Shovels, Saws and Missions

What do shovels, saws and paintbrushes have to do with missions? A heck of a lot if you are with Calvary Chapel Heidelberg who recently brought a group to Hungary to serve a Roma church. A veritable army of 14 hard workers with German determination painted the church building and erected a pavilion adjacent to the church. That pavilion will serve for summer services, special events, fellowship and outreach.
The group began their week of service by visiting local orphanages where they painted faces and played games. Strange as it seems the group of Germans introduced kids to America's favorite pastime -- baseball. And the kids loved it.
But the bulk of their week in Hungary was spent in unglamorous manual labor and connecting face to face with an ethnic group most Europeans find undesirable -- the Gypsies. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but in the end all were blessed by the group's visit. Perhaps most interesting was when asked what was the best part of the missions trip, one of the German team members said that it definitely working with the Roma church members.