Just thought you'd like to know the ages of the young people who were in WV. The PA Christian Endeavor youth who repaired houses and were fed by the CAMT teams were teens age 13 and up.
The youth serving on Covenant's team the first week included Quintin, Carl and Pat's grandson, age 11, and Cheyenne, his cousin, who is almost 12.
Molly's granddaughter, Rachel, was there the second week and is 15.
Many thanks for the great help these three provided during two very busy weeks!
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Final report: Thurs./Fri.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
On Wednesday night Pat and I (Carl) returned to the school to make the creamed dried beef that was on our menu for Thursday breakfast. This also gave us the opportunity to see the video that started this night only at nine o’clock.
Thursday brought pancakes, regular and blueberry with sausage and bacon and of course the creamed dried beef.
Pat and Millie set up the breakfast buffet. Mary and Molly along with Rachel work on sandwiches and I cook on the griddle we transported from home so we could have custom items. Nancy baked another one hundred cinnamon rolls that have wowed everybody. “As good as cinnabon” many say. They don’t last very long. They are a large size and many share one. She also does cookies and brownies for lunches again.
Fran, mentioned earlier from Bethlehem Methodist, Thorndale has her eleven-year-old son with her. Jack has hit the wall and is too tired to try again to go on site to work. We suggested he might wish to come to our motel and swim. Since we could not pick them up until eleven o’clock he could sleep until then. And he does. Jack becomes comfortable with our crew even playing cards with us before we all started our afternoon shift. As a result he works in the kitchen. He and Rachel take the initiative with the dish washing machine. No sooner is an item placed on the dish washing feed table then it is put through the dish washer. This makes a tremendous difference when it comes to clean up after dinner.
Dinner sees chili on the salad bar in place of soup. The main course is pizza and everyone makes a taco to his or her own liking. We close the meal with peach cobbler.
We were featured in the video that started the night with everyone sighing at a close up of a cinnamon roll.
In a previous day’s report I explained what a God sighting is. Ironically tonight the kitchen staff was appreciated in a sighting for taking such good care of them and our hard work.
Tonight is the third snack night. Hot dogs and the ice cream left over from Sunday night. We recycle the nacho cheese from Tuesday for on their hot dogs. The ice cream is far more popular. But then again even those who had a dog also had ice cream. I handled the snacks during the week with Fran and Sue. They were already on site so the late hour was not a problem. I still feel the snack nights are the best opportunity to interact with the kids.
Friday July 21, 2006
Breakfast is described on the menu as “everything that is left over”. The only problem is there is not much left over. We close down Saturday and I literally have shaved quantities and orders this week to cut down on excess items we have to give away. Which brings up an interesting story. I talked about walking the Ansted trail on Tuesday. The main reason for the gondola is the jet boat rides offered on the river. I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. In past years I discussed with the captain the requirements etc. needed for his license. Each year when we are here we check in with them at their workplace. Them, meaning he and his wife Sue. As a result we were aware that his church in Ansted prepares a community lunch every Wednesday.
With this in mind I commit to donate our excess food to their kitchen. They will meet with me on Saturday morning.
Dinner is spaghetti and meatballs with Texas toast. The salad bar has “Refrigerator soup”. Mary and Molly put together a concoction familiar only to an alchemist. Carrots from Monday, peas from Tuesday, spiced taco meat from Thursday. You get the idea. It reminded me of the opening of Hamlet with the witches chanting over a pot.
Dessert gave us the opportunity to use up some of the ice cream toppings left over. Nancy baked a chocolate and a yellow sheet cake. When obtaining a piece of cake (un-iced) you had a choice of fudge or caramel drizzled over it.
In tonight’s video we saw the “before and after” of the weeks projects. It was truly amazing.
We are packing to head home tomorrow morning after breakfast. It was a long hard week of CAMT service. Worth it--you bet. Would we do it again? Absolutely.
What’s next?
First, a big thank you to those who provided such wonderful service in WV and to those who supported them in prayer. Also, thanks to those in the congregation who supplied one of the daily devotionals. A booklet of devotions is given to each mission team member for the week they are serving, and each day’s page is written by a different member of the congregation.
The next mission trip is planned for Florida to help with reconstruction in hurricane damaged areas. The date is not set, but the team will probably go in late September or October. The date will be finalized in August, so check in about that time for definite news.
On Wednesday night Pat and I (Carl) returned to the school to make the creamed dried beef that was on our menu for Thursday breakfast. This also gave us the opportunity to see the video that started this night only at nine o’clock.
Thursday brought pancakes, regular and blueberry with sausage and bacon and of course the creamed dried beef.
Pat and Millie set up the breakfast buffet. Mary and Molly along with Rachel work on sandwiches and I cook on the griddle we transported from home so we could have custom items. Nancy baked another one hundred cinnamon rolls that have wowed everybody. “As good as cinnabon” many say. They don’t last very long. They are a large size and many share one. She also does cookies and brownies for lunches again.
Fran, mentioned earlier from Bethlehem Methodist, Thorndale has her eleven-year-old son with her. Jack has hit the wall and is too tired to try again to go on site to work. We suggested he might wish to come to our motel and swim. Since we could not pick them up until eleven o’clock he could sleep until then. And he does. Jack becomes comfortable with our crew even playing cards with us before we all started our afternoon shift. As a result he works in the kitchen. He and Rachel take the initiative with the dish washing machine. No sooner is an item placed on the dish washing feed table then it is put through the dish washer. This makes a tremendous difference when it comes to clean up after dinner.
Dinner sees chili on the salad bar in place of soup. The main course is pizza and everyone makes a taco to his or her own liking. We close the meal with peach cobbler.
We were featured in the video that started the night with everyone sighing at a close up of a cinnamon roll.
