- missions
North Carolina 2008
North Carolina - 7th Grade Ehko Students
Saturday, June 21 @ 6:20 am
We're getting ready to hit the road in the next 15 minutes or so. See you soon...thanks for your prayers!
jdh
Friday, June 20, @ 7:15 pm
Dear Parents...
It's hard to believe the end of the week is already here, but it is! It's flown by. But despite how fast it seems it's gone, we've accomplished quite a bit. Today we finished the second coat of paint on Della's house and made sure all the trim looked great as well. We also finished all of the trenches (total for the week included 1080 square feet of actual trenches, plus a hole to get to the septic tank and some connecting lines in between). Besides all of that, we weeded, stacked wood, raked leaves, pruned bushes, and did a lot of other general clean up. The house looks amazing from all of the work that your students put in on it.
A couple thoughts as we close the week...
-Lydia Walkley, who was the team leader for this trip, did a fantastic job of guiding everyone through a fruitful but demanding week. She balanced personal relationship with the students with giving overall guidance to the whole group. Make sure to say thanks to her for all of her hard work in setting everything up and in overseeing our week together.
-Our amazing leaders did an awesome job of connecting with students. They bandaged cuts, gave hugs, gave gentle (and not as gentle when needed) correction & guidance, encouraged, taught, and loved your children. Several of them shared challenging and relevant devotionals. All served with incredible willingness and worked very, very hard. Make sure to say thanks to them as well.
-ReCreation Ministries, the people we partner with down here, continue to amaze us with their loving spirits, willingness to serve, and heart for both the teams that come in and the people here. They put in incredibly long hours and work hard beyond belief. This year being our second year showed us that last year wasn't just a fluke, but that this is a quality, quality organization full of people that love Christ and teach us how to better as well. If you have the opportunity, you might consider checking out their website (http://www.recreationexperiences.org/).
-Ministry Trips are always such a tangible reminder to me of why I love working with Middle School students. It's a lot of hard work (and a little challenging on the sleep cycle), but it's always worth it to see the students make the connections between the lessons we teach throughout they year and the opportunity to put Christ's love into action. Thank you for the privilege of partnering with you in raising up young men and women to follow Christ. I'm humbled by your trust.
I hope that you'll have many great conversations with your students about their week here. One cool thing would be to give them an opportunity to practice what they did here as a family back home, serving others. Find a neighbor that needs yard work, a local homeless shelter, or some other opportunity to serve right in your own community. We really hope that this week of service spills over into a life of service for every single one of these students.
Thanks again and see you tomorrow...
Joel Daniel Harris
Thursday, June 19 @ 8:15 pm
Hey everyone...
The week is going very well...today was our most productive day so far. Just one more day of work left...it should be a full day...there's still much to do. Here's a few people's thoughts...
jdh
seriously Austin....................gas prices??
hey!!
we arr havin soooooooo much fun!!! this has probably been the most fun week EVER! the work has been perty hard but we've had a lot of fun doing it together. i painted all one day, but the rest I've been just digging. yesterday we went to fun depot and had a blast there! go carts, bowling, bumper cars, laser tag, and tons of arcade......................yeh a lot of fun! then after lunch we went to the sliding rock which was FREEZING COLD!! the slide part was a lot of fun but at the bottom it actually hurt, so i only went down twice. afterward we went swimming under the waterfall and then got pizza for dinner from pizza htut. it was a very fun day!! okay i gotta go......................i DONT want to come home! o well
~christina :o)
----------------------------------
Hey Everyone,
This is Lauren, one of the leaders, and I'm going to tell you about today. Today was pretty productive, and your kids were amazing! We put in the septic system for the first trench and began working on putting it in the second trench. It was both rewarding and slightly depressing seeing our trench, that we worked so hard to dig, filled in. Although, most of the kids had a blast filling it in. In fact a few said it was their favorite part! The house is coming along quite well too. They finished the first coat of paint on, and began the second coat.
This trip has been great so far and your kids really seem to be really enjoying it. They have all worked so hard and I am impressed with their work ethics. It's amazing how much can be accomplished when everyone works together. I know they have all learned a lot, and that most of them aren't ready to go home yet. Thanks for trusting us with your kids and allowing them to have a great learning experience.
