Great Vacation...

So I just got back from vaca, and while it wasn't your tranditional vacation, it was truley amazing. I am having trouble keeping my eyes open and praying for 6 o'clock, but I would do it again every year if I get the chance.

I went on a mission trip with my church....as a chaperone, yikes! I got about 5 hours sleep every night for a week, but the way we were able to touch people lives made everything completely worth it. I definitely fell more in love with helping people, and want to make a concerted effort to listen to the path God has set-up for me, instead of deciding what I'm going to do, whether he likes it or not.

On the trip there were 4 of us "chaperones" that went on a mission trip together in high school, so it was really cool to remember the fun stories and experience we had together before, and how we were definitely not the 'good' kids then, so we knew what to look for :)

My group (Team Fuego!! Somebody call 911!) started off our trip at a Steve Forbes house. He was a disabled man, both physically and mentally. He had caved in front deck and large holes in his floor, all which he had to manuever with a walker. The first day at his house we rebuilt the deck, and the second day we laid new plywood and linoleum for his floors. He was also being taken advantage of by his 'friends' who were supposedly dealing drugs out of his house so we were very quick to call adult protective services to hopefully get him taken care of the way he should be.

On the third day I was shown a side of America I had only heard about in Movies and on TV. The house we went to visit in help was the home of Nanny Gray and her sister Adele. Both woman were well into their 80's, and their house looked like the abandon sheds you see on the side of the road. The wood boards on the outside of the house were completely at a loss for any kind of paint, and the tin roof was rusted. They did not allow us in the house, but from what we could see it was completely black, and very dirty. The woman themselves wore dirty rags for clothing. We had been sent there to deliver a large amount of firewood, cut down the weeds that had overgrown their front yard, and, probably the most important, build a rain barrell contraption outside their front door. These two 80 year old woman were walking down a steep path about a 1/4 of a mile from their home to a spring to get their water everyday. The house that they lived in was the house they were born in and it does not have water, and only limited electricity. To see people in this state, but yet still thanking God for all they have, was more than overwhelming. I will certainly remember them and the impact they had on my life, forever.

The fourth day of our trip was Sunday and the day of rest, we mainly hung out with the kids, went to church, and overall, just relaxed. It was nice.

The next day of our journey took us to a house that other groups were currently working on, but due to the condition of the house, would take even more people that were currently there to hopefully finish it before our week was up. At this house lived a couple who had lost the right to have their Grandchildren visit purely due to the horrible condition of their home. The focus at this house was to make it liveable again for their Grandchildren. While our group played a minor role in this entire project, repairing the front deck, it was great to know that we were a part of making a dream come true for these people.

On our last 'work' day we combined with Team 3 (Shark Bait) and became the Flaming Sharks (HeEeey!). It was a lot of fun because Amanda and John were on that team, and Amanda and I are good at delegating to the kids :) At this site we built a ramp for a woman who uses a walker to get around and has fallen down her stairs a few times. It felt good to know, she will not longer have to worry about that. We also used this day to pelt our kids with water balloons. Two adults ran around one side of the house and two ran around the other, so we definitely got them.

On Wednesday we drove back, and that was also our tubing today. While I ended up getting a little burnt, the tubing was a lot of fun, and it was great being attached to my young adult buddies for a couple hours in the water. We also went to the nicest Arby's I have ever seen in my life on the way home, big screen TV's, 6 ft totem poll, smoothie bar, and beer! Pretty amazing, and definitely a good end to a great trip!

I'm very excited for the friendships I have made with some of the kids, and looking forward to helping lead the highschoolers toward God in the fall.