In a previous day’s report I explained what a God sighting is. Ironically tonight the kitchen staff was appreciated in a sighting for taking such good care of them and our hard work.
Tonight is the third snack night. Hot dogs and the ice cream left over from Sunday night. We recycle the nacho cheese from Tuesday for on their hot dogs. The ice cream is far more popular. But then again even those who had a dog also had ice cream. I handled the snacks during the week with Fran and Sue. They were already on site so the late hour was not a problem. I still feel the snack nights are the best opportunity to interact with the kids.
Friday July 21, 2006
Breakfast is described on the menu as “everything that is left over”. The only problem is there is not much left over. We close down Saturday and I literally have shaved quantities and orders this week to cut down on excess items we have to give away. Which brings up an interesting story. I talked about walking the Ansted trail on Tuesday. The main reason for the gondola is the jet boat rides offered on the river. I am a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary. In past years I discussed with the captain the requirements etc. needed for his license. Each year when we are here we check in with them at their workplace. Them, meaning he and his wife Sue. As a result we were aware that his church in Ansted prepares a community lunch every Wednesday.
With this in mind I commit to donate our excess food to their kitchen. They will meet with me on Saturday morning.
Dinner is spaghetti and meatballs with Texas toast. The salad bar has “Refrigerator soup”. Mary and Molly put together a concoction familiar only to an alchemist. Carrots from Monday, peas from Tuesday, spiced taco meat from Thursday. You get the idea. It reminded me of the opening of Hamlet with the witches chanting over a pot.
Dessert gave us the opportunity to use up some of the ice cream toppings left over. Nancy baked a chocolate and a yellow sheet cake. When obtaining a piece of cake (un-iced) you had a choice of fudge or caramel drizzled over it.
In tonight’s video we saw the “before and after” of the weeks projects. It was truly amazing.
We are packing to head home tomorrow morning after breakfast. It was a long hard week of CAMT service. Worth it--you bet. Would we do it again? Absolutely.
What’s next?
First, a big thank you to those who provided such wonderful service in WV and to those who supported them in prayer. Also, thanks to those in the congregation who supplied one of the daily devotionals. A booklet of devotions is given to each mission team member for the week they are serving, and each day’s page is written by a different member of the congregation.
The next mission trip is planned for Florida to help with reconstruction in hurricane damaged areas. The date is not set, but the team will probably go in late September or October. The date will be finalized in August, so check in about that time for definite news.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Mon./Tues/Wed
Read on for news of this week's work. It boggles the mind to think about how much is cooked in a relatively short time--for 200 people! The team will return Sat., so check back in a day or two for news of the rest of the week.
Monday July 17, 2006
The new crew from CAMT starts at six a.m. Monday mornings are more difficult because we have to build all two hundred and fifty sandwiches needed for lunch.
Mary, Millie and her cousin Nancy from Mt Carmel, Mollie Huges and her granddaughter, Rachael, are joined by two women from Bethlehem Methodist Church, Thorndale. Fran and Sue turn out to be a tremendous asset to the group during the week. The menu repeats again this week but we are on time today and ready for breakfast by 6:30.
The campers, mostly the adults, are amazed at the spread. Dinner, the baked chicken, rice and glazed carrots pieces together flawlessly. Because we are using prepackaged foods we actually cook 220 chicken breasts, 40 pounds of carrots and a large volume of rice. Nancy has prepared two sheet pan (18x24) chocolate cakes that yield seventy-four pieces each.
During the prep time for dinner we also built the meat and cheese sandwiches needed for tomorrow.
We are off to a good start.
Tuesday July 18, 2006
Pat and I arrive at the school at 5:30 to lay out the food products. Barbara, the morning kitchen person required by the Fayette County School district, starts the sausage patties we will have with French toast. The rest of the crew is not due until 6:00.
6:00 comes and goes and still no CAMT crew. So they’re just a little late. But when 6:20 comes and goes and they are still not in, everyone starts to worry.
Are they on strike? Is there a grievance with management? The kids are lining up for breakfast.
They make it in by 6:30. A misunderstanding as to starting time. But everything works out. All is well.
Between 7:30 and 8:30 Mary builds the fifteen five pound meatloaves we need for dinner.
Is anyone up for a two-mile walk and then lunch at the Hawks Nest State Park restaurant? Actually everyone is ready to go along. Fran and Sue even join us. The nearby town of Ansted has a rail trail that is an easy walk to the base of Hawk Mountain. Railroads usually have a slope grade of no more than 3% so it makes for easy walking. Following the stream that so many railroads are built next to, there are spectacular views of the stream, waterfalls and rock formations. Along the way we stop at the entrance of one of the old coalmines. Shards of coal that are sold in stores as souvenirs litter the ground under our feet for the taking.
When we reach the bottom we are met by the gondola that climbs back to the top of Hawk Mountain and the Hotel at the top.
We should open the salad bar at 4:45 and are right on time. However our meatloaves are taking longer in the ovens than expected and the centers are not reaching the temperature needed before serving. We cut the loaves length wise down the center to help hurry them up. Dinner is served close to 6:20. The vegetable tonight is peas. But the real challenge is the real mashed potatoes. Eighty pounds.
Dessert is the Tuesday strawberry short cake with whipped cream. Nancy prepared white cake to pour the strawberries over and we add a dab of cool whip.
Nancy also prepared brownies and cookies this morning to be packaged for lunches tomorrow.
Wednesday July 19, 2006
As previously reported, Wednesday is a free day after we have served breakfast. Eggs, scrapple (brought from Philly), potatoes. We actually cooked 100 pounds of potatoes Tuesday and then browned 20 lbs. them this morning.
