Just A Few More Days!

     Well, if you're reading this blog, welcome! Two years have passed quickly since last we were together. At that time, I was in the middle of chemotherapy and exhausted much of the time. Now, with no sign of cancer, I'm preparing to head off again with the wonderful folks at FBC Beverly, this time to Plymouth, North Carolina. We will be working with a group called CROSS, which is a ministry of the Plymouth United Methodist Church. Some of us are traveling by van and leaving Friday, July 29. Others are coming via plane and leaving on Saturday. Still more will meet us there. We come from far and wide, by varying means, but our focus is the same...showing God's great love through our service and fellowship with others. We go where there is need and we always meet wonderful people from all stations in life, varying races, colors, creeds, ethnicities, etc... But we all share one thing in common: being unique, beloved children of the Living God. We always learn something and we hope to teach as well. But no matter what happens, we always grow in ways that surprise each of us and we always come home with great stories to tell.

     Follow us as we go and join us when we return to hear more and perhaps be inspired to join the next trip. Sign up for a free account in order to leave comments, please. We love to hear from you, even though you are just a text, call or email away. We love to know that someone is watching out for us while we're gone, praying for our travels, and looking forward to hearing more from us.

     Oh, I'm the cook for the first time this year.  The menu is shaping up nicely.  I'll share a little preview with you in these three words...Baked. Potato. Bar.

     See you soon!

     Pastor Cindy

The Last Sleep

   First, please accept my apologies for not blogging each day.  I've been more worn out than I expected to be so I go to bed usually right after our group meeting.  Yesterday, I left here at 2:30pm with Julie, Jim, Matt, and Emmett and drove then 4 1/2 hours to the Charlotte NC airport so that they could get home early. Julie has a wedding tomorrow and Matt is at Logan right now getting ready to go to Denmark with his school.  I stayed overnight and drove home, arriving back here at 1:30pm today. It was a rainy day on the road so the drive took a little longer than I thought it would. These windy mountain roads are tough in the rain.
     I haven't gotten any picture of us playing yet, but I do have some of the work sites. Here are some of the highlights:

                                                  One of our great work groups, obviously happy!

 Doris Ann and Liz, getting ready to go to the local elementary school with seashells and books from Suzanne Harlow.

                                                            A work group being all porch spindly!

                                                                   Our youngest mission trippers.

                                                      The ladies dorm.  Look at those smiling faces!

                                                         Our common eating, playing, meeting space.

This whole field was dirt. We raked all the rocks out of it, spread seed, fertilizer and straw. We did this "landscaping" to several fields this week. And some after it rained.

Work Day Two!

     Hello all! Day #2 dawned foggy and cool, which we loved. Much remained the same today. The landscraping group finished up at house #1 and were moved on to the same job at another site. Same thing with the folks turning over the rental properties.  The roofing folks will be on that job probably through Thursday and the work on the hill continued with some folks organizing a workshop and some replacing part of a floor.

     Celebrations from last night's group meeting included just being here (me, the cancer patient), having great and personable supervisors from HOMES who share history and their personal stories with us, and seeing college-age youth whom we don't normally get to see throughout the year.

     Dinner tonight was beef stew and Peg's corn souffle....so yummy!  Dessert later will be a surprise for Bryan's birthday as he turns 50 this week! Hopefully that will make up for the wasp sting he suffered earlier.  We had one other injury when Adam mistook his finger for a nail head and got hammered!  Thankfully no blood was shed and all fingernails are intact.

     Tomorrow is our mandatory day off.  A variety of activities are planned including whitewater rafting, a small waterpark, a hike back to Bad Branch Falls, a trip to a coal mine and museum, and shopping for local crafts and quilts.  Some folks will just be hanging out napping or reading.  We aren't used to having a whole day off so this is a real treat for us. Hopefully I'll have some pics to share of us having fun too!

Some of today's pics are a little twisted but they are courtesy of Bill S. so what do you expect?!

What we are paying for gas. Jealous?

You will see in the next pic why the top statement is ridiculous...

A creepy doll head that I thought was a potato, and some folks building stairs.

More tomorrow!

