North Carolina: Mountains, Autumn, and Ministry

Activation: ‘the action or process of making something active or operative’

That is what our two-week period in Black Mountian, North Carolina was called. A short gap between our time at training camp, and before flying overseas, for us to learn what it means to apply what we have learned to life in ministry. This was such a sweet time for the girls from gap squads J and K to hang out, get closer, and have a fun few weeks of fall, which we had all been looking forward to. 

It was very interesting to see how each team (mine especially) grew closer and how well, or not well, they worked together. I am very grateful for this time of activation because it allowed us to see each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and how we would really deal with certain situations before being thrown into it full-time on the field in other countries. 

My team’s first week of ministry really stretched us and made a lot of us check our heart postures. We were working at a conference center, called Ridgecrest, the whole week, starting in the catering department on Monday and Tuesday. This was somewhat of an easy job because I had volunteered in a similar line of work at a summer camp. So that Monday was such a good day for me. We were working with a woman named Juli to help set up multiple rooms for an event catering to 550 people that Wednesday night. We had a lot of fun finding, rolling around, and setting up tables, which happened for the first part of the day. Then probably the best part of every day was THE FOOD. They had such good meals with an abundance of quantity and varieties, praise the Lord, because we always had happy stomachs. Oh and we also got free drinks from their cafe! Then the last half of the day was polishing silverware and wine glasses which I honestly enjoyed even though it was the same thing over and over again. What made it better was knowing that we were preventing the small number of staff there from having to stay up until 2 in the morning doing the same thing. The next day we continued to help with setting up until we were no longer needed in that area so we moved to the kitchen to help meal prep desserts and salads. 

When we showed up on Wednesday they no longer needed help in catering so they assigned us to housekeeping. This meant that half of us folded towels and sheets all day while the rest helped strip, clean, and reset the hotel rooms they had. I was a part of the group that folded laundry and it sure was a time. I really did not want to be doing that all day long but again they were short-staffed so it was nice to know that we were at least impacting them in a positive way, if only for a few days. However, I still had to check my heart and try to have a positive mindset about it. That day seemed like a struggle for everyone but we got to talk it through and help encourage one another. Then on Thursday, we got to help do the dishes and clean up from the night before. That was our last day there and it was again just a day to help them out and bless their day. This week taught us that ministry isn’t always going to be fun and glamourous but everything we do has a purpose and we each have to step up and take responsibility for making sure that we keep our eyes fixed on God, and encourage each other toward a heart posture of servitude and positivity. 

We then had a good weekend of exploring and shopping and resting before week two, which was a little more of a party. My team got to serve at what we called College Street because there was nothing else to call it. But basically, it was an old church building that was being renovated into housing for some staff of the tiny college we were staying at. This was a lot more enjoyable, for me at least because I got to put into practice things I had learned at home. It just made my heart happy to be sanding, painting, pulling weeds, drilling, doing a little heavy lifting, and just being outside. Basically, the aspect of manual labor after being in a kitchen the previous week was a good shift. And it was a better week for I think all of my team, just being able to actually have more fun and learn better how to work together.

Finally, we concluded the week on Friday with a fun little road trip. We spent the day hiking and hanging out at a waterfall for a few hours. This was just a fun way to end our time, exploring and just both squads spending time together. 

So basically all of that to say, it’s all about mindset and heart posture. We have the power to make or break our own situations by choosing how we are going to react or view them. We also have to power to influence others by choosing to encourage, uplift, and call each other higher.