Saturday, March 20
After seeing how icy the weather was getting outside Friday night, we quickly decided to leave earlier - like 3 a.m. earlier! It was difficult to function after the alarm buzzed and I peeled my sleepy eyes opened. Besides getting run off the road by a tractor trailer and losing three hours due to maintaining an average speed of 38 mph on the interstate, we enjoyed the trip and arrived in Spring Hill, Tenn. with an afternoon to enjoy. My sisters and I went to Kohls and looked at dresses, which was fun!
Sunday, March 21
We went to church and heard testimonies from people who had just returned from a mission trip to Haiti. I also loved listening to Pastor Sam's sermon. It always feels like a "fireside chat" when he talks and I find I learn a lot from what he says. After our usual lunch at China Wok with the family (minus Aaron), we headed over the hills and through Cookeville to see our friends from college, Dave and Magan in Williamsburg, Ky. As stormy as it was, the drive through the windy roads of Tenn. led us to their familiar front door. We stayed up until 2 a.m. talking in the family room! Poor Dave had to get up to teach school the next day!
Monday, March 22
We began our "job" by setting up our MBTS booth at our beloved University of the Cumberlands. It is always weird to come back and see my old haunts. It seems like so long ago that I was a student (2002 - 2006), but at the same time, I have such vivid memories all around campus! I miss it, but I'm glad to grow. After graduation, I had such a pain in my heart to have to leave what I considered my home for four years, but instead of grieving for that time, now I am able to think about it with warm feelings and smile about good memories and friends.
I walked around the campus, the football field, parks, and the baseball and softball fields where Brett umpired, and took LOTS of pictures. WE SAVED AN ANIMAL, TOO! I saw a fuzzy brown object by the softball field fence. As we crept up on it, hoping it wasn't something dead, we discovered a brown beaver-looking animal stuck in the fence at its waist. He couldn't back up or move forward. Brett tried to free the poor critter, but couldn't free it, and the little guy was so terrified, his huge buck teeth nipped at Brett's pants. A local stopped by with some wire cutters, but couldn't free it either. He gave us the number to animal control, which yielded not only animal control, but some volunteer firemen and the county sheriff! The experts identified him as a muskrat, but more fondly called a Florida "water rat." They shoved him backwards through the fence, then sent him sailing through the air, back over the fence, so he could escape to the park nearby. I hope the little fellow is alright after all that trauma! What an eventful afternoon in the 'burg!
Dave coaches girls soccer, so Brett and I went to the WCMS field where I took pictures of the team practicing. I had so much fun trying to get good action shots. I also heard the Whitley County accent, which made me feel so at home again!
We tried a new restaurant in Corbin with Dave and Magan, which was delicious. After supper, we stopped by their church, where they showed us the youth room where they help. We heard about their struggles in ministry and the lives that they've seen changed. The people in that area are so poor; I had almost forgotten. Some of the kids who go to church there do not have food to eat! I am so glad that they can serve those people and teach principles such as True Love Waits.
