Mini Mission: Plains, MT

Ken says, "we're all a bunch of chainsaw junkies," and I suppose they have to be. If you cut over 100 cords of firewood a year, you'll need to know a little bit about chainsaw maintenance.

We, sixteen of us, went to Plains for the weekend. Plains is a small town in Western Montana where most people still heat their homes with wood stoves. Plains is also the location of my favorite church - Church on the Move. I have never seen a church more involved with their community. Aside from serving thousands of meals to anyone who wants one in their soup kitchen, hosting the state's largest food bank, and running a huge clothing bank, they run a firewood ministry.

Many families can't get their own wood. They can't afford it and they can't get it themselves. That is where Church on the Move found an opportunity to show the love of Christ to a community that is used to being self-sufficient. Pastor Jim simply says, "Giving works." It does. They have story after story of what God is doing. Of the 220 or so high school students, 175 showed up for a concert their youth group put on and they regularly have around 100 students show up weekly.

So it was quite a blessing for us to be a part of what they are doing. This is my third year going to Plains and every year, this church always inpires me. We were able to cut, load, and deliver just over eleven cords of wood. That's a lot of wood, but really nothing beats the feeling after a hard day's worth of work when you know it is for a great cause.