Hello there!
We thought it was time to let everyone know what we have been up to. We have been taking it slow getting to Tioga, PA where we will be staying at Ives Run Campground for July and August. We have been visiting family and are now in Lancaster, PA where we are volunteering at GAiN (Global Aid Network). The warehouse is located here. They have 2 work weeks a year and we just happened to find out about it while eating dinner at a family restaurant! A family noticed that we were wearing our Crop Walk tee-shirts and asked if we were helping out at GAiN. We had never heard of it, so we asked many questions. Come to find out, it is part of Campus Crusade and they send donations from individuals, churches, and business partners all around the world including the US! We stopped in the next day and learned much more. There were hundreds of volunteers working at packing the donations for transit around the world! School groups, youth groups, women's and men's groups, people from all over the states are here to help out for this one week. Mel and I actually packed seeds donated from Burpee and destined for Gambia. There are clothes, dental equipment, scooters, seeds, food, blankets, shoes, quilts (hand made by volunteers) and so much more. If you would like to know more, please check out their website. It is http://gainusa.org/getinvolved/gdc/
We stopped in Charleston, SC and toured Water Missions International, a Chrsitian Organization. They supply sustainable clean water systems to third world countriees and disaster assistance here in the US and abroad. Their website is http://www.watermissions.org/
We toured the facility and were very impressed with the ability of the water systems they build using volunteers. They are involved during the entire process from initial idea to completion of project. They help, teach and train the community where the water system will be installed on the necessity of clean water and their health. A community must be part of the project from the beginning and are asked to assist in
installation and are trained in the upkeep and maintenance.
In September, we are attending the NOMADS annual meeting in Hamburg, NY. After that we are signed up to work at Lakeshore United Methodist Assembly in Eva, TN for 3 weeks beginning on October 8th. It is a retreat and camp center located on the Tennessee River. We are looking forward to helping in any way we can.
Please continue to pray that we follow where God is leading us. You are all in our prayers.
God Bless You!!
Trina and Mel
