work camp visitors

The past three weeks have been a little nutty. First there was a group here from Morris UMC, then we went north for Jurisdictional Conference, and then there was a group here from Lehman-Idetown UMC.

Morris UMC is pastored by Sara Baron, a friend from Sky Lake staff. When her church expressed interest in a mission trip, she steered them in the direction of Henderson Settlement. There were four adults and six youth, and their project was spreading gravel at the Lower Farm. Although the work was hard and not very glorious, they went at it with enthusiasm, and the pole barn and Kim's driveway are now happier places to work and drive. It was great to spend time with Sara and her parishioners, and although the week was not without its bumps and bee stings, I think they had a good time, too. Thank you, Morris UMC!

Last week, my parents and my aunt Dotty came down with a group from the Lehman-Idetown UMC. This group was a great mix of people, scattered in age from sixteen to eighty-three! They worked on re-siding and finishing an addition on the trailer of an older woman in the community. Aunt Dotty and Kendy also spent one afternoon in the library, which was a big help to me. It was wonderful to spend time with the group in the evenings, especially with my family. My mom and I even got a chance to visit with Fay, which was a real treat for me--to have two amazing women in my life spend some time together! Eric and I also got to eat with the group at Webb's restaurant in Cumberland Gap, and there were live musicians taking requests, so of course, that was a blast! The group had quite a challenge to finish their project in the space of five days, but they got as much done as they possibly could, and I know that the woman is very grateful for their work. Thank you Lehman-Idetown UMC and friends!

It has been such a blessing to have people from home joining us in our work here at the Settlement. I'm glad that they got to meet some of our people here, and I'm glad that some of our friends here got to meet some of our people from home. Sometimes it's a beautiful thing when worlds collide.