Riding Up the Road

After all the meetings and prep, the day has finally come to begin our trip to Lynch.  We enjoyed a great lunch of pasta and salad, and then piled into the van and SUV.

We had great weather and enjoyed viewing the mountains along the way.

Randy Hite met us about 30 minutes outside of Lynch and guided us in.  We stopped along the way to get a group shot.  The Lynch Ladies are almost in Lynch!

We arrived at Solomon's Porch, put our stuff in our rooms, and went to grab some dinner at a great Mexican restaurant that Randy recommended.  Then we headed to the grocery store to get some necessities for breakfasts and lunches.  Some of us called back home in the grocery store, since cellular service is not good at our accommodations.

We are now all settled in.  Tomorrow we will head to Creekside Stables to do some staining and meet the owners, Drew and Leah, and their 4 kids.  Please pray we all sleep well and that we do a good job and feel refreshed.  May the love of Jesus shine through.  And, Lord, if You could keep the rain away, that would be awesome.

Thanks!

Packing and Prayer in the Parking Lot

The Lynch Ladies met in the parking lot at Westover this afternoon to pack the van.  We are taking a 15-passenger van and an SUV.  We aren't taking a ton of extra stuff because we plan to buy things in Lynch to help the local economy.

For some of us, we had to really work to get those zippers closed on our suitcases.  We were each allowed just one bag.

Our Lynch Limo

Organizing Supplies

Helpful Husbands made packing go much easier.

It all fit!

After the van was loaded, we gathered in a circle and thanked the Lord for this opportunity.  We pray that He will be pleased in all we do, and that we will sense His presence every day.

So, it's time to get some shut-eye.  Tomorrow, Sunday, we will gather for lunch at church and then "head for the hills".  The next post will be brought to you from the beautiful mountains of Lynch, Kentucky! 

Please pray that we get there safely without delay, and that those scattered thunderstorms in the forecast this week will not shower themselves on us.  Thanks!!

Our Prayer Calendar

The verses above summarize the attitudes and actions we want to have as we experience this opportunity.  Our itinerary may change, so these requests may be adjusted as the week progresses.
Pray that we will be cheerfully flexible to follow God’s plan.  Here is what we ask at this time: 

Sunday - Friday, August 9-14 - Pray that the Lord will prepare our hearts for our trip.  For several of us, it's our first mission trip.  Please pray God enables us to do a good job taking care of loose ends for being away from home for several days.  We want to have God's peace if some tasks don't get done, and if there are situations we think might need our attention while we are gone, trusting that He has it all under control.

Saturday, August 15 - This afternoon, we plan to pack the 15-passenger van and SUV that we will be driving to Lynch.  Please pray that everything will fit and that we don't forget any essentials.  Pray for a good night's sleep so we will be at our best.   

Sunday, August 16 - We will gather at church from 11 - Noon for a meal before heading out.  We pray this will be a sweet time of fellowship and that the Lord will give us a sense of excitement and camaraderie as we "head for the hills".  Please pray that we arrive safely, with no one getting carsick and no traffic issues.  The last leg of our journey has some winding roads.  Tammi will be driving the van.  She is used to driving a big van.  We are so glad about that!

When we arrive, we will need to visit the local grocery store to buy some food for the week.  Pray that we remember the essentials.  We have not done a lot of prep, so that we can spend our funds supporting the local businesses.  This is exciting for some of us and a little challenging for others of us who like to plan and organize. But, already, we are learning to trust God to lead us.   

Monday, August 17 - Today we will visit several places in the town of Lynch and will be cleaning and organizing.  May everyone we serve see the love of Jesus in us.  Please pray that we all stay healthy and that we will not be concerned about anything going on “back home”.

Tuesday, August 18 - Some of us will be working at the Stables and others will work at Shekinah Village, a 35-acre youth camp/retreat center.  Pray that God will direct each of us to the task He has planned for us to do.  Please also pray for good weather.  Lynch can run 8-10 degrees cooler than Greensboro, which is nice, but they also have had a wet summer.  

Wednesday, July 19 - We plan to visit Arlie Boggs Elementary School.  We look forward to meeting some of the children.  In the afternoon, we will visit the mining museum and Kingdom Come Park, where you can see five states.  Pray that God will open our eyes and hearts to love and appreciate the people of Lynch the way He does, as we learn about their history and meet some of the children.

Thursday, August 20 - Today, some of us will visit widows and widowers.  We have prepared Sonshine Baskets of goodies to give them.  Others will work in the Gift Shop or organize the Sewing Room.  Some may be sewing.  Lord, give us your skills.  May we sense Your power and may You be glorified.  May the widows and widowers be encouraged by our visits.

