On Site @ WC Bonne Terre

Who are all these people? World Changers 2010? Already?

2010-07-20T01:31:00.002-05:00

Wow! Has it already been over a year since the World Changers left our area? Yes it has and now they are back! It comes around faster and faster every year!

The first day of the 2010 World Changers in the Mineral Area is now complete. Everyone has arrived safely and are now happily sleeping on their air mattresses and cots. As the vans and trailers started rolling in, the feeling of excitement grew. Seeing all of the fantastic young people and their awesome sponsors was a great sight.

I guess everything actually started on Friday as our Project Coordinator, Lee, arrived to our area. Then on Saturday, the Summer Staff came rolling in from their St. Louis project. The work began as preparations were made for the arrival of all the groups. On Saturday evening, the group from Shiloh Baptist Church in Sumerville, Alabama pulled into the parking lot of First Baptist Church in Bismarck, MO. These guys and gals were able to spend some time checking out what the Mineral Area has to offer. On Sunday, Park Hill (not to be confused with Park Hills) came in a day early as well. They were welcomed by an awesome lightening storm that evening (not to mention the tornado sirens that interrupted Sunday School and Worship Service that morning). On Monday, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., everyone checked in and moved into their rooms. At 4 p.m., we had our opening celebration and then things took off from there! Dinner, crew chats, group pictures, worship, group devotions, and training all happened like a whirlwind.

Now, we are looking at Tuesday, the first day of work. Everyone (but me and maybe some of the Summer Staff) is resting up for tomorrow. I am looking forward to the Great Send-Off and getting to visit some of our worksites. I will be out taking notes and lots of pictures! I will post them and give everyone a link to find them.

Well, internet world, as you read this post, you may find that it doesn't always make sense. If there are parts that seem like I am in a dream world or you find any misspellings, please just ignore them and move on. My excuse is that I am typing this at 2 a.m. and I am very tired!

OK, everyone have a great night and keep an eye out for updates over the next few days!

Goofus Roofers!

2009-07-10T12:13:00.005-05:00

This group had a lot to do this week. Their roof was fairly large and barely covered by any shade. This is a group of really hard workers! Now I can upload pictures of the World Changers roof! hehe!

Monday!

Tuesday!

Thursday!

The Toe Nails and The Stone Rollers!

2009-07-10T11:59:00.007-05:00

So, on Thursday, the Toe Nails were already finished, so they joined forces with another of our groups, the Stone Rollers! There's a lot of help, now, so all we can do is wait to see if it gets finished before the rain rolls in today!

A cute story, though. On Thursday, it was getting pretty hot outside. The sun was beating down and the roofs were getting hotter than the blazes. Some random person, not affiliated with World Changers, or any church in the area, brought the compilation of crews a canopy and Gatorades! I thought that was really precious. Here's pictures from Thursday with both of these lovely crews!

Thursday!

Thursday with the Crowbars!

2009-07-10T11:24:00.011-05:00

Alrighty... I'm pretty sure I figured out how to upload pictures. Sooo... I've made seperate blogs for each of the crews for Thursday so I can upload all of the pictures as well! :)

The Crowbars are doing a fantastic job! They did run into a little problem, though. One of the boards on the roof was rotted and was in need of repair. So our trusty Crowbars replaced the board and continued on working. What troopers! This is such a great group. Later, I'll upload the finished products for the week! How exciting!! ^_^

Monday!

Tuesday!

Thursday!

The Penultimate Chapter

2009-07-09T20:31:00.006-05:00

Here it is, the day before the last day of World Changers- Bonne Terr '09. A lot of work has been done in not a lot of time, and a lot has still yet to be done. Luckily I've been here to report on each step of the Bonne Terre crew's work.

Cinder Blockheads

(With guest stars: unnamed crew!)

So my people on the Cinder Blockheads got a little help today from another crew. I spoke to the crew, shared some laughs and asked about their Wednseday Night fun, but forgot to get their crew name. So, applauds and accolades are in order for the unnamed heroes on the corner of Olive and Twin Street. Anyways, back to the Cinder Blockheads. Their roofing job is coming along nicely, with a little help from the aforementioned crew. When I got there, they were sitting down to lunch again, so I milled about from crew to crew. I found that some groups went to Six Flags, some went to the Arch, some went swimming here locally, and some explored the mines. Sounds like some good Wednseday fun. Also, I was informed today that tomorrow, I either should expect to have my picture taken as well, or not bother coming by at all. Tough bunch.

Brush Bunch/Brick Bats

Sometimes, World Changers work is needed but not seen. Sometimes it is needed badly and seen as well. This site is the latter. The house has really changed from what I saw when I rolled up Monday. I thought it looked good yesterday, but it looks even better now. Kudos to these dudes. The house has a near-flawless coat of paint and a professional-looking roof. They know how to get work done when it needs to be. You can't see it, but right now, I'm clapping for the Brush Bunch and Brick Bats on their grade-A job so far. Keep it up boys & girls.

I thought monday was the worst day of the week, so why it tuesday so hard?

2009-07-09T17:10:00.012-05:00

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days, by that I mean tuesday was awesome but at the same time it was hectic and stressful. It was a great day because I got to meet lots of new people, it was a bad day because these people were on four more crews that I had added to my daily schedule making a total of eight. Don't get me wrong I love being able to get to know all these people and be a part of their world changers experience, it was just kind of a surprise to me.

Drips and Runs:
I'm going to begin with my new crews starting with the drips and runs which quickly became one of my favorite crews. This crew had to both paint and do roofing which is awesome enough because when you have to split one crew two ways it slows down the process a lot but despite all this awesomeness they still managed to surpass this by going out and doing street ministry (which is great because street ministry gets overlooked a lot/isn't possible on a lot of the crews I've been on). I feel sad that I met this crew on tuesday rather than monday because if I had met them on monday I would know them better by now (I know right? weird thought pattern... sorry, it's how my brain works). Anyway that's the drips and runs for you, quite a crew if I do say so myself.

Hard Hats:

The hard hats are... something else, the best way I can describe the hard hats would have to be...a bunch of weird people who all ended up on the same crew and as luck would have it, get a equally weird crew chief. Now I don't mean they didn't work, it's quite the contrary actually, this weird crew is full off hard working kids. Anyway I like this crew even though they are weird and seem to think their name should be the sham wow crew.....don't ask, I don't even understand

Cool Caulkers

The cool caulkers also got the lovely job of painting as well as repairing some railing. I really liked the house they were working on, for some reason I love the sloping which I know is typically a less than ideal situation but....I liked it. I believe this house will turn out beautifully when it is done.

(video to come)

Glueless

This crew got to paint as well, although it is a fairly common job for world changers. They also get the unique job of pouring cement which is an uncommon job for world changers, so that should be fun. This crew was incredibly friendly and I felt very welcome at this site which made me feel all the more guilty for sucking at remembering names (sorry guys) but sometimes its just the feelings that count.

(video coming her also)

Ok guys I'll do tuesday for my other four crew soon but my church camp starts monday so it may be a while. All I can say is don't lose hope it will get done (I'm very stubborn about getting stuff done) but please stick with me especially since some of you participants are back and reading this.

Ummm...monday?

2009-07-09T10:57:00.008-05:00

I would like to start off with an apology, I have been doing very poor with posting anything on this blog and I could blame it on all the stuff I have to do but to be perfectly honest I've had the time to do it and have simply fallen down on the job, for this I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart to those of you who are checking up on your church members or your friends or your family.

Hand Saws:

Anyway back to where I left off on monday, I was talking about the two crews on one site well luck me, I had a second site just one house away. The hand saws got to paint, notice I said got to, painting is a fun job you luck ducks. So they spent most of monday taping off where they shouldn't paint, and then the actual painting.

(there will be pictures here at some point)

Joint Clamps:

The joint clamps had the awesome job of roofing, which consists of tearing every last shingle of the roof and then putting new ones back on. This may be the messiest and hottest job you can get but, with the right kind of mind set it can be a lot of fun (mainly for guys who tend to love destroying things). Roofing can also be a very challenging job to get done by the end of the week so please be praying for this crew

So this was my first day I'll have more to come about the rest of the week as soon as my lanky fingers can get it typed up so don't touch that dial (like anyone knows what that means anymore). Anyway... Bye for now.

Is it Wednesday yet? Nope, only Tuesday!

2009-07-09T00:05:00.003-05:00

Alright, let's see if we can catch up with the actual time. I am still running a day late on these posts and I want to try to catch up. So hold on tight!

Let's go to Leadwood first. When I got to the Dandy Sanders, they were already hard at work! They were putting up "F" channel and nailing siding. I even witnessed Natasha from Wilsonville lending a hand by cutting some siding. I also learned that Crestview must be quite a place because I found out that Hunter was pretty cool and Lucy was just plain fantastic! There were also other things going on around this crew. They had been hitting the neighborhood pretty good. They are going out and talking to the neighbors and just about anyone else that they can find. They are telling them about the love of Christ. And who can forget about Bob the Builder. Not only does he know about all of the siding, but he is also one of those who encourages them to spread Christs' love. I also need to throw a special shout-out to Awesome Austin and give an apology. You know why Austin! :)

Make sure your safety belts are tightly fastened, because now we are taking off to Potosi to see the Knot Heads on Woodchuck Lane. I knew this was going to be interesting when I was walking up the hill toward the crew and Melissa had just turned over in her chair. She was OK and everyone, including herself, were laughing. She got up, dusted off and then sat back down. A little later, I found Josh and Randy discussing what they needed to do about her porch. Macey, Henry, Trent, Austin, and Mitchel (from Revalution), all jumped in to start working on the porch once all the decisions were made. Trent and Melissa also had some interesting stories about their neighbors. And now as I prepare to head to my final destination, I would like to leave you with one final thing that I found out at this site: Mitch is a good worker.

Now, we must move on because it is getting late. The Scrape, Splatter, and Rolls were already hard at it when I showed up. Amongst all the work that was being done, I found out that Kaleb from Russelville had been painting up a storm on the shutters of the house. Also, surprisingly enough, Paul won the quiet game that was supposedly going on. Again, things seem to be moving along pretty well. Great Jobs guys!!!!

This concludes our tour for Tuesday (yeah, I know it is being posted on Wednesday or even Thursday since it is after midnight). I hope you enjoyed your flight. Please come back often.

PS- I gotta stop writing these things late at night. You wouldn't believe what I write when I am tired. It's a good thing that I proof read them before I post them. Otherwise, who knows what might happen. Also, if some crazy or random word or phrase pops up on here, I just missed it in the proofing process since it is still after midnight. Goodnight!

STOP THE PRESSES! World Changers Makes News!!

2009-07-08T23:52:00.002-05:00

World Changers makes the news. Read all about it on the Daily Journal website at:

http://www.dailyjournalonline.com/articles/2009/07/08/news/doc4a54b856a527d598752026.txt

That link should take you there.

Now we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog. Thank you!

The Excitement is Building

2009-07-08T20:29:00.003-05:00

Wednesday has arrived! Boy can you tell, both crews in Farmington that I visited today were alight with the excitement for what the rest of the day held!

The Plumb Bobs were enjoying lunch as I pulled up and they were all chattering excitedly about what their plans were for the afternoon. The group from Texas were telling me as s

oon as I stepped on the scene that they were " going to six flags, and there is a water park there and IT'S GONNA B

E SUPER COOL!' Other plans were hashed out as well, there are several churches staying more local and exploring the parks and the mines! churches in the area that But today had other new experiences as well, the first call for a medic was needed, and it was by the medic him self, Avery expertly bandaged up his oozing finger and then promptly filled out the paper work just like he is supposed to! *wink* (hope it w

asn't from the power tools he has been using) Excitement was definitely in the air and this crew was super charged today as they proudly informed me that they were finishing up at this house and would be else where helping another crew tomorrow! Great, Now I'll have to go track them down again, Didn't somebody tell them that I though I have lived in this area all my life I have no sense of direction!

Elsewhere in Farmington the Roller Kings were in true World Changers form. Just because Lunch was over didn't mean that they were bailing early! Nope they had a mission and they were rolling with the punches! Before I go there I should tell you that in the two days before these hard workers got a whole two story house painted! But today their mission was to get their fence posts in the ground and no matter what hurdles they faced they were going to do so! Though their plans that were not far from their minds, this crew as well has several members f

rom Marshall,TX and they were all atwitter about going to six flags as well. Both of the other churches represented are both going to stay in the Bonne Terre area and see the local sights, and I told them all I expected full reports tomorrow!

Well as both crews were heading out I reminded them that they were all hard workers had deserved this break!

Till tomorrow my World Changers Peeps, peace out, keep cool, and keep changing the world

Mega Weenie Wednseday

2009-07-08T13:44:00.009-05:00

Third day already. Wowsers. So today was the much looked forward to half day. It almost slipped my mind, and it would have had disastrous results. Luckily I was reminded by the powers that be, so I rousted my trusty sidekick Adam, and we headed out to Bonne Terre. I had a plan for the conversations today. I was going to ask everyone where they were planning to go for their day off. Did I? Well of course not. Why have a plan unless you forget to follow it?

Brush Bunch/Brick Bats

Oh what a difference a few days can make to a house. Where once stood a house with cracking and thinned paint, now stands a proud bastion of brightly-painted glory. Although not completely done, you can definitely tell a difference where they have and haven't painted yet. The roof is also looking much better without the old hard and cracked shingles. Definitely a lot of hard work going on so far.
On a personal level, I felt a little tear in my eye as we left this site. One of the crew members said, "Hey, where are you goin?" I took this to mean he missed us. Maybe it meant he was just making small talk and wanted to know where we were headed now, but either way, I was touched.

