Ditches and Tomato Soup

Hello From Cocke County!  We have somewhat officially moved into our home for the summer!  By that I mean everything is out of the vans and in the office/cafeteria/supply area.  It does not mean that we are organized or can find what were looking for when we need it… But none the less we are rocking and rolling.

We left the porch on Thursday afternoon after going to the commissioning service and taking lots of pictures.  We also enjoyed a great lunch.  And did our chores of course!  Our set up week adventures started off with a senic drive and a whole lot of switchbacks…we were following the GPS but I’m not sure that it was really the best way.  Along the way Sevier County caught up to us and so we all caravanned together.  I wish I could have taken a picture of the eight of us making a u-turn when we realized the bridge we needed to cross was closed.  Apart from our senic tour of TN we made it safely to Carson Springs Baptist Retreat Center.  We met some new friends who will be living with us this summer, they work at the camp and helped us move all of our stuff in!

We found a delicious mexican restaurant to have for dinner and filled up on chips before our food even came.  We also celebrated Corin's birthday with presents and candles!  

The week is already flying by. A little too quickly since we've been here in my opinion.  We have been to the bank, hardware store, walmart, gas stations, and grocery stores as well as located an ice cream store and a dump.  We have also been on the lookout for projects and are finding them all over the county.  We are slowly learning to fend for ourselves... and eating a LOT of tomato soup too :) 

We have seen our fair share of hills but overall we're making it through all right with some love and guidance from our PM!  

If you want to meet my staff and see some pictures as well as updates from this summer you should like out facebook page!  http://www.facebook.com/ASPCockeTN  ( this is also a shameless plug because at the end of the summer we want to be the center with the most likes :))

And if you want to send me mail...

ASP General Delivery

Attn: Caitlin Closs

Newport, TN 37821

much love and many prayers from Newport TN!!

Training!

Well...so far the goal of blogging once a week seems to have been a failure... but only because I have been so engrossed in spending time and being present while I've been on the porch!

So some highlights so far of this adventure!

- CD hangout time!  Hanging out with all the other center directors has been such a blessing.  They are wonderful people who I am excited that I have become better friends with.  We have a lot of fun being silly and serious all in the same day.  I feel a really great sense of community this year, something that I didn't find til the end of last summer.  So many friends to talk to and spend time sharing our joys!

-General Things that happen on the Porch: Singing, praying, writing silly intro songs, candy being passed around at construction sessions, milkshakes from happy mart, 120 friends, conversations about anything.

-Special Training things: Slumber Parties, Square Dancing, Late Night Snacks, IHVs, Walmart Trips, Team Building Day

-STAFF REVEAL!!!! MY STAFF IS AWESOME!!!!!  Thankfully you are going to get to hear about them all summer long :)  Soon I will post pictures detailing our meeting and how great they all are.  There are four of us who will be living and serving in Cocke County and we are all girls.  Also we love Jesus.  And we can't wait to grow and adventure together!

-County Visit Day... I was supernervous about this ( in previous years CDs have gone out by themselves and ventured around their county.  This year I had a partner and a PM (program manager)  the three of us had an awesome trip and it was so nice to get away from the porch and see our homes!  My center is sort of like disney world... swimming pool, laundry, indoor showers, and a nice space for Evening Gatherings!  Pictures soon!

Training is getting ready to come to a close, and I have mixed emotions.  I can't wait to get to my county and  get to know my staff and families and volunteers, but I will miss getting to be surrounded by wonderful friends everyday.  I'm looking forward to load up day and getting ready to head out fro the summer!

To all of the friends who have sent me mail...Thanks!!  Starting this Thursday (5/31) you can send me mail at
ASP General Delivery- Cocke County
Attn: Caitlin Closs
Newport, TN 37821

Much love and many prayers from the porch!

less then one week til ASP!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In less then one week I will be sitting on the porch doing a little bit of this:

singing, seeing friends, learning, and most importantly preparing for an incredible summer!

