"A Country *Gal* Will Survive!"

It's time for me to update this thing again and WOW... I am now noticing how hard it is to keep track of everything. SO much has happened within the last week. Let's start with the actual missions week.

This past week we had "Family Week." Instead of the normal 60 - 70 teens coming to the Fire Hall, we had 19 people ranging from 5 to 68 years old. On paper, you would think this would make for an easier week. However, this was not the case. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED the people. I was just exhausted this week. With such a small crew, the staff had to make up for quite a bit. At Kids Club, Lindsay is doing a GREAT job. She doubts it a lot but really, things are going well. Last year they had at max 14 kids come. This year we are right around 30. That's an AWESOME improvement. But.... this past week, we had only 11 helpers. WOW! With some of our participants being the same age as the kids, we had our hands full. Fortunately, God has given me an excitement and a willingness to tackle a challenge. There was no doubt that Lindsay needed all the help she could get. 

SO, I went to Kids Club everyday of the week. I made up games on the playground like an obstacle course, and just tried to run with the kids to wear them out. One thing is for sure... I didn't have any trouble getting a work out in. Of course, kids would race each other, but the ultimate thrill came in facing me. Well I'm a sucker for a competition so I think I did that race 12 times. :D My week was also filled with hour long games of kick ball and soccer. It was great. On the last day of Kids Club, I even made up a scavenger hunt game. I took the verse of the week and wrote it on 10 different cards and then hid them in super hard spots on the playground. I didn't know if the kids would be into it, but once I told them the rules.... they were off. I felt so accomplished that I took a group of kids who seemed to only yell derogatory comments, and got them working together searching through the Bible. I'd say that's a glimpse of success. :)

At night, our "CLUB's" were a little shorter, and the best part was that lights out came at 10:30. Praise the Lord. Even though this schedule was supposed to be easier, all of us were dragging. With family weeks, the groups take off a day earlier so we were able to have an extra day off. This was a true gift because I was so tired I couldn't even think straight. Let alone function as a leader. 

Friday morning came around and we woke up early to get to Charleston by 7:00. We had our shopping done, unloaded everything, took a nap and still made it to M&R by 1:00. That was good use of our time. Friday was also filled with many other accomplishments. Our site decided we wanted to make a music video. 3 hours later, it was finished. Edited and burned onto a DVD. That is super fast and of course, the video is superb. Only the best from Lincoln County. Plus, while Mark was finishing up the DVD, Lindsay, John and I all tie-dyed shirts! This is my first time EVER tie-dying so I thought it was "so totally wicked." 

My fourth of July was a little different than what I am used to. Usually I wake up and we head down 2 blocks to find our "spot" for the parade in good ole A-town. Then we caravan out to the lake and spend the day eating, soaking up the sun and laughing. We finish the day with my favorite.... fireworks. :) Well, some of that remained the same for me this year. I woke up hearing the sounds of parade floats outside. The Fire Hall is right in the center of town so this time I just had to wake up and walk outside. We sat in the back of the pick up and watched the entire parade. It was priceless.

 After that, the Fire Dept. had a potluck dinner and so we got to fill up on some good West Virginia cooking. BINGO always happens in the Fire Hall, and finally we all decided it was time to play. It was super fun to sit and just chat it up with everyone and of course laughing was present. Finally at 4:00 we headed to Charleston and met up with the rest of the 3 2 Crew. (That's what we call all the West Virginia sites together) We had an amazing dinner and even though it was raining, we got to see fireworks on the river. I loved it. So I wasn't home for the 4th of July... one of my favorite holidays. But, I was able to experience it in a totally new place. I loved spending Independence Day in WV. Seeing how no matter where you are, people are celebrating the same thing. Freedom. But most of all, it really helped me recognize that nothing can replace being at home. 

Now for the story of all stories.... Getting stuck. 

Last Saturday Mark and I decided to go on a picture taking adventure. We started down Trace Creek Road because I knew we could find some SWEET pictures. Right after the first turn, we saw "Jenga Barn" where it looked like if you took away one board, the WHOLE BARN would collapse. So we kept going and finally it became a dirt road. YES! This meant our trip had officially become legit. I was driving so that Mark could take pictures, and well the road started to get pretty intense. A lot of areas had been washed out and at one point my water bottle went from the cup holder on my right, to beside me on my left. That was also the time when Mark and I were positive... two wheels had just gone air-born. After that, Mark kindly suggested "How about I drive?" I was fine with this. Mark literally drove probably 30 feet and he decided to turn around. I watched this process and just as I got ready to say "Ahh" it was too late, our front right tire had already gone down toward the creek below. Mark put it in reverse but there was no hope... we were stuck. 

