Mission Update From Kendall and Madeline

Among the many stories told, experiences had, and memories made, two young ladies of our group had a few minutes to share some of their thoughts. Kendall Walker of Saint Pauls’ Church in Hanover and Madeline Granger of Warrenton have been working hard as part of a crew that has done demolition, finishing work, more demolition and, you guessed it… more demolition.

When asked what her first trip here has been like, Madeline was quick to answer. “It’s been really good and extremely satisfying to be doing such great work and make a big impact on the families we’re working for.” She said. “I’ve never really done any of the things that we’ve been doing this week previously, so along with teaching me new skills, I think it’s a lot of fun.”

Miss Kendall Walker, on her fourth consecutive mission trip from Hanover, was more than happy to be back in Hollywood, and back to work on the job site. “One of the main reasons I keep coming back is because, not only is it satisfying, you never know what kind of work you will get to do from year to year.” said Walker. “My first year here, I felt like when I left my connection with God was made stronger through this ministry. The people we do this for have very little in terms of possessions, yet they remain extremely faithful, and I learned a lot from that.”

The two then laughed and reminisced a little as they looked back on the week about 15 minutes prior to leaving for the job site one last time. “I’m glad Patrick is ok, and not having seen it, it’s still pretty funny that he fell through the ceiling.” Said Madeline with a smile.

“It’s nice to be able to hang out with people all week, both old friends and new. It’s a great bonding experience, and we share a lot of memories together.” said Kendall

As we sat and put together this blog, long-time volunteer and co-coordinator Ryan Wilvert walked into the room. With a quick joke about the girls being in trouble, he exited the room without interview.

 The girls said Ryan’s brief interruption was a perfect example of relationships they’ve had and built over their time here.

“When I first came on the mission trip, Saint Pauls’ only had like 3 adults on the trip, so we’ve always connected and felt very welcome by the adults of Saint James’. I only see Ryan once a year, but it seems like I’ve known him forever.” Kendall said. “I definitely look forward to coming back, and can’t wait to come and learn new projects. I want to take every opportunity I have because I know not every person my age has that. I always learn something new about myself on these trips. It’s a little sad to think that after next year, I might not have that one week missions trip, but these memories and experience are something I will take with me forever.”

Madeline agreed about seeing familiar faces and being made to feel “comfortable” throughout the week. “I think I would definitely come back and have really enjoyed this experience and have had a lot of fun.”

When asked what they would like the readers at home and elsewhere to learn from our trip, the girls shared a little insight. “That we need to recognize the impact small gestures can make to people. Leftover lunch can be an emotional treat for folks who may not be able to afford a watermelon. It’s not only this trip where we have an opportunity to give back and learn about people that we live with in this world.”

Thank you ladies!

Peace from the south y’all

Thursday July 7

 Thursday July 7, 2016

Today was our fourth day on the job site and the crews were able to switch up on their projects.  Team USA took over on the roof and re shingled the portion that team Pasta cleared earlier.  Team Germany went to the "yellow house" and took over for team Chile with putting up wall boards and installing a shower in the bathroom.  Team France and team Pasta were busy inside the "blue house" framing out the walls in two rooms to ready them for dry wall.  
Our wonderful kitchen crew not only prepares great meals for us but brought bags of food for the multiple cats at the job site.  Literally, there are millions of cats and kittens here running all over the place!  Don't be surprised If your child tries to sneak one home.  They are hard to resist!  
The day was topped off with fun and fellowship while having dinner with the youth group of Christ St. Paul's and going for a refreshing swim.
It is hard to believe that we only have one more day on our projects.  The kids are doing so well and it has not been easy work.  They are learning so much more than just how to hammer in a nail or cut a piece of wood.  The ability to come together and experience a totally foreign environment and disconnect from their daily normal routine has allowed them to focus on spiritual growth.  They have been challenged to explore their faith and the calling to help and serve others and have accepted the challenge head on, full force.  They have come together as a group and are truly making a difference!   

Missions Update from Julia and Kaylee

Hi Friends!

