On Sunday, June 7, 2009, fifteen of our church family left for Haven of Rest Family Ministries in Inez, Ky. Haven of Rest ministers to families of inmates at the Big Sandy Federal Prison by providing them with a place to stay including both room and board at no real cost to the families. It is very evident that God has blessed this ministry and we are honored to be able to help them in their ministry.

Day 1: We left around 2:00 p.m. and about a half hour into the trip the van started to bounce a little. We checked it out and couldn't see anything wrong so we continued after a brief prayer. A little after four we heard a noise and checked again and this time we could see the tread starting to come off the left rear tire. We went a little farther to a church parking lot where Jim, Jerry, and Bailey changed the tire while the rest of us gave our opinions and support.  Back on the road we stopped in Prestonsburg at Dairy Queen for supper. It was good.  We then made it to Haven of Rest where we were welcomed by Eileen Mullins, director of this ministry. She warned us of copperheads, rattle snakes,  & mountain lions. Some began to rethink their decision to come. Then we saw a beautiful upside down rainbow in the sky above the main building and felt like God was smiling down on us. None of us had ever seen such a beautiful sight.  We took a tour of the place and were very impressed with what God has blessed them with for their ministry. We then went to our rooms which we cleaned from the visitors who had left that afternoon. Ron had to take the Ohio State decorated room because no one else seemed to want it. He graciously moved in.  After some popcorn and a devotional worship service we went to bed ready for a good nights sleep.

Day 2:

We got up and had breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Jerry & Laura with some help fixed a good breakfast of bacon & eggs, fried potatoes, and biscuits. About 8:30 we began our work projects. Jim mowed the lawn. Jerry & Michelle weed eated. Karan, Heather, Hannah, and Bailey mulched the flower beds while Brenda planted flowers. The rest of us, Amy, Alex Josh , Trent, Jason, Laura, and Ron headed to the hillside to level it off and remove rocks so we could reseed it and so the lawn mower would be able to mow it. We had a good lunch and devotions and then went out to finish up our work. After a good supper of beef and noodles we enjoyed a leisurely evening playing games, watching Fievel, American Tale, and chatting. The eveing was capped off by a camp fire with singing, devotions, and s'mores. It was a good day. God is great!

Day 3 & 4

Tuesday's schedule had us doing a lot of different jobs. First we unloaded the shelving we had brought and loading more donations for the second hand store in the trailer. Some of us then left to go to Warfield, KY, to sort clothing and other items for the second hand sotre that help to fund the mission. Others stayed and started staining the deck. Others mulched and planted flowers. We had a late lunch and then got ready to go to Paintsville Lake for an evening of swimming and tubing. Richard, Eileen's son, was very gracious to take us and was wonderful in how he treated us. We all had a great time. There were several wipeouts on the tube which made for some great video footage which we will show at church and possibly on this site later. While there we called back home to find out how the church softball team was doing and received a play by play. We cheered when we heard we had loaded the bases. Too bad we got beat but it was neat to think that here we were miles form home and there was another group of our church family enjoying being together just like we were. We thanked God for giving us such a wonderful church family. We ended the evening with singing, devotions, a sharing time, and prayer before we headed back to Haven of Rest. We were all exhausted. But what a great time together with each other and with God.

The next morning we heard Eileen's testimony. It was very powerful and moving. God is so good and meets our needs in ways that are nothing but miraculous. After lunch we were sad to see Michelle and Hannah leave but they had to get back to the B-ville. The afternoon found us doing odd jobs and a group going to Wal-Mart to purchase supplies for our block party. Ron spent the afternoon helping Eileen get a presentation ready for a meeting she will be going to soon. Rain came in during the afternoon and we were afraid we would have to postpone the block party but God gave us a window of sunny weather and the block party was on. We had a great time with the people at Riverside apartments in Warfield, KY. The residents of the apartments enjoyed hotdogs, chili dogs, hamburgers, chips, and cookies. We really enjoyed getting to know the people and sharing with them, we passed out some children's Bibles and other Bibles, candy, gum, had a drawing for Wal-Mart gift cards, had a inflatable obstacle course for the children, and played corn hole. There got to be a friendly rivalry between Northern Kentucky and Eastern Kentucky. No of us could defeat the Eastern team of David & Edward. We finished 0-9 against them. But it was a lot of fun. We left very blessed with new friends and the joy of sharing the love of Jesus with others. On our return to the mission we were welcomed with home made desssert made by Miss Ann, one of the staff at the mission. It was very good and greatly appreciated.

Day 5 & 6

On Thursday, we didvided into two groups. One stayed at the Haven of Rest to do various jobs, but mostly getting the rooms cleaned for the guests coming in this weekend. the other group went to the Heavenly Treasures second hand store to sort clothing and put it on the racks. In the evening we relaxed and had devotions and sharing time, played eucher, and the younger bunch heade for the border (Taco Bell) at about 11:00 p.m. Us older ones decided if we headed to the border we would wind up heading for the restrooms. we didin't get too many pictures so they will wait until we return and give our presentation to the church on June 21.

Today, we are finishing up a few small projects, packing up, and cleaning the rooms we stayed in. Then we will head back to the Big City of Brooksville. It has been a wonderful week that has built our faith, strengthened our love for one another, and shown us the love and power of our awesome God. As usual we have received way more than we gave. God is Good!