GOOTH Mission Trip Pictures

Another GOOTH Mission Trip has now ended, and everyone is feeling the effects of it. GOOTH have been walking around dazed, sleepy-eyed, confused, and dragging their feet for the last two days. Even Tony almost fell asleep during worship yesterday morning…and he only had to hear the sermon once. Hopefully, everyone will be rested up today. The week was a difficult & demanding week, because of the level of hard work, the level of heat, and the even higher level of humidity. I am very proud of the work that the GOOTH accomplished both on the houses and as a growing family.

Many youth groups have a difficult time mixing the middlers with the high school youth. But our GOOTH do not fall into that category. They mix very well as a group. Yes, they enjoy their time separated from one another, but they also enjoy getting to know the other age youth. The youth traveled in 7 vehicles on the way to SC, where they were grouped according to age and/or gender. The van rides always end up being a lot of fun. Luckily, the fun was limited to 6 hours on the road! As for the workgroups, the GOOTH were divided up according to age and/or gender. This left each group with roughly the same skill level, maturity, and age range. For the most part, each group basically had 2 6th graders, 1 seventh grader, 2 8th graders, 3 9th graders, 2 10th/11th graders, and 1 12th/college youth. They worked very well together. The older youth helped teach the younger youth when needed, and the younger youth gave assitance to the older youth as needed.

I would like to thank all of the adults who went on the trip for their time, skills, and ministry. The trip would not have been possible without their help. We had a wonderful food team of Bill & Cathy Teller, who kept us hydrated, fed, and satisfied. The workteams were led by 1) Anne Lowder, Cameron Lowry, and myself; 2) Allen Cooper, Tony & Phyllis Stovall, and Nanita Heasley; and 3) Joe McGowan, Lee Norris, and Egla Garcia. My brother, Mark, assisted on the first day with group 1.

We stayed in a church in Andrews, SC, and ate our meals together. Breakfast was done as you arrived, lunch was brought to the worksites by the Tellers, and dinner was eaten together – whether in the gym, at a restaurant, or a picnic shelter. The A/C worked all too well in the church…some nights, we nearly froze to death, while others we were hot because we adjusted the A/C so as not to freeze us. Oh well. You can’t win them all…if the A/C not working properly is the greatest of our problems, we’re doing well. The church complemented the youth on how well they kept the church tidy and clean. The cleaning lady, Diane, came in everyday and was amazed that the bathrooms were in as good of shape as they were. We all know that teenagers can mess up some bathrooms…but they treated the church like their home and kept it all clean!

As I said before, the work was difficult. But the GOOTH rose to the challenge, stretching their boundaries so that they could learn something new and help someone at the same time. The houses we worked on require more work than what one group in one week can do. The house that my group worked on had been a worksite for three weeks prior to our arrival. The other two groups may have been the first groups to work on their houses…if not, then the second. The youth learned how to use new tools, new techniques, and stretched their minds with situations that required them to problem-solve either alone or together. It was a joy to watch the light bulb come on in the eyes of the youth as they understood the need for certain action, the cause of a problem, or how to do the shortcut. As the week progressed, the youth became more skilled and comfortable with the tools they used. Some ventured into the land of power tools, while others opted to watch at a safe distance. Some became masters of measurements & fitting, while others became fantastic nail-pullers. Some learned how to lay shingles, while others learned how to put up walls. Some learned how to remove & put in new windows, while others learned how to level new doors. The variety of work made each worksite a unique learning environment for the GOOTH. By doing the work on these houses, the GOOTH helped raise the living conditions in the homes to comfortable, safe, and clean standards. The GOOTH’s eye’s were opened to the dirty and run-down conditions in which some people live.

Thank you for following our trip on the blog, and for your support – both financially and with prayer. The trip would not have been successful without the help of the church family & friends.

Here is a public link to my pictures on my facebook site. In time, some more links may be posted as comments to this post – so check the comments! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=549&id=305700031&l=89a1359df8

Peace,
Jay

Brittany’s pictures on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2013104&id=1401300092&l=c424099af5

Katie’s pictures on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=26834&id=1343135336&l=21afc4893e

GOOTH Mission Trip, Day 5 – The Free Day

We are packing the vans and getting ready to leave, but i wanted to post the “free day” blogs. see you soon! jay

Stephen McCoy

8^th grade

Today was our free day which made everyone happy, even though we still had to get up close to normal time. We traveled to Charleston and the first thing we did was we went to the Second Presbyterian Church of Charleston because the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston was being renovated. After that, we went to Market St. and did a little shopping. They only gave us one hour to shop which was not enough time at all. After that, we ate lunch at Waterfront Park, where we also celebrated Mrs. Garcia’s birthday. Then we headed to Mt. Pleasant and went to the beach. We stayed at the beach for about two hours then went and got our dinner at Ye Olde Fashioned Ice Cream and Burger Shop. Then we headed home and started packing for tomorrow. I was running to get upstairs and wasn’t watching where I was going and I stubbed my toe on the tetherball pole and it still hurts. Overall it’s been a good day and a good week.

