2010 Mission Trip

Friday, July 23

We completed the house this morning! The family made us lunch and then we let them in to see everything at around 12:00. Presenting the house was a very emotional experience. They were very, very thankful for everything. Early this week we discovered that the family only had one mattress for sleeping. We decided as a group to purchase four twin mattresses for the kids and made two sets of bunk beds with scrap lumber. We also collected money to purchase some area rugs (the house does not have any carpet) for some of the rooms and do a little decorating. The family is excited to make the house their new home!

After we said goodbye to the family we went back to the lodge to shower and get ready to leave for home. We have been on the road since 2:45 this afternoon.

Top left: The older daughter Alexa checking out her new bed!

Bottom left: Assembling the bunk beds

Top middle: Group shot this morning.

Bottom middle: The family checking out the group photo we hung up on the wall for them. John and Lori Christians donated this frame that says "bless this home built with God's love and the members of the Salem Reformed Church, Little Rock, IA, July 2010."

Top left: The mom looking at the photo collage we put on the wall with pictures of their family taken throughout the week.

Middle left: Painting some art on the wall

Middle left: The girls' room

Bottom left: The bathroom

Thursday, July 22

The boat ride last night was a lot of fun-we saw a lot of dolphins!

We had a good morning of work. Externally, the house is complete! Internally, sheetrocking is textured and we are waiting for it to dry so can we paint. We are planning to install cupboards this afternoon. There is a lot of painting to be done this afternoon! We are heading out soon to keep working and have our second night of Bible School. We are also hosting a block party tonight-hopefully we have a good turnout!

Wednesday, July 21

Today was a great work day, a lot was accomplished. We have a half hour of sheetrocking left on the interior, and a half hour of painting left on the exterior before those two jobs are complete. We started taping and all plumbing is done. Today was the hottest day yet. We are at the lodge getting cleaned up to go to South Padre Island on a dolphin watch. Here is a photo of the family we are building for:

Tuesday, July 20

Sorry for the late update...it's been a long, busy day with a lot accomplished! The mom of the family we are building for made everyone breakfast tacos-they were a big hit! The family's excitement is contagious :) Our Bible School was very successful and had a great turnout. The house was shingled, wired, insulated, primed, and the plumbing and sheetrocking are underway as well.

Monday, July 19

Great progress was made today! We got to the point of being ready to shingle and paint tomorrow. The family we are building for is great. They are very welcoming and appreciative. Thanks for all of the donations of water, etc-we were warm today :)

Top left: What the site looked like when we arrived at 7:00 this morning.

Top right: Meeting the family.

Bottom left: Checking the plans :)

Bottom right: What the house looked like when we left at 4:00 pm!

Sunday, July 18

10:00 pm- We are at "Camp Salem" and unloaded. The men must be hungry because the kitchen is full of them cooking :) Here are a few pictures from our journey thus far:

4:30 pm- We are just leaving San Antonio after visiting the Alamo. We have approximately 3-4 hours of travel time left, so we should arrive at our destination around 8:00 pm.

8:00 am - We are stopped in Oklahoma at a Denny's for breakfast.

List of people along:

Curt Schilling, Jason Terhark, Cory Peters, Brad Nagel, Brian Hellenga, Randy Wiertsema, Brandon Gruis, Joe White, Josh Peters, Brady Grafing, Kent Peters, Kennis Peters, Patrice Peters, Carla Schilling, Vanessa Odens, Hope Wiertsema, Kelsey Wiertsema, Melia Winter, Kaitlin Wiertsema, Heather Grafing, Jennifer Stave, Kay Hoting, Donell Nagel, Kim Terhark, Stacie VerSteeg, Jesse Koerselman, Matt Nagel, Austin Clark, Judd Rosenboom, Zach Klaahsen, Colin Sandbulte, Chad Nachtigal, Taylor Kruse, Bodie Osborn, Morgan Dreesen, Brooke Kruse, Jessica Sandbulte, Jordyn Clark, Brooke Klaahsen, Haley Koerselman.

Salem Reformed Church is sending a group of 40 people to Progreso, Texas on July 17-24.  We will be building a small home for a family that currently lives in a run down trailer.  We will also be putting on a 2 day Bible School for the kids in the Progreso Colonia and also a community picnic for all the families living in this area.  We are very excited about the opportunity to share God's love and the gospel of salvation through the projects on this trip. 

The chartered bus will be leaving on July 17th at 6:30pm for the 24 hour drive to get to Weslaco, TX where we are staying at the Camp Thicket lodge.  If we can find a good internet connection down there, we will be updating this area of the website each day with a progress report on how the projects are going.  We look forward to what God has in store for us and praise Him for the opportunity He has placed in front of us!  To God be the Glory!!