Chicken wrangling, mower whispering, wasp eradicating, & scaffold surfing…

Well, this report may sound a lot like yesterday’s, for work continued at the siding house, the painting/stairs/mowing house, and the foster house--however, there was some additional excitement! Ginger, Daniel, and Lisa helped monitor and recapture a chicken that flew its coop at the painting/stairs/mowing house. Daniel finished mowing a lawn despite having to wait for the mower to cool down multiple times over the past three days; he drove the mower quite artfully (and patiently) through the knee-high grass, and it now stands at a less cricket/tick-friendly two inches. Having finished the stairs, Lisa and Mike pitched in on the trim work.

The “siding house” is being prepared for four elderly sisters who currently live next door but can’t alter the interior of their current home (and thus effectively exterminate pests) because the home is considered historical. Ron and Jeff helped with installing the new home’s siding. Tyler, Austin, and Bobby helped with siding and also picked up sticks to tidy up the lawn. Megan painted cabinets inside some of the home’s closets.

At the foster house, the ever-enduring Emily, Jay, Michael, Ryan, Gwen, Tom, Marilee, and Will continued sanding and mudding. Marilee and Jay took a break from drywall to build a frame for a dishwasher.

This afternoon we took the kids on a field trip to Fort Mountain State Park. We divided the kids into three groups by age and took them on different trails around the mountain. The oldest group went on the longest trail and were able to see a picturesque waterfall. The two younger groups just took a hike around the lake. Throughout the hike the kids learned about different plants and their medicinal purposes (discovered by the Cherokee Indians). The kids especially liked the Bluets (used to make a tea to stop bedwetting) and the Cinnamon Fern (used as a tea to treat snake bites). After the hike, the kids taped pressed leaves onto t-shirts and spray painted the shirt to “leave” designs on the fronts of the shirts.

Late this afternoon the team was able to go to a putt-putt/laser tag course owned by a member of the church. We were fed delicious hamburgers and brownies, and then worked it off with our grueling tournaments of putt-putt and laser tag.

Tomorrow is our last day with the kids and we ask that you pray for us as this is our last chance to minister to them. We will be doing station rotations in the afternoon, and then the parents are coming for a dinner to see what their kids have been up to this week. Also, please pray for the parents as Carlos (the head of the Spanish ministry at Grace) will be witnessing to them and encouraging them to get involved with the church.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! We'd love to see some comments so we know you're out there...and because while we're the "going team," you're the sending team, and you're as much a part of this adventure as we are!

Well it is now late again, and it is time for us to go to bed. Hopefully we will have just as an exciting day tomorrow. Stay tuned, tomorrow’s blog may consist of bird watching, recycling, and ladder safety (as we continue to scaffold surf)…