by Debbie Goodman
For Stillwell Bible Baptist Church of Clarksville, Arkansas, the impact of our 2006 summer mission trip to Costa Rica is ongoing. Chad Braymer, mission intern for Stillwell, set up a summer trip for the church with Randy Rhoton and his ministries in Costa Rica. There, we saw people saved, we experienced the culture, but even more importantly, we felt the burden of Randy and his people for the Kuna Indians in Panama.
The 2006 summer mission trip was followed up by an invitation extended to two men of our church, Associate Pastor Steve Askins, and a hardworking servant of God who prefers to remain anonymous, for a 2007 spring trip to minister to the remote tribes of Panama with missionary Randy Rhoton. What did these men find in Panama? They found among the Kuna Indians a group of believers who needed a place to meet. Sadly, at a cost of $15,000, the expense was above their financial capabilities.
Once the men returned from their trip to Panama, the burden to provide a place of worship for these believers continued to grow until, finally, God’s faithful and anonymous servant, “John,” came up with an idea that would incorporate the help of the entire Stillwell family. He called Pastor Jim Goodman and asked, “If I present a new mission project to bring in mission money above our faith promise and do the footwork for it, would it be all right if I put three barrels at the back of our parking lot for aluminum cans?”
That was all it took. The “We CAN Do It” project was launched. This man with a burden and a vision was certain that if Stillwell church members concentrated on bringing in aluminum cans, we could pay for the church building in Panama in one year. As more members became involved, there came the first question, “I don’t have aluminum cans, but I do have some old iron out back — can you salvage that?” The answer was a resounding “Yes!”
As garages, sheds, and barns were cleaned out, money began to pour in. Next, word got out in the community that John would haul off old metal. Throughout Johnson County, people donated compressors, electric motors, car batteries, washing machines, freezers, aluminum, tin, and iron in every imaginable shape and size. Even an old combine sitting out in a field just rusting away was donated.
John did not keep weight records in 2007, but the amont of people’s unwanted junk totaled $7,234.80! During 2008, John hauled 46,073 pounds of scrap metal, including 1,642 pounds of aluminum cans. From May 2007 to December 2008, Stillwell Bible Baptist Church has had $18,415.15 come through their offering plates in the form of scrap metal.
The church building in Panama was paid for in one year, just in time for the 2008 summer mission trip to Peru with missionary David Liles. So, what did the money raised above the cost of the church in Panama go to? Well, there is this piece of property on a dusty hillside in Peru that will make a great location for a church. We have not quite paid for it yet, but the metal just keeps coming in, and, hopefully, in 2009, we will see this project completed and begin looking for the next one.