Community Christian Church
Serving In Kentucky
May 28, 2022
Community: Graves County
Partner: His Hands Ministry, Mercy Chef, Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana
Staff: Gene Bracken, Noah Pineault
by Gene Bracken | May 28, 2022 9:28 PM
We had a wonderful trip up to Mayfield, Kentucky! When we went to a local restaurant for dinner, we ran into our PPM leaders! We enjoyed good local barbeque and a good time getting to know each other.
We also learned how previous PPM teams have done work that we will benefit from. We are excited to see how God may use us to help this community know Jesus better and to get a little bit further in their steps to recover!
by Gene Bracken | May 28, 2022 9:31 PM
by Noah Pineault | May 29, 2022 8:44 PM
Today we had the opportunity to pack outreach bags, which we will later distribute throughout the Graves County area! We had an amazing time organizing and cleaning storage containers that are used by a local church to store supplies, which they then use to support their community! We also were able to hear a local pastor and his wife and share more about their ministry and their experience in the Graves County area. It was a great day, and we can’t wait to serve tomorrow!
by Gene Bracken | May 29, 2022 9:21 PM
Today, we worshipped with our host church! How wonderful to hear worship in Spanish and then in English! Some of us were even able to help lead worship.
During our devotion tonight, Pastor Brian reminded us that in Heaven people from every tribe, nation, and language will worship Jesus! So, we experienced a little taste of Heaven today in worship. We are eager to see how we will experience God throughout the rest of the week!
by Noah Pineault | May 30, 2022 6:13 PM
Today we distributed some basic needs to people in the Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana community. We went door to door and had many amazing conversations with the locals in the area! Their stories are incredible and the hope God is building here is amazing!
We also worked with Community Fellowship Church to distribute baby and children’s supplies to families in this community. We can’t wait to see what God has planned for us tomorrow!
by Gene Bracken | May 30, 2022 9:12 PM
Today we were able to help a family whose home was affected by the December tornado. The family's home had damage from debris and the strong winds that destroyed a corner support of their porch and also weakened the back wall of their home.
We were able to shore up the wall and the floor of that room. We also began repairing the brick support for their porch. This family is a Spanish-speaking family, and we still understood their appreciation that we were able to help them. We are grateful that God is using us to bring hope here in Mayfield. How will God use us tomorrow? We can't wait to find out!
by Gene Bracken | May 31, 2022 10:41 PM
As we worked today we realized that prior to coming on this mission trip together, many of us didn't know each other that well. Now, we feel like family! For some of the team, we drew closer together, because we cried for hours....due to cutting up onions at Mercy Chefs!
Mercy Chefs brings professional chefs to a disaster-affected area to prepare food for affected families and for volunteers. We had a great time preparing food and enjoying time together!
Some of the team did more door-to-door relational ministry. One of the families we spoke with needed baby supplies. But, the mother was very cautious about what might be required of her in response. She was so happy when we returned with diapers, formula, and other supplies and connected her to a partner that can help her in the future - at no cost to her!
When we gave supplies to another family, the mother asked if it was okay that she was Catholic. We said, "Of course!" Then she allowed us to pray for her!
The rest of the team finished repairing a brick column that supported the corner of a family's front porch. During team time, we reflected on how God can rebuild lives that have been damaged by life's storms and how He loves to use willing people, like our team, to help!
Even though we were serving in different locations, we felt like we were a part of how God moved in each location. Every success was our victory together. Seeing God use each person, draws us closer together.
How will God work through us tomorrow? We can't wait to find out!
by Gene Bracken | June 8, 2022 12:11 AM
It's hard to believe our mission trip is nearly over! We had a few quick touch ups at one homeowners house, before moving on to a church that had worse roof damage than they were aware of. There was a main supporting beam that wasn't properly supported and had developed a crack all the way through. We installed some supporting pieces of wood to help them get through the short term. We also installed turbin vents (whirlie birds) on the roof, to help stop some of the major leaks they had.
We continued serving door to door. We had some good conversations and building friendships. One homeowner was reluctant to talk at first, but when one of our team members began speaking to him in Spanish, he quickly became a friend. He even made lemonade for us! We also made some other connects of Spanish speaking families in need of assistance. One of our team members even helped a partner translate over the phone for someone who needed help. She even gave the partner permission to call her if there was ever another need!
Our team at Mercy Chefs enjoyed helping the chef prepare a meal! It was even more enjoyable because we were done with the onions! And the team working on laying tile for the showers completed their project! We even made a plaque with a flower from leftover tile, each of us signed it and gave it to our host pastor and his wife! And we also did some landscaping work at pastor's house and finished working on his mower.
This evening our host church had a youth service. Gene, our Trip Leader led a devotion that included a Coke can! And we enjoyed playing games with the young people of the church. The evening was filled with laughter, as new friendships were built.
It's hard to believe the week went by so quickly. We are curious to see what God might do next!
by Gene Bracken | June 8, 2022 12:28 AM
Today, some of us were able to serve churches in Graves County in an unusual way. We have three team members with experience as a contractor, civil engineering and construction/repair. We were invited to visit three churches to give suggestions on their plans for improving their facilities. Two of the churches want to install showers on their building, so they can host mission teams. We never expected that we would get to serve like that. The other church had roof damage from the tornado. Unfortunately, their damage was more extensive than we had hoped. We will try to help them get more support for their roof. We also removed a large piece of sheet metal that had been stuck in a tree on their property for several months! It seemed like a small thing, but the deacon we worked with was so filled with gratitude!
Our team that was doing door to door relational ministry had some very interesting conversations. We were able to connect another family to a partner church that has been helping to distribute relief supplies. To know we help that mother feed her children is so rewarding!
We were invited to be part of our host church's Wednesday Night Service. Once again we were so full of joy worshipping with our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters!
by Gene Bracken | June 8, 2022 12:34 AM
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Comments
Yezi Williams
May 30, 2022 10:37 PM
My heart is so full reading through these journal entries. So proud of this team and all that PPM has done to restore the area. May God use you all wisely and fruitfully. Praying for the team and leaders! Big hugs- Yezi