Cinder Blockheads

Now I thought that I had it down. Murril St., Division St., Shepard St., Olive Street. I could have sworn I had it down after yesterday. Today proved to be another challenge to get to the site. But we got there, just as they were sitting down to lunch. We said our hellos, then went around the house to check on the few who were still working to finish little jobs up before lunch. Chase was on the roof at this time. I snapped a shot and he asked how he looked with his bandana draped over his neck. I said darn good. He said that was how he kept from being a red neck. Hehe. Get it? Sunburn. Redneck? You'll get it in a few years.... Anyways, a rare occurence happened. As we were taking pictures, we were asked how many pictures of us we had gotten. I was stumped. Ummm, none. My camera was promptly taken and aimed back at us. At the end of this blog, I'll post the results of this scenario. On a more serious note, the Cinder Blockheads have gotten a lot of their roofing job accomplished. They'll be having another
crew come and join them tomorrow to be sure of the jobs completion.

Tremendous Tuesdays in Desloge.

2009-07-08T13:12:00.003-05:00

So, the crews are doing a very fine job. The work is going by so quickly! It seems so much slower whenever you're the one doing it, I must say.

The Crowbars!
These guys are doing a great job. Roofing as always really hot and not too much fun. But they do enjoy Popsicles. ^_^ This is the first of four groups that I have visited. I would love to upload pictures, but I can't seem to figure it out. I might have to do a separate blog for pictures... haha. But this group is very fun to be around and hospitable. One of the students stepped into a gallon of paint. [I have a picture to show you of that.] But the crew just thought it was so funny! So, I have pictures of his shoe to show you. He accidentally knocked over the gallon and was walking around, leaving white shoe prints behind him and he didn't even know... hehe.

The Toe Nails!
This is, by far, the earliest I've seen a house done ever since I've been doing World Changers. By Tuesday, this little group has already finished their first house and, I'm assuming, have moved onto their next one. They've finished up all of the painting [which was their job] and their homeowners have been very welcoming and social with them. One kid on their crew, William, wouldn't stop working! Whenever I pulled up, he was this little bitty thing, hacking away at a tree stump in the front yard. Though it was the last thing that they had to do and it made since to continue working, he told me that I was crazy if I thought that I could make him take a break. He ate his Popsicle and continued right on working!

The Stone Rollers!
The Stone Rollers have a rather dangerous job. They are working on one of the steepest roofs I've ever seen a World Changers group work on. Only two people can work on the front roof at one time, it's so narrow. But the crew is still in high spirits and they're a lot of fun to sit and talk to. :)

The Goofus Roofers!
This is such a hard-working group. They have a very hot, unshaded roof and there's a lot to be done. However, they're still getting it done rather quickly. As I pulled up, there were four coming back from evangelizing, which is rather encouraging. The crew has a lot of spirit and they all seem to get along very well. I can tell that they're going to make a difference this week. :)

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So, seeing as how it's Wednesday, now, the crews are off to explore the wonderful world of Missouri around them. Today, they only worked for a half day and left after lunch to go get ready for their adventures! Pray for them to have safe travel and lots of fun and relaxation! :)

Until tomorrow, this is Melanie Steel; over and out.

Assault on Irondale

2009-07-08T00:20:00.002-05:00

Wait! What is up with this crew? As I pull up to site, I notice that they are sitting down. It's not lunch time yet. What are they doing? Oh, they are waiting for supplies to get here, but instead of just sitting around doing nothing, they have a great idea. They actually take advantage of the down time!

As I walk up to the group, I notice they are doing their crew devotion. It is being led by Paul (who I thought did a great job!) from Texas. Right after they finished their devotion time, lunch was brought by from the awesome FBC Irondale crew. By the time that lunch was over they were ready to get back to work because their materials had shown up. God had worked it out to where they really had no downtime.

Before I took off to my next location, I spent some time getting to know some young people like Kaleb from Russelville, Kaci from Marshal, and Tanner from Russelville. This was a lot of fun! I hope to get to know all of them better as the week progresses.

Well, it is getting very late now and I am already very tired! This was also the last stop of the sites that I will be covering for this blog. I am also visiting other sites, but it will be up to the official blogger for that site that will have to do all that work. I will just be an obverver. But until then this is me signing off.... Good night, God bless, and GO TO BED!!!!

There's Lead in Them Woods!

2009-07-08T00:01:00.003-05:00

Nothing is more fun than visiting the crew of Bob the Builder! Yep, you heard me right. We have the world famous Bob the Builder right here on our project. If you doubt me, just ask him and he will show you all of his "Bob the Builder" stuff. Anyway, back to the work site.....

I pull up to the Dandy Sanders' site to see what is going on. These guys are putting vinyl siding on this house. It isn't even that late into the morning yet and already they have a lot of it on. Of course this is no surprise when you have workers like Joshua from FKBC and our resident Kansas City Royals fan, Adam from Raymore. I was even able to witness how dedicated the Dandy Sanders are to safety. Take this story for example. Austin (who I think is pretty awesome) had a vicious, horrible, mean wasp buzzing around him, threatening to attack him and cause him severe pain. But in a selfless act, Doug from Wilsonville, reaches out and snags that evil wasp right out of mid-air and save the life of his fellow crew mate Austin. This is a true story of heorism! Well, OK. I guess I was laying it on a little thick, but it was pretty cool to see.

I decided that it was time to continue with my quest. The next location is to be found in the town of Irondale. See you there!

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck......?

2009-07-08T00:00:00.001-05:00

"I think I know where Woodchuck Rd. is." "Oh, this can't be it." "Where in the world is Woodchuck?" That is pretty much how it started for me today. Jake (my sidekick) and I headed out to Potosi to find the house on Woodchuck Rd. I tried to find it on Mapquest and Google Maps, but it isn't listed. So I figure that I can probably find it. After the road that I was on came to an end and said "Private Property" from that point on, I knew that we weren't in the right place. I made a phone call to the fantastic youth minister of Potosi Southern Baptist Church, Joel. He gave me some great directions and helped guide me right to the site. And what did I find there? The Knot Heads of course!

The Knot Heads crew was very busy doing yard work and filling in a large ditch. I got to talk a little with Laura from Goshen Trails who explained what they were going to working on this week. I also talked a little with Melissa (Corticelli), Trent (Wilsonville), Austin (Corticelli), and Henry (First Korean Baptist Church) as they shoveld dirt, red clay, and ashes into a wheel-barrow and emptied it into a large ditch that they were trying to fill. Trent wanted me to mention him in my blog specifically, but I don't think that I will do that. Further down, continuing to work on the ditch, I found Nathan (Central) and Suzanna (Wilsonville) working together. Macey (Benton), Laura (Goshen Trail), and Dayon (Florence, AL) were all at the end of the ditch trying to fill it in as well. Macey was giving it all she had as she pushed a very large rock into the opening all by herself. Good job Macey. As I was headed back to my car, I heard Henry proclaim that he had just found a dead body with a World Changers shirt on. We were wondering if this was a Jr. High student from last year that gave his crew chief too much trouble. (I'm gonna let you in on a little secret, there wasn't any body or anything else for that matter). I figured that it was time to move on and on the way out, I got a chance to talk with Josh, the Crew Chief. Things seemed to be working very smooth at this site. I so very carefully backed up and made it out of the driveway and headed toward the next site, which was in Leadwood.

Monday, The start of a great week

2009-07-07T18:30:00.009-05:00

Hey everybody it's monday (well it was when I took these pictures so...just play along) and I had a great day meeting my crew for the first time. Now today was a little slow mainly because when I went to the sites most of the crews looked at me like "ok so who's the weird guy" but its understandable, I would be suspicious of some guy driving in from who knows where and just taking pictures of me. Even though the first day was a little slow I have faith that by the end of the week we'll all know each other pretty well. Anyway on the the crews...

Tool Timers:

Ok first off I have to preface this with the fact the the tool timers are awesome because that was the name of my crew this year. I think the tool timers look like a great bunch of kids (and leaders) but they are going to be in my prayers seeing as a lot of them are first time world changers. The tool timers have the awesome job of painting the siding of a house, one of my personal favorite jobs. Now the job of painting may see easy enough as is but do keep in mind they did have to dodge falling debris of the other crew....

Hammer Heads:

Yes you heard right this was a double site, we had two crew working two jobs on one site.

While the tool timer where painting, the hammer head were trying not to drop shingles on their heads while they roofed. They both seemed to be getting along though, so I hope for I great week at this house.

Ok I'll be posting more later but my ability to post photos is limited so be patient.

Until we meet again, Josiah

The Farmington Frenzy

2009-07-07T18:15:00.005-05:00

Today I had the extreme pleasure to meet the two coolest crews that will be working in Farmington this week.

I began my adventure just a hop, skip, and a jump, down the street from the local Sonic, on Lee street, and man are these guys a cool crew! The Plumb Bobs have begun to tackle the task of painting the front porch of their home as well as to build from scratch an amazing wheel chair ramp. Today they were making up for lost time as they received their concrete to set the posts of this ramp. This group is a great mix of ages and regions, and as I was leaving over their afternoon snack they had the every present world changers chat about accents! They Members of this crew come from far and wide. From Iowa to Illinois, from Alabama to Texas, Each and every one of them brings a love for God and the work they are doing. Enthusiastic only begins to describe their attitude toward their project as they plunged ahead carrying on an energetic conversation and passing by the time.

The Roller Kings were the next stop on my trip, located on the other side of town on East Edward. Over run with Texans this crew has an accent thicker than butter, but their heart is what drives them. They, in just two days, have nearly conquered painting a whole two story house with a vibrant red! There next task will be to put up an eloquent wooden fence. Crew Chief Ray's response to being given such a large task, "bring it on!" All in all this crew has a great attitude and a strong work ethic and it shows in how much they have accomplished already! The one this still fresh on most of their minds is the lengthly trip most of theses crew members made to get here. As they worked they regaled tales of silly word games, long naps, and the memories that they made just beginning their trip!

Hopefully this has done these fabulous crews justice, to show their two days work in one day of blogging! Be back tomorrow! Till then, Keep on Changing the World!

2009-07-07T16:49:00.009-05:00

Hello errrvy body. I spent the last couple of afternoons checking out the progress the Bismarck crews have made and lemme tell ya, the good Lord has sent us some hard workers from the great states of Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas.

First up we have.... THE MERLE STREET MONKEY WRENCHES, sponsored by the Georgia Bulldogs(wink). The crew spent the first morning clearing brush, and what I would call an unhealthy part of the day, scraping paint. The jobs not glamorous, but these guys got right down to it. By the end of day two the crew had come a long way. Looking forward to the finished product guys. The monkey wrenches are the only crew I've visited so far with an injury(fingers crossed). It just so happens that the crew's medic, John, hurt his leg playing basketball with Big Mel. C'mon Big Mel, not the medic!

Next we have.... THE CEDAR STREET PAINT CHIPS, who earned their name I might add. Yes sir scrapin' paint is the name of the game. They seem to be the quiet group in Bismarck, but only because they had their minds on their work. Despite the hot Mizzury sun and the chiggers(which are NOT plants ;) ), their determination was unshakable and their progress admirable. By day two they were almost done painting one side of their house, while finishing up the scapin's on the other sides. Props to the paint chips.

And now I give you the first crew on Spruce Street... THE LUMBER RUMBLERS, lead by none other than 'DUN DUN DUN'.... Mr. Bob. These guys are roofing machines. When I visited the work site on day 1, Mr. Bob told me about a group of Alabamians who tore the old shingles off in no time flat. Don't let the funny accents fool ya, they're good honest workers. As soon as I walked up to the house on the second day Mr. Bob said to me, "Get this picture right here!" Adam Frew and Ann 'the Beast' Enoch had already completely shingled a side of the roof by themselves. Needless to say I was very impressed. Great job Lumber Rumblers.

And last but certainly not least, the second crew to grace Spruce Street.... THE MITER JOINTS! Both days I was greeted from the roof by Myles Brinkly, hard at work. If I didn't know any better I'd say he never came down. He also told me of a near by neighbor they had met that was on fire for Christ and praying for them and their work. The owner of the house the Miter Joints are working on is also very adamant about them being here. She was ecstatic when she found out the World Changers were more than willing to paint her porch, on top of putting a new roof on her house.

More to come in the following days...

YAY They're here!

2009-07-07T15:32:00.006-05:00

OK I know I'm really late with this but I have to get it done so that I can start monday (which is yesterday in current time). So saturday was fun, it consisted of helping all the churches unload their bags in pouring rain......which was fun. After that we had our opening ceremony, or as I call it: keeping several hundred kids busy while the leaders have their meetings. So then we had our sunday duties of getting the crews to they're sponsoring churches, eating lunch and, going to see they're sites for the first time. So I hate to sum both of these very important days into one small little post but I really need to catch up on my days and let everyone who's reading these blogs see what the houses look like so far.
So keep on keepin on, Josiah

Dueces

2009-07-07T13:26:00.006-05:00

There's nothing like waking up at the crack of nine o'clock. Except waking up at nine o'clock hearing hammers and knowing that the friendly neighborhood World Changers had been already working for two hours. It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago I was doing the ridiculous thing of waking up before 6 and working. Nothing like it.

So anyways, I made it to both sites today without any hooplah. Even got back without getting lost. I have vanquished thee, Bonne Terre. Today, I went to the Cinder Blockheads first. Nothing wrong with a little variety, right-ity?

Cinder Blockheads

So I rolled up on the Cinder Blockheads site much easier than yesterday. It didn't take fifteen minutes to find. (Yet somehow, I drove up from the opposite side than I did yesterday.) As I approached, ol' Crew Chief was directing operations on the roof, and a group were taking a break on the ground (as seen on the right), so I waltzed over and said hello. I was promptly introduced to Stanley the Stick and Fred the Hammer. Maybe, they'd been at break longer than I'd thought.... Anyway, we had a nice little talk, then I got a few snapshots of the workers on the roof and asked them how it was going. I also gave them strict orders not to fall unless I was there to get a picture. They felt the love. Buncha sweethearts.

