Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Deacon's Final ASE Reflections

This time last week, our group was driving home from another great experience in Asheville, North Carolina.  It was about now that we were stopping for lunch at Chick-Fil-A in Kentucky.  This is a favorite for us since they are extremely sparse in our home State.  It was also when we had to say goodbye to our friends from Hamilton, Ohio.  Just when you thought the tears were finished before departing our gracious hosts at Emmanuel Lutheran in Asheville, a few more were shed when Ohio left the caravan, and then lastly when we separated from the Northville group just before Toledo.  It was evident that a lot of good friendships were made and reinforced during this 10+ day journey.

At the beginning of the week, I resumed my Servant Event name of DD (Deacon Dan).  I was so happy to be back amongst the great youth and their leaders and pastors.  This event is unique for a servant event, in that it has the feel of a family reunion.  I cannot recall feeling that way about the other events I have been a part of, either as a youth or an adult.  I think that is one reason our students keep asking to be a part of this project.

However, come Monday, it was time to get to work!  I was on the same site as Ben, and since he described some of our joys and struggles quite well, I will just share some broad observations from our time serving Mr. Shelton and his family.  I was extremely proud of all the youth on our site!  We got some pretty discouraging news a couple of extremely inopportune times during our week, but it was following those that I saw them dig in and get to work without complaints.  Sure there was frustration, but our students wanted to complete this job for the Shelton family.  We learned at the end of our time there that Mr. Shelton was in danger of being removed from his home if not for our work to add a new septic field.  His old field was bubbling to the surface, causing a public health problem.  Again, upon learning this, our students showed a renewed resolve to complete the task!

Near the end of the week, Paige and Solomon agreed to share their gratitude and experiences with our host church, Emmanuel.  I was proud to see their maturity in their speeches, as well as the passion of service for Christ's people.  It was a very edifying moment for me personally to watch and listen to them share their faith with the congregation.

Overall, it was another great year in Asheville!  I look forward to returning next year, again reuniting with our friends, and serving God's people in the Appalachian Mountains.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Deck is Half Done - Paige

One of the hottest days so far and we got half the deck done. Everyone was burnt and sweaty. Adam's ear are actually purple because he got so burnt. I'm not complaining because I enjoy them so much. They make being in the hot sun for 7 hours actually decent. I don't want to leave but I want to sleep in my own bed ;-) I'm happy I'm here serving the Lord. Seeing that so many teenagers can make a difference in someone's life is just unforgetable. Love and miss you fam!

Sleep on a Mountain - Paige

Another rainy day in the site yet my crew is ready to work. We got so much done once again. I love being with them because I feel like they are my family. I can tell them anything and I'm already sad thinking about leaving them. PK (Pastor Kufahl) makes its so enjoyable to be there. He makes us do hard work yet it is always fun. I never mind waking up at 6 in the morning. One bad thing that did happen though was my bed popping on one side. Its like sleeping on a mountain. Time for a new air mattress mom :)

The Floor is Done! - Solomon

We finished the floor today and it looks completely fantastic! It was also very troublesome, but we took shifts, so it wasn't all that bad. I got to know the people I was working with a little more in my down time and we talked and got some cool pictures and we got work done!
Oh, and I hooked up a sink all on my own! All in all it was a pretty good day!

Supplies Arrive - Solomon

We finally got supplies today! It was absolutely fantastic! We actually got some work done on the site, and I got to use a screw gun for the first time!
When we finally got to community life, we played an extremely intense game of trash can, and I won twice in a row! It was a lot of fun! I've never won before because There's a LOT of people at ASE. I've gotten to know all the people at my work site pretty well by now too, and it's really a blast working with them!


Another Rain Delay - Paige

On my site today I wasn't able to to much. It rained all day and there was lighting so we weren't able to do much. At 1 we eventually got to start work. My site knows how to work hard for sure. I love being here and I love everyone. I am already sad that I'm going to be leaving in a few days.

