West Virginia - Thursday

Today began with another great breakfast. Afterwards, we said goodbye to some of the members of our team who needed to get back to NC. Then Pastor Jerry took me and Lynda, Will, Lynne, Charlene, Wiley and 3 ladies from Calvary to visit a couple of shut-ins who were really isolated up in the mountains. After a wonderful visit, we returned to camp for lunch.

Jim, David & Danny replaced a porch floor this morning before returning for lunch. After lunch, David, Jim & Lynda headed back to NC. I took Wiley, Danny, Charlene, Will & Lynne up to the little village of Cass, where we shopped in the Company Store and toured the museums and saw the trains in this lovely little town that was once a thriving hub of a huge logging operation.

We then visited the National Radio Astronomy Observatory , where we took a very interesting tour. After touring the Observatory, we went back to Marlinton for dinner at the Greenbriar Grille, then returned to the retreat center.

We plan to leave for home after breakfast tomorrow.

It has been a wonderful week. We have truly been blessed and have seen visible signs that the ministry we are doing here is making a difference in people's lives. Tonight we had a waitress who was very thankful for the clothes that she and her young son received from our giveaway this week.

Pray for us as we journey home on Friday. We plan to share photos and testimonies about our trip on Sunday, October 12th.

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!

West Virginia - Tuesday

Today was a wonderful day in West Virginia! We divided into 3 different groups this morning. Jim, Don, Bobby and David went to the home of a shut-in, where they installed a shower. They will finish that job tomorrow. Lynda, Wiley and Danny visited 10 shut-ins with "sunshine bags." They made some meaningful visits. I took Pat, Sharon, Lynne, Will, Algaree, Joe and Charlene to the Greenbriar Birthing Center - a federal prison for pregnant inmates. The girls can keep their babies with them at the BC for 18 months before they must return to regular prison.

Our group had a very good day. The children were very sweet and the girls really appreciated our ministry. They especially enjoyed doing crafts. We played with the babies and fed the girls pizza. Pat did a very nice job with the Bible Study and Lynne planned the crafts.

After an excellent dinner tonight, 9 of our folks left to go to the Denmar state prison to worship with the men there.

Tomorrow we will send groups to do home repair, visitation, and back to the clothing giveaway. We will also give away food tomorrow and lead the worship services at First Baptist Church in Huntersville tomorrow night.

West Virginia - Monday

We had a great breakfast this morning, then we headed to downtown Marlinton, where we gave away LOTS of clothing, toys, and bedding. After unloading the truck, we took the school supplies to the Marlinton Elementary School and the staff was very appreciative. Some of us then drove to Lewisburg to return the rental truck and to buy food for the giveaway on Wednesday. The clothing giveaway went on until 4 pm. We made many bags of food for Wednesday. Another group will do the clothing giveaway tomorrow, while some of our folks visit shut-ins and do home repairs. Eight of us will be ministering at the Greenbriar Birthing Center tomorrow, then we will all go to Denmar Correctional Facility tomorrow night for worship.

We had a good day - enjoyed great fellowship with one another, made some new friends, visited with some old friends, shared the love of Jesus with over 100 people, and (of course) ate some very good food. I plan to post more information here each day and will be posting some photos soon.

Continue to pray for us as we minister here. Today the weather was gorgeous. Tomorrow may bring some rain, and each day promises to get cooler. Right now it is pretty cold as I prepare for some rest.

West Virginia Team Arrives

The last of our group of 15 arrived in Huntersville a little after 10 pm tonight. We are off to bed because we have a long week ahead of us. Please keep us in your prayers as we begin tomorrow morning giving away the tons of clothing, food, and toys that we brought. Check back daily for updates and photos.

Matt Leggett wins car!

Congratulations to Matt Leggett of Apex who won the drawing for the London Roadster at Fun Day.

Build a FLC... Win a Car!

Tickets are going fast!!! For only $50, you can purchase one of only 150 total tickets for this 1983 London Roadster. The car is a factory-built replica of a 1952 MG Roadster. It has only 17,000 miles and will be given away on September 13, 2008. All proceeds will go toward building our Family Life Center. Call the office today to purchase a ticket - 851-0112.