-Lauren
So far the trip has been fun. I don't blog much, so this should sound like it's forced. We made lot of progress on Della's house, and I scared one of our of our leaders, Cathy (Or is it Kathy?). She was talking about Frank Sinatra or something, and I was pretending not to know who he was. Ha Ha. Not as funny as when it happened, but still. So. Ok. Um, the weather has been nice, right?.............................That's it. I'm done now. Where's Patrick?
- Joel C (not Joel Daniel Harris)
mommys, Today was so much fun, except for the morning. We woke up and we were insanely tired =[. I guess the week is finally starting to catch up with us! For breakfast we had biscuits and gravy... it was kinda gross. We left for the worksite at around nine, later than usual. We started right away with painting and digging. Abby and I mostly painted, it was pretty easy. We finished the first coat, and some of the second. We should be finished by tomorrow=]. (Abby) i love you mommy and daddy and i miss you so much .
-Abby and Renee
This trip has been great so far and your kids really seem to be really enjoying it. They have all worked so hard and I am impressed with their work ethics. It's amazing how much can be accomplished when everyone works together. I know they have all learned a lot, and that most of them aren't ready to go home yet. Thanks for trusting us with your kids and allowing them to have a great learning experience.
-Lauren
So far the trip has been fun. I don't blog much, so this should sound like it's forced. We made lot of progress on Della's house, and I scared one of our of our leaders, Cathy (Or is it Kathy?). She was talking about Frank Sinatra or something, and I was pretending not to know who he was. Ha Ha. Not as funny as when it happened, but still. So. Ok. Um, the weather has been nice, right?.............................That's it. I'm done now. Where's Patrick?
- Joel C (not Joel Daniel Harris)
mommys, Today was so much fun, except for the morning. We woke up and we were insanely tired =[. I guess the week is finally starting to catch up with us! For breakfast we had biscuits and gravy... it was kinda gross. We left for the worksite at around nine, later than usual. We started right away with painting and digging. Abby and I mostly painted, it was pretty easy. We finished the first coat, and some of the second. We should be finished by tomorrow=]. (Abby) i love you mommy and daddy and i miss you so much .
-Abby and Renee
Wednesday , June 18 @ 10:05pm
Hello hello,
This is Patrick here. Today was our day to take a break from our work and enjoy ourselves! We hit up the Fun Depot, a natural water slide, and then finished the day off with dinner in the park. I had a great time and I've got some students and leaders who will tell you more! (Pictures soon)
Hi everyone!!!
Today was an amazing day!!!!! We had a really fun time on our free day! We started out with a scenic route on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got to see the mountains and they were so beautiful! Then we went to a place called Fun Depot. It had video games, laser tag, go-carts, a rock wall, and other fun stuff like that. We played for two hours then had lunch. We all really enjoyed it and I liked the rock wall the best. Then we had lunch in the vans and the parking lot. Our next adventure was sliding down a rock that was covered in REALLY cold water!!!!! Then we swam under a waterfall in more really cold water! We had pizza for dinner and we ate at a picnic site in the park with the water stuff. That was all for our fun filled day of adventure!!
Some things I have learned on this trip are:
1. To be grateful for what I have, because Della has so little.
2. It's not stuff that makes you happy, because Della has so little but is still so happy.
3. Hard work pays off in the end (or near the end), because Della was thrilled already just to have half a trench dug and a house half painted.
4. When you put your foot in freezing cold water it goes numb!!!!
Hello to Mama, Daddy, Tim, and anyone else I know that might be reading this!!!!! I love you guys!!
-Torie Stephens
------------------------------------
Hola people
Today was a break day from work!!!!! so i will tell you today what we did! first we got up at 6 O' clock in the morning (and i am not a morning person so i ignored the wake up call at first). after that what we had breakfast, which was bagels and cereal. i was being dumb and put butter on my bagel instead of cream cheese, so i through it away and had cereal! then we went in the vans to go to these really pretty mountains! everyone was stunned , well i was!!!!!!! after that my van listened to ROCK , my favorite kind of music (but it was not screamo music lol i hate that kind sometimes). When we got to our stop we were stocked!!!! we were at a place call fun depot. it was fun!!! there were laser tag, bowling, go-carts, and batting cages! oops and video games of course!!! after we all played there for two hours ! we went to a park with a rock slide!!!! o my gosh it was so much fun but so cold( we are talking titanic here). after we went on the slide we went to the water fall shivering !!!!!! but some brave people like me went in and shiver until our feet turn blue!!!!! after when turned blue we had nice HOT PIZZA !!!!!!!!! i love pizza so i had two pieces!!!! after we went home!!!!! and played out side with all our new friends from other states!!!!!!
things i learned
1. Don't go in cold water if you have a damp towel
2. Don't compete with me at laser tag or go-carts i will crush you like all my other victims
3. always have a positive attitude because you will need it!!!
