Mission Trip to East Prairie, Missouri
On Thursday, March 4, 2010 eleven members of Wesley United Methodist Church left for a 4 day mission trip to the Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center in East Prairie, Missouri. The group consisted of Tim and Sherry Ripperger, Art Wilkins, Edwin Bybee, Joanne Newcomer, Mollie McGlone, Pat Proctor, Ron and Wendy Hansen, Evie Miller and our leader Mike Flynn.
Upon arrival to the center late Thursday afternoon and after a brief introduction to the facility by Dr. Martha Black, the following items were tackled by the team:
- Over several hours that day, a closet of clothes items was organized, sorted, and boxed.
- Over 297 pairs of shoes were paired together and boxed for delivery to their additional facility in Charleston on Friday morning for a sale. Additional items were boxed up on Friday for a total of two trailer loads of items taken to the facility in Charleston for sale.
- Their computer closet was completely reorganized with outdated items gotten rid of and other software/hardware items separated out as to what should be kept to use at the facility and what could be sold to raise money for the facility. This was a labor intensive two day process.
- A canopy, which connected two doors to the facility, was caulked to prevent water from entering the doors.
- Five benches in the courtyard were scraped, and painted.
- The courtyard planting beds and the planter at the entrance to the building were mulched.
- An exterior entry door was given two coats of paint inside and out.
- One office in the computer lab had two brick walls scraped, primed, and top coat painted. Several ceiling tiles were also replaced.
- Another office had an air duct repaired and ceiling tile replaced.
- One bathroom had the vanity solidly attached to the wall, the sink base adhered and caulked to the wall. The base wall under the shower was repaired and a new vinyl base installed to prevent water from getting into the wall and causing additional damage. The shower head was replaced with a low flow capacity head.
- The kitchen was completely cleaned, the utensils were sorted out and washed; the cabinet shelves were washed; the sink drain system was completely replaced with new material and a malfunctioning garbage disposal was removed. The wood serving counter (18 feet by 2.5 feet) was stripped, sanded, and refinished with two coats of polyurethane.
In addition to working on projects through the weekend, two individuals also furnished and cooked wonderful meals for the group. We did not go hungry!!
Saturday evening the group attended a contemporary worship service of the local United Methodist Church held in their annex. It is an ecumenical ministry, attempting to draw a wide variety of persons from the area into fellowship with Christ.
Susanna Wesley's mission is to build healthy families. This is accomplished by providing youth with a safe environment while supporting parents as they create a nurturing home for their families and develop skills that lead to self-supporting independence. Programs provided include:
- Adult and Youth Job Training
- Court Advocacy for Victims of Violent Crimes
- Direct Services to Victims of Domestic Violence
- Literacy Programs
- Preschool Daycare
- School-aged Youth Programs
- Technical Support
Thanks to the 2010 Confirmation Class and our Prayer Partners for their encouraging and supportive notes and prayers!! And a big THANK YOU goes to Wesley Mission Team member Mike Flynn for organizing and coordinating this mission trip.