Kaylee Lamper and Julia Farrell from Saint James’ and Saint Paul's Churches here for an in depth chat about our time in South Carolina for 2016 missions.

Warrenton and Hanover have been working extremely close together on a variety of projects and challenges since we arrived in Hollywood on Saturday. We wanted to take a few moments to tell you a little bit about our time as individuals and our group, collectively.

“On the first day we arrived we were immediately greeted and overcome with kindness from the resident of the home we were working on” Kaylee had to say. “She greeted us each one by one with a hug and a kiss.”

“It was somewhat surprising that she took time greet us with such a warm welcome. We were excited to be there, and she was just as excited to see us.” Said Julia. “She wanted to pray with us, and her enthusiasm was contagious for our entire group.”

After the prayer, the youth went into a routine morning stretch and warm up before “diving” into the work ahead. They eagerly jumped in to moving some furniture, sealing off some of the rooms, and beginning on demolition of the remaining rooms. Surprises and obstacles awaited behind many of the old house’s structure and as the process moved along, the amount of work seemed to increase.

Three groups worked diligently on tearing out all of the insides of the house, while an excited crew climbed up and began working on a roof in much needed repair. Rising senior Patrick Turnure had a firsthand experience with how poor the roof structure was. “I was nailing in a piece of wood and my foot slipped back, and I went straight through the ceiling.” Said Patrick. “Luckily I reacted quickly, and grabbed onto a support beam and was able to keep from going all the way through to the floor. It was a little scary.”

Another group worked to provide our resident Miss Clara with a hot water heater, and pouring a concrete pad one which it would sit.

“We feel really accomplished for some of the things we have been able to do so far.” Lamper and Farrell said.” Are we allowed to say “Bad-ass”? That’s definitely how it makes us feel.”

“We’re still alive, working hard, and want to issue a full disclaimer to all of our parents that we’re not responsible for any of the cute kittens that make the return trip home.”

Blessings from Hollywood Y’all!!

2016 Mission Trip Day 4

 Mission Trip 2016 Day 4

Today was our third day on the work site and the kids are slowing down.  It was described in our circle time tonight as a Wednesday Wednesday, half way done but still have way more to go.  Team France has been working on a pad and cover for the water heater and completed their project.  Team Pasta (Italy) has been working in the hot sun on the roof to prepare it for new shingles.  Inside the house was not much cooler and team USA and Germany put down new sub floor and beautiful much needed new windows.  Team Chile worked at our second site (the yellow house) for most of the day installing paneling.  All the projects are coming along and the kids are working so hard!

2016 Mission Trip Day 3

Mission Trip Day 3

Day two at the work site is complete and we are busy bees getting so much work done in such a short amount of time! We have two separate work sites three houses apart from each other. One belongs to the sweetest lady, miss Clara, who was so excited to see us all, giving everyone a hug and a kiss the second we stepped off the bus. We are doing a lot of roof work stripping pretty much the entire thing and redoing it, along with demolition work on the inside rooms, putting in new windows, and creating a shelter for the hot water heater. The second we just started today where a team did some demolition work stripping the dry walls and putting up fresh ones and flooring. It is hot, hot work, it was mid nineties today and is going to be one of the coolest days of the week! We celebrated the fourth of July last night by pretending our glow sticks were sparklers due to someone, (looking at you Chris) locking our actual sparklers on the bus. Everyone had a blast though and we celebrated America's independence with great enthusiasm. Today we are headed to the seafood jamboree, a dinner put on for us by rural missions.  Thank you all so much,
              Sammie".

 Monday July 4th - First Day on the Job Site

Happy 4th of July!  Today was our first day on the job site.  Our resident Ms. Claire was very excited to see us and started the day off in prayer.  The teens and adults enjoyed visiting with her and hearing about her stories through out the day.  The kids started right in with demolition work in most of the interior of the house and ripping off the roof.  We had a crew that cleaned around the outside of the house and are working on a project to build a platform for a water heater.  The kitchen staff was in full swing and prepared yummy meals and snacks for us which were very much appreciated. Tonight's plans are to stay at base and have quality fellowship time and rest up for our very busy and work filled day tomorrow.