Unlike other blogs, the next several postings are done in sequential order.  Start here and read down for subsequent days and postings.

Mission AnyWHERE?

Three church vans, two trailers, 2 mini vans, 15 cases of water, six jars of peanut butter, eight bags of salad, 24 loaves of bread, three laptops, 37 sleeping bags, four weeks of preparation, three meetings, two notebooks filled with menus, medical releases forms, insurance information and much, a Commissioning, a load-up and (finally) departure.

For mission work.

In Cartersville.

It didn't seem quite right to me as we loaded our car yesterday. I was grumpy and whiny and a general grouch to my beloved family. It took me most of the morning to realize that my poor attitude was due to one thing: there would be no road trip to New Orleans. Instead, there would be a "short jaunt" to Cartersville. Camp Cherokee, to be exact. It hardly felt like a "real mission trip."

I was frustrated that things had not gone smoothly for our group in our Mission Trip pre-planning. I was angry that God had closed the doors for us to go to New Orleans. Our family had already missed one trip to New Orleans (at Thanksgiving) and now, we were having to change our plans again! Even though I whole heartedly voted for this change - at the time, thinking how nice it would be to save all that gas money and potentially avoid the pitfalls of eight hours in a car with my children - the reality of the disappointment hit me as we loaded the car. All this work, all this effort for (seemingly) very little payoff.

But then I heard myself -- as I would imagine God hears me. Whine, whine, whine. Complain. Moan. Hurrumph. And I started thinking about the Howington family. The folks who live and maintain Camp Cherokee, with their two kids, and all the needs that they must have. I tried to imagine what they were thinking when Dan Valentine (Captain, My Captain) called to say: "hey, I got thirty seven people who wanna come up there and help you for a week. What d'ya say?" I tried to imagine how - in that moment - they must have felt their prayers were answered. I tried to imagine the joy that must have surrounded their dinner table as they began to believe that Help was coming.

What does it matter where we go? Does God care that we aren't in New Orleans?

The call is to "Go." To "feed my lambs." To "shine the light."

God says nothing about where. He expects us just to Go.

So, here we are:

Camp Cherokee/Cherokee Retreat Center.

In Cartersville.

Becky Jordan
Blogging for CRCSBFPCMT
(Cherokee Retreat Center Spring Break First Presbyterian Church Mission Trip).

Lessons Learned

Officially Day One of our Mission trip began with a task that set my heart a-twitter (organizing a walk-in pantry) and ended with little ones barely able to climb into bed. In the middle, we had more fun than anyone can predict when you're trying to figure out what it means to be a "Missionary."

This (see photos right) is an example of a team building exercise. The Floor Crew was tasked to climb aboard a 2 foot square platform and sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat before falling. Creatively, they decided to put our two Kitchen Crew Standbys (Miss. Ann and Miss. Judy) in the center with their arms wrapped tightly around each other. Then, Trevor and Joe lifted Katie and Dria to their shoulders and darn, if they didn't actually do it! Of course, it was the fastest Row, Row, Row Your Boat rendition in the history of the song, but that's not really the point, now is it?

And this (see photo below) is an example of what happens when the bossy ones don't shut up!
The day was full of team building and learning to listen. We learned the value of planning and then the necessity of re-evaluating those plans.


We learned how to make beignets for 50 and that 70 cups of flour can make a real, real thick batter. Lily-Kate and Jessica learned how much fun it was to get their hands dirty (literally).

In the end, we learned that best laid plans tend to go astray ;

that God's plan is always better (and sometimes more fun) than what we can think up on our own ;

And that the seeds we plant this week will be harvested for many, many months to come. We hope that our love spread here will resound in the hearts of all that come to visit and that more than just carrots (being planted by Judy at right) get tilled up on this soil.

Tomorrow, we work.


Becky Jordan
Blogging for CRCSBFPCMT
(Cherokee Retreat Center Spring Break First Presbyterian Church Mission Trip).

On Our Way to Completion

Official business starts today. And our fearless leaders met to decide project assignment and teams. You can see that the list is quite long! Our Cherokee Retreat Center Director (Kelly) and Site Guy (Andy) say they "have thrown in a lot and are hoping for some."

