Mission Photo Album

James Fund / Good Goers Mission Trip

Oaks, Oklahoma

January 9-14, 2012

Cheering on the Lady Warriors

Team doing the “Wave”

Team members were OPEN to creating hope, action, and change

Camaraderie

New Friendships Forged

MAGNETIC

COURAGEOUS PASSIONATE

OPEN AUTHENTIC

ESSENTIAL

Our week at the Oaks Indian Mission was full of God’s wondrous acts. His first wondrous act was to get all 25 us there on time. This was the largest James Fund/Good Goers team ever commissioned to serve. Because of our size we split the group up into four 6–person teams – just like the Navy Seals … but different.

TEAM 1 took on the task of building new bunk beds for the Guest House which future James Fund teams will appreciate. Four shiny new bunks and a total of eight new beds for future teams completed and stained by weeks’ end.

TEAM 2 built a beautiful deck on which the future Green House and “Gardener Training Center” will be built. They also laid new flooring, new carpet, rehabbed, and refurbished another cottage for future teams. The new cottage is in move–in shape thanks to Team 2.

TEAM 3 blessed the house parents of one of the cottages by doing laundry… 22 loads in 6 hours, plus cleaned rooms, walls, closets, and floors to take the burden off of the house parents. Team 3 also rehabbed and cleaned one of the vacant children’s cottages in preparation for future house parents and kids from a growing waiting list.

TEAM 4 stocked and organized the garment room and then tackled a total re-painting of the kitchen. Once they were done there, they began the up-dating process and painted the basement in one of the children’s cottages. Busy little team they were.

“Seal Team” ready to serve…

Laying a Foundation for the Green House

Not deterred by 20° F weather

Indian Heritage

Native American lacrosse is also known as stickball.

Creating Ripples

God will use the team’s TOUCHES to create ripples in the lives of the Oaks

family.

Never the Same

Here I go… In the crazy beautiful mosaic of pictures that this week has

been the biggest image for me is "time concept with

intention". As I played and loved on all these special children

thoughts of "why don't I do this at home" kept coming to me.

Why do I waste time on perfectly cleaning the house? Who

cares if the floor is covered with toys? As I sit writing this, Oaks

children are waiting for me to come out and play. Here I go…

Because a long story is less important that the last half hour I

get to spend with these beautiful broken children.

by Sarah Price

My picture of the week was how

the team came together as one

body. We served and showed

God's love to the children and the

staff, making sure that we left no

one out. Indeed Christ lives in all

of us. Keep pressing forward …

by Lasonya Oxendine

One Body

At Family Christian, we’ve always sought a greater role in ministry. Helping customers find, grow, share and celebrate their faith through our nearly 300 stores is incredibly enriching. However, we began to see that we were called to do more; for years, we prayerfully considered new opportunities to enter deeper into ministry life. Ultimately, we were moved to take up the call to action found in James 1:27 – to look after orphans and widows in distress. It was the beginning of The James Fund and a mission that would inspire Good Goers Mission-Based Adventures.

The James Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Family Christian Stores to meet the needs of orphans and widows in the communities it serves and around the world. Family Christian, through The James Fund, partners with their customers in a shared mission; reaching out to orphans and widows, showing them the love of our Heavenly Father. Through the Foundation, Family Christian customers participate in various in-store promotions.

The James Fund serves orphans and widows in four primary ways:

• adoption assistance programs

• hands-on orphan and widow care work

• quality of life improvements for orphans and widows

• encourage the Church to fulfill God’s commitments to orphans and widows