Rain Delay - Paige

Today was an amazing day at the site. Even though it rained pretty much all day we got a lot of work done. We started working at 12 because of the lighting and got as much work done. I'm so proud of the progress we have made. I also got to know Connor way more (Connor is my new best friend) I love everyone here and I'm so happy that I am able to be here with them.

Muddy Wednesday - Ben

Day three started out easy. First we bailed the water out of the ditches that was placed there by the thunderstorms. Then we began to detail and make sure the trench floors are level. It is a long process and lunch could not have come any faster. However, I must admit, the mud wars over top of the dirt piles helped speed up the time. Lunch went by fast yet I wished it hadn't because the inspector over our site informed us we had to dig another foot deep in each trench due to unforeseen complication. PERFECT! ðŸ˜‘ either way it had to be done and thus the second half of the day flew bye and was very productive. On to day four.

Paige Bonds With Her Work Group

Today was amazing day getting to know everyone on my site. I got to become great friends with a kid named Connor. If he wasn't on my site I wouldn't know how I could wake up every morning.

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Sunday, 7/12/15 - James

Good morning! Good evening! Or good afternoon, whatever it may be. Sundays are always a lil awkward at first. Everyones still getting to know each other and whatnot but it's a fun lazy day. Breakfast was early, then we had a few hours after to hang out and get to know one another some more before devotion and then the church service. After church we took a quick lunch (which was FANTASTIC as usual, the church hooks us up with some bomb meals) and then were off to see the sites. I was surprised by our sites this year. Out of four sites we only have one that is a dig site, and that's only getting the septic field replaced, no tank like we'd usually do. Another of our sites was actually in a lil town; generally they are up on the mountains. The last thing i noticed about our sites was that there didn't seem to be a whole lot of work to do there, at least as much as the previous years i've gone. I was kinda disappointed about that, but it just means we'll really be able to focus on getting a quality job done instead of rushing to finish, and that we'll be able to visit and learn things from our homeowners more. I just can't wait to get to work!

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Work Day 2 - Solomon

Today is day 2 at the site!
Unfortunately our supplies ended up not coming, but it provided an excellent opportunity to get to know the people around me better. We didn't have a ton of work to do, so in our copious free time, we took pictures, played ninja, told riddles, and watched the hummingbirds.
Today in spiritual life we also got these awesome crucifix necklaces after talking about our freedom in Christ. All in all, it was more a fun than a productive day, but it was still a good day! Hopefully tomorrow is a little more productive. Pray for good weather!

Monday, 7/13/15 - Ben

Rain. Rain. Ohh, and more Rain. Today, at the worksite, it started off with a magnificent thunder storm and a lot of rain but ended in beautiful sunny (HOT) evening. Day one is done and so far our site is well on its way. Three trenches have been started and there is dirt everywhere. My Paradise. The work site group is awesome. Everyone wants to work hard and get the job done. Mr. Shelton is a great man and I admire his red  V8 Ram 2500 truck. Overall, I look forward to talking to him more through out the week and working in the dirt and clay. On to day Three.

Sunday, 7/12/15 - Ben

Yesterday was interesting. We visited all the different work sites and met the people we could possibly be working with. They all have their individual stories. There is a digging site and a site where we have to destroy and build a deck. Those two sites, to me, seem to be the two best. One involves mud and the others destruction and wood. Can't go wrong with either one. The small group session was intriguing and the video was eye opening. Overall today went well and I can't wait for the work site tomorrow. I got the digging site! Mud here I come.

Monday - 7/13/15 - Solomon

Today was the first day at the site! After some excitement getting to the site (we got slightly lost. we saw some kittens though! They were adorable!) we met the homeowners and got to know them a little bit well PC and the other adult leaders figured out an attack plan.
After that, it was a little different. This was my first year being on a construction site instead of a septic site, so it took a little bit longer to get started since we don't have our supplies yet. We took the opportunity to get to know the people we're working with and working for. It was a lot of moving things in the morning and scraping/sawing through tiles and floorboards in the early afternoon. Overall, it's been completely awesome so far!
And it seems like I've bonded with my fellow servants especially quickly this year. It's crazy how in just one or two days it can feel like you've known each other for months or years. I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of my time working alongside my second family!