ReCreation day 1
Well, we are off to a great start!! It was a great drive up and we made some great time here. Everyone slept!!! We only stopped to get gas, two Rest area stops, McDonalds and that was it!! We got here around 2:45ish…wow!! When we arrived we went and set up our rooms. we are in a large room that we are sharing with 9 middle school students from First UMC Orlando. There is no AC so it is hot! After getting settled in and being the first group here we went out to the fields to play some soccer. Almost everyone played and we had a great time. We play what is referred to as Madision County soccer where there are no boundaries and no rules basically. Full contact is allowed and many people got knocked down. It then started to rain and we all continued to play. At the end of our game we were all nasty and stinky. It was when we went to go shower that we found our that we were not allowed to shower that night or this morning. Many of the girls went and rinsed off using the hose outside. Let the adventures of being stinky begin!
There are 160 students here this week and it is a bit crazy. Last night when all of the other groups arrived we had a time of worship, information, and a message. AFterwards we made a trip to the local wal-mart to get some supplies that we needed and get some items that some of our students forgot. The students also bought some random things. Peyton Bailey bought a beta fish for our room so that we have a pet. I did not even notice it till we were about to go to bed. So imagine walking into this messy room full of 17 guys and there is a small fish tank with a fish named Laqueesha. I have done a lot of retreats and mission trips but never had a student buy a fish. Everyone loves Laqueesha though and our group has connected with this fish. Peyton will be taking him home though!! It was a lot of fun, but we were all tired. We went to bed around 10:30ish and were ready for our day today.
This morning we woke up to pouring down rain!! We went to breakfast (Bacon, eggs, and nasty tasting fruit), When we were done eating our group had clean up duty so we all cleaned up the floors, kitchen, tables, and everything. When we were done we were off to our work site. We are working this week on a house that belongs to a guy named Michael Hughes. Michael is a 57 year old man who has some very serious medical issues. As an infant Mike suffered a severe stroke, and has suffered his whole life with severe mobility issues. 7 years ago mike was diagnosed with throat cancer and had to have his voice box removed. He uses an electrical device to speak with. The house he lives in is very sad and dilapidated. The entire foundation had to be worked on before we arrived because it was falling down. This week we are going to be replacing the entire roof, helping with the septic system replacement, putting new walls on the outside of the house and paiting the inside and outside. He did not have a septic system and had the drainage going into the creek nearby. He is basically going to have a new house. What a blessing it is for us to have this opportunit¥ to help him. OUr students worked very hard today on the roof, digging, painting, and whatever else we needed them to do. We are excited about the ways in which God is going to work this week. Keep praying for us!
Laqueesha? For real? Who names a fish Laqueesha? That fish is NOT interested in a 10 hour bus ride…sounds like she will need a “release ceremony!”