In the home stretch . . . the NC Mission Team completed another fun-filled day at the work site, getting a significant amount of the trenches finished!
Our day began as usual, with breakfast, worship, and a brief message. This morning's topic helped students and leaders remember that "it's not about us!" We are here to serve God by loving and serving others. The message must have really resonated with several students in the group, because the team put in another full day on the job site.
To set the scene and give you a better mental image of what we've been working on, I'll describe the work site situation in a little more detail. The three homes we're working on sit right next to each other off a narrow gravel road. Although there's not a ton of space between the houses, they each have long and steep back yards, in which we are putting the septic systems. From the back of the houses, we get a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
On the first house, all the way to the right, most of the 8th grade boys have been diligently digging (along with a few other students from different grades and small groups). They dug 4 trench lines, put the pipes in, re-filled the holes, and connected each trench/pipe with mini-trenches and connectors. Tomorrow they will dig the final hole for the septic tank, as well as assist with completing work on the other properties. The second house, in the middle of the row, was started a little late, so there's still a significant amount of work to be done. However, the lower trench has been completed, and the largest hole for the septic tank has also been started. Several eighth grade girls completed the lowest trench, while lots of seventh grade boys and girls, along with a few eighth grade boys and sixth grade girls, helped make some progress on the other three trenches and the septic hole. The third house, all the way to the left towards the end of the road, is in a very similar situation to the first house. All the trenches have been dug, piped, filled, and connected. Only the large septic hole tank is left to be dug. The sixth grade boys, along with a few sixth grade girls and other helpers from various grades and genders, have been working hard on that property for the entire week.
After working diligently for the entire hot and humid day, the group headed back to ReCreation headquarters for showers and dinner. At 8pm, we again had Porch Time. After a long round of "I saw Jesus in . . ." (a time where the students and leaders share with the group where they saw Jesus during the day), we had a slightly extended worship set, and a message about being a conduit of God's love. Small groups followed the Porch Time, and we are now currently enjoying some "sweet fellowship" and free time before lights out.
Tomorrow will be our final work day, so please pray for the strength and energy to finish the projects we've started. God has definitely shown up in many ways, and we look forward to seeing Him work in us and through us tomorrow, as He has throughout the week. Please pray that our eyes would continue to be opened to experiencing God in new ways, and that we would really be able to process this experience and take the lessons we've learned back to Williamsburg.