Teams are divided almost right off the bat and quickly begin... except there are snags. And they hit us right between the thumbs.

Trevor Jordan, Debbie Peterson and Richard Hunter have the enormous task of learning how to install Pergo flooring across the ancient Retreat Center carpet. Learning - in Mission work - is frequently done by doing. And un-doing, re-doing and even sometimes un-doing AGAIN! (Remember last year's fence project?) It takes this terrific trio nearly half a day to discover, perfect and commence to flooring. Hammers swing high in the air, thigh muscles are worked over and over, knees begin to beg for relief and by the end of the day this group has only covered about 50 SF. In addition, our youth on this project are waning. It's hard to wait for inclusion as the adults try to ascertain the challenges. Jessica Gamble presses through the frustration, learns how to operate a Table Saw and earns the first Outstanding Worker (OW) Award.

Meanwhile, our Landscape Lads have taken on a mammoth yet critical project. In order to prevent further erosion of the pathways around the camp, we need to install about a hundred landscape timbers (rebar-red into the ground, levelled and filled with mulch. Nate Shelton and Chris Nix lead the youth on this team with pick ax thrown into solid red clay. Dave Griffith directs, shovels, digs, saws and drives the team who work quietly and well. We are thankful for the cool breezes under the big pine trees as the pollen count and progress soar!

Then the Paint Team decides all the Parker lodge trim has to go (which was not on the first task list). A committee of two is called from the Presbytery, color samples arrive at camp and a decision has to be made about whether to go with Vanillan or Napery. It seems ridiculous, I know, but trust me: it will make a difference!

Our Kitchen is full of two teams - both the ReModel team and the Food Team - covering 900 SF of space as meals are planned, snacks are served, strawberries are sliced, coffee is made, appliances are removed, pans are scattered, a dishwasher is dismantled and a stove is discovered to be less than efficient. Dinner is 45 minutes late.

Worn and weary bodies emerge from the cocoons of their projects and we gather in partially floored great room for reflection. Many are too exhausted to speak out but Dan Valentine reminds us why we're here: to shine God's light for all those who will pass through the Retreat Center entrance, to work together as teams out in this place by God.

There is an ire of frustration that more hasn't been accomplished on this first day and yet, when Debbie Peterson looks down at the floor that has stumped she and her team for the last ten hours, she realizes that the nicks and cracks and smudges of imperfection have disappeared across the area of the floor. "Do you think that's how God sees us?" she asks me. "I think that it's just us who see the mistakes. I think God sees the whole floor - and how beautiful it looks...even on it's way to completion."

Becky Jordan

Blogging for CRCSBFPCMT(Cherokee Retreat Center Spring Break First Presbyterian Church Mission Trip).

Re-Encouragements

Nate Shelton said just this morning, during our Devotion, that we were all there for a purpose. That our Floor Crew was laying "a foundation for God," that our Paint Team was "covering light across the dark walls," that our Landscapers were "spreading seeds of beauty" in God's world.

But in my head, I am thinking Praise God that more people will arrive today... and where is the trim paint? Once the decision is made (we went with Napery, for those who were wondering), we are anxious to take over the transformation of the current Mocha Trim. Andy (our Site Guy) explains that this Mocha trim has been in place for many generations. I agree it does add a certain "institutional" affect to the place.

Change is coming, and we are determined to bring this retreat center into a place nearing the current century. But where, oh where, is the paint? How much more time do we have? Now we're adding landscaping? Rachel, Judy and Ann are running out of food! We start flooring on the second room and are - way off schedule. Work is hard and the pollen count continues to rise. I am worried. Dan keeps smiling.

Flooring gets in the groove (no pun intended); Tom Rocca, Mission First-Timer, takes Mac, Dria, Jackson and Katie to Lydia Cottage where a mean and high pressure Ceiling Fan Assembly Competition is put in place. Losing team has to put together the last one on their own... no one wants to lose.

