Home Safely and Shifting Gears

We are home safely.

In Marquette on Saturday we enjoyed lunch together and then split into the shopping at the mall/then go home group and the group forging straight home.  During the weekend we have reflected and thought about our time at God’s Country Cooperative Parish and we have come to one summary conclusion.  The week was a blessing for us all as we worked and lived together.  It was hot and yet we soldiered on to the final goal.

I like to think of it as the following:  We were a letter from Christ to that community.  Here is the passage from which I have taken inspiration:

2 Corinthians 3:3 (New International Version)

3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Praise be to God!

Now we are shifting gears.  We are in regular communication with the group that will be coming on July 12th.  E-mails this morning.  Talking on the phone with the guys regarding the supplies we will need the morning of July 13th.  Arranging food for the welcoming meal and the closing meal.  And so on…

In essence we are writing another letter together for Christ on the hearts of the community in which we will work together.

Prayers

For Debbie who is fighting cancer

For Pastor Tom and Karen and family as they prepare to relocate to Houghton Lake

For Pastor David and wife Andee as they are preparing to come to Houghton Grace UMC

For Pastor Sharon and Ron and members of the WI-VIM who join us July 12th for a week of mission.  May  blessings abound and all be safe.

For Jason and Sal and family as they travel to Cleveland and return

For traveling mercies for Amber and Alecia as they visit family in N.J.  My God work through them in a powerful way.

For Bo as he continues recovery from the car accident

For our band get together on July 3rd that we recognize and honor this great country where we can worship our God in freedom.

For Bryan as he is stationed in Afghanistan and protects those very freedoms.

Bandmom

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Saturday & Heading Home

Several of us are up and packed.  Ready to get on the road between 9:30 and 10 a.m.  We’re letting folks get a little later start on the day.

It is always interesting to me that when we are narrowing in on the end of a work week — ours or another group’s week — that things get done one after another.  Lickety split.  And things crop up — Dan was directing Mark on the roof doing a nip and tuck here and there.  Jim and Mike painting a few spots around the house.   Then the guys took down the scaffolding and packed up the trailer while Katie scouted the grounds for GCCP tools and supplies.  Finally, we gathered and Mike spoke a Benediction on the job and the home.  We shared hugs and goodbyes with Jim and the home owner.

So a few photos for you to view while we get ready and on the road for home.

mark-dan-on-roof Mark and Dan finish up on the roof.

window-trim-painting Girls — Alecia, Amber and Katelyn finishing up the window trim.

on-an-exposition The group on an expotition to White Fish Pointe. (Edited Tuesday 6-30: opps it is the downstater in me that spells Point with an e — a friend pointed this out to me — sorry!)

josh-instructing-girls Josh instructing girls on how to use rope swing over TQ River.

one-of-the-girls-jumping One of the girls preparing to enjoy the rope swing.

group-photo The group at the end of the work.

Please pray for us for safe travel.

God Bless you all!

Bandmom

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Friday — Already!

It’s early and the guys are chatting about the day and life.  The girls are asleep.

We are closing in on the end of the job.  Last night we celebrated our work and our time together with Katie and her interns Megan and Chelsea.  We enjoyed East End pasties (jury is still out — LOL — but they were very good — we enjoyed them immensely).  We shared about our experience and we viewed a slide show on the computer of our days at the worksites.

So here’s a recap of our work, play and time together.

original-building2Picture of the house in it’s original form.  (From Hulbert Centennial Book).

house-at-start-of-projectHouse at the start of the project — team getting set up.

house-end-of-day-fourHouse at the end of day four — team having moved scaffolding and working on second side.  See how pretty it looks with fresh coat of paint.

mark-at-ladder1 Mark getting ready to go up the ladder to install soffit and fascia (Mark — thank you for correcting my spelling of fascia).

carol-painting-windowsCarol painting the main structure.

guys-working-at-sawGuys working at the saw — cutting soffit and fascia to fit.

noon-devotionalsMegan and Chelsea (Josh next to them) doing the noon devotional.

katelyn-paintingKatelyn doing final coat of paint at front of the house.

alecia-taking-h2o-breakAlecia taking H2O break.

team-at-oswald-bearsTeam at Oswald Bears — thanks to the park for permitting us to go for free!

We ask your continued prayers for safety and a successful finish to our time here.  Today the guys will finish soffit and fascia. Our  younger members of the team and Carol will finish some windows and then be off for some sightseeing.

