twenty-three

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This post is the first of 3 posts describing our recent trip to Hayesville, NC, for an INN mission trip. I’ve taken a little creative license, as a burgeoning writer, to expand, develop, and combine elements of the days into a memoir-esque narrative. Enjoy.
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the morning air is crisp. there’s a freshness of spring that i breathe in, something is clearly changing in the breeze, something opening up, thawing out, shaking it’s wings clean of winter and becoming new. i look across the hillside of the appalachians and see the misty air rise up through the valleys, across the lakes, over the rolling hills in the distance. north carolina is waking up.

i’m up before the rest of the mission team. i find the coffee grounds in the top shelf above the stove, hidden for safe keeping. i fill the filter, pour the water, press the button, and a little more joy begins to fill the sun soaked room. nothing can wake up a sore body, tired from a previous day’s work, than spring sunshine and a fresh pot of coffee.

something rustles in one of the bedrooms. they’re starting to wake. bleary-eyed, two or three students slowly walk into the kitchen, murmuring something about 6:30 being too early to start breakfast. i smile. we start the bacon, pull the cold cereal out from the cupboard, pour juice. cold-cuts, cheap bread, sticky jars of jam and peanut butter, are set out for lunches. apples and oranges are sliced. i hear alarm clocks, showers, and hair dryers. dirty work pants are dawned. gloves, hats, sunscreen. we’re ready for another day of work.

by 8:00, everyone has rushed out the door, thrown on their cold work boots and shoes, laced up, and walked swiftly to the hinton center offices. we meet bill, clarissa, charles, bill, and darren, who all smile widely at our energetic crew, hopeful of the work we’ll accomplish today. we crack jokes, pretend we have southern accents, and find out what we’ll be doing this day. we shiver a bit with that fresh spring air still being warmed by the new morning sun.

the cars load up. the stereos come on. maps are checked, directions confirmed. we’re off.

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