I have a new Job
For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. Jeremiah 29: 11
Walk Down This Mountain
CAM is winding down so we must Walk Down this Mountain with our hearts held high, follow in the footsteps of your maker... In the words of Bebo Norman's song Walk Down this Mountain we find that we all must come down from our Mountain and continue on with the rest of our lives. We are changed by the experiences that we have on service trips and retreats but we must also return to the real world in which we live in. We have started to come back to the reality that we know as everyday life. We had our VBS talent show today. It was wonderful to see the kids singing and being so excited to tell there parents about how they had learned to fish from Caitlin or that Jesus was their Savior (VIVA) but then the talent show ended and the kids went back home to their famalies and the teens realized how much they had learned from those little kids. Walk Down this Mountain with you our hearts held high.... The Outreach group added finishing touches to the many homes that manual labor had worked on during the week. Once that was done they Walked Down this Mountain with their hearts held high... at the work they had accomplished. The Manual labor crews left their sites with some sense of accomplishment because of how much they saw accomplished at their worksites. Now walk down this Mountain with your heart held high....In theological reflection group we reviewed the week and all that we had learned about how people may live differently than us but they are still living or how much we take for granted on a regular basis. To remember our group we took a picture of us around the Jesus candle that lit our way all week. It was a beautiful moment until Mike Pappa's hair caught on fire. Then we had return to reality to put out the smoke. :) Walk down this mountain with your heart held high... So as we start to say our goodbyes to one another and to the people of Harlan Co. We must Walk down this mountain with our hearts held high, follow in the footsteps of our maker and remember we have offered our broken cup and inturn are leaving with it much fuller because we served our brothers and sisters in Christ. Walk Down this Mountain by Bebo NormanIt's a better place Standing high upon this mountain I've seen your face Full of the light that holiest height can showBlessed hand is why you you've givenBut you've been given all you'll ever needTo knowChourus:So walk down this mountainWith your heart held highFollow in the footsteps of your makerWith this love that's gone before you And these people at your sideIf you offer up your broken cupYou will taste the meaning of this lifeHey heyWell it's a common groundAnd I see you're all still standingBut just look around and you'll find The very face of GodHe's walking down into the distanceHe's walking down to where the masses areChourusThis lifeWe're standing in a place of peaceAnd this is how the world should beHow the world should be(Walk down this mountain with your heart held high)How the world should be(Walk down this mountain with you heart held high)How the world should be(Walk down this mountain with your heart held high)How the world should beChourus-music fades-Hey hey
Appalachia Send Off
Pack nothing.
Bring only your determination to serve and willingness to be free.
Do not hesitate to leave the rest of your world behind. Be concerned only with the needs I place before you – to love tenderly, act justly, and walk humbly with me, your God.
Begin now, quickly, before you have time to second-guess yourself and create doubts in your mind. I will be with you. I will send the fire of the Holy Spirit to warm and encourage you.
You will face both simple and great challenges during your journey. But I will guide you safely through them all. And the stories and experiences you share with one another will make you strong and wise.
Some people may judge you, but others will see what you do and follow in your steps. At times you will grow tired, consider giving in, and want to step away from the people who surround you. And it will be difficult to know how to love one another.
Some of you will feel completely changed, while others will feel as though nothing is different. Some of you will think even your closest friends could never understand your experiences. But some of you will find new friendships in unlikely faces and old friends as understanding, faithful, and true.
Hold close together. You may at times feel lost or confused, but continue to speak to each other about my love for you. Remind each other of who you are. Share my love and keep sharing all that you have become with one another.
It is one of many beginnings.
Do not go back.
I am with you.CAM 2006Modified from Passover RememberedLet the journey begin. Today 8 Shepards left the CYFM parking lot around 12:30 with 80 people on a trip to Harlan Co. Kentucky. What this prayer is saying is wonderful. It is telling us to not worry about having all the right tools for the trip and knowing what to expect but rather to just experience the trip and let God take care of the details. About 7 hours after this adventure began we landed for the night in Harrisonburg, VA, to spend the night. A couple of quick sidenotes. * Joey after you threatening that you would go to Kentucky to do kitchen Palanca and that I could not find room for you to stow away in the cargo van despite that there was room I hope that next year you get your application in so that you can go to Kentucky in one of the Shepards. * Pokey haven't you gotten past sucking your thumb? * Our ducklings have been duck-napped and I think this is something that might carry on all week.