We had a few of the one hundred cinnamon rolls that Nancy baked yesterday to put out today.
Mary, Mollie and Rachael have a white water rafting trip this morning at 8:30 that will tie them up until sometime this afternoon. When they return they are glowing with stories of their day and their guide. Ask them about it when you see them.
Millie and Nancy rested and read at the Motel. Pat and I just slept until lunch and then slept until dinner.
A really big event happened here in Fayetteville this morning. They opened a new Walmart with a ribbon cutting at 7:30 this morning. It is the talk of the town.
We all met for dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant the just opened two days ago. Tomorrow we’re back to the full schedule again.
Monday July 17, 2006
The new crew from CAMT starts at six a.m. Monday mornings are more difficult because we have to build all two hundred and fifty sandwiches needed for lunch.
Mary, Millie and her cousin Nancy from Mt Carmel, Mollie Huges and her granddaughter, Rachael, are joined by two women from Bethlehem Methodist Church, Thorndale. Fran and Sue turn out to be a tremendous asset to the group during the week. The menu repeats again this week but we are on time today and ready for breakfast by 6:30.
The campers, mostly the adults, are amazed at the spread. Dinner, the baked chicken, rice and glazed carrots pieces together flawlessly. Because we are using prepackaged foods we actually cook 220 chicken breasts, 40 pounds of carrots and a large volume of rice. Nancy has prepared two sheet pan (18x24) chocolate cakes that yield seventy-four pieces each.
During the prep time for dinner we also built the meat and cheese sandwiches needed for tomorrow.
We are off to a good start.
Tuesday July 18, 2006
Pat and I arrive at the school at 5:30 to lay out the food products. Barbara, the morning kitchen person required by the Fayette County School district, starts the sausage patties we will have with French toast. The rest of the crew is not due until 6:00.
6:00 comes and goes and still no CAMT crew. So they’re just a little late. But when 6:20 comes and goes and they are still not in, everyone starts to worry.
Are they on strike? Is there a grievance with management? The kids are lining up for breakfast.
They make it in by 6:30. A misunderstanding as to starting time. But everything works out. All is well.
Between 7:30 and 8:30 Mary builds the fifteen five pound meatloaves we need for dinner.
Is anyone up for a two-mile walk and then lunch at the Hawks Nest State Park restaurant? Actually everyone is ready to go along. Fran and Sue even join us. The nearby town of Ansted has a rail trail that is an easy walk to the base of Hawk Mountain. Railroads usually have a slope grade of no more than 3% so it makes for easy walking. Following the stream that so many railroads are built next to, there are spectacular views of the stream, waterfalls and rock formations. Along the way we stop at the entrance of one of the old coalmines. Shards of coal that are sold in stores as souvenirs litter the ground under our feet for the taking.
When we reach the bottom we are met by the gondola that climbs back to the top of Hawk Mountain and the Hotel at the top.
We should open the salad bar at 4:45 and are right on time. However our meatloaves are taking longer in the ovens than expected and the centers are not reaching the temperature needed before serving. We cut the loaves length wise down the center to help hurry them up. Dinner is served close to 6:20. The vegetable tonight is peas. But the real challenge is the real mashed potatoes. Eighty pounds.
Dessert is the Tuesday strawberry short cake with whipped cream. Nancy prepared white cake to pour the strawberries over and we add a dab of cool whip.
Nancy also prepared brownies and cookies this morning to be packaged for lunches tomorrow.
Wednesday July 19, 2006
As previously reported, Wednesday is a free day after we have served breakfast. Eggs, scrapple (brought from Philly), potatoes. We actually cooked 100 pounds of potatoes Tuesday and then browned 20 lbs. them this morning.
We had a few of the one hundred cinnamon rolls that Nancy baked yesterday to put out today.
Mary, Mollie and Rachael have a white water rafting trip this morning at 8:30 that will tie them up until sometime this afternoon. When they return they are glowing with stories of their day and their guide. Ask them about it when you see them.
Millie and Nancy rested and read at the Motel. Pat and I just slept until lunch and then slept until dinner.
A really big event happened here in Fayetteville this morning. They opened a new Walmart with a ribbon cutting at 7:30 this morning. It is the talk of the town.
We all met for dinner at the Bob Evans restaurant the just opened two days ago. Tomorrow we’re back to the full schedule again.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Fri 7/14, Sat 7/15, Sun. 7/16
I leave it to you to sort out the chronology of the events.
Friday July 14, 2006
Breakfast on Friday is billed as “everything we have left over” and usually includes French toast again. But it is pouring outside and our griddle is outside. So we cut back. However there are many items on the buffet.
Quintin and Cheyenne are once again working on site. The leader mentions that with the heavy rain they will have to cram inside the small building. I agree to stop by the site around noon if it is still raining. But the sun is shining by ten in the morning.
I pick up the two workers at normal time 3:00 and take them to the school to start dinner. Cheyenne wants to go to the motel to shower but there is no time. As an alternative we suggest she showers at the school. For many reasons she does not want to do this. She pouts. We don’t have time for pouting and ignore it. We are busy preparing a spaghetti dinner. She finally comes around.
Saturday July 15, 2006
Cereal and juice supply a sparse quick breakfast. Most all the groups are anxious to get on the road. Betty is bringing Quintin & Cheyenne home with her because Quintin heads to Boy Scout Camp tomorrow. They are on the road by seven fifteen and report they are home by a little after three.
Pat and I clean up and celebrate freedom for the coming two days. Well I have to place my food order for delivery on Monday, but then sleep and rest and sleeping late tomorrow morning.
But the best part is the crew from Covenant will be arriving tomorrow, Sunday. Their collective experience will make next week much easier.
