Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Mr. Peddicord's Final Thoughts

We had a wonderful week at the South Carolina Rural Mission. Once again our students stepped outside their comfort zone and showed what they are made of. They left family and friends and spent their entire Easter break helping and supporting others. Sunday night before we started our work week, I spoke to the entire group and reviewed the upcoming projects. We discussed working safely and working as a team. I am extremely impressed with the attention to detail each of the students provided on the job sites and the amount of work they accomplished.

To the parents – thank you for allowing your son to accompany us on this trip. It was awesome to see them pour themselves into their projects. Your sons made us proud. The Director of the Mission spoke to me Wednesday night and told me she is very impressed with the MSJ students work ethics. She went on to say they have hundreds of students pass through the Mission each year and the MSJ students take the lead with their politeness and professionalism. She asked I be sure to pass on to you what a pleasure it was for her and her staff to host MSJ students for a week.

Sarah- thank you for a wonderful job coordinating the whole week. You thought of everything ! Once again, a great experience I am honored to be a part of.

Ann - we are a great team. Thank you for all the support in getting the job done. Have a blast planning for the wedding. Remember, I want to see the pictures !

David – glad we were able to keep the chess games going. Not to happy that you won so many. All joking aside, thank you for all the support and guidance this past week. Always a pleasure working with you. We must have been brothers in a past life.

Ryan L., Jason, Fernando, Bennett, Evan – you guys rock ! You should be very pleased with what you accomplished this week. Each of you did a great job with the evening devotions on the Xaverian charisms. All of you were very supportive to the underclassmen on a daily basis. Yes, even with the fun stuff. I am glad we all have this trip to remember and reflect on. I am so happy to have the chance to work with each of you. As seniors you will find the rest of this school will fly by fast. The past four years of hard work has paid off and graduation will be here before you know it. Enjoy each and every moment. After graduation, please remember us at the Mount and stop by and visit us often and let us know how you are doing.

Parker, Ryan C., Ryan S., Owen, Dale, Josh, Matt, Luke, Dan C., Neal, Tom, Corey,

Nick, Miles, Mike, Dan S. - What a great team ! I know you are all tried after a hard week. I want to thank each and every one of you for your efforts this past week. And THANK YOU for working safely. I know each of the job sites were a little different. Some required painting, some required moving furniture and sorting belongings, some required digging a foundation. But no matter what site you worked on each of you gave it your all and showed your support for the local residents in many ways. I was so impressed with each of you for the kindness you showed the children at Ms. Nellie’s home. Those children will always remember your smiling faces and the fun times they spent with each of you. You touched each of them in a special way. Ms. Nellie was overwhelmed by your kindness and hard work. She especially loved that all of you came out to her home on the last day to see her new floor. She told me she will always remember each of you and (her words) “your smiling faces as you worked”. Thanks guys for a great week ! I

As it says on our new tee shirts, “ Without cost you have received; Without cost you are to give.”

Sincerely,

Mr. Peddicord

MSJ Director of Facilities

Class of ‘72

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Ms. S #2 has something to say...

As I sit here reflecting on this past week I am reminded of last years trip and how, despite the long days and nights, I was eager to return when asked. My instincts did not fail me. This trip, although different from last years, was a success. I enjoyed watching the young men meet, form bonds, play, work, and worship. Although out of their comfort zone, these boys rose above challenges, both on the work site and off, and were able to provide quality service to those truly in need.

To the parents: Thank you for allowing us to borrow your children!! This exceptional group of young men showed that they are indeed "workers who are worth their keep". It was my pleasure to watch them grow as groups and individuals. Seeing young men who care for others and are willing to give of themselves is a treasure!

Sarah (Ms S #1), Dave, and Dan: We are awesome. Seriously.

Ryan L, Evan, Bennett, Jason, and Fernando: You too are awesome. You showed me that there are still young people out there who care for others. You taught me that patience is indeed a virtue, but humor is a necessity. You led our group with confidence in yourselves and a cool maturity that the others look up to. Best of luck to you all in taking your next steps into the world, you are ready... I just hope the world is ready for you!

Mike, Tommy, Dan C, Dan S, Ryan S, Ryan C, Josh, Neil, Corey, Owen, Miles, Parker, Matt, Nick, Luke, and Dale: The awesomeness just continues! You all are my heroes (despite the fact that I never got to see the line dance I was promised). You came on this adventure not knowing what to expect, and learned to expect the unexpected. Despite any confusion you all poured your hearts into any task at hand, be it painting, flooring, picking up garbage, or playing with kids in need of attention. I feel that during the long ride home tomorrow there will be lots of sleeping AND quiet reflection about our week here at Rural Mission. I want to thank you all for teaching me, entertaining me, and showing me the type of men you are. Now we return you back to your families stronger men for taking this journey with us (despite the bumps, scrapes, boo-boo's, stitches, and owee's). Take care all of you!

"Not all who wander are lost"

Ms. Slingluff #2

Rural Mission Trip

This week was amazing. The food was good. The work was hard but successful. I had a lot of fun. The games were interesting. I loved this trip!

Dan Cunningham (DHD)
This week at Rural Mission was incredibly fun. I had the time of my life. My name is Ryan Lakis. I was here last year, but this year I am a senior leader. This week I started working at a home of nine children. They were taken care of their grandmother because their parents were too young to take care of them. Our group started taking out furniture and removing the carpet. The next day, came back and helped cutting floor boards and replacing the outside window trim. The third day, I helped complete the house. It was a lot of fun. While I was working, I played with the kids that lived there. They were so much fun; we played football and ran around playing tag. They were the most energetic kids I have ever met. The last day, I went to another house and painted the ceiling of a woman's patio. It did not take long, so the four of us went to the famous Charleston Tea Plantation where they make American Classic Tea. We walked through a tour and I learned a lot. We then visited the Shrimp Pier and saw the workers move fish that were at least one hundred fifty pounds. The last place we visited was the Angel Oak. It was a fenced in area with a tree about 200 years old. This trip was a lot more exciting than last year. We had a lot more people that I become friends with and had a great time playing during our free time. Most of the time we played tag and capture the flag and had the best time ever. I am going to leave with a lot more confidence. I really enjoyed being a senior leader. Having to lead other kids and teaching them the ways of construction was very fun. I wish I could do this again.
Today, I finally was sent to the house we were working on. I had been painting fences, boards, and other things with Mr. Dutrow for the past few days. When i got to the house i was amazed at just how small it was because i knew just how many people lived there. Then when we got closer all the kids came flooding out, so those of us with down time spent it playing with them. Man their little balls of energy flying everywhere. we worked on finishing the flooring in the hall way. The hardest parts were the last to pieces because they went under a pair of doorways each and they wouldn't fit no matter how many times we cut them at odd angles. At the end are entire group came and we took a group picture including all the kids and Mrs. Nelly, the grandmother and owner of the house, thanked us for all we did. This adventure i will remember for a long, long time.

Michael Morris

Another Day of Service and Fun

Today, eight of us traveled to a house with nine kids and three adults. It was a rewarding experience and something we, or I will never forget. There, at the house, we installed new brown floors and painting all the walls, a shiny and glossy white color. It was a lot of work and sweat, and involved enormous sacrifice, but the looks on the kids faces and the drastic change that took place, will be a long lasting memory that we will never forget. I enjoyed working with Mr. Peddicord and Ms. Slingluff #2;they were great supporters and amazing fun. I enjoyed the week here and would definitely come back next year! Thanks Ms. Slingluff and Mount Saint Joe for this great opportunity.

Corey Kennedy