I might be a little bit excited!  Before I go I have a lot to do. Such as pack. pack. pack. And let me tell you packing is not the easiest thing.  I am planning what I might want or need for an entire summer of adventure and it all needs to fit into one nice bag so I can take it on the plane.  My room is serving as a staging room while I sort through and decide what I might be able to fit.

I also am spending time hanging out with the fam and seeing friends while I am home.  Loving having dinner and lunch with the people who inspire me most and being reminded of the wonderful support system I have even after being gone.

After training is over, I'll be moving to Newport TN, and serving as a center director in Cocke County. I am looking forward to meeting my staff, and learning  the joys and challenges of a new center and a new staff!

I am sure there will be much more to tell in the coming weeks!  But for know if you want to think about sending me mail :)

My address from May 17- May 30 will be:

ASP Jonesville Center
Attn: Caitlin Closs
P.O. Box 250
Jonesville, VA 24263

I'll have a different address for the rest of the summer, but I'll have to get back to you on that!

Love and Hugs from Colorado!

summer dreamin'

things I should be doing:-writing my english paper
-finishing our poli sci group project
-studying for all the exams I need to do next week
-thinking about school things
-checking things off my to do list (blogging is on there but I don't think it really counts)

things I am doing instead:
-ASP center director homewrok
-facebook creeping on new staff friends!
-considereing all of the places my county might be
-looking through old ASP pictures
-texting staff friends

As I meander through the last week of classes I am bogged down by all the studying that is supposed to be occuring- but actually isn't.  But the good news is for as good as I am at procrastination I am also always good at getting things done when i need them to be done! 

I've been thinking a lot about this summer and all things i can't wait for- but I am also excited about the new memories and connections I'll build.  I filled out my staff expectations over theweekend and found myself excited for new challenges and new relationships.  I know God is putting little glipses of ASP in my life everyday and today is all about prepearing for the journey!

now its time to get back to paper writing!!

much love from the library!

The Anticipation!

So it's been a while since I posted on here... but I figured now is as good of a time as any (while I avoid studying for that math test) to get this blog thing rolling again for the summer :)

I tried to write as often as I could last summer about all of my ASP experiences to keep friends and family updated.  For those of you who don't know yet, I have decided to work for ASP again this summer.  So it seemed only fitting to blog again about the countless memories and challenges that another summer holds.

A little background... ASP (Appalachia Service Project) is a non profit emergency home repair ministry.  During the summer, between 25 and 30 summer centers host volunteer groups who come in to do home repairs for families in TN, VA, WV, KY,  and NC.  Each center is made up of four staffers with the task of managing volunteers and construction projects to ensure an experience that is un forgettable for volunteers.  If you want more info...or might want to volunteer, you can check out their website www.asphome.org.

I first heard about ASP when I was in High School and we went on a mission trip to Knott County, Kentucky.  I worked with new friends and helped to put a roof on a home for a family.  Fast forward to college, when my youth pastor who had previously served in summer staff encouraged me to apply.  I did and ended up working in Knox CO, TN with three ridiculously awesome people.  I had a summer full of joys and challenges and you can read all about it below :)

Somehow even after saying I didn't think I would ever be back, something in my heart helped me to see otherwise.  I am now praying for my new staff, a new summer, and a new team.  I have accepted a job as a center director (ahhh!!!!) and am nervous and excited and just about every other emotion between the two.  I know that God has awesome plans for this summer and can't wait to be a part of them. 

In a few weeks I'll be finding out my county and gearing up for a summer unlike any other.  Until then I'd love prayers for this new adventure and for the ability to stay focused on what is happening right now.  I still have three weeks of school and a few things I'm looking forward to before ASP (ACCL, going home, seeing friends, etc)  but for know my focus should be on school and what God has placed in front of me today!  

Much love from Alma!

it's all over???

