NY Mission Trip Day Five through Seth's Perspective

It was a brisk Thursday morning and the first thing on our minds was a nice cup of coffee followed by a delightful breakfast. To our surprise, the coffee was not ready yet so Ralph exclaimed, “I am not leaving until I get some coffee” (he was just being silly). On the menu today was the usual assortment of fruits followed with some sausages, boiled eggs, and flannel cakes. We finally got our coffee and were able to enjoy the warm pancakes and assortment of exceptional proteins, which made this breakfast fit for kings ready to embark on an extraordinary day.

After our morning coffee conversations, we proceeded to the devotion room where we talked about the wants of man and how we typically have everything we could possibly need, but yet we always seek more. As a team we talked about how being satisfied with what God has provided us instead of wanting more of what we do not currently have will allow us to truly appreciate the wonders God has for us and to refocus our mindset throughout our day. This was designed so as a team we could continue to go out and serve the Lord without looking at what we lack, but rather look at all the blessings He has provided us so we can bless others through our works of service.

Following our devotional, we split up into three groups: a group of men, a group of women, and two women to help in the nursery. The men went up to one of the stables to repair it for the horses to have shelter from the outside elements, while the women most likely cleaned something. As we hiked up to the top of the hill where the stables sit, the two boys, Luke and Jacob, kept asking if the mud was manure and we would constantly say the manure would be the size of a golf ball not like mud. Serving with Dave, WOL handyman, at the stables was a truly remarkable experience because we did not have to chop any more wood and the weather outside was gorgeous. However, to our dismay, in the late afternoon,  the sky turned a dark gray color and next thing we know it is raining horses and saddles out at the stables.

As we plunge our way through the mud to reach some cover while waiting for the van, Luke is upset about his newly wet stick that would eventually get lost to the depths of the mud. After what felt like a long long time, the van finally arrived where we would embark on an adventure to the dorm to freshen up for the rest of our night.

After freshening up, we had planned to walk to dinner, however the pouring rain outside prevented us from having our pleasant walk. In an attempt to stay dry, we hopped in the van just to go the couple of blocks to the dining hall.

For dinner, we enjoyed some ravioli with salad, bread sticks, and apple crisp for dessert. It was quite delectable until the power went out and the kids stayed in the dining hall. As a result, our crew was bombarded with songs such as the Cha Cha Slide, Party in The USA, and many other party hits for middle schoolers. It was quite the experience hearing these children scream at the top of their lungs whilst eating our delicious meal.

After this experience, we went to watch The Ridge evening sermon and the pastor talked about selfless service which was pretty good. It was a good reminder of what we are doing on the mission trip! After this event, we went back to our dorms to get ready for the next day of tough labor, hopefully in the New York sun instead of the gray sky.