WHAT A DAY! God has shown up in amazing ways this week, and today was no exception.
Today began a little differently than the rest of the week. After breakfast, instead of morning worship, we all headed out to the flag pole and had a group prayer with all the other mission teams here this week. After the prayer, we loaded up the buses and headed to the work site for one final day on the job.
At the site, the students worked hard all morning. Around noon, the families that live in the three houses surprised the group with a pizza party in their yard! They wanted to thank the kids and leaders for all their efforts this week. (FYI, Alexis has the name and address of one of the ladies on the street, in case students want to write or send a thank you note. Simply email Alexis for the address.) After the wonderful lunch, the team went back to work on the trenches and digging the large holes for the septic tanks. We were working really well, when a rain storm came over the mountains and soaked us (and all of our trenches!). After the rain showers, we persevered through the mud and the muck, and were able to finish all 12 trenches (which amounts to almost 400 feet of trench!). Although the septic holes were dug, we weren't able to get the tanks in and cover them up - the weather had finally gotten the best of us. Nevertheless, the professionals we worked with said that the team did an excellent job and that everyone should be very proud of what they accomplished.
After a messy bus ride back to ReCreation headquarters, we all cleaned up and sat down to a well-earned dinner! IMPORTANT NOTE - All students had to put their work shoes into plastic trash bags to avoid trashing the vehicles. When you pick up your student, please make sure you grab their shoes from the pile or they will be thrown out on Tuesday!
After dinner, we had a final worship session led by the ReCreation staff. Several students were moved to tears by the service and the presence of Jesus. After the service, we spent about 20 minutes packing and cleaning, before heading downstairs for Porch Time. Students shared some powerful examples of where they saw Jesus throughout the day and the week, which was followed by a moving worship set. After lifting our praises through song, Alexis shared a message about finding God and being found by God on this trip, and encouraged the students to take all that they have learned and experienced and translate it into a tranformed life back in Williamsburg. This group has bonded in a special way, and it has been a blessing to watch them draw closer to each other and closer to Jesus on this trip.
After Porch Time, each grade and gender gathered for their final small group. Again, Jesus was all around us! Each small group leader reported back the same: small group was amazing, and our kids' lives are being changed! Praise God for how he has shown up this week.
Lights out was called a few minutes ago. This will be the last post for the NC Mission Team. During our drive home tomorrow, you can call Luke's cell phone at 757-570-0292 for travel updates. We will still wake up at 6:15am, breakfast at 6:30, and hopefully a quick cleaning/packing job before we hit the road (our goal is to get out around 8am!). We will stop for lunch in Durham, NC, and still expect to be home around 5pm. Again, please keep checking the hotline (757-570-0292) for the most up-to-date arrival time. If you have an emergency, please call Alexis on her cell phone (919-260-0719). Please pray for safe travels. The students are sad to leave, yet excited to come home and share their experiences with all of you. Thank you again for all of your support and your prayers!