Friday, August 21 - We have to be out in the morning so the staff has time to clean up before the next group of volunteers arrive on Sunday afternoon.  Please pray that we leave our accommodations at least as nice as we found them and that we don't forget anything.  We pray for a great ride home and that our drivers will stay alert.  May we, and the people we have met this week, be filled to overflowing with gratitude to God for an awesome week.

I plan to post new info during the trip, which will include more specific prayer requests.  You can sign up on the right side of this page, under our photo, if you want to receive an email notification of new updates. 

We are SO grateful that you are willing to take time out of your day to pray for us! 

Sincerely,
  The Lynch Ladies

Tentative Itinerary Revealed

Last week we had Drinks (with popcorn) and Details at Deborah's.  Deborah gave each of us a devotional booklet she had prepared.  From July 29 - August 23, we are reading one or more verses and then writing down what we sense God is saying to us through the verses.  Most of the verses she used are taken from the book that Lonnie Riley wrote, Miracle in the Mountains.

We were excited to learn that Randy Hite, a Westover Church member, will be with us in Lynch.  He knows the area and has come to love the people over the last few years.  He joined us for our meeting and gave us a TENTATIVE itinerary for each day we will be there.  We'll get to explore a few of the ministries.  We plan to work at Creekside Stables and Shekinah Village, doing staining, painting, etc.  We will visit several widows, work in the Gift Shop and Sewing Room, and help distribute Feed the Hunger food.  We plan to visit the Arlie Boggs Elementary School and meet some of the children.  Only about 120 attend, but Randy told us that if it closes, the children will have to travel 1.75 hours to the nearest school.  So, volunteers play an active role in helping with needs, including providing backpacks of food for the weekends.  The man who now oversees the school uses Biblical principles to run the school.  It has gone from being ranked in the bottom 2% to being in the top 20%!

Our team is also serving as sort of a scouting group to learn of needs and get an overview of the area.  We hope that future missions trips will be planned through Westover.  Some of you may have thought about going on a missions trip, but aren't sure about traveling overseas.  Well, perhaps YOU will be on the next team to Lynch!

In a little over a week, Lord willing, we will be heading to Lynch.  I will post a prayer request calendar in the next couple of days.  Thanks so much for your interest in our trip, and for supporting us with your prayers and finances!

Learning to Walk by Faith

Since the last post, our team has had two meetings.  We had Drinks (water, tea and lemonade : )  ) and Discussion at Diane's in mid-July.  We heard a few more testimonies, which are such a good way for us to learn more about each other.  Marybeth told us we have a tentative schedule of tasks to do, but would not give us any details.  We would have to wait until our next meeting, which I will share in the next blog post.

Deborah shared a devotional time.  We reflected on some of the amazing things that have happened in Lynch as God has answered numerous prayer requests and provided for many needs.  Lonnie and Belinda Riley, the couple God has used to start several ministries in the area, have learned a lot about trusting God and having faith in Him rather than themselves.  Lonnie says that "faith is not a leap into the dark.  It is a step into the light of what we know is already reality because we trust in the character of God."  Deborah personally challenged us with the following:

What has God promised us as we go serve in Lynch?
What will having faith in His promises mean to us?
How will it look to "walk in faith"?

She asked us to also consider what God may be trying to interrupt in our life.  Do we try to answer our own prayers?  She encouraged us to ask for things that only He can answer.  Then, how will we recognize a clear answer from God?  First, we will see a need.  We will look for what Scripture says.  We will pray intently and examine our hearts, asking the Holy Spirit to show us what our attitude should be.  Then, we will watch for God to show up.

I think that is what most of us are excited to see.  In reading other blogs, missions teams marvel at how God orchestrates events in ways that you just KNOW are His doing.  We want to have that same experience.

Our prayer is that our team, including you, will sense God's presence each day, that we will have His heart, and that our lives will be a reflection of Him.  Let's exercise our faith as much as we exercise our muscles and our brains.  

Finding Where God Is Working

We had our Munchies at Marybeth's Wednesday night and were finally able to get a group shot... it's hard getting eleven busy women together during the summer.

Front Row:  Jennifer Southland, Diane Lindsey, Janet Graasfma, Mary Wosinski

Middle Row:  Jan Moore, Theresa Arkfeld, Deborah Bryant

Back Row:  Marybeth Schneider, Julia Stevens, Tammi Wilson, Sharon Neely

We heard a few more testimonies and discussed what we think the Lord's purpose is for this trip.  For several of us, this is our first missions trip!