I can't even think about the fact that this summer is all over and that in just a few short days I'll be thinking about real life...  The summer ended quite nicely- we finished up all of our projects and only had a few spindles left that our helpers put on.  Saying goodbye to all of our families was such a bittersweet feeling.  We have spent the whole summer together and now we won't be seeing them each week.  They were all so different and so unique.  I'll miss all of the silliness at slip n slide, with the kids, and the sweet feelings at Van Gogh.

After all our volunteers left we closed out our center and said goodbye to knoxville college!  It was weird thinking that I would no longer be sweating all the time, we had to stay up super late packing and getting everything ready to be unloaded.  Unload day was one of my favorites, it was so fun seeing everyone again and hearing all of their stories form the summer.  Then it was off to chavies to help them finish everything.  Since we have been here I have done a lot of sleeping and also ran dump, organized etc.  It is so weird not having any responsibilities to worry about.  We also have been enjoying our fair share of Ale 8 and we went to a rope swing today, it was super fun until I slipped and belly flopped into the water....hello bruises!

Anyway just a few more days here and then its time for wrapup and to see everyone again.  Hopefully by then I'll have found a ride home and be getting ready to go back to Michigan!  I'm gonna miss the overalls, but I'm excited to see what god has in store for me this year!  Pictures to come soon!

Unconditional love

Holy Cow,  I can’t believe that this is already week 6 and that it’s almost over with…that means only one more week of volunteers and one more week to finish up our projects.  These past few weeks have had so many happies and of course a few crappies along the way.  It’s so hard to find time to tell all of you about everything even though I wish that all of you could be here to experience everything. 

Ok completely random interjection to all of my thoughts…right now I should be paying attention to the beginning of our meeting and one of the youth just walked in and prayed for us, and it was incredible.  He just said how God had chosen each of us to be here and it was one of the coolest things.  It’s these little moments that make me want to stay here forever. 

Week 5 was wonderful, the churches who came not only interacted incredibly with each other, but also with us as a staff.   They cared for us so much and really went above and beyond to make sure that we had one of the easiest and best weeks possible.  One of our GLs Mike, was a floater and literally the best thing ever.  Every morning he would get up to go to hardware with us, aka wake up at 5:30 to get in the car with a semi awake staffer to drive to home depot and load/find an entire van full of goodies…maybe this sounds fun to you…but I struggle doing it once a week, but everyday that’s dedication.  Each night he would come to our office and just impart his wisdom upon us, seeing him go was the beginning of a lot of tough goodbyes. 

I also think that this was one of the most challenging weeks in terms of motivation and passion for me.  We are pouring out everything we have and it is so easy not to refuel on God in the midst of everything which leads straight to the struggle bus. 

We have had two really awesome weekends…

1.     We went to a minor league baseball game, although I couldn’t tell you anything about the game, I could impart many things about the pictures we took, the gift store, the laughs, and the awesome ice cream that we at out of cute little plastic baseball caps.  Our evening was finished out by a midnight parking lot dance party-  crucial part of every staffs existence.

2.     SPOOM…or the society for the preservation of old mills.  Marv…another really awesome dude who is on the board for ASP owns a mill just about 35 min from our center, so we went there took a tour, rode all around his property on gators, watched the sunset from swings, enjoyed a delicious dinner on real plates and with placemats, and had a campfire.  Then we had the pick of 8 different real beds… something I haven’t seen for about 2 months.  We enjoyed a relaxing morning on the porch and came back refreshed to work.

This week I also got to take a day off, I met up with Kristen and Jolean in Anderson County….it was wonderful.  We not only had some awesome conversations about God’s unconditional love for us and how we can share that with others, but we had a picnic and went geocaching.  If you’ve never been before, you must go…I will take you.  It’s like treasure hunting for big kids!

Anyway things are going swell, thanks for all the mail J and for your prayers.  One more week left- it’s crazy.  Pictures to come soon :)