Stephen McCoy

Meredith Welty

9^th grade

Overall, this week we worked harder and did more challenging projects than any of the other two mission trips that I have been on.  In my group, we replaced all the windows, laid plywood for flooring, painted trim and doors, and put up walls and ceiling in the bathroom.  We were pretty busy, but we had a lot of fun.  The first day I came on the worksite with not really any construction skills.  I could use a drill if I was lucky and I could paint.  I wouldn’t call myself that adventurous either.  So I didn’t know how much heavy construction I would feel comfortable doing.  On the first day I started laying flooring first thing.  We had to clean the room out, get the measurements of the room and then cut and staple the wood.  I held the tape measure and carried the wood and I thought that would be about it.  Then Mark asked if I wanted to use the staple gun and I said OK.  Surprisingly, it was a lot easier than I thought!  Then one of the contractors taught me how to pull a nail out of the wall with a hammer (which I’m still not that great at).  And the next day I got even more hardcore.  I put screws in windows to hold them in the wall.  I hadn’t successfully used a power drill to screw in a screw before.  But with Jay’s help, I finally got the hang of it.  And I helped paint some boards that I later got to chop up-but that comes later.  The third day I painted plywood with a roller (and a roller extender).  The last day I helped Cameron to trim all the windows.  We had to cut the painted boards and then staple them onto the windows.  I used a saw, the one that is a circle and you pull up and down.  I don’t know and don’t really care what it’s called [insert by Jay: compound mitre].  I used the staple gun again.  I also measured the windows better than Cameron.  So that was my week in power tool experiences.

Meredith Welty

Brittany McGowan

College

Hey everyone. I just thought I would share about my experiences throughout the week. It was wonderful to be able to come back this year as a college student. This year we worked on several different houses for those who cannot afford much needed renovations. I did several different jobs throughout the week. On the first day I learned how to “pop lines” for a roof. That basically means using a string covered in chalk to make straight lines so that a person knows where to place the shingles. I helped shingle for a while, but then the glue on my shoes melted and the bottom of them were very deformed. I then helped dig trenches and finished adding plywood to the front of the house. On the way to the sight the next day we stopped to get me some new shoes from Wal-Mart so that I could help finish the roof. It became mine and Laura Vroom’s project. We spent most of Tuesday on a 100 degree roof hammering in shingles to get it done. It was such an exciting feeling to finish because we could see everything we had done and it was one full project completed. Other things done around our site included replacing insulation, putting up plywood and installing windows. Our work site was a swamp. There was water under the house so we had to jack up the house and dig trenches to lead the water out. We also removed a floor from one of the bedrooms so that our site leader could get under the house easier to jack it up.

During the evenings we spent time getting to know one another at the beach, around Georgetown, and around the church. And during our free day we spent time in Charleston and then went to the beach. We played paddleball and swam for a few hours. Tonight we had a paddleball tournament in the gym and spent the last bit of time hanging out before heading home in the morning.

I am so happy I was able to come back again this year. I enjoyed this trip just as much as all the others I have been on, if not more than some. I really enjoyed finally getting to do construction work, and am glad I did not end up missing this opportunity. I’m sad to be leaving but I know we got a lot done and I think we are all getting a little too tired to be working with power tools for much longer anyway. See you guys Sunday!

