Monday, June 24, 2013
It's Monday.....But it's all good!
Hello from the land of grateful teens (and adults)! (Yes Moms & Dads, I am talking about yours!) Today started out with breakfast at 7:15am…which consisted of sausage, biscuits and brown water, er….I mean gravy, fruit cocktail, cereal, donuts, milk and juice. The mess hall is a large screened in room with picnic tables inside of it. Since there are 248 ‘campers’ here, we opted to eat at the outside deck so we could be together as a group. We scarfed the food right down, picked up our coolers and water jugs for lunch and got on the road.
Our work site is in Farner, TN and it is about a 25 minute commute to get there. We drove through gorgeous mountains and a little fog. (The teens in my van were taking pictures out the window, so hopefully when we get home you will have lots of pictures to look at.)
We arrived at Aretha’s house and jumped out ready to get started. Eli is our camp counselor and he is great. He began our day with a devotional reading from the Book of Psalms, and then Laura led us in a spontaneous morning prayer; ending with ‘Big’ John praying the memorare. After that we broke into groups and went to our ‘jobs’. Today our jobs included, putting on a roof with more peak points than I could count, bleach cleaning the inside walls, caulking holes in the bathroom and kitchen, scrubbing the windows and blinds, weed whacking/clearing an acre of land, and prepping the outside of the house to be painted.
I tried to tell Eli that my teens rocked and he better come prepared with things for us to do. He said that he had a long list for the week and we will be fine. At the end of our work day, he came to me and said, “Ok, you’re right.” When I looked at him quizzically, he said that our group was the hardest working one he has ever worked with and that he had to call and find out what other things we could do for Aretha because with the exception of having to finish the roof tomorrow morning, we cleared his whole list for the week. On the plus side, Aretha is now going to have the inside and outside of her house painted, and she is thrilled.
Aretha is in her late sixties and lost her husband seven years ago. She seemed embarrassed by the state of her home, but the teens made her feel like her home was perfect. I WAS SO PROUD OF THEM! Her house is in need of major repairs. There were holes in her shower where you could see outside, the floor was so soft in some spots that she put bricks in the room to stabilize it and keep people from stepping through, and the walls, windows, and shades were so dirty that it was hard to see out of them. The teens started right in and never made her feel like this wasn’t their version of normal. There wasn’t a single complaint and no one hinted that they were grossed out….I think the best look of the day was from Christine though. We were in her kitchen caulking her back door shut (yes, I know this is ridiculous, but it is what she insisted on….I kind of feel like I sealed her fate in a fire!) and Aretha told us that the reason she wanted it sealed was because a large black snake came into her home through the cracks around the door. I think it took everything Christine had not to run screaming from the room. (She is terrified of snakes….so I dealt with that and she deals with all of the other bugs. )
We stopped for lunch and ate sandwiches, cookies, and chips under the shade of her free-standing carport. It was nice to get to socialize as a large group and hear the funny stories of the day. The teens really took charge and we made Caitlin be the ‘water’ girl. Every half hour she had to stop what she was doing and yell “WATER!” When we heard her yell, we had to stop what we were doing and take a water break. It was 91 degrees outside today and they were on the roof where it was easily 15-20 degrees hotter than that. We weren’t having anyone get dehydrated, so they did as they were told and just drank the water. (I think they just wanted to make sure I didn’t harp on them. Ha!)
We left the worksite around 3 and came back to camp to shower and cool off. It waited until we were all the way unloaded before it started to rain again. (We let the girls go shower before Christine and I headed down….they got stuck walking in the rain. Maybe it does pay to go last. Hehe!) After everyone showered, we ate dinner (bbq chx, au-graten potatoes, green beans, salad, and burgers) and then went to North Carolina to go to Walmart. (It is about 35 minutes from where we are staying…and is one of the only stores around.) I think some of the teens just went because they got to go in an air conditioned building for a little bit…did I mention it is hot and humid here?
We made it back in plenty of time for chapel and it began with ‘stretching’ exercises to get ready to sing praise. (It was so neat to see how much our teens got into it. They were at a distinct disadvantage because being the only Catholic Group here, the other religions all knew the contemporary Christian songs, and we didn’t. It sure didn’t stop them from dancing and singing along with the words on the screen though. They had the most spirit of anyone!) Counselor Danielle gave the message tonight and she talked about her past year. It was her freshman year of college and all the mistakes she made that had her turning away from God and how she needed to know who she was following. It really hit home with the graduating seniors of our group, and our small group discussion afterwards was filled with a lot of reflections on it. We ended (as always) with our Hey God’s, Yeah God’s, and Mad Props. They had a lot more to say tonight and it is exciting for me as the ‘leader’ to see them really coming together as a team. We are truly going away from the upper class and lower class students and becoming one Saint Michael Community. It makes my heart happy.
