purpose. I’m amazed at how loaded down and heavy our trailer was by the donated items. I’m amazed by a congregation who was praying for our team members by name. I’m not surprised, but I am amazed.
I’m not surprised, but I am amazed at how God puts us in the right situations, in the right times, when we seek Him first. I’m amazed that a category EF1 tornado came through just south of the town we were staying in during the week. I’m amazed that a storm so strong could do so much damage, but no injuries were reported. I’m amazed that our team was contacted by local county officials and directed to come to that very scene to assist in clean up that same evening.
I’m not surprised, but I am amazed by the generosity shown to us by the community of Princeton. That community, those homeowners, welcomed us, cared for us, prayed for us, and blessed us far beyond what we could have imagined.
I’m not surprised, but I am amazed that over the course of two consecutive years in the Western Kentucky area, we were able to develop such strong ties and relationships with the homeowners we were honored to work with. I’m amazed that after 1.5 years after the tornado, we were able to help a family move back into their home, and they were able to sleep in their home for the first time since the tornado struck. God is good!
I’m not surprised, but I am amazed by the work of God and His ‘blue shirt’ people.
We’ll talk about this more on Sunday. See you there.
I love ya!
Aaron Adams