Bandmom

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Thursday Thoughts and Pictures

The team is off for the day and I thought I would share more pictures with you while I can get internet. Katie and her team just dropped off more water and also East End UP Pasties for our  dinner.  We will have to see how they compare — LOL!

I can’t believe that it is Thursday.  I always find that on mission weeks Wednesdays are the longest day.  And then boom,  we are almost at the end of our time here.  I know the guys will be pushing today to get lots done.  And your prayers for cooler weather seem to be working — it is is in the sixties at this time of  day rather than 78 degrees heading for 90 degrees.

I have been watching our group and I feel so proud.  We have melded together in a common purpose in Jesus name.  We haven’t have our noses in studies, but at lunch time each day there is a devotional.  But the talk, the range of emotions and the joy and the laughter has been exquisite!   We are God’s family being Jesus’ face and hands in this community.

They will be resetting the scaffolding to the other side of the house and painting.  The guys will be working on soffit and facia installation.  I will be doing Bandmom stuff throughout the day.

carols-car-with-logo This is the UMC logo magnet that we carry on our vehicles.

gccp-sign The GCCP yard sign that identifies our work site.

kids-enjoying-taco-casserole1 Kids enjoying Dianne’s Taco casserole!

j-d-accessing-internet Julie and Dan celebrate 26th Wedding anniversary accessing internet outside using truck for desk!

katelyn-dianne-painting-banner Taking time from the excruciating heat, Katelyn and Dianne work on VBS Banner.

mark-taking-down-chimney Mark removes the chimney from the house.

amber-primes-project Amber primes project.

Keep us all in your prayers.  I will be heading to the site  with  fruit and granola bars for the morning snack after doing breakfast dishes.

God Bless you all.

Bandmom

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GCCP Mission Week Moving Fast

It’s Wednesday.  Dan and I are sitting at the tailgate of our truck logged into the internet (can’t receive it consistantly in the housing facility that we are at).  Every night he has trundled out with lap tops and downloaded e-mail and checked websites.  Tonight we are doing it jointly.

We arrived on Sunday and enjoyed dinner with Katie, Megan and Chelsea (Chelsea was on the GCCP team that worked on our Liberty Street project, as was Josh who has been joining us on work days).  We shared about our ministry at the Sunday Night service at Paradise UMC and then headed to the Snoshu Inn in Hulbert where we have been resting our weary heads at night.

Monday we arrived at our project which is a few blocks from where we are staying.  The heat also arrived.   Since that morning the team has been working on taking down the chimney, painting the house, doing Soffit and facia and other things.  During the breaks the younger members of team joined Dianne and I at work on Vacation School Banners.  It was cooler in the delightful Taquaminon - Hulbert UMC.  We joined with the congregation last evening for a wonderful dinner and then shared about our ministry.

This evening Jim and his wife Debbie hosted the team at their Hulbert Lake home to cool before dinner (bandmom stayed behind to put dinner together  courtesy of Dianne’s fine cooking).  Now having had dinner Carol and a couple of girls have just come back from a walk, Mike and Mark  are in the “Man Cave” (The guys are segregated in the apartment attached to the Inn the women are staying at) and as I said Dan and I are at the tailgate of our car doing laptop stuff.

So here are some pictures:

day-one-yard-workers1guys-assessing-projecthot-sun-sheik

ladder-dutyp-projectpriming-the-project

Keep us in your prayers for safety and continued good working days.  Pray for cooler temps — today was in the nineties.

Keep Gary and Dianne in prayer.  They returned to the Copper Country today and will travel to Green Bay tomorrow.  They were wonderful to have with us in mission and  we miss them.

Praise for Dan, my husband of 26 years, as of today.  I can’t think of a better way to celebrate commitment than to be on a mission trip together.

More later — the  bugs are landing on the keyboard and are going to carry me off — LOL!

Bandmom

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What a day! Preparing for Bridgefest Parade, Week of Mission

Right now we are in the home stretch preparing for a number of activities that will be happening in the next few days.

Today’s challenge was to find a trailer for the band to ride on for the Bridgefest Parade. After evaluating a trailer that we have used in the past, we decided to seek another as the first seemed to be unsafe. Phone call after phone call — wow! At one point both the cell phone and the landline was ringing off the hook! But a call to one of our board members, Mark, was successful! He has a 7 x 14 foot trailer that we will go and retrieve tonight. God Bless him real good.

bridgefest-parade-20031 (This is us in 2003 in the parade wit the Salvation Army.)

