I forgot to add this pic.. The director’s wife was a very talented artist .. And so all the halls of the school were covered with scripture  along with pics of former students.. What a great way to memorize scripture!

Also I’m not sure what happened with the publishing of that last post, but if you received it by email, it might make more sense if you visit my actual blog 😦 I’ve heard of selective hearing, and selective memory.. But selective publishing??

Ok, enough from me.. Have an amazing day-Kendra

Years ago, in the poor Appalachia area, there was a small orphan boy who was struggling to survive. One night as he lay hidden in a cave, hunted by a mountain lion, he made a promise to God. ” If I survive and ever get to the place where I can financially- I will help children like me.” Well he survived and went on to become a very successful businessman in the logging industry. Years later, He was reminded of his promise by a young boy crying on the courthouse steps, begging for someone to give him supper and He invested everything he had in the founding of Mountain Mission Home in 1921. God has blessed the Mission tremendously, and they currently provide housing and schooling for 250 needy children. One requirement is that the children have some sort of a legal guardian. Just recently they were licensed to bring in children from all over the world, so they are very excited to experience “The Great Commission in reverse”.

In the 70s farmers from our area started donating cows for hamburger for the home.  Friday found me and my van pulling a trailer loaded down with 3,000 lbs of hamburger and 8 cases of turkey heading for the mountains in Southern Va..

This is the parking lot at ” Toddler Hall” The Home is set up with the Toddler Hall, and then a boys and girls dorm. Each dorm has 3 floors. Each floor has 36 children- 4 per room.. Two sets of houseparents per floor. I had to marvel at how the staff could teach school, meet the needs of the children under their care, and take care of their own families. Incredible! We ate supper with them.. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grapes, and chips.. And leftover potato soup from lunch. 🙂

Mia (the little girl) was 2 and 1/2. She was from Bolivia. As we enjoyed interacting with these lively kids, I had to wonder at their stories.. How much sadness had they seen?

It is a beautiful time of year to travel! The trees are coming out with color.. Redbuds, dogwoods, etc in full bloom.. I love springtime!

We spent the night at Breaks Interstate Park. This was the view from our balcony. There were 4 youth girls along on the load and we had a grand time.

Along the bottom of the canyon runs a river. In 1915, they ran a track beside that, and cut 2 tunnels through the mountain. Breaks has 4 overlooks were you can watch the train run below.. Apparently the coal companies mine all week and then ship during the weekend. Shortly after we arrived at our room we heard that lonely whistle echo up from the valley, So we ran for the van. We came across 2 of the couples that were with us, so we told them what we were doing and 9 of us piled in. I had only been to Breaks overlooks one other time-last Nov- So I guessed at which overlook would be best, and apparently chose the one that was farthest from the road 😦 So there we ran for a quarter of a mi- down steps, over tree roots, spinning through fresh mud, and made it JUST in time to see the last of the train disappearing from view.. At least we all got to see it and Praise the Lord no one broke a neck by catching a toe on a root as we ran 1,000 mi/hr 🙂

These are violets along the trail.. I saw my first Trilliums. They were along the road, beside a waterfall. We stopped and I grabbed a tree root attempting to scale up the bank for a better look.. The root gave way, and although I did some mighty fancy stepping, it wasn’t fancy enough.. I drove home with a dripping wet shoe. IF I get pneumonia..

Another very fun educational experience.. That just inspires me to use the resources I’ve been given to bless others.. The sacrifices that the staff at the Home have made is just.. Wow..

Bonus pics:

The boyfriend and his comrades.. Sherman was air traffic control, and his buddies sailed in with their fancy flying fan contraptions.. You can imagine what the dogs thought of that!

She’s back! Valient- our fawn from ’11 has randomly started revisiting! And although she is disappointed with the change in brands of dogfood we’ve made since her visits previous to hunting season.. Apparently the games of tag with Detriot, and the hugs from Julia make her visits worthwhile 🙂

October 28, 2012 Hurricane Sandy hammered the state of New Jersey. Because the Storm made landfall over high tide, the storm surge was terrible. A lot of homes along the shore were affected. So last week found 14 volunteers and I headed to a small area in NJ to lend a hand.  I was all excited to travel through Delaware. I’ve officially added another state to my list. (Even if the only way I can say that I put a foot down on Delaware soil, is because I took the liberty to jump out of my van at a toll booth 🙂 )

The area where we were working was really unique. Years ago they came into the marshland along the Little Egg Harbor and created a series of canals. So all over the houses had a street in the front and a canal in the back. Incredible. I noticed there weren’t churches in the area. I guess if everyone works during the week, Sunday is the best time to hit the water.

