Written by the whole team. This is it. Our final day of work! We received an Emergency Alert Storm Surge Warning for the danger of life-threatening flooding in New Bern. Everyone has been asked to take emergency precautions. For us, that means it is time to pack up and head back to Gaithersburg early tomorrow […]

Written by Lucille Baur Written by Lucille Baur  Sometimes folks refer to Wednesday as “Hump Day” because it is the middle of the week, but in our mission trip parlance it referred to fixing humps in floors at two of our homes. Of course we did plenty of other things as well.  One of the […]

“The Ears of God” Written by Lucille Baur There are twelve of us now on this mission trip. I arrived this morning. The first thing that came to Mary Beth’s mind was the twelve apostles. But after a hard day’s work, we are better described as the Dirty Dozen!  Yesterday all the site workers were […]

Written by: Laura Wilson The day began with Fletcher reading the prayer of St. Teresa of Avila:  “Christ has no body but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.  Yours are the eyes with which He looks with Compassion on this world.  Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.  […]

Written by: Laura Wilson Sunday was calmly quiet from start to day’s end. The cloudy skies and gentle rain created a peaceful backdrop to the day. The drive from GPC to the church in New Bern went smoothly for most, and Mary Beth was already there, ready to greet everyone as they arrived. She and Yvonne arrived a day early, so […]

The last day of our mission trip. We had a large team this year, which allowed us to repair five different homes. The common theme was water damage. That damage had us ripping up ceilings, walls, floors, trim, etc. and replacing them and then repainting. For variety, we also replaced a leaking hot water heater, […]

Our cooking team this year has three women (Carol Bunch, Ella Bastine, and Cecilia Bailey). We have been cooking for the Gaithersburg PDA mission team since 2007. Two of the women on the team start preparing at least two weeks prior to the trip. We brainstorm to establish a menu that is cost effective, besides […]

For over a decade, my father has told me of the wonderful adventures he’s had participating in his PDA trips. He told many stories of the wonderful people he’d met and the interesting and rewarding projects in which he participated. Surprisingly, our calendars and lives finally aligned allowing me to join him. After his 15th […]

“Time is not your friend.” by Fletcher Tukes – This statement guides our service this week.  The need is great!  We are helping as many families as possible so that they can live in safe homes. Five to six families are receiving our knowledge, conversation, and service this week. These homes have a lot of […]

Monday morning arrived bright and sunny with a hint of cool. I was grateful for a cozy, dry sleep after our Sunday drive through a deluge, expertly maneuvered by our “submarine” captain, Lisa. The GPC team gathered gradually, chatting over wake-up beverages, and then was presented with a colorfully nutritious breakfast made by Carol, Ella […]