Brush Bunch/Brick Bats

So as I got to the dual-project, the group was just sitting down for a devotion after their lunch. I milled about them and was able to snag a few waves and the occasional "How ya doin?" I got a few pictures of them gathered together, and a few of the work they'd done. They have ripped off quite a number of shingles. Not to mention the painting that the ground crew has accomplished, as you can see in the picture to the right. After getting my pictures, I ended up speaking to one of the guys who had supplied the lunch to the crews. After the conversation I got a few pictures of the group, then schedaddled. Hmmm.... is that with the 'ch' or a 'k'? Another topic for another time. In the meantime, rest assured that the World Changers in Bonne Terre are getting great amounts of work done.

Desloge Demolition: A Recount of Day One.

2009-07-07T11:34:00.006-05:00

The Crowbars!
The Crowbars are located on South Grant Street here in Desloge. And they are one of the roofing crews. They had a nickname for themselves,tough. Now, they said not to put it in the blog, but... I just have to! "The Fastest, Bestest Crew." hehe. We visited them around 2:00 pm yesterday, and the majority of the roof was already completely torn off! I was so impressed. Other then roofing, they are going to scrape and paint the trim around the windows and the eves. They are really doing a fantastic job! :)

The Toe Nails!

The Toe Nails are one of our painting crews. They have to paint this entire house and the eves. They have an eleven-person crew and are nearly done already! I was very impressed. Like all of the other crews I visited, the Toe Nails are a very likeable and friendly crew. They are stretching out their time a little by sending kids out to evangelize. Their Crew Encourager, Jenny, says that they’re a very hard-working crew and that they’re just amazing. I think so, too. ;D

The Stone Rollers!

The Stone Rollers [or Rolling Stones] are another one of our roofing crews. Their house is on North Harry Jr. in Desloge. With a funny and likeable crew, as well, the Stone Rollers seem to get along really well. They have an incredibly steep roof to work with and they are much braver than I am! Hehe. They’re getting a lot done, also. Well… Just see for yourself! ^_^

The Goofus Roofers!

Yet another roofing crew. This crew was very funny and introduced themselves by shouting out their names as I left. It’s a shame I can’t remember them. Hehe. But this crew is a unique one. Before the shingles were torn off of the roof, they wrote “World Changers Goofus Roofers” on one side of the roof. It was so funny! And cute. Hehe. But this crew is working very hard. The homeowner was outside talking to them whenever I got there yesterday, so I’ll keep you updated on how that goes! [How exciting!] :D

This Is So Me: An Introduction for World Changers Bonne Terre 2009.

2009-07-07T11:25:00.002-05:00

Well, hello, there. :)

So, I've meant to have published two posts already... However, I couldn't remember my password. That was kind of a problem. hehe. So, now that I've got my account all in order, I'll tell you a bit about myself.

My name is Melanie Steel. I'm about to be a senior in high school. I looove to play piano and I plan on being an aerospace engineer whenever I get older. This year for World Changers, our youth group went to Dallas, TX. However, this was my fifth year going to World Changers. I've been to Thompsonville, IL; Tulsa, OK; Gallup, NM; Hannibal, MO; and Dallas, TX. I love World Changers and God's really put a burden on my heart for missions!

I hope that you like this blog, though. I'm not the most eloquent writer on our blogging staff. But... Here we go, I guess. Hehe.

New in Town

2009-07-07T09:32:00.002-05:00

Hi there, My name is Lydia and I am the newest World Changers blogger on the block. I'm not so much new in town as the newest member to join the team. This week I'll be getting to know and introducing you to the two WC crews in Farmington. I am so pumped about the work that they are doing this week and I can't wait to get to know each and every one of the crew members!

I'll do this one day at a time

2009-07-06T17:47:00.000-05:00

Wow, It has been a busy couple of day here as we've been prepping for the people coming in and starting the first day. I've been going almost non-stop since friday and I haven't posted since then so lets start there.

Friday: I got up at 7:30 to get ready and be at the school by 8 o'clock. So I get all my things together and when i make it to the school there is nobody there.....Ok so I call Aaron (my youth leader) to ask where everyone is, he doesn't pick up. Now this is where the fun begins, I decide to drive up to the local 7-11 and try again. Before I can get my phone out again a cop turns on his lights and pulls up next to me, steps out and stars asking me what I'm doing. Apparently the cop saw me pull up next to the school and thought I was swerving because I was drunk.... After explaining my story I still feel like he doesn't believe me but, he lets me go. So I go back to the school to wait and, I see the cop circling the block several times to watch me, anyway back to friday. Ok, so at 9 I finally see the summer staff pull up then Lee and everyone else (yes I waited an hour, I know... I'm crazy but, I'm crazy for God) but despite all this I had a great day.

Friday consisted of all the fun that is included in setting up for hundreds of youths to come to our state to serve the lord. We put up a very large number of directional signs (which didn't stay up for long). Then we had to hang black plastic everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Now it may not sound like it but we did alot of work friday (enough to take us all day) so just remember alot lot of hard work and love goes into getting world changers ready.

Ok Im gonna rap this up because in the real world it is monday and I still have three days of blogging to catch up on, so catch you on the flip side. Josiah

Getting 300 people to 17 different churches ain't easy!

2009-07-06T16:39:00.004-05:00

My title for the week is "Associational Coordinator." Basically, what that means is that I am the local go to guy. I organize the local churches to sponsor the various crews that are spread throughout the area. On Sunday, each crew that is being sponsored by a church gets to go worship at that church and have a dinner following worship.

So, Sunday morning began with breakfast, followed by the group photo. Then we began going for the seemingly impossible tasks. The first one was getting everyone to say the phrase, "Hello, my name is and I'm a World Changer!" It was quite entertaining watching and listening to 3oo people butcher that phrase time after time. Finally, after dropping the first part, we were able to get "I am a World Changer" in unison. Way to go Adam!!

Now the fun began. Getting all of the crews to their churches. God took care of it and it went fairly smooth. We only had one group that was left behind (and they found their church).

I want to say a personal thank you to all of our churches that have offered to host a crew this year. I have only been hearing great things coming from the participants about you guys. Keep up the good work!

Because of the preparations for Sunday, I didn't get much sleep the night before, so I took advantage of the afternoon and took a nap. It wasn't long before it was time for evening worship and then time for lights out again and the end of day two. Already the week is going by fast, but there is still a lot to do!

Day 1: Bonne Terre Projects

2009-07-06T16:16:00.014-05:00

Well, I made my rounds for the first day. I met all the crews and got some pyschedelic snapshots. There are three crews under my watchful gaze, the "Cinder Blockheads", the "Brush Bunch", and the "Brick Bats". The Brush Bunch and the Brick Bats are both on one house; one painting and one roofing, respectively. Meanwhile, the Cinder Blockheads are flyin solo.
I first visited the Brush Bunch and Brick Bats. (Which, by the way, is way too much alliteration for one house to withstand, I believe.)

Brush Bunch/Brick Bats

Some folks are shy. These fellas aren't. No sooner had I got out of my car I recieved a friendly, "Hey kid." It actually made me feel good, I haven't been called kid in a while, hehe. I was assured by the Brush Bunch that they weren't just sitting around but waiting for paint. I told I understood, I've been in that position before. I didn't get much face time with the Brick Bats, because those guys were up topside roofing their little hearts out. What troopers. They had been scraping all morning, which I know, is exhasusting and tedious work. A+ for stickin it out. I'm sure they got twice the amount done after I left, so I'm probably in for a nice surprise when I arrive tomorrow. Can't wait.

Cinder Blockheads

Last week when I was told that I would be following the Bonne Terre sites, I got the locations in mind and drove on over to find them. The first I found without much trouble. The other, I drove around for about 30 minutes and was pretty sure I had located it, but didn't see any materials. So I figured I'd be okay today when I went. Wrong. I drove around for about 15 minutes looking for the site. I backtracked, I made circles, I made u-turns and countless other illegal maneuvers. Finally I turned onto Olive Street to turn around again. And parked in front of me was a big white 15-passenger van. I suppose God figured I had drove around blind without any clue where I was long enough and pointed me in the right direction. Upon introducing myself and telling about what I'd be doing throughout the week, I was asked, "So you're a pretty important guy?" Naturally, me being my humble self, I smiled and replied, "Definitely." I watched the crew get up on the roof after taking a break and resume the large amount of work that they had gotten done before I had arrived. They were already rolling out tar paper, and it wasn't even lunch time yet. Hats off to you fellas.

Greetings and salutations...

2009-07-06T16:11:00.002-05:00

Jacob here with a little introductory dialogue. Ima be the guy going around to all the lucky folks in the Bonne Terre projects. The Bismarck sites will probably see me a few times throughout the week since I can see half of em from my back yard. Sorry to everyone else who I won't get to visit, but this reporter can only do so much. I'll be keeping everyone updated throughout the week. Till then, keep your noses clean.

The No Name Post

2009-07-06T00:28:00.007-05:00

Why is this the No Name post? It's because I wasn't creative enough to come up with a name for it. Oh well, who cares? As long as there is information about the project in here, that is all that matters!

So, lets go backwards to Saturday at 2 p.m. Everyone was waiting in anticipation, watching the front doors, hoping to catch a glimpse of the first crew that will check in. We wait. Then we wait. And we wait a little more. And finally, here they come! The First Korean Baptist Church from Lewisville, TX pulls up to the curb. Then the flood gates open, both in church groups showing up and water from the skies. Up until that point, the rain had held off fairly well, but as we started unpacking groups and helping them get to their rooms, it began to pour! Everyone was soaking wet and dashing back and forth from the vans to the doors. What a way to start the project.

After getting everyone moved in, the project started. We moved to the Opening Celebration, and then to supper. After a few minor issues with supper on the first night, we headed to Sonrise Baptist Church in Bonne Terre for worship and to watch the fireworks display by the City of Bonne Terre. This was a great way to celebrate the 4th of July. Personally, I was very impressed by the fireworks display.

We return to the school after the fireworks and the groups head to their youth group devotions and then start getting ready for bed. This ends day one (at least for the participants). The staff start preparing for the next day, but we will save that for a later post.

Unfortunately, something is not allowing me to upload any photos to the blog from this location. As soon as I can get access to somewhere that allows me to upload them, I will add photos here. Keep watching for them!

Heyo!

2009-07-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

Whats up everybody? I'm Casey, and I'll be in charge of blogging for all the crews that work in the town of Bismarck. Don't have too much to say at the moment but I will say this: Thank you for giving up a week out of your summer to come work in my community. The people of Bismarck do appreciate it and will be praying for you. See you Sunday morning!

Bring 'em on!

2009-07-04T08:45:00.002-05:00

Well, it's nearly 9 a.m. on the 4th of July. I am listening to rumblings of thunder and rain hitting the window as it gently falls. In just a few hours, everyone will start showing up in Desloge and begin unloading their trailers.

Everything is ready for them. We spent all day yesterday, the 3rd, putting up black plastic, building shower stalls, hanging signs, setting up equipment, and doing all of the other things that has to be done to prepare for everyone's arrival.

So, bring 'em on! We are ready. It is going to be an exciting week. Keep us in your prayers and keep checking back to see what is happening.

Hello WC Bonne Terre!

2009-07-02T22:54:00.003-05:00

Hello, I am Josiah and I will be one of your lovely bloggers in the week to come, I may also be taking pictures of and spending some time with your crew (you lucky dog you). I had great time helping summer staff unload today (I know fun work?) and I am going to be up at 8 tomorrow to help set up more stuff at the school *yay*. Anyway I just wanted to let you know who I am and that I am more than ready for the week to start so I can meet all you wonderful people, summer staff excluded (not meaning the summer staff aren't wonderful, meaning I already met them and they're a good bunch of people). Ok so get here soon and drive safe!

What's that? The Summer Staff is here?

2009-07-02T21:40:00.003-05:00

So, what did we do today? Well let me tell you all about it. We helped the Summer Staff move in! Yep, they are here and ready to start working. A lot has to be done before everyone else gets here. When they first got into town, we had a meeting over lunch at River Hills in Park Hills. Then we headed back to the middle school to get to work.

My "team of Ninjas" and I helped unload their trailer, move a lot of boxes, pack a lot of boxes, and set up their equipment. It was like a bunch of little ants carrying things all around from one place to another until everything got to where it belonged.

With tomorrow comes the task of preparing the building for the arrival of everyone. We have to put up signs, divide the hallways, and make everything all wonderful for Saturday. Maybe tomorrow, I won't forget my camera and I will have some pictures of what is going on (because I know some of you out there like looking at the pictures!).

I also want to say a great big THANK YOU to Josiah, Daniel, Matt, and Mark for coming out and giving so much help. You guys are awesome!!!!!!!

The team has been assembled and off we go...

2009-06-30T21:32:00.003-05:00

It's that time again! Please keep your hands and feet inside the blog at all time because the posts are gonna start flying! It is now Tuesday night. I have assembled my team of super bloggers and we are ready to start blogging. I have asked each of them to introduce themselves in some posts that will be coming VERY soon! Keep an eye out for them.

As I said, things are going to start happening very fast. Tomorrow (yeah, can you believe it?), the first of our non-local staff will begin arriving. On Thursday, the rest of the staff will be here. We will have everything ready for our guests on Friday!

We will keep you up to date as things happen, so keep checking back often. If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know.

And now, introducing our amazing bloggers..............

