Mysterious Ways
By Gay Peiper, 2014 mission participant
“God works in mysterious ways” is not just a saying. It’s a fact.
I was listening to the local Christian radio station (Word FM) when they began advertising an upcoming mission trip to Wheelwright, Kentucky. I had never been on a mission trip before; having been a single mom for many years, the opportunity and funds were not easily available. I heard this trip announced every morning on my drive to work and every time I thought, “I would really like to do that ‘someday.’” But every time I heard about Wheelwright God was telling me, “GO!”
I got on the station’s website and read about the trip. The dates were July 20–26. GREAT. Kentucky in the middle of summer…I’ll look like soup all week! But God kept telling me this was something I needed to do. I realized there was no legitimate excuse to stay home. My son had just turned 18 and was more than capable of making his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Plus, as the trip was to another state and not another continent, I knew I would be able to call Greyhound, if needed. So, I signed up and received my packet from World Servants.
I learned the group orientation meeting was going to be at a Mennonite church in a town I had never heard of. I knew I’d need to borrow a GPS or grab a truck driver, as my needle does not point anywhere near a sense of direction. I sent an email to the participants asking if anyone wanted to carpool and received two responses; one from Carol Sue and one from Sue. Once the three of us were on our way, we discovered we shared a common interest in horses. We also learned my brother lived in the same town as Sue’s family. Then, we learned Sue, whom I had never met before, has known my brother for fifteen-plus years – those two hours flew by.
A week went by and it was the morning of departure. By the time my son woke up, I had showered, breakfasted and placed my bags by the door. The prospect of spending nine hours in a passenger van with strangers was a little unsettling. Thankfully I sat beside Sue and Carol Sue. By the end of the ride, I was glad no one was carsick after traveling over the windy, curvy, steep, narrow roads of eastern Kentucky. I made a mental note to avoid the window seat on the way home after noticing the drop-offs and the nonexistent berm.
Monday morning, I had the bright idea to volunteer for the roofing project. My two buddies also signed up, along with our team leaders, Rich and Meg. Fifteen minutes after setting out, we pulled into Keith Tackett’s place. Keith has multiple sclerosis, and although his body is strapped to a wheelchair, his spirit is a powerhouse. His brother Joe had driven from Tennessee to be a part of the crew. The six of us got right to work.
What? You want me to walk along the edge of the roof? What? You want me to lean over as far as I can to pry off the drip edge? I had a better idea – I would scoot, which worked for a few hours. Then I had to make a choice: burn the back pockets off my jeans or burn the bottoms off my sneakers….I stood up. That worked for a while, until I thought, “Wow, my feet are really hot.” I wondered if bringing my old, worn out sneakers had been the best choice, the treads were so worn there were actual holes smack dab on the bottom of my sneakers. Did I pack aloe for burns? I couldn’t remember.
At the end of the work day, we rolled into the church parking lot two hours late. Rich had hurt his back and Meg had heat exhaustion, but the front roof’s old shingles were gone, all the nails were pulled, the rotten sections were replaced, and the tar paper was in place. Not bad for a day’s work. Now if only I could raise my fork to feed myself supper! I looked at my fellow “roofettes” and simply said, “Day One.” We laughed.
Day Two brought new hope when we learned a general contractor and two teenage boys would be added to our team! We asked our new construction leader where he lived. He said, “A little town called Shippensburg, PA.” Sue almost dropped her hammer. Shippensburg was about fifteen minutes from where she lived, which in turn was about fifteen minutes from where I lived. God works in mysterious ways.
The work was hard, the days were hot, but the laughter and camaraderie was abundant. The week went by in a blink. Leaving day was a blur of packing stinky clothes with unworn clothes (just get it packed!), making sure you didn’t leave your toothpaste behind and taking pictures, lot of pictures. And finally, the trek home. Wasn’t there something about a window seat? Couldn’t remember. On curve four, it all came back. Too late to change seats! I sat with my roofing partners on the way home and we talked about loved ones, jobs, and our week together. Again, a lot of laughter.
Would I do it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend a mission trip? Absolutely. Did I have an experience that will carry me through a lifetime? Absolutely.
