Heading North on Monday, April 1

We are going to staying at Ives Run Park for the summer again this year.  We will again be working in Athens, PA helping to rebuild flooded homes from 2011 and helping at a newly opened homeless shelter for Tioga County, PA.  We are excited to see what God opens up for us.

Mel is now able to lift 20 lbs using his right shoulder!  He has been released from therapy and the doctor has told him that there are no limitations as of April 20th!  That's the day we are scheduled to arrive at Ives Run!

We have been keeping busy these past few weeks.  We are still helping cook and serve for the needy in Zephyr Park every week.  We also have connected with Chancey Road Christian Church to help in their ministry of feeding the hungry in a different way.  They supply boxes of food to people 5 days a week.  We have helped picking up the donated food from local grocery stores and helped with packing the boxes.  When we return to Zephyrhills, we plan on continuing on helping out these ministries.  

Click here to check out photos from Chancey Road Christian Church's food ministry.
 

Update from Mel and Trina

Mel is still attending therapy twice a week.  He is now allowed to lift up to 5 pounds!  He is doing pretty well.  His hand is giving him trouble and he is going to be undergoing some testing later this week.   

We have been doing more around Zephyrhills, we are helping to serve in Zephyr Park more often.

We will be leaving to spend the summer in and around Tioga, PA on or about April 1st.  We plan on continuing what we did last summer in helping rebuild the flooded homes in Athens, PA.  We will also be helping at a new homeless shelter for Tioga County, PA.

Please keep us in your prayers and if God is leading you to help us out monetarily you can send us money through PayPal using my email address: tbauer55@gmail.com 

I have added a new page to our blog called "Our Photos".  See the link at the top left or click here. Please check it out!

  

Update from Zephryhills

We have been restricted since Mel's surgery.  He is now able to remove the sling and is having much more aggressive therapy.  It is hurting much more, it's surprising how weak you become when you are not allowed to move or use a limb (without help from the other arm) for 6 weeks!

We attended a Disaster Training Seminar at First UMC here in Zephyrhills the middle of January. We met some wonderful people and learned a lot about Disaster Response in the United Methodist Church.

Mel joined an Ecumenical Men's Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday mornings.  There is a speaker every week to talk about what they are doing in the community.  He met "Mary" who has been serving the needy and homeless in Zephyrhills for many years.  They feed Monday - Thursday at 4pm in Zephyr Park.  On Monday we joined them by bringing prepared hot dogs and helped by serving.  The store that has been providing a lot of the weekly food that is donated is one of the Sweet Bay Supermarket's that closed.   

Click here to see more photos of helping the needy in Zephyrhills.

Surgery Update

Mel had the shoulder replacement surgery 3 weeks ago today.  He has been coming along pretty well.  There was a lot of pain in the beginning.  He is slowly getting better and the pain is minimizing.

Therapy started 4 days after the surgery.  He is going 2 days a week so they can move his arm and get the joint moving.  He is not allowed to lift anything with it,  not even his own arm!  The doctor realigned the biceps and that is the reason that he can not move the arm.  The therapist does all the work.  They call it passive range of motion therapy.  Hopefully he will be able to move it and work it soon.  He is in an arm sling and will be for another 3 - 5 weeks.  

At this time, it looks like we will be here in Zephryhills until after Easter.  We then plan on heading to Tioga, PA to stay at Ive's Run Park and work for the Army Corps of Engineers and help out in Tioga County and the surrounding area.

We both would like to thank everyone for their prayers for us while we are on the road doing what we can for others.  We especially want to thank you for your prayers during Mel's time of recovery.  

As you are led by God, we ask that you prayerfully consider helping us through monetary donations.  We have found that the cost of moving to the places where God is sending us is very expensive. We would also like to be able to contribute more supplies and other needed items at the places where we are helping.  

Merry Christmas!

Mel and I want to wish all our friends and family a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Mel had right shoulder relacement surgery on Thursday, December 20th.  The surgery went very well.  It was very extensive so there has been a lot of post operative pain.  Please keep him in your prayers during his time of recovery.

Merry Christmas to All!!!

We love you,

Mel and Trina

Whispers of Hope Horse Farm - Weeks 1 & 2

Mel and I completed a lot of work the two weeks we have been here and we really enjoyed working with all the volunteers here at the Horse Farm.  Mary Elizabeth, the director is amazing to work with.  It was uplifting and a blessing to work with the volunteers especially a couple of the youth volunteers and to get to know them.

This week Mel has been working alone (teamed with a volunteer from time to time) as Trina has been ill.  He has got a lot of work done for them.  

A list of the projects we have been working on these 2 weeks are:

1.  Mowing the grounds and for a neighbor who both are disabled.  
2. Adding fence posts by digging and cementing the posts into the ground.
3. Pulling wire between fence posts.
4. Working with the horses.
5. Welding a pipe in the arena.
6. Using fence posts to create 2 hose hangers where the horses are washed.
7. Help to repair a hydrant leak in a back pasture.
8. Repairing bathroom floor in trailer house.
9. And much much more......  

Please pray for this wonderful program.  They are really helping the children in this community.  There are many needed projects in the works without full funding.  We would love to be able to be here and help contribute through our hands and our monetary contributions.   We pray that God opens a way for us to do both.  

Today, Thanksgiving, we plan on serving turkey dinners at the Salvation Army.  It will be rewarding to help those who have less than we do.

A Blessed Happy Thanksgiving To All!!!!

Click here to see more photos of us helping at Whispers of Hope Horse Farm.

Whispers of Hope - First Few Days

Our first few days at Whispers of Hope were amazing.  There is so much to do to help this organization to continue to provide for these children and families and to make it possible to do even better!  It has been so amazing!  It's hard to put into words so I have added many photos to show you what we are doing and what Whispers of Hope is doing for over 200 children and veterans.

Click here to view more photos from Whispers of Hope Horse Farm.