WC Bonne Terre 2.0

2009-04-17T10:35:00.003-05:00

Well, things are starting to get fired up around here again. We are busy with all of the tasks that have to be done. Craig, our Construction Coordinator, is making decisions on the homes that will be worked on. Lee, our Project Coordinator, is looking over the facilities that we will be staying in. I am recruiting the churches that will be hosting our crews. Basically, everything is coming together as we get closer and closer to July 4.

If you are still following this blog from last year, thanks for staying with us. You will begin to see more activity from now until the start of the project. Then, as you already know, around July 2 this blog will take off and have lots of updates all week long. If you are new here, then I would like to welcome you and introduce you to what what this is and why we do it.

We call this blog "On Site" because it is all about the things that are going on here at our project. Between now and July, there won't be as many updates because there isn't really too much to blog about. We will have updates when circumstances call for them. Make sure and check back after April 25 because there should be a post about our Pre-Project visit. Then a few days before the project begins, you will start seeing multiple posts everyday. These posts will have information about what the crews are doing, life around the school, worship services, and pretty much anything else that we think would be worthwhile to blog about. We also like to include pictures (because we all know that everyone loves pictures).

The reason that we do this is so that people back home can see what their students are doing and also so that after everyone returns home, they will have something that they can go back to and have a small record of what happened during the week.

Go back into the archives and check out the posts for the 2008 project. You will get a better idea of what this is all about. I recently did this myself and it brought back some great memories of the awesome things that happened last year.

Bookmark this site, spread the word about it, and enjoy everything that we offer on it. Thanks for checking it out. We hope to see you again soon!

Your Bro. In Christ,
Aaron Radford
Bonne Terre World Changers
Associational Coordinator

UPDATE - 2009 Project - Help Us Spread the Word

2008-11-20T10:53:00.002-06:00

Hello to everyone who is still following these posts. I hope that everything is going well for you guys. The other day, I was reading through the posts for the 2008 project and remembering how awesome of a job that everyone did for our community. This makes me even more excited about the 2009 project. I can't wait!!

However, we need some help from everyone. We have just received word that the registration for our project is lower than expected at this time. Unfortunately, if we do not have at least 100 participants registered for Bonne Terre, MO by December 10, 2008, our project will most likely be canceled for next summer. I expect that most of the people that follow this blog were either in Bonne Terre last summer or had a connection to someone that attended the project here. I would guess that most of you have already registered for another project or are looking for something at a different location. I understand that completely. However, if you could help us spread the word about our project that would be awesome.

Please share your thoughts about our project with others that are looking at World Changers projects. I know that Bonne Terre may not be one of those names that stand out when you look over the list of options, but let others know about your experiences here.

We are looking forward to another great week here. Thanks again for everything that was done this past summer! God is awesome and He is in control. Whatever happens, we will trust Him with it.

Tying Up Loose Ends

2008-07-22T22:03:00.002-05:00

Well, it looks like things are slowing down. Obviously, the posts are not coming too fast because it has been well over a week since everyone headed home. It also looks as if the number of visitors to the site has slowed as well. So, I figured it was time to kind of wrap things up.

First of all, I would like to apologize to the few crews that didn't get as much coverage as the others. Unfortunately, the person I asked to do this, let me down. I'm sorry you guys. I will try to get the pictures that were taken and add them to our album. You all did a fantastic job and I do thank you for that!!!

I have added a few things to the blog. There are some permanent links, a poll, and a slide show of the pictures in the album. For anyone who is still checking out this blog, please use these tools. Also, if you have any suggestions regarding this blog or ideas for something to add to it, please let me know. I can be emailed at aaron@wcbonneterre.com.

Something else that might be of interest to anyone involved with our project is a Facebook group set up by our Project Coordinator, Lee Saunders. This page can be found by clicking here. This group is specifically for anyone who served in Bonne Terre.

We have already started planning for next years project. It will take place from July 4 - 11, 2009. Spread the word. We are looking forward to having another great project.

Again, I would like to thank each and every one of you that had a part in this project. Thank you for allowing God to use you and minister to the people of the Mineral Area. I will continue praying for you. Please continue to pray for us.

Keep in touch through the Facebook page, my email address listed above, comments on here, carrier pigeon, or any other way that you can get a message to me.

If anything else arises that I feel should be posted on here, I will post it. Other than that, I guess this will wrap it up. Check in every once in a while to see if there is anything new (or subscribe using the RSS feed). Things will pick back up again around the first part of July 2009.

Good bye, God bless, and thanks again!!!!!!!

--Aaron Radford, Youth Minister at FBC Bismarck, MO

Bandwagon Believers

2008-07-14T09:54:00.002-05:00

I know that this is being posted a few days after the project finished, but I wanted to say something about our final worship service.

First of all, thank you Luke for allowing God to use you to speak to us every evening. It was a great week of worship!

Friday night's worship was extreme for me. The message that was brought is so true in today's society. Coming out of John chapter 6, Luke spoke to us about being a Bandwagon Believer. These are "believers" who only follow Jesus when it is convenient for them. They follow Him for entertainment and selfish reasons. They only want Him when they decide it is best for themselves. These so called "believers" are not true believers!

A true believer is one who comes to know Jesus not only as Savior, but they also come to know Him as Lord. They let Him have total control of their life. Whatever it is that He says, they do it. He is the One in control.

Again, thank you Luke for bringing this message from God to us. Above was just a simple summary of what our speaker had to say. However, I think it is plenty to get people to thinking. Unfortunately, the "bandwagon believer" seems to be an epidemic in the world today. Whether you were actually at Friday night's worship or reading about it here, I pray that the message makes you examine your own life and make decisions that need to be made. Be honest with yourself and God regarding your relationship with Him. Is Jesus the Lord of your life? Does He have total control? Or are you just playing some game with Him that really has no meaning at all?

Finishing Up On Friday

2008-07-12T21:38:00.015-05:00

Well, this is Friday's entry. I can sum it up by saying, everyone is wrapping things up.

The Goofus Roofers were still painting with the "Dolphin Gray." The inside of the car port was almost finished. They were also ripping off the wooden siding on the outside of it and replacing the wood. Things seemed to be running smoothly and efficiently. Things had come a long way since Monday when we first visited this site. We didn't stick around too long because they had work to do and we didn't want to get in their way.

There was a lot of activity going on at the Drips & Runs site. Glueless came down to help them out since their job had been finished. They were finishing up their roof and also, to my surprise, they had ripped off the car port! I thought that they were probably going to leave it at that. They were busy repairing the locations where the car port had once been, cleaning up the debris left behind, and other jobs that had to be finished. All this was going on before lunch. There was also quite a bit of visiting going on between the two newly joined crews. We figured that we had probably seen what we needed and decided to move on. But here is an unexpected update (remember that I am kind of slow getting to these posts sometimes). I went by on Saturday evening and saw that they had built a brand new car port onto the house! Yay Drips & Runs and Glueless!!!!! It looked very nice. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera, but I will try to get over there to get a picture of the completed project.

When we went to check into how the Dandy Sanders were doing, the first thing I saw was a single young man sitting up on top of the roof, all by himself. Now, I guess that I am easily amused, but the picture that crossed my mind cracked me up. It looked as if his crew had packed up and forgot him on the roof and he was waiting quietly for them to come back for him. Of course this was not the case. As we rounded the corner, there everyone else was on the other side of the roof. This young man (I didn't get your name, but you know who you are) was actually nailing the ridge cap on so they could finish this roof. The others were going about doing those jobs that had to be done to make it complete.

The last crew we visited in Park Hills was the Dumpsters. While visiting with them, I got another unexpected surprise. They needed some help on a small piece of roof that they were working on and they asked me to come up and help. Now if you know me at all, me and the roof don't agree. I don't usually go up on them, but I did and helped them get some roll roofing in place. I survived and also taught them a lesson in why the World Changers have the long pants rule in the dress code! I also got to see their finished product. It looked great! They painted the house and the front porch and steps. Nice job guys and gals!!!!

That pretty much rounded out our trip. After that, we headed back to Bismarck to take care of some business. We got to see what was going on there, but that was already taken care of in a previous post.

Help me, Chief, I've got plans for you and me...

2008-07-11T23:37:00.010-05:00

As I was driving toward Bismarck, I told myself: "This is it. This is the last day. They're all going home." It was sort of sad to bid farewell to them all, but extremely happy and uplifting to see the amazing work they all did for the Lord. They changed the lives of the people in Bismarck. They really changed their world. hehe...

I decided I would drive to Merle street first. I could see that their vans weren't there, so I took a picture of the newly painted house and moved on to Plainview, hoping that was where the missing crew was. I guessed right. I found bits and pieces of three of my crews at Plainview. The Joint Clamps were busy putting up siding, but looking closer I could see members of the Hand Saws there too. I even found bits and pieces of the crew from Walnut, The Hard Hats, working on the front porch.

There were people putting up siding, there were some people painting, some were putting finishing touches on a hand rail, some were giving out hugs to tired Crew Chiefs, others were picking up materials, some were washing paintbrushes, others were searching for tape measures, some were carrying ladders, some were lounging about, and others were eating ice cream.
It was fun just to walk around and talk with whoever was willing to talk. Wendy was kind enough to tell me her story of how she first became a crew cheif and of how she learned so much about siding. I met up with Kristy and Andrew again. I talked with Nick and other World Changers and chatted about my own World Changers experiences and the places I had been.

I gave out the blog URL several times and figured I had better head out for the day and let them all finish up their project. After taking several more pictures and chatting with a few more people, I bid them all one last farewell. I drove by the houses on Gifford and Walnut and tooks pictures of the finished projects.

....

It was amazing what these World Changers did for Bismarck. I know we all appreciate you and thank God for all of you and all that you did! ^_^

Random Thought of the Day: Jesus loves you!!

"Only the Beginning of the Adventure"

2008-07-11T22:23:00.003-05:00

The last day...

It was kind of sad going to see the crews for the last time. Although I got to see the Knott Heads for the first time today. They were the crew out on Randolph Road that I couldn't find Monday and on Wednesday I just missed them. I brought them some brownies and talked to a couple of guys from Texas and Tennessee. They both said that they had a really great week, but they were ready to go home and see their family and friends. The crew looked kind of busy with the roof, but looked to be just about done with it.

The Level Heads were busy at work when I went to see them. They had finished the roof yesterday, but now they were told to do the siding on the front of the house. I felt sorry for them for having to rush to get done on the last day, but they weren't worried at all. The crew chief said they could get it done and everyone had a really great attitude about the task at hand. The home owner seemed really happy, I'm sure they changed his world. (*hehe*)

The Lumber Rumblers had finished their job at 10:30 a.m. They were playing with the home owners children when I got there. And one guy from their crew was next door talking to the neighbors. They all looked like they were having a great time. When I got out of my car they said "Hi Allie!" WOW! That made me feel really good because I didn't think they would remember me. I told them it made me feel pretty cool that they did. Their demanding crew chief from Jeff. City, MO told me to have some pizza, haha! He was funny. They were all a lot of fun to be around, they were very friendly!

The Mitre Joints were finishing clean up around the house. They were just about done and were hoping to get in the showers first. HA! When you're at World Changers getting in the showers first is a pretty killer thing!

I can't believe its over. They all head out tomorrow...well, actually a Texas crew had left at about 8 p.m. They all did such a wonderful job! This is really going to change this community! I hope that each World Changer crew had an awesome week. It was fun to get to talk to the different crews. If there are any World Changers reading this now, later, or whenever...I just want you all to know how much we appreciate all that you've done here. Even if you may not get to see the outcome of your work, God may have had you plant a seed and soften someone heart so that they will be more willing to listen the next time someone tells them about God. You all did a GREAT JOB!!!

THANK YOU WORLD CHANGERS, FOR CHANGING OUR LITTLE WORLD IN AND AROUND BONNE TERRE!

More Bits of Knowledge From Aaron

2008-07-11T15:21:00.002-05:00

1. Bruce knows a whole lotta something about nothing.
2. Linda likes to play her flute for her church group in the mornings.
3. Butch the dog likes pop-tarts.
4. Ryan (Shorty) from Granite City is amazing and holds ladders.
5. Using the term soda is "yankee".
6. Why is 6 afraid of 7? Because 7 8 9.
7. If you're a crew chief, you should never challenge your crew to finish by Thursday if you like your hair.
8. Shannon from Illinois likes green walnuts (thanks Nathan).
9. Shaking left hands is not cool in some cultures.
10. Never play cards when someone is standing over your shoulder telling everyone else what cards you have in your hand.

The End Is In Sight

2008-07-11T14:39:00.004-05:00

Let's take a look at Thursday. We are getting close to the end of the week. Some jobs are starting to see the end, while others are beginning to make crew chiefs a little bit nervous. Everyone is evaluating their job to see where they stand.

The Miter Joints were working hard. They had once side of the roof where they had already started putting the shingles back on and the other side was completely scraped. It looked as if they had quite a bit still to do. However, this was our first stop, so they still had the rest of the day and all day on Friday to finish up. It looked like they should be able to finish it without too much trouble.

Next, we headed over to the Level Heads. They were putting the finishing touches on the roof and working on various jobs around the house and yard. There were people cleaning the gutters and also doing various kinds of yard work. Allison told us that this was a "great crew" and that she was very proud of what they were doing and how well they were doing it. Something pretty cool that I noticed was that probably most of the work that they were doing wasn't on the list of required work. They were looking for different jobs to do. When they found something that needed some attention and they were capable of doing it, they would jump in and get it done. They finished their job on Thursday.

The Lumber Rumblers were also hard at work. When we arrived, Jacob (Garden Oaks) and Victor (Arkansas) were wringing out a towel. They were trying to help get the roof dried off so that they could work on it safely. They had a little ridge cap factory going in the back where Jed and another guy (so sorry that I missed this name) were cutting up a storm. It looked like this project wasn't too far from being finished either.

