Day 3

Mafia, early rising, great breakfast, Wolf Creek museum, awesome people, are all things we experienced today. After our 2 days of exploration in Bland County, we finally came into direct contact with our main mission, which was to restore the Wolf Creek museum. Despite the early rise, we were able to work through the day, owing to the great breakfast our hosts at Camp Laurel made. Once we made it to the museum, we were graciously welcomed by Sam and Denise and other museum staff. Some of us went to Bland Ministry where they got to package various snacks and foods. The rest of us remained at the museum where we got engaged in various activities: raking mulch, creating a new trail, clearing out a path for a new trail, building a structure that would be the location for a new museum, weaving fences, and many other minor stuff. It was a very great experience in that we were performing a service that is very crucial to the Bland community. It was also very rewarding talking to Denise and getting to hear various stories about the Indians and the museums. We also bonded with the staff and even crossed a crucial trust line, where they allowed us to operate their tractor. It was also a beautiful day in that the weather was favorable.

After a long day’s work we were fortunate to have some of the locals showcase their talent. Alan and Bill were incredibly talented and also heavily invested in the welfare of the community. They provide breakfast to hikers on the Appalachian Trail, and also run 3 ministries. They were very passionate about their work and were eager to share their various life experiences. One of our favorite songs performed were Emilyn and The Coal Miner’s story, both which prompted us to think of the situation in the area, and the kinds of things they go through. Meeting people from Bland allows us to get a full understanding of their culture, and also enable us to put more effort into helping them out, especially after experiencing the magnitude of good in them.

Overall today was the beginning of what seems to be an incredible week, full of many learning experiences and fun times for everyone. It was definitely a great day and we hope that coming days will be even better.

XOXO,

Ivy & Simon    :D