Solomon Returns!

So I haven't blogged in a while, but here's some of what's been going on. First of all, my site is progressing well. On Tuesday, we ran into lots of rock. On Wednesday however, we received a jackhammer. We also got some pry bars, which are basically heavy metal bars that you repeatedly smash against the rock. I got to use the jackhammer, which was a fun, unique, and harder than expected experience. On Thursday, we worked some more on the trenches. Finally on Friday, we put the septic tank in and started the smaller trenches for pipes. Unfortunately it was also rainy and muddy on Friday, but we persevered. In the evenings we had some very insightful and helpful conversations that struck close to home, particularly on things like lust, greed, hypocrisy and dating. I've learned a lot in the time here so far and grown closer to God.

Paige's Sunday

Today was for sure a sad yet exciting day! We spent our morning speaking about our time here and that kinda tore me apart. The white water rafting was amazing though, it was probably my favorite part of this trip. Tonight was crazy because we watched the video of all the pictures from the servant event which made my tears poor out! Thinking about the next three days is going to be rough.

Cecilia's Saturday

I had a lot of fun today! Part of the reason being because I got to sleep in, and part of it because we did so many new things. As we all shuffled into the vans I ran along a present surprise of Alexa who had driven from Maryland to come hang out with us for two days!!! I was sooooooo excited. After that we all went to an art gallery since it was raining which was nice. It was cool to do something different. Then we went with our state groups(me with Ohio because why not) to go out to eat. We decided to go to Jerusalem Garden Cafe and my gyro was very delicious! Next we headed back to the church to practice the song we'll be singing in church tomorrow and for more "ask the pastor". At the end of the day, I ended up under the kitchen sink eating a cup of ice cream.

Rainy Friday - Cecilia

Today was a bit of a bummer! We woke up and it was pouring but everybody still went to their sites to check it out and see what we would be able to do but at our site there was very little if nothing to do. So we went to walk around Marshall which was pretty cool. Then we went to a park with a gazebo to eat which was probably the highlight of the day because a couple of us went on a little adventure. We went down by the river where there was a little natural beach and went in the water up to our knees and it was soooo warm and it was super pretty. The mountains were beautiful and everything! Then we came home and we couldn't go downtown because of the rain so we just stayed and hung out which actually turned out to be really fun!!

Deacon's Run-In With the Law

Today was an interesting day, to say the least.  We were unfortunately rained out of our work site the entire day!  While the other groups were digging in the mud, we were sidelined due to the nature of our project.  Left to do on our house is siding a portion of the house, laying down the vinyl flooring, painting the ceiling, finishing the drain trench, and returning the Shelton's furniture after the flooring is completed.  All of that is now held off until Monday.  It is unfortunate, but we did get some social time with our work group.

While we were sidelined and roughly an hour from the church, we decided to go to Historic Downtown Marshall.  This was a charming little town with a lot of local shops and restaurants.  Our group had a good time browsing the area and meeting the great store owners.

Now to the story leading to the title of the post.  We decided to eat lunch on "the island" where there was a covered pavilion and a dock for looking at the river.  We could not have been there any more then 5 minutes when we see a sheriff walking towards our group.  The leaders greeted the officer, and were fearful that we had made a mistake, and were going to be told to leave this lovely little oasis we found.  However, what the sheriff really wanted was to know if we were part of a recycling group responsible for doing a pick-up in the park area.  We asked if we were fine to stay, and he said it was fine.  I know, it was a little anti-climactic, but I need a catchy title.

We were also rained out of our evening social activity, so we essentially reverted back to our normal schedule, with one salivating deviation.  We went on a group-wide Sonic run for 1/2 price shakes!  I had the peanut butter and fudge, and it was great.  I will say though, if you live near a Sonic, do yourself a favor and try the chocolate jalapeno.  It is surprisingly very good (you're welcome Sonic!).  Now all that is left is to sleep in tomorrow!  This is a welcome addition to our itinerary.

Blessings,

Deacon Huth

Day 4 - Cecilia

Sooooooo today, I woke up and I actually felt pretty sore but it made me feel like I actually have muscles. Really all I did was go up on the roof and paint it and still didn't finish which is what I'll have to do tomorrow. It got pretty steamy up there! We came home like a half an hour early though because today was laundry day!!!! Now I feel like I have a whole new wardrobe to wear. Today it seemed to me like I just let it all out in spiritual life with my prayer partner. I just told her how I felt and she listened. It was nice and felt good to get stuff off of my chest. Oh and I totally thought today was Wednesday when a woke up so now it feels like the week is going by super fast! Tomorrow is already Friday!