Cindy

Work Day One

     Wow, what a day!  It began in earnest at 7:30am when we gathered together with our work groups to meet our leaders and head off to work sites. We are 4 work groups. Group 1 is working here at our HOMES home, turning the old office building into a dorm for volunteers. Group 2 is working at a HOMES rental house, cleaning it up and turning it over for the new tenants. Group 3 is working in a "holler," what we know as a hollow, putting a metal roof on a home. A holler is a road with a group of homes where, at least at one time, everyone was related. The patriarch of the family would build a home at the top of the holler. As the children had families of their own they would build homes of their own lower down the holler.  The families would take dinner together and when it was ready, someone would "holler" down the hill to the rest of the family.  Group 4 is doing what Doris Ann lovingly refers to as "landscraping," the KY version of landscaping. This involves using metal rakes to scrape a hard patch of dirt to remove the rocks, putting down fertilizer and grass seed and then a layer of hay. It was hard, hot work and they win the day's award for toughest work group.

     I have to mention the food because it has been great, as we have come to expect. Tonight was baked ham, mac and cheese and a great fresh salad. Last night was pulled chicken, beans, and salad. Gerry and John are keeping our energy up, for sure!

     For any Gloucester readers, you can be proud of Christine and Gerry.  They are representing well.  In fact, Christine earned the nickname Christine the Machine today because she wouldn't let those landscrapers give up until the job was done. Woot!

     We would love it if our viewers would sign up to be commenters. I like to share your messages at our nightly meetings and hearing from home really keeps us going.

     Another thing we learned about the area today is that there are 2 major mining companies still operating.  One just laid off 200 workers and the other laid off 1,100 workers two weeks ago. Just a few years ago, a longtime mine employee was making $100,000.  It's really hard for the folks here to make ends meet.

The view from the top of the trail to Bad Branch Falls.  Three folks did this 1 1/2 mile hike yesterday afternoon.

A sign along the hiking trail.

Bad Branch Falls.

Jim G. at the roofing house.

Deb M. moving rocks. To quote her, "Smart like fox, strong like bull, smell like goat."

We Are Here, We Are Here, We Are Here!!!!

     Like the Who's on the clover that Horton hears, we are shouting that we are here!  Some of us, anyway.  About 1/2 the group is still on the road, coming in from various vacation spots. The entire group is due to be together tonight and we will all have an orientation with Harrison from HOMES.  We had 2 REALLY long days in the vans and were so happy to arrive yesterday afternoon. We went out for dinner last night and while we had to wait a long time for everything to get to our tables, the food was good and the one waitress that was serving the 22 of us did a great.

     Today some of attended the Whitesburg United Methodist Church. They were very welcoming to us and prayed for traveling mercies for those who have not yet arrived. We heard stories of the black bears in the area who are apparently aggressive enough to break into homes, trash kitchens, and break dining room tables.  Going out of the building to the bath house in the middle of the night has taken on a whole new meaning!

     Right now, some folks have gone on a scenic drive, some a hike, and others are preparing to go to Walmart. A lazy afternoon in preparation for heading to work tomorrow morning at 7:30am.  Keep sharing this blog on Facebook so that others might join in and follow our adventures.  They'll be more tomorrow but for now, here are a couple of pic from our trip here.

     Blessings,

     Cindy A, scribe.

This was found on the door of the parsonage Friday morning, thanks to Kara!

When we got here, we almost stopped because we had arrived!

Apparently the Hampton Inn has an interesting idea of what constitutes "deluxe"!

 

Only 3 More Sleeps!!!

That's right folks, the KY mission trip is almost underway!  We've lost a few folks due to accident, surgery, or illness and believe me, Suzanne, Buck & Cindy, Lisa, Nancy, and Emily will be very missed on the trip. We wish you well and I hope you'll be following our progress through this blog. I understand that there is internet access where we are going so you won't need to miss a minute of the action.

Some folks have already left, traveling to vacation destinations along the way. A majority of the group will be departing FBC Beverly at 9am on Friday morning, with more to follow on Saturday morning. Please pray for traveling mercies for the groups, that we might arrive at our destination safe and sound and ready to work.  I understand the meal planning and food shopping is already underway thanks to the capable kitchen leadership of John Hadley, assisted this year by Gerry Flory from Gloucester. None of us have ever starved on a trip and some of us have gone home a few pounds heavier. I trust that this year will be no exception!

There's not much else to say right now. My next post will come to you from somewhere on the road on Friday. Stay tuned!

It's Pie Time!!

One of the last fundraisers of the mission trip season is also one of the yummiest!  Heath-Oreo frozen pies, timed perfectly to compliment your 4th of July celebration (or surprise birthday party for your favorite mission trip blogger!) The group will be putting the pies together beginning at 9am at FBC Beverly on June 28 and they will be for sale in Beverly and Gloucester the next day. They are $12 each and are in limited supply because they are so scrumptious!  Get yours by signing up at either church.