Day 6: Last Day

Beth started the day off with a devotion on the "now what". Now what do we do once we leave Gloversville? How do we carry on our Christian acts and ways? We can do so by trusting that God will lead us. We cannot do it all on our own, we NEED God. Dan Meyer shared his story at dinner. To see his journey is amazing. He is such a role model to me and I appreciated his story more than he can imagine. The most touching part of the day to me was when we closed the week out. We each shared what we thought of the week. The relationships we formed were beyond my expectations. The fact that Donn and Cyndie picked up their lives in North Carolina and moved to Gloversville because God was calling them to it is so powerful. Their kids are some of the only Christians in their schools and yet, they stand strong in their faith. Donn, constantly showing compassion toward everyone he comes across. Cyndie, showing so much passion in her faith and God. Elle, creating smiles. Brekyn, being such a free spirit. Asher, protecting and loving (even when he does not seem like it). Ayden, bringing life and giggles. Claudia, talking ears off and burping beyond the imagined. Carlos, being so sincere and making the trip for everyones benefit. Julia, so kind hearted and caring. Briana, down to earth. Lauren, so mature with a beautiful spirit. Kayce, so sweet and lively. Mike, uniting all of us in the group. Dan, strong and courageous. Mitch... just at a glance you will laugh. Beth, being a mom to all of us. And then me, the blogger. This group of people was something special. These relationships will last. I can say that i have made 16 wonderful friends, 16 other family members. This trip was amazing. Words cannot describe how blessed all of us were to have experiences and gotten the opportunity to spend our Spring breaks on this trip. I hope to return during summer. Scratch that, I will be returning over summer.

Day 5: Random Acts of Kindness and Snow ball fight

Me and Kayce started the day off with the devotion. We talked about the frustrations of feeling unfruitful even when you have seen the seeds necessary to bear fruit. We all need to trust that God has everything in his hands and that it all happens in his own time. After the complications with the YWCA, we all regrouped and then moved onto another activity, random acts of kindness. We visited numerous people and delivered flowers to them. We prayed with one family and visited the Hospice house for people in their final stages of life. We had leftover flowers and found random people on the street to give them to, Ayden even chased after a few. One woman even took a picture of us and put it on Facebook. Even the little things like flowers can bring smiles to so many faces. After delivering flowers, we all went to "the cage" and had a snowball fight. Most people in Gloversville are tired of the snow but being north carolinians, we played in every last bit of it. The quality time we spent together helped further the close relationships we formed. It is hard to think about the last day.

Day 4: Cleanup/Lexington Crew/Prayer Walk

We started the day by cleaning up the C1 basement. Walmart gives C1 all the returned items. All the returned items were tossed in unorganized boxes and it was our job to sort those boxes. The men were downstairs cleaning up the basement. Minutes after we had finished cleaning up the Lexington Crew, adults who have special needs, came to have lunch with us. We worshipped with them and Beth led a devotion with us. The devotion focused on the light we all have within us, and who we are a light to. The smiles that the Lexington Crew put on all of our faces was amazing. One of the men in the group, Asher, joined us later at the prayer walk. The prayer walk consisted of our missions team and people of the city, C1, and churches. We met at the YWCA and split into three groups. On the prayer walk we prayed for the city and the people in it. It hurt me to hear the amount of drug use from Dominic, a boy who felt called to the walk. All these addictions that could engulf the children of the town, the children who are the future of this town. Once we got back to C1 we danced and sang after we worshipped together. All of the people in that room were there for a reason, and that was to serve that city in God's name. Tomorrow we will deliver tulips as a "random act of kindness". We will also be praying for the closing of the YWCA. Pray pray pray. God has his own idea for us.