Wednesday - Cecilia

I felt like today it took me a while to wake up. It is starting to wear me out but definitely not in a bad way! Today at the work site I worked mostly in the trench. It was the first day I used a pick ax and I was intense! Haha, sparks were flying and everything. It would be a good stress reliever. As the days go on the more the family becomes involved which blows my mind. For example, Mr. Shelton just had a stroke 3 weeks ago and he tried helping is pry a boulder out from the trench. Mrs. Shelton was cracking us up. She was talking to him because he was right front and center watching us dig and she was telling him that maybe he should step back so he doesn't get hurt. He just said he's helping take out the rock. So she replied well if you got hurt at least I  wouldn't have to worry about you anymore. He is really a sweet old man. He told us "youngens" today that we can't look on the outside for beauty it's what's on the inside that matters not the statue. It was a very productive day on site and I'm looking forward to going back tomorrow.

July 15 - Paige

July 15, 2014 today I officially made new friends! I also realized that I love everybody on my site. We are all so nice to each other and act like we have known each other for years. It is awesome to be able to act myself around my new friends!

July 13 - Paige

July 13, 2014. It's Sunday and we are waking up early to go to church. It wasn't bad because I was able to take a nap in between me getting ready and going to church. I have made many new friends and they seem to be just like me, weird! We have a schedule everyday and that includes having a little church service at the end of the day, even though we went to church in the morning. This had been a great experience for me just to listen to what people have to say about God! It's been a great day today, but I can't wait for tomorrow and dig some ditches!

Day 2 - Paige

July 12, 2014. It is my second day here in North Carolina and I can't even explain how amazing it is here! I haven't gotten to know everybody but so far they have all even nice. It is a great experience that we get to go to church every night as well, and we also have a praying discussion with a partner! To me, being able to hold hands with the other servants and praying or just talking makes me feel at home. Ready for more fun times this week!

Welcome to ASE Paige!

July 11, 2014 today is my first day in North Carolina! It's so exciting meeting new people. I'm getting to know everyone else from Michigan and they are all so nice! I like everything here because they are all just nice in every single way, and they treat me like family!   So long story short, I love this trip so far.

Progress on Site 4 - Deacon

Today, our site has seen more progress than the first two days combined.  Today, we essentially finished up the floor in the bedroom, save a few finishing touches, sealed the chimney and conduit on the roof, and cleared out most of the trench for the drain pipe.  Our own Cecilia was "rocking" out by demolishing some big rocks in the trench.  I can still hear her battle cries as she turns those huge rocks into pebbles.

I am very proud of our work group.  They have showed up ready to work every day!  The family we are helping, the Sheltons, could not be nicer or more grateful.  They have been a blessing to meet, and Mr. Shelton has even been known to pick up a pickax or shovel to get his trench ready.  Again, what a blessing to meet them!  Also, their three dogs and cat have become work group mascots, keeping our spirits high and putting smiles on our faces.

I will admit, the first two days had made me a bit weary since there was a lot of work to do and it seemed like we were getting stopped at every turn.  Today was much more encouraging, and I think that sentiment goes for the entire group!

Blessings,

- Deacon Huth

P.S.  Some students from the Northville, MI group thought I should have a nickname like some of the other pastors and leaders.  For me, they chose D.D. (or Deacon Dan).  It has a bit of a ring to it, although I have a feeling it will remain here at ASE and as an inside joke with our group.

Day 2 - Nikki

Since I don't think anyone has yet, I will give you  a quick run down of the sites and who is where.  Site 1 is installing a new drain field and some french drains, with some potential home repair if time allows.  Our Savior does not have anyone on this site.  Site 2 is a full septic install for a family whose septic has failed.  Paige and I are on this site.  Site 3 is also a full septic install for a gentleman whose system has also failed.  Solomon is on this site.  Site 4 is a doosey of a home repair repair project.  It started out as a 'simple' foundation repair.  We know from experience that these are rarely simple and there are often surprises under the house or floor.  At this point, they have found that most of the support joists under the house are rotted, there is black mold, carpenter ants, and numerous other challenges.  Cecelia and Dan are both on this site, so hopefully they will tell you more about it throughout the week.

My site has a good group of kids and we are having a lot of fun 'playing in the dirt' together.  Monday we had some great theological discussions in the trenches that I have never personally experienced this early in the week.  They usually come - just not on the first day.  Topics were deep and ranged wide - from creation and evolution, to homosexuality, to the difference between denominations (and how many Lutheran denominations are there anyway?), to what we believe about the Bible and how we both express and defend that lovingly.  Great stuff!  Oh, did I mention that our homeowner was sitting on the front porch soaking this in as well?  She joined us in our closing work site prayer circle Monday afternoon.  Not necessarily directly related, but both evidence of God at work here at ASE 2014.  