Sunday July 16, 2006
I spend the day riding my bike on the Minden-Thurmond rail trail, an old railroad bed that is a marvel of engineering.
The Covenant crew arrives right on time and settles in. Pat joins them for dinner at a traditional restaurant, Dirty Ernie’s. I have to brief the adult leaders at the school at six o’clock so I can’t join them. But I arrive just as they are finishing up. We cover some planning for tomorrow, and then Pat sits with me while I have a quick dinner. Quick because I have to be back at the school to brief the groups before they start their praise service at eight.
Tonight is the second Dori Gillstrom memorial ice cream special. In my first dispatch I explained how I announce who Dori was to the groups. Ten o’clock can be considered late when you have to get out of bed at five in the morning. BUT I feel the ten o’clock snacks are more fun than all of what we do. You get to interact and really enjoy the young people.
Friday July 14, 2006
Breakfast on Friday is billed as “everything we have left over” and usually includes French toast again. But it is pouring outside and our griddle is outside. So we cut back. However there are many items on the buffet.
Quintin and Cheyenne are once again working on site. The leader mentions that with the heavy rain they will have to cram inside the small building. I agree to stop by the site around noon if it is still raining. But the sun is shining by ten in the morning.
I pick up the two workers at normal time 3:00 and take them to the school to start dinner. Cheyenne wants to go to the motel to shower but there is no time. As an alternative we suggest she showers at the school. For many reasons she does not want to do this. She pouts. We don’t have time for pouting and ignore it. We are busy preparing a spaghetti dinner. She finally comes around.
Saturday July 15, 2006
Cereal and juice supply a sparse quick breakfast. Most all the groups are anxious to get on the road. Betty is bringing Quintin & Cheyenne home with her because Quintin heads to Boy Scout Camp tomorrow. They are on the road by seven fifteen and report they are home by a little after three.
Pat and I clean up and celebrate freedom for the coming two days. Well I have to place my food order for delivery on Monday, but then sleep and rest and sleeping late tomorrow morning.
But the best part is the crew from Covenant will be arriving tomorrow, Sunday. Their collective experience will make next week much easier.
Sunday July 16, 2006
I spend the day riding my bike on the Minden-Thurmond rail trail, an old railroad bed that is a marvel of engineering.
The Covenant crew arrives right on time and settles in. Pat joins them for dinner at a traditional restaurant, Dirty Ernie’s. I have to brief the adult leaders at the school at six o’clock so I can’t join them. But I arrive just as they are finishing up. We cover some planning for tomorrow, and then Pat sits with me while I have a quick dinner. Quick because I have to be back at the school to brief the groups before they start their praise service at eight.
Tonight is the second Dori Gillstrom memorial ice cream special. In my first dispatch I explained how I announce who Dori was to the groups. Ten o’clock can be considered late when you have to get out of bed at five in the morning. BUT I feel the ten o’clock snacks are more fun than all of what we do. You get to interact and really enjoy the young people.
Last Saturday and Sunday 7/8 and 7/9
Those who've been on our Mexican mission trips and those who've read about them will appreciate the fact that the WV team has had to have keys replaced at the motel because they stopped working, and a new Walmart just opened in the area.
...On to Carl's report of the preparation to go to WV last Saturday and preparations on Sunday. (Sorry for the topsy turvy order of the news!)
Well better late than never. We take Internet service for granted in our lives at home, and nothing is more irritating then to run into constant problems here in the motel. For instance, I can receive email but cannot send. I find Joyce had a similar situation in Texas. In one of her read only emails she suggested the motel might assist in allowing me to use their office system. If you are reading this it is because I have done just that.
Saturday July 8, 2006
Carl is packing to leave by one o’clock on the first leg of the trip to Fayetteville timing the arrival by noon on Sunday July 9th. Yes the trip can be done in about seven hours, but I am breaking it into two sections by staying in Harrisonburg VA for the night. The lead up to leaving has me tired before I start. The advance crew from PACE called on Thursday when they received my first food order to say the chicken needed for Monday night dinner was out of stock. In this day of cell phones the food supplier did not bother to call me. They think they can have it in stock and deliver on Mondays order. Hico, the area the school we are operation in is about two hours from the distribution center so there is no recovery when something goes wrong. As a result I had to buy five cases of chicken here in Philadelphia and transport to West VA to try to keep everything on schedule. I have borrowed every cooler available from everyone I know. Compounding the number of coolers is the fact that I also have two loaded with scrapple because it is not available in WVA. In fact they have never heard of it.
Luckily I sent a number of kitchen items such as drink dispensers, griddle, hot dog roller, etc ahead with the PACE truck that went first to KY for two weeks and then on to meet me in WVA. But I still cannot fit everything I need in the car. So I call for Betty Whitaker for help with her van for space.
Betty and Pat are leaving on Sunday and making the run directly to Fayetteville. They travel west through the Cumberland Gap and then down to Fayetteville. A route of 430 miles. I with my passengers drop down to Harrisonburg and the head into WVA via route 64. A distance of 451 miles.
My passengers are Quintin, my grandson, who is coming along for the second year and his cousin Cheyenne.
Sunday July 9, 2006
We are right on time here at the school in Hico. There are boxes piled high with canned goods and two freezers jammed with just the first two days of food for the 200 teenagers who will arrive about four o’clock. There are actually three freezers in the small supply room but I notice one of them is showing a temperature of 72 degrees. We’ll need service tomorrow. The griddle uses propane gas so we have to set it up outside the back kitchen door. We put up a canopy tent to keep us out of the rain projected for much of the coming week. Quintin shows Cheyenne around the school and then they help me move the cases and stock the shelves available to us. With the exception of the freezer, so far, so good.