Andy (Site Guy Extraordinnaire) brings us a 5 gallon can of Primer and "un-intended task item number 6" finally gets going. I do not know if we can make it around this trim three times (1 primer, two coats of paint). Quietly, I count the number of doors that have to be removed, the number of windows that have to be scraped and the number of 2" brushes on site. I will confess, I am not encouraged. It feels a gigantic task, our bodies are exhausted and it is only Day Two.

Then I look around and find that Joe, Mason, Jessica and Tyler are the ones slamming hammers while Trevor, Debbie and Richard stand teaching. I think of Tom as he reminds the fan competitors to "read through the directions carefully." (What a Renaissance Man Tom is!) Rose(from our former New Orleans team), Karen, Abigail, Mason & Logan have brought fresh energy with their additions to our teams; Keith Thomas has a relatively large group of kids who are working - as one - in the Kitchen Re-Model; Jim Miller is coming to help Debbie lay down the corner round; Dave, Nate and Chris continue to drive the path through the woods and hard soil; the Gambles arrive with a smoking grill and dogs, burgers, beans and salad for everyone; Andy (Super Site Guy) arrives with the Trim Paint; Kelly's family comes by for dinner. I know that the MacPherson Paint Crew, Loyce (aka: Nanna), the Landscaper, and the Humphreys (Mission Experts) are coming tomorrow. Rumor has it that even Sam Henderson may be headed our way to also lend a hand. Suddenly, our little group is adding to its numbers.

Some would call these folks re-inforcements.

I call them re-encouragement.

We are getting things done.

Becky Jordan
Blogging for CRCSBFPCMT(Cherokee Retreat Center Spring Break First Presbyterian Church Mission Trip).

It All Comes Down to Jesus

I have to add one more post today.

After the kids' swim in the lake, we made our way to the Large Field for a campfire. While most of us (all but three to be exact) sat about the fire, singing to Dave Griffith and Andy (Site Guy Wonderful)'s guitars, Richard, Trevor and Debbie remained behind. They were determined to finish the Great Room flooring.
Long after dark, the fire was doused and the kids were rounded up for bed.
Tom Rocca, Rachel Hunter and I wandered back to Parker Lodge to check on our crew. We found them all ... in the corner.

Over the past two hours, this team had completed 99% of the remaining floor. What remained was one small board - which would have to be cut on two different angles - and laid to fit the two side trim pieces. It would not be easy and, as the materials dwindled, they feared there would be more waste.

I came upon them sitting in the corner in deep discussion about how to best approach the final piece. I glanced at my watch. It was well past 10pm and they, with their teammates, had been at this project since 8am. I could not fathom their exhaustion.

Suddenly, they heard my arrival and smiled broadly at some secret humor they had obviously all shared. "Look," Trevor said as he pointed to a painting over his head that I had not noticed before. He spread his arms in a sweeping gesture across the finished floor and then brought them back to the painting - hung over the final six inches of nasty carpet to be covered. "It all comes down to Jesus."

Debbie and Richard laughed at the irony of this project which had stumped them all for the better part of two days. I could tell they were punchy and finding almost anything hilarious and yet, it was absolutely true. Tom cracked up, I cracked up, Rachel cracked up.

It. All. Comes. Down. to. Jesus.

Becky Jordan
Blogging for CRCSBFPCMT(Cherokee Retreat Center Spring Break First Presbyterian Church Mission Trip).

This Ain't Yo Mama's Mission Trip

Let it never be said that Mission work isn't for everyone...

Contributing on this trip, one would think that we had all burly, muscled men 

laying hardwood floor like pros.  Or that we had workers with thighs of steel due to all the up and down paint work.  Or that we had young folks decked out in hiking/mountain boots with degrees in Civil Engineering.

Trust me, friends.

It's not like that.

Mission work - while formerly believed to only be 

performed by extraordinary men and women of stature, strength, build and character... wait a minute...  

These are people of extraordiantory stature, strength, builld and character.   

Don't be fooled by age.  We are all called to mission.  It's a verb, folks.  It requires doing.   

This particular Mission was performed not only by "yo mama" but also "by yo grandparents" and "yo kids." 

Think about it.  

Everyone can do some

thing.

