Wednesday, July 20, 2011

On Our Way Home

James Spangler
Yesterday was the last day on our worksite. We finished at about noon and then went out to eat at a local restaurant. I had a full brisket sandwich, half a pulled pork sandwich, some fried apples, chicken tenders, hush puppies, fries, and a brownie sundae. To say the least I was very pleased with my meal. After that we went to some souvenir shops and I ended up getting a big knife (the blade being the size of my forearm). Once we got back we packed and had dinner, shortly after everyone was done packing we did a game to find out who our secret servant was and then had the talent show, I was part of it in a group with Phil, Cole, Hiawatha, and Joey. Now (after closing worship) we’re having an all-nighter and watchin some movies before we have to leave in the morning. I’ll be seeing all of you back home soon, but I will also miss everyone I met here at ASE very much.

Rachel
Asheville yesterday was great. We went to Marble’s ice cream company, the most yumalicious ice cream ever. I didn’t buy anything from the indie trade shops that we stopped at. Last night was also the all night party. I watched mean girls and the beginning of iron man 2 before I was like,” That’s it, I’m going to bed.” We all started the longest massage train of all times, and it felt so good to get my back massaged after a long week of hard work. We were woken up around 5:30 am to clean up the fellowship room, and then the tears started to flow. Luckily, the Michiganians will be able to see each other, because most of us live within an hour of each other. I am depressed that I won’t see any of the friends I made till next year, possibly never again because this is their last year of high school. I want to go back next year and would recommend this to a friend. Talk to you all next year.

Seth Whitehouse
Yesterday was our last day. It was good but sad. Half the people in our group split up to work on the site or to work at the church. I worked at the church and then went into Asheville, which was fun. The talent show was awesome, a lot of musical stuff. The all nighter was also enjoyable, but unfortunately the morning came and that was rough and sad saying good bye to all those good friends.

David Lang
Last night we had an all nighter, actually for me it was like a half nighter. We watched movies after we had church, we watched mean girls, iron man 2, and rango. I only made it through mean girls and the beginning of the iron man. They also had snacks for us. Then in the morning we had to finish cleaning up the church to the way it was when we got there. Then we had muffins for breakfast, and everyone said goodbye. Now we are on our way home, we are driving all the way in one day this time.

Nikki
We are on our way home. This is always a sad time for me. As much as I miss my family when I am gone, it is an indescribable experience to be completely immersed in God’s word and serving as Christ’s hands and feet in a very tangible way. It is difficult to transition back into ‘the real world’, even though we have learned this week that we are to be God’s salt and light to the world. Kind of hard to do that if you are not in the world, huh?
This year was the 30th anniversary of the Appalachian Servant Event. Some of the folks who began this event and have served here for the entire 30 years are now bowing out. 30 years is a long run for anything. The knowledge that this is likely their last year brought it’s own sadness. This event was their (God given) dream and it has been amazing in just the five years that I have been involved to see how much of a ‘God thing’ ASE is. There are different people every year, but always with the precise skills that are needed for that year. There are always set-backs, but they teach us, both to trust in the Lord for all things and how to something better or different. I trust that the Lord will keep ASE going for many years to come, as long as it continues to fulfill His will, both for the people that we serve and for those who come to serve, youth & adults alike.
May we all go forth and serve as God’s Salt & Light wherever we are planted. To God alone be the glory!

Jake Nichols
Slept in the car a lot, slept though three states. I woke up when I smelled the twizzlers being opened. There’s not much to write about. I’m eager to get home to see my puppy and family.

Jimmy Pacey
The all nighter was fun. I was doing well up until around 4 o’clock. I took a nap during the middle of the movie Rango. We cleaned up put everything back in order and prepared to leave. There were many tears shed as people were ushered to their vehicles to part ways. The community we had built over the past ten days was at an end. But, we will all remember the friends we made and the lessons we learned working together. The drive back to Michigan has gone smoothly. Taking naps makes the trip go buy much quicker; as well as the pleasant company in the van.

Last Day

JAke Nichols
Today was the last day to work at the sites. Thankfully we finished at our site. Afterward, we ate lunch at “Butt’s BBQ on the Creek.” It was amazing. Before we showered at the “Y,” we went to some gift shops and I bought this wicked gift for my sister. Tonight’s the all-nighter. Will I stay up all night? I hope so. Oh yeah, while we were sitting around on buckets and doing nothing, I had the successful idea of having one of those bucket drum bands. It was amazingly epic.

Jimmy Pacey
We had a minor glitch with plumbing yesterday, so we were unsure how long it would take to complete everything today. However everything went well this morning. Arthur had running water and a working toilet by noon. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to be without running water; To not be able to get a drink from the faucet or take a shower anytime. We bid out farewells to Arthur. Wished him well and expressed our joy for the time we had working with him. After completing everything we went into Maggie Valley for lunch and stopped by some touristy shops. Now I’m looking forward to the all nighter; I’m one of the adult volunteers to stay up all night with the youth. :-P It should be fun!

