Washing Feet in West Virginia

So I got the chance to put together a little slideshow together of my mission trip to West Virginia this past weekend and though it's been a long time coming in sharing them, these pictures are only a few of the many photos I took and even they don't give this trip enough justice.

As I did last year, I was blessed with another opportunity to work with the nonprofit ministry group called Samaritan's Feet, they are a Missions ministry that is focused on bringing hope to children and the youth everywhere, by sharing love and compassion through washing feet and by giving out shoes. {If you get the chance read more about Samaritan's Feet and it's founder, Manny }. We also teamed up again with the groups Playbook for Life, Medical Samaritans, and Coca Cola {yes Coca Cola the drink ... think about that the next time you grab for a can of soda} and we all served in a little old town called Bradshaw.

We woke up at the crack of dawn to drive up the mountains to this little town where we washed feet , gave out shoes and ministered to people all day long. Though we came with multiple groups we lacked a few helping hands in the washing department, so that's where I ended up staying for most of the day, besides leading worship with my "geetar" and Hope.

Washing stranger's feet has been
the most humbling experience of my life.

So often we neglect the feet we walk on and where we let our little feet go, and if our feet could talk ... oh the stories they could tell. So to be given the opportunity to do what Jesus did and humble myself before God and before others ... I am so grateful, now more than ever, for the two little feet I call my own and for the shoes I put on them.

Maybe your wondering why West Virginia, and why this particular town ... well the people who live there live off of little or nothing at all and many of the children there are neglected and or abused. There are 4 year old boys with tattoos and little girls being sold to prostitution to make money for themselves or their families. There are 4th graders pregnant and incest that grows as rampant as the ivy growing in and around the high schools that have become vacant lots and mausoleum of education. For years they've shut down all the local high schools because of a lack of money and resources so the children are only get educated till about the 6-7 grade.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than to see children stripped of their innocence and left with such little to make of themselves. I know that God is doing mighty things every time the mission trip is brought back there and I just hope and pray that God continues to mold them and even their families making opportunities for change and growth every single day.

I don't know exactly how much of a difference I've made in the lives of these people, it's something I might never know ... but for me, these people have changed my life forever, some of them since the moment I'd met them last year. They have taught me humility, gratitude, contentment, strength and how to really be a servant, most especially Brother Jr. and his congregation at Open Arms Ministries. These people still give and give and give, when they have such little to begin with.

When I think of all that I have but yet I still want more, compared to what little these people have, I am put to shame. I thank God for giving me a chance to go on this trip again and for putting me in my place and showing me what humility and servitude really mean.

"After that, he poured water into a basin

and began to wash his disciples' feet,

drying them with the towel

that was wrapped around him."

- John 13:5

Setting sun

The drive out to West Virginia was long, about 7 hours one way but it was a beautiful trip. I've not seen a more beautiful sunset, and though these photos are some of my best ... they still don't do enough justice to what we saw in person.

Mission Trip Count Down - Year #2

So much is happening in my chaotic little life,

that I haven't had the time to blog about this

excitement stirring in my heart.

And it's here in 2 days.

Last year I was blessed with this amazing opportunity to go on a mission trip to a small town in West Virginia and by God's amazing grace I've been given that opportunity once again. It was a trip that changed me for the better and taught me humility and gratitude in a whole new light, even if it was only for a weekend.

I remember the excitement and nervousness I felt right before the trip last year, and now I feel it all over again. Also I'm thrilled to have the chance to go back to the same people and see what the Lord has done in a year's time and bear witness to what the Lord will do this year.

This trip is going to be a little different from last years due to a few occurrences in the town, but I know the Lord will move mountains if we allow Him to use us to do so. I won't lie, I'm pretty nervous because I'll actually be leading worship and be playing the guitar for the church while we're there. It's a huge responsibility that they entrusted me with and as for guitar playing it's something I'm not even trusted with here at home, but I'm grateful to have the opportunity to for this trip.

