Day four was blogged by Elder Johan and Ashley Song.

To God be the glory. Our time here in Houston, was made possible because of Christ. While in Houston for only two days, we met ordinary Christians doing extraordinary things for the sake of the gospel. These servants sacrifice so much so that those who have lost much can re-build and restore that which has been lost. To witness such selfless acts of love for those in need was both an honor and a privilege to see. Words like humility and obedience to God’s call come to mind to describe the genuine care these servants have for their fellow man. As they invited us to share and participate in extending mercy, we were able to experience the love of God with them and the families we came to serve.

The power of prayer. Prayer empowered us to serve faithfully, grace sustained us and provided opportunities to share Christ, and the fellowship of the Spirit enriched our souls as we labored together with these fellow servants. Rejoicing in the midst of suffering is not some crazy act of masochistic frenzy but a placing of one’s faith in the ever lasting hope that is found in Christ. We definitely rejoiced together. We prayed with each family we met and in each case it reaffirmed our faith in our sovereign God who is mighty and strong. While disasters may come our way we can stand firm in the surpassing worth of knowing our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To the prayer warriors and supporters who partnered with our Harvey team – I want to thank you with a grateful and indebted heart.

To our Harvey team – you made this trip one to remember for a lifetime. You exemplified Christ in your word and deed and I am thankful for each of you. Your heart and love was evident in everything you did and you all became beacons of hope and light in a dark time for many in Houston. “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” You represent that, and it is a fitting description of what I witnessed in Houston.

-Johan

Blog day 4

Today was our last day to help a few victims of Hurricane Harvey. Unfortunately we were unable to go back to Melody’s home to finish painting due to her daughter, Anayah, and her having the flu. Though we didn’t go back, it gave us the opportunity to help new people.

We started our day at 7. Had breakfast while going over devotional. Met Rick at 8:30 to see what we would do for that day. We come to learn that we will be spending the day together as a team!

Since Melody was sick, we went to Diane’s home to sand her walls and prime the walls for paint. Diane was welcoming as we drove up to her home. First thing I noticed was her home, being ranch style like Melody’s, needed similar repairs done that Deacon Jimmy, Deacon Jason, Christine and I worked on the day before. Since being familiar with the task, we were able to help other team members that didn’t know how to do it. We only had a certain amount of time before we met up with John to build a shed. Though through God’s grace, we were able to prime majority of her walls.

Once we met up with John, to learn the location of the shed, we rushed to pack since we wouldn’t have time to come back. We met him at a high school, I believe Bellaire High School, to build a shed for their lacrosse team. Since Elder Johan, Deacon Aaron, Grace, and Jihyun had built a shed the day before, we were able to build this shed in 2 hours! Half of us had no clue what we were doing! GOD BLESS! To be able to witness how God was working in our favor was unbelievable. How in the world did we finish building this shed in 2 hours? Teamwork. Everyone did their part to finish this beautiful shed. Even John said, “Best shed built by Koreans today.” ??

Now, dinner time. Like I said, time crunch. After saying our goodbyes, we met up with Pastor Kim and his daughter Esther for dinner. Pastor Kim is the pastor at a PCA Korean church 30 minutes away from Christ the King church. He also helped build the sheds for John. Even though everyone was tired, we were still engaged in conversation with high energy. By the end, even Esther was happy.

Onto the airport! As we wait for the boarding call, we go over Philippians 4. The last chapter. What a way to end a STM.

I feel so humbled and blessed beyond my expectations from this STM. Not only was I surrounded by an amazing team, but welcoming individuals. BIG SHOUT OUT TO RICK, JOHN, CLYDE, and AUSTIN! These men have shown such grace to our team. Without them we wouldn’t know what to do or how to begin!

Philippians 4:4
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”

Thanks for the prayers everyone ❤️.
-Ashley