David Lang
Today was the last day of working on the worksites. We did not finish the bathroom addition completely. Then we had leftovers from the last week for dinner. Then we had to start packing up to go home. Then we are going to have a talent show, I am not participating, then an all nighter. Then tomarow we will have breakfast then leave for home.

Nikki
Journals are a little on the light side today because everyone gets a skip day and so far only Jake & I have used ours. That means everyone had the option of doing journals today or tomorrow. (Unless of course they actually WANT to journal tomorrow! I will certainly allow it.)
Today part of site one (including David) went out to the worksite and part of the worksite (including Seth, Rachel & me) stayed back at the church to do some things there. We cleaned tools, washed a wheel chair that had been donated to the church, spread grass seed, fertilizer & straw on their new playground, built a temporary water break/dam in front of the playground so the seed wouldn’t wash away, and repacked some of the tools. All this was accomplished by noon. After that we showered here at the church and then went into Asheville for the afternoon. We lunched at Asheville Pizza & Brewery. It was a very eclectic place with lots of fun artwork and signs.
We concluded the evening with talent show (James & Jake both were in it), revealing our secret servant, and closing worship. Closing worship includes a foot washing within each state group. We found out that someone (I not saying who) has very ticklish feet! Now the kids are watching movies and eating snacks. I better get to bed so that I can drive us all home safely tomorrow. God’s Blessings!

Monday, July 18, 2011

Winding Down

Rachel
Today was back to work. We finished the trenches and putting the tanks in. We deserve a dance party. Part of my group got back early, since most of us were not needed on the site. Pearl McIntosh, the lady we work for, gave us watermelon as a treat. We then started a watermelon eating contest. In the middle of one round Phil Leyva started to laugh, which caused Cole Jackson to laugh while he was eating his watermelon. Cole then shot watermelon out of his mouth because he was laughing and it flew onto Hiawatha Mitchell. That was probably the best part of today. I really don’t like the regular schedule of waking up at 6 am. It reminds me that sophomore year is almost a month away. Tomorrow is the all nighter and the talent show, also the last day of working. I am sohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif ready to listen to James’ and Cole’s rap song at the talent show. Let’s hope Joey doesn’t dress up in a faeire costume and dance.

David Lang
Today I had a very strange breakfast of sausage and my choice of grits or cheese toast. Then we went to the work site. We have a lot left to do on our addition, but the team that is putting in the septic tanks is almost done. We then went and took a shower and had dinner and now we are having state meetings.

Seth Whitehouse
Today I had a weird breakfast of cheese toast. I didn’t have much work to do today, and the day seemed to last awhile. Hopefully we have a good last day tomorrow. So far the trip has been great. Miss you mom and dad.
James Spangler
Today was fun. Still not a lot of work but what we did is split off into two groups one taking a morning work shift while the other went to a national park. We switched at noon and took a hike when we got there. The view was amazing and today went rather quickly. Tomorrow will be the last work day of ASE.

JAke Nichols
I haven’t had breakfast the whole time I was here, or desert. Once we got to the work site, there wasn’t enough work for the people on the site. So, half of us went hiking and the other half stayed and worked. When I went on the hike we went to Fergus’s cabin and then climbed to the top of the mountain. After we got back to the van, we traveled to the ski slope. Then we traveled through Maggie Valley. It is the most beautiful little town I have ever seen. I entirely recommend it as a traveling vacation destination. Once we arrived back at the work site we had lunch and I attached the doors to the cupboards. That’s basically as interesting as it gets for today. derWhiteRaven, out.

Jimmy Pacey
While there was still work to be done there was not room enough for all to work at the same time. To remedy this we split into two groups one worked while the other went to a nearby national park. Arthur joined the first group. It was a great opportunity to talk to him and learn a little about him. He knew all the trails in the park, and guided us to a cabin and a ranger station. On the way down he took us through a shortcut that was a little messy, but he knew what he was doing. It took us right to where we had parked the van. Rather than returning straight to the work site, Arthur directed us to a path to a ski slope. It was a little frightening driving up the steep incline and sharp turns in a fifteen passenger van. But I now have undying faith in the driving ability of Pastor Chris. Finally, we were near one of the chaperones vacation home; so we made a quick detour. As it turned out Arthur had done a lot of construction/landscape work in the subdivision. It was amazing to have this opportunity to see the area and learn about the person we are serving.

Nikki
The bittersweet last days of ASE have arrived. We continue to enjoy each other’s company and work hard, play hard, and pray hard together. However, we are reminded regularly that our time is quickly coming to an end. Today was our last ‘regular’ community life and spiritual life. While these time slots are on the schedule for tomorrow, they will consist of revealing our secret servants and the talent show for community life and our closing ceremonies for spiritual life. Evaluations were filled out tonight. Not everyone is returning to work sites tomorrow. It will be time to clean up and pack up tomorrow.
Site 1 has had problems with the concrete pad and plumbing for the bathroom from the get go, and consequently we will not have the bathroom portion of the site completed when we leave. Not to worry, there are some great guys from Emmanuel who have committed to getting this finished for us. Pearl WILL have her bathroom! The work on the septic system will be completed by the time we leave tomorrow. It was a big task and we did it well despite its own complications of rocks.
I forgot to share a story the other day. We were digging the trench up the mountain when we discovered a shiny bug that appeared to be hibernating. We decided to bring it back for show and tell at the church in the evening, so I asked Pearl for a glass jar. When she saw what I had she said ‘ Oh, you got yerself a June Bug there? ‘ Someone else was there also (I forget now if it was a neighbor, cousin, or inspector) and told me that when they were kids they used to catch June Bugs (which play dead) and tie a string around its leg, hold on to the string and watch the June Bug fly around in circles. That’s what they played with when they was little, that and marbles. Miss Pearl heartily agreed that they sure did!

