By Candace Schwartz & Todd Zeiger

Day 1 is in the books!  This morning our group of 12 met at church and was prayed off by a dedicated group of staff, family, and volunteers.

We each said “yes” to this trip for different reasons, but we are united by a shared purpose: to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a community devastated by Hurricane Helene. As we drove, I was repeatedly struck by God’s handiwork—the rising mountains and vibrant splashes of color in the trees.

Day 1 often brings a mix of excitement, anxiety, anticipation, and shyness. As the hours pass, those feelings begin to give way to genuine connections—after all, spending 11.5 hours in a vehicle with strangers has a way of connecting people together! Our experience was no different.

Tyler from World Compassion Network, Curtis from Crossroads, and several other volunteers from World Compassion Network welcomed us, helped us settle in, and made sure we were fed and comfortable before bed. First Christian Church is our host for the week – a congregation serving since the beginning of the storm serving thousands of meals and volunteers through their campus.

The connections continued to build on Monday a.k.a. Tetris day. Our job – build a LOOOONG retaining wall to hold back the red Tennessee clay hill from sliding into a newly constructed house. If you have never had the joy of working with damp red Tennessee clay, we can now share stories. Our Tetris involved jockeying multiple vehicles, trailers, and equipment as supplies arrived and trenches dug. We laid up 27,000 pounds of interlocking concrete blocks by hand. Phew.

We also were afforded ample opportunity for building personal connections and practice the patience called for in Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness” as we waited for extended periods for materials or next jobs.

We have been so happy to see the team pull together, put aside ego and just work together. The task is important but the connections and growth the goal.