On April 24, 52 senior adults from 11 different Kershaw Baptist Association churches left for a mission trip to the mountains of Kentucky. This was the second trip for many of these volunteer missionaries. KBA senior adult leader and pastor Buster Morris led a team of 39 senior mission volunteers to Lynch the year before. The team included Frances Denton, 91, who was a volunteer last year.
The KBA team headed for Lynch to assist Meridzo Ministries. Lonnie and Belinda Riley left a successful pastorate in Mississippi for ministry in the mountains, where they founded Meridzo Ministries.
The seniors from Kershaw found Meridzo to be the perfect place to find ministry for their varied talents and abilities. Some were involved in prayer ministry; others assisted the Freedom Center (a clothing ministry); others were sent out in various ministry tasks assisting families in the community. Those needs involved ministries such as building a ramp for a man in a wheelchair who could not get into his house without assistance but the major project was a Kershaw Association version of “Extreme Makeover.”
Marlene Boggs is a widow in Lynch with a house that was about to fall in around her. In two and a half days, the senior adults replaced her rotting roof with a new metal roof, replaced siding, painted, and made the house look like new.
While the physical work was going on, continual visits and spiritual “construction” was happening also. Mrs. Boggs had not been attending church and all four children were lost. As we completed the work, she was asking about a ride to church. She gave us a list of her children so we could pray for them. When we left, her grandson applauded us.
Later, I took a group back for a visit, and that same grandson was mowing the yard of their “new” home. Now they were proud of their home and wanted to take care of it. Mrs. Boggs said, “I had asked for an angel to help. God sent me several angels!”
Before (left) and after work done by Kershaw Association seniors.