And finally we made it to the Knot Heads. One of the first statements that was given to me was that their crew chief made them show up on the site 30 minutes early! How terrible! That mean old crew chief! Just kidding. They still had a lot of work to get done and he knew that they needed the extra time. And they were hitting it hard. I even heard the sounds of a grinder cutting through the stone on the back side fo the house. I got to have a pretty good visit with the crew. I am thinking that Derrick is the daredevil of the group since he was planning to "jump off the roof." Just kidding!!!!! If this is any of Derrick's friends or family reading this, he is actually a very safe and responsible young man who made sure to state that he was NOT a daredevil!!! "Shabookway Jones" (Tim), the firefighter, is a very respectable man. The things he does for the Lord in the conditions that happen are very impressive to me. Keep up the awesome job Tim! I also got to chat with others from the crew, including Eyan (I hope this is the right spelling!) (aka Jonas). Things were also moving right along here and it looked like they would probably be finished early on Friday.

As we were discussing their crew, one of the members mentioned how far out of town they were and the fact that no one ever came to visit them or bring them snacks, so, being the nice youth minister that I am, I picked up some frozen juice pops and took them out for an afternoon snack. I think that they were pretty happy with them. Most of them were gone in a few minutes.

From my very unprofessional eye, it looked like everything was on schedule and should be finished by Friday evening.

Set Your Sights to the Finish Line ...and phasers to stun.

2008-07-10T23:21:00.006-05:00

I was excited to visit my crews. Yes, I said my; I'm growing quite attached to them all. I look forward to seeing their shining faces (albeit from sweat) each day. I missed a lot of them yesterday because of the Wednesday business, so I stayed at each site a little extra today.

I visited the Hammerheads first. As I could have predicted, they were almost finished! Nearly everyone was on the roof working hard. I got a chance to talk to Patti more, she was down picking up debris and things. Brother Kennon (aka FBC Bismarck Pastor, aka amazing guy) stopped by and so Patti called for a break. I think the break master caught wind of this, because the next thing I know everyone is yelling "BREAK!" at the top of their lungs. hehe. They offered me something to drink (so kind) but I kindly declined, I was on a mission! I had three other crews to visit. Before I left, though, I asked them what they did yesterday. Apparently, one church went to the zoo and visited the arch... I learned though that one van took a couple of wrong turns and got just a little lost... hehe. Those pesky Missouri Highways.

I drove down the road to the Hard Hats next. Wow, they had really moved along. One of the wheelchair ramps was finished, the concrete was poured, and the awnings were back on the house. Several people, including Wes and another guy whose name I forgot (sorry), were screwing extra screws into the hand rails for support and Becky was applying finishing touches to the awnings. The Hard Hats seemed very busy, so I didn't disturb them too much today, hehe. They did tell me though, that they still had some hand rails to finish up and a cellar door to finish.

I drove across town to visit my Friends on Merle Street next. The Hand Saws were finishing painting their house. May I add it looked fantastic! I'm saying this, because I had the privilege of seeing the first coat of paint they were using... Remember that buttery color I described earlier? Hehe, well, it is no more. The house was now a lovely tan color. I stayed for a while and talked to them about what they had been doing and what their churches did the night before. Some churches went to the zoo, others visited one of my favorite places around here: Elephant Rocks. If you don't know, this is an area of large rocks that you can climb over and through. Under and around. You can stay on the paved trails, or venture off and explore things for yourself. At the top of one of the largest gathering of rocks is a lovely view and two giant rocks that are shaped sort of like elephants. (If you use your imagination and squint really hard...) I always enjoy the conversation this crew brings, but I had to visit the next crew...

I got in my car and drove down the block to the crew on Plainview. The Joint Clamps. The first thing I saw was the wonderful job they had done with the chain linked fence. The second thing I noticed was Joe balancing himself on the roof. They had two people cleaning out gutters. Two people who were afraid of heights... hehe. I noticed Wendy and a lot of other World Changers were gathered around the shed, so I went back that direction. She was explaining to a few of them how to properly put on the soffet and nail siding the the shed. I was just standing their a couple of minutes and I learned a lot from her! They were doing a wonderful job with the siding, I remember what the shed looked like before and this was a much nicer improvement! I took a couple of pictures and then left them to their siding. It was another wonderful day with, my crews. I can't wait to visit them tomorrow... Even if it will be sad that it's the last day...

Random Though of the Day: Regina Spektor is 5' 1 and 3/4" tall.

Days Three and Four!

2008-07-10T22:58:00.003-05:00

Wednesday:

Wednesday was a fun day for the Wrold Changers. After working hard all week so far, the World Changers got off early. After they ate lunch, the World Changers got to go back to the school that they're staying at, get ready, and go out. Worship services were held off and the different youth groups got to different places to take a nice little break. Some groups went to Elephant Rocks [a local park that is home to many large rocks that a park-goer can climb and explore, on- or off-trail], Bonne Terre Mines [Bonne Terre is an old mining town, and you can go explore the mines on a tour.], and some groups went to Columbia Park. At the park, a concert was held by Parallax View. It was a pretty exciting time and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves a lot.

Thursday:

The Brush Bunch:

During the past two days, the Brush Bunch has been working pretty hard, re-roofing and re-painting the shudders on a house down on Cowling St. They seem to have really made a connection with their home owner, also, which is really cool. At the beginning of the week, I thought that it was funny that this group was named the "Brush Bunch," when they weren't even painting! That was, of course, before i found out that they were painting the shudders. hehe. But, I think the Brush Bunch is doing an awesome job! ^_^

The Cinder Block-Heads:

Today, when we stopped by the Cinder Block-Heads' work site over on Grant, we saw the crew members hard at work. If you saw this house on Monday, and returned today to see it, you wouldn't even think it's the same house! These talented workers have cleared the lawn, trimmed the hedges, painted the eves, and cleaned the gutters! They are yard-cleaning machines! They're doing an awesome job, too. The yard looks great, and everyone seems to be really having fun and making friends. They're doing a really good job! ^_^

It's Raining, It's Pouring......

2008-07-10T17:00:00.003-05:00

Ahhhhh..... Wednesday. Everyone looks forward to Wednesday. The crews get half the day off and spend the afternoon and evening having fun and chilling. But the first half of the day is still work as usual!

Rain was in the forecast for Wednesday the 9th. And we got what was promised us. It wasn't anything torrential, but it still caused some delays. However, the crews did what they could.

It is kind of ironic I guess that the first crew we visited on the rainy day was the Drips & Runs. They were trying to get as much done on their roof as possible. Daniel was cutting drip edge with a utility knife (their snips were MIA). After Daniel finished the cut, David decided that his 1 1/2' measurement that he gave should have been more like 2'. We found Rhena picking up nails with a magnet. She took a break to share her testimony with us. Way to go Rhena!!! Keep that up and practice, practice, practice! Bruce had to pick up some gasoline to thin out some tar and Courtney discovered that she was the only one in the group that didn't know the term "Hot Dogging" means to show off. As we were getting ready to move on to the next crew, we had a nice surprise as the Dumpsters came around the corner for a little visit. Fun was had by all!

Next up, Goofus Roofers. Many of them were working or sitting under the carport. I was not sure why they were all there, but I found out that it smelled "good" in there. I doubt the fumes had much effect, but you sometimes you can't tell because many teens are kind of silly anyway! Just kidding. These guys were working hard, despite the rain. Tyler (from Houston NW) and Danny (from Russleville) had proof of their hard work. I have a picture of this proof, but picture uploading is being blocked from my current location, so if you don't see the picture yet, come back soon to see if I got it through. Katie's knee was hurting her. As we were preparing to leave, the crew was going to be starting their devotion. Discussion took place as to where to hold this devotion. The port-a-potty was mentioned, but I guess since it doesn't hold that many people, they decided on having it in their van.

Glueless had been working with concrete. They were pouring a new pad for a carport. Katie had been spreading around lots of gravel and a lot of the concrete was poured the day before. Happily, Haley from Houston NW reported that there were no cases of concrete poisoning for this job! Yay! There was a group that was also painting a porch swing. Suzanne, Nick, Chelsea, Josh, and Abby were all chatting with us. They also had a visitor with them, Landon, from Park Hills. Megan from Memphis also told us that she got to clean a "nasty" gutter.

We went by the Dumpsters site, but not a whole lot was happening because of the rain. Emily, Wesley, and Clayton were trying to get something done, but the weather just wasn't cooperating. The job was coming along well, however.

I must apologize to the Dandy Sanders because we never made it to their site. We did visit them on a later date and things were going great, but that will be saved for a future post.

So, now, I believe that I am not too far behind in the posting. I will get some pictures up as soon as I get a chance. Until next time...............

Squirrel Chaser

2008-07-10T16:45:00.003-05:00

Today I went with Ryan again to the Park Hills crews. Ryan had made some cookies and cream puffs so we were going to give those away.

Our first stop was to see the Glueless crew. They were done with the driveway, the shed, and the deck. They were cleaning things up when we got there at about 1:30, and some of the members of their crew were helping out the Drips and Runs (I'll get to them later). They had done a wonderful job and had finished fast. I guess they'll be helping another crew tomorrow.

The Gufus Roofers were doing well. They had painted a lot and it was really coming along. They were eating watermelon that the youth leader from Ester Baptist had brought them. Scott showed us a song and dance to his version of the World Changers song, "Squirrel Chaser." It was funny!

I was glad we actually got to chat with Regina from the Drips and Runs because Tuesday they were pretty busy so we really didn't get to talk to any of them. Regina was really nice and judging by her optimistic attitude, I'd say she was their Crew Encourager, although I'm not sure because I forgot to ask. lol! Sorry! Anyway...Regina was telling us about the crew, she said that they had got a lot of help from locals and from other crews like the Gufus Roofers. She also said that they would probably finish today. They were doing awesome because they looked like they had a pretty tough job, but they did it! There was some concern still about the car port, Regina said she wasn't sure if they were going to fix it or have someone else fix it later on.

The Dandy Sanders were busy roofing. They were happy to see me and Ryan because we had brought them brownies Tuesday. This time we came equiped with cream puffs which their crew chief was happy about. He said he was going to keep them and not tell anyone where they were. lol! They had informed their home owner that they were going to finish today and they'd come back tomorrow to finish cleaning up.

The Dumpsters were our last stop for the day. Some of them were painting the front pourch, while the others were finishing on the roof. I got the chance to talk to Wesley from Illinois. He told us about going to the Bonne Terre Mines with his youth group yesterday for their free night. He thought it was really neat. He told that this week had went by really fast and that it kind of made him sad that it was almost over.

I had a lot of fun today chatting it up with all the different World Changer crews. Tomorrow I'm back to the Farmington/Bonne Terre crews, hopefully I won't miss them this time.

Tuesday (two days late this time)

2008-07-10T14:42:00.006-05:00

OK. I have already admitted that I am sometimes slow to getting these things posted. This one is no exception, but I am trying to get better! So let's take our time machine and set it back to Tuesday, July 8, 2008 ...............................................................................

...................................We are now arriving at the Lumber Rumblers. These guys were working hard, but the rain was playing with them. It would rain a little and then stop, then maybe a little more rain again. They weren't sure if they should cover things up or keep working. They had just finished tossing all their equipment into the back of the truck and the rain stopped. Work had started again by the time we got there. We got reports that the lunches at this site were really good and that God was blessing their crew and their work. Three members of the crew had just returned from going door to door and praying with local residents. I'm not real sure about this, but I was told that I did have an accent, but strangely, according to Sandy, it was a Canadian accent. I'm not sure where she got that from, eh.

Next stop - Highway D and the Level Heads! Once again, the rain was playing with these folks. One of the first things we heard at this site was "WE NEED SHINGLES ON THE ROOF!!" This was an urgent plea so they could get the plastic weighted down. The next thing I knew, I had a bundle of shingles on my shoulder, carrying them up the ladder. After many trips up and down the ladder, the roof was protected from the rain. Then it stopped raining again. I think that God has a sense of humor. What else was going on around these parts? There was a discussion on y'all and whether it was plural or singular and if coke or soda was the proper term (these of course were brought up because of the Canadian accent remark from the last crew). I also learned that soda is a "yankee" term. Jessica from Arkansas told us that they can't tell if Jeff is lying or telling the truth. Oh, and Jake (from Arkansas), I sure hope that they don't "accidentally" push you off the roof! And finally, there were two questions of the day for this group. 1. What is Seth's real name? and 2. "What's a gully washer?"

Next on the agenda, Mitre Joints in Bonne Terre. Here, we learned many things. We learned All About Potties. We also found out more about Bob from TN. Angela thought that the little white butterflies were exciting and Emily must enjoy the thrill of nearly falling off roofs. One last thing that was learned from this very knowledgeable group was how to neutralize a jelly fish sting. This crew had been hard at work on their roof and things looked like they were moving right along.

This concludes our time travel trip for now. Please make sure that your tray tables are locked and that your chairs are in the full upright position. Thank your for traveling with Arrow Time Travels.

Rainy days and Wednesdays...it'll get you everytime

2008-07-10T12:00:00.005-05:00

Day 3:
Yesterday

It was a rainy day. A little too rainy if you ask me. I had just finished work and was thinking about the bacon cheese burger at Hunts. I got my burger and thought I'd just go ahead and wait out the rain. So, I waited. Then after some time and a few Harry Connick Jr. songs I decided to head over to my crews.

I came upon Hickory Street. It was quiet, a little too quiet. I drove past my first stop. GONE! They were all gone. No vans, no roofers, all that was left was a Johnny-on-the-Spot. I was too late. The rain had taken them...(or so I then thought).

