fumcsr's blog

by Andrea Davis

By Alicia De Toffoli

You wait in a crowded airport at an unthinkable hour for a flight taking you far away from your home. You endure a dull plane ride, then a layover in a maze-like airport larger than anything you can comprehend (let alone navigate), then a final plane ride. Only this one is different. It is taking you to the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi. Compared to the plane you rode in from California to Texas, this plane is a pea next to a pumpkin.

In Pastor Greg’s sermon last week we heard that “God calls us to live our faith, and that out spiritual practices push us out into the world to do God’s work”.

My week in Biloxi with the VIM team gave me the opportunity to do both of these things and to watch many others doing the same. A million volunteers have come to the Mississippi Gulf Coast over the past two year to practice their faith and as a result there has been a profound impact on the lives and culture of the region.

Today, this area has

It's not about you. In Biloxi, this message was constantly drilled into our minds, and rightfully so. Nobody wants a bunch of volunteers complaining about how their lunch didn't taste good, or how much they want a better bed. For many, including myself, this transformation was difficult. In everyday life we are constantly worrying about ourselves, what errands do have to do? When do have to wake up? Who do have to meet with?