Sabbath Rest

Rachel
Today I slept, ate food, watched women’s soccer, slept some more, watched a video of Joey Quinn dancing around in a faeire suit from two years ago, and drew pictures with sharpies. I was happy that we got a day of rest from driving. The highlight of my day was seeing Joey getting carried away after trying to squirt a pastor with a water gun. We are at state groups, and we saw him running out of the door with Pastor running after him, followed by a crowd. Tomorrow is back to work, with only two days left.

James Spangler
Today was a fun day. After we sang for the church here we got to all hangout all day. We took our group pictures and state pictures. Once that was done we just did random stuff like music, watchin the women’s soccer game, playin basketball and volleyball, then we had an excellent dinner. I felt kinda funky after dinner so I took a nap but when I got up I was ready to go again n was practicing for our talent show bit, it’s gonna be bomb.

Jake Nichols
This morning I woke up and I turned out to be the last one awake. I skipped breakfast and went to 8:00 church service, and also attend two church services at 11:00 for a song that we were singing. It was useless cause I don’t sing. After that I went out to the edge of the soccer field and played keyboard till lunch, which was pizza. After that I went up to the chapel to play piano. I needed help with a song tuning so I went downstairs to ask a friend to come up. He came and basically near dinner we came up with a song to play for the talent show. He knows the words, and I know the tune. After dinner I hung out with a friend in the elevator, which someone had placed four chairs and a table in. we played cards, war, until state groups. Since I can’t predict the future, JAke out.

Seth Whitehouse
Church this morning was long but good. After church we had good pizza and then took pictures. After pictures we had a lot of fun just hanging out with each other. For dinner we had a professional barbeque guy, and it was very good. Spiritual life was good as always mixed feelings about the next couple days, bye.

David Lang
This morning we went to three church services, one full service, and two services that we had to just sing and a few kids had to give testimonies. Then we had to take a group picture. Then we just had a lot of free time. In this free time I spent it playing volley ball, basketball and watching the women’s world cup finals. It was nice to relax for awhile.

Jimmy Pacey
Quite a relaxing Sunday! It was nice to be able to join the congregation of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. I took the free time in the afternoon to have a much needed nap . I look forward to returning to the worksite tomorrow and start finishing up the projects we began. Arthur, the guy we are helping out, is cool to talk to. He recounted a conversation he had with a friend prior to our coming to help him. He said that he didn’t know what he was going to do; the electrician couldn’t do anything until the plumbing was done and he didn’t know what he was going to do. His friend told him he needed a miracle. He told his friend that we were his miracle.

Nikki
I enjoyed a nap outside this afternoon – it was much needed after this week of long days and hard work. The youth have pretty much told you about our day, so I think I will share a little about Pearl McIntosh, the woman who we are working for at site 1. Pearl lives in the house she & her two brothers were born in. Her Granddaddy passed it down to her Daddy, who passed it to her. It has been in the family for at least 100 years. She isn’t sure before that. Her brother Fred lives next door. Pearl spends most of the days while we are there outside visiting with us and seeing the progress are making. Fred is usually out to greet us in the morning and comes for lunch and at the end of the day. They both join us in our morning, noon, and afternoon prayer circle. Friday morning we were rained on again (no lightening this time though) and after our lunch break Pearl made coffee and brought it up the mountainside in the pot to us for a warm up. She even made a second trip so everyone could get some. It is amazing to this flat lander who has sore knees after walking up and down Pearl’s mountain all week how she, at seventy-something, just walks up and down that mountainside all day long without a second thought. Pearl works cleaning houses for a few local families. There are only a few people who live in the Holler that are not related to Pearl & Fred. Her Granddaddy had owned a large portion of the holler – big enough that after he divided it up for his kids there was enough for them to divide up for their own children, all of whom still have acres of land. Pearl’s cousin up the street is the one who made initial contact to get this site in motion three years ago. Just a piece down the road on a mountaintop is a cemetery in which nearly everyone is relation to Pearl & Fred. Pearl is a joy to visit with and gladly goes off to ‘aggravate someone else’ when whoever she is visiting with needs to get back to work. Of course, getting to know the people we are helping IS part of the work we set out to do. Glory be to God!
P.S. I added some rafting photos to the album

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Rafting Day

Seth Whitehouse
Today we had another good breakfast (biscuits and gravy and eggs). The whole day we pretty much spent rafting. It was a good time. There weren’t quite as many exciting/scary moments as last year, but it was almost more enjoyable without those difficulties. I’m looking forward to the rest of the day, bye.

