To say that we blessed Samaritan’s Purse and the people of Lake Charles, LA, is true, but not as true as how much they blessed all of us. I cannot begin to describe how much I enjoyed our time down there. Every moment of it, every aspect of it was a gift from God! Here are some ways how…
Provisions: SP took such good care of us! After living on campus for 2 months, sleeping in tents, weak chilly showers, porta potties, etc… arriving and living at Sale Street Church was a dream come true! (Sales Street Church is the church that was kindly hosting SP in that area.) They gave us SP shirts and washed them every night so they would be clean and fresh in the morning. We also got a bandana and a cool hat.
The food was fantastic! There was such a variety at all breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, our drinks choices were SO many. ICE cold water, Gatorade, Powerade, lemonade, etc. We were provided with toilets that were clean and were able to flush. We had sinks and mirrors. We had huge trailer showers that had so much space and strong streams of water that would still be boiling hot even after 30 people had showered. We had the freedom to go anywhere on church grounds, stay up late talking, shower whenever, sit on super comfy couches, go to church on Sundays, etc. It was a little taste of heaven!
Community: Our fellow volunteers were amazing and such a blessing to us. Most of the volunteers were age 50 or older. After being on a campsite where no one was above the age of 30, it was nice to be around the older generation. They were such a comfort. I so enjoyed listening to them and all they had to say… their stories, experiences, knowledge, and wisdom. I also really enjoyed working with them. They didn’t look down on us because we are young but instead they lifted us higher. They guided us in patience on how to use all the equipment we were using- including the power tools! They were such good teachers. They were so much fun too! By the end of it all, many of them had become family.
I also loved the community in the sense of its atmosphere. Even when we were tired, everyone had such joy, energy and positivity. We sang praises to God in the morning before breakfast, during the work day and at night. It was a wonderful place to be.
Work: After 2 months of listening to sessions and talking about emotions it was so wonderful to get away and do something physical— something tangible. They exchanged provisions for work, but honestly, I loved the work! I loved doing something productive with my hands. I loved seeing the results of our work. I loved seeing the faces of the homeowners when we were finished. I loved giving them hope… that after everything they had lost they were going to be able to live in their homes again without having to pay a fortune. I loved giving them eternal hope in sharing with them the Good News. I loved being so tired by the end of the day that all I wanted to do was shower, eat and sleep. I loved being the hands and feet of Jesus! 😀
If you ever get the chance, go to their website and check out what they do and see if you can help out in some way. So many people still need support and SP won’t stop until everyone is reached. From the numbers they have, work is estimated not to be completed until March of 2021.
Physically, you could go down and they will provide you with shelter, food, hot showers, and free merchandise in exchange for work. You could donate financially, which provides for their supply needs and volunteers, and of course you could be pouring prayer over them.
So yeah! I was blessed so much by Samaritan’s Purse and our time spent down there was incredible! I would have stayed longer if I could have. They reminded me what missional living was all about. They reminded me of who Jesus is. They reminded me I could truly enjoy life and serve the Lord. They reminded me that God has good gifts planned for me and I cannot wait to see what more he has in store. 😀
Thanks for reading everyone! Praying for you all!
Lots of Love,
Alex
P.S. Here are some pics from our time with Samaritans Purse but if you want more just check out my Facebook. (Alex Henrickson) 🙂
