Kentucky mission trip: Wed and Thr

God continues to do amazing things here in Jackson County. Our shed building team has everything all enclosed and is putting the finishing touches on as I write. We plan to hold a dedication in memory of Taylor VanderWeele later tonight. The poor team at the house continues to be plagued by difficulties. Yesterday they simply checked above the ceiling (they were told it was "all good," but thought smart to check anyway), and were summarily bathed in coal dust that had gathered up there from the coal burning stove days. They thusly worked overtime for the second straight day trying to get to a good place. While they may not make it to their goal they have been a massive help and have set the stage very well for the next work group. They have really dealt with some tough set backs and conditions, yet have stayed upbeat and positive because they know they are really making a difference. My hat is really off to that crew.

The daycamp is getting close to wrapping as I write. Not only will we wrap our time with them at 3pm today, but it is also the last daycamp of the summer (many have come for three weeks now). Jackson County School District ended up with only around 30 some days of summer vacation this year due to having over 30 snow days this winter. So, JCM had to cram all their summer programs into one month (which is why there is not only our daycamp this week, but a horse camp, drama camp, and an evening VBS run by a group staying at JCM). There have been some awesome connections made between our students and the daycampers, and some hopefully eternal seeds have been planted in hearts.

Last night we got to hear from Denny Pehrman, the youth chaplain from JCM. He was INCREDIBLE! He shared stories of heartbreak and triumph. Jackson County Schools have had over 30 teen deaths related to drug overdoses and suicides over the past 8 years. In the midst of that Denny has probably saved many times that number of lives, as well as 100's of souls. He challenged out students to move from being believers to being disciples who really act on their faith. It starts simply by reaching out and seeing what needs you can meet at school, in your home, at work, etc. The students were really moved by his message and made some great commitments afterwards.

One of those commitments involved one of the students from the Barnabas Home for at risk youth located at JCM (some are there because they are at risk, some because they have committed crimes). Our students went from being scared of them, to cautiously playing hoops with them, to befriending them. One of the students from the home is moving back home to a tough situation today. Our students wrote him a letter they had the JCM staff deliver to him to offer him guidance, prayers, and encouragement. In fact a basketball game yesterday turned into simply sitting down and talking about life and God. It has been awesome seeing our once scared students MINISTERING to these other kids!

Tomorrow we will have a free day, which will include a trip to Cumberland Falls (the "Niagara of the South" and the original KFC. Should be a nice end to an amazing trip.