|
8/24/2008
On Sunday, Rachel and Jan stopped by Trinity Baptist Church in Bedford. They Spoke briefly at the beginning of service and would like to thank Pastor DeLong for allowing them to share with congregation, and for Trinity Baptist Church's continued support of our ministries.
They also had the opportunity to speak with two different groups. First, Rachel spoke to a Senior Ladies SS class, where several of the ladies had visited Salem campus as teenagers! They were very interested in changes since the 'old days' and had very good questions about what we were doing in terms of the walk.
Next, she spoke to Youth Group and was amazed at how attentive and interested they seemed. Together, they watched the video, and were interested in what type of response we've gotten so far during the actual walking part. They even warned Jan and Rachel of a stray dog that was running around that looked 'scary.' Although Jan and Rachel didn't see the dog they appreciated the gesture.
They got a later start to our walking, which meant hot sun and humid air. However, they were able to relish in a brief break at Dairy Queen, enjoying ice cream cones!!
8/25/2008
Jan and Rachel got a nice early start, walking during rush hour traffic. They received several honks and waves, which makes us believe that word is spreading! Also, a nice Appomattox Sheriff stopped to make sure they were alright.
Jan and Rachel set up a booth at Kroger in Appomattox during the afternoon. They met lots of friendly people, and the coloring books were a hit with the young and old. The best part of the day was meeting an alumni resident! He lived at HopeTree for almost 16 years with his three brothers. They enjoyed seeing how he had become successful and talking about the changes that have gone on since he lived there. We also reminisced about Don Bradley, whom he remembered and Jan had just spoken with.
8/26/2008
Jan and Rachel spoke with members of the Appomattox Baptist Association this morning. They met at Granny Bee's restaurant in downtown Appomattox. The food, fellowship, and conversation about HopeTree was inspiring. Those in attendance asked so many questions and spoke highly of their past involvement with us. Jan and Rachel were touched by Mitch Luckie (Appomattox Baptist Association's Director of Missions) heartfelt prayer for residents, families, staff, and future speaking engagements.
Their evening concluded with a wonderful, homemade dinner at board member Hazel Harrison's home with her and her husband, George. It was nice to eat 'real' food and get to know the Harrison's better. Jan and Rachel look forward to Wednesday, when they go to Heritage Baptist (Hazel's church) to speak to current supporters.
8/27/2008
Today was a rainy day in the Farmville area. Jan braved the weather on 460 outside of Farmville for a few miles, but when visibility became an issue, we improvised and walked business 460 through Farmville instead. Jan was a trooper, wearing a bright yellow rain jacket and smiling through the raindrops.
One stopping point that day was at an antique store in Farmville. The owner was interested in our story, and wished us luck through the bad weather. After a good soaking, Jan and Rachel prepared for their speaking engagement that evening.
Heritage Baptist Church in Farmville has supported HopeTree throughout the years, with our Southside DDM home sitting right next door! We ate a wonderful spaghetti dinner with church members, and then talked a little about the programs and events going on at HopeTree. We would like to thank Pastor Hudgins for offering up his church and congregation as an audience, as well as Hazel Harrison for scheduling the speaking engagements for this part of the state.
8/28/08
Donna Lohr-Wilbourne joined the walking trail today – or at least tried to walk. Donna, and Richmond DDM staff members Crystal Burgess and Lovell Johnson planned to take up where Rachel and Jan had left off, but extremely heavy downpours and thunderstorms made walking to unsafe to tackle. A special thank you to the folks who were so understanding about not being able to keep our speaking engagements.
8/29/08
To keep on track with their scheduled speaking engagements, Jan and Donna hit the road early and started walking toward Crewe. While Jan walked, Donna made a stop at the local BP station. As soon as she got out of the Jeep a lady approached her and said, “I heard you were coming and I wanted to make a donation.” That seemed to catch some interest and Jeff McMurray, a real estate agent with Atkins Real Estate started asking questions. Turned out, he had a friend who was the morning DJ for a station in Farmville and right there in the spot he called his friend and we were scheduled for a “live spot” on the radio for next Tuesday!
After walking a couple of miles Jan and Donna arrived at Crewe Baptist Church a little before ten and meet with the Community Prayer Group. Wow – what a wonderful group of folks. We shared the HopeTree DVD and told them about the ministries we provide. They had several questions and made us feel extremely welcome. After speaking we were invited to join them for a wonderful lunch and they sent us off with ice cold water to have along our journey!
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking and made it to just a little outside of Blackstone. With the Labor Day holiday starting, we packed it up and headed home for the weekend.
|