Starting at 5 p.m. tomorrow at my house we will join with the Life Outreach Center members to decorate the trailer and the truck that will be pulling it. Line up for the parade begins down the street from my house at six p.m. The parade begins at 7 p.m. We have a number of favorite tunes we will be singing including: Amazing Grace (to the tune of The Lion Sleeps tonight), This Little Light of Mine, Power of Your Love, Shout to the North, Let the River Flow (go guitar man Larry, go) and I have Decided to Follow Jesus.

So join us in Hancock (the route is shorter this year due to the fact that downtown Houghton is under construction). Seven p.m. — be there or be square.

Also today many thanks to Sal and the kids for the wonderful cookies they prepared for our mission trip to GCCP. And to Dianne who has baked many dozen of cookies that will fuel our team as we work next week. And Dan, Geof and Mike who will be retrieving the trailer tonight.

Music has been selected and prepared for the services that we will be sharing with the members of the Paradise Church and the Hulbert Church. We have been on the phone for the last several nights with Jim, our team leader once we arrive at the worksite, planning and discussing tools and the like. We have been on the phone with team members about cars and drivers and the like. We have been blessed with a number of last minute donations and gifts.

Saturday we will pack up and then Sunday we will leave after the church service at Grace UMC Houghton and get on the road. I’ll share more news tomorrow with pictures of our time at the parade as we sing and praise the Lord planting seeds for the future.

Prayers

For Bryan who is serving in Afghanistan

For our area Relay for Life and all participants. It will take place June 26-27

For Karl, may God work in a big way in his life

For all on our mission trip that there will be moments of serenity as we prepare to go on mission next week

For our band for safety as we participate in the Bridgefest parade.

For Erin and the kids

For Geof as he searches for a career related job

For Bo as he heals

God Bless you all,

Bandmom

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Trip To GCCP One Week Away — Other News!

MISSION TRIP TO GCCP

Here we are a week away from the mission trip to God’s Country Cooperative Parish on the East end of the UP of Michigan.  While it sounds close in distance we will be traveling to the other end of the Peninsula — about five hours away.

The team will be commissioned at the church service at Grace UMC Houghton immediately before we begin our travels on June 21.  Our schedule is tight and we will stop in  Marquette for a quick lunch.  Then we will head the rest of the way.  When we arrive we will cook frozen pizzas and have our orientation to the week from Missioner Katie.  That will be followed by a praise and worship service that we will share with the community of the Paradise UMC Church.

Monday will be our first work day.  Jim, the team leader for this project, has e-mailed us pictures of the project and boy, oh, boy what a gift e-mail is in this case.  We have previewed the work that we will be doing and it reminds us of the very first project our construction ministry undertook.  Wow!  So we have some experience with these types of repair efforts.

paradise-house dormer-on-gccp-house drywall-repair-site-gccp

Already we know that there has been drywall damage and we will also be repairing a roof by a dormer and repairing the soffits.  Then when we complete the repairs we will paint the house.   So this week we are focusing on what tools we will need to take with us to do the work.  We will be packing the vehicles at the end of this week, perhaps Saturday.

And on that the first day the team will split up into several directions.  The guys will go to work on the house, which I understand is a former schoolhouse, and some of the gals will go to do some yard work elsewhere.  Dianne and I will head off to the store in Newberry to get our perishables for the week.  Then on Tuesday or Wednesday all teammembers will be at the house for the remainder of the week.

MUSIC

Along with the Life Outreach Center of Houghton County we will be participating in the Bridgefest Parade this coming Friday, June 19th.  We will be borrowing Karl’s truck and trailer (thanks Karl).  We are looking forward to supporting LIFE!

Also on the calender is July 19th at Bay Cliff Health Camp.  We were not able to settle on a date for last year and we are so looking forward to joining with them for praise and fellowship this year.

Prayers

For Marylou Passenger who provided  cookbooks for us to sell to support our mission trip.  For the author of the cookbooks, who provided as well.

Bryan Q. Who is serving in the Michigan National Guard and stationed in Afghanistan.  He was on leave a over Mother’s Day and we enjoyed his company immensely.  Pray for his  and all soliders’ safety.

Erin and Ron, prayers for God to work in a big way.

The Life Outreach Center and  their work, that many will come to use their service and realize the importance of life.

