Day 6 – Saturday, June 22, 2019
Yes, it was another soggy morning as we prepared to leave DePauw while searching for misplaced/ lost keys or missing articles of clothing. We have a lost and found bag on the bus that can sometimes become quite full. Today is a long bus ride. We will be crossing four states – Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia. Our morning Greeters to start us off for the day were Jack Hembrough and Calista Kibak. It's so nice to start our day with encouraging words and friendship for one another. Next was sharing time. David Hembrough gave his famous weather report (which has a 50/50 chance of being correct.) Maxwell Donaldson read a text from his Dad, who had his last chemo treatment yesterday, thanking everyone for their well wishes. He received a round of applause for the good news of being cancer free. Go Team Mike! Brian LaRosa shared a thought about the coincidence of names. The pastor at DePauw yesterday had the same name as Brian, as well as his high school chorus teacher also being named Brian. It brought back good memories for him.
Karalee’s rural word of the day was reckn’. It means “I suppose.” For example: “I reckn’ we’re going to hear a good concert tonight!” The only fork story we had today was from Matt Miante. Coincidentally, the exact same thing that happened earlier in the week to Gregory Vanderham happened to Matt last night. He went into the Men’s Room to use the bathroom, and when he came out the sign had been changed and it said Ladies Room. It was the old sign switcheroo! After our sharing time, almost everyone on the bus snuggled into their seats for a mid-morning nap. Being asleep helps the time to go by so much quicker!
We stopped for a bathroom break in Ohio. Our second morning Greeters were Ben Fritts and Admiral Ayeh- Datey.
We stopped for lunch on the outskirts of Dayton, Ohio. Everyone broke up into small groups and walked to their nearby restaurant of choice. Favorite restaurants included Chick-fil-A, Smash Burger, Chipotle and Golden Corral. Troy Moskowitz went to Wal-Mart and purchased a hairbrush to present to Matthew Baldridge, who lost his. (It gently detangles.)
Our final destination was Cross Lanes, West Virginia. As we left Dayton, we were shocked to see a swath of devastation in part of the town. There were mangled steel beams, roofs blown away or destroyed, crumbled foundations, total loss of houses and shattered trees. We found out that a tornado had recently blown through that area. It was unbelievably violent. The Ohio River had risen almost to flood stage and the current was swiftly flowing. We could hardly believe our eyes. We turned our attention to the afternoon Greeters: Jonathan Works and Cole Taylor. Spoon Greets Tasty!! (If you don’t get the joke, read our earlier blog.) The rest of the afternoon was spent playing cards, listening to music, sleeping or watching the movie, ”Goonies” on the bus monitors.
We pulled into Cross Lanes, WVA with just enough time to take our luggage up to our hotel rooms, change clothes and drive over to our concert venue at Cross Lanes UMC. The church members had a tasty spaghetti dinner with salad waiting for us. There were some familiar faces at our concert tonight. Brienna Ryders’s Dad and sister Morgan were there, as well as Connor Dennie’s parents and Connor Shiflett’s grandparents. The people in the congregation were amazed at the sound quality of our youth and at how well their voices blend. We were so proud of them. Back at the hotel, our group met for an evening sharing time. The youth and adults took turns sharing about what Tour meant to them, which songs have special meaning, what they have enjoyed most this week, what challenges they encountered and what their favorite moments of the week were. It was heart-warming to hear them open up and talk about their feelings. What I realized was that this trip has touched many lives. It has touched the hearts of the participants and It has touched the hearts of those who attended. It’s an experience that will stay with everyone for a long, long time. It’s hard to understand if you haven’t experienced it, but I hope your children will able to express some of it to you when they return. Day 6 Even if they can’t put it into words, know that this trip was very worthwhile.
I reckn’ we will be seeing you soon! Sue
Click Here for Photos from Day 6
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