Friday Photos

 Old Union Church Mission Trip 2025: Canton, NC

Tuesday, August 12

  Clark here in Canton.   When I first looked out the window this morning it was less foggy, I could see the town better. In yesterday's blog I said it was foggy outside. Well, the seeing was better early this morning.  But once again the sky remained rather cloudy through the morning. Our group met upstairs once again for breakfast between 6 & 7 AM. The kitchen helpers had everything ready for us, thank you Sally and Lorene.  Soon after we leave the Canton Presbyterian Church we pass by a large abandoned paper mill.  It closed down a few years ago and is now slowly being demolished.  For a small city like Canton it must have been quite a blow to the local economy.  Like when the steel industry slowed down in Pittsburgh.  Once again due to inclement weather conditions both groups went to Hendersonville just like yesterday. But don't worry, there was still plenty for us to do at both houses, and once again the guys from Habitat for Humanity (HfH) were already there by 8 AM to greet us. And unlike yesterday, we got right to work since we could simply pick up where we left off.  

   Peter and I continued our work on the baseboard. Carl and Jeff B  installed a couple of doors and then moved on to the trim around the windows. Adding to the slight confusion today, some other HfH workers came to install shelving for the closets, occasionally causing a traffic jam when we had jobs to do in the same area. Once again lunch was supplied to us by HfH and it consisted of deli sandwiches on bread and our choice of coleslaw or potato salad. The HfH workers said they like it when volunteers like us show up because only then do they get a free lunch.  By 3 PM I was feeling pretty exhausted because we had a bit more sun this afternoon, which made conditions in the house fairly uncomfortable, but Peter kept pushing me to do this or do that which kept me going instead of giving up for the day. He kept me going so much so that by the end of the workday all the baseboard trimming in the house was done with only minimal help from others. Rev. Peter did most of the measurements, Joe did the marking of the lines on the boards, and Bob Y was in charge of the miter saw, and he's really continuing to improve his coping skills. I had the pleasure of using the nail gun to nail everything in place. Oh Rick you would be so proud of me!

   Today we met the home owners of this house, near the end of the work day.  Mark the dad and his daughter Raven. They took a brief tour of the progress and stayed to talk with some of the other group who were wrapping up their day. They took time to greet and thank each of us individually.

   Now remember how last year in Buckhhorn, KY we were often visited by two community dogs?  This year we have been visited by a very friendly male cat. No one is sure where he came from. Perhaps his owners had to leave their home and could not take the cat with them, but somehow he survived the terrible flooding. Now the cat is fed regularly by one of the neighbors but he still likes to visit other people as well. Did I mention the fact that one of the next door neighbors have a small but very productive peach tree in the yard? While I have resisted the temptation to sample one of the peaches that look ripe enough to eat, some of our team did have a sample. They will remain anonymous. I might even sneak over tomorrow and get one for myself. 

   Working at the warehouse today were Mary Rae, Geoff A, Mark, Dave & Bob G. They finished cutting rafter pieces, Mary Rae and Geoff marking out the cuts, Dave ran the miter saw and Mark was the bird's mouth expert. The team sped through the work like a well oiled machine. Bob worked with HfH lead Bruce to lay out the different size rafters for porches and overhangs. Bruce is the first HfH full time employee in this affiliate and has been building houses for families with them for 27 years. 

   During a brief break in the action, I went over to the second house to see what was being done over there. Judy was up on a ladder sanding some boards near the ceiling. Sally was busy painting bi-fold doors white. Cassandra and Lorene were also deeply involved in their work but I didn't have time to check-up on them closely. Reports this evening are that they all did a tremendous job.

   The kitchen crew got busy right when we got back and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner of meatball subs, leftover (and still delicious,) pasta and veggie salad. Some of the veggies were from Lorene's garden back home. We had watermelon and cookies or ice cream for dessert. After dinner Rev. Peter took out his guitar and played and sang for us. My favorite was 'Here I Am, Lord' which always makes me teary-eyed.

   Sally was in charge of devotions and we talked about the experiences and expectations of being a mission worker. By the way she has been to South Korea on at least two occasions. We talked about John 13:1-17 when Jesus at the Last Supper with the disciples wanted to wash their feet and some protested. It was because he loved them that he wanted to do so. That reminds me of the fact that we all came to Canton with the expectation that we would get dirty and sweaty and grimy, but came anyways knowing that because God loves us we must love our neighbor. Tomorrow is our planned half day of work, with other fun options we could do in the afternoon.  Many of them sounded enticing to me, except the antique shopping. 

  Let us pray for Gloria who was supposed to be our 16th team member but had to drop out because of health reasons. She did send with us some of her brownies (thanks Gloria!!). She worked today at the Lighthouse Foundation as part of her mission work. We also must pray for ChrisAnn's speedy recovery and Cassandra's brother Kyle, recovering from an accident.  And let me not forget my prayer-champion friend Laurie, who also needs prayers for health and strength.  By the way thanks to Bob G. who filled in for Sally tonight as my assistant.  Signing off in Canton, this is Clark.  God Bless and see you tomorrow.