Day 3: Easter Sunday

Christ has risen on this day. He died then rose again all to save us from our sins. Our day started off great and continued in that manner for the rest of the day. The day began with church. An abundance of people made it out to the Easter service. Extra pews were placed in the church to accommodate for the mass amount of people. In the front a large pool of water was placed for a baptism. During the service we sang about the resurrection of Jesus and soon after the children left for their room. The story that people hold about their lives is astonishing. The baptism was an acceptance of Christ as the savior of us and our sins. This paralleled the day at hand, Easter, quite perfectly. After the service the team along with other members of Donn and Cyndie's church family joined at C1 for lunch/dinner (linner as I call it). It was a chance for all of us to interact and talk with one another. Share our stories,   whether that was our life story or a little anecdote, connect, and belong. Dan Meyer especially had the great opportunity to talk with Elizabeth (as shown in the picture below). I believe that each of us had a special moment today that made us stop and think about what the day was all about. A moment that helped us remember why we were placed here. A moment to remember the chances we are all given each and every day. Beth Marshall pointed out in our "Highs and Lows" that when she watched the sunrise, it is an actual representation of how each and every day is another chance, or opportunity to do good. Beth also mentioned the grace God has given each of us. When Jesus rose, the angel told Mary to tell his disciples and Peter that he has risen. Peter, denied Jesus, but Jesus showed his grace by actually acknowledging him and moving past his sins. Jesus was making the sins that seen unforgivable, forgivable. As the day ended we watched "Annie" together as a family. Each day brings us all closer to one another. This trip is something very special because of many reasons but one being the relationships that we create with one another and with Jesus. Tomorrow is another day for all of us to grow closer in our relationships and help out this community. Tomorrow we will do a prayer walk and meet with a Lexington group. During the prayer walk we will meet with fellow community members and pray for people and the city. Tomorrow will bring more of God's grace and love to Gloversville. Our missions team is just helping "plant the seeds".

Day 2: Easter Eve at Dubois Park

We woke up bright and early...well teenager early...7:45. Most of us got a good sleep aside from anyone who slept near Dan or Mitch (let's just say they make a lot of noise). We were blessed to have received Panera donations as breakfast. After a few cups of coffee, we were ready to go! We met for a devotion and prepared for the day ahead. Beth, Cyndie, and a few others left after the devotion to get started at Dubois Park. We were setting up an Easter themed station center for children around the area. We had six stations set up along with food outside. Kayce and Claudia were at the welcome center, Briana at the photo station, Donn and I (later accompanied by Kayce) were at the face painting station, Carlos at the coloring station, Mike at the bean toss, Lauren and Julia were at the fishing station, and everyone else was floating. Mike was my first face/head to paint. He left the station with hair! Every child that came into the center brought knowledge that each of us learned from. The interaction we all got the opportunity to experience with these children was remarkable. The smiles they had on their faces were enough to satisfy me for the day.After the stations, we unloaded at the church. Following that, we toured Gloversville. The amount of low income families was shocking. 70% of kids at school received free lunches. The appreciation I now have for all that I have been given has increased dramatically. We went to C1 and had dinner with a couple families. We sang, played, and loved. Bonding thus far, only a day in, has been a breeze. We all are here for a common purpose, to serve in God's name. Mike put this in an interesting way, he calls it "planting seeds". We plant the seeds in the community and even if we may not see a difference today, with time something good will come out of it. Tomorrow is Easter and we are in for another great day.

Day 1: Good Friday Road Trip

We started the morning off bright and early, 4 o'clock early. Mike offered to drive first and then we were off! Gloversville bound. Every few hours we stopped, mainly to let Beth use the restroom. As we drove Beth told stories, we joked about Mike's "hair", and enjoyed each others presence. Kayce and I, asleep for 9 out of the 13 hours of the ride, sat in the back with Mike and Beth upfront. The other group left a day earlier than we did. That group included Julia, Lauren, Will, Claudia, Briana, Dan, and Carlos. The first group, Beth, Kayce, Mike, and I, arrived early enough to attend the Friday church service at Donn and Cyndie's church. The service gave me a new perspective on the story I have heard before. During Passover, it is a tradition to release a criminal from prison. Both Jesus and Barabbas, a known criminal, were imprisoned Jews. The crowd called for Barabbas to be released and Jesus crucified. It came to my attention by the Pastor that we, God's children, resemble Barabbas. God loved Barabbas, even with his heaping pile of sins; God loves each of us, even with our faults and sins. Before I heard this explanation of this story, I just assumed that Barabbas was released because of the hatred many of the people had for Jesus at that time. My eyes were opened with the new perspective Pastor Will had given me. After the service, the first group along with Donn, Cyndie, Elle, Breckyn, Asher, and Serena went to Burger King for dinner. The second group arrived shortly after we finished eating and then we headed back to the house. We went over the plan for the following day which included going to Dubois Park for an "Easter egg hunt". I'm looking forward for the week to come and what God has in store for this lovely group of people.