4. be thankful for what you have
here is a shout out to my family. I am having too much fun, oh and thanks for the candy i needed the boost!!!! of SUGAR
CASEY the awesome, the end !!!!!!!
Hi everyone,
This is Dave DeShon, one of the adult leaders on this great trip. The girls mentioned the fun things we all did today, so I won't go back over all the details. But I wanted to relate one particular experience. The last place we went today was Looking Glass Falls. The falls themselves were very impressive, crashing over the stony cliff, then splattering the deep pool below. But when I climbed up some rocks next to the falls and was actually able to make my way back and slightly behind the curtain of droplets, I got a very different perspective. The "solid" curtain of water was actually made up of thousands of small water particles. Just then, the sun slipped from behind a cloud and illuminated the droplets. They were transformed into thousands of light-filled diamonds. I think that's a great picture of your kids on this trip. They have worked so hard as a team, but individually they are literally growing up before our eyes as they learn to accomplish tasks and work together with people they hardly knew a few days ago. When they get back home, they may not be instantly transformed into responsible young adults. But be assured that they have been deeply affected by this trip. We are proud of what they have accomplished, and will really miss them when this is over. Thanks for releasing them this week.
Dave DeShon
Today was an amazing day!!!!! We had a really fun time on our free day! We started out with a scenic route on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We got to see the mountains and they were so beautiful! Then we went to a place called Fun Depot. It had video games, laser tag, go-carts, a rock wall, and other fun stuff like that. We played for two hours then had lunch. We all really enjoyed it and I liked the rock wall the best. Then we had lunch in the vans and the parking lot. Our next adventure was sliding down a rock that was covered in REALLY cold water!!!!! Then we swam under a waterfall in more really cold water! We had pizza for dinner and we ate at a picnic site in the park with the water stuff. That was all for our fun filled day of adventure!!
Some things I have learned on this trip are:
1. To be grateful for what I have, because Della has so little.
2. It's not stuff that makes you happy, because Della has so little but is still so happy.
3. Hard work pays off in the end (or near the end), because Della was thrilled already just to have half a trench dug and a house half painted.
4. When you put your foot in freezing cold water it goes numb!!!!
Hello to Mama, Daddy, Tim, and anyone else I know that might be reading this!!!!! I love you guys!!
-Torie Stephens
------------------------------------
Hola people
Today was a break day from work!!!!! so i will tell you today what we did! first we got up at 6 O' clock in the morning (and i am not a morning person so i ignored the wake up call at first). after that what we had breakfast, which was bagels and cereal. i was being dumb and put butter on my bagel instead of cream cheese, so i through it away and had cereal! then we went in the vans to go to these really pretty mountains! everyone was stunned , well i was!!!!!!! after that my van listened to ROCK , my favorite kind of music (but it was not screamo music lol i hate that kind sometimes). When we got to our stop we were stocked!!!! we were at a place call fun depot. it was fun!!! there were laser tag, bowling, go-carts, and batting cages! oops and video games of course!!! after we all played there for two hours ! we went to a park with a rock slide!!!! o my gosh it was so much fun but so cold( we are talking titanic here). after we went on the slide we went to the water fall shivering !!!!!! but some brave people like me went in and shiver until our feet turn blue!!!!! after when turned blue we had nice HOT PIZZA !!!!!!!!! i love pizza so i had two pieces!!!! after we went home!!!!! and played out side with all our new friends from other states!!!!!!
things i learned
1. Don't go in cold water if you have a damp towel
2. Don't compete with me at laser tag or go-carts i will crush you like all my other victims
3. always have a positive attitude because you will need it!!!
4. be thankful for what you have
here is a shout out to my family. I am having too much fun, oh and thanks for the candy i needed the boost!!!! of SUGAR
CASEY the awesome, the end !!!!!!!
