Big Creek Missions Update #1

As I told you, Maryn & Jacob left on May 24 for Big Creek Missions in Kentucky. Here's a compilation of communications up to date. All the pictures are from Maryn & much of the photo narrative too.

Jacob & Maryn on the plane.
This was an amazing ride. It left the airport over 20 minutes late yet arrived in Knoxville 5 minutes early. I expected to see a photo of these kids plastered back into their seats with expressions of terror on their pressure-flattened faces. Hm. Maybe the plane had yet to leave the runway...

Jacob is sitting next to Cooper, Kevin's dog in Kevin's car who drooled and panted and smelled on him the whole drive to Big Creek.

The plan: Week one was staff training which included TRAINING plus getting the facilities ready for the churches to begin arriving May 31. That first ministry week (this week) is scheduled to host only half the number of volunteers to allow the pairing of new staff with experienced for OJT then next week (beginning June 7) each staff member will be heading the individual ministry teams.

The stage where much work was done the first week.

Jacob was thrilled to drive a sky jack but I'm not sure if it was in this room which looks like a gym to me.

When they first arrived, the A/C was not working in the official staff quarters so they lived in the cooled classrooms until just before the church groups started arriving. Here's Maryn's first "home away from home".
"The sleeping area we're moving to is perfectly safe and decent. It's not as bad as it sounds. Girls on one side of the gym, boys on the other and every bunk is curtained off with really thick hotel curtains. We DO have bathrooms out there after all."

Jacob has been thrilled at being surrounded by mountains big hills. He said that he plans to hike one when he gets some time off but no one knows when that might be...
Staff have been shown around the communities and introduced to people in preparation for their upcoming community service. Maryn met the mayor of Manchester and visited a nursing home somewhere else. May 29 they were supposed to go into Hazard.

Doesn't he look pitiful?
This was only a test injury. No staff were harmed in the making of these photos. It is probable that laughter was employed by all.

Had some other person been employed doing the weed-whacking that Jacob's been assigned, they might have some plaster or bandages or just pink stuff. J got the job because he is not allergic to poison ivy. He was disappointed that he didn't get to drive the big mower. I think Kevin claimed that big toy.

"Last night we had our first aid class. it was funny. I got to bandage Jacob and he put splints on me. I slept really well last night! The other people are fun too. We're all getting along great. Today my group (we split into 4 separate groups) had breakfast prep. it was veeerrrry interesting! Burned bacon, almost burned cinnamon rolls and biscuits, and the guys who made the gravy had no idea what they were doing! lol. We had fun! Then some other girls and I cleaned all the classrooms, swept the beds, floor, mopped, etc. It was crazy! Jacob was helping with the lights in the gym." May 26


"I'm doing great! We did lots of work today hanging curtains and fixing bunk beds. We also straightened the kitchen. My roommate Kristen is really nice. We have a lot in common! Everyone else is supposed to come today." May 25
"Kristen & I repainted the stage today. I've been given many tasks of designing logos and things to paint on the wall, signs, etc. Hopefully I'll find the time to do them!" May 30

Staff made a video about the mission and some of the rules to show to the guests who come. "The videos we made are HILARIOUS! I can't wait to show them to you. I'm not sure when we'll have them. Kevin's computer died today so we are all a little freaked out. It had all our info on it. Not good. Pray it gets fixed and we still have all our info!"
As of yesterday afternoon, Kevins's 'puter was still kaput.

Here's some of the staff playing Apples to Apples = team building 101. :-)
That's Kevin in the white T. No, that is not Jacob with his face turned toward Kevin. His head's been shorn, remember? Just look at him in the other pictures & you'll see.

Maryn (then there's that creepy looking partial-face between the two heads), Jacob & Kevin at Applebees on May 30 - so they are not tooooo far from civilization.

"Hey! Here's pictures from yesterday! The girl on the end is Hannah, our kitchen coordinator. Everyone cheers, "Let's hear it for Hannah!!!!!!" whenever we see her. The girl in the middle is Lacy.

"Jacob and I worked in the kitchen most of the day. We made: lasagna, alfredo, grilled chicken - Jacob & I grilled ourselves! I cut vegetables, breadsticks, pizza bread, mud cake, and fruit! We were very proud of ourselves." June 1

Chatting with Jacob on Facebook yesterday he told me that he was working on a construction crew that is "converting a porch into a room, rebracing a roof, and other random things, all in the same house".

His status is "working hard building and renovating! And yes, the food is awesome."

Kevin highlights the week here and sent a very nice post to me:

"You would be VERY proud of Jacob and Maryn. They are both working VERY hard and are excellent staff. They've caught on SO fast and are just rockin' my face off!!!! Love them both. I don't know what I'm going to do when they break up with me at the end of summer. I might just have to come to Florida to see them ;)"

Kevin (June 3)

I plan for periodic Big Creek updates as I get them but have been warned that Kevin says we're going to be dead by the third week. But we have permission to be a zombie in the staff area when we have a chance.