West Virginia – Wednesday

Today we began with a great, hot breakfast. Following breakfast, Lynda, Wiley, Pat and Sharon went with Pastor Jerry to visit shut-ins. Jim, David, Bobby & Don went back to finish the home repair project – installing a shower and lavatory in the bedroom of a handicapped man. Danny, Charlene, Joe, Algaree, Will, Lynne and I went back to downtown Marlinton for the third day of the clothing giveaway. We also gave away approximately 100 bags of food. At the end of the day, we decided to donate the remaining clothes to a local thrift store. We cancelled the giveaway tomorrow because of all the rain that is expected this evening.

It rained off and on throughout the day. It was windy and cool, with the high in the upper 50’s. After we returned to the camp, it rained pretty hard until time for church.

Tonight we led worship at First Baptist Church in Huntersville. I preached; Lynne and Danny did a great job singing a nice duet; and the entire team sang a song and shared scripture. It was a great service, and the people of FBC were very appreciative for all that we have done this week.

After the service, we returned to camp and had dessert and fellowship with the other teams. Besides our 15, there are 4 from Calvary in Rocky Mount, 4 from Whitestone in Chesapeake, VA, 7 from Springfield in Nashville, TN, and 6 cooks from Rocky Mount, plus the wonderful representative from Hands on Mission, Larry Grooms. It is a great group of folks, with whom we have had an awesome time!

Tomorrow some of our group is returning to Raleigh because of other obligations, but there will be some of us doing shut-in visitation and some doing home repairs in the morning. We have the afternoon free, so our group plans to visit the National Radio Astronomy Observatory just up the road in Green Bank, WV. Afterwards, we plan to enjoy dinner out while the group from Tennessee conducts services at the men’s prison. We plan to return home after breakfast on Friday.

We will have some wonderful stories to tell when we get home!