Hi everyone,
This is Dave DeShon, one of the adult leaders on this great trip. The girls mentioned the fun things we all did today, so I won't go back over all the details. But I wanted to relate one particular experience. The last place we went today was Looking Glass Falls. The falls themselves were very impressive, crashing over the stony cliff, then splattering the deep pool below. But when I climbed up some rocks next to the falls and was actually able to make my way back and slightly behind the curtain of droplets, I got a very different perspective. The "solid" curtain of water was actually made up of thousands of small water particles. Just then, the sun slipped from behind a cloud and illuminated the droplets. They were transformed into thousands of light-filled diamonds. I think that's a great picture of your kids on this trip. They have worked so hard as a team, but individually they are literally growing up before our eyes as they learn to accomplish tasks and work together with people they hardly knew a few days ago. When they get back home, they may not be instantly transformed into responsible young adults. But be assured that they have been deeply affected by this trip. We are proud of what they have accomplished, and will really miss them when this is over. Thanks for releasing them this week.
Dave DeShon
Tuesday, June 17 @ 8:05 pm
Hey Everyone...
JDH here...we have an amazing group of students here...thanks so much for lending us your children for the week! They are hard workers and have kept good attitudes. I have a lot more I'd like to say, but our kids tonight that wrote for you wrote a BUNCH...so here you go (pictures will be up later on...)
Tuesday
Hello to all my friends, family, and all my other Blogging Buddies! Welcome to the most AMAZING Edition of the 7th Grade Missions Trip Blog!!!!! Today, we ALMOST finished our first trench, got very far into our second, and started our third. Della's house has been completely primed, and about a third of the way painted with the first coat. (We're putting 2 coats on.)
Despite the small blister on my hand, I am having a GREAT time!!!!
Joel Daniel Harris said to say how awesome he is - I'm not so sure.... haha just kidding. (Maybe.)
Well, "Tomorrow is WEDNESDAY!" whatever that is supposed to mean (it's secret Chapel leader code) - nobody has explained it to me yet, hmm....
Well, i must leave you now *sniff sniff, tears appearing in eyes*, Goodbye!
-Bryce Schmidt
Hi all the people reading this . This is Bethany. Today breakfast was french toast sticks, bagels, pop tarts. lunch was turkey, ham, or P.B. and J And dinner was spaghetti. You won't believe this but we all got up at six this morning. We have breakfast then chapel then we go to work. We dug ditches and panted Della's house. I still have paint on me from yesterday. Please pray for Della not to be lonely.
Marissa, Kate, Abby, and I went in to talk to her and she talked to us for about 45 min. She loves to travel, her favorite state is Florida and she grows a huge garden and cans a lot of things. I heard that her kids call her on Mothers Day and wake her up because her 133 foster kids still call her on Mother's Day and she is on the phone all day .
Kate, Marissa, Mary, and I made lunch yesterday and now we are afraid of who makes lunch because we know what goes in to it. It is like a picnic. When we get back we have to take a shower and we have dinner. There is a 5 min. limit but some of don't have a problem with it because we time it a little different.
The bugs are terrible. Mine welted up so bad. This is random but the bus ride was so boring. We played mafia. It was sort of fun. (for my little sister IDKY) We did flips Sunday night and then last night we had a team meeting and then went to bed.
I am going to let someone else have a turn
love in Christ
Bethany Schroll
P.S. I love you Mom and Dad and Emily. ( Caleb too i hope you have fun at camp) sorry about the spelling and grammar and thanks to Mrs. DeShon for helping Kate, Marissa, and I with spelling.
Hey Everyone,
This missions trip has been a lot of fun so far! The car ride down was boring sort of but when we got here the fun started. We had a worship service and ate dinner on Sunday night. We had free time after that, then bed. We have to wake up at 6 every morning. (That's not that fun.) We eat breakfast at 6:30 and have worship after that. Then we go to the worksite until 4:30. After 4:30 we take showers, eat dinner, and have free time. When we get in bed we are ready for sleeping. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we fall asleep.
On Monday at the worksite, Bethany, Mary, Marissa, and I got to make lunch. We had a BLAST! We made a lot of inside jokes from that.
I've met a lot of new friends so far and I will probably make more. One of the friends I met is Marissa. I didn't know her before this week and now we are like best friends forever!