GOOTH Mission Trip, Day 4

Today was our last workday. We will visit Charleston tomorrow, but i know there are some bloggers out there waiting to blog tomorrow night…so, check back Saturday for the “final” installment of blogs for this mission trip!

jay

Leah Hinshaw

6^th grade

Hey! I’m having so much fun on the mission trip. This is my first one and I LOVE it!!!!!! GOOTH is working on three houses with about ten youth on each site. I’m working on a house owned by John Frasier. He needs a hip replacement and is in a lot of pain . I’m really happy we got to work on his house because it just seemed like he wouldn’t have been able to do any of the things we did. Earlier Tony (the worksite leader-organizer person) was telling us what all we had done and it was really amazing. We gave him a working sink, cabinets that aren’t rotting, we worked on new floors and doors, and gave him a shower and toilet that work. We did some other things, but those were really big. We had to leave at about7:30 in the morning, so we had to get up pretty early, and lights out wasn’t until eleven at night. I’m really tired, but still having a lot of fun. We would work from about eight to four, but our group had a lot of late days. Today we didn’t leave until 5:22!!! We then head on to the high school to get showers. Everyone agrees that that is the best part of the day. After dinner, Jay always has something planned for us to do. On Monday, we had a beach cookout. That was a lot of fun! On Tuesday, we walked around in Georgetown. Oh Ya!!! We are in a suburb of Georgetown called Andrews. Yesterday, we were supposed to go to the beach, but there was coastal flooding so we wrote letters to stockholders instead. We were going to go tonight instead, but we are walking up to McDonalds in place of the beach. I have at least forty-one mosquito bites. (I got sick of counting.) I’m kind of itchy, but it’s okay because it was totally worth it to come on this trip. Mr. and Mrs. Teller are making all the food and doing a very good job. Thanks Tellers!!!

!

Sarah McCoy

6^th grade

Today was our last day at the work site, and that was sad . Even though it was sad to leave I feel like my group accomplished a lot. My group redid the roof, tore down the siding, took the insulation off, put in insulation, helped with the water draining, and put up wood. I was sad to leave because Ricky (Rev. Murant’s Grandson who is 7 and going into 2^nd grade in the fall) loved to play with basketball and Frisbee. I asked Ricky earlier today why he lived with Rev. Murant and he said, “Rev. Murant is my grandpa and I sometimes come over at sleep at his house. I even have my own room!” When my group was cleaning up and leaving Rev. Murant’s house Ricky kept asking us if we would play Frisbee with him. When my group said we couldn’t play Frisbee with him he looked so sad I wish could see him every day to play basketball and Frisbee!!!

Sarah McCoy

Carter Norris

7^th grade

Today everyone was starting to get grouchy. We were up each other’s necks, but by the end of the day we could see the difference inside and out. It felt so good to know we made Mr. Frasier’s house liveable. So that was what was really important was that we did our work and did what we could to help. It was really great.

Carter Norris

GOOTH Mission Trip, Day 3

hi folks. we had to change our evening plans tonight because of a high-tide advisory that threatened our beach plans. so, we stayed in and wrote our shareholder letters. we had lots of time to blog, so you get to hear a lot from folks tonight! hope you enjoy hearing the stories.

jay

Ryan Spach

10^th grade

HELLO PEOPLE OF CPC. Ry-man here. My week so far has been …sweaty to say the least. When I got to the work site on Monday; I got out of the car and at first glance the house did not look too bad. I volunteered to do the floors at first when the site manager was assigning jobs. My site manager is a hard working man in his late 50’s by the name of Tony (and yes; I made sure to make some Tony the Tiger jokes after I got to know him). Tony told us what to do and we got to work. I went in the house with Matt, Sam B (some of you might remember him as little David in youth Sunday), Meredith, and Jay’s brother Mark. It smelled really bad at first and the bedroom was cluttered and dirty, but you have to remember: Mr. Frasier is a physically handicapped older man. I probably stepped on 10 different sizes of cockroaches, squished 4 different kinds of spiders, and realized just how good I have it at home. After we cleaned out all the mess; we put in new flooring for the main little bedroom. In the next room the floor was by NO means level. That took more time than I would have liked (pushing a washer and dryer around an unlevel room to get measurements is really hard) but I know it was for a good cause.

As you will read in Sam and Kasey’s blog there was a snake in an unused part under the kitchen sink. Apparently it had made a nest out of old grocery bags. I’ll tell more when I return to NC.

That night we went to the beach and ate DELICIOUS hot dogs and hamburgers, courtesy of the generous Mr. and Mrs. Teller.=) . After supper we walked to the sandy shore as the tide was coming in. I caught several small quarter sized crabs; but none as big as the last yellow crab I caught which was about the size of a tennis ball. Everyone had noticed it and knew I had been catching crabs, so a few people were calling me over to where it sat in the sand glaring at the giants around him. I have previous experience with crabs and knew this crab was a big male because one claw was small and thin while the other was big and thick. I tried not to scare him too bad as I scooped my hands under the sand around him. He was a good little crustacean as he sat still and well behaved even as I stroked his sandy little body. Jay took a picture and I set him free in the grass minutes later near a large crab hole in the grass lining the back side of the beach. Monday was good.