We check in to the motel around three o’clock and have enough time for Quintin and Cheyenne to swim for a while. Betty and Pat arrive right on time.
At six o’clock I am scheduled to brief the adult leaders. There are quite a few adults. PACE has a ratio requirement of adults to teens. I handed them printed menus and reviewed with them what to expect. I also explained the history of the two people for which we are going to have memorial celebrations in the form of evening snacks.
Annette, the executive director of PACE then asked me to brief the kids when they start the Praise service scheduled for seven. They are late, and we haven’t had dinner yet. Luckily I go first. It gives me a chance to explain who Dori Gillstrom from Covenant church was and her service to PACE through CAMT. But more importantly to ask them and their leaders during the week to reflect on the fact that they have benefited because many people have who have gone before have laid the ground work for them here at PACE camp and in their own churches.
I was only worried about getting dinner because we had to be back at the school for the Dori Gillstrom memorial ice cream event. Sundaes, cones, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. With exotic toppings donated by the Chester County Wendy’s restaurants it was a happening.
Monday July 10, 2006
Five o’clock comes early and fast. The phone alarm does not go off and when Pat and Betty and Cheyenne in the girl’s room try to call us in the boy’s room nothing happens. So they pound on the door. We have two women with other working groups who are helping us in the kitchen. The school district here requires us to have a representative from their kitchen staff also. This is the third year for the two Fayette staffs. They split the time with one working from 5:00 am to 8:30 am and the other from 3:30 pm to 7:00. You may notice that the timing allows only three and a half hours to prepare, cook and clean up after serving 200 meals. We have to be fast and efficient. Which is probably an oxymoron. But we pull it off.
Betty, drawing on her experiences cooking with a Drum & Bugle corps her daughter was in many years ago, has taken the responsibility for preparation and cooking.
There is a lot more to Monday. But it is Friday now and we have to get back to the school to prepare tonight’s meal. Will continue and report again tomorrow Sat.
...On to Carl's report of the preparation to go to WV last Saturday and preparations on Sunday. (Sorry for the topsy turvy order of the news!)
Well better late than never. We take Internet service for granted in our lives at home, and nothing is more irritating then to run into constant problems here in the motel. For instance, I can receive email but cannot send. I find Joyce had a similar situation in Texas. In one of her read only emails she suggested the motel might assist in allowing me to use their office system. If you are reading this it is because I have done just that.
Saturday July 8, 2006
Carl is packing to leave by one o’clock on the first leg of the trip to Fayetteville timing the arrival by noon on Sunday July 9th. Yes the trip can be done in about seven hours, but I am breaking it into two sections by staying in Harrisonburg VA for the night. The lead up to leaving has me tired before I start. The advance crew from PACE called on Thursday when they received my first food order to say the chicken needed for Monday night dinner was out of stock. In this day of cell phones the food supplier did not bother to call me. They think they can have it in stock and deliver on Mondays order. Hico, the area the school we are operation in is about two hours from the distribution center so there is no recovery when something goes wrong. As a result I had to buy five cases of chicken here in Philadelphia and transport to West VA to try to keep everything on schedule. I have borrowed every cooler available from everyone I know. Compounding the number of coolers is the fact that I also have two loaded with scrapple because it is not available in WVA. In fact they have never heard of it.
Luckily I sent a number of kitchen items such as drink dispensers, griddle, hot dog roller, etc ahead with the PACE truck that went first to KY for two weeks and then on to meet me in WVA. But I still cannot fit everything I need in the car. So I call for Betty Whitaker for help with her van for space.
Betty and Pat are leaving on Sunday and making the run directly to Fayetteville. They travel west through the Cumberland Gap and then down to Fayetteville. A route of 430 miles. I with my passengers drop down to Harrisonburg and the head into WVA via route 64. A distance of 451 miles.
My passengers are Quintin, my grandson, who is coming along for the second year and his cousin Cheyenne.
Sunday July 9, 2006
We are right on time here at the school in Hico. There are boxes piled high with canned goods and two freezers jammed with just the first two days of food for the 200 teenagers who will arrive about four o’clock. There are actually three freezers in the small supply room but I notice one of them is showing a temperature of 72 degrees. We’ll need service tomorrow. The griddle uses propane gas so we have to set it up outside the back kitchen door. We put up a canopy tent to keep us out of the rain projected for much of the coming week. Quintin shows Cheyenne around the school and then they help me move the cases and stock the shelves available to us. With the exception of the freezer, so far, so good.
We check in to the motel around three o’clock and have enough time for Quintin and Cheyenne to swim for a while. Betty and Pat arrive right on time.
At six o’clock I am scheduled to brief the adult leaders. There are quite a few adults. PACE has a ratio requirement of adults to teens. I handed them printed menus and reviewed with them what to expect. I also explained the history of the two people for which we are going to have memorial celebrations in the form of evening snacks.
Annette, the executive director of PACE then asked me to brief the kids when they start the Praise service scheduled for seven. They are late, and we haven’t had dinner yet. Luckily I go first. It gives me a chance to explain who Dori Gillstrom from Covenant church was and her service to PACE through CAMT. But more importantly to ask them and their leaders during the week to reflect on the fact that they have benefited because many people have who have gone before have laid the ground work for them here at PACE camp and in their own churches.
I was only worried about getting dinner because we had to be back at the school for the Dori Gillstrom memorial ice cream event. Sundaes, cones, vanilla, chocolate, strawberry. With exotic toppings donated by the Chester County Wendy’s restaurants it was a happening.