Della is the lady we are serving this week. She is very nice. When Bethany, Marissa, Abby, and I went to talk to her she seemed lonely but she really like our company. We were just going to say hi to her and meet her but she talked to us for 45 minutes! She really likes to talk and we like to listen because she has a lot of interesting stories from fostering 133 kids!
I could write more but I have to let someone else have a turn!
Kate Lawrence
P.S. Hi Mom, Dad, Hannah, Haley, Grandma, Grandpa, and Reese! I miss you so much but I'm having a really fun time here! Thank you for the letters! They remind me of you and I enjoy reading them each morning. Sometimes I read them a few times again just to hear from you. I think about you often! I Love You!
Hi Family and others,
North Carolina is awesome! :) I met soooo many new friends! I had a good time on the van/bus ride . We had to ride with two other boys, unfortunately. But we switched often. We wake up at six o'clock, then we go to our worksite and work until 4:30. Then we go back to Red Oak school (recreation experiences) to take showers,and eat.
Della the lady that we are working for loves to talk , and seems a little lonely. Me, Kate, Bethany,and Abby went to talk to her for five minutes, but it ended up 45 minutes. On Tuesday it was almost the end of our day (at the work site). Me and Kate were going to talk to Della, but Joel called Brice, and me to come over by him. We thought we were in trouble but we had to start a new trench, Joel wanted us because we were being hard workers, and not talking. I got a few blisters from the shovel (chovel).
I made sooooo many new friends. One of the friends I met is Kate, we are best friends now! I could write 10 more pages ,but no time!
Bye!!! I miss you Mom, Dad, Dover, and Josh. Love you!!!!
-Marissa Ridenour-
Hi Moms and Dads,
Your kids are a blast. They are working hard and serving well.
Judy DeShon
Monday, June 16 @ 9.30pm
Hello to all my friends, family, and all my other Blogging Buddies! Welcome to the most AMAZING Edition of the 7th Grade Missions Trip Blog!!!!! Today, we ALMOST finished our first trench, got very far into our second, and started our third. Della's house has been completely primed, and about a third of the way painted with the first coat. (We're putting 2 coats on.)
Despite the small blister on my hand, I am having a GREAT time!!!!
Joel Daniel Harris said to say how awesome he is - I'm not so sure.... haha just kidding. (Maybe.)
Well, "Tomorrow is WEDNESDAY!" whatever that is supposed to mean (it's secret Chapel leader code) - nobody has explained it to me yet, hmm....
Well, i must leave you now *sniff sniff, tears appearing in eyes*, Goodbye!
-Bryce Schmidt
Hi all the people reading this . This is Bethany. Today breakfast was french toast sticks, bagels, pop tarts. lunch was turkey, ham, or P.B. and J And dinner was spaghetti. You won't believe this but we all got up at six this morning. We have breakfast then chapel then we go to work. We dug ditches and panted Della's house. I still have paint on me from yesterday. Please pray for Della not to be lonely.
Marissa, Kate, Abby, and I went in to talk to her and she talked to us for about 45 min. She loves to travel, her favorite state is Florida and she grows a huge garden and cans a lot of things. I heard that her kids call her on Mothers Day and wake her up because her 133 foster kids still call her on Mother's Day and she is on the phone all day .
Kate, Marissa, Mary, and I made lunch yesterday and now we are afraid of who makes lunch because we know what goes in to it. It is like a picnic. When we get back we have to take a shower and we have dinner. There is a 5 min. limit but some of don't have a problem with it because we time it a little different.
The bugs are terrible. Mine welted up so bad. This is random but the bus ride was so boring. We played mafia. It was sort of fun. (for my little sister IDKY) We did flips Sunday night and then last night we had a team meeting and then went to bed.
I am going to let someone else have a turn
love in Christ
Bethany Schroll
P.S. I love you Mom and Dad and Emily. ( Caleb too i hope you have fun at camp) sorry about the spelling and grammar and thanks to Mrs. DeShon for helping Kate, Marissa, and I with spelling.
Hey Everyone,
This missions trip has been a lot of fun so far! The car ride down was boring sort of but when we got here the fun started. We had a worship service and ate dinner on Sunday night. We had free time after that, then bed. We have to wake up at 6 every morning. (That's not that fun.) We eat breakfast at 6:30 and have worship after that. Then we go to the worksite until 4:30. After 4:30 we take showers, eat dinner, and have free time. When we get in bed we are ready for sleeping. As soon as our heads hit the pillow we fall asleep.
