This was my first year attending Rural Missions. For years I had heard my dad (Ron Jackson) talk about the wonderful people he met and the truly great things that he did while down in South Carolina. Finally after many years of trying, I was able to take the time and go. Nothing prepared me for what I was about to experience.

My father and I arrived earlier than the rest of our group so he took me around to show me the homes he had worked on over the last 16 yrs. He explained what his team did in each and every home. My heart sank. I never thought that in this great country with all that we have, there were people living in homes that looked as though they were about to collapse. It made me angry to think that the same American people who give so much to other countries are allowing “our own” to live this way. I thought, ” GOD must have a plan.”

Our team was divided into two groups. My group worked on the Duffy’s home. We went there because of a “squishy” bathroom floor and ended up doing repairs to his heating ducts, fixing his leaking pipes, fixing his back stairs, fitting the home with a new bath tub, purchasing a new stove, doing roof repairs and and planting a perennial garden to “beautify ” the front yard.

On our last day while planting the garden I overheard Mr. Duffy talking to someone from Rural Missions. He was crying as he thanked and praised God for what we had done for he and his family, it was at that moment that I realized just how important Rural Missions and we were to him.

Saying goodbye was truly hard. There were hugs and tears and more hugs and tears I just didn’t want to leave. Mrs. Duffy and I promised to write to each other and Mrs. Duffy promised to visit if she ever got back up north and I told her that I was going to be knocking on their door next year when I came back down for Rural Missions. She told me that we were family now, and that stopping by was part of being a family.

You never know what God has planned for you. I’m just really glad that God has made Rural Missions part of my plan.

Fix a home, and gain friends, life doesn’t get better than that.

Laurie McCarron

Filed under: Mission by Rural Missions Team Member