Day Three 2017 MMDC Youth Mission trip

An improvement in the MMDC dorms is the addition of “egg crate” foam pads on all of the bunks. It makes sleeping on those mattresses much more comfortable.

This morning we headed about an hour away to New Salem, the reconstructed village where Lincoln spent 6 years tending a store and working as the postmaster.

Our docent was Harl Jones, a friend of Grandma Grace’s. He gave us a private tour of the living-history-like outdoor museum.

One of the first speakers was a cooper in the shop of Henry Onstot.

Then Harl told us about the church and schoolroom.

Robert Johnston’s wheelwright’s home was next.

The second Berry-Lincoln store had a sign for Abe as postmaster.

Above the fireplace in the store where Lincoln was a partner are signs about him being a survey and store proprietor.

Our mission group stands in front of a Conestoga wagon.

Lincoln was a surveyor while he lived in Sagamon County, Illinois.

And in New Salem was where he walked 8 miles to borrow a book. He studied grammar to improve himself, and it was here that he decided to study law.

We headed to Dairy Queen for lunch before returning to the MMDC campus to work in the afternoon.

Today was Flag Day. Let us remember those who fought for our freedom as Americans.

After we returned to campus we went to the third warehouse and disassembled school kits and put all of the items into bins to be counted: one- and two-handled school bags, spiral notebooks, rulers, protractors (only 2), erasers, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, student students, and crayons.

We relaxed a while before the delicious supper that Heather and Pastor Jim prepared of baked chicken, green bean casserole, baked potatoes (sweet and white), and dinner rolls. Yum.

Then this big storm blew up and we got some wind and rain.

We don’t know what we will be doing tomorrow morning, but a truck pulled up to the loading dock tonight, so there could be more Annual Conference supplies to sort.

2017 Youth Mission Trip to MMDC Day 2

Last night for supper we roasted hot dogs over the campfire and made ’smores. The 95 degree temperature cooled off and there was a nice breeze to blow the smoke away.

 This is the new bike shop in the third warehouse. Rims are stored outside, and up above is room to store sewing machines.

Here is the truck from the Iowa Annual Conference that was unloaded first thing this morning. The desks that Jay Cutler's team from Trinity assembled are on the center left.

Here the desks from Trinity are loaded onto a pallet.

Alex and Keely joined Bill in the bike shop today. They inflated tires and rode the bikes to make sure they worked okay.

A new quonset outside the back of the bike shop allows for somewhat protected bike storage. Previously, the bikes were stored outside in the elements--even in the snow during winter.

Bikes are repaired for pastors in foreign countries to get from one parish to another. They also go to those in need. After the flood of 2008 twenty-five bikes came to Cedar Rapids for children whose bikes were lost in the flood.

The back door to the bike shop opens to the area where the quonset is conveniently located.

There were a few flood cleaning buckets in the truck from Iowa Annual Conference, so we got to sort more supplies into bins.

Things got a little crazy as they tried to “dunk” items like clothesline into the bins.

 Josh and Caden built school desks this morning.

Upstairs above the wood shop is  “The Upper Room” is where school desks are sanded and a coat of polyurethane is applied.

After lunch we started assembling one-handled school bags.

Heather packed 16 school kits in each box. During the day we packed 40 boxes for a total of 640 school kits.

 

Caden helped tape boxes of school kits closed, weighed them, and wrote the weight in pounds on each box before they were loaded on a pallet and taken to the warehouse for stretch-wrapping.

 The pallet of school bags was taken to the second warehouse where it was stretch-wrapped on a new machine that wraps it automatically.

At the end of the work day, we ran out of scissors so we quit a little early and cleaned the workroom. Everybody pitched in to vacuum, wash windows, clean bathrooms, sweep the floor, consolidate and carry out the garbage.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be sorting the donations that came from Iowa and Charles City.

 Outside the third warehouse there are stakes to mark the area that a new loading dock will be built.

Before supper Heather and the kids took the van and went on an adventure. They found a park to expend a little energy.

While they were gone, Susan and Grandma Grace prepared spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad which was ready when the rest of the team returned to the MMDC campus. Pastor Jim arrived tonight about 8:15, we had devotions, and now there is a nighttime game of "capture the flag" before quiet time begins at 10:00 with lights out at 11:00. Tomorrow morning we are going to New Salem to see Abrahan Lincoln's boyhood home. Then we will be back to work at MMDC in the afternoon.