These ducks had no reserve. They followed us all over. I had to laugh at them lining up beside the girls, just like they were trying to discover what the attraction was 🙂 The lady who owned this property was an unbeliever. She spent a lot if time standing by while I was painting and I had opportunity to talk to her about my Faith. I struggled with what to say to a person who has no questions. She said that Sandy was something that she had no control over.. Truly!

Apparently this was a common scene after the storm. We talked to several of the guys on the “Debris Clean-up Barge”. Everyday for 2 months they’ve scoured the area picking up trash in and along the water ways. The one guy said they are planning to be working for another 6 months. The power of a Hurricane must be incredible.

Every house took in several feet of water. I was impressed with how many people were doing their own work. A spunky group of people!

Meet Herbie. He lived in a house with his owner and the house was beyond filthy. His owner was taken to the hospital, and some of the ladies spent several days cleaning their house. Poor Herbie was frantic to be locked out of most of the house, and frustrated at the strangers in the house, and missing his master.. So he ran back and forth barking and barking. We got word that Herbie’s friend passed away.. What will happen to Herbie?

One morning we drove down to the bay and watched the sunrise. Beautiful!

One of the benefits of working near the water is the fresh seafood. I brought home shrimp, clams, and oysters as a thank you to my family for covering chores for me. I’d never fixed clams before, and so I was asking the lady that ran the seafood shop. She grew up eating them raw.. What do you know- one of the ladies with me gave it a try. She reported that it was delicious. And as far as I know she’s survived 🙂

A breathtaking ending to a great day.. Barnegat Lighthouse..  And the Coastal Guard provided a lot of entertainment by rushing past and coming back in behind a boat with blue lights flashing..

What a fun week! As always I enjoyed the crew I was with, as well as the opportunity to look at life thru a different set of eyes.. I am blessed!!

So all of a sudden it’s like the dam broke and I’m travelling all over this beautiful world.. The first of April found me enjoying Lancaster County in it’s splendor.. We were up for 2 days.. Again the tourist in me took over and I was delighted with the number of horses drawn equipment in the fields.. We drove past one guy that was plowing with 4 horses and watched him turn the entire outfit around. What a process! I had no idea!! They all sidestepped neatly.. Unbelievable.. All to turn over the earth one plowful at a time..

I came across this really cool lake right at sunset.. It looked like it would have been a mill pond at one time.. So I stopped and shivered and enjoyed the beauty.. I’m sure the locals that drove past looked at me and shook their heads and wondered 🙂

I thoroughly enjoyed where I spent the night! The house was built in 1849 and had just recently been remodeled.. What a lovely place! But the real winner was the fact that Juanita and Lynette were the gracious hostesses.. Thanks ladies 🙂

The next day found me and my vanload transferring 18,000 lbs of beans into 5 lb bags.. What a fun way to help the less fortunate!

The one couple that were travelling with me were 87 and 85.. As we worked I observed them and was totally amazed at how they kept right up with their comrades ( who were at the spry old age of 70 🙂 ) Amazing to have such energy at that age and to be using it to bless others!

As I wandered through the warehouse at Christian Aid Ministries, I pondered how incredible it is that we have the resources to help those who are starving whether it be physically or spiritually.. I am so accountable!

And we finished off the trip by shopping at some Amish stores.. This made me smile 🙂

Bonus pics:

Springtime is truly here with lots of new life.. Our neighbors had 19 Golden Retriever pups born one day.. ( 2 mother dogs) Mother Nature has that number down to 14.. Cute little rascals

The Boyfriend got a new flock of chickens.. Julia came home with 2- totally beside herself. I had a lot of questions until she and Mother struck up a deal that they would be eliminated at the 8 week mark.. Then I fully supported the idea-even kindly offered name suggestions- like ” Barbeque” or ” Fried” or ” Rotisserie” but alas, they had passed on during their first night on Paradise Lane.. Julia declares that it has something to do with the cold air I subjected them to during the photo shoot.. Oops

Mother’s one houseplant, a hoya, gets these most exquisite bloom this time of year

And last but not least.. We discovered a recipe for German Chocolate Brownies.. Fantastic!

Mix a German Chocolate Cake mix with 2/3 cup of butter  Bake half of the batter in a greased 9×13 for 10 mins @ 350 degrees. Remove from oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips and a can of Coconut Pecan Icing. Mix a 1/4 cup of milk with remaining batter and layer that on top. Return to oven for 30 more mins and then comes the best part- ENJOY 🙂