Gatlinburg 2010 Post #6

Post #6: Tuesday, June 29th    4:15PM

So Teresa and I are sitting at a booth in McDonalds (the only place where we can get internet) waiting on the rest of the team to come back and pick us up.  They dropped us off so we could post blogs (me) and send grad school work in (her).  They are all at Walmart right now.

This afternoon went very well.  The deck is completely finished except for the top part of the railing.  We're also working on replacing the steps at the from of both of our houses.  It's been a long day and I'm so ready to get back to camp and get a shower!

In case you haven't figured it out yet, it's pretty difficult to find Internet to post these blogs.  Because of this, I usually have to post a large amount all at once.  If you're just starting to read these, I suggest you scroll down and start at post #1, then work your way up.

As always, please pass this address along to others!

From......McDonalds?
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28 

Gatlinburg 2010 Post #5

Post #5: Monday, June 29th    12:45PM

We're on our lunch break right now.  So far, today has been great.  The yard at one of our worksites is looking much better.  The porch at the other site is almost finished.  Also, we're finished putting coolant on the mobile home.  For most of the morning, I've been cleaning our gutters around the mobile home and helping to add hand rails to the porch.  We're having a blast playing with the kids at our worksite and getting to know them.  As I shared in my last post, we believe that our real reason for being here is to bond with these families and share the love of Christ.  That's exactly what we're doing.

Right now, we're taking a break, playing a little soccer and some ultimate frisbee.  We'll be getting back to work in a few.  After work today, we'll be making a Walmart run and then heading back to camp to rest.  Tomorrow is our last full day of work and we're determined to make the most of it.

Thank You to all of you that are keeping up with us.  Comments and shout outs are greatly appreciated!  We miss y'all!

From our worksite in the Tennessee Mountains,
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Gatlinburg 2010 Post #4

Post #4: Monday, June 28th    10:00PM

Throughout this week, groups of team members from RHUMC are leading short devotional times in the mornings and afternoons.  Jack has assigned us into groups of 3 or 4.  I am in a group with Lisa Lyle and Jordan Rosenthal.  As my post for this evening, I'm going to outline our devotional from tonight.

John 6:25-27
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"  Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs, but because ate the loves and had you fill.  Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.   On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

-This conversation took place shortly after Jesus fed the 5,000.  The disciples were still mesmerized after this amazing occurrence.

-In verse 27, Jesus tells them not to seek food that will spoil, but to search for food that endures.

-This verse says a lot about what God has called us to do this week.

-These is so much that we can do to help and make the homes of those we are serving better, but those will eventually fade away.  Bushes and shrubs will grow back and years from now, the porch that we are building will need replacing.  Coolant will need to be reapplied and paint will fade.

-How much work we can do and how fast we can do it really doesn't matter.  It's how we show God's love that makes the difference.
  
-The most important thing we can do is to invest time into these families that the Lord has caused us to serve, especially with the kids.  Showing the love of Christ is the real reason that we've been called to Seymour, Tennessee.

-Our efforts around our worksites will be forgotten, but our efforts investing in these families and showing the love of the Savior of the World will last.

-That's why we're here.


From The Tennessee Mountains,       
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Gatlinburg 2010 Post #3

Post #3: Monday, June 28th    4:20PM

Our first day of work is officially over!  We're all very tired and very happy to be clean again.  At our worksites, we are clearing brush, cutting down small trees, building a deck on the back of a trailer home, and putting coolant on the top of the trailer.  The trailers that we are working on belong to one huge family.  This family has 4 mobile homes going up the side of the mountain.  As always, we're very excited that there are kids at both of our worksites!  We're actually trying to add one more small project that would involve fixing the tire swing for the kids.

Today mainly consisted of cutting back weeds, shrubs, and other growth around one of our houses.  At the other worksite, we scrubbed the side of the trailer to clean some of the debris of and framed the deck on the back.  Did I mention that the floor of the deck is 8 feet off the ground.  It's a whole new game in the mountains.  We should be finished with the deck by tomorrow.

We have free time this afternoon until 6:30.  After that, dinner and chapel.  During our free time, we have use of the Academy's pool, lounge, and recreation fields.  We also have the option to take a nap or just hang out in our dorm rooms.  We're excited for another day of work tomorrow!  Everything today was great, and now that we're somewhat settled in, tomorrow should be even better.

Keep checking back for more updates from our adventure in the Tennessee Mountains!  If you know anyone that would be interested in keeping up with our journey, please tell them about Hilltop Experiences!  Thank You!

From the Tennessee Mountains,   
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Gatlinburg 2010 Post #2

Post #2: Sunday, June 27th    10:55PM

Well, we've just settled into the The King's Academy Boarding School dorm rooms.  The ride in was fairly uneventful, which I would consider a good thing.  Contrary to where we thought we would be, we're in the middle of nowhere, Seymour, Tennessee.  Seymour is a small town halfway between Gatlinburg and Knoxville.

After dinner this evening (a very interesting and chaotic trip to McDonalds) we attended the kick off worship service for this week.  We have our services in the very nice chapel at the boarding school.  There are probably about 200 youth here from all over place.  The church from furthest away is one from Texas!  And we thought our ride was long......

In our devotional time tonight, Jack told us that we will have two different work sites.  They are about 30 minutes away and are very close to each other.  The men that own the two houses are father and son, so we'll be slightly split up, but not really.  

Breakfast is at 7:30, so it's time for bed.  I'll try to update again tomorrow night. Love you guys.