A Day in the Life

6:00am  My alarm sounds.  My first thought is about the ache still lingering in my feet.  There is very little time for sitting during the day... unless you are a trim painter.  I wonder how Katie will feel this morning.  She has injured herself and we've got to ice down her foot.  That should be fun (NOT).  She doesn't want to go home.  I have to get up.  Everyone likes to have the coffee ready when they arrive.  I wonder whether we're out of bagels and think that next year, it would be nice to have a hot breakfast for one morning.  I shuffle out of bed while all else are still asleep.  I like being in the kitchen by myself.  Still in my pjs.

7:30am.  Most everyone is here.  Devotional starts.  Some of us are massaging our muscles into shape.  Our kitchen crew still needs to be in the kitchen.  I think we can get the BBQ cooked today but not so sure.  There seems to be endless miles of trim.  

8:00am.  Clean up.  Rachel, Ann and Judy start to remove the breakfast stuff.  Team 2 heads for the front beds with Landscaper Loyce.  There's massive clearing to do.  Someone needs Ibuprofen from me.  Kelly arrives.  Sick with exhaustion, pollen and fever.  Debbie Peterson can hardly talk.  Patsy starts to cough.  Still in my pjs.  The Trim Crew needs to be rotated and start painting the doors.  Keith has Rose back for ceiling trim.  Kelly thinks he can take six youth and lay the floor down in Lydia.  He wants me to find the best 6 for him in about an hour.  It's a secret.  I'm not to tell anyone.  I must get dressed.

10:30am  Everyone wants snack.  The Lunch Wagon crew begins their snack rounds with drinks.  This is the time I can escape to put on some jeans!  YAY!  Our sick/sore people need more water.  I go to the Walk In Refrigerator and find... Nate Shelton.  Cooling off.  In. the. Walk-in. Refrigerator.  

I start a new Grocery/Home Depot/WalMart list.  We need soaker hoses with timers, 45 bags of mulch, 27 bags of garden soil, more cereal, etc.  Jessica is wearing my shoes (because all she brought were flip-flops).  If I can, I'll pick up some tennis shoes for her.  Katie's foot is better.  Debbie needs more Tylenol.  Trevor's having a low blood sugar.  We need more trim paint.  Keith is starting to put the kitchen back together.  The meat is needing to be chopped.  Patsy almost has the while media center catalogued, organized, labelled, shelved and usable!  

Does anyone know which hardware matches which door?  Four ceiling fans are up.

12:30pm.  Kelly and his new Floor Crew are making great headway as they pass the halfway point in Lydia.  Loyce, Dave, Chris, Nate and Dria have transformed the back of the cottage from an overgrown after-thought to a beautiful ornamental garden with flowers, trees and juniper (oh my!).  The Parker Lodge crew begins putting the floor down in the final room.  It's not going well.  

3:00pm  I hide out in the Retreat Center office to work on the slide show.  (Talent night is tomorrow!)  I check the church site for the other mission trip.  WOW!  They are having some God filled adventures!!!  It's inspirational to read how far their journeys have taken them.

Judy brings down loads of old laundry that has been found on the floor.  The machines are cranked up.  Music blasts from the lodge as the kids paint, paint, paint.  Tyler appears with hair covered in paint... but he is laughing (sigh).  Someone asks for more snack.  I decide to run errands and collect final lists from all crews.  

3:10pm.  A Starbucks run is suggested.

3:15pm.  20 people have given me Starbucks' orders!

6:00pm  The dinner bell rings.  Patsy and the Kitchen crew bring out massive BBQ, Corn on the cob, Coleslaw, Baked beans... everything is so yummy and we are all starving.  Sam leads the Reflection and talks about the hope that we are bringing to this retreat.  The place is literally lighter... floors and new trim reflecting God's sunlight.  We sing Our God is an Awesome God. I look around and wonder how in the world we, as a Presbytery, have let this place go so far.  I imagine what could be, if all of the churches in this group sent one Mission Crew here.  I am so thankful that we are not in New Orleans.  

7:00pm.  Dinner break is over.  The youth want to watch I Am Legend in the basement of Lydia. We move the younger kids to the Great Room, set up a DVD for them.  Tom Rocca agrees to chaperone the Youth.  I start moving furniture out of the fireplace room.  Debbie sets up the massive outdoor light so we can all see.  More painting gets done.  