David Lang
Today we got to sleep in till 8:45. Then at 10:00 we left to go white water rafting. I have never been white water rafting before, but it was a lot of fun. We even got to swim down part of the rapids. This was a lot of fun.

Jimmy Pacey
Got to sleep in!! Late breakfast at 9:00, then off to go white water rafting. Never been rafting before, but love water and found this to be a lot of fun. I know the kids had a great time. The tour guides were great; a couple of them had some funny jokes. The kind that a lot of people just groan …. But I never understood why, I’m too busy laughing. I find them hilarious. Back to Emmanuel around 3:15. Have some free time before dinner to recuperate and get ready for the evening activities.

James Spangler
We got to go to white water rafting and it was a blast! Besides that nothing exciting, I FINALLY got my flannel today! Also y’all should look forward to a very awesome video for the talent show. During white water rafting I got to get out of the raft n swim in the rapid at one part and that was really fun. I was in the back the whole time because the raft I was in had the first aid kit but it was still sweet.

Jake Nichols
Today we went white water rafting. It was sort of fun. I have the privilege of sleeping in a not so freezing room tonight. We finally got our shirts. They’re blue and green….it’s fun to give James a hard time about the way he sleeps.

Rachel
Today, we went white water rafting. Although we were all excited to sleep in and we couldn’t wait to go rafting, James came up with the brilliant idea that we should get a midnight snack from sonic. Sonic closes at midnight and we got there at 11:30 with around 40 people. The latest group got their food around 12:30, and they got back around 1:00 am. Rafting was awesome, at least till the very end when my group actually got stuck between rocks. We also got to make a pit stop to jump off a “cliff.” It didn’t look daunting at first, but when it was my turn to jump I started to feel a little nervous. James and Mrs. Spangler know that I don’t like heights and James was sad when he didn’t see me jump, because he was going to laugh at me. I had a great time today, and I warn you never to take me on level 4 rapids. The bad news of the day was when some people came back from site one and said the pipes leading from the shower exploded. Ask David, he can give you better details than I can. I hope tomorrow is a better day, because the next news from site one better be good.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Friday

David Lang
This morning it rained till about 10:30, I personally did not get very wet, because I was working inside the addition for most of this time. Today some of our big accomplishments were we got the shower stall set into place, and got part of the last exterior wall framed in, and started framing the indoor wall. Then we went to a small town called Marshal to a county dance hall.

Seth Whitehouse
Today I had breakfast, then I had lunch, and then I had dinner. We worked after hours on our site today to get the two tanks in. Unfortunately, after we finished the pits and put in the first tank we found out that the second tank was cracked so we couldn’t put it in. I had a fun time at Marshal, and am looking forward to water rafting tomorrow.

JAke Nichols
Today I woke up went to the site played ninja for nearly the whole morning at the top of the mountain. Then I had a snack. Then I taught Red not to bite. Then Red peed on Lucy. Then I had lunch, which consisted of 4 pieces of American cheese. Then I slept in the car till we had to leave. Its 8:00 and we’re going to Marshall, and Seth is wiping caramel on the back of my shirt. Seth says “I lied.” Oh well. derWhiteRaven out..

James Victor Spangler
Our site, once again, didn’t have a whole lot to do. We ended up playing a lot of games and tossing a rock with a shovel, which actually went a lot better than it sounds. I finally got an opportunity to do something and jumped right on that. I got my own suspenders yesterday and wore ‘em for the first time today, now all I need is a flannel. The work is almost done on the site. Tomorrow we get to go white water rafting, that should be fun!

Jimmy Pacey
Friday!!!  The grunt work is winding down. Just a few jobs left to do, so working these in shifts. Several of the youth as well as adults have taken to solving riddles while working. Really makes the time go by quickly. The tap has been put into the creek and connected to the house. Once the plumbing in the house is finished up there will be running water. Amazing to think of all this effort that goes into daily routines we take for granted. We finished up our Friday by attending Marshal, a bluegrass/country music shin dig held in an old train depot. It was fun to see a slice of the culture. And had a blast dancing!

Nikki
This is officially my journal skip day, but you should know that there are now some site #2 pictures in the photo album, courtesy of Linda from Northville, MI.

Rachel
Well, today basically was raining. We hated it of course, but today's rain was better than Wednesdays rain, because it was raining that hard. Today went horribly wrong, because as soon as the girls left our site, the boys that were still working texted and said that the septic tank had a crack in it, and that we couldn't put it in the hole. After we rushed back to the church, we got ready to get our groove on. After dancing with basically everyone, we are heading back to the church now, and Seth was complaining that he didn't like country music. Tomorrow we get to sleep in, and it will be a nice change.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Laundry Day!


David Lang
Today was a little cooler than Monday and Tuesday. On the addition today we started finishing the roof, we started insulating the two walls we built, we were also working on the plumbing. Tonight for dinner we had some delicious meat loaf, potato salad, corn, and rolls. We are right now doing our laundry. We are having a pretty good time so far. Talk to y’all tomarra.

