First of all, a big shout out to all the friends and fans of Melissa Herms, and we know there are many.
We had another great day here in Memphis working in the Beltline.
Our work projects were much the same today.
Those working on the house actually got to begin putting up sheet rock today and there was some painting and vinyl installation as well. This house is one of those projects, like many, that takes a while to develop as you learn exactly what needs to be done, but as you continue the pace picks up as you begin getting a hold of what you are doing.
The group clearing lots continued working on the big lot today and were excited to find the challenge of digging up slabs of concrete. No really, they were excited. We found some big ones. We have 3 other lots to work on as well that are not near as big of jobs as this first one and we began working on one of those today.
The last group again interacted with the youth and children of the community and almost finished the computer table they are building.
A great highlight of the day though was lunchtime. This is because we were able to interact with members of the community and Jacob's Ladder staff and volunteers. It was great to come together in fellowship as one large group. A big thanks to our grill master, Mike Goodrich, for grilling all the hotdogs. He did amazingly.
We knew that the gym was reserved tonight so we had in advance reserved the pavilion at a local park. The park was beautiful and so was the pavilion. We had some space to play, some space to sit and talk, and a great view of the pond. Cindy and Linda got all the stuff together for a great cookout, and again Mike grilled for us, this time hamburgers. Both of my hamburgers were great!
We stayed out at the park for worship. After talking about the effects of slavery last night, we talked about the affects of being a stranger tonight. We listened to Elvis Presley's "Stranger in My Own Hometown", a blues song of his, and related it to the ministry of Jesus who was rejected by his hometown of Nazareth as he began his ministry. We talked about how it feels to be unwelcome, or feel like an outcast. We also talked about the qualities of "home" and how it would feel to not have a refuge to be able to go to everyday. We were glad to know that we are improving the Beltline neighborhood so it could be more of a "home" home for it's residents.
Tomorrow is our free day in Memphis. I can't wait to report back to you about our time at the National Civil Rights Museum, Mud Island River Park, the Memphis Zoo, and The Commissary BBQ.
Photobucket is still not cooperating, so I set up a shutterfly account. The internet here is very slow, so I only had time for one album, Joe Eudy's. But you can view those pics here: http://fumcasrhighmt.shutterfly.com/. The password is "fumcarlington".
Blessings to you and Goodnight!
-Nick
No comments:
Post a Comment