10:00pm  Lights out.  One by one the cabins and cottages go dark.  I am not fooled, though.  I know those kids are still texting each other.  Dan shuts them down.  Threatens to take all the cell phones.  The littlest kids say their prayers with Karen.  

11:00pm.  Trevor and I go into the office again.  I download the photos of the day.  I work on the movie finalizing song selections, adding text slides, trying to choose and remember all the best points of the day.  I make a list for the things that must get addressed tomorrow.  

12:35am We say goodnight to Andy (Site Guy Magnificent) and head to bed.  

12:45am  Cherokee Retreat Center is silent and dark.  It feels great to be so tired.

Unfinished Business

The title of this blog should have been "We're DONE!"

But it's not.

We didn't finish.  

Dan told us all we'd cut off on Friday at 2 so that we could start to pack and load the vans.  But at 2, only four or five of our crew stopped.  

We had decided to add flooring and paint to the Lydia Cottage at the last minute!  And those two crews were slammin' and slappin' like crazy people.  

The doors which had been removed - each weighing a little under 200 pounds each - took nearly all day to re-install... with teens standing at the ready to begin painting as soon as the door crew (Richard, Trevor, Andy and Tom) gave them permission.  Except missing hardware and painted over labels gave these guys fits and what seemed to be another two hour job turned into six and 1/2 hours.  

The fireplace room ran out of wood and a quick design change was made but there just weren't enough hours is Friday to make it happen.

I have to tell you that a gloom came over me.  In case you didn't know, I am Martha.  I'm not like Martha.  I'm don't have Martha characteristics.  It's quite possible that my personal lineage descends from Martha and that I embody everything about her.  On a good day, I can get a taste of Mary... but it's Martha all the way for me, friend.  Leaving with unfinished business just rubbed me every which way.  It physically hurt.  

Even as I watched us desperately trying to finish, I heard Patsy say to Kelly H. (Super Program Director) "It seems like we got a lot of stuff started but not very much done, Kelly.  I'm sorry."

And you know what he said?  I didn't hear it at the time because my Martha brain was only focused on what we had not gotten accomplished that week.  But Patsy came and told me later.

He smiled and said: "Good.  Because that means you'll have to come back."

Finally at ten after 5, Dan says we must stop.  Andy (Site Guy Marvelous) pulled out that white board that he'd shown our leaders when we first arrived.  You remember?  The one upon which he and Kelly had literally thrown everything they had "hoped" for?  As we sat exhausted on the Parker porch (which still needs work, I might add) Andy showed us that board.  He'd been marking things off as we'd accomplished them.  There were only six things (of perhaps 40) that were not marked off.  A cheer went through the crowd.  Andy got choked up.  

The thing is, Cherokee Retreat Center and Camp has largely been unsupported for many years. Sure we donate our cast-offs, we send a check, we have a few committees that do a weekend here and there.  But that's like sitting in the ocean and seeing if you can raise the water level! It takes an oil tanker to do that!

We left CRC with unfinished business.  So some of us are going back.  But I can guarantee you that we'll leave again with unfinished business.  Because there is so much that needs to be done.

Our greatest commandment is to love our neighbor.  For many of us, that means a passport, an international flight, disease fighting shots, foreign soil and lots of money.  But here's our neighbor:  CRC, Kelly, Jean and the kids, Andy, your children who will go to camp, my children who will go to camp, church staff who use this place for retreat, God-seekers who will come to learn what it means to be in relationship with Jesus, wives who will tear away for a scrapbooking weekend, husbands who will continue to grow in faith.  And making a trip to Cartersville is an easy thing to do.

We are a large and wealthy Presbytery and we do many great and good things.  Next time you think about ways that you can help, think about CRC and whether or not you have loved this neighbor well.

Shortly, I'll post a slide show somewhere and try to remember to let everyone know where.  You can also get to a link with multiple photos by visiting CRC's website.  (Click here.)

Becky Jordan (aka:  Martha)

Blogging for the FPCSBCRCM08

(First Presbyterian Church Spring Break Cherokee Retreat Center Mission 08)