I was determined not to let their disapperance get to me. I was headed for my second stop, in hopes they were still there. As I drew closer to the house, I was filled with unsure thoughts. "Were they there? Had the rain taken them as well? Which house was it?" At last! I could see white vans! YES! I wasn't too late!

I talked to the Level Heads and gave them some chocolate/peanut butter cookies that my mom had made. They were all there, happy as ever...safe and sound. They were even sitting and chatting with their home owner who was very kind, might I add. They were practically diving at the cookies, which made me feel pretty good. They asked for my testimony so I talked about myself for a while. Then I asked them how they were doing, and how the roof was coming along. Their answer was a good one. They were on their way to finishing one side of the roof and things were really going good for them. (I think this God fella mighta had something to do with that.) I stayed and talked to them until I realized...IT WAS WEDNESDAY!!! OH NO!

It all made sense now...the rain hadn't taken the first crew, they had left becasue it was Wednesday, the day that World Changers leave the site early to have a fun night. I had let that bacon cheese burger cloud my vision (and the cheese balls sure didn't help anything either). I had to go! I had to get to the last two crews on my list before they left!

I was headed to the Randolph Rd. crew. It was a hard one to find before, but this time I was on the right track. I was driving, when all at once...there they went. A white van of World Changers drove past me as I could see the Randolph Rd. sign right ahead of me. Rain fell on my window as I sighed the sigh of failure.

NOOOO!!! I had let them slip away. They would never enjoy those cookies my mom had made for them. I had failed them. I called up the captain to explain my situation. He told me it was ok, but also that it would be crazy to try to find the Bonne Terre crew, there was no time. They would be gone as well.

I'm on a new assignment today. No bacon cheese burgers this time. I'll report back later.

Wednesday.

2008-07-10T02:54:00.005-05:00

After working in the rain all morning, the crews today were relieved from their duties early. Part of the World Changers project includes a half-day Wednesday where the crews are allowed to leave early and head back so that they may shower and clean up for some group outting. I heard rumor that some churches were heading to Elephant Rocks and places of that nature, but the vast majority, considering there isn't much to do around here, ended up spending their afternoon in Columbia Park. Parallax View put on a concert. The CMA spent their time talking with the World Changers and cooking their food. Even the weather calmed down and allowed for a nice evening. I heard sounds of laughter and merriment, so I assume everyone was having a good time. I'm sure the pool and free food were welcome gifts to those hard working World Changers.

Random Thought of the Day: On average, every year you swallow eight spiders while you sleep.

Party in the Park

2008-07-09T23:55:00.002-05:00

First off, I must apologize because I am behind on my blogging. I will get caught up as soon as possible. We are busy, busy, busy!

However, I did want to say just a bit about tonights activity. We had organized a get together for everyone at Columbia Park in Park Hills, MO. The way we figured it, there isn't a whole lot to do around here, so we wanted to provide something for everyone.

We were able to get together a swim party at the pool, burgers and hot dogs prepared by the local CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) chapter, and a concert by Parallax View. Actually, I should say that God got it together. Usually, something like this is a pretty stressful event for the organizers, but not this one. Everything fell together perfectly, even the weather! We had a wonderful evening. The pool was refreshing. The CMA took care of all the cooking. All the food was donated. The concert was awesome. It was a very relaxing evening for everyone involved.

I want to personally thank everyone who had a part in this event.

Parallax View donated their time for the concert. Check out their myspace page at: www.myspace.com/parallaxviewband. Drop them a note.
Thanks for the help from the CMA. Check out their site here.
Thank you to the City of Park Hills, MO for the use of their pool and park.
Thank you to Johnson Distributing for the sodas and water.
Thank you to Burger King for the hamburgers.
Thank you to everyone else that helped make this night a success.

I imagine that I am probably missing someone because I am really tired and not thinking straight. So, now I am going to bed. Sorry again for the backlog of blogs, but I will get caught up in the next few days.

Picture Time

2008-07-09T13:59:00.002-05:00

Whew! This is like a whirlwind! Running around, visiting crews, taking pictures, and then trying to get the blog done is quite a job. It is getting done though, but sometimes it takes a day or so. Thank you for your patience.

While you are waiting on the newest batch of posts, I thought that you might enjoy seeing some pictures that have been taken so far. These are only the ones that I have taken. We should have many more from the other bloggers. They will be added as soon as we can.

Here is the address: http://picasaweb.google.com/wcbonneterre/WCBonneTerreProject

Enjoy!!!!!

Majesty

2008-07-09T01:08:00.003-05:00

Tonight (Tuesday) was the concert of prayer for worship. This service is hard to explain except that it is amazing. If you have ever attended one of these services, you understand what I am talking about. If you have not been fortunate enough to take part in something like this, ask someone who has. Many people took care of some important business with God. He moved in lives and changed them. I look forward to the Concert of Prayer every single year.

Our Lost Crew

2008-07-08T23:52:00.006-05:00

I get a call on Monday from our blogger Skandar. She is covering the Farmington crews. She tells me that she just cannot find the crew out on Randolph Rd. She looked and looked, but nowhere to be found. So, being the directional genius that I am, I told her that I would head that way and continue the search.

Toward the end of the first day of work, I found them. Their site was pretty far out of town. But they couldn't hide from me. So, with the mystery solved, we began getting to know them a little.

Crew Name: Knot Heads (some of which were shown in a picture in an earlier post)
Job: Roofing
Crew Chief: Tim
Most Exciting Time (according to crew members): Lunch

By the time that we actually got to this site on Monday, they were already working hard and getting a lot done. One side of the roof had already been stripped and they had started putting it back on. Since they were already hard at work and trying to finish up for the afternoon, we didn't get to visit to much. I visited with the homeowners and looked around at their beautiful property. I did watch out though when I would hear someone from on top of the roof holler, "Fire in the hole!" Then a hammer or other tool would hit the ground. Maybe that is where they got their name, Knot Heads..... Someone wasn't paying attention when a hammer was dropped.

Since we didn't get to spend much time with these guys (and I was the only one who could track them down), we decided to make them our first stop on Tuesday. This time they were easier to find. And their favorite time was just wrapping up. The Fredericktown group was just putting up the lunch food and getting ready to leave.

I was told from the crew that things were going pretty well, except it seemed like every time they started doing something, they would keep finding other things that need replaced. As I went around to the back of the house, I found a small group working hard to pick up the shingles that had just recently been stripped off that side of the house. I got to talk a little with a few of them, including Jonas and Amber, both from Celeste, Roberta from Buffalo, and Allison from Edwardsville (who for some reason seemed to think I was the Pilsbury Dough Boy).

Something I did learn while I was there was to watch out for doggy land mines. Before we left, we had to do a shoe check because we found one with a foot print in it (and it was not an animal print). Well, Allie is going to try to find the site again tomorrow. I think she can do it this time! Until we meet again.........

Apologies for all....

2008-07-08T23:39:00.002-05:00

apologies

I'm sorry for not posting anything yesterday. No excuses. And we're off....!!!!

Monkey Wrenches:
Now here is a hard working bunch. They're painting and putting a new porch railing on a house. Hunter is a pretty hard worker from this crew. I found him today taking a break from working hard. Poor boy almost fainted. What a tough lad. Good old Luke was there to give him water and help him out. What a guy! But the highlight of this site was the cheeriness of Kim. What a crew!

Bone Saws:
Here is a crew to admire. When we drove to their site yesterday, they already had all the shingles torn off before lunch! WOW! They were putting the new shingles on today. And fixing a driveway. I caught up with Bonnie and Michelle and drove them to Walmart yesterday to get Popsicles for the crew. Too kind! This crew has made lots of progress! Keep up the good work!

Crowbars&Cool Caulkers (Cool Crockbars):
I was surprised to find two crews at this work site. But they have wisely joined forces to become the Cool Crockbars!!! This crew is doing a lot, and they have made a lot of progress. They are building a deck, and putting up siding. We talked to a lot of people on this crew, and they are all working very hard. GOOD JOB!

I got a lot of pics and video of these crews and I will upload them tomorrow. Stay Tuned!

"I'm getting hungry. You won't like me when I'm...hungry? No, thats not right..."

Day Two: The Brush Bunch

2008-07-08T22:31:00.002-05:00

Today, we got a chance to talk to the members of the Brush Bunch. They were working really hard on the roof that they were re-roofing. They are nearly half way done. They have made a lot of progress from yesterday. We learned some of their names today, also. We met Shannon, Kaitlyn, Megan, Michael, and Darrell. They were all up on the roof, working hard and putting those nail guns to use. Good job, guys! ^_^

Take two and call me in the morning

2008-07-08T22:23:00.003-05:00

Ok, I know I'm a day late, but hey...I'm sure that's cool with this here blogging community...right?

Well, in any event, yesterday I went to visit one Bonne Terre crew and two Farmington crews. Well, it was suppose to be 3 Farmington crews...and NO, I didn't get lost! I knew where I was, I just didn't know where Randolph Rd. was. Anyways, yesterday I got to visit the Lumber Rumblers and the Level Heads in Farmington, and the Miter Joints in Bonne Terre.

Day 1:

The Lumber Rumblers were just getting off the roof to eat lunch when I got there. They looked pretty happy because they had pizza and a lot of it. I talked to them for awhile and then was asked to give my testimony. They said they were all about testimonies. HA! That's awesome! They were making really good time from the looks of it. They were just about to get to lay some shingles and it was just 12:00 on the first day.

The Level Heads were busy roofing so I didn't get to chat with them for very long. They looked like they had a tough roof to do, but they were doing a great job. They were pretty far along when I showed up. They wanted to make sure I'd come back later in the week to see what progress they would make. It was really hot out yesterday, but they were really keeping a level head about the hot temperature. OH MAN! hehe! But seriously, they weren't letting the hot weather get to them.

My last stop was Bonne Terre, were I met up with the Miter Joints. They were also on a roofing crew. They already had a good amount of shingles laid when I got there. I said, "Oh, so did you guys not have to scrap any old shingles off because you've got a lot up." Then one of the World Changers said, "No, we're just done with that, so now we're laying shingles." WOW! They were doing great! They too were busy so I didn't get to talk much, but I did get to talk to one guy from Memphis I think it was. He was talking to me about Cobalts and wanted to know if there was anything to do around here...ha...no, not really and I said "Ha! No. Not really."

Day 2:
Ok, now for today...

Me and Ryan (Melanie Marie and Mr. Green's younger brother) went to visit 5 Park Hills crews.
Glueless, Gufus Roofers, Drips and Runs, Dandy Sanders, and the Dumpsters. They were all doing great jobs!

The Glueless bunch were working on pouring a driveway, painting a shed, and staining a deck. they had almost all of the driveway done, and they had already scrapped a whole shed and were putting a second coat of paint on it when I got there. I guess when I'm on a World Changers project I don't really notice how fast things get going, but being just a Joe-Schmo watching them...man, I can really tell that their work is totally a God thing. They also had a neighbor from a couple doors down helping them out. That's so awesome that not only will the World Changers and the home owner get something out of this, but that young man will have the satisfaction of knowing that he helped with a neighbor's house. He seemed really happy to help too.

The Gufus Roofers were painting an entire house. They were happy that me and Ryan stopped by because they said it gave them a reason to sit down. lol! They were nice they offered us popsicles. Their crew chief, Scott informed us that he was a full time college student, a full time worker, and a full time dad. hehe! You know, when you think about it, its so awesome that all these hard working people are able and willing to take off work for World Changers. I mean its not the way most people would want to spend a vacation, especially since its not cheap to come work on someone else's house. Its amazing how God work things out!

The Drips and Runs were roofing and might have to fix a car port later in the week. They had a really big job...a lot a shingles to lay. Jamie and Craig Pope (they are the one's who got World Changers in this area, they are kinda running the show, you know making sure everything is in order and squared away) were helping out this crew. Craig had quite a few boys from his church on the roof with himself and the rest of the crew. They were working really hard and doing a great job, especially since they had kids in the back yard swimming and having a good time.

The Dandy Sanders were roofing. They were the lucky crew that Ryan picked to get my mom's home made brownies. Ashley from Memphis (I think it was Memphis...my apologies if that's not right) was going crazy. I think she said "Whoa!" about 50 times...that made me and Ryan smile and feel pretty good about our choice. They were doing really good. They had one side of the roof about an inch away from being done when we got there at 2:30 today. All of the crews are doing amazing! These home owners are gonna be in awe of what "immature, self-centered" teenagers can do when given a hammer. Man, World Changers is gonna change the way adults think about local kids. Adults aren't gonna know what to do. I love it!

The last crew we went to see were the Dumpsters. They were a younger crew on a painting job. They painted all of the house and had a little bit of the roof to do. They were pretty sure they'd finish today, or at least by early tomorrow morning, so then they will be able to help another crew out. They were a little let down that we were from the same church as Aaron and didn't bring ice cream of some form, but I think they got over it. lol! The home owners seemed really nice. They were doing an killer job!

All of the crews were doing so good! God is really with each and everyone of the World Changers this week. He's helping steady the hammer, He's opening the eyes of that busy business man passing a work site on his way to work, He's making people ask questions, and strangely enough get actual answers. Real answers. He's breaking down the hard hearts of Park Hills, Farmington, Bonne Terre, and all over this area. God is without a doubt changing someone's world this week...

maybe even yours...

Day Two: The Cool Caulkers and The Crowbars

2008-07-08T22:22:00.002-05:00

These two groups have combined to call themselves The Cool Crock-bars. hehe. These crews are working to re-side a house and they're building a front porch, along with replacing the front and back doors. They had to tear off all of the existing, crumbling siding and put up all new materials. When we visited the site today, they were nearly finished with the porch, they finished putting up all of the Green Guard Styrofoam, and they were getting pretty busy putting up the siding. This crew is hard at work, and they're doing an awesome job. Way to go, guys! ^_^ Keep it up!