On Monday at the worksite, Bethany, Mary, Marissa, and I got to make lunch. We had a BLAST! We made a lot of inside jokes from that.
I've met a lot of new friends so far and I will probably make more. One of the friends I met is Marissa. I didn't know her before this week and now we are like best friends forever!
Della is the lady we are serving this week. She is very nice. When Bethany, Marissa, Abby, and I went to talk to her she seemed lonely but she really like our company. We were just going to say hi to her and meet her but she talked to us for 45 minutes! She really likes to talk and we like to listen because she has a lot of interesting stories from fostering 133 kids!
I could write more but I have to let someone else have a turn!
Kate Lawrence
P.S. Hi Mom, Dad, Hannah, Haley, Grandma, Grandpa, and Reese! I miss you so much but I'm having a really fun time here! Thank you for the letters! They remind me of you and I enjoy reading them each morning. Sometimes I read them a few times again just to hear from you. I think about you often! I Love You!
Hi Family and others,
North Carolina is awesome! :) I met soooo many new friends! I had a good time on the van/bus ride . We had to ride with two other boys, unfortunately. But we switched often. We wake up at six o'clock, then we go to our worksite and work until 4:30. Then we go back to Red Oak school (recreation experiences) to take showers,and eat.
Della the lady that we are working for loves to talk , and seems a little lonely. Me, Kate, Bethany,and Abby went to talk to her for five minutes, but it ended up 45 minutes. On Tuesday it was almost the end of our day (at the work site). Me and Kate were going to talk to Della, but Joel called Brice, and me to come over by him. We thought we were in trouble but we had to start a new trench, Joel wanted us because we were being hard workers, and not talking. I got a few blisters from the shovel (chovel).
I made sooooo many new friends. One of the friends I met is Kate, we are best friends now! I could write 10 more pages ,but no time!
Bye!!! I miss you Mom, Dad, Dover, and Josh. Love you!!!!
-Marissa Ridenour-
Hi Moms and Dads,
Your kids are a blast. They are working hard and serving well.
Judy DeShon
Monday, June 16 @ 9.30pm
Today was a great day of work
and we almost finished our first trench and we got the house primed. It
was steamy but everyone drank plenty of the H2O and put in a good solid
effort. Go team go! Anyways, the students will update you on our day.
- Patrick
Hi Peep-sicles,
How's it goin'. We arrived around 6 p.m. Today was an amazing day despite the fact that we had to wake up at 6 in the morning. We worked hard at priming the exterior of the house and digging three trenches. Digging is extremely hard due to the extreme temperature and the fact that the trenches have to be 18 inches deep and 3 feet wide. Della (the person who's house we're working on) is a caring person and has fostered over 100 children. Today has been a long day of hard labor. We have had a lot of things to think about. Such as how fortunate we are and all that we have that we take for granted. If you ever get the chance to come to Asheville, North Caronlinia (in honor of Eric) enjoy the view. The mountains are beautiful and all you can think is how awesome our God is to be able to create such a magical scene. This week we are hoping to learn more about God and all that we have and how to work hard. Keep looking for new updates on the blogs all this week!
Carly Stahl
HIi Everyone!
This is so much fun! I am having a blast! We arrived last night at 6 & had dinner right away after that . We had worship later, had some free time and then went to bed. This morning we woke up, had worship and then went to the work site. Then we had a hard, warm day of digging and painting. It was hard work but fun to be with our friends. Della is the sweetest lady who loves to talk She has cared for over 134 foster kids. I can't even imagine. We have had such a wonderful time! I can't wait to see what else is in store for our amazing team. I am so excited to be on this trip. I'm sure many more memories will be made this week. Thanks to all who are praying for our safety. Hi Family I miss you.
Mary LepPage.
Hey!!!!! This is Austin Ross
The missions trip is very fun. We are all having a very good time. The only thing is that the rooms are very dirty. There is dust everywhere. There are many fun things that we have done. The person we are working for is very nice.
To the parents: the gas is very expensive(between $4.10 and $4.15)
I have learned a lot from the trip so far..........it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bye!!!!!!!!!
