Work Day One
What an amazing group of students and adults to work with!!!!
This morning we started out around 7:30am to get ready for our first day of work. We had breakfast at about 8:00 and then devotions at 8:30. Bill Kucenski, who runs Paradox Teen Center, gave the devotional this morning. He talked about how "we are to be in the world not of the world". He even used John 17, which was the verses from church camp! Such a great connection for the youth.
After devotions we headed over to Paradox Teen Center, where we were given our job tasks for the day.
Group 1-- (Cerutti, Miguel, Beth, Julia, and Anakin; along with Susan Kucenski and Jackson from Faith Lutheran)
Our task was to move a lady's stuff from her apartment to a storage unit. Our job was supposed to have taken 1 trip in 2 hours. Well 4 hours and 3 trips later we have successfully moved her into the storage unit. We moved 2 beds, a coach several tables and chairs along with clothing and other stuff!
Group 2-- (Carmina, Natalie, Hannah, and Kristine, along with Bill E from Faith Lutheran)
Their task was to scrape the back outside wall which was covered with mold and mildew. They scraped around each concrete block from top to bottom. Tomorrow the wall is going to be power washed. This group was in the hot sun which felt like 97 degrees out. They did get help throughout the day from some other groups. Rigo, Tristan, Ashley, Emily and Sharon all came out and helped scrape. Rigo also helped take down some cables that were hanging on the wall!
Group 3-- (Ashley and Emilie, along with Sharon and Tristan from Faith Lutheran)
This group was given the task to paint panels that will be cut and put up on the walls. This group worked really fast and finished their task fast, so they ended up helping outside with the back of the building. Ashley and Emilie also helped Bill E tear up concrete in the back to help build the drainage system that they are created to help with the water they keep getting. They used picks which they loved doing.
Group 4-- (Rigo and Nicole along with Lucas from Faith Lutheran)
This group was given the task of working on the new bathroom. They thought their initial job would be just hanging drywall, but they have many steps before they get there. First they had to empty the room of tools and other junk that had been put there. Once that was done they had to punch a hole in the wall for some of the plumbing. They then worked on prepping the room along with going out and helping the outside group.
As we started to finish from our different tasks some went to help other groups or just worked on rehydrating and cooling off.
We finished cleaning up and headed back to the church around 5:00pm to grab our stuff for the showers. We were all ready for a shower!!!!! We are using the showers at the Civic Center here in Oak Ridge, which is nice since there are 5 showers for us girls to use, so we were able to get everyone showered and ready to go to dinner in about a half hour.
But before dinner, we did another run to Walmart!!! This would be our 6th time at Walmart on this trip. I am sure there will be another run tomorrow too!!!
We then went to dinner at locally owned pizza joint, Big Ed's. As this is our 3rd day with pizza, I wasn't sure how the group would be but they loved it!!!! They are saying that it is the best pizza they have had so far. This place is the place to be from what we were told.
Overall, the students and adults have worked extremely well together today and started building relationships with the people from Faith Lutheran and Paradox Teen Center.
-Cerutti
Today I painted the panels for the skate room and I broke concrete in the back for a drainage pipe to be put down. I felt that today was a good start to the rest of the week.
-Ashley
Today I painted some panels that will go onto the walls at the skate park and I also went to the back of the building to break up some concrete for a drainage pipe to put down. Today I felt very productive and feel that this mission trip will be very successful
-Emilie
Today was the first day it felt like a real mission trip. I was able to go out into the city and help Amber (a recovered drug addict) move from her apartment. She had a son Hunter that was shy at first but eventually would help us move things into the storage unit. We were told that this task would take 2 hours but God had a different plan. This job took 5 hours to complete and much time driving back and forth since we had to take many trips. Although we expected a shorter time the longer it took the more time we had to talk to Amber and get to know our group we had been assigned. After lunch Julia, Anakin, Ashley, and I were put in charge of washing windows. We were washing the front of the building as we were asked to go and clean the windows in an area of the building that they were cleaning out hopefully to be able to use soon. As we began to clean the windows we realized that those specks of dirt all over the window were not dirt but spiders and their eggs. I do not like spiders... At that point I had seen so many spiders I about freaked out. (When we woke up there was a quarter sized spider in our bathroom). We had to make Anakin kill all the spiders and wash the windows where they had been. I love Tennessee but I do not love all the spiders I have seen here. I can't wait for what the next day holds (hopefully there are less spiders) :)
-Beth
Who would have known that brushing a wall with wire brushes would feel so rewarding? Today, my group, (Natalie, Hannah, Carmina, and I) were assigned to work outside on the back wall of the Paradox Center, brushing all the cracks between the bricks to clear away the moss & dust. Tomorrow the building will be power washed and painted. At first, it didn't seem like the brushes were making much of a difference. But soon, our group was scrubbing away, wiping moss off the walls and sweat off our faces. As soon as the whole team pitched in & started working together, the time went by much faster & was a lot of fun to accomplish. Around noon we took a break for a lunch of sandwiches & chicken and rice. When we came back outside, the sun had moved and taken away almost all of our shade, leaving us to work in direct sunlight. Rigo joined us too, and helped by climbing ladders and brushing higher bricks that we couldn't reach. The work was slow & hot, but finally we finished cleaning out the last groove of the last brick. We were all very proud of our clean wall. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's all painted! I also can't wait for the rest of this week, and I am excited to see how God will use each of the JWalk members to shine for him. #sweat4jesus (Julia came up with that)
Kristine :)
So I was in Beth's group so you probably know all about my day so far (see the full story above). This is my first Mission Trip, and today I really loved glorify God. I have learned to #sweat4jesus! Whether I am sick of carrying boxes or done with the heat, I take a step back and remember what Jesus did for me. Hanging on a cross is just a bit more uncomfortable than moving futons!
