Photos of Mission Trip to Natal, Brazil - August 2010

1. The Work

Day 1: Lots of dirt, not much more.

By the end of Day 1, big improvement!

Day 2: On the scaffold already.

Day 3: Rounded wall for the front of the church sanctuary.

Day 4: We keep hanging in there, and the work continues on!

Colleen Turner (right) gets to lay a brick

Day 5:

View from existing church balcony, indicating that much brick has been laid,
concrete poured, and shows the progress Starkey Road Baptist Church has made for
our sisters and brothers in Christ while working in Natal.

Colleen Turner was one of several hard workers.

This was truly a teamwork effort. Many hands made light work, for the purpose of shining the Light of Christ in this neighborhood as a testimony of our heartfelt interest in them for Him.

Taking a break from work to share the Gospel with curious children.

Other work activities:

Bonnie Turner (front right) was on this team and did other projects throughout the week.

Lots of flannelgraph Bible characters cut out ALL week long!

2. The Wonder

Though limited, we did have opportunity to relax by enjoying the scenery and delighting in different foods.

The Dune is a main tourist attraction in Natal, Brazil.

Dining, Brazilian style.

3. The Worship

Church service begins with a prayer that we did not understand, but we knew the heart
of the one who prayed and the God to whom that prayer was directed.

Our group gathers at the front for a photo.

Goodbyes and Gratitudes.

Kindness of Strangers

Photography is one way to capture memories. Another way is to write about it. That is what I attempt to do today.

The kindness of a stranger can be the brightest thing we'll ever see when things are bleak and dreary.

This happened to our young family in 1977. My wife, three year old daughter, and I had purchased two and a half acres of undeveloped land outside of Brooksville, Florida. We knew no one in town, and had hired a transfer company to haul our 14 x 70 mobile home from New Port Richey to our new property. 

Problem. 

Our acreage was 600 feet off the paved road and we wanted the front of the trailer to be nearest the dirt road. So, I suggested that the driver back our trailer down the path and advised where he ought to begin turning. He no sooner got the back tires of the semi-truck off the pavement and they began to spin and bury themselves. He disconnected the truck before the tires got too far down into the earth. Fortunately he had a farm tractor with his equipment. Hooking it to the trailer those giant wheels gave us opportunity to applaud the instantaneous progress! But as soon as the steering wheel was turned THOSE wheels began to dig away at the dirt. He unhooked the trailer from the tractor, told us he did everything he could do, and left us defenseless in a strange land. We felt absolutely deserted!

Picture this: a one lane dirt road, vacant lands on both sides, and a 14 x 70 mobile home stretching across both sides and beyond. We wondered if our new neighbors, whom we had never met, would be agitated, angry, or worse.

And we were broke, having no money to stay in a motel. The three of us stayed in that trailer for at least two nights with no electric, no water, and no hope. At night, we wondered if someone would drive into the trailer, shoot at it, or attack in some other way.

Again, we knew no one, but we drove to town trying to find answers for our questions about this involuntary dilemma we were in. If a farm tractor can't move that trailer from that sand pit, what would? And how much would that cost us?

Through a variety of folks it was finally advised that we contact an excavating business. Our hopes began to rise as the plan unfolded. After spending the last two days and nights in hopeless wonder we were grateful for anything that appeared to be positive reinforcement.

The "tiny" Caterpillar was pulled on a trailer behind his pickup truck. He hooked the pickup to the front hitch of our trailer, then drove the Caterpillar to the rear of our trailer. Chains were connected to the axle, allowing the "Cat" to pull it. Long story short, it worked!  

We had no idea what this "expensive" equipment would cost, and I suppose the owner was in a predicament regarding how much to charge the newcomers. His kindness has been remembered over the past thirty three years, because a meager fee of $50 was all the bill came to. Wow! Relief! Hope returned to our damaged hearts and we could see light again! All because of a stranger's kindness.

PS: Our neighbors ended up being wonderful folks, each of whom we loved dearly!

Daughter's Wedding

Colleen was married two weeks ago to Jim Hodson. They are renting a little starter home not far from us.
Jim's parents drove down from Flowery Branch, Georgia to attend the wedding, and we got along so well together. It was a delightful experience, to say the least. Here are a few photos of the wedding, each done with an edit in Photoshop:

I created a "mood" by duplicating and enlarging portions of this one.

Special feature: would make a great broach.

Decorations at the wedding were sunflowers. Notice that this photograph is surrounded by sunflowers.

Missing Brazil

Less than two weeks ago I was with a group sent from my church on a mission trip to Natal, Brazil. Besides the lengthy flights both to and from the time there was absolutely rewarding. I miss it already.

