Safe Harbor Reach Day Recap

What a great day our Reach team had serving at Safe Harbor Shelter (for battered and abused women and their children) in Anderson Saturday! We met at FCC at 7:30am and were on the road by 7:40. It was a long convoy of cars but we all made it to the Jack in the Box rendezvous point in Anderson, and then headed to the shelter.

Once there, we all signed a non-disclosure form, and gathered in a big circle for prayer. For a serve day like this, a lot of prep work needed to be done weeks and days before-hand. Things had to be set up such as swing-set delivery, purchasing supplies, fence post installs, and mulch delivery. Much of this was handled by Tom Newman (our Reach Team Coach) and he did an an incredible job of prepping for the work to be done. It was wonderful to see some people who were volunteering for the first time. Let me tell you...everyone came ready to work and work hard! This was mostly tough dirty work to improve and clean up the property.  Some team members served doing yard work such as tree trimming, mowing, bush/fence trimming, and raking. Others dug up and made a garden plot outlined with railroad ties, stained a very long wheelchair access ramp, assembled picnic tables, extended a drain pipe, installed a corner siding piece on the facility, and removed-extended-installed fencing to nearly double the size of the playground. Plus - probably the entire team participated in moving and spreading THIS!:

The massive truckload of mulch was no match for the team!

The mulch was used for spreading around trees on the property and mainly as a base spread over weed barrier on the new playground area that was created. You can see it in the group photo above.

The team created a new garden area, so that the shelter can grow some of their own food. This will save a little money and provide healthy food, but it will also give these hurting moms and children a peaceful outlet as something to do during their stay with Safe Harbor.
The ground was seriously tough and rocky, so we had to break it up with pik-axes and strip away the grass and rocks to get to some better soil.  

The new garden area ready to go!

 As we were improving the Safe Harbor facility, women and children were coming out on the back screened porch watching us and asking questions. The children were just like any other kids, asking when they could go out and use the new stuff! Anxiously waiting...

Honestly, it was a little tough emotionally because you could see the track record of abuse on a few of the people that were finding safety and rest at Safe Harbor. It is so comforting to know that many who serve there are Christ followers, and that God will no doubt love on these women and their kids through the staff.

All day I was thinking about what true Christian love really looks like..and Romans 12:9-13 kept coming to my mind, as I was looking up at the folks on the porch. These verses were echoing through my brain...
⁹ "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection,^[a] and take delight in honoring each other. ¹¹ Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.^{[b] 12} Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ¹³ When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality."

It occurred to me once again that we can be these scriptures in action at times just by what we do. Sometimes...not a word has to be said, but a serve has to be done. Sometimes it is both combined; such as when we share our faith, or serve in our church on a ministry team or coaching a group. The point in scripture is that we need to be real in our love, enthusiastic in our serving, and ready to help. And when more than one person joins together in unity, a ton can be accomplished in the name of Jesus.

As our team began to wrap things up and gather again for a quick prayer, the team spirit was thick in the air (along with the smell of hard sweaty work :). We said our good-byes, loaded up the cars, and headed out the gate looking forward to gathering at FCC for services. 

The new Safe Harbor playground area is complete.