Tuesday was cool too. After a scorching day on the job, where I ended my day by helping Tony install a door, we walked through Georgetown. While there I had some of the best rainbow sherbet ice cream I’ve had in a long time. We walked along the boardwalk and ended at a fountain. Tuesday was a success.

Today I worked on installing more doors with Tony and I tore out part of the wall to prepare a new frame for the bathroom door. At the end of the day I got to go on the roof with Tony and do a little project to work on one of those vents that looks like just a random tube sticking out of roofs (I liked that I got to climb up on the roof; but I could have cooked a pizza in 10 minutes it was so hot up there) After we got down Tony and I finished Mr. Frasier’s new bedroom door, and the bathroom door was done at the last minute. Guess what: Jay just took my picture, cool.

Anyway: now I’m back at the church we are staying at and I’m blogging right now if you did not know that already. Aaeenneyyway (drawn out anyway) I just finished some of Mrs. Teller’s awesome pudding. I guess I’ll see you all on Sunday.

P.S.-I’ll be with gooth on Saturday which is my birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!=]

Sincerely, Ryan Spach

Sarah McCoy

6^th grade

Hi CPC Members! This is my first mission trip and so far it has been awesome! The 5 ½-6 hour ride was LONG. When GOOTH arrived at the church we were staying at we got our rooms organized (for the most part) then had some delicious spaghetti and chicken alfredo that was made by Mr. & Mrs. Teller. The first day we stayed at the work site from about 8:30-4:00(we spend that much time at the worksite everyday) it takes about an hour to get to my worksite. The Tellers make & bring us lunch. Monday after we finished our showers we went to the beach and ate dinner there. While the GOOTH was at the beach the sandbar was so close to the shore that we could walk out there. The boys also found small, black and large, White crabs. Tuesday we ate dinner then went to Georgetown for ice cream. All the work we’ve been doing is lifting things, pulling siding off, hammering wood on the house, and taking out/putting in windows. Rev. Murant’s little boy is Ricky (who is 7 years old) and I feel that God is calling me to work harder for Ricky. I feel touched to see him smile at his newly improved house. I also think that the mission trip (after 3 days) has helped people open up to other people to make us more of a Church family. I will miss this feeling after the mission trip is over.

Sincerely, Sarah McCoy

Kasey Skinner

9^th grade

Hey everyone! Some of you may not know me, because this is my first year in GOOTH. I go to Holy Family Catholic Church, but I’m so glad to be in GOOTH because all of the people I have met this year are amazing. I’m so happy to be on my first mission trip ever! You heard about my snake adventure with Sammie, so I’m going to start with what happened today. The house that we are working on has a lot of work to be done, but I feel like we’ve accomplished a lot in the short time we’ve been here. We are completely replacing the flooring, windows, and doors in the little green house, along with a lot of other projects. This morning we were starting with the doors, so I got to pull a lot of doors and doorframes out of the walls. I became somewhat of an expert at using a crowbar. After pulling out three doors and their frames, and helping Sammie and Leah a little with the front door, I started painting again. This time it wasn’t painting a large number of boards white (thank goodness ), but I was painting the upper part of the outside wall called the gable. It’s the triangular part on the side of the house where the two sides of the roof come together. This was my first experience with an extension ladder, which is the kind that you lean against the wall and can adjust to make it really tall. It was a little scary at first but I really enjoyed doing it, and it was so rewarding to look at it and think that I helped make that wall look so nice. Right now, we are finishing up writing the letters to the GOOTH shareholders and just hanging out in the church where we are staying. I would just like to point out how amazing the Tellers are. They make 40-some sandwiches every day and drive them to us at three different worksites. All of the adults on this trip are fabulous for taking care of us and working on the houses just as hard as we do. The work is hard, but I feel like God has called me to be here and I’m really glad that I am. I have learned so much, from how to use an extension ladder to how to work with all different people on projects I never would have imagined I would be doing. However, I have also gotten to know so many amazing people, and I feel like we have all grown as a GOOTH family. See you when we get back!