We worked hard while building a new sanctuary for Igreja Batista Regular Emaus. The work was such a teamwork effort I even miss the laboring together. But the people...I miss the people. It's not like I could really communicate with them since my deafness and the different language they speak posed immediate issues. But the interaction in spite of these difficulties made it all worthwhile. I would do it all over again if given the opportunity. Most, or all of us, would do the same.

By now I see what I have missed by not following God's call on my life early in life. Instead of following what I felt was His call for me I did things my way. I robbed Him, but the one who lost the valuables was yours truly.

If you feel God's call on your life, please pay close attention to what I just stated, then fully commit yourself to Him. It might seem so difficult and maybe even impossible, but you'll be so glad you did. Trust me. I know. 

Back from Brazil

I have a confession to make...I'm tired!


After spending a week in Natal, Brazil doing a combination of construction and ministry programs our group of around 40 successfully landed in Orlando last night while the sun was landing on the horizon. The bus taking us to SRBC was full of people who would rather be sleeping in beds than in another plane or bus seat. No doubt, we will make up for some of that over the next few days. Bonnie wondered if Pastor Tom had the day off today, and I wondered if he would "call in sick". I know he earns his money while working among the people of Starkey, but he REALLY earned his money there. He was consistently busy laying brick, going where he was needed at the construction site, and was a real work horse at any of the events we attended. My respect for him multiplied tenfold through this week. We are privileged to have him as one of our pastors at Starkey.

For now we trust the Lord of the Harvest to water the seed that we were able to sow while being dedicated and determined to work beyond what any of us expected of ourselves. The display of teamwork from the oldest to youngest was absolutely phenomenal! And to think that I was able to be a part of this effort leaves me speechless. Words cannot express the deep feelings in my heart to know that God used me. Where words fail, tears of joy fill the void.

Another confession...I took too many photos. I know that and so does everyone else. Just ask them. :-) But these photos act as a chronicle of the efforts we made to make things work. So, that being said, I know without a doubt that browsing through to find the best amongst them will enable us to express to those who prayed for our safety that their prayers were heard. Nothing happened that was beyond repair. But, we did have a a close call when the oldest brick mason could have become a casualty when the wind blew down the narrow wall he was working on. God must have planned for me to be on the ground that day, and not up on the scaffold. Joe was up, I was down, and when the wall came tumbling down so did Joe. Suffice it to say that I was able to catch him before he hit the ground. In spite of this Joe got "back on the horse" and is a living example of God's grace, a grace that allows us to continue the work in spite of falling down. I believe we share a common respect for Joe that is far higher than we had before this incident.

Please enjoy a few photos taken in leisure time while being thrilled to see God do the artwork in the sky.

There's a lot more where these few came from. Our God is an awesome God!

The day is approaching...

Our church is sending 39 people from (including the four of us from the Turner household) to Natal, Brazil this next Sunday. AND, are we ever excited! Just hoping we do NOT forget to take something important.

I will be adding photos when the opportunity arises, both during the trip and afterwards. In fact, I hope that there are some beautiful "from the sky" snaps I can take. Perhaps I am only dreaming, but then, I will be in the clouds, won't I? Most of the travel will be overnight, but the arrival of the plane is around 7:00 am and that should afford some minimal occasions to become "snap happy" at the end of the flight and let me sleep through most of it.

More later, so keep checking this site for info and photos.

Away for the weekend

Every so often it is great to get away from it all. This weekend I am in the Atlanta area, enjoying time with my Mom and other family we have up here. The travel from St Petersburg was as expected...long and tiring. Bonnie and I shared driving responsibilities. We were both tired since we had worked all day, and neither of us had slept any during the day. Leaving at 10:00 PM was challenging, but rewarding at the same time. We were able to arrive north of Atlanta prior to the morning work traffic and get here early enough to enjoy breakfast.

We've already enjoyed time with Mother and with Jeremy and Jessy and their children (our grandkids, of course). My nephews Jimmy and Robby were also in on the activities, with Robby's wife and kids helping entertain us. :-)

We hope to go see the laser show at Stone Mountain this evening. Hopefully the weather will allow it. I am anxious to see what my camera proves it can do with my prodding eyes.

The photos speak for themselves as you browse!

NEWS FLASH:
I've been chosen as a vendor for Suncoast Hospice Arts and Crafts Show.

Plan to visit us on November 6th at the Roosevelt Service Center.

You'll be surprised at what's available at my booth.

Landscapes

 

Flowers

 

Life

And a whole lot more will be added soon.

Come on back to visit!

Each photo can be purchased in 4x6, 11x14, 12x16, 16x20, 20x24, and 20x30.