How's it goin'. We arrived around 6 p.m. Today was an amazing day despite the fact that we had to wake up at 6 in the morning. We worked hard at priming the exterior of the house and digging three trenches. Digging is extremely hard due to the extreme temperature and the fact that the trenches have to be 18 inches deep and 3 feet wide. Della (the person who's house we're working on) is a caring person and has fostered over 100 children. Today has been a long day of hard labor. We have had a lot of things to think about. Such as how fortunate we are and all that we have that we take for granted. If you ever get the chance to come to Asheville, North Caronlinia (in honor of Eric) enjoy the view. The mountains are beautiful and all you can think is how awesome our God is to be able to create such a magical scene. This week we are hoping to learn more about God and all that we have and how to work hard. Keep looking for new updates on the blogs all this week!
Carly Stahl
HIi Everyone!
This is so much fun! I am having a blast! We arrived last night at 6 & had dinner right away after that . We had worship later, had some free time and then went to bed. This morning we woke up, had worship and then went to the work site. Then we had a hard, warm day of digging and painting. It was hard work but fun to be with our friends. Della is the sweetest lady who loves to talk She has cared for over 134 foster kids. I can't even imagine. We have had such a wonderful time! I can't wait to see what else is in store for our amazing team. I am so excited to be on this trip. I'm sure many more memories will be made this week. Thanks to all who are praying for our safety. Hi Family I miss you.
Mary LepPage.
Hey!!!!! This is Austin Ross
The missions trip is very fun. We are all having a very good time. The only thing is that the rooms are very dirty. There is dust everywhere. There are many fun things that we have done. The person we are working for is very nice.
To the parents: the gas is very expensive(between $4.10 and $4.15)
I have learned a lot from the trip so far..........it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bye!!!!!!!!!
Hey Dudes!
This trip is lots of fun and I am learning a lot. We took our time when we came down here but it was cool. We got here and went straight to dinner at 6. We went upstairs and unpacked our stuff. Then we came down and had a worship session. We got up at 6 today and I was still tired. We had bacon and eggs for breakfast and went to Della's to work. We primed her house, dug for a septic system, and pulled out all the leaves from her landscape. I can say that my Dad was right about the clay here because it is kind of hard to dig in. It was hot and sunny but we got through it. Della is a nice lady and came to watch us. She was very appreciative about our work and thanked us. I am having a lot of fun here and thought it would be boring. Don't worry about us.
Caleb Frank
This trip is lots of fun and I am learning a lot. We took our time when we came down here but it was cool. We got here and went straight to dinner at 6. We went upstairs and unpacked our stuff. Then we came down and had a worship session. We got up at 6 today and I was still tired. We had bacon and eggs for breakfast and went to Della's to work. We primed her house, dug for a septic system, and pulled out all the leaves from her landscape. I can say that my Dad was right about the clay here because it is kind of hard to dig in. It was hot and sunny but we got through it. Della is a nice lady and came to watch us. She was very appreciative about our work and thanked us. I am having a lot of fun here and thought it would be boring. Don't worry about us.
Caleb Frank
Sunday, June 15 @ 7:00 pm...
We have arrived safely & just finished dinner. As I type we're getting ready to head into a time of worship with all the groups that came here for the week, so I'll have to get on later to give a more thorough report of the trip. The short of it is that it went smoothly & we arrived safely!
Regarding the Hot-line...we miscommunicated the number...sorry! Here's the correct # for the trip home: 330.315.5615
jdh
Sunday, June 15 @ 10:00 pm...
Well today sure has flown by. We pulled in at 6:00 pm just in time for dinner. The ride here went smoothly...so smoothly in fact that I got carried away and mixed an exit at one point, but we were able to quickly correct it. By the way, I (Joel Daniel Harris) am going to be operating as your handy update facilitator this week...though I plan on employing students to give their thoughts and input along the way as often as possible.
We also had a large group worship time tonight, which was so much fun. The staff here is fantastic in many ways, but one of them that's particularly great is the way in which they engage with students and model Christ to them...through enthusiasm for worship, for service, for knowing God. They really are a blessing.
Here's a couple pictures from our departure this morning:
Everyone gathering around before we leave to here Lydia give some stellar announcements.
Students gathering to the center as we prepare for a departing prayer time.
That's all for now...I'll try to update more tomorrow...
jdh
