The Church at Osage Hills

Osage Hills couldn't be more excited to be back in the island, when they left in July they never imagined they would be returning so soon. Their hearts were heavy after Hurricane Melissa devastated the island and they decided to return. After being delayed by the winter storm, they arrived a day late and so grateful to be here. The biggest God moment for them came this morning at 5:00am when they were the only flight that was able to leave Kansas City. They are here and can't wait to hit the ground running tomorrow.

This week Osage will be partnering with a group of 5 from Atlanta, Ga. They were all so excited to meet tonight and to begin getting to know one another. After a delicious Jamaican dinner we all joined together for a time of Bible study from the book of Luke and then had a spirit filled time of worship. The team is all settled in a ready for a great night's sleep after their long day of travel. Please pray for us as we serve this week.

This week as we serve we are working on a house build for a family that lost their house during Hurricane Melissa. As we work we pray that the house is completed quickly so that they can return to a home that will be safer for them.

Jen enjoying the cool breeze that God sent as a gift for us today.

Brandi and Dennis worked hard to prepare the toiletry bag for the care package delivery. We included things such as toothpaste, toilet paper, bathing soap, and laundry soap.

There were also handmade quilted pillow blankets, homemade soap, bracelets, and water bottles that were also put in the bags. The love that was shown by adding these extra-special items to the bags was such a blessing to those who received them.

What a wonderful week. The amount of work done on the housebuilding project was beyond anything we have ever seen. When the week started, there was a “huge” amount of rock, stone, and concrete from the flooring of the previous home. The team managed to completely clear the entire pile of rubble, stone, and concrete and move it into other areas of the house as fill before the flooring can be poured. They were also amazing masons and bucket passers. As the walls went up, well over a hundred cinder blocks were laid. This was something that would have taken weeks for the family to have completed on their own. We couldn’t be prouder of this group and what they accomplished this week.

Instead of taking their full rec day, the team decided to head out to Jacob’s Well Church, where they had served last year. They spent 2 hours mixing and pouring another huge amount of concrete for a walkway that was desperately needed at the church’s school. It was such a blessing to watch them work together to help another one of our partners on the island. To God be the Glory!

Some of the team members decided to form a chain for back rubs. They certainly deserved this after their long, hard days constructing a huge portion of the home they came to help rebuild.

The team’s flight was a bit later in the day today, so we headed to a little shop to kill some time. They had a great time visiting with the people in the shop and picking out some Jamaican souvenirs. Many of them bought sweatshirts for when they land in Missouri and mounds of snow.

What a beautiful week with a team that serves with their whole hearts. They loved hard, prayed hard, and served with everything they had in them. We would be honored to serve alongside them time and time again.