Saturday, June 15th: The Return Home

Today was our last day at Mountain TOP, as we began our trip home this morning. We've left the mountain with great stories, great new friendships, renewed relationships with God, and a sense of accomplishment with the work we completed this week. At the beginning of the week we were all placed into YRGs with people we were unfamiliar with, from all different backgrounds. The only thing we all had in common was wanting to fulfill the social, emotional, physical, and spiritual needs of the people of Grundy County. Throughout the week, we worked on several different projects, including painting, yard work, and constructing porches. We also had several worship services throughout the week, which were quite meaningful. The main thing I think most of us will bring back from the mountain is the necessity to ask for God's assistance in whatever we do, whether it be schoolwork, sports, music, social lives, etc. Without faith in God, the work we do on a daily basis is impossible. Lastly, I'd like to thank all of the faith partners on behalf of the whole Mountain TOP group. We really appreciate all that you've done for us, as our trip would not have been possible without you.

Thanks,
Tendo Mutema

We left Mountain TOP this morning to return to “the valley below.” Throughout the week we grew close to the people from the other churches and struggled with saying goodbye to them this morning. It is amazing how close you can get to people you never knew in such a short amount of time. This week we learned about putting faith into action. The people we worked for told us about times in their lives when they thought there was no way out and they had faith that God would help them and they pulled through it. I learned through their strong faith in God that I need to strengthen my faith. I also realized that I need to add more action to my faith. I hope to bring the things I have learned on the Mountain TOP to my everyday life and make a difference in the lives of people closer to home. I know that it will be hard to continually do God's will but I know that God will be with me every step of the way and that I have a strong community of Christians at home supporting me. Thank you so much for your prayers and your support throughout this journey of faith.

Thank you so much,

Paige O'Connell

(Stay tuned for more pictures from our week at Mountain T.O.P.!  

Thank you for sharing in the experience with us!)