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Bethel University

Serving In Gulf Coast
March 13, 2022
Staff: George Kalopisis, Morgan Shepherd, Matina Kalopisis, Jonathan Pilafas

Arrived Safely in Lake Charles!

by Jonathan Pilafas | March 13, 2022 3:15 PM

We all made it safely to Lake Charles, Louisiana at Breath of Life Church! Pastor Mike Robinson and his family welcomed us with a lovely homemade meal.

Afterwards, Pastor Mike shared with us about the natural disasters that have heavily impacted their community, as well as how much of a blessing the past missions groups at Praying Pelican Missions have been to their ministry. It has been a fantastic first day so far, and we are all very excited to begin our service project tomorrow morning!


Arrived Safely in Lake Charles!

First Work Day? Complete!

by Jonathan Pilafas | March 14, 2022 9:46 PM

Today was our first workday of the trip! The day began with lots of painting in the interior of the building. We painted large walls, doors, door trims, and molding trim.


We also cleaned garbage & debris from the side of the building, and have begun the process of painting the exterior of the building! 


It’s been a very productive day first, and we can’t wait to continue working hard these next couple of days!

First Work Day? Complete!

Campfire & Worship Under the Stars

by George Kalopisis | March 15, 2022 10:38 PM

After a full day serving our church communities, we enjoyed a campfire with yummy s’mores and amazing worship under the brightest stars. 

Campfire & Worship Under the Stars

Second Workday is in the Books!

by Jonathan Pilafas | March 15, 2022 11:30 PM

Today was our second workday of the trip! The day began with lots of painting again, this time finishing the interior trim and walls we had worked on yesterday.

We finished painting an entire wall in the church’s sanctuary, several doors towards the front of the building, and the mailbox outside. We also replaced roughly 40 LED interior lights, as well as a couple of toilet paper holders in the church bathroom.

Lastly, we began some of our larger painting projects in the church’s parking lot and on their exterior wall in the very front of the building to conclude our workday.


In addition to the renovations, we were also able to have amazing times of fellowship with the church and the surrounding community. We had the chance to speak with many Lake Charles natives who expressed their thankfulness and gratitude for the work that we’ve done thus far. We are so thankful to have experienced such amazing hospitality, and we are so blessed to shine our light to the Lake Charles community!


There has been an incredible amount of progress made thus far thanks to the strong work ethic of each and every person in this group. We have another big day tomorrow, so stay tuned for another update on that very soon!

Second Workday is in the Books!

Last Work Day? Finished!

by Jonathan Pilafas | March 16, 2022 8:49 PM

Today was our last work day of the trip! The day began with finishing the painting job we began on the front wall of the building. We also finished painting two different parking lots on the front side of the building. We were able to start power washing and painting the larger wall in the front of the church building. We were also able to finish several different side projects in the inside of the building, such as re-painting the floor of the sanctuary, replacing every single LED light that needed to be replaced, fixing a broken toilet, and installing two new toilet paper holders in the bathroom.


In addition to these renovations, we had the chance to celebrate Pastor Mike Robinson’s birthday! We celebrated his 67th year of life with a large birthday card and donuts, and we had the opportunity to pray over him as well. We also had many different interactions with Lake Charles community members who supported us during our service project, which was truly a blessing for our group to experience. 


This group did a terrific job this week with their abundant acts of service! Everyone truly went above and beyond and we completed many more projects than anyone had previously anticipated. This trip has been such a blessing to everyone involved, and it is truly evident that God is actively working in us and through our work. 

Last Work Day? Finished!

Recreation Day

by Jonathan Pilafas | March 17, 2022 6:00 PM

For the last day of the trip, our group went on a swamp boat tour with Swamp & River Tours in Orange, TX! We went on this tour along with our friends in another Lake Charles PPM group from Belmont University.

Later on in the day, our group went crabbing in Hackberry, LA - which is essentially fishing, but for crabs. However, before crabbing, we paid a quick visit to a fun playground that we noticed off of the side of the highway.

After those activities, we went back to our campsite where we were able to cook the crabs we caught and ate them for dinner! It was a very fun way to conclude the trip, and we are so thankful for this opportunity to spend this time with one another!

Recreation Day

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Comments

Michelle Pilafas

March 17, 2022 5:34 PM

Thank you, Bethel, for your heart to serve especially during a time when you had the choice to do other things. You saw the need of others and touched people in ways you will never know. Special thanks to the Praying Pelican Team for coordinating the details so the work can be done. And a special shout out to Jon who is serving our King so faithfully! May you all be blessed.

Beth Kalopisis

March 17, 2022 9:31 AM

So happy to hear all that the Bethel team was able to accomplish with God’s help there at Breath of Life! Praise God! Great job leading well Jon! 🤗

Gary Pilafas

March 14, 2022 12:46 PM

Praying for you and your team Jon, that God shows up and demonstrates his grace and mercy throughout your week of serving. You are amidst a group of people that are changing life here on earth that will have impacts for eternity! The adversity of missed flights, van issues, etc., told me that Satan was fighting back hard before you even arrived... keeping pushing ahead like David did in Psalms 57... I couldn't be more proud of you than I am right now in this very moment... Love ya buddy...!

Don Lapp

March 13, 2022 7:33 PM

So glad you made it there safe and mostly sound…lol! Praying for God to work through and on all of you in an amazing way. Have an awesome week!

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