Monday July 10, 2006
Five o’clock comes early and fast. The phone alarm does not go off and when Pat and Betty and Cheyenne in the girl’s room try to call us in the boy’s room nothing happens. So they pound on the door. We have two women with other working groups who are helping us in the kitchen. The school district here requires us to have a representative from their kitchen staff also. This is the third year for the two Fayette staffs. They split the time with one working from 5:00 am to 8:30 am and the other from 3:30 pm to 7:00. You may notice that the timing allows only three and a half hours to prepare, cook and clean up after serving 200 meals. We have to be fast and efficient. Which is probably an oxymoron. But we pull it off.
Betty, drawing on her experiences cooking with a Drum & Bugle corps her daughter was in many years ago, has taken the responsibility for preparation and cooking.
There is a lot more to Monday. But it is Friday now and we have to get back to the school to prepare tonight’s meal. Will continue and report again tomorrow Sat.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Sunday--Problem Solved!
We've worked out the e-mail problem. Depending on when you first looked at the blog, you may not know that Carl has not been able to send daily reports for Joyce to publish on the blog because the internet connection at the motel does not allow the sending of e-mail.
However, the problem has been solved--except that the e-mails come from someone in the motel whose name Joyce did not recognize. She deleted the first one since it was not a recognized sender.
Printed below are the reports for last Monday through Thursday. Tomorrow (Monday, July 17) I'll have the reports from the first days of work last week plus, perhaps news from this weekend. Chronologically impaired people won't notice the difference, but for the rest of you, it's suggested that you just read top to bottom and catch the flavor of the week without worrying about the order of events.
However, the problem has been solved--except that the e-mails come from someone in the motel whose name Joyce did not recognize. She deleted the first one since it was not a recognized sender.
Printed below are the reports for last Monday through Thursday. Tomorrow (Monday, July 17) I'll have the reports from the first days of work last week plus, perhaps news from this weekend. Chronologically impaired people won't notice the difference, but for the rest of you, it's suggested that you just read top to bottom and catch the flavor of the week without worrying about the order of events.
Monday & Tuesday
Monday July 10, 2006
Breakfast the first day is usually chaotic due to a new group of people working together for the first time. Also on the first morning all the kids are up early and in line en mass. Today is no exception. Later in the week they will straggle in over the full hour that we serve breakfast.
Adding to the chaos is the US Foods delivery truck arrives with most of the order for the rest of the week. Since the school district maintenance team is working on the freezer in the storeroom. The delivery is early because it represents so much space in his truck. We now have six-foot piles of food-stuffs just inside the kitchen door and just outside on the patio. Eventually most find their place in the storeroom so we can find them when we need them. However some of the canned items remain on the patio.
Our biggest problem is building the several hundred sandwiches that are need for the workers when they build their lunches after breakfast - 140 PB&J, 60 Ham & cheese, 30 cheese. After today the number of sandwiches will increase and include Turkey, Chicken Salad (as a result of having baked chicken Monday) and Meatloaf (Tuesday). Debbie, from a church in Northern Chester County starts baking soft pretzels for their lunches and the three sheet cakes that will be needed for dessert with chicken tonight.
There are about ten different projects the teams will be working on during the week. Some as many as a 30 minute drive. For some unknown reason Quintin has decided he wants to work on site with one of the teams, Cheyenne goes along. We have already been up since five a.m. and completed close to a full days work and he is now willing to spend seven hours on site before we pick him up at three so we can prepare dinner. Ah, youth.
Quintin & Cheyenne are assigned with Bethany E.C. from Creswell (western Lancaster County). Rob, their leader is a Lancaster County farmer and used to working well with young people. They join the thirteen in his group on the Hazel Johnson Project. The project is a two room wood structure with an add-on shed that is the kitchen and bathroom. Similar to Covenant’s original manse, but of course very small. It is nestled on the side of a steep slope in what is called a holler. The starting point is to demolish a porch, take up the floorboards in the kitchen/bathroom and rebuild. According to Rob the house should be torn down. But that was not an option.
I picked up Quintin & Cheyenne at three and we went back to start dinner.
With a full salad bar and soup organized by Pat Lotz, and chicken over rice pilaf with glazed carrots followed by chocolate cake. Everything went smoothly. And everyone, especially the campers were happy.
Tuesday July 11, 2006
We fire up the griddle out back to prepare French toast. But first we have to move the stack of trays containing the bread order for the day. The order contains raisin bread. Our menu calls for regular and raisin bread French toast and bacon. Betty is amazed at the fact that now-a-days we can buy all of our pork products precooked. Bacon is no exception. It only takes five minutes to heat. Precooked is crucial because we cannot put any grease down the drain in the kitchen.
More importantly the griddle out back frees up our workers to make the sixteen meatloaves that we will need to cook this afternoon. They also cut up trays of strawberries and our baker makes two hundred short breads, the dessert that will eventually have whipped cream on top.
Quintin & Cheyenne elect to return to the work site for a second day.
Tuesday night is one of three nights we offer ten o’clock snacks. We rest at the motel for two hours before returning to the school tonight for Nachos. Pat and Betty stay at the motel but Quintin & Cheyenne ride with me. By the time I get to the school they are both asleep. Debbie, my baker. and I pull off what was called by some of the kids as “A little bit of Heaven”. As for me I don’t eat the chips, spicy salsa and spicy cheese. Mostly because of the word “spicy”. We have mixed over twenty gallons of drinks as a counter balance.
Returning to the motel Quintin sleeps in his clothes. “Hitting the wall!” has a new meaning.
Breakfast the first day is usually chaotic due to a new group of people working together for the first time. Also on the first morning all the kids are up early and in line en mass. Today is no exception. Later in the week they will straggle in over the full hour that we serve breakfast.
Adding to the chaos is the US Foods delivery truck arrives with most of the order for the rest of the week. Since the school district maintenance team is working on the freezer in the storeroom. The delivery is early because it represents so much space in his truck. We now have six-foot piles of food-stuffs just inside the kitchen door and just outside on the patio. Eventually most find their place in the storeroom so we can find them when we need them. However some of the canned items remain on the patio.
