Vonore, Tennessee- Mission Trip Day #4

We chopped it up today! The work site went really well, a lot was accomplished and the house is really cleaning up. There is still plenty to do the next few days but so far so good. Doris had some trees fall down in the field right next to her house a couple weeks ago and the people working on that are doing such a great job and are tackling such a big job with a great attitude. The boys’ and girls’ club went a lot smoother today, we knew a lot of names, and they knew ours so we could really start reaching out to them. The work crew that didn’t go to the boys’ and girls’ club also did some more work on the trees and they came back sweaty. J Amy was really nice and brought us pizza for lunch today so we didn’t have to pack ours, but we didn’t let Jonathan know that and he packed and remembered his lunch today for the first time this week and didn’t even need it!! We got a good laugh out that one. Some of the girls raking at the work site today found a salamander and just thought that they needed to nurse him back to health, so we took him with us. After staying most of the day in a box, we walked a trail to a small waterfall and let him go. He seemed very happy and I’m sure already has some nice friends. J At group time tonight, Charlie and Brianda were awarded the servant leaders and everyone had great things to say about those two hard workers. We ended the night with some ice cream and Oreo’s for a snack and that really topped off the day, even though the Oreo’s weren’t doubly stuffed!

Tara

Vonore, Tennessee- Mission Trip Day #4

Another great day in the mountains. We worked hard, sweated lots, had fun, and most of all, served God. We had a work crew at Doris’s house today doing a lot of yard work, anything from raking to repairing the back porch to making fire wood from a fallen tree. It was a great start to the project and we had a good time doing it. We found lots of bugs and it just seems that all of them are bigger in Tennessee! J Another crew went to a small church and painted the entire room and finished all in one day. After working in the morning, over half of the group went to the boys’ and girls’ club in town and got to meet lots of children. We had a great time in music, crafts, bible study, and recreation that all the kids rotated through and we really made some great connections with these children that really need it. We ended the evening with a great dinner and some of us even played basketball even though we aren’t any good at it. Church group time went really well tonight and Sam and Sebastian got the servant leader awards tonight and they both have really been an inspiration to the group with their amazing hearts for God. It’s really starting to feel like a mission for God now, and it’s a great feeling!

Tara

Vonore, Tennessee- Mission Trip Day #3

Another day in the great mountains and we are marking it as successful! We split up into two work crews and one went to a man’s house to skirt the bottom of his house and they finished it in one day. The other crew was hoping to go to a church and do some repair work but plans changed and we traveled around on a very curvy road and couldn’t find a worksite for that morning. Luckily, back at camp there were things to do so we painted the benches to make them look much better and repaired some of the roof on the chow barn. The electricity went out for about an hour today so we had a little adventure in the dark, even though it was in mid afternoon. J At church group time that evening Larry and Lindsey were nominated as the servant leaders for the day and they both did a great job. Steve won Yahtzee that evening, wish was pretty much just luck I think. J We are all really excited to go to the boys and girls club tomorrow to work with those kids and we’ll need a good night’s rest for that!

Tara

Vonore, Tennessee- Mission Trip Days 1 & 2

Who doesn’t love a twelve hour drive?! After spending that long in a vehicle, it feels great to be at God’s Mountain. We spent the night in a hotel about an hour out from the camp on Saturday night and got up in the morning to attend Sevier Heights Church. It was a different feel from Riverview but we really enjoyed the experience. After lunch we started the beautiful journey through the woods going up to God’s Mountain. You could really see God’s wonderful creation in this area. We took a small tour through some of the trails at the camp and then took a little swim in the pool just to relax for the evening. At group time, we already had funny stories to share, for instance, Amy’s van was following the wrong U-haul for a while and we didn’t notice until the U-haul took a wrong exit. Jonathan gracefully sat on his waffle which left a nice syrup stain on the back of his pants. The quote of the day was, “I don’t want you to think, I want you to listen!” It’s great to be here and we are all really excited about getting started tomorrow and to do God’s work. The entire group has really come together to serve as one body. Now, as it’s getting close to lights out, we get to listen to God’s thunderstorm.

Tara