MRM volunteers reach Warren, surrounding area
- Nov 7, 2008 - comment
Tyler Mitchell, a 15-year-old from Hot Springs, spent Saturday, Oct. 11, doing something a bit out of the ordinary—scraping paint from a side of a home. He and several of his friends from Twin Lakes Church of Hot Springs, helped paint the home of an elderly woman in Warren.
It’s the first time the church has participated in the Mississippi River Ministry (MRM) project, a one-day outreach emphasis sponsored by the Arkansas Baptist State Convention missions ministries team. This year’s event was in Warren, Hermitage and Wilmar.
About 600 volunteers painted 13 homes, mowed several yards, helped sort canned goods for a food ministry, visited senior adults, prayerwalked and shared Christ with area residents. Day camps for children were held at First Church of Warren, Wilmar Church of Wilmar, Westside Church of Warren and the Hermitage Community Center. Sports clinics were held in Warren and Hermitage. A medical/dental clinic at First Church of Warren treated 57 patients.
It was Mitchell’s first mission trip.
“I just wanted to help out people,” he said.
The Hot Springs church brought 21 youth and adults to help out in Warren. The youth have looked forward to the trip for some time, said Mark Benton, youth minister at the church.
“This is groundbreaking for our church,” he said. “Our pastor has a heart for missions and he has a vision for the church. This trip will help set us up for the bigger mission trips.”
Sue Anders, a member of Central Church of Warren, was thrilled her home received a new paint job. “It’s nice, real nice. I’m real proud of it,” she said.
Arkansas Baptist disaster relief ministry during last spring’s tornado in Stuttgart prompted Michelle Blasingame to get involved in MRM.
“When we had a disaster, [Arkansas Baptist volunteers] were the first ones there. They had the feeding unit set up, and we ate there several times. I would never have guessed they would come to Stuttgart,” she said.
Haley Corey, 13, scraped paint at the home of Thomas Wagdon Jr., who lives across the street from Anders. “I like doing this because I feel like I’m accomplishing something,” she said. “I like doing work for God.”
Wagdon, who has cancer, was thankful for the volunteers. “What they are doing is really nice,” he said.
Rebecca Darby, 18, a member of Webb City Church of Ozark, participated because she had a free weekend. “My church was doing it and I thought, ‘I’m not doing anything this weekend. I’d rather help out a church than waste time at home,’” she said.
Darby and several other volunteers spent the day sorting canned goods at a local food bank distribution site.
The group almost didn’t have any food to sort. Donations to the food bank were severely depleted following distribution to hurricane victims in Texas and Louisiana. Joel Tolphrey, director, didn’t know when a food truck would arrive. It arrived less than an hour before the volunteers arrived. “That’s a case of divine intervention if I ever saw it,” he said.
“I want to help out people so they can eat like I do,” said Chris Haggins, 11, a member of Webb City Church.
Jean Adams, relations coordinator for the food bank, was thrilled with the work volunteers were able to do. “This work is so much needed,” she said. “It helps them to realize there are hungry people here….I hope more people in our area will come out to help in Bradley county.”
Several Arkansas Baptist medical personnel volunteered their services to treat needy people in Warren.
John Shuffield, a dentist who is a member of Saddlecreek Church of Little Rock, has chosen to use his dentistry skills on a number of medical ministries. His three sons and wife also volunteered for MRM.
“We want to instill in our boys that this is what missions looks like,” he said. “We’re giving them a picture at ninth, sixth and second grade of what it means to be a Kingdom focus.”
Diana Lewis, ABSC missions ministry team member and project coordinator, challenged volunteers to take back to their churches what they learned from the experience. “Next year, I want you to do this in your community,” she said.
This article is reprinted from the October 30, 2008, issue of the Arkansas Baptist News, the newsjournal of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.
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