SOWERRVing: November & December 2016, CIT, Union Mills, NC

For the Holiday Season of 2016 we chose to volunteer at CIT (Center for Intercultural Training) in Union Mills, NC so that we would be close to our families in the Gaston and Cleveland County areas. This project is the last stop for many missionaries that are going to a foreign field to receive their last piece of cultural training for the area of the world that they will be serving. It is a great opportunity for us to meet new families that will be spreading the gospel to parts of the world that we will never visit. Also this Center is a place for alumni to return to share their experiences with other missionaries and to let the Center be aware of their needs on the field that they can meet.

During November, Wayne and I were the only volunteers serving. Wayne worked on many handy man projects with the Maintenance Supervisor and Gail worked closely with Beverly (head chef) in the kitchen to prepare meals and do some annual cleaning in the kitchen because their were not many visitors during this time.

During December three additional couples came to assist. The Ellis's, Knapp's and Lynch's. The men worked in the attic over the dining hall making repairs, rekeying all the locks on the campus, replacing doors in the dorms and wood working on chairs. The women worked in the kitchen and helped with cleaning dorms when missionaries left.

December allowed us to get together for Christmas Caroling and potluck finger foods. Several of the staff came during devotions in the mornings to share experiences and elaborate on Scripture. On one of our days off a SOWER couple living in the Asheville area invited us to their house for fellowship and wonderful food. Also as a ladies outing we ventured to the "big" metropolis of Rutherfordton to scout out the town shops and perusing a local garment factory.

We hope to see the Ellis's and the Lynch's next month in Florida and Wayne & I will be back working again at CIT in March so we can be in the Shelby area to get our 2016 taxes reported! Oh Boy!

Also need to mention during our November project we were able to vote in the 2016 Presidential Election in Gaston County. Thank you Lord for providing a great leader, Donald Trump.