Rachel Appold
I dug in the trench that was built down a hill. I can’t wait till Saturday, when I can sleep in. I enjoyed when a puppy came over twice for attention. We all couldn’t resist a puppy that adorable, so we took a little break from work to pet the little guy. It was very hot, but the trench I was working in was in the shade. We left early, to shower and eat dinner. We are at the laundry matt right now, and we will be heading over to family dollar for some fun. Tomorrow, we head to Marshall.

James Spangler
Today was rather slow. I haven’t had good luck sleeping here. The first night I hit my head on a cupboard, the second night I fell of my cot, and last night I fell off and my air mattress landed on top of me. I got to cut up another tree as well as lay some pipe today. It wasn’t a very eventful day so I don’t have much to write. Hopefully tomorrow will be more eventful.

Seth Whitehouse
Today we made a lot of progress on our sites. The people digging the trench to connect the trenches to the tank pit got a lot done. Also, we got a lot done on the pit, including digging out a huge boulder, with the help of Ryan Deberry from last year and another ASE alumni who came to help for the day. Today was fun, and so far the laundry is going smoothly.

Jake Nichols
I helped attach the water pipes today at the top of the mountain. Not really the top. But close. It rained a little and I really didn’t do much work today. There was nothing to do. Well, we’re almost done with our site. I seem to forget everything after I see it, oh well. That’s just an oh well.

Jimmy Pacey
Done!! Well, not totally. But, site two did complete the septic tank system. I can now proudly say that my name is signed on a septic tank in North Carolina that I helped install. The pipe running to the stream has been laid. Just need to tap into the stream and put in the small reservoir then running water will be ready for the house. All the youth continue to bond over the shared work and success. It is amazing to see and be a part of the community being built.

Nikki
What they haven’t told you – Jake has been playing music for the prayer portion of evening worship. He is doing a beautiful job helping to create a prayerful and reflective mood for this part of the evening. David and one other youth stayed late at the worksite yesterday and went in early this morning with the two men leading the work on Pearl’s bathroom addition.
It was slightly cooler today. I am reaching the point of exhaustion and will be very glad to sleep in Saturday morning. Despite the tiredness that we all feel, there is the sense of accomplishment in a job well done. We are not finished yet, but we can see the progress being made. I have a great group of youth on my worksite as well as in my van to and from. They are hard workers but fun to talk to and banter with as we work and travel together. There have been no afternoon naps in my van the last two afternoons, which is unusual at this point in the week and is a testament to the camaraderie of the group. There is different energy this year despite the heat and sun that we have had. I must retire for the night so that I can get back to work in the morning. Blessings to all!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Wednesday

Seth Whitehouse
Today we started one of our two septic tank pits. I worked on the pits, and was nothing but rocks. Lunch was really good; a guy from the church brought good ice cream and really good blackberry and peach pie. It also rained a lot, but only for a short period. We had to go into the vans because we saw lightning. Other than that it was a good day; dinner was good.

David Lang
Today we made some progress on the addition, we put part of the roof up, and we moved a drain pipe. A member from a previous job site brought us some delicious peach and blackberry cobbler and ice cream. I thought this was a very nice gesture. Anyhow all is going well so far. Talk to y’all later.

Jimmy Pacey
Playing word games and riddles while we worked helped pass the time. The day seemed to go by very quickly. I do enjoy a good riddle, both telling and answering. But looking at what was accomplished was amazing. The third trench was completed and the septic tank was placed.

Jake Nichols
Ok, I finally figured out the “green glass door” and the “I’m going to a picnic.” If u don’t know, well… don’t even attempt to understand. Today I witnessed the extraction of a deer tick off of Red, one of the many dogs that wanders around the site. I was fortunate enough to go and see the reservoir where Arthur received his water, straight from the mountain. I am going to drink from it tomorrow.

James Spangler
Today was rather slow, in the morning we were ready to fill in the last trench but had to wait for inspection. In the meantime I was tasked with clearing a path through a patch of blackberry bushes so we could run the water line through there. I also got to chop up a huge log. We received our septic tank today and when we put it in there was still a little bit of dirt preventing it from going down all the way so we had to take it out, dig some more, then put it back in. It looked like it was in the pit wrong again but when we put the leveler on the tank it was perfect. The other thing we did while we were waiting is toss a rock with shovels which was quite entertaining.

Rachel
Today, we got three days prayers worth of rain. I was helping with the downhill trench when we started getting yelled at to start re-covering the three trenches. It started to downpour, and then we heard thunder and saw lightening. So, we dropped all our tools and “ran” for the cars. My group had a 30 minute delay, and I can personally say that no one enjoyed it, because we wanted to go shower. I am getting a work out over here; I am falling into the range of pain killer every day. I hope tomorrow goes better.

