Wow, what a beginning. It has been a very busy month and a half. A lot has already began and changed in this trip and I’m very grateful I can share it with you all. In the first 3 weeks, we started training at the Adventures in Missions base in Georgia. Training looked like a lot of different things. Monday through Friday we had a very planned out schedule-lots of team and relationship building with each other. This was very important so that we could start to learn how to work with one another-and of course we all are so different and have something unique to bring to the body of Christ. It has been beautiful to see how all of us have many different gifts and strengths. Another thing we did during the week were group sessions. We had many speakers come in and talk about the realities of going into other cultures around the world and knowing the best way to be a person of Christ in these countries. This comes with having to be very adaptable and understanding to the type of the people if it means to bring them just a hint of the love of God. 1 Corinthians 9:20 And to wrap up training in a few sentences-we all have been coming together closer everyday in unity. It has been a taste of heaven to be completely surrounded by fellow believers my age in pursuing God’s plan for our lives. Even as we have been living out of a tent through weeks of rain, mold growing in our tents, clothes that smell because of the humidity of the Georgia weather-I have loved every moment and am grateful I have gotten to hand wash my clothes.
For the last few weeks my team has been down at the coast of Louisiana partnering with Samaritan’s Purse in disaster relief from the side effects of hurricane Ida. If you aren’t familiar with SP, they are the organization that do Operation Christmas Child at probably every church in the US haha. They are a huge organization completely funded by donations around the world. I got the privilege to work with some of their leadership the entire time I was with them. Down below is a picture of me with a man named Don-he got to be one of my mentors throughout the week. While I chainsawed trees off of roofs, sheds, and yards-he used the skid steer to clear everything out. We got to work very intimately.
My group mostly removed trees from peoples properties. Other groups did the same and repaired roofs, removed mold damage, repaired water damage. Another thing to remember is that all of these people are volunteers that are using the equipment funded by donations. And some of these people have been doing this for 10+ years. My group was usually able to complete 1-2 houses a day-and after we completed the job we got to present the homeowner with a Bible. This leads me to the story of Johnny. Johnny was a man that lived in the backwoods of rural Louisiana. Him and his wife had a beautiful little elevated house (similar to the houses along the river back home). When I presented the Bible to him, he started to get teary eyed and went on to explain that the flood waters had came up into his shed and destroyed the Bible that he had owned. So I got to give him a Bible that we had all signed. He also asked if he could get a SP hat (we had some pretty cool hats) so I got to leave mine with him.
That is just one of the many stories that happened and are yet to come. Below are some pictures of my group and me using the chainsaw.
As I’m writing this blog, I’m sitting back at the base in Georgia. We have one more short week here to then leave for Antigua, Guatemala Friday. An update for everyone to know is that the last two countries have been changed. The second place we are now going to is Johannesburg in South Africa and the third is Romania in Eastern Europe. The reason to this change is for many reasons-but God knew all along these were the places we were actually heading to, and I’m okay with that. This last week I will be preparing mentally, spiritually, and physically to go live in South America for the next three months. Couldn’t be more ready. Thank you all for your prayers-they are felt- and continue to pray for safety, wisdom, and boldness in this next season of my life and the whole squads. -Through Jesus, Zach Flowers
Great stuff Zach, I’m happy to read it’s going well. Plant as many seeds as you can, in the end that’s really the only thing you can take with you to heaven, the people in which you planted seeds. If it doesn’t matter the day you die, it does not matter.
“For all the peoples walk each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.”
??Micah? ?4:5? ?
I envy you Zach, you are doing meaningful work and helping others while exhibiting the love of our Lord Jesus. Take care and you have my prayers for safety and provision of the Holy Spirit.
Thank you for your update, Zach. We are so proud of you. May God bless you and may his angels take charge of you and bear you up in their arms so that your feet won’t even dash a stone. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Amen.
I am so happy you are doing well and learning so much. Your family has always been so God loving and I’m so happy you always had them for support. I am 73 now and I have to say I think I have learned more from Church and the Bible in the last 2 years than I have in my entire life. I was always physically there but it became like a weekly assignment to me. I love church now and I am in a Bible Study group and I read scripture every night. I know I still have a lot to learn. I told Jeff the other day I just hope I can live longer so I can learn more.
Take care. Nancy Wollenweber
Thank you so much for posting a blog it is very interesting and you have a wonderful way with words that we can see what you’ve been doing and the pictures are nice as well. I imagine you are all getting close as when you’re away from what you know and family you tend to get closer to people with a common goal. I’m so glad you guys are taking into consideration the different cultures and what’s important to other people as you approach them with messages from God… very exciting- have fun and stay healthy!
Zach you are so brave and blessed. I enjoy reading your updates and look forward telling the kids at church how you are doing. You are a mighty man of God and we are going to continue to cover you in prayer. Enjoy this season and hurry home to share your experiences with us.
Xach, I am blessed to know such a wonderful young man. I think we are all growing in our faith with so many of our community doing these mission trips. Thankyou for taking us along journey. I was blessed this week with Kanyon and Reece, my grandson’s getting Baptized. God has a mission for us all and he will be there with us on our journies. God Bless you and keep you safe.