-Julia :)
I was in the group that was scraping the back wall. It was tough work! But with determination,teamwork, and positive attitudes we finished just in time! Just as we finished cleaning up all of our supplies, the heavens opened! The last two mission trips I have gone on, it was through my school called "mission impossible". I have a blast in those trips, but I don't do the hard labor work. I am one of the few kids that ride in a car all day and go to the store to get supplies. So when I worked today, I was kinda happy that it's was really hard work! I could see the work I had put time and energy into. It was an amazing experience and I'm happy to see what the rest of the week holds!
-Natticakes:)
I was a part of the group that was working on the new bathroom. This led to a whole bunch of new experiences for me. I got to work with actual power tools, like a drill and a small saw. I also got to help hammer a hole in the wall for the plumbing, which was rather fun! All in all, today was a fun and productive day.
-Nicole :)
I was with several others working on scraping the back wall of the building. It was a lot of tiring, hard work but satisfactory in the end to see the progress! I am excited to see what the rest of the week has in store!
-Hannah :)
Well today I was unsure of what to expect because of this being my first working day on the mission trip but it was quite exciting, because though after helping someone move and having Beth yelling at me to kill spiders, and killing Ashley at pool I was really tired but it was honestly a great experience and I can't wait for the rest of the week
-Anakin 🐑
This morning we started out around 7:30am to get ready for our first day of work. We had breakfast at about 8:00 and then devotions at 8:30. Bill Kucenski, who runs Paradox Teen Center, gave the devotional this morning. He talked about how "we are to be in the world not of the world". He even used John 17, which was the verses from church camp! Such a great connection for the youth.
After devotions we headed over to Paradox Teen Center, where we were given our job tasks for the day.
Group 1-- (Cerutti, Miguel, Beth, Julia, and Anakin; along with Susan Kucenski and Jackson from Faith Lutheran)
Our task was to move a lady's stuff from her apartment to a storage unit. Our job was supposed to have taken 1 trip in 2 hours. Well 4 hours and 3 trips later we have successfully moved her into the storage unit. We moved 2 beds, a coach several tables and chairs along with clothing and other stuff!
Group 2-- (Carmina, Natalie, Hannah, and Kristine, along with Bill E from Faith Lutheran)
Their task was to scrape the back outside wall which was covered with mold and mildew. They scraped around each concrete block from top to bottom. Tomorrow the wall is going to be power washed. This group was in the hot sun which felt like 97 degrees out. They did get help throughout the day from some other groups. Rigo, Tristan, Ashley, Emily and Sharon all came out and helped scrape. Rigo also helped take down some cables that were hanging on the wall!
Group 3-- (Ashley and Emilie, along with Sharon and Tristan from Faith Lutheran)
This group was given the task to paint panels that will be cut and put up on the walls. This group worked really fast and finished their task fast, so they ended up helping outside with the back of the building. Ashley and Emilie also helped Bill E tear up concrete in the back to help build the drainage system that they are created to help with the water they keep getting. They used picks which they loved doing.
Group 4-- (Rigo and Nicole along with Lucas from Faith Lutheran)
This group was given the task of working on the new bathroom. They thought their initial job would be just hanging drywall, but they have many steps before they get there. First they had to empty the room of tools and other junk that had been put there. Once that was done they had to punch a hole in the wall for some of the plumbing. They then worked on prepping the room along with going out and helping the outside group.
As we started to finish from our different tasks some went to help other groups or just worked on rehydrating and cooling off.
We finished cleaning up and headed back to the church around 5:00pm to grab our stuff for the showers. We were all ready for a shower!!!!! We are using the showers at the Civic Center here in Oak Ridge, which is nice since there are 5 showers for us girls to use, so we were able to get everyone showered and ready to go to dinner in about a half hour.