I mentioned in the last post that our team is reading a book by Lonnie and Belinda Riley, the founders of Meridzo Ministries, an umbrella for several specific ministries in the Lynch, KY area.  "Meridzo" is a Greek word that means "care".  Sometimes Lonnie learns of a need, but can't provide, so he tells the person that if the provision comes his way, he will know who it's for.  At other times, he will be offered something but doesn't need it yet. Usually, he will find "a match" for the need or the offer pretty quickly.

Here's just one example:  A businessman from Cumberland, a "sister" town to Lynch, purchased an old theater.  He wanted to use it for community revivals, prayer meetings, seminars, and anything that would help tell people about Jesus, but it needed lots of repairs.  He called Lonnie and said that all of his money was tied up in the renovations, but he needed seats.  He asked Lonnie if he had any.  Lonnie said he didn't, but they prayed for God to provide.  The NEXT morning, a friend from Illinois emailed Lonnie that a local college had ordered theater seats, but they were the wrong kind.  He wanted to know if Lonnie had a need for them!  Lonnie called the businessman back and told him God had provided the seats.  The man said that was great, but they needed to be blue and fit a slanted floor.  Lonnie told him that if God provided the seats, he felt confident they would be just what was needed.  So, 450 theater seats, valued at about $100,000, arrived.  They were exactly the right number, they were the exact shade of blue of the paint on the walls, and they fit a slanted floor!!!  Since the theater opened in 2003, it has been used for many revivals, seminars, community events, youth rallies, weddings, etc.

Lonnie, who used to be a planner and had a motto in life of, "Make It Happen", now has a very different outlook.  He and his wife, Belinda, know there are many opportunities for ministry in the area.  But, they don't plan a certain number of projects for the year and then hope people will show up to complete them.  Instead, they wait until someone calls and tells them what their group of volunteers wants to do.  They believe God has already been at work in their hearts, and the Rileys don't want to get in the way of what God wants to accomplish.  Tens of thousands of volunteers have come to the area since they arrived in 1999, to be a part of God's plan.

Their "philosophy" is rooted in the principles found in Henry Blackaby's book, Experiencing God.  The Lord provided an opportunity for them to meet him.  Henry told Lonnie that instead of making plans and asking God to bless them, Lonnie needed to get to know God, see where He was working, and join Him.  That was the beginning of their walk of faith. 

There are several things our team can do while we are in Lynch, but we want to know what God wants us to do.  So far, He has not given us specific direction.  It reminds me of following my GPS.  I enter the destination.  I "proceed to highlighted route" and am given my first instruction. After I have completed that segment, the next leg of the trip is revealed.  I can go to another screen to see every turn of the trip, but with God's GPS (God's Positioning System), He often doesn't allow us to see all the turns.  

Between now and our next meeting on July 15, we are praying for God to show us what He wants us to do.  It's all about Him, not us... His glory, not ours.  Yet, we can have the privilege of being a part of it!  It gives us goosebumps!  Will you join us in praying?  Thanks! 

Bonding As A Team

The "Lynch Ladies" are gearing up for our trip to minister to the people in Lynch, Kentucky.  We are excited to see why the Lord hand picked each one of us for this team.

At our first meeting back in March, we were "Welcomed at Westover" Church.  We introduced ourselves and discovered things we have in common.  We also learned more about the town of Lynch. 

At our next meeting, we had "Tea at Tammi's" (Tammi Wilson).  We heard some personal testimonies, took a personality test to learn our strengths and weaknesses, and enjoyed some delectable treats that we all brought.

Then, we had "Sweets at Sharon's" (Sharon Neely).  Randy Hite, a Westover member who has a passion for the people of Lynch, shared some amazing stories of how God has provided for the people of Lynch.  He travels there several times a month.

We are all reading a book that Randy gave us, Miracle in the Mountains.  It's the story of how God called Lonnie and Belinda Riley to leave a comfortable lifestyle, return to the area they grew up in, and live totally dependent on Him as they ministered to the many needs of the people there.  The stories are amazing and it really builds our faith to read about them.  Lonnie shared that he would much rather live in Lynch and see God provide in ways that only He can do, instead of living in a five-bedroom estate home on a lake.

Our next meeting will be "Munchies at Marybeth's" (Marybeth Schneider, our great Team Leader) on Wednesday, July 1.   We'll give some more info after that meeting.  Please pray that God will direct our time together.

Thanks SO much for journeying with us through your prayers, financial support and encouragement.  May we all learn more about God's love through this experience.