The teens told me that they appreciate their homes and families so much more after today…..I do too. Thanks for sharing your kids with me. They are fantastic and that is due to their phenomenal upbringing. Good job Moms & Dads! Until tomorrow, Blessings on your night!
Our work site is in Farner, TN and it is about a 25 minute commute to get there. We drove through gorgeous mountains and a little fog. (The teens in my van were taking pictures out the window, so hopefully when we get home you will have lots of pictures to look at.)
We arrived at Aretha’s house and jumped out ready to get started. Eli is our camp counselor and he is great. He began our day with a devotional reading from the Book of Psalms, and then Laura led us in a spontaneous morning prayer; ending with ‘Big’ John praying the memorare. After that we broke into groups and went to our ‘jobs’. Today our jobs included, putting on a roof with more peak points than I could count, bleach cleaning the inside walls, caulking holes in the bathroom and kitchen, scrubbing the windows and blinds, weed whacking/clearing an acre of land, and prepping the outside of the house to be painted.
I tried to tell Eli that my teens rocked and he better come prepared with things for us to do. He said that he had a long list for the week and we will be fine. At the end of our work day, he came to me and said, “Ok, you’re right.” When I looked at him quizzically, he said that our group was the hardest working one he has ever worked with and that he had to call and find out what other things we could do for Aretha because with the exception of having to finish the roof tomorrow morning, we cleared his whole list for the week. On the plus side, Aretha is now going to have the inside and outside of her house painted, and she is thrilled.
Aretha is in her late sixties and lost her husband seven years ago. She seemed embarrassed by the state of her home, but the teens made her feel like her home was perfect. I WAS SO PROUD OF THEM! Her house is in need of major repairs. There were holes in her shower where you could see outside, the floor was so soft in some spots that she put bricks in the room to stabilize it and keep people from stepping through, and the walls, windows, and shades were so dirty that it was hard to see out of them. The teens started right in and never made her feel like this wasn’t their version of normal. There wasn’t a single complaint and no one hinted that they were grossed out….I think the best look of the day was from Christine though. We were in her kitchen caulking her back door shut (yes, I know this is ridiculous, but it is what she insisted on….I kind of feel like I sealed her fate in a fire!) and Aretha told us that the reason she wanted it sealed was because a large black snake came into her home through the cracks around the door. I think it took everything Christine had not to run screaming from the room. (She is terrified of snakes….so I dealt with that and she deals with all of the other bugs. )
We stopped for lunch and ate sandwiches, cookies, and chips under the shade of her free-standing carport. It was nice to get to socialize as a large group and hear the funny stories of the day. The teens really took charge and we made Caitlin be the ‘water’ girl. Every half hour she had to stop what she was doing and yell “WATER!” When we heard her yell, we had to stop what we were doing and take a water break. It was 91 degrees outside today and they were on the roof where it was easily 15-20 degrees hotter than that. We weren’t having anyone get dehydrated, so they did as they were told and just drank the water. (I think they just wanted to make sure I didn’t harp on them. Ha!)
We left the worksite around 3 and came back to camp to shower and cool off. It waited until we were all the way unloaded before it started to rain again. (We let the girls go shower before Christine and I headed down….they got stuck walking in the rain. Maybe it does pay to go last. Hehe!) After everyone showered, we ate dinner (bbq chx, au-graten potatoes, green beans, salad, and burgers) and then went to North Carolina to go to Walmart. (It is about 35 minutes from where we are staying…and is one of the only stores around.) I think some of the teens just went because they got to go in an air conditioned building for a little bit…did I mention it is hot and humid here?
We made it back in plenty of time for chapel and it began with ‘stretching’ exercises to get ready to sing praise. (It was so neat to see how much our teens got into it. They were at a distinct disadvantage because being the only Catholic Group here, the other religions all knew the contemporary Christian songs, and we didn’t. It sure didn’t stop them from dancing and singing along with the words on the screen though. They had the most spirit of anyone!) Counselor Danielle gave the message tonight and she talked about her past year. It was her freshman year of college and all the mistakes she made that had her turning away from God and how she needed to know who she was following. It really hit home with the graduating seniors of our group, and our small group discussion afterwards was filled with a lot of reflections on it. We ended (as always) with our Hey God’s, Yeah God’s, and Mad Props. They had a lot more to say tonight and it is exciting for me as the ‘leader’ to see them really coming together as a team. We are truly going away from the upper class and lower class students and becoming one Saint Michael Community. It makes my heart happy.
The teens told me that they appreciate their homes and families so much more after today…..I do too. Thanks for sharing your kids with me. They are fantastic and that is due to their phenomenal upbringing. Good job Moms & Dads! Until tomorrow, Blessings on your night!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
We've Arrived....Quack!
