Hey there, family!
We have thoroughly enjoyed our day off today! After two full days of hard work for our kids, we were thankful to simply spend time in fellowship with them at some local venues
After breakfast and a worship session with the ReCreation crew, we loaded up buses and headed out for the day. Our first stop was the Brian Center, which is a retirement community here in Weaverville. Our students split into groups and then spent the morning visiting with residents and joining in the days activities. Some of our eighth graders accompanied their leaders to the dementia wing getting to know a few new friends. Another group recruited a collection of residents to make hats with the Red Hat Society in the activity room. We also had some students that simply took the time to visit a few patients who may not otherwise get visitors. And last but certainly not least, we had a few boys who volunteered to help with some grounds work for the staff.
We were so proud of our students and their willingness to give themselves over to the work of the Lord. Despite being in what most middle schoolers consider awkward and uncomfortable situations, they handled themselves with true servant hearts as they engaged and shared with the new friends they found at Brian Center. Our team was also humbled and thankful for a cookout they received from the Brian Center staff before leaving the site.
The afternoon was spent at two different mountain swimming sites just outside of Asheville. Our seventh graders started out at the much celebrated Sliding Rock. It is part of a National Park where visitors can slide down a run of huge smooth rocks into a swimming hole. The eighth graders began the afternoon at Looking Glass Falls, where there is a large swimming area beneath a huge waterfall. After a while the groups switched locations to spend the rest of their afternoons.
We enjoyed dinner and porch time at a lookout site along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was wonderful for us to see Christ not only in the beautiful landscape, but especially through hearing how much God showed up for our students in their day off. They'll get back to work at Paint Rock Baptist tomorrow as they continue their septic project.
The staff, leaders, and team truly appreciate your prayers. We wanted to take this opportunity to personally invite you to join the in corporate prayer meeting at Chapel tomorrow night from 7-8 in the SM worship room. This prayer service is for parents and friends of both the NC and NYC mission groups. Please consider joining our Associate Pastor, Travis Simone, for this event tomorrow.
Love in Christ,
SM Staff Team