~Kasey Skinner

Carter Norris

7^th grade

This is actually my first mission trip of any kind. It’s a really good experience. I never knew people lived in houses like the one I am helping to fix. Let’s just say, Sammie and Kasey found a snake. On Monday people were taking out the windows, painting, and all kinds of stuff. On the second day Leah and I had to carry around this bucket of cement. Never try this at home kids, even though Leah and I did, you shouldn’t: Tony, our work director needed rocks to fill up this hole in the wall, so, we got to bust open concrete blocks with hammers. Today, I moved the plywood that Meredith was priming and spotted ladders for various different people. So far it’s been fun and hopefully it will keep getting better.

Carter Norris

Sam Cooper

8^th Grade

Hey everyone!!!  So this is my third mission trip and I feel like I am becoming a pro at some of the whole work all day play all afternoon stay up and talk schedule!! The house we are working on is owned by a senior named John Frasier. He is in a wheel chair and is incapable of taking care of his home! His house was in…well bad shape when we got there. The group before us had done a lot but we still had lots to do!! On Monday we started the projects that we would be doing till Thursday which involved ripping out kitchen cabinets, Replacing windows and floors and painting things!! Monday was interesting with the snake and all (look at other blog entries) It was the most hot day so far of this week. I mostly spent the afternoon painting boards with Kasey. On Tuesday I continued to paint boards with Kasey and then switched to painting the trim of the house. Today I decided that painting was fun but I wanted to move with my musketeer friend Emma inside. She, Matt, and I put down floors well actually it was more of them doing the work and me being there for moral support. But it was still loads of fun. We came back to our church/home and we ate and wrote our wonderful shareholder letters that you will be getting soon. This week has been such a learning experience for me. When I walked into the house and saw how this sweet gentlemen had to live it made me appreciate what I have so much more. I understand why God called me to be here. At first I didn’t but now I do. I think that he really wanted us to understand how lucky and blessed we all are. We are all so tired and in the afternoons after work really stinky but we never complain because we know that we are making a difference in someone’s life. Well that is all I have to say for now; I can’t wait to return home to share my stories with you!! Thank you so much for supporting us we really do appreciate it! Bye.

GOOTH Mission Trip, Day 2

Hi folks. we had a nice evening stroll tonight along the boardwalk in historic Georgetown and got back to the church with some free time to spare. so, we have 2 youth blogs for you tonight. thanks for the comments and for reading our blog!!

jay

Nathan Chatham

6^th Grade

This is Nathan on the blog. I’ll tell you what I did today. It takes me at least 30 min. to get to the site. I cant remember what we did first. We’re supposed leave at 4:00, and our supplies came at three. So we didn’t get as much done as we wanted but we did do a lot . THAT’S ALL I HAVE FOR THE BLOG. See u next time.

Sam Cooper and Kasey Skinner

8^th and 9^th grade

Hey everyone, this is Kasey and Sam. We have really enjoyed this week so far. It’s tons of hard work but it’s really rewarding and we’re having fun too. Our worksite is a little green house…we love that it’s green. A gentleman named JB lives there. Some of what we are working on includes laying down flooring, painting the outside (which both of us did today), breaking and replacing windows, and the most fun of all-replacing cabinets. We did that yesterday, and it involved ripping the whole cabinet out of the wall with crowbars. There’s a funny story that goes along with this. When cleaning out the bottom of the cabinets, we discovered a snake skin under some jars. However we did not actually think we would find a snake! When ripping the bottom part of the cabinets up off the floor we looked under the boards and saw the snake!! Our reaction to this was running and yelling out of the kitchen to Jay! We asked our site manager to take care of it. It escaped but we keep expecting to find it somewhere on the grounds before we leave. So after our adventure with the snake, we pulled down the ceiling in the bathroom, while wearing our very stylish dust masks and safety goggles. We took a lunch break, and afterwards we had a new job to do: painting the boards that would become the window trim. Yesterday we finished ten, and we were so happy to have it done. As soon as we finished, our site manager pulled up and unloaded 25 more boards, all to be painted the next day (which was today). The two of us, along with Katie Morris, got really good at painting boards. Emma timed us, and we could paint the top of one in eighteen seconds. In doing all these tasks, we now appreciate all of the things we have at home. Today, after painting twelve of the twenty-five boards, we switched jobs with some of the other people on the site. We got up on ladders and wiped down the upper part of the wall so that we could put primer on it later. After wrapping up on site, we headed to the best part of the day: the showers! We shower in the girls’ locker room in the local high school. The showers are tiny and always cold, but the cold water is the best part. After a day in the sun, we just cannot wait to take a cool shower. Yesterday after all these things had been done we headed to Huntington State Park. There we had a cook out and we got to play around on the beach. We are having a great time on the mission trip, and we are learning to see all the different ways that God works. We are growing as a youth group, and we would like to thank you for making this trip possible. That’s all for today, and we can’t wait to get back to Clemmons and tell more of our stories!