Nikki
Today was a very different, but good, day at the work site. The contractor who works with us, and whose license all of our septic permits are under, has fallen victim to state cutbacks with respect to non-profit projects. ASE is addicting (in a good way) and he has sought other funding. There is a new Housing Coalition that is helping to fill the gaps left by the state cutbacks. A group from there spent most of the morning on our work site to be able to get information for presenting to the coalition (as I understand all of this). They visited with the adults, asking a lot of questions about the projects we do, and the group. There was a photographer. It was just an unusual work day in that respect.
At lunch time Damien, a congregation member and someone who we did a site for a couple of years ago, brought out still hot homemade blackberry cobbler & peach cobbler as well as ice cream and a cooler full of bottled water. He is the one that was a Katrina victim and had relocated to NC who had a Habitat for Humanity house. I was not on that site, but visited with him some knowing that Sarah Foradori would want to know how they were doing. Ruby is going into Kindergarten!
After lunch we had the inspector show up and we were able to put the 10” pipes in our septic field trenches. We were working on covering them up when we heard a rumble of thunder in the distance, then a light ran started to fall. It is very important that the trench not get rained in with exposed piping. We hollered to the folks working on the trench down the mountain to come give us a hand and were able to get them at least covered before the full force of the rain hit, followed by lightening, which put us all in the vans for about half an hour. Then we got out and worked for about another hour. The trenches still need some finish work and there is plenty of other work to get done yet. We are really at our halfway point with only four work days left.
They have already started talking about going home next Wed morning in community life. It is always sad when they start talking about that. I know that it is appropriate preparation, but it is such a downer.
Look for more pictures tomorrow. I think I can get wireless at the laundromat so will have ample time to work on that. Sorry about the lack of site two pictures. We don't have anyone in our group with a camera there. I'll see if I can get some from somebody soon.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Work Day 2

David Lang
Today I had a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy . It rained while we were driving to the job site. We started putting the walls up for the bathroom addition. We also cut out the door. Any how having a good time. This is David Signing off for today, see you tomorrow.

Seth Whitehouse
Today breakfast was really good; I really liked biscuits and gravy (David Lang, line 1 of page one). Digging was annoying today because we had to make the trenches square and level. After lunch though, we got to start digging the trench down to the tank pits. Today was fun; everyone is nice. Bye.

Jimmy Pacey
I must also iterate the excellent breakfast we had. I have not had biscuits and gravy (good gravy anyway) in quite awhile. Good southern cooking. We completed two of the three trenches today. Laid the pipes and filled them back up. It gave us a sense of accomplishment and let us see that our efforts are paying off. The youth continue to bond over the shared work and accomplishments. It is fun to watch it happening. Eager to see what the rest of the week shall bring.

Jake Nichols
Today we nearly finished our trench, filling it back up with dirt with the pipes in it. I skipped breakfast as usual. It was raining for the morning, and got real sunny at noon. I was basically a drone –robo- while I worked, I didn’t get tired til the Water Nazi called us to rehydrate. Were almost done! WOOT!

James Spangler
The site I’m working on nearly finished filling two trenches today, just leaving the third trench with some finishing touches. There were a lot of big rocks on the third trench so I had at least a solid hour of busting up rocks that I did today, besides that filling in the trenches didn’t take as long as I thought. Actually all the work is going quicker than I had anticipated. I wore the suspenders again today and I think I’m just gonna go to goodwill or Kmart and get myself a pair. Other than that there wasn’t a whole lot at the site that went on. I’m interested to see how quickly everything else gets done.

Rachel
Today was a better day for digging trenches. It was raining this morning when we started to pack the car, and a little bit after lunch, the sun was shining. My group got out of the YWCA before everyone else, so we got a “little” portion of kids to go eat at sonic before dinner. That was not a good idea for me. For the community life event, we got into four teams, and we were given styrofoam sticks and a beach ball to play hockey. Well, kids and styrofoam stick equals war. It was interesting to play, just a suggestion for Mr. Arnold, if he wants to have that instead of nerf wars. It was very difficult to play with a beach ball because it was breezy outside. Tomorrow is the last day before laundry. I am very happy since my clothes are laying next to where I sleep.

Nikki
Everyone seems to be settling nicely to servant event. Some had a slower start than others, but I am now seeing everyone participate and interact. It is so wonderful to see community coming together. I love being out in these mountains playing and working with the youth (and other adults). It is a refreshing from the everyday and renews a spirit in a way that nothing else does. Of course the community life, spiritual life and worship that we have in the evenings is all a part of that. I am truly blessed to be here. I want to get this up while I have a good connection. Not to mention that sleep is in order. I am feeling muscles I forgot I had this evening. Blessings to all.

P.S. It is a great encouragement to the youth to know that someone is actually reading their journals. If you are, please drop us an e-mail. (This is why I get to journal last;)

Work Day 1

Nikki
Had some connection issues with the network here last night. Monday was very hot, but we got a lot of work accomplished. We are doing a new kind of fill in the septic field this year, so our trenches only have to be 12” wide by 18” deep. It would seem like this is better because it it is less digging, but I actually find it more challenging than the 3’ x 3’ trenches because the work space is small. It is better for this site, because it is quite rocky, but the work is easier in the bigger trenches. Better get these up for everyone now that I can get online. Oh yes, Rachel, Seth, David & I are all on site one. Mr. Pacey, Jake & James are all on site 2. Hopefully the youth with tell you a little about each as the week goes on.