But before dinner, we did another run to Walmart!!! This would be our 6th time at Walmart on this trip. I am sure there will be another run tomorrow too!!!
We then went to dinner at locally owned pizza joint, Big Ed's. As this is our 3rd day with pizza, I wasn't sure how the group would be but they loved it!!!! They are saying that it is the best pizza they have had so far. This place is the place to be from what we were told.
Overall, the students and adults have worked extremely well together today and started building relationships with the people from Faith Lutheran and Paradox Teen Center.
-Cerutti
Today I painted the panels for the skate room and I broke concrete in the back for a drainage pipe to be put down. I felt that today was a good start to the rest of the week.
-Ashley
Today I painted some panels that will go onto the walls at the skate park and I also went to the back of the building to break up some concrete for a drainage pipe to put down. Today I felt very productive and feel that this mission trip will be very successful
-Emilie
Today was the first day it felt like a real mission trip. I was able to go out into the city and help Amber (a recovered drug addict) move from her apartment. She had a son Hunter that was shy at first but eventually would help us move things into the storage unit. We were told that this task would take 2 hours but God had a different plan. This job took 5 hours to complete and much time driving back and forth since we had to take many trips. Although we expected a shorter time the longer it took the more time we had to talk to Amber and get to know our group we had been assigned. After lunch Julia, Anakin, Ashley, and I were put in charge of washing windows. We were washing the front of the building as we were asked to go and clean the windows in an area of the building that they were cleaning out hopefully to be able to use soon. As we began to clean the windows we realized that those specks of dirt all over the window were not dirt but spiders and their eggs. I do not like spiders... At that point I had seen so many spiders I about freaked out. (When we woke up there was a quarter sized spider in our bathroom). We had to make Anakin kill all the spiders and wash the windows where they had been. I love Tennessee but I do not love all the spiders I have seen here. I can't wait for what the next day holds (hopefully there are less spiders) :)
-Beth
Who would have known that brushing a wall with wire brushes would feel so rewarding? Today, my group, (Natalie, Hannah, Carmina, and I) were assigned to work outside on the back wall of the Paradox Center, brushing all the cracks between the bricks to clear away the moss & dust. Tomorrow the building will be power washed and painted. At first, it didn't seem like the brushes were making much of a difference. But soon, our group was scrubbing away, wiping moss off the walls and sweat off our faces. As soon as the whole team pitched in & started working together, the time went by much faster & was a lot of fun to accomplish. Around noon we took a break for a lunch of sandwiches & chicken and rice. When we came back outside, the sun had moved and taken away almost all of our shade, leaving us to work in direct sunlight. Rigo joined us too, and helped by climbing ladders and brushing higher bricks that we couldn't reach. The work was slow & hot, but finally we finished cleaning out the last groove of the last brick. We were all very proud of our clean wall. I can't wait to see what it will look like when it's all painted! I also can't wait for the rest of this week, and I am excited to see how God will use each of the JWalk members to shine for him. #sweat4jesus (Julia came up with that)
Kristine :)
So I was in Beth's group so you probably know all about my day so far (see the full story above). This is my first Mission Trip, and today I really loved glorify God. I have learned to #sweat4jesus! Whether I am sick of carrying boxes or done with the heat, I take a step back and remember what Jesus did for me. Hanging on a cross is just a bit more uncomfortable than moving futons!
-Julia :)
I was in the group that was scraping the back wall. It was tough work! But with determination,teamwork, and positive attitudes we finished just in time! Just as we finished cleaning up all of our supplies, the heavens opened! The last two mission trips I have gone on, it was through my school called "mission impossible". I have a blast in those trips, but I don't do the hard labor work. I am one of the few kids that ride in a car all day and go to the store to get supplies. So when I worked today, I was kinda happy that it's was really hard work! I could see the work I had put time and energy into. It was an amazing experience and I'm happy to see what the rest of the week holds!
-Natticakes:)
I was a part of the group that was working on the new bathroom. This led to a whole bunch of new experiences for me. I got to work with actual power tools, like a drill and a small saw. I also got to help hammer a hole in the wall for the plumbing, which was rather fun! All in all, today was a fun and productive day.
-Nicole :)
I was with several others working on scraping the back wall of the building. It was a lot of tiring, hard work but satisfactory in the end to see the progress! I am excited to see what the rest of the week has in store!
-Hannah :)
Well today I was unsure of what to expect because of this being my first working day on the mission trip but it was quite exciting, because though after helping someone move and having Beth yelling at me to kill spiders, and killing Ashley at pool I was really tired but it was honestly a great experience and I can't wait for the rest of the week
-Anakin 🐑