Happy Sunday night! After about 6 ½ hours in the vans, and a stop in Jellico for lunch, we arrived safely at Whitewater Express in Copperhill, TN. Because of the ‘safe sanctuary’ policy that the Catholic Church has, TeamEffort Mission Camps gave our group our own cabins. They are much smaller than the ‘shared’ cabins, but the group is pretty happy about being by ourselves. The leaders are able to sleep out on the screened-in side room, while the teens take up the main cabin. We brought enough fans that each cabin has great air flow. (We will see tomorrow if the cabins are habitable in the heat when we get back from the work site.)
Unfortunately, it rained (hard) for about an hour and now the commute to the bath/shower houses are extremely muddy. Fortunately, the rain held off for us to get everything unloaded out of the vans, so our belongings stayed relatively dry. The cabins only have 4 electrical outlets, so I was really glad we brought the surge protectors/extension cords. (Have to charge all of those phones, ya know.)
After we unloaded and waited out the little rain storm, we headed into Ducktown for dinner. Of course, we had to take a picture of the sign….it is a ‘quacking good place’. In order to get to Ducktown, you have to drive through Turtletown. (I can’t make this up.) As we drove into Turtletown, we had to stop and wait while a turtle crossed the road. Craziness! We ate at Brother’s Copper Kettle and rushed back to make it to chapel.
The chapel service had a great big projector with the words of the songs being played by the counselor praise band. It was fun to sing along to the last couple of pieces. We made it in time to see the beginning video and hear a reflection by one of the camp directors, Rachel. She discussed the meaning of ‘foundation’ and how we each have a choice to make. We can choose to have a ‘loose’ foundation in our relationship with God and thus have difficulties going through life, or we can choose to have a strong foundation, thus when the difficulties come, we know we have someone even greater on our side.
After chapel we went back to the porch of the girl’s cabin to do our personal church group time. Chuck, John, and Christine led the discussion while Erich and I went to a leaders meeting. We made it back for the end of the group discussion and got to do Hey God’s, Yeah God’s, and Mad Props with them. Even only being here a short time, they came up with things to be prayerful about.
We aren’t sure who our camp counselor will be yet, but the teens are excited about getting started in the morning. We are working on a home in Tennessee, but aren’t sure of all the details yet. (They have a lot to fill us in on in the morning.) Speaking of the morning, our breakfast time is 7:15 so I am going to go corral the girls for lights out……which is technically 10:30 by TeamEffort standards, but we told the teens they could stay up talking quietly if they wanted….as long as they didn’t disturb anyone trying to sleep. (I bet this is the only night they stay up…..after working tomorrow in the heat, they are bound to crash early.)
Please continue to pray for us as we work for Christ in the community. Know that we pray for you nightly!
Unfortunately, it rained (hard) for about an hour and now the commute to the bath/shower houses are extremely muddy. Fortunately, the rain held off for us to get everything unloaded out of the vans, so our belongings stayed relatively dry. The cabins only have 4 electrical outlets, so I was really glad we brought the surge protectors/extension cords. (Have to charge all of those phones, ya know.)
After we unloaded and waited out the little rain storm, we headed into Ducktown for dinner. Of course, we had to take a picture of the sign….it is a ‘quacking good place’. In order to get to Ducktown, you have to drive through Turtletown. (I can’t make this up.) As we drove into Turtletown, we had to stop and wait while a turtle crossed the road. Craziness! We ate at Brother’s Copper Kettle and rushed back to make it to chapel.
The chapel service had a great big projector with the words of the songs being played by the counselor praise band. It was fun to sing along to the last couple of pieces. We made it in time to see the beginning video and hear a reflection by one of the camp directors, Rachel. She discussed the meaning of ‘foundation’ and how we each have a choice to make. We can choose to have a ‘loose’ foundation in our relationship with God and thus have difficulties going through life, or we can choose to have a strong foundation, thus when the difficulties come, we know we have someone even greater on our side.
After chapel we went back to the porch of the girl’s cabin to do our personal church group time. Chuck, John, and Christine led the discussion while Erich and I went to a leaders meeting. We made it back for the end of the group discussion and got to do Hey God’s, Yeah God’s, and Mad Props with them. Even only being here a short time, they came up with things to be prayerful about.
We aren’t sure who our camp counselor will be yet, but the teens are excited about getting started in the morning. We are working on a home in Tennessee, but aren’t sure of all the details yet. (They have a lot to fill us in on in the morning.) Speaking of the morning, our breakfast time is 7:15 so I am going to go corral the girls for lights out……which is technically 10:30 by TeamEffort standards, but we told the teens they could stay up talking quietly if they wanted….as long as they didn’t disturb anyone trying to sleep. (I bet this is the only night they stay up…..after working tomorrow in the heat, they are bound to crash early.)
Please continue to pray for us as we work for Christ in the community. Know that we pray for you nightly!
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