Rachel
Well, all I can say is that cold showers are like heaven to all of us. Today, we started to dig the trenches and build the bathroom extension, while singing songs. It felt like Les Misérables, except there was no very gloomy music being sung. If you want to know how hot it was, when a cloud blocked the sun we started cheering. There was a rain cloud right above us for twenty minutes, and it didn’t rain, even when we did the rain dance. The owners were very kind and kept telling us that we should take a break. Only ten more days of working, and hopefully it rains because tomorrow is supposed to be over a hundred degrees. We all groaned when we heard that.

Jake Nichols
Heck with the Z I’m tired. I don’t remember anything. Hey it’s kinda like school. So I saw a North Carolina license plate then I realized where I was. We worked on our first site today. It was great weather. We basically got a lot more than expected done. Blah blah blah. I forgot everything else. I’m brain dead.

David Lang
Today was the first day on the job site. I am on site one. We are putting in a septic system and a bathroom addition on to her house. I was helping a crew with the bathroom addition portion of the job site. Her house is over 100 years old so we have to do a lot of prep work before we can really start on the addition, so that is what we did today.

Seth Whitehouse
The first day was hot. Our work group all got along. The shower felt really good. It looks like we don’t have to dig as much this year. So, we pretty much just dug today, except for the people working on the bathroom addition. And, to my mom and dad, I know why I’m not supposed to drink milk after my morning pill.

James Spangler
As stated by the others, today was the first work day. Due to my scrawny figure my pants would not stay up and I forgot a belt, although one of the pastors had some suspenders I got to borrow. I ended up chopping down a small tree so I found them quite fitting after reluctantly accepting them. I think I’ll be rockin those all week. I got suggestions to get a flannel shirt to complete it. After the tree and the stump was removed I started the on the trenches and that’s where we ended today. The site I’m on is moving along pretty well, I think the work will get done fairly quickly.

Jimmy Pacey
We woke early and after breakfast headed out to our work sites. It was amazing to see the camaraderie that the youth had and developed while working side by side. Nothing like digging in the trenches with someone to get to know them better. We are split between two sites. At the location I am working we are putting in a septic system, and running water for a man by the name of Arthur. While working we also had the opportunity to learn more about him and his life as well as share our own. I, and I am sure the youth as well, are eager to serve and look forward to completing the tasks before us.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Sunday

David
Today after we got up we had breakfast. After breakfast we had a bible study about Isaiah. Then we went to church. After the service we went to visit the job sites. I noticed that the area we are in has lots and lots of mountains all around it. Then we came back and had dinner and now we are having our state meetings.

Seth
Today we went to church, had Bible study and visited our worksites. I liked the first one better because it had less chance of poison ivy. But don’t worry MOM, I’ll wear jeans if I’m on the other site. We had a good dinner and I’m tired already.

James
After church and lunch we went and checked out our worked sites. They both had the same amount of work to be done. I had a nice nap during the car rides to the sites. Thanks to Seth we now know that “Zombies can’t throw axes!” We start work tomorrow and hopefully everything goes well.

Rachel
Today, all we did that’s important was eat and also drive to our work sites, so that we get a familiar aspect of our surroundings. We got back around 5:30, and waited until dinnertime. The memorable part of the day was when we used sticky notes and wrote messages to put on friends secret servant bags. I have an idea to who my secret servant is, but I just have to wait and see if I’m right. Tomorrow, we get to start working. Bring on the pain.

Jimmy Pacey
Slept in for the last time, we will be rising early to head out to work for the rest of the week. After joining the Congregation of Emanuel for service, we had the opportunity to visit the sites and meet the people we will be serving. While the tasks before us are daunting many including myself are eager to begin. I look forward to serving and growing in faith with the newfound friends we have met here.

Nikki
I am eager to get to work tomorrow. They both look like good sites with plenty to keep us busy. The first site will have two septic tanks, a distribution box, and 3 – 70’ trenches. In addition, we will be BUILDING the bathroom, as this home has never had one. The second site will have one septic tank, three trenches, a line 500’ up the mountainside to a spring for water, a water holding tank, and some plumbing under the home.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Arrival

