I’ve been back home in West Virginia for two weeks. It is wonderful. It is beautiful here with the trees in full leaf, flowers blooming, and everything in growth mode. One of the first things I did after arriving home was to plant a tiny garden. Randy dug the holes and I planted and laid black plastic (my major effort at weeding).

We are busy making changes in our house to “downsize” without moving to a smaller place, so everything is in chaos (Randy had hoped to have this all done before I came home from CA, but I came home sooner than expected) but we are surviving the mess and soon we will have order again. The changes are creating the need for an adjustment on our part, but we will make them.

I must walk every day so Randy and I sometimes go for a morning walk together in the bottom, talking and praying together; we sometimes sit on our porch, taking a break from whatever we are doing, to enjoy the beauty, sharing thoughts or events of the day. Or talking about our grandchildren. That always brings smiles. I am quickly adapting to these activities!

I have been getting my work caught up in the Mustard Seeds and Mountains office, across the road from our house, as well as attending staff meetings again. Like old times. I see many projects I can do to contribute to the functioning of the organization, things which have gone undone for years simply because none of us on staff, including myself, had the extra time to devote to them. I’m still pacing myself, both at work and home, so as not to overdo. So usually what I think will take a week to get done may take more time. But things get done.

And things are getting done through our summer Home Repair ministry, mission trips officially called Mission as Life, which are going full bore now. We are entering our 3rd week of volunteers coming to McDowell County from outside the state to work for several days assisting widows, the elderly, disabled and needy families make needed repairs to their homes. Some of these are re-roofing, scraping and painting the exterior of houses, and all kinds of interior repairs. These are not remodeling jobs but improvements and repairs which make a person’s home livable and safe.

There is another kind of work going on while paint brushes are swiped and hammers are slung. The individuals whose homes are worked on, the volunteer team members doing that work, and our summer staff are all challenged, encouraged and stretched spiritually as they encounter God in new ways. No one goes away the same as they came. It is our prayer that each one recognize the voice of God and obey Him, see the face of Jesus in the people around them and serve Him, and take these powerful truths home with them and let God continue to transform them. This is what Mustard Seeds and Mountains is about and we are privileged and thankful and to a part of it.

Thanks for your prayers!

Jacque