Adam: Well, the trip is started in transit... We traveled all day. There were no flat tires, the kids had a nice cd of christian/country music for the ride, and all went well. I am quite impressed with this group of kids. They are all very serious about what they are doing here but not afraid to be silly either. Lisa and Hannah, I miss you both. Be good and don't forget to water the garden.
Mark: Well today was quite an adventure. We drove all the way from Hartland MI. to Pigeon Forge TN. The drive itself was very fun. We played some cards games. One of the games being euchre and the other was a new game I learned called mau. Very hard to pick it up but I think I got the hang of it even though I lost all 5 or 6 games we played. The whole ride was very fun except for the last hour or so when everyone had to use a restroom but we were all so excited to get there they we did not stop! Well that is all for tonight have a goodnight everyone and cant wait to get to Asheville tomorrow and start to work!
Seth: Today was a long day. In the beginning of our long journey we played a card game called mau. It was fun, but I only won one of the games. Then I think just about all of us took a nap, except for Uncle Adam and Mrs. Spangler. After we woke up we had lunch at Friendlies and then continued our long road trip. We spent the rest of our journey playing euchre, playing some Bible trivia, and squirming in our seats while waiting to go to the bathroom. Now, we're finally in the hotel with empty bladders. I can't wait to get to North Carolina, get out of the car, stretch, meet new people, and work. Love you, Mom and Dad, good luck with work!
Sarah: It's always a joy going down to ASE. We left the church around 9:30 and traveled non-stop until we reached southern Ohio, where we had lunch. One of our favorite landmarks is Big Butter Jesus, which recently burned down, much to our disappointment. We only saw the metal frame that was left. For a while we played cards and just talked and got comfortable with each other, which wasn't hard to do. It was definitely exciting when we started getting into more hilly country, and before we knew it, our ears started popping as we arrived in the Smoky Mountains. It poured today, which is weather that we've never had before while driving down; but the mountains still looked gorgeous underneath the cloudy sky. Just like last year, we stopped in Pigeon Forge, TN, and had dinner at Shoney's, which was delicious. They make the best corn that I have ever eaten. Currently, Luke, Uncle Adam, and Nikki are teaching Seth how to play euchre, and apparently I just gave away his hand when he asked for advice... I just feel so blessed that I am able to attend Appalachian Servant Event once again, although I know that this really is my last year. I am so psyched for tomorrow to see all of the kids from last year and all of the newbies. Something about this whole experience is very surreal. Maybe it's because ASE is something that words cannot describe. However, I shall do my best to record it all to give anyone who reads this a little taste of my time here.
Luke: I got up too early today. It was really hot and humid outside. There was traffic. It is really cold in this hotel room. Those were bad things that happened today... otherwise it was pretty successful. For instance I ate three meals today. Two of them were really unhealthy: Success. I taught people the game of mau, which I won 5 out of 6 times because I rock: Success. I got Sarah to listen to Coheed & Cambria: Success. I defeated Mark in both a gun and lightsaber battle: Epic Success. I got to teach Seth how to play Euchre: Minor Failure... but that's his fault. However, I am very interested in tomorrow's activities and will not write in this journal any longer: Success.
Rachael: soooo..... today was pretty uneventful. We rode a bunch of hours in the car. And impressively we only made 2 stops. Once for lunch and once for gas. It was really fun, usually I don't like long car rides that much but these people make it...interesting. Haha we played lots of games including mau and bible trivia and euchre and lots of ipod games. And not to mention I was light sabered to death and Sarah caught it on video tape!!! maybe we can get it up on this site somehow. I don't know. But the light sabers came from the ipods, so don't worry parents who are anxiously reading this. No blood was shed. Then we went to the oh so famous Shoney's.... the food was wonderful, I ate a ton. I think the waitress thought we were starving people or something because we were up at the buffet bar before she could even take our orders haha. Then I had a very nice visit with a friend who lives down here in TN. He actually has the same cancer that I HAD.. and he isn't doing so well so I really wanted to say hi to him. Please keep him in your prayers, his name is Bradley Brock. He is the same age as me too. Andddd his cancer originated in the same spot mine did too. How ironic. Anyways, I am very sleepy so I am going start saying goodnight. Night
Nikki: Since you have heard all about our travel day, I'll share our adventure in getting our travel day. I called around and reserved a 15 passenger van back in January, knowing that they are a high demand item at this time of year. About 3pm on Wednesday, I received a call from Enterprise inquiring if I still needed a 15 passenger van for tomorrow. YES! Well, they didn't have one to give me and offered me a mini-van instead. Yikes! Our group is only seven, so technically there would be enough seats, but we all have luggage, bedding, cots, etc. How would it all fit? I called around from Saginaw to Detroit to Lansing to Grand Rapids looking for a large van, with no success. I decided it was time to stop my search and tell them I'd take the mini-van – there was still much to do to get ready. Trying to get in the servant event frame mind, I was going to leave this in God's hands. If he provided a mini-van, it would be sufficient. By no means my ideal, but it would do. I e-mailed the group to inform of this sad change in our travel pans. Thursday morning Mrs. Asher called to see if I had found a van, then told me her sister had just bought a new (to her – 50,000 miles) 12 passenger van but hadn't sold the old one yet and she was willing to let us use the new one for our trip. What a relief! We would have comfortable travel, we would be able to use our vehicle for a work van, and we could still take a cooler. This is not the first time that just getting on the road to servant event was an adventure in itself. Servant Event is always a good reminder that what God ordains is always good. And any of us can be used by God to fulfill His purpose. (P.S. Thanks for the van Cassie – we are taking good care of it!)