Rachel
Today, we continued driving from Pigeon Forge to Asheville. No slow traffic, it was easy-going. We got two surprise stops in the Smokey Mountains, for sight-seeing. The first stop was to look at the mountains, but James unleaded his inner monkey and wanted to take a “trail” which was not an actual trail. We then started an argument on which way the Tennessee-North Carolina borderline was pointing. The second stop was when the fun began. We walked though a river with rapids. Fortunately, Mrs. Spangler and I left our gear on shore, because we weren’t stable on rocks and we slipped into the deeper end. This was after Mr.Pacey threatened to push me into the water.
We continued all the way to Asheville, still looking at mountains and driving through tunnels. We arrived at Asheville, celebrating and a few boys impatiently waiting for Sonic. We basically just spent the rest of the time with the other kids play dodgeball and basketball. It’s also very unusual to have worship at 10 o’clock at night. Hopefully, tomorrow I will get use to the schedule and not lose track of time.
Jake Z. Nichols
Today for breakfast I had pulpy oj. Mrs Spangler fell in a river, and I already want to go home. There are too many rules. BLAH!!! I hate a lot of rules. Oh yeah, and I had an old guy who’s losing his thoughts wash my feet today. I already was invited to join the worship group. The answer is still pending. You know doing journal every night makes me feel like I’m Jake Sully from Avatar, posting my days progress on the log… lost my train of thought… iss soooooooo cold. Our room’s called the meat locker. Jacob: over and out.
David
Today we left pigeon forge and went to the smoky mountains this had some terrific views. Then we continued on to North Carolina where we just got an overview on the whole ten days.
Seth
Today we arrived at the place. It was cool driving through the mountains. It was nice seeing everybody at the place, and I almost finished learning a piece on the piano. We had kitchen duty today.
James
We arrived today without any problems at the church. We stopped at a few places along the way to so we could look at a few things, the view was really nice. We haven’t done too much today but the food is good so far.
Jimmy Pacey
We drove through a national park for the last part of the trip. It was awesome to see the beauty of God’s creation. After a few pit stops, during which one of the chaperones fell in the river, but won’t mention which (Nikki),we arrived at our destination. We became acquainted with the others that will join us in this experience and look forward to serving and growing in faith with them.
Nikki
It looks like the girls are going to be carrying the bulk of the journals … Hopefully they will improve as we actually get into more activity. Several of the groups were stuck in traffic today, so most of them did not arrive until almost dinner time. Of course, the first day is a lot of how this whole thing works and setting expectations. Although we did play some fun name learning and teamwork games.
We did make a few fun stops on our down. Look for our photo album in the links. Fortunately, no one caught me bottoms up in the river. While I did fall, I did not exactly ‘fall in’. It was really more of an almost face plant. I have a pretty bruise on the side of one knee, but otherwise am unharmed. I did give David (who was on shore already watching us all come back in) and Mr. Pacey (who was following behind me) quite a fright I think. I can only imagine what I looked like as I went down on knee with my face quickly approaching the rocky bottom. Fortunately, I was able to catch myself and only my hair went in the water. I kept all of my electronics (phone & camera) safe and dry!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Travel Day 2011

Nikki Spangler
We are currently in Pigeon Forge, TN - our stop over on our way to Asheville. It is always exciting to be heading back to ASE, remembering previous projects and people, wondering who will be back this year and what new people you will meet. I think that we have a great group going this year, with a good mix of personalities, ages and servant event experience. I pray that we will serve effectively as the hands and feet of Christ and that each participant will learn something new and grow in faith as they serve.

Jake Z. Nichols
Getting to Ohio seemed pretty fast, probably cause there was an unlimited supply of snacks. There was a pretty large back up in Kentucky, and I was entertained by realizing how much people suck at driving. At some point in the trip I became extremely bored so I taught Seth the “Lord Of The Rings” on my keyboard. Right now we are staying in a town that is perfectly fit for a zombie apocalypse. I would write more, type, but Jimmy is cranking up the TV and it’s hard to think. … … … blah.

David J. Lang
Today we just did a lot of driving and eating. We are currently in Tennessee in a very touristy town. There are miles and miles of tourist attractions. The car ride has been pretty good so far we have had a Good Time. There isn’t a whole lot to write about today so I am signing off, to be continued.

Seth Whitehouse
Well, it was a long day in the car today. It took us longer than expected to get to Pigeon Forge; there was thirty or so car collisions reported in Lexington, KY. But, the ride was made more enjoyable by playing with Jake’s keyboard and listening to James’s guitar. The day ended well with good pizza from Papa John’s and interesting sights in Pigeon Forge.

James Spangler
The majority of our day was spent in the car; a bad accident on the freeway caused it to take longer than expected. The north bound side was completely stopped so at least we were moving, I saw some guys playing chess on the back of their car while some other people were just walking around or sitting outside their car. Besides that the trip went smoothly and we got to Pigeon Forge without any problems and enjoyed some fresh pizza to end the day.

James Pacey
We excitedly set forth from Our Savior at 9:00 AM. We saw some nice scenery as we passed through Ohio, including the location where Big Butter Jesus once stood. While we were delayed due to traffic, the trip was made bearable by good company and conversation. Finally we arrived at Pigeon Forge, TN, a most eclectic and interesting town. The short drive from the highway to our hotel was quite amusing due to the attractions and shops in this tourist center.

Rachel Appold
Today we mainly just drove. Everyone basically slept the way down. Jake Nichols brought his keyboard with him so that he could entertain us, even though we forced him to “teach” us how to play it. The most memorable time this whole trip was putting a cheese ball in James mouth while he was sleeping and then waiting 10 minutes to record his reaction. The worst part of the trip was when we were getting close to Lexington, Kentucky, and there were about 30 collisions. Lucky we were southbound and not northbound, because northbound was closed and the line kept getting longer and slower. People were walking around and the funniest part was watching a group of people play chess on their car. When we arrived at our destination, we thought we were in heaven because we met pigs flying around in a circle. No, not really. It was a decoration for one of the amusement place in Pigeon Forge. At one point we thought it would be a great place for the zombie apocalypse. We got Papa John’s pizza, but because it was right next to a chocolate shop, of course we had to go there. We got back as soon as they closed the pool, so unfortunately we could not end our evening with a cool dip.