“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 […]

Patience is not a characteristic that we often associate with children, particularly not children in 2023. One of the reasons for this is that many of us no longer teach children HOW to be patient; probably because it takes a fair bit of time and patience on the part of the parents, both of which […]

Week 1 A few of Gaithersburg Presbyterian Preschool and Kindergarten and the GPC Young Families favorite stories to listen to online. Dinosaur Starts School, Edwards https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTf48Pbq97Y Maisey Goes to Preschool, Cousins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygw4KWfi-jg Goodbye Brings Hello, White https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5k1wYRFmc0 All Are Welcome, Penfold https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwS3FOn4-Ow Our Class is a Family, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw9NstM1Q4E  Click, Clack Quack Go to School, Cronin […]

Chapter 21:1, I saw heaven and earth new created. Gone the first heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.  The Message: God is all about patterns, symmetry and balance. We see it throughout God’s creation. We see it all around us as we also see, implicit in that creation, infinite love and a deep-seated […]

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 […]