Today we had a picnic and all of the groups were able to invite their families. It was really fun to meet all the other families and talk to other people about the progress that was made. I was also able to play with Isaiah who is the cutest little boy alive. Isaiah is the grandson of the husband and wife of the family whose house we are working on. He came along to the cookout because his mother was working.

Working on the house today we got a lot done. We had to bail water out of the two postholes that we had dug earlier. It rained yesterday and caused a good bit of flooding. Then we filled the holes with cement; well basically we filled the holes with very dry cement because the holes already had so much water. In addition we painted the ceiling. Then there wasn’t anything else for us to do so we went to the library. It was really nice to go to the library seeing all of the poverty and then suddenly finding ourselves in the beautiful library was wonderful. It also helped us to realize that there is a good side of the town with several useful educational opportunities for the people that live here.

I’m really excited to finish up all our work tomorrow. We’re going to add another coat to the ceiling and finish up the cement work for the foundation underneath the bathroom. This whole experience has been so awesome and has gone way beyond the actual construction work that we have done. I have developed such good relationships with not only the people from Nassau Church but also the family I’m working for. It’s so interesting to learn about the history of Appalachia and the lifestyle of many of the families that live here.

For me the biggest challenge that I have had to face has been all the emotions that I’ve had to deal with being here. I’m happy that I’m here able to help a family in need, sad for their situation, frustrated with the way I have felt that God has forgotten them, and there being no way of solving such a large problem in the time that we are here. At one point in the trip I had to take some time for myself to really try and understand where I could find God’s presence in this depressing situation. I’m really fortunate to have gotten this opportunity and hope that I can continue to do work like this either here or in similar situations.

Tomorrow is the last day of the mission trip. In two more sleeps we will be back in Princeton. As the group leader, I have had a wonderful experience seeing everyone grow including myself. I have had the chance to have a least some one on one time with each person that has been here. And each of those moments has been great. If anyone ever questions what the adults get out of the trip when you move towards the end of the week the answer becomes clearer. For me, the answer is simple. The growth that I see the kids make allows me to sit in the seminary classroom each and every year. To see adults give up a week of their busy lives to assist in making this whole week possible in an act of love. And when it comes to driving 11 hours in one day with loud singing and laughing teens, its one step closer to earning sainthood, going crazy, or learning that life is about these moments where we see God entering into the lives of young people.

A month ago when the mission trip group met to discuss the logistics of the trip, I remember sitting before a timid group of young people that signed up to do something different for one week. I am now the leader of a group of young adults that have seen some of the worse poverty that this country has to offer. I have had the chance to wipe the tears of some, the joy of hearing stories of our young people learning that they had the ability to help make a bad situation just a bit better. I have seen young people forget about themselves and work in the rain to complete a task that was not for their own personal benefit. I have seen young people rise the occasion and surprise everyone around them. I have felt God here, and I have experienced the help of a true Good Samaritan. (Sorry I cannot speak on that, I will save it for a sermon some day.)

In the end I have seen God in the midst of this situation. I have felt the love of Christ as young people have come to learn that God does exist in the midst of the complex world that has been created. Here in the mountains we have seen the most beautiful sunsets, sang to the greatest hits of Motown, and learned that God is always with us. We have learned how fortunate we are to live the comfortable lives, yet we have learned that we are not better than anyone. We are all the same because in end the love of Christ, which takes us out of darkness, is in each of us, and that binds us all.