Mission team returns from Del Rio
By Jillian Lucas
Nine members from the First Baptist Church returned from their annual mission trip in Del Rio this past week.
The team left June 27 and returned July 1.
Albany FBC mission groups have worked with a program called River Ministry in Del Rio for many years.
According to First Baptist Church pastor Jeff Turner, River Ministry has a distribution center where they collect donations and supplies to help local families.
“Our sole purpose while there was to build onto the distribution center and create more space for them to work in,” said Turner.
The group worked mainly on the construction of the building but was able to help in other ways as well.
“We had an outreach night for local families in the area where we were able to just fellowship and share the gospel,” Turner said.
While the guys in the group were working on the building, some of the women who went were given a unique opportunity to serve.
“Our ladies wrote about 230 handwritten thank-you notes to different DPS officers working in the area,” Turner said. “These officers were among those helping patrol the border at Del Rio. I just thought that was such a neat experience for us to be a part of.”
The workers stayed at a house that they had helped convert into a lodging area for mission teams several years ago.
“We stayed with Granny B,” said Turner. “She is always so gracious and giving.”
In addition to Turner, others who went on the Del Rio trip were Nolan Turner, John Ross and Ramona Reames, Kyle Viertel, Rick Davis, Dinty Bowman, Cathy Herrell, and Amy Folsom.
“We need some new blood to join us,” said team leader Dinty Bowman. “We could use a fresh influx with the same kind of enthusiasm we have been running on for the 25 or so years that we have been doing missions.”
Turner is hopeful that more families will get involved next year.
“If we have a bigger group and have families that come along, we can provide other services such as VBS while we are also working on construction projects,” he said.
Turner’s son Nolan was the only child in attendance this year.
“This was a great opportunity to show my son that it’s not about us all the time,” Turner stated. “It’s about serving people and loving people.”