GOOTH Mission Trip Day 1

whew! what a day. and a hot one at that! we all worked hard on our first day at our various sites. we are on 3 different sites all around the county. it was super hot today, but we all drank lots of water. we quickly went to the beach on pawleys island at huntington beach state park tonight for a cookout and some beach time. it was a LOVELY evening! we had a great time and got back late. so, unfortunately, the youth are not able to sit down and blog tonight – so you get me. brittany just ran by, though! her show sole melted today! that’s how hot it was on the roof her group was working on! anyway, tomorrow should be a more relaxed evening with some time for the youth to blog more. good night for now! early curfew tonight…no complaints!

GOOTH Mission Trip to SC, Arrival

we arrived in andrews, sc, tonight about 6:30…right on time! we had a great trip down, ate a wonderful meal, and have gotten settled. not much else to say, because lights out is in a few minutes. i just discovered the wireless, so we will be able to post updates during the week! woohoo!

jay

The GOOTH Days of Christmas

At GOOTH tonight, we sand a new version of the 12 Days of Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the second day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the THURS-day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
Five hundred miles!
Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the seventh day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH made me eat,
8 freebie hotdogs,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
9 David’s drumming,
8 freebie hotdogs,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
10 bags of chips,
9 David’s drumming,
8 freebie hotdogs,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
11 FISH Sticks,
10 bags of chips,
9 David’s drumming,
8 freebie hotdogs,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
the GOOTH gave to me,
12 Diet Cheerwine,
11 FISH Sticks,
10 bags of chips,
9 David’s drumming,
8 freebie hotdogs,
7 colored noodles,
6 GOOTH green shirts,
Five hundred miles! Ya-da-da-ta!
4 boxes of popcorn,
3 biscuit combos,
2 flip-flops,
and a Mission Trip RSVP.

“I Saw God Today” Middle School Retreat

The Middle School GOOTH attended the Salem Presbytery Middle School Fall Retreat on November 1 and 2, 2008, at Camp Hanes in King, NC. 14 youth and 4 adults attended the event and had a great time. Here are some words from two of our youth who attended:

Sara, 8th grade:

The Camp Hanes Middle School Retreat was really fun. We did energizers and sang songs. Then we had our keynote speaker-Dianna Wright. I really enjoyed her sermons. She had a very unique way of preaching. The theme of the weekend was, “I saw God today.” We had small group time and got to walk all around Camp Hanes and look for places where we saw God. This was fun, because the leaves on the trees at Camp Hanes were at their peak so they were all different colors. It was such a pretty weekend, it was easy to see God. Later that night we had a talent show. From our church, Janeth read a really cool poem and Olivia, Carter, and Meghan sang a song. Then we had the Darty.-(dance/Party) Overall, the Camp Hanes retreat was soooo much fun!

Sammie, 8th grade:

Camp Hanes this year was really fun. I made so many new friends. I learned a lot about how you can see God in other people and things. When we left the retreat I looked at everyone differently not because I had gotten to know them better, but because I noticed some of their wonderful qualities. Even though it was my last middle school retreat I really enjoyed it. And I know everyone else did too.

Singing for THEIR Supper

Here is a reflection about the Singing for Their Supper event sponsored by Salem Presbytery, in the words of a newly-turned 14-year old girl from our middle school group…

Last Sunday the GOOTH attended an event called “Singing for Their Supper” at a Korean church in Greensboro. This event raised awareness for hunger and money for people who live on little income. The evening started with a small meal of rice and beans to show us what it was like only having that as a meal. Then the entertainment started. The first act was a Korean men’s chorus and the songs they sang were in Korean. Then the woman’s chorus joined in creating a choral group. The coolest part about them singing is I learned that in every language there is a word that is pronounced the same way, and that is Amen. Then the next act was an interpretive dance group. After that, a pianist and violinist played a song each. Then played a duet together. Then Bryan McFarland played his guitar and sang. He had created a theme song for this event and that was a highlight of the night for me. Because it was a cool song. Also, another cool thing about Sunday was it was my birthday. There is no other way to celebrate a birthday than with GOOTH. All in all the night was an awesome experience. I learned many things about hunger that I did not know.

Peace out!