Our biggest problem is building the several hundred sandwiches that are need for the workers when they build their lunches after breakfast - 140 PB&J, 60 Ham & cheese, 30 cheese. After today the number of sandwiches will increase and include Turkey, Chicken Salad (as a result of having baked chicken Monday) and Meatloaf (Tuesday). Debbie, from a church in Northern Chester County starts baking soft pretzels for their lunches and the three sheet cakes that will be needed for dessert with chicken tonight.
There are about ten different projects the teams will be working on during the week. Some as many as a 30 minute drive. For some unknown reason Quintin has decided he wants to work on site with one of the teams, Cheyenne goes along. We have already been up since five a.m. and completed close to a full days work and he is now willing to spend seven hours on site before we pick him up at three so we can prepare dinner. Ah, youth.
Quintin & Cheyenne are assigned with Bethany E.C. from Creswell (western Lancaster County). Rob, their leader is a Lancaster County farmer and used to working well with young people. They join the thirteen in his group on the Hazel Johnson Project. The project is a two room wood structure with an add-on shed that is the kitchen and bathroom. Similar to Covenant’s original manse, but of course very small. It is nestled on the side of a steep slope in what is called a holler. The starting point is to demolish a porch, take up the floorboards in the kitchen/bathroom and rebuild. According to Rob the house should be torn down. But that was not an option.
I picked up Quintin & Cheyenne at three and we went back to start dinner.
With a full salad bar and soup organized by Pat Lotz, and chicken over rice pilaf with glazed carrots followed by chocolate cake. Everything went smoothly. And everyone, especially the campers were happy.
Tuesday July 11, 2006
We fire up the griddle out back to prepare French toast. But first we have to move the stack of trays containing the bread order for the day. The order contains raisin bread. Our menu calls for regular and raisin bread French toast and bacon. Betty is amazed at the fact that now-a-days we can buy all of our pork products precooked. Bacon is no exception. It only takes five minutes to heat. Precooked is crucial because we cannot put any grease down the drain in the kitchen.
More importantly the griddle out back frees up our workers to make the sixteen meatloaves that we will need to cook this afternoon. They also cut up trays of strawberries and our baker makes two hundred short breads, the dessert that will eventually have whipped cream on top.
Quintin & Cheyenne elect to return to the work site for a second day.
Tuesday night is one of three nights we offer ten o’clock snacks. We rest at the motel for two hours before returning to the school tonight for Nachos. Pat and Betty stay at the motel but Quintin & Cheyenne ride with me. By the time I get to the school they are both asleep. Debbie, my baker. and I pull off what was called by some of the kids as “A little bit of Heaven”. As for me I don’t eat the chips, spicy salsa and spicy cheese. Mostly because of the word “spicy”. We have mixed over twenty gallons of drinks as a counter balance.
Returning to the motel Quintin sleeps in his clothes. “Hitting the wall!” has a new meaning.
Wednesday & Thursday
Wednesday July 12, 2006
Today is the day we have been working toward. All we have to prepare is breakfast and then we are free until tomorrow morning. The kids will work until one today on their projects and then spend the afternoon playing. More on that later.
Betty is up to full speed in the cooking area working well with Barbara, the school representative in the mornings and Linda in the afternoons. This morning she is baking liquid eggs to be served as scrambled while Quintin and I do eggs over easy on the griddle. Yesterday Pat and I stayed late after breakfast to crisp up the scrapple we brought with us from PA. Now Betty just has to warm them in the oven while she is working on preparing home fries. Each meal is getting easier and going smoothly.
Pat and I are scheduled to prepare the creamed dried beef for Thursday, but we opt to go back to the school tonight to prepare. That way we can catch the day’s videos that are shown each night of the activities and progress of the campers projects. Each day the videographer shoots footage that he edits before dinner and then shows at seven o’clock. The familiar countdown from 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 with the beeps that accompany them gets everyone’s attention. They are in place and ready to laugh, clap, and even cheer. This is followed by what they term as “God sightings” during the day. The kids stand and recount happenings during the day where they feel God has been looking after them. Then comes music followed by a speaker. All in about one hour fifteen minutes.
Quintin and Cheyenne and I are going rubber ducking. A rubber duck is basically a kayak that is rubberized and built to handle the class one through three rapids we will traverse. Rapids are classed one through seven with seven being un-navigable. Such as a waterfall. We do the Upper New River alternating rapids with floating and even some swimming. We spent almost five hours traversing a little over ten miles of the river. Including a break for lunch along the banks of the river. Cheyenne and I handle a two person duck while Quintin has to handle a one man duck. Quintin handles the craft well, which is not easy for an eleven year old. He capsizes only once being thrown out of the duck while negotiating one of the rapids. We have great pictures of both of our craft coming through the white water. The only down side of the trip is our developing sunburn and being constantly wet.
Most of the Church groups go whitewater rafting in rapids rated three through five. High adventure, and the videos show it.
Thursday July 13, 2006
We are seeing a lot of rain this week. It has rained on and off almost every day. After breakfast we all wanted to head to the town of Beckly. About sixteen miles away. It’s raining so biking is out. The mine tour doesn’t start until eleven. We make the mistake of napping for a while since it is before nine a.m. Quintin and Cheyenne are sleeping so soundly we leave them alone. The height of the day is just eating lunch out. At three we head back to the school.
Thursday’s dinner is pizzas and tacos and chili. The perfect meal as far as most of the kids are concerned.
The third and last snack night is tonight. Ballpark franks, the left over pepperoni pizza from dinner and the dregs of ice cream night in the form of cones dipped until the ice cream runs out.