For the new St. Vincents organization in north end of the  Keweenaw.

For our college graduates who are looking for a job and entry into their careers, especially Geof.

Traveling mercies and safety for our mission team during our mission week.  For God to work in a big wayl.

For Grace Church Houghton, Pastor Tom and family.  For Grace’s new pastor, David and his family.

Bandmom

P.S. — Food for thought.  Dan brought home a sound meter — a device that enables one to test whether sound levels are safe for human hearing or could cause damage.  I sang a note or two and guess what.  My singing ranged in the DB levels that are damaging to the human ear.  ARGH!  Is it memorex or is it real…LOL!  At least the residents in the nursing homes can really hear and understand what I am singing!


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A Stitch in Time to Support AGMK Mission to God’s Country Cooperative Parish

Announcing a special silent auction taking place now through June 15th to support our mission trip.

Charm quilts have graced our homes and our families in America for over 150 years.  Made of many colorful fabrics these quilts reflect the times in which they were created.   The quilts often feature a theme such as “home sweet home”, nature, or family.  Charm quilts are hardy, a delight to the eye, warming to the body and the heart.

Amazing Grace Ministries is offering this 2009 version of the delightful  charm lap quilt (54″ x 54″), made by Compassionate Quilter Kathy Duncan, in a silent auction to support their upcoming mission trip.  Youth and adults from Grace UMC and one other Copper Country church will be joining us as we work in the Eastern Upper Peninsula to make a difference in area residents’ lives.

Plans for the week are to renovate the exterior of a home of a family in Paradise with structural repair and paint.  We also expect to help a family to resurrect their yard after a time of neglect.  While serving in the area we will be joining the Paradise UMC and the Hulbert UMC in prayer and praise.

Team members do need your support.  While you might not be able to join us on the road, you can help us by providing funds for travel and for food while living at the site.  You can support the mission through a tax-deductible donation and by participating in this charm quilt silent auction.

Bid reserve has been set at $100 but please feel free to bid as you feel is appropriate.  Remember this is not about the quilt (although it is mighty nice) but rather about the mission.  Each stitch in the quilt represents a moment in time; each mission moment on our trip represents the gift of time to a family who is in need.

If you would like to bid on this multi-color quilt (pictures  here soon — just have to have my son take them) contact me at jcrowl[at]mac.com with your bid. Please use the same e-mail if you would like to contact me about making a donation to our trip fund.

Winner  will be announced June 15th!

Band Mom

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The Season Heats Up — Oh &The Weather, Too!

mudding

To everything turn, turn, turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn. And a time for every purpose under heaven

The weather in the Copper Country is becoming warmer and the mission season is heating up.  We are looking forward to an active season.  Of course we will continue work on the Liberty Street Project, this season’s phase focusing on work in the interior of the house.

We have two projects in Atlantic Mine that we will be working on.  We are in contact with our local Veterans Association to see how we can help the families of those who have family members serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.  And we are in touch with our local communities to see if there are senior citizens who would benefit from our help. We’ve even “threatened” Board member Larry with siding his home (he is a contractor always helping others through Community Action Agency, never himself).

Joining us this summer will be three groups with a possible fourth mission team.  We look forward to hosting teams from downstate Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois.  We can hardly wait.  Our team will also be heading to the east end of the Upper Peninsula to help them with their mission projects.  More about the teams in upcoming posts.

dan-tom-and-mike-at-randell-ramp

We also have entered a season of goodbye.  We learned this past weekend that Pastor Tom Anderson of Grace United Methodist Church, and one of our board members, will be reassigned to [of all places] Houghton Lake, MI.  As Tom says “I’ve spent 14 years telling people, no not Houghton Lake, but Houghton in the Upper Peninsula…now I need to tell people the opposite thing.”  We will miss him, but are looking forward to a mission group next summer from, of all places, “Houghton Lake United Methodist Church.”  We will be praying for the Anderson’s transition and for their safe reception into that community of faith.

We also want to wish the best to Beth and Wally as they marry this coming Saturday.  Wally works for Larry and has graciously helped us at Bay Cliff and on many of our mission jobs.  You both are in our prayers and we extend our blessings to you. We thank God that you are marrying in HIS church and in HIS word.

Lastly, I wanted to comment on something Pastor Tom expounded upon during his message on Sunday.  “It’s about Him and Them!”  The Him is of course Jesus and them is those who do not know him as Lord and Savior.  That is where our every step, breath and action should be pointed toward.  Sometimes it is a prayer, sometimes a conversation and most times it is our action — loving, faithful and with our eyes on Jesus. Please join us as we focus on HIM and them.