Day Two: The Cinder Blockheads

2008-07-08T22:02:00.003-05:00

When we were looking for this site yesterday, we passed it right up. We hardly saw it with all of the vegetation growing around. This crew is doing lots of yard work and such... but it's a huge job! We have some pictures, but I'm sure you just won't be able to get the full effect of how much work was completed between yesterday and today. There is a small walkway-like sidewalk in the yard, going from the back yard to the front yard. It was completely overgrown and unrecognizable the first day, but it's completely cleared off today! I talked to this girl named Lacey. She contributed a lot. We also met a guy named Ben and a girl named Kayla. We observed them trimming the overgrown hedges around the house. This crew's doing great! ^_^ Keep it up, you guys!

Day One in Park Hills (a day late)

2008-07-08T15:42:00.005-05:00

Monday morning and it's now after the Great Send Off. Everyone is now at their sites working hard. Jake B. and I got to cover the Park Hills area.

Our first stop was the Goofus Roofers on Crane Street. When we pulled up, the crew was just starting to receive instructions on what they had to do. Their crew chief, Scott, was briefing them on how to properly scrape the paint off and apply a fresh new coat of "dolphin gray." During this conversation, we heard a few questions, including something about painting around the windows with Q-Tips and the mention of a "spiffy" paint stirrer that uses a cordless drill. We chatted with Sharon from Houston NW and Danny from Russelville about the area and where they were from. Then we had to move on to the next crew. However, on our way out, we heard a plea for ice cream. This request must not have fell on deaf ears because when we returned later that afternoon with some ice pops, we were the third people to bring some by.

The Drips & Runs (or Paint Licks as some wanted to call themselves) were the next stop. Apparently, we had just missed the dancing lessons given by Mark, their crew chief. As they got up on the roof, they found that it already had been inhabited by a nice family of yellow jackets (who obviously didn't want company). Mark went to dancing and freaked many of the crew out because they thought the roof was collapsing. They "calmly" evacuated the roof (which was later bragged on by Mark on how good of a job they did). This is when we arrived. They were waiting for the yellow jacket removal spray. As they waited, one member decided that it was time for a port-a-potty check and she later returned a pretty stinky report. The potty seemed to be a place for fun and games since there was used fireworks in it and reading material floating in the nice blue waters. After Bruce from Nashville harassed the flies with the yellow jacket spray and then yelled at the crew returning to the roof to not forget the "roof getter offer", we felt it was time to move on.

When we first arrived to visit the Dandy Sanders, they were already hard at work. Most of the crew was on the roof shoveling shingles. Then there were the lucky few on the ground cleaning up the shingles that were being tossed down at them. After the ground crew looked under a few boards to check for snakes, most of the roof crew decided to come down and help. This is when I met "Happy Girl" (sorry, I missed your name) and Colby, both from Memphis. She was telling me that she was trying to make everyone be happy and then turned to Colby and told him to "Shut up and be quiet!" I guess this must be Memphis' version of happy. 8^D

Because of the Dumpsters crew, I learned that going to the store to buy tin snips just wasn't that easy. Who would have thought that there would be so many choices. Obviously, I am not very handy when it comes to this stuff. Now I know that there are tin snips for any occasion. If you want one to cut right, they got it. Left cut? Yep one of those too. But I don't want left or right, can I just cut straight? You sure can if you buy the right kind. So, I bought the right cutting tin snips for Rick, the crew chief and went back to their site. They had young people crawling all over the house, scraping paint and prying off rotting wood.

The final crew in Park Hills was Glueless. I had a nice little discussion with Haley, a classic book reader, from Houston NW. I quickly found out that I know nothing about classic literature. Thank goodness that we were interrupted by the break master to discuss when to take a break and do a devotion. Confusion quickly broke out. I think a decision was finally made and all was well again.

We visited other crews, but that must be included in other posts. Until then, we must bid you a fond farewell. Y'all come back now, you hear?

Another Day. Another Devotion. Another... Giant Bag of Popcorn?

2008-07-08T13:15:00.012-05:00

I decided I would drive over to visit my friends on Merle first. They were painting their house a delicious, popcorn yellow color (which matched near perfectly with the giant bags of popcorn each crew was delivered today for a snack) and having a fun time while doing it. This crew is always full of smiles and friendly faces. Even when some of the ladies were gifted with the task of knocking wasp nests from near the roof, they didn't once complain. I managed to get a picture of Cool Nick at work, with his lack of acrophobia he was a perfect candidate for climbing to the top of the ladder and paint the front of the porch.

I drove around the block to chat with the crew on Plainview next. I just missed their devotion, but walked up before they headed back to work, so I had a chance to meet everyone and talk to them a bit more than yesterday. The Joint Clamps are also a very friendly crew. Their chain-linked fence project was moving along quite nicely and they said the siding project was going well also. This crew is full of mix-matched people. From Joe the Post Hole Digger to a girl that only dates pirates, but it is full of mix-matched people that love God. I'm getting to know these World Changers more each day and their love for God and their willingness to do His Will is very apparent. I'm looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow and seeing their work progress. The Joint Clamps also receive my unofficial award for being the first crew that gathered together for one big picture! ^_^

The Joint Clamps!

I then got in my car and drove over to the other side of town to make contact with the crews on Gifford and Walnut. I went to Gifford first and as soon as I pulled up I was amazed. I knew how quickly and hard they were working the first day, so I should have expected how far they were moving. This is a crew full of dedicated workers. The new part of the roof looks amazing and I'm sure the other will also. Clouds began to slowly move overhead bringing tell-tale signs of rain before I left, and I think they were waiting to rip off some of the older shingles on the roof because of this, but if they work as quickly and as efficiently as they have worked I'm sure it won't set them back any at all. This crew is also touching up the paint on their house also. Right before I left, I asked some of the ladies on the groun where they were from and I heard several from Illinois, one from Missouri, and one from Texas. The thing that struck me as most odd, though (besides Megan being from Texas. :p just kidding, just kidding... hehe) was that Megan said she used to live in Massachussetts. I asked her if she had a relative working here in Bismarck, because one of my Friends On Merle also lived in Texas and moved from Massachussetts. I thought it would have been a huge coincidence if they didn't even know each other... They were good friends, though. You meet people from all over the United States at these events. Wonderful people that love God and are willing to serve Him however they can! ^_^

My last stop was on Walnut. After driving around the block, I found it with... almost no difficulty. I waved hello to everyone and walked over to take some pictures. This crew was working very hard on their wheelchair ramp and were moving along quite nicely with the painting projects. I talked to Becky again and some of the girls painting the awnings, trying to learn of any exciting events that may have occurred since I last saw them. Today was just Normal. No snakes. No critters. No gang fights. (hehe) Just a wonderful day to work on their house. Becky did tell me that they were able to talk with some of the neighborhood kids a little bit and invite them over for lunch. Witnessing to the community is one of my favorite things to do on World Changers and I pray that the hearts of those in Bismarck will open to the Truth that these World Changers bring with them. Thunder started to rumble and tiny rain drops began to fall as I began to leave this site once more. I heard shouts of, "Do you have a clear tarp? I don't want my paint ruined!!" before I started my car and drove off. I'm excited to visit these crews again tomorrow and learn what new things may have happened!

Random Thought of the Day: The Elephant is the only mammal with four knees, yet the only mammal that can't jump.

Where's Walnut?

2008-07-08T00:25:00.011-05:00

It was my duty to visit with the crews in Bismarck today, gathering what information I could and taking pictures whenever the opportune moment arose. The objective being to further this wonderful blog...

Okay. Drive down the road, find the crews, get some names, and take some pictures. Sounds easy enough. After driving around for about 15 minutes and discovering via iPhone Maps that there was actually a North and South Walnut street on opposite ends of the town... I made it to the first crew. (Which was on Walnut St, if you didn't catch that...)

The Hard Hats. The people on this crew exhibit many wonderful characteristics: Strong. Brave. Courageous. The ability to wrestle snakes?... That's right. I met a young lady by the name of Sara, Sara the Snake-Wrestler. I could tell by the way she was handling that paintbrush of hers that she wasn't going to take any bull... err... snake from me. Moving away from the Reptile Wrangler, I talked with some other members of the crew and learned about what they were doing for the nice, elderly woman living there. Becky and another man whose name I can't recall at the moment welcomed me as one of their own, informing me on the work that had to be done. Over the sound of hammers and sanders, I learned that they were re-painting awnings for the home and fixing up the back porch. Concrete will have to be poured and wheelchair accessible ramps were going to be made... They had their work cut out for them, but everyone there were ready and eager to help.

After getting much needed directions, I drove over to Gifford Road where I became aquainted with the hard-working Hammerheads. This crew really knew how to move. I introduced myself to a few of the people cutting shingles on the ground and met their Crew Encourager, Patti. For those of you who don't know, Patti's job was to... encourage the crew. She knew what she was doing too, she was throwing out encouragements one way and instructions on how to cut the shingles the next. I talked with some World Changers and learned that the homeowner was very kind, offering snacks and cool air when needed. I was a bit worried when I heard Megan ask Tyler if he would hold her roof for her while she climbed up to the ladder... but with two crew chiefs, an encourager like Patti, and several hard working World Changers, this roofing job will be done in no time!

My next stop was ol' Merle Street. This was a street I knew how to find without any help! So, after asking Aaron for directions, I headed on over to the next crew site. The Hand Saws were working hard when I pulled up, but were very friendly and chatted with me a while... I think I provided them with a nice excuse for a break. :p I met two people who sat next to me in church again, Macie and Andrew. This time, I also became acquaited with everyone else on their crew. I met a Kristi with a K... and an I and an Emily... with no I. There were also several other kids and adults all ready scrub this homeowners home! They had buckets of soapy water, scrub brushes, and water houses. So, of course, no one got wet and all of the soap went onto the house.... hehe. This was a very bubbly (no pun intended) crew and I'm excitied to visit them again tomorrow. Oh, I almost forgot to mention Cool Tyler. I don't know if he knows he's called Cool Tyler yet, but I told some of the other kids that he is definitely the coolest kid on their crew.

My next and final stop was on Plainview. I made it to this site with no problem. It was in looking distance of the Hand Saws site. ^_^ The Joint Clamps had the jobs of digging some post holes (that's tough work, by the way.), installing a chain-linked fence, painting a few things, and putting some siding near the back of the house. A Hodge-podge of chores that they were all taking with smiles! I talked with some of the World Changers and learned of what they were doing on the site and what their goals were. I discovered that the job site was actually home to one of my fellow members of the Youth group at Bismarck First Baptist, she so kindly directed Aaron and myself to the backyard where we found a group of young ladies creating a flat surface so that they could install the siding easier. I took one last look around the house and bid everyone goodbye.

Random Thought of the Day: The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.

And They're Off!

2008-07-07T17:39:00.007-05:00

The Great Send Off, a wonderful tradition that has been in World Changers as long as I have been involved with it. Monday morning, 7 a.m., everyone gathers together and prays for the week. Prayers are lifted up for the safety of the workers and the souls of the homeowners and their neighbors. Then they are released to flood the area with God's love in the form of hammers, nails, paintbrushes, paint, and whatever other tools they can think of using.

This morning was no different. When they were released, it was like an army of vans, trucks, and trailers headed out across the county. It was an amazing sight. Of course, each group had to do something to try to get on the Action Cam as they left the parking lot.

They all arrived at their work sites and the work began. Scraping, washing, shoveling, prying, brushing, and other forms of preparation began on the sites. Each site was visited by our bloggers and the accounts will be made in other postings.

This is pretty much how everyone's day began, but lots of other things followed. Read on as more postings continue!

Oh yeah, we also made the front page of the Daily Journal, our local newspaper. Click here to see the article.

Day One: The Brush Bunch

2008-07-07T16:30:00.002-05:00

Woo-hoo! Day One has started, and projects are underway! This is all very exciting. We're going to talk about the Brush Bunch today. We first met these kids as they were eating lunch. Hard at work eating those sandwiches [graciously provided by Cantwell Baptist Church in Desloge], I took a few snapshots of them. The Brush Bunch is working in the small Desloge community on Cowling Street. They are tearing the shingles off of the house they're working on, and then they're going to re-shingle it. It's a tough job! The temperatures for today were supposed to get around 100 degrees! But, these kids are keeping well-hydrated as well as keeping busy.

On this crew, we have five or six from Illinois, and one from Missouri, but that's all the knowledge I accumulated when we visited their site later in the day. More on the Brush Bunch tomorrow! ^_^

World Changers? What?

2008-07-07T15:44:00.002-05:00

Ok, so... I've failed to write a blog yet. Not even an introductory blog... I know. I'm not off to a very great start, but I'll do better. You'll see! But, anyway...

I'm Melanie. I'm sixteen and I've been to three different World Changers. I'm leaving for my fourth on the 26th of July. I'm pretty excited about this one here locally, though. It's pretty cool to see the behind-the-scenes work around here, and in such familiar territory! I, too, helped the World Changers move in to North County High School. I've seen this school at many different times, but Saturday, I saw it in a whole new light: the home of the World Changers, rather than the home of the Raiders. These World Changers are here to help my community! You never know how much you are appreciated as a World Changer, until you can appreciate other World Changers in your community. It's awesome! [Thanks, guys!]

Today, Adam [Mr. Green, also my brother...] and I went to the different sites that are underway here in Leadwood and also in Desloge [that, by the way, is pronounced "Dee-loe-zsh". The people unfamiliar with this area don't seem to understand how the spelling and the pronunciation are related... hehe.]. Adam and I covered five crews between the two of us today, and we took lots of pictures to show you guys. Each crew, though, is going to have their own blogs. ^_^

How Great Is Our God!