Today is the day we have been working toward. All we have to prepare is breakfast and then we are free until tomorrow morning. The kids will work until one today on their projects and then spend the afternoon playing. More on that later.
Betty is up to full speed in the cooking area working well with Barbara, the school representative in the mornings and Linda in the afternoons. This morning she is baking liquid eggs to be served as scrambled while Quintin and I do eggs over easy on the griddle. Yesterday Pat and I stayed late after breakfast to crisp up the scrapple we brought with us from PA. Now Betty just has to warm them in the oven while she is working on preparing home fries. Each meal is getting easier and going smoothly.
Pat and I are scheduled to prepare the creamed dried beef for Thursday, but we opt to go back to the school tonight to prepare. That way we can catch the day’s videos that are shown each night of the activities and progress of the campers projects. Each day the videographer shoots footage that he edits before dinner and then shows at seven o’clock. The familiar countdown from 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 with the beeps that accompany them gets everyone’s attention. They are in place and ready to laugh, clap, and even cheer. This is followed by what they term as “God sightings” during the day. The kids stand and recount happenings during the day where they feel God has been looking after them. Then comes music followed by a speaker. All in about one hour fifteen minutes.
Quintin and Cheyenne and I are going rubber ducking. A rubber duck is basically a kayak that is rubberized and built to handle the class one through three rapids we will traverse. Rapids are classed one through seven with seven being un-navigable. Such as a waterfall. We do the Upper New River alternating rapids with floating and even some swimming. We spent almost five hours traversing a little over ten miles of the river. Including a break for lunch along the banks of the river. Cheyenne and I handle a two person duck while Quintin has to handle a one man duck. Quintin handles the craft well, which is not easy for an eleven year old. He capsizes only once being thrown out of the duck while negotiating one of the rapids. We have great pictures of both of our craft coming through the white water. The only down side of the trip is our developing sunburn and being constantly wet.
Most of the Church groups go whitewater rafting in rapids rated three through five. High adventure, and the videos show it.
Thursday July 13, 2006
We are seeing a lot of rain this week. It has rained on and off almost every day. After breakfast we all wanted to head to the town of Beckly. About sixteen miles away. It’s raining so biking is out. The mine tour doesn’t start until eleven. We make the mistake of napping for a while since it is before nine a.m. Quintin and Cheyenne are sleeping so soundly we leave them alone. The height of the day is just eating lunch out. At three we head back to the school.
Thursday’s dinner is pizzas and tacos and chili. The perfect meal as far as most of the kids are concerned.
The third and last snack night is tonight. Ballpark franks, the left over pepperoni pizza from dinner and the dregs of ice cream night in the form of cones dipped until the ice cream runs out.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
New News
The plan was for Carl to e-mail news to Joyce during the week which she would publish on the blog. The motel does, as advertised, have internet service now--except for sending e-mail. Isn't that one of the major reasons for lugging around a laptop? When he had a free moment or two during the week, he called her using his cell phone. Carl could hear Joyce, but she couldn't hear him. Made conversation rather difficult. He used the phone in the motel today to leave a message on Joyce's answering machine.
The news: this has been an extremely busy week. The team has prepared 3 meals a day for 200 youth!!! That's 60 more than last year during the first week and double the second week's number. Since everyone except Pat and Quintin are new to the work, it's been quite demanding. However, everyone pitched in with full force, all has gone well, no one's hungry, and their work has been very much appreciated.
Betty drives back to PA tomorrow (Saturday) and will bring Quinton and Cheyenne (the two young people on CAMT's team) to their homes. Carl and Pat stay in WV and will welcome the second team who will arrive Sunday to work next week.
The team cherishes your prayers for safe travel and for the youth they served to have an on-going sense of God's love.
Carl will call this weekend when he catches his breath and "dictate" more specific news about last week's work, so check back when you have a chance.
The news: this has been an extremely busy week. The team has prepared 3 meals a day for 200 youth!!! That's 60 more than last year during the first week and double the second week's number. Since everyone except Pat and Quintin are new to the work, it's been quite demanding. However, everyone pitched in with full force, all has gone well, no one's hungry, and their work has been very much appreciated.
Betty drives back to PA tomorrow (Saturday) and will bring Quinton and Cheyenne (the two young people on CAMT's team) to their homes. Carl and Pat stay in WV and will welcome the second team who will arrive Sunday to work next week.
The team cherishes your prayers for safe travel and for the youth they served to have an on-going sense of God's love.
Carl will call this weekend when he catches his breath and "dictate" more specific news about last week's work, so check back when you have a chance.
Still No News
Joyce received a call from Carl today. He said, "Everyone's fine here, but..." and then the connection was cut off. The phone rang again, but no voice was heard. Obviously the planned e-mail connection is not working. Apologies to those who have tuned in for news of the trip. We'll keep on trying.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
No News Yet
Carl, who is the team leader as well as kitchen manager, will be sending news reports from WV. We can only presume that getting everything sorted and organized to feed 150 to 200 youth teams has kept him too busy to send information as of last night (Monday.) Hopefully tonight.
Keep checking in!
Keep checking in!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
West Virginia Mission Trip Starts July 9
Ten people are packing their bags for Covenant's mission trip to Fayetteville, WV. Once again the team will prepare three meals a day for the youth teams who are working in an impoverished area often ravaged by floods. The work is coordinated by PA Christian Endeavor. Covenant's Carl once again is kitchen manager for two weeks and has been busy planning menus and ordering food. Five people will go the week of July 9, and five more will go the following week starting on July 16. By next Sunday or Monday Carl will be sending information for the blog, so pray for safe travel for both teams, and log on to read daily news bulletins.
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