From the Tennessee Mountains,
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Gatlinburg 2010 Post #1

Post #1: Sunday, June 27th     11:00AM

There's something about riding in these church vans that just makes people hyper.  We've been gone from Richmond Hill for about 2 hours and we've been rotating through I- Pods the entire time.  This has turned into one big sing along, with everything from "Our God" (Chris Tomlin, a personal favorite) to "Be a Man" (From Disney's Mulan).  We'll be stopping for lunch at a rest area pretty soon, and then getting back on the road.  People will probably decide that it's time to sleep by then.

For all you guys from RHUMC, thanks for all the support this morning as we left.  We're really excited, but it helps to know that we have a lot of people behind us.

From some random Interstate in South Carolina, 
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Bound for Gatlinburg

Well, here I am again trying to park for yet another exciting mission trip.  Tomorrow morning, we leave RHUMC for Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  There are 38 of us going to work with an organization called TEAMEffort.  The organization runs mission camps throughout the United States and Central America.  We've partnered with TEAMEffort in the past in Gulfport, New Orleans, and Arcadia, and we're very excited to be working with them again.

Gatlinburg is known for attractions such as Ripley's Believe it or Not and Dollywood, but there is a lot of poverty in the area too.  We will be working in the poorer areas of the city, ministering to those in need as we help them out.  We're not exactly sure what kind of construction work we'll be doing, but we know that it will offer hope to those that need it.  We will work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and half of Thursday.  We will have Thursday afternoon off and will be going White Water Rafting on Friday!

What I'm asking for now is prayer.  It is our prayer that God would provide us with opportunities to share his love with the people of Gatlinburg this week and that we will have the maturity to respond.  We are very excited that he has called us into the mission field this summer.  We also pray that God would change our lives through this experience, bringing us claps to him.  Also, please be in prayer for our Youth Leader, Jack Caldwell, as he leads us throughout the week.  This is his first time leading a mission trip, and he is very excited.  Finally, please be in prayer for the team, that we would remain in good health this week and that we would work together in order to fulfill the mission that God has given us, which is to share his love in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

I'll have my I-Pad with me this week, so I'll update the blog if I can.  Hopefully I can find some wireless somewhere.  Keep checking back for more updates!  Love your guys!


From the Hilltop,
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

What a Week!

Oh what a week!  This week, I helped teach a drama camp with a former drama teacher and friend, Kim Diebold.  We had 11 students from 9 to 4 everyday.  I'll start by saying that I've gained a whole new respect for elementary school teachers, that takes a whole lot of patience.  This week was definitely not without it's challenges, but it was also very rewarding.  Mrs. Kim chose a play called "The Environmental Show." It focused on the little things that we can do to help the environment.  The kids did an incredible job.  They performed the show at 2:45 this afternoon and were wonderful!  In only one week, they learned a 40 minute play complete with 6 songs, a lot of dancing, and many lines.

In other news, Richmond Hill United Methodist Church welcomed our two new pastors this Wednesday.  Dr. Glenn Martin is our new Senior Pastor, transferring from FUMC Tifton.  Rev. Jonathan Fuller is our new Associate Pastor, he recently graduated Asbury Seminary.  We are very excited about this new chapter in the life of RHUMC and are very excited about what God has for us in these future months.

On Thursday, Ashley left for a weekend retreat called Chrysalis.  This retreat is a ministry of the United Methodist Church and is held at a "secret location" twice a year.  There are two separate sessions, one for guys and one for girls.  Chrysalis is comparable to the Walk to Emaeus event, except it's for youth.  The retreat focuses on cultivating participants' personal relationships with God.  It's a great way to get away from all the distractions of life and just spend some time away from it all.  Before Ashley left on Thursday afternoon, I took her phone.  She was not very happy, but I told her she could do the same to me when I went.  Sadly, I won't be able to go to Chrysalis this season because it overlaps with RHUMC's Youth Group's mission Trip to Gatlinburg, TN.  We leave on June 27th and return on July 3rd, but that' for another blog.

Looking into the future, on Monday, my friend Breanna Waterhouse will be visiting Richmond Hill for the first time since she moved to Louisiana last year.  We're all very excited about seeing her again and spending a few days with her.

I hope y'all are enjoying your summer!  Thanks for reading!               


From the Hilltop,
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28

Youth Week 2010!

Well, Youth Week 2010 has come and gone.  We had a great Crossfire Team from The Wesley Foundation at UGA this year.  Crossfire is a group of 6 college students from the University of Georgia that give up their entire summer to travel all over the state and work with youth groups, offering leadership and a good example for what a young Christian should be.  This week's theme was 1 Timothy 4:12 which says, "Do not let anyone look down on you because of your youth, but set an example for other believers in speech, love, life, faith, and purity". We focused on the reality that our lives as Christians matter now, while we are young just as much as they will when we are older.

The week was filled with exciting worship, meaningful messages, awesome games, wonderful fellowship, and lots of fun.  On Tuesday, there was a video scavenger hunt around Richmond Hill.  As usual, my team won it all.  (:  On Thursday, we had messy games day, which was complete with peanut butter, shaving cream, mashed potatoes, barbecue sauce, water balloons, flour bombs, countless condiments, and much more.  Needless to say, it got pretty crazy.  Friday wrapped up Youth Week with a day long day on Tybee Island that ended with a worship service on the beach.

RHUMC's new Youth Leader, Jack Caldwell has done an incredible job planning and directing this week's events.  We're all very excited that he is here and are having a great time getting to know he and his fiancé.  Also, this week would not have been possible without all the help from our youth parents that devoted the majority of their week to chaperoning, driving, and feeding the youth group.  Thank You!

The Crossfire Team's next stop is in Wigham, Georgia.  You can follow Pez, Kyle, Daniel, Erika, Stephanie, and Judi and read about their adventures as they serve the Lord this summer at: www.eripeavy.blogspot.com.
 

From the Hilltop,
Hunter Odom
hunter2444@coastalnow.net
Romans 8:28