Some photos from our trip!

Thank you all for the way you prayed for our Jackson, MS Mission team last week.

We are all still processing and praying through much of what we saw and experienced and I am grateful for the way the Lord used our team for His glory.

Here are a few photos, as we weren't able to post them while in Jackson, to give you an idea of what we experienced and worked on last week. We hope you will join us at 9:15 a.m. during the education hour on July 24 to hear more about our trip.

 We never went hungry! We enjoyed southern cooking all week!

Pictured above, our team stands in front of Jamie Rasberry's home. She has felt the call to live in West Jackson, and in the last couple of years has restored a home, and now has three teenage boys living with her. Her humble heart and love for the Lord was a beautiful encouragement for each of us. 

During each day, our main job was to clean both the inside and outside of three homes, so that families and individuals could move in soon! The homes had been restored by Voice of Calvary, and were beautiful both inside and out! The families moving in to these homes have all gone through the Voice of Calvary Home Ownership program. 

 We had some fun time in fellowship while in Jackson as well! On Monday night we celebrated the July 4th by driving about 30 minutes to a fireworks show! 

 We were challenged and encouraged to hear from various speakers each day. On Tuesday evening we had the opportunity to meet with C.J. Jones, a civil rights activist that marched with MLK Jr (pictured above with Micah).

On Wednesday during lunch, Dr. John Perkins spoke to our team about his heart for reconciliation and the healing truth that is found only in the Gospel (pictured above with our entire team).  

Sophie and I had an opportunity to meet, talk with and pray over a woman named Ms. Jackson on Friday afternoon. We were originally supposed to work on her house during our week in Jackson, but she became ill and had to spend time in the hospital. She was beginning to feel better later in the week, and Sophie and I were blessed to meet her!

Marcel and Matt with Sam Pollard. Sam is the volunteer coordinator for Voice of Calvary and his heart for others, his deep relationship with the Lord, and his patience were an example for all of us. We love Sam! 

What an amazing group to serve King Jesus with!! God is so good!

Thursday morning

Good morning, friends!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our team. We do not often have consistent wifi and have had a very busy schedule, so it has been difficult for us to blog each day. We have had a wonderful week in Jackson, and the Lord is at work in the hearts and lives of our students.

We have been working on various sites this week putting the finishing touches on homes that Voice of Calvary is ready to sell to individuals and families that have gone through their home buyer program. Our students are working hard and persevering in the heat for the glory of God!

Yesterday we were blessed to hear from Dr. John Perkins, a civil rights activist and the founder of Voice of Calvary Ministries. He spoke to us about  hatred being the issue driving racism  and our need to view all as equal, and that is done only through the truth found in the Gospel. Our students were challenged and encouraged by our time with him.

Last evening half of our group was able to serve dinner at Gateway Rescue Mission. Gateway is a program that serves both the homeless community, and those in their rehab program. Last night,  after serving the meal, we encouraged our students to step out and speak with and pray with some of the individuals in the program. Our students were able to hear  testimonies of God's faithfulness in the lives of those they met. Tonight the rest of our team will serve the meal at Gateway.

My phone does not allow us to post photos on to the blog, but we look forward to sharing more about our trip with you in the coming days.

Please continue to pray for endurance, energy,  positive attitudes and that God would be glorified  as we work and live in community together  these next two days in the heat.

Blessings,
Kerry Trunfio

Monday Night

Coming at you from Jackson, Mississippi, Marcel and Matt are going to report what has happened so far on our mission trip. Yesterday we went to church and received a message from Ron Potter, he is John Perkins son in law. He preached on Samson and how God always has another move when you have hardships. What stood out to us as a group was how engaging Pastor Potter was giving his message, along with the whole church praising God. After a great time at church we went to enjoy some succulent, fresh and soft peaches, and boiled peanuts from a farmers market.

Last year we worked on the home of a missionary in Jackson named Jamie Rasberry. We worked on a bathroom floor in her unfinished house last year for her to move in to so she could continue serving the community. Jamie has trusted the Lord to continue to supply her with the gifts and tools needed to build her house, and she was able to move in in April. She now has two boys from the community living with her, and ministers to about 50-70 other kids in her neighborhood on a regular basis. We were able to hear an update on her life in her fully remodeled, refurbished and AIR CONDITIONED humble living quarters.

Advancing to today, we worked on a Voice of Calvary renovated house that is now ready to have a family move in to. Our mission team worked on cleaning the interior and exterior of the previously dirty home with activities such as raking pine needles, cutting down tree limbs, and cleaning baseboards. Lastly, we corrected the improperly fastened doorknobs in order to establish the interior decor of the house. It was a full day of work! Have a fantastic 4th of July and we look forward to blogging again.

-Matt & Marcel

Greetings from Jackson, MS!

Good afternoon!

Thank you for your prayers for our Jackson, MS team. We arrived safely after a long day of travel last night around 6:30. We enjoyed dinner at Cracker Barrel and then grocery shopped  at Walmart, and got to our house for the week at about 10:00 p.m. We saw God's protection and faithfulness all throughout our travel yesterday. We had no lost luggage, a smooth drive from Atlanta to Jackson, and good weather to travel in..we are grateful! 

We experienced a challenging and encouraging message at church this morning, and are looking forward to seeing some friends this afternoon. 

Please pray for energy, health, positive attitudes, and boldness in conversations about the good news of the Gospel with those we meet. 

Blessings,

Kerry & the team

And they are on their way! Please pray for our Jackson, MS Mission Team as they have begun their travels to Jackson today! What an awesome God we serve!