I pray that the Lord does great things this weekend and if it's of no trouble to you, could you please keep me and the group Samaritan's Feet in your prayers this weekend as we minister and reach out to the people of Bradshaw, WV. Thank you and God bless.

I'll be away for my computer this weekend
but do keep sending in those ideas for the
*** Halo Halo Win Contest !***

Happy Weekend to You.

Mission trip Summary

The trip started out Friday morning just me, Hope and her Dad Jay ... with a scenic 6 hour drive out to Claypool West Virginia.


After getting settled in at our hotel We met with all four mission groups Samaratan's Feet, Coca Cola, Medical Samaratan's and Playbook for life for dinner. Both Hotel accomodations and food were provided by Coke.

Early Saturday morning we all met up for Breakfast to get instructions and directions to start our day. The we all ventured of to the little town of Bradshaw up in the mountains about 45-50 mins away.

Once we arrived in Bradshaw we were told a bit about the history of the church we were working with and this was their current church building.

At around 8 in the morning it was about 40 degrees outside and fog covered the whole area till the sun peaked out over the mountains later in the morning.

Further on down the road was their new church site. It sits right in between two of little mountain peaks and consists of two large storage houses as their church building.

The moment we got their at about 8 we had our work cut out for us. We had to unload boxes and boxes of shoes and unpack each individual pair so that they'd be ready to be put on.

Before unpacking all the shoes we received our Samaritan's Feet t-shirts and went to work.

While unloading all the shoes a pile of empty shoe boxes started to pile up outside.

Here is my papa for the weekend Jay and the handsome Nigerian is Manny, the man who started this whole ministry.

I love Manny, and as you can see he's quite a tall man but it's perfect because the size of his heart and the size of his passion for serving God and serving others fits his size to a tee.

This is Mike (the first Michael of two from that day) and He was my first partner. He was one of the first feet washers of the day and I ran for him (Got the shoes and socks for him)

Before we even got started the Coca Cola team already started building the stage and pulpit for the church and through out the day you could hear them at work hammering and working the day away. It was quite an experiance seeing Coke help build up a church.

Before any one came in to get their feet washed and get a new pair of shoes and socks they had to be sized first.

Then the washing began.

And shoes were given.


And souls were saved, and lives were changed.

This is the other Mike. My newest brother.

And that day I met Mike, Mike met my friend Jesus.

A the end of the day we had a outdoor service for the church and the people of Bradshaw.

And the Pastor was brought to his knees.

By the end of the day 303 pairs of shoes were given, and before those 303 pairs were recieved about 300 pairs of feet walked in and were washed, prayed for and love. Though there is one number that remains unkonwn, probably the most important one to know, but countless came to know Jesus as their Savior and Lord that day... only God knows.

I am absolutely blessed and grateful for the group of people we went with and I pray that were ever God leads them next that God will do great and mighty things with all of them.


The trip seemed all to short by the time it ended but I know that the work and the seeds that were planted that weekend in the hearts of the people of Bradshaw have only just begun to grow.



Dear Lord,
I pray that you be with that little town of people who are broken, lost and in need of love. I know that only you can take care of their every need whether it be physical or spiritual. So I lift them up to you and I thank you for allowing me to spend a weekend with them "loving on them" and bring them to You.
-Your Servant

{There is soo much more I'd love to share about my trip, so stay tuned for more}

Debriefing: Mission trip {WV}

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength,
because He considered me faithful, putting me in His ministry."
1 Timothy 1:12

Because I don't know where to even start, I'll begin at the end.

It was an absolute blessing to have spent my weekend sharing the love of God in Bradshaw West Virginia with this wonderful group of missionaries. I have to many words, and to blessings from this mission trip to share with you ... that it can not be contained in single one blog.

But for now I wanted to praise God for giving me the opportunity to work and serve with this wonderful ministry called Samaratan's feet . It was an absolutely humbling experience to share God's love through washing feet along side them and I pray that You continue to bless them and use this ministry to reach those in need of both Your love and salvation.