Pastor Calvin Reed’s dad Kinsey was a dear friend of mine and one of my richest mentors as a new pastor. Kinsey always drove a huge “boat” of a car; always clean and a car that one would say “stood out from all the rest”!

Kinsey’s wife Lois always wore a hat and most times white gloves. They were a real class act! Every Sunday morning Kinsey and Lois would stop with their prize car at the mushroom farm and pick up a group of less than clean migrant worker’s kids for church.

They would pull up in front of the church building each Sunday and all these kids would tumble out of the back seat. Now I must add that mushroom farms have a distinct odor and are surrounded by rotten straw and horse manure. All three were left behind in the Reed’s flashy car.

I asked Kinsey one time, “Don’t you mind getting your car dirty. His answer still is fresh in my mind, “I would if it was my car, but it’s God’s car and He seems not to mind!”

I have always attempted to put that principle into practice. Now back to our bodies being a living sacrifice - that may be tough to do if it were YOUR body, but it makes much more sense and is much easier when one realizes that the body I place on the alter already belongs to God.

Are you ready to give God your all? Next time you feel God is asking too much of your, remember my dear friend Kinsey Reed!

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New Trip Registered

June 6 to June 18

Cedar Crest and Emmaus going to Spain (John and Judy Nicely) for a construction project at the TEAM school.

Tom Maurer Tommaurer@gpu.com

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You can send feed back to most items in Let’s Fish by using the weblog. Simply click on the weblog link, find the article and leave a comment. Short note of encouragement found this week on the weblog in relationship to the article on How Does This World View Us?:

Good stuff, Dana!
Rob V

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“How Majestic is His Name”

It is still unbelievable to me how God works in the hearts of those who don’t know him. Two weeks ago a friend from my church, Tom, called me to ask if I was interested in going to the Majestic Semi-Annual sale in Bangor. Majestic sells sports related clothing, all approved by the NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB associations. Tom told me that he had a friend that worked there and that his friend might be able to introduce us to the owner. Well I got up early that Saturday and we even stood in line outside the factory for about forty-five minutes. When we got inside Tom introduced me to his friend Don and Don then introduced me to the owner of the company. She explained to me that certain merchandise would have to be shredded if it was not sold and that if I could come back the next day that she would let me have any or all that I thought I could use. Have is the operative word, have, not sell, have!! Robyn and I went back the next day, Sunday, with our church clothes on and filled ten contractor garbage bags with baseball shirts, sweatshirts, hats, fleece, etc. All with sports logo on it and all FREE!! Praise His name, He truly is Majestic in all of the earth!

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You are so right about the importance of journaling. What makes so much of a profound impression on you during the trip is quickly lost when back in the hectic life of America. Many times in straightening up my files I have thought that I could discard the old notes from trips. But, as I begin to flip through them and am reminded of precious people I have met and significant displays of God's faithfulness I realize that I must retain them. I am also challenged then to remember commitments made and my responses to God that have become dim as time passes and the trip has become a distant memory.

A suggestion that might be useful would be to have the team members write letters to themselves which the team leader will mail in 6 months time. The letter written near the end of the trip could contain memories, reflections, and challenges to think about what you hope you have learned and the desired impact it will make on your life compared to what your life is like after you have been back in the good old USA for 6 months.

Good suggestions regarding photos. I do not promise to send photos, but do try to follow up the trip by sending some pictures back to the church(es) we have worked with. This is often quite meaningful to them. It also helps them as they remember and process the impact of your being with them. Also, we usually have one official, appointed, and recognized team photographer with a good film camera and someone with a digital camera. We discourage team members from bringing other cameras. Your idea of the disposable ones for personal people shots is good. On the return of the team we provide everyone with a set of pictures that the team photographer has taken. This cost is built into the trip. This eliminates the problem of 15 cameras taking the same shot as well as making security for the camera easier. Everyone is watching out for one camera that it doesn't walk away, be forgotten, or become an item of curiosity.

One other thing that we have done that helps with the security of items. For each trip I buy several rolls of colored duct tape. The wilder or uncommoner the color, the better. Each piece of luggage, carry on, boxed supply item, camera bag, etc is marked with this tape. A 12 inch piece doubled over a handle is adequate. It is surprisingly difficult to remove. This aids in recognizing items on the luggage carousel. It also helps with security as team members will not always recognize someone else’s backpack that starts to walk away, but they will recognize a stranger carrying something marked with team duct tape. Also, in the event that the airline does something creative with your luggage it makes describing it a little easier. You will of course have a list of each piece of luggage, its description, and general contents, and its number, but if you can also say it has bright blue duct tape wrapped around it, that will prove helpful to the airport staff in recovering your missing baggage.

Thanks for your good work on Let's Fish,
John Elias
(John and Karen just left last week to return to England as career missionaries!)

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