July 4 - July 10

Travel Day: July 4th

Following the closing blessing in worship, our team carried the communion ware out of the sanctuary and boarded the bus. The trip to Sunset Gap took twelve hours with two stops. Arriving at 11:15 p.m. the team quickly unloaded building and program materials. Fortunately this was done before the lights went out in Cocke county. The county-wide power outage lasted for a couple of hours. We knew it was over when the rope-lighted cross and the Coke machine turned back on.

Day One: July 5th

We began early this morning with quiet reflection and a devotional on Psalm 23. The building team is working on repairing a porch badly damaged by bugs and the weather. After sizing up the job they went to the local lumber yard to purchase materials. Meanwhile back at the community center our teaching team was busy at work. The week's theme is Sharing God's Love as we sail the High Seas of Faith. Here are just a few of the pictures from the day's work. Check back tomorrow for more pics.

  click here for photos from Day One

Day Two: July 6th

Today our mission continued in full swing. Our construction crew got to the site early. Damaged beams and flooring were replaced and foundation blocks were shored up. The plan is to screen in the porch and add a screen door. The challenge has been to restore the porch with as much of the original material as possible. Pressure treated materials are being used in order to better preserve the structure in the future. Our Day Camp continues to sail along. We have thirty four children in our program… today over seventy sandwiches (baloney) were made and eaten. Our Bible lesson was Jesus calming the stormy seas and we talked about sharing God's gift of peace. The children have already made sailor bracelets, wooden treasure chests, flower pots, and parrots that clip to your shoulder. Tonight our team goes out to the nearby town of Newport for dinner and a movie.

click here for photos from Day Two

Day Three: July 7th

As the sun rose over the gap this morning, our team began the day with morning devotions. In the quiet of morning watch we read Psalm 33 and considered God's gift of love. Sharing this love was the theme of the day as we once again sailed along the High Seas of Faith in the day camp. We continued to get new children join us on day three. Our children are divided into three classroom groups (or ‘crews' to carry the theme forward); ages 3,4,5,&6 are in group A, ages 7,8,&9 are in group B, and ages 10+ are in group C. Crafts today included making pretzels, basket weaving, iron on t-shirt, flowers in Styrofoam, and finish up wooden necklaces. Our building crew built and installed stairs on the porch. While this was being done, part of the team climbed onto the roof to repair leaks. The leaks led to the damage in the first place so it seemed a prudent thing to fix. Finally, the team wired the porch for electricity. An overhead light and an outlet were installed. The porch area will provide a nice outdoor environment for the lone senior resident who has difficulty getting around. Tonight our tired team will go to a local BBQ pit and a bit of R&R on the mini-golf course. Pictures from today's activity will be posted late this evening after we return from our group building golf extravaganza.

click here for photos from Day Three

Day Four: July 8th

Today was the last day of work for both our day camp and construction project. As such it is a full day of trying to get things completed and saying goodbye to the children. The construction crew was able to finish the porch in a manner that was better than originally planned. The electrical outlet in the porch will provide a great benefit to the owner and will prevent needing to run an extension cord out the kitchen window as was done in the past. A cross was presented to the owner as the job was finished – a reminder of Christ's love for all of us.

At the day camp the morning was a busy one… crafts and bible stories and snack took most of the first half of the day. Lunch was chicken nuggets and was much appreciated by our hungry campers. After lunch the children played games for prizes in our Treasure Carnival. With smiles and bags full of goodies and prizes the children were bid a due by Capt. John and Capt. Good Heart during the closing program.

This evening we will be staying at the camp and hosting our annual “Talent” Show. Throughout the week, team members plan skits and songs for this light-hearted event.

click here for photos from day four

Day Five: July 9th

The team leaves in the morning to go to Dollywood amusement park. This is a day of much needed rest and relaxation after a busy week of work.

sorry, no pictures today...

Day Six: July 10th

Photos from Day One

Photos from Day Two

Photos from Day Three

Photos from Day Four