More Like Best Virginia - Day 4

Hello everybody - It's me Jordan, welcome to the blog post. I hope you all are enjoying your week. We are doing well here in Clendenin. We had a productive last day of work at Crew Number 4. At my site we finished 99% of the roof and the wheelchair ramp base. We enjoyed the evening service with Next Step. They gave us glow sticks to remind us to be a light to others. The team is growing closer together and the bond we have made is really special. We get to sleep in tomorrow so that is exciting! Also at the site we were able to bond with the home owners. Louella, Dawn and Joe have been very welcoming to us and we hope to see them at the cookout tomorrow night. We also had some help with work on our site from a neighbor kid named Ricky. I'm really glad we got to talk to him and hangout with him throughout the days. The lunch devotions at our site were very eye opening today and really interesting. Also some of us went to a VBS hosted a local church and the people there were really welcoming and kind. We heard an inspiring testimony from a woman apart of the church that was very impactful. We are enjoying this trip and the memories we are making through out it.  Thank you, see you on Saturday! - Jordan

Today was our last work day! Which was pretty exciting because we all finished our work, but also kinda sad because our week is about to come to a close. Crew #1 had a very productive day as we BROKE THE RECORD of the most sidewalk put down in one week, coming to a total of 14 blocks which equals 56 FEET! After we came back to the church, showered, and ate dinner, I, along with two vans of people went to help at a VBS at a church close by. This whole week, VBS has been the highlight of my day. It is so much fun and rewarding to spend time not only the kids, but also the adults.This week I have been helping out in the elementary classroom, which has been a really cool experience. So many of the kids already know the Bible and the story of Jesus so well, and it's so cool to see them excited to learn about God. The leaders are some of the most sweet, funny people I've ever met. Going to VBS has also been a very eye opening experience, as their church is very different from Browncroft. Something I've been thinking about lately is about how God is everywhere, no matter where you are or how you connect with Him. This church is a great example of that. They hold service in a sanctuary about one fifth the size of ours, still have hymn books in their pews, and have one of those church attendance board thingys at the front of the room. And even though that is so different than what I am used to, I could feel the Holy Spirit flowing through every room in that place. It was also so rewarding to see how much we were helping out the adults there, and how thankful they were that we had come. Earlier this week I heard the pastor talking about how his prayers had been answered, as way more kids came than expected. I could tell this also put a lot of stress on the adult leaders, which is why it was so cool that we could help out. But the best part of VBS was right as we were about to leave and get back in the vans. The pastor stopped us and had one of the elementary leaders tell us about her recent experience with God. Two months ago, against all odds, she had a "miracle child," a little girl named Faith who is now the cutest thing ever. She also asked for prayer for her husband, who doesn't know God. Her story was very powerful, and the pastor sent us off by reminding us that God is powerful enough to do anything. The other really powerful part of my day was after the evening service, when we all went outside and all prayed for each other individually. This week has been crazy, but we're not done yet. Tomorrow we're going to a waterpark on a lake! And then Saturday we're headed home. See y'all then! -Madeline

More Like Best Virginia - Day 3

Hey Y'aaaaaall, James and Nate here. Today we accomplished so much at each of our worksites.

Nate-
At crew one today we continued working on our sidewalk.  It will be around a little league field in Clendenin.  It will be for people to walk on and dance on and have somewhere to watch the game. Our weekly goal was to finish 12 feet of sidewalk but in a single day we finished 24 feet! It was tough work moving all the ingredients for the cement but we worked as a team and got it done.  We of course had our daily dance off and limbo competition which helped keep our spirits high.  We've really gelled as a team and have gotten to know each other better throughout the week.  Every other crew on the site will always hear us cheering for each other and encouraging each other as we mix the cement or transport the gravel with the wheelbarrow.  Our goal is to get another 24 feet done tomorrow to break the Next Step's record for most sidewalk completed in a week!  Thank you for sending prayers and support and I hope all is going well back at home.
Best regards,
Natalie

James-
After a restless night no thanks to Josh's snoring, we woke up to the beautiful sounds of a full instrumental ensemble. Yesterday we woke up to the Lion King song. Anyway, my worksite, number 8, got a lot done today and worked together as a team very well. Along with site number 1, we are also working around the baseball field. Our task today was to start on building a playground for the kids (or anyone else who's not afraid of making of fool of themselves like me). Our team worked very hard today, except Josh :( (he was sun bathing like a lizard). We dug holes for the structure of the playground. We built the wooden A-frame and cemented it into the ground. Shalissa tried to dig a hole but ended up in China. Worksite number 8 did good work today. Later in the day, a number of us went to a local church for a VBS they were running. We've been going to that the last few days and it has been really awesome! I, personally have met many kids and learned a lot from Awesome Steve (the Hawk).  Overall today, and to a greater extent this week has been wonderful and a great experience.
Love,
James


Thank you for all your support at home!

More Like Best Virginia - Day 2

Hello from Clendenin!! We have finished Day 2 of work and are exhausted but having a wonderful, God-filled week. Today the temperature was at 92 degrees which made for a very eventful day outside. 

My team along with two other groups are working on a community Little League field. This area was a very important part of Clendenin's identity and was completely destroyed by the flood. While the damage is still heavy, our teams having been working extremely hard on several projects. Today, my crew worked on filling some empty doorways of the field garage with cinder blocks, putting together the railing on the concession stands wheel chair ramp, and got a start on building some shelves. While it was extremely hot, everyone put their hearts into whatever project they were assigned to and we got so much accomplished today! Everyone's favorite part of the day is lunch where we get to enjoy our PB&J sandwiches and cheese sticks and listen to the lunch devotional. Today's discussion was so illuminating that Josh fell asleep. 

In the evening, a majority of the students went to a local church in the area to help volunteer at their VBS. There were many kids of all ages at the church, and our students were able to facilitate games, play, and help out in any way the VBS needed. This was such a great opportunity to interact with some local people in Clendenin and connect with church community members. 

The students here are so determined and hard working, and have such big hearts for serving not only others but the Lord. God is continuing to move this week and we appreciate all your prayers! 

More like BEST Virginia,

Rachel Bartkowski

Clendenin, WV - Day 1

Hey parents! We have finally arrived in Clend-EN-in, West Virginia for the week (and we've finally learned how to properly pronounce the town name!)

Yesterday, the teams had plenty of time to bond and get to know one another in our 7 hour van drive. Our entertainment included games, laughs, naps, snacks, making playlists of our top songs, and belting "Country Roads" approximately 90 times.

Our arrival was warmly and energetically welcomed by the Next Step staff. After settling in, we had a great night of worship and getting to know the people we'll be working with all week!

For our first day of work, we split up into our three teams to tackle house repairs, dig and prep the sidewalk of a Little League field, and repair doorways of the Little League garage.

In my team, we worked with a homeowner to continue several unfinished construction projects from previous teams. A few members poured cement for a sidewalk leading up to the porch, requiring a decent amount of muscle in order to mix the cement in a tarp. The roof was also a big project that included ripping off old sheeting and replacing it, adding stability to the rafters, and nailing down new tin sheeting - all in above 90 degree weather on a reflective metal roof. Despite the literal blood, sweat, and tears, we had a great time bonding with the homeowners (and their numerous pets!)

After dinner, about half of our team had the opportunity to join in helping a VBS at a church nearby. We were dispersed among different age groups, ranging from about 3-14, and did everything we could to help in any way possible, including crafts, snacks, and games. It was a great way to bond with the kids of the community, and we hope to see them more throughout the rest of this week!

Hannah Ruth

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