Band Schedule

The last Sunday of this month when we visit Bay Side Village marks the end our nursing home visits until the first Saturday in September.  We discovered several years ago that we were getting too old to sing and do construction work in the same week.  We do miss our delightful friends at the various residences, but they are in our hearts and prayers as we go into the community in another way — not with song, but with hammer and nail to build for the Lord in a different way.

bay-cliff-2006

Also, this summer will feature some special praise music activities — including two services on the East End of The UP.  We look forward to playing at Bay Cliff Health Camp and  inquiries have been made regarding our participation at the Aurea Jamboree.  We also have a trip into Wisconsin  and the Madison area is in the works for mid-September.

Wow — What blessings to look forward to — we love to sing and praise the Lord.

Other Praise and Prayer Requests

Prayers for Bryan Q.  who is home on leave from Afghanistan — pray for continued covering and protection over him.

Prayers for Wally and Beth who marry this weekend.

Prayers for Geof and all college graduates as they look for career employment.

Prayers for an Ultra Safe Mission season for AGMK

Pray that we may touch those in the neighborhoods where our mission projects are for Jesus.

For our friend Charlie who is fighting cancer and for his wife Carol who is loving caring for and praying for him during this tough time.

For our friend Anita who is fight breast cancer — be gone cancer!

For Grace United Methodist, the SPRC team and the pastor God has prepared and is sending to us.

For the Andersons for their move to Houghton Lake, MI and their transition into that faith community.

For Dianne, Laura, Karen and Carol and the Basement Ladies who are at Win-some Women at Mackinac Island.  May they be wowed by our Great God.  May they have traveling mercies as they return to the Keweenaw.

For Andrew who just turned six and his sister Isabel who turned one.  God’s blessing upon them as they grow.  And thanks for their faithful parents and sister Maria.

For all the prayers in our heart and minds, spoken and unspoken.

God’s Blessing to you all,

Bandmom

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A Team Visit, a Graduation and Great Thanks

What a week!  We began the week with a visit from the leadership team of the WI-VIM team that will be joining us in mission the week of July 12.  What a joy to meet Ron and Sharon Smith, and Ruth Ann and Melvin Waugh.  We had a good two days getting to know one another, reviewing the ministry and the projects.

Then I lead my second to last class of the year for the Basement Ladies.  We are studying the Beth Moore study “Living Beyond Yourself:  the Fruits of the Spirit.”  What a blessing these women are to me and I believe to each other.  What has been exceptionally wonderful about this study is that we have been joined by three young mothers and we have loved it!  There is nothing better than sharing and learning God’s word than with each other.

Now my husband and I are in Marquette, MI to join our son as he graduates from Northen Michigan University.  This is my third day here and Dan just arrived today.  So we are blessed by a rite of passage for our son and for our family.  Thank you God that we are part of this experience.

And next we enter the mission season zone.

Of course we will continue to work and focus mainly on the Liberty Street Project.  We also will be shingling a roof for the Sullivan Project and next door to the project we will be repairing a roof for the Castor Project.  We hope that our community will also provide us with projects such as ramps and steps and window and door replacement for those in need.

Stay posted to this blog to learn more about our summer’s projects and activities.

Schedule

May is our last month to sing in the nursing homes until next September.  We have a tentative schedule for this month:

Saturday, May 2: Cypress Manor at 3 p.m.

Usually the second week we are at two nursing homes, but because of our schedules, I will seek to reschedule and let you know.

The last Sunday of the month we will be at Bay Side as the week before is Memorial Weekend.

Prayer Requests

For Anita as she begins chemotherapy

For Geof and friends as they graduate.  For all college graduates

For Nate and all high school graduates

For traveling mercies for all who are on the road this weekend.

For Andrew and Isabel who will be celebrating their birthdays this month.

For Bryan and all US soldiers serving at home and abroad.

For Bonnie who has had hand surgery

For the basement ladies

For all Moms and women who may not have given birth, but “mom” all the same as we celebrate Mother’s Day next weekend.

For all churches that they may readily give the gift of Jesus to others.

For our Mission teams this year: WI - Vim, Lord of Life Lutheran and for First UMC in Sandusky.

For the AGMK mission team as we head to the East end of the UP in June.

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