2008-07-07T01:00:00.002-05:00

We had yet another fantastic evening of worship on Sunday. I wish I could put into words how the service actually was, but if I even tried, it would do a terrible disservice to it. Let me say this though, God is certainly moving and doing work in peoples' lives. I am praying for many lives to be changed.

The message was based on passages out of John 14 & 16. The main thought was to not be scared of the Holy Spirit. Also, the Holy Spirit is NOT an it!! He is a person, He is God, and He is Christ's representative. He works in our lives and gives us power for service.

The music and message were fantastic. If you attended any of these services, you know what I am talking about! I am looking forward to what else God has for us.

Bits of Knowledge from Aaron

2008-07-07T00:11:00.005-05:00

1. Don't lose your nametag. (Right Clayton from the Crowbars?)
2. Riding up and down the ramps at the school in expensive rolley chairs may not always be the best idea.
3. Bismarck has some pretty awesome cooks. (Do Hard Hats, Hammer Heads, Hand Saws, and Joint Clamps agree?) I know this one may seem a little biased, but these are the only cooks I got to sample on Sunday.
4. Missouri can be pretty warm in July!
5. Pepperoni on salad is a Missouri thing (at least that is what I was told in the dinner line).
6. Seeing a sea of maroon World Changers shirts headed to worship is an awesome thing.
7. It's ok to kill people..... With kindness!!

8. These guys are real Knot Heads!
9. Six in the morning comes real early when you don't get to bed on time!
10. Tyler from Houston, NW is pretty cool to chat with!

Now that I have imparted bits of my vast resources of knowledge to you, you should be able to sleep better at night. I will continue on my mental journey and post more bits of knowledge as I see fit.

Wait...World Changers are here?!?

2008-07-06T16:01:00.002-05:00

Wow. I know I've procrastinated and not posted anything, but you guys are making me look bad. Except you Melanie, good work. Seriously...where to begin...ah yes, the beginning.

I helped move the Summer Staff into NCHS (North County High School) this past Thursday. That was lots of fun. Then yesterday, myself and a few of the FBC Bismarck Youth group greeted and helped the World Changers themselves with their luggage. All in all, I feel very good about this week and what WC can do for our beloved county.

I'll be traveling around to the different sites this coming week, taking pics and video of the crews. STAY TUNED!

Fill Us Up and Send Us Out

2008-07-05T23:50:00.002-05:00

The first worship service came with a challenge to find out what it really meant to follow Jesus. Our pastor for the week, Luke Johnson, used passages from John 14 to help us understand that following Jesus must be personal. We must have a specific revelation from God, we must respond to Him and believe, and we will have results in our lives. Following Jesus is something that is life long, not just for a period of time.

The title of this entry came from a song that was sang for worship. Part of the chorus said:

"Stepping forward keep us from just singing
Move us into action
We must go"

I hope that this is a prayer for all of us involved. I am praying that we don't just go through the motions, but that God moves us into action this week. I am praying that we are all filled by God's grace and love and that we go out to share it with everyone around us! I can't wait to see what God has in store for the rest of the week.

The Wheels On the Bus Go Round and Round.....

2008-07-05T23:03:00.006-05:00

"If you build it, they will come." If you have ever seen Field of Dreams, you heard that being quoted over and over throughout the movie. It started off like a dream and then finally it became a reality after the family took a step of faith.

Many months ago, we received word that we had been approved for a World Changers project in 2008. This was like a dream and it was still so far in the future that it didn't even seem like it could be real. We weren't even sure if people would even want to come to Bonne Terre, MO and the Mineral Area. But we did know that God was already working in the project. Over and over, it was like God was saying "If you trust Me, they will come!"

Skip ahead to July 5, 2008. Just like the end of the Field of Dream (spoiler alert in case for some amazing reason you still haven't seen the movie), when the cars all started pulling into the farm's driveway, today the first vans began pulling into the school. Teens started pouring out of the vans, bags began rolling out onto the pavement, people were claiming their luggage, and this dream became a reality!

It was so awesome to start meeting everyone. Seeing the Buffalo, Memphis, and Island City groups roll in was exciting! Then the other ones arrived, sometimes two or three groups at a time, or in a caravan of buses like the Peoria group, until finally the last group (yay Celeste!) made it in safely. Introductions were being made (shout out to Bob from Nashville). Even though people didn't even know each other, connections were happening and there was already a comfort being around everyone else. Everyone got moved into their rooms and began settling in. I even got to witness a little WWE action within one of the groups. Ahhhh..... the fun of World Changers.

On a side note, we will be taking a lot of our own pictures during the week. Some will be posted within the context of this blog, but we will post an address that will contain all of the pictures that we collect from the project. Until then, here are a couple more of the arrival time.

grab your things, we gotta get you outta this city tonight...

2008-07-05T22:30:00.007-05:00

Fifteen passenger vans. Long hallways. Black trashbag dividers. Pink and blue signs.

There's only one thing this could mean. ...and no, the North American tour of the Bangles is not in town.

WORLD CHANGERS IS HERE!

Today, I had the delightful pleasure of helping several groups move into North County high school. I carried bits and pieces of their luggage for them and helped them get situated into their rooms. It felt so different being on the other side. The side that greets and waves and directs.

I met a lot of people... I didn't get many names... but I did get faces! Faces are what's important.

I'm looking forward to meeting more and more of these World Changers as the week progresses and the blogs continue.
----
On another note! I'm standing outside and who do I see? None other than Bonnie from Tulsa, World Changers! Two years ago, I went to Tulsa, OK and she was our (my and Mr. Green) Crew Encourager.

Summer Staff Are People Too

2008-07-04T23:26:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July everyone! The giant town of Bismarck got bigger. We stuffed about four times as many people into our town than what we normally have. But we also had some very special guests.

I began looking for our Summer Staff after I received a phone call telling me that they were coming over to our Freedom Fest. When I finally ran into them, the three girls were going round and round on the swings, while Jonathan was left holding the purses on the side. After disembarking the ride, we said hi to everyone talked a little more about our quaint little town.

In all the years that I have done World Changers projects, I have worked with many different Summer Staffers. All I have ever seen from them was work and efficiency. They were always filling in forms, alphabetizing papers, tweaking the audio system, practicing praise songs, and whatever else they had to do to make our project a success. But today, I got to see another side of these guys. I saw them just chilling! Riding rides, eating carnival food, hanging out, and enjoying one of their few days off was their agenda. It was cool to see this other side of some of the Kingdom's hardest workers.

All this being said, hopefully anyone who is reading this will get to know these hard working young people or you already got to know them at the project. I sure know that I have a new appreciation for these guys.

See y'all soon!!

Let the Games Begin

2008-07-04T00:05:00.002-05:00

About 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 6, I was speaking to Craig, our Associational Coordinator. During our conversation, he passed some awesome news to me. THE SUMMER STAFF IS IN TOWN! Yay! This is kind of the unofficial start to the Bonne Terre project.

I gathered up a few people to go over to help them unload and move in their equipment. We were supposed to be there around 2 p.m. and work for a couple of hours. We finally ended up leaving North County High School around 11 p.m.

Everyone will be glad to know that we spent most of our time at North County constructing about 58 shower stalls. Now I'm sure that everyone coming to the project understands what that means. If you don't, I would just like to say welcome to World Changers!

So, a hearty welcome to our Coordinating staff and our Summer Staff! Now the work has begun to prepare for the rest of you. See you in a couple of days (or actually tomorrow since this is being typed after after midnight and it is now July 4th)!

"May the forks be with us!"

2008-07-03T15:34:00.006-05:00

AH! Aaron and Adam are helping get the Summer staff unpacked and moved into the school.

World changers is almost here!!! Just a few short days and this gig is going live.

Our church is having 3 World Changer crews at our church Sunday. (Incase myself or the others failed to mention our church, I'll tell you...we are First Baptist of Bismarck, MO). We're going to have a lunch for all the World Changers afterwards...and of course, being the Baptists that we are, how could we as a church pass up food. Stuffing your face and chatting with World Changers...we're not food "oriented," we just know how to please the masses. When you're a World Changer, food is everything...(supposing that we're not counting God and witnessing).

Anyways...this is going to be awesome! You're going to want to be a part of this!

"I better get going. I've got a city to save." -- Blue Raja

It's Almost Here

2008-06-25T10:30:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone! As they say, time flies when you're having fun, and I must be having tons of fun because the time has flown by! As of right now, it's only 10 days until the Bonne Terre Project begins. All the youth will be rolling into town, moving into North County High School, and getting ready for an awesome week.

My crew and I have a lot planned. You should be seeing us quite a bit during the week. You have met a couple of them that have posted already. There will be a few more who should be posting soon and introducing themselves. We are also trying out some different things in preparation for when everyone gets here. If you see a post or a picture or something and then go back to it later to find out that it has been deleted, it is probably because we were testing something and the post was of no purpose except that.

We are praying for everyone. I'm looking forward to an awesome week! I'll be seeing you soon!

Let's Change the World!

2008-06-09T11:51:00.005-05:00

Hey, Everybody!

I suppose introductions are in order... My name is Korey. I've been involved in World Changers for five years now. I've been to Casper, Wyoming; Thompsonville, Illinois; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Gallup, New Mexico. World Changers has helped me grow closer to God then I ever knew was possible. WC has helped me learn how to share Christ with people and made me a much stronger Christian. World Changers is an amazing thing! Heck, God is amazing!! God is what makes all of this possible! Go God!

In this blog, I'll be cataloging and keeping track of what's going on. This is a place where your friends and family can keep track of what you're doing and a place where you can look back later and remember everything that happened. If you see me or any of my cohorts out and about on your workplaces, have no fear! We're just taking pictures and whathaveyou.

Be sure to check back more and more as the project dates grow closer! Things will be added all the time!!

Be safe and See you soon! ^_^

--Korey.

Your Personal Blogger Guide: Getting to know Skandar

2008-06-09T00:20:00.006-05:00

Hmmm...what to say?

[Ok, ok...I got one...]

My name is Allie Manhart.

[That was a good start right? I mean people need to know my name's not Skandar. However I am a fan of Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie from Chronicles of Narnia) and I want to name my first born Skandar, that is IF I have kids]

I love God!

[God's pretty cool. If there is one thing I want the world to know, it's that one fact. GOD IS COOL! I think if people knew that God was actually cool, then they would be more willing to learn more about Him and maybe follow Him, or at least give Him a chance. If I can help one person to know that God is not an ol' fart-faced jerk, then I think my time here will be well spent.]

World Changers is one week of sheer awesomeness! If you've never went to a World Changers project, then you have no idea how uncool you are!

[I love it that God can make roofing a house fun! You learn so many things from WC, and God will bless you with a lot of new friendships with people from other cities and states. WC will show you just how neat God can be and just what He can do if you are willing to go and willing to let Him do His thing in your life. It's not an easy week. The work is really hard, and there are always people that will drive you crazy. But if you can let all that go for a week, it will change the wolrd for others...but most of all...it will change your world.]

I am a photographer.

[I love taking pictures! I have taken quite a few Senior pictures and had my share of weddings...which is all really awesome, but I love taking pictures of people as they are. Pictures of people just...living. There's nothing as neat as getting a mid-laughter shot of someone, or that look of happiness the bride gets on her face as she lays her head on her new husband's shoulder during their first dance. I would like to thank God for this talent that I have behind the camera. If it wasn't for Him randomly throwing the idea of photography in my mind, and strategically placing Rhonda Barnes (the lady who taught me everything I know about a camera and all the tricks with lighting) in my life as an awesome Sunday School teacher and killer Photographer, then I would be wondering the streets of life with only my name. Thank you, God! And I can't go without thanking my mom for allowing God to speak to me through her. She was the first to say "Hey Allie, that picture looks really good. You should think about photography." Thank you mom...I think you may have sparked a fire!]

I like being dumb, but I realize this is not very becoming...

Therefore I cut it down to Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays...only even/odd dated Mondays, that contain a one or two digit number, and only Wednesdays that fall in the middle of the week, I have also allowed days that start with "S".

[Need I say more on this matter???]

I hope you enjoy this blog about World Changers: Bonne Terre. I hope that myself and the others will do a good job of providing you with knowledge about what WC is doing, how the week is going, and giving you just some fun reading material. Thank you for reading getting to the bottom of the page...the fact that you read all of that, makes me feel wonderful!!! :P

Keep checking back for more updates!

--- Allie ---

Things are starting to happen!

2008-06-03T17:57:00.002-05:00

Hey everybody. As of this posting, there are only 32 days until everyone will be meeting up in Bonne Terre. Things around here are starting to fall into place and I just wanted to post an update on our blog.

I have recruited some very talented young people to help with our blog. Check out their profiles to find out more about them. They will be contributing a lot of content that should be interesting to anyone involved in the Bonne Terre project. We are already making plans to visit all the crews at various times throughout the week, take lots of pictures for you to check out, and possibly even some video. We also have a few other ideas up our sleeves, but we will wait a little while until we can make sure they will work.

Keep checking back to see what is new. Posts will be more and more frequent as the project draws closer. If you have any comments or suggestions, send me a message at blog@wcbonneterre.com.

Getting Started

2008-04-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

Hey all! I just wanted to introduce the idea behind this blog to everyone. This blog is going to be used to update the world on what is going on during the project. There probably won't be a lot of activity between now and then, but the goal is that every day that participants are in our area, we will be posting.

We plan on visiting the work sites and talking with the crews. We want to visit with the participants at the school and wherever else we may find them. Hopefully, this will turn into a fun way for everyone involved to keep up with what is going on.

So, keep watching this blog for new posts. But as the project draws closer, keep us bookmarked and check back often!