Wisconsin Academy – We’re coming home!
Great mission trip. Great day at Cedar Point
Cedar Point
Today is our last day. Cedar Point here we come!
After spending our last day of this trip at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio we will then begin our return trip to Wisconsin Academy!
The kids are looking forward to a full day of nothing but roller coasters!
Phew! Sabbath is here. Our work is done. We have a unique Sabbath experienced planned for the seniors. We think they’ll like it. Have a happy Sabbath!
We enjoyed a short work day yesterday. We will be working to finish up our projects today. We will, hopefully, be able to finish gutting a house, re-roofing another, cleaning up an apartment complex of low income housing, and taking care of a few things here at the SWAP bunk house.
Yesterday afternoon we were given a special tour of a local coal mine. It was very interesting to see all the steps that go into getting coal out. A lot of progress has been made in getting the coal out, but it remains a dangerous job to this very day.
After the tour we traveled to the restaurant owned by Marcella. Pictured is the building that survived two floods that completely covered the first floor. The building all around it are now gone. It used to be in a row of buildings, now it stands by itself. We were served a banquet of Greek food, and Macaroni and Cheese.
We ended the evening by watching a movie that depicted life in this area in the 1940s. This county was once one of the wealthiest places in the U.S. Now it is one of the poorest.
Our mission work nears an end but we have been reminded that using the gifts that God has given us to minister to others never ends. We always have opportunities to help those around us.
The students are waking up now and I hear laughter and happy talking. They are tired, but have reserves of energy they are able to dip into.
This has been a good experience for us all. And I pray we have been able to lend a hand to the locals in the process.
Thank you for all of your support and prayers!
The kids are up and making their lunches for the day. Breakfast will be served shortly. I can tell that everyone is moving a little slower, and there are sore muscles. Swinging a sledge hammer will do that to you.
Today we will be spending the morning at our job sites and then this afternoon we will be able to experience a little of the local culture.
The students were excited for a trip this afternoon, but it was neat to see that many of them commented they wanted to make sure they could finish the jobs they were working on.
We will be taking a tour through the main industry in this county, coal mining. After our coal mine tour we will visit a state park that boasts a view of the entire county. Then we will close the evening at the restaurant of the lady who shared her story with us of surviving the two floods a number of years ago. The kids are excited to see her twice flooded building and support her.
We are praying for another safe day!
The kids are up and making their lunches for the day. Breakfast will be served shortly. I can tell that everyone is moving a little slower, and there are sore muscles. Swinging a sledge hammer will do that to you.
Today we will be spending the morning at our job sites and then this afternoon we will be able to experience a little of the local culture.
The students were excited for a trip this afternoon, but it was neat to see that many of them commented they wanted to make sure they could finish the jobs they were working on.
We will be taking a tour through the main industry in this county, coal mining. After our coal mine tour we will visit a state park that boasts a view of the entire county. Then we will close the evening at the restaurant of the lady who shared her story with us of surviving the two floods a number of years ago. The kids are excited to see her twice flooded building and support her.
We are praying for another safe day!
The End of another Long Work Day
One crew has spent the last two days gutting a house for an older gentleman. It is a house that many would think wasn’t worth the time to gut. Just tear it town and start over. But that doesn’t take into account the sentimental value of homes.
We were encouraged to get to know the owners of the property. It was a rewarding experience to do so. Randy, is an older gentleman who has a love for God and for family.
He has taken on this house as project for the sake of his daughter and grandchildren.
His son-in-law recently took his own life and the kids need a decent place to live. So Randy has begun the project. Some health issues have slowed Randy down and he is no longer able to do what he once was.
We are happy to be able to go inside and gut this house for Randy and his daughter and grandchildren.
We took down a 30 foot chimney, opened up walls, and filled two dump trucks with debris.
The kids are doing well. No major injuries – only a few cuts and scrapes. They are tired, but God has blessed them with a good spirit.
Last night for worship we had a neat lady from the community come in and share with us for worship. She has been a lifelong resident here, and probably will always live here.
She shared with us the experience of living through the great flood of 2001 (I think that was the year). She was working in her storefront, while her parents were in the second level. Their house was located above the store.
The flood came without warning and in a matter of minutes her store turned from being operational to being filled with 7.5 feet of water. She wasn’t able to save anything except her family. They all made it to the upstairs safely and were rescued. By the time the water receded the store was covered in 4.5 feet of mud.
People from SWAP came and helped her dig out and make the store operational again. The shocking part is that about 9 months later, just before she was ready to open the store again, a second flash flood hit and was worse than the first one. This time she was out of town. Again no one was hurt.
SWAP again came and supported her. Her store is now operational.
She came to thank us because at the time SWAP helped her she was in shock and unable to thank them for their help. She wanted us to know how much SWAP had helped her and how much she appreciated it.
She also wanted us to know how much more valuable people were than things. She lost everything in the flood, except the things that mattered most, her loved ones.
It was a blessing to hear her share.
It is just about time for lights out. We’ve certainly had a full day. Wake up at 6am. Make lunch at 6:30. Eat Breakfast at 7. Worship and job assignments. Then out to the job site. One group worked to re-roof a house. Another washed and cleaned, inside and out, some homes. Another group did demolition. There were also some who worked in and around the bunkhouse getting it ready for the summer work season.
We were given instructions that were very special, important, and hard to follow. We were reminded that more important than the work we are doing is the relationships we have. People are more important than projects. SWAP would rather have us spend 30 minutes visiting with the home owner (if the homeowner wants to visit) than spend 30 minutes working. We live in a culture that is very goal oriented. It’s hard to say this person is more important than this project. Today we tried to put people before projects and it was very rewarding. I watched as the kids talked and learned about the local people we were trying to help. Suddenly it wasn’t just a house we were fixing up, but it was a fellow human being’s house who had a name, face, family, and a story. God used us today to be a blessing to others, but more important we were blessed by them. The students were able to share this evening how their lives had been touched and changed by their experiences today. Praise God!
Good Morning World,
We slept almost 8 hours last night, which is amazing since we were visited by the friendly neighborhood coal train. It has traveled past about 6 times since we arrived. It is about 30 feet away from our bunk house and 70 feet down. It also times the whistle to blow as it passes directly by.
We met Keith and Charleen Barr as they minister to the Appalachian people. The goal of SWAP is to provide Safe, Warm, and Dry homes for the local people.
We are ready to go out and work! The job list for the day suggests we will be doing demo, painting, power washing, roofing, and deck repair.
We pray for God’s blessing today! Thanks for your prayers.