So of course, I look to my cell phone and "cheerfully" see.... we have no service. Great. We look in the back of the truck and we have NOTHING. Surprisingly, both Mark and I were pretty chill about all of it. But I was definitely thinking of the quote in the movie the Incredibles... "Now nobody panic... *We're Dead... WE'RE DEAD.*" :) The only thing Mark had was his little pocket knife John just got him. So he used that to dig a rock out of the road which we tried to place under our back left tire. If we could get traction under it, we would be home free. Our attempts failed. We salvaged some gravel from the back of the truck and tried to pack that along with twigs back there but nothing was working. 

Mark decided that if we could get some weight in the back of the truck, I could drive and He could push and maybe that would get us out. SO.... we both started digging at the road to get rocks for the back. We probably looked pathetic. During our digging time, we suddenly heard 2 motors coming our way. Soon two dirt bikers came around the corner. They were great in trying to help us. Cussing up a storm and trying to figure out WHAT in the world we were going to do. They decided to ride on down the road to find help. About a 1/2 hour later they came back saying. "You should have just kept going... the end of the road is just a 1/4 mile that way." Great. :( They had asked a lady to be looking for a truck to send our way, and then they took off saying they would meet up with their buddies and make sure to stop by later. Mark and I had great hopes so we just chilled there with the truck. I took a nap, he took a walk, and still no signs of help. Mark goes "Well I wish we had some cards." Of course.... I check my purse and there they are... I have cards. So at this point we are stuck in the middle of no where and we end up playing war because that was the only 2 person game we could think of. After I beat Mark he says, "Let's go... we're taking a walk." It was time to find freedom. 

So we start down the road on our "1/4 mile" hike with me wearing flip flops and Mark wearing Toms shoes. We were completely unprepared for this. After 1 1/2 miles later, we reached the road. The quarter mile hike had really been through the creek, up and down, and jumping from rock to rock. We loved our lives. Finally we reached civilization or so we thought. Really they were just houses with no one around except cows grazing on the side of the mountain. We reached the road and walked a 1/2 mile while a car and a truck passed us by without stopping. Outside a house, we saw a lady working in her garden. After yelling over a crazy sheep dog's bark, the lady came to the fence. We asked to use her phone, but she refused. It was weird. 

Right at this time, a truck was driving by. I basically threw myself in front of it so that he would stop. Inside was the tiniest old man I have EVER seen. Earl Atkins was his name. We explained our situation and he just said, "Well hop on in." He drove us back the 1/2 mile we had just walked and then an additional 1/2 mile to his house. Inside we called John to find out that they had already left for Charleston to meet the 3 2 Crew. Mark decided to call GL, a community contact to get some help. Inside Earl's house, we waited for GL while talking a little. Fifteen minutes later, we saw GL's truck shoot on by the house. Mark and I jumped up, and headed out the door. We tried to chase down GL and ran back the 1/2 mile to our road but it was too late. GL was gone. :( 

At this point, Mark said, "Well, I think we should split up." I'm thinking "WHAT!?!?" but I just go... "Ok." So, Mark decides to wait by the road to see if GL comes back, and I head back the mile and 1/2 to the truck. Jumping the creek, from rock to rock in my flip flops, and using all the survival skills I had ever acquired from my Dad, I braved the hike alone. At this point it was getting dark especially in the woods. Then on my left I heard a big sound and got scared. There can be BEARS out here so... I took off running. I jumped back in the truck shut the door as quick as possible and tried to "act cool." 

After about 10 minutes of sitting there, I heard a motor coming my way. Soon 2 old men came around the corner in a four-wheeler/golf cart. I hopped on out of the car, explained the situation and then waited to see if they could help. Their main focus seemed to be the fact that they could not get around us, but I was thanking the Lord that our truck had blocked the whole way so that they had to help us. He decided to hook up a winch on the front right side and he started pulling. It wasn't doing anything but I jumped on in the truck, fired her up, threw it in reversed and punched the gas. It was like a miracle when all the sudden, I felt myself move that glorious first few inches. WE WERE FREE!!! 

I loved hearing Mark's perspective because he said that as he was walking back, he was praying and he said that he had for the first time given up hope. He thought we were going to be sleeping in the truck that night. And less than a minute later, he heard the truck engine and came around to see me actually moving. WOW!

Moral of the story. Mark and I left the Fire Hall at 2:15, and by 2:30 we were stuck. We returned to the Fire Hall at 8:30 and immediately left to go to Charleston. It was quite an adventure. We may have missed a dinner with our friends, but it was a true West Virginia experience. The best part was that as we drove by our two good samaritans, the oldest one hollered out to us: "A Country Boy Will Survive." :)