And we're off...

We spent a late evening at the church last night packing up school supplies. We ended up with 15 boxes stuffed with paper, pens, pencils, markers, crayons, rulers, scissors, and all sorts of other things.

Keep us in your prayers as we travel to Greeneville tomorrow (Sunday) after church. We will be taking our new church van, so this will definitely be an adventure. The kids in the youth group have already picked out their seats on the van. (ah... to be a teenager again... I remember those days). I just found out today that the cigarette lighter does not seem to be working, so my GPS will only be running off its internal battery. Guess I need to print directions from map quest just in case the GPS battery runs down (I hate having to stop to ask for directions).

At any rate, have a nice Labor Day weekend! If you're off from work, enjoy the "down" time. Remember -- NO LABOR on LABOR DAY. I guess they should have called it "Labor-Free Day."

Fall is in the air!

As I went to lunch this afternoon, I couldn't help but notice the chill in the air. Fall is just around the corner (which is my FAVORITE time of year, by the way).

We're getting geared up for our big trip to Greeneville, TN this weekend. We've gathered lots of school supplies and I'm picking up more stuff from other local churches on Friday. I'm pretty pumped!

I have no kids of my own, but I've learned a lot from this experience. Walmart has loose-leaf notebook paper for $0.50 a pack and Staples has the SAME EXACT paper for $1.99. I was like "WOW, WHAT A PRICE DIFFERNCE!!!" However, I did get a bunch of FREE folders from Staples. I picked up 60 of the free folders, but when I talked to my kids in my youth group, they said that each person wasn't supposed to get more than 10. The store associates never said anything to me...hopefully the folder-police won't come after me.

So, I guess the rule of thumb is to do your research and try to shop around to find the best bargains.

A BIG week for everyone!

Well... With this being Sunday night, tomorrow starts off a new work week. All the kids around town are starting back to school this week too. We are praying for you guys! Keep the faith & everything will be okay.

Capitol City

After work this evening, I drove to Charleston to see Patrick. Patrick is my friend who was in a terrible motorcycle accident earlier this month. You can check out his blog at http://prayforpatrick.blogspot.com. He has come a long way, but he still has a rough road to travel. It amazes me to see how far God has brought him. Patrick is the type of guy who never has a hair out of place, but today he's looking like a true mountain man. He's sporting a full grown beard and his hair is getting a little shaggy. He was sleeping this evening, so I couldn't pick on him about his new look. I'm just thankful that God is answering our prayers and I'm also thankful God is using Patrick's medical staff to do great work.

Please pray for Patrick as he recovers. God is awesome!

Festival in the Mountains

The city of Beckley is hosting the "Appalachian Festival" this weekend. Tonight was the big gathering on Main Street. The streets were crowded with people and street vendors. As I snacked on a philly cheese steak and funnel cake, I walked down to Shoemaker Square where a celtic band was playing. As they played their bag pipes, flutes, and guitars, kids were dancing in the streets. It was nice to get a taste of culture in my own backyard.

The festival goes on all weekend and I'm looking forward to the "Hillbilly Breakfast" tomorrow morning at the Beckley Convention Center. This breakfast is hosted by Hospice of Southern WV. All proceeds benefit this great organization.

PROJECT CARE: GREENEVILLE HERE WE COME!!!

It's that time of year again - SCHOOL STARTS!!! In most places, this is the week before school. I can remember those days growing up...Having to "train" myself to get up at 6AM and getting ready for a wonderful day of learning (Uh hum) ;-)

The beginning of school signifies many things. 1) New clothes. 2) Rush to Walmart to grab last-minute school supplies. 3) Fall is just around the corner (which is my favorite season).

But...For many families, these "beginning of the school year" traditions are extremely difficult. Many families simply cannot afford to purchase new clothes or school supplies for their children. That's why we have decided to help a special group of people in Greeneville, Tennessee. Greeneville is the home to Free Will Baptist Family Ministries. This non-profit organization offers residential services in Tennessee, Arkansas and Virginia. In addition to long-term and short-term residential care, Family Ministries also provides an assessment center, a licensed on-campus school, conference center and youth camp, foster care and adoption, a crisis pregnancy center, and a retirement/assisted living facility.

Family Ministries' Greeneville campus consists of several cottages. In order to strongly emphasize a family-like atmosphere, the children are cared for by house parents in home-like settings.

God has placed a special burden on my heart for this ministry (as well as other ministries similar to this).

Our school supplies mission trip (PROJECT CARE) will take place on Labor Day weekend. We will be leaving Beckley, WV Sunday afternoon, August 31 and returning Monday night, September 1.

If you want to get involved, please email me at: jeffb98@aol.com.

James 1:27 is the motivational scripture for many of our childcare & nursing home outreaches.

First Post

This is my first post on this blog. I've helped other people establish blogs, so I guess it's my turn now. My plan is to post information on our upcoming community outreaches. I think it's important for people to help other people. If you see something you want to get involved with, just let me know.