We worked through the rain of the late afternoon, and even moved the furniture back onto the homeowner's porch. She came out and offered us a heartfelt 'thank you'.
We went back to the lower barn in the Mission and unloaded the van to get it ready for the next crew. That's when we said goodbye to Tim. I speak for everyone when I say that we will all miss him dearly. We all plan to friend him on Facebook.
Before I forget, I should talk about Talent Night last night. People came up and showcased their skills. Groups went up to sing, there was an interpretive dancer, and Austin played the piano. Everyone was wonderful.
Moving on: after we said goodbye to Tim, it was basically dinner time. Afterwords, we had a few hours to chill , and then it was time for final communion. We had an emotional service.
First, Dennis (the ambassador for the week) read off everything the entire group accomplished. The list was lengthy in the way of technicalities, by it was even longer in the way of relationships, and the differences each of us made. Members of the congregation even spontaneously stood up and shared the connections they felt they had either made or strengthened this week. There was a lot of singing, and talking about the power of prayer.
Dennis told us a deeply moving story. Forgive my paraphrasing, but it went something like this: "Once there was a twelve-year-old boy who went hunting. He was accidentally shot in the back. His neighbor came down to help and managed to get him to a small country hospital, with two doctors. The first doctor pronounced him dead on arrival The second doctor refused to give up, and was miraculously able to get a faint heartbeat. They knew the utilities in the small hospital were not equipped to handle the severity of the boy's injuries, so they put him on an ambulance, being almost positive that he boy would not survive the ride, and then the plane ride and subsequent ambulance ride to a second hospital. The boy made the ride, and went into immediate surgery. Some time passed, and the boy was still clinging into life, unconscious. Then, on Sunday morning, he woke up three times and proclaimed that 'they are praying for me.'"... This is when Dennis dropped the bombshell that he was the little boy, and that the reason he woke up three times was because three churches from his home town were joins together in prayer that Sunday morning, asking for him to be healed. That's why he walks with a limp. However, the doctors said he shouldn't have been able to walk at all. His injuries were so severe, I don't quite remember the specifics, only that punctured lungs, punctured kidneys, a ruptured spleen, and 32 pieces of shrapnel in/around his heart were involved.
The evening was a perfect completion to a challenging week. I know each of us will miss Red Bird, for a variety of reasons. We won't miss the Mosquitos, that's for sure, but the charm of the place has left an impression on each of us.
Thank you for reading.
Until next year
-MC