Overnight there was rain at our site - good rain.  It softened up the dirt for us so that digging was easier.  We do have rocks and roots to contend with.  They are so far minimal and not overbearing.  One trench has a corner of shale (I think) that is 'easy' to break up because it is in layers and flakes, but is very slow because still it is rock.  It is getting late and I still need to pack my bag for tomorrow, so I will share more tomorrow.  (This year Dan is handling posting, so I have to get mine done at a more reasonable since it is not last!)  Blessings all!

Day 2 - Cecilia

Today was a pretty productive day at the site. It helped that I had a wicked nap on the hour or so ride there! We got there and I started working on the trench which is close to impossible to do since every time you go to did there's a rock somewhere down there. But everybody kept pushing through, even once the rain came.  At some point I worked in the house and worked on starting to fix the foundation of the house. After we ate lunch we tried catching a chick and I caught one! I totally felt accomplished... Mrs. Shelton, one of the family members we are helping is super nice and seems to like our company. It seems like everyday I learn something new about her family. One of the craziest things I've learned is that she's been married for 58 years! Ever since she was 15 she says! They are a very kind family and I'm looking forward to learning more about them.

Solomon's Rock

Today was very rocky, literally. There was way too much rock, and not the good kind of rock. The big, stubborn, hard to move rocks. It was awful. I used the pick ax a lot though, which was fun. We ran into a giant boulder of granite or something similar.  we couldn't break it. we're going to try tomorrow with a sledgehammer. I'm looking forward to it.

Sol is Back!

Today was an awful lot of hurry up and wait. I got here just in time for church. That was good like always. Then we had lunch, which was delicious sloppy joes. After that, we rode in the car for about six and a half hours with a total of about 20 minutes of stop time to see the sites. This did give me a chance to re-familiarize myself with everyone and learn a few new faces. When we FINALLY got back, we had a delicious chicken dinner, I learned some new people's names, and I finished getting everything set up. I'm excited for tomorrow!

Cecilia's Return

Today was a very exciting day. Those of us returning to ASE this year were EXTREMELY anxious for the other people returning from other states to arrive. But we were also very excited to meet the newcomers! They seemed to arrive all around the same time. We caught up with our old friends and met new ones as we helped them unpack their stuff from the vehicles. To kill time before dinner we just hung out and threw a frisbee around(which apparently I'm not very good at) or played some volleyball. As soon as we knew it it was time for dinner which was delicious as always. Then we had our first community life, spiritual life, and worship of the year and the bonding has begun.

Spangler's From the Road

Greetings all!  I am not actually at Servant Event yet.  My youngest sister-in-law was married TODAY.  I have to confess that initially I was really bummed that I was going to miss the first day of ASE 2014.  However, as I was sitting in the wedding listening to the sermon, weeping, I was thinking what a fitting start to my personal ASE journey it was to be witnessing the wedding of a godly couple who has truly centered their relationship on Christ.  What a powerful reminder of our relationship to Him and why we go to serve others.  I am now on the road with my youngest boy and dear husband, who is driving with us so we can get to Servant Event next day.  Usually the drive down is a time of reflection and anticipation.  It will be a little different this year driving through the night, since I need to sleep when I'm not driving.  I am grateful that God's plan is always best, even when it doesn't align with MY plans and ideals.  Participating in this particular wedding was an awesome experience of His provision and perfect timing and a great way to get myself into an ASE frame of mind.  Love you Lara & Andy!  Blessing all!

New Year, New Adventures

*Deacon Huth* - Greetings from Asheville, North Carolina,

As the new guy on the block around here, I am excited to experience the Appalachian Servant Event for the first time.  I have heard many great things from past participants and was ready to hit the road!  Of course, that road never turns out as smoothly as it seems at first glance, but the destination is completely worth it.

We started off by meeting in the dark of 5:30 AM and then joining our friends from Saint Paul's Northville slightly before 7.  We then hit the road for our 12 hour road trip.  By the first stop, the OSL van, which featured Paige and Cecilia, turned into the Hartland/Northville girls van, while the guys slept in peace and quiet in the Saint Paul's vehicle.  Our van seemed to be rockin' the whole way down.  Between the lovely rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the multiple failed attempts at holding their breath while driving through the tunnels of the mountains, there was no contest on which van had more fun.

Seeing the excitement on the faces of our students as we neared the church was priceless.  They are truly ready to serve the Lord's people this week, as well as meet new and familiar brothers and sisters in Christ.  It is safe to say, I cannot wait for this event to really get started!  Our Savior, you will be well represented here.