Category: 2022, HS Missions

Anyone who would like to view pictures from our trip may find a folder here. Enjoy! – Josh Karhan on behalf of the Knoxville Team

After four days of serving together, worshipping together, and growing closer together as a team, we were blessed to enjoy a free day of hangout together on Friday. We began the morning with a crepe breakfast picnic in a park in downtown Knoxville. After the delicious breakfast the team broke up and did some shopping downtown. In the afternoon, we embarked on an hour drive  to Gatlinburg to do some sight seeing and walk on the skybridge. The view of the mountains was breathtaking! The team also celebrated our time together with one last dinner in Gatlinburg. Once the team got back to the church they enjoyed a fun night of hanging out and singing karaoke. We packed up and hit the road on Saturday morning, traveling for 11.5 hours before pulling into the parking lot at Calvary Church. The trip is over, but as the Next Step staff reminded…

Our last service day in Knoxville!  Crew 1 Crew one went back to KARM today. Some of the team members did some work outside in the garden planting strawberries and also pressure washed the cement in the courtyard. The rest of the team painted the bathrooms at KARM.  Crew 5 Since the boys finished the deck yesterday, they moved to a new site today and started a ramp on another home. Because this is our last day of work, they were not able to complete the entire project. The local ministry who is the partner of Next Step will  gather a team from a local church to finish the ramp on this house next week. Despite starting a project they would not finish this week, our crew dug in and worked hard to finish our service out well.  Crew 7 As our crew of ladies had finished all of their…

June 29 (Day 4) The first two days have been off to a great start as the Knoxville team has grown significantly in their relationships with each other and with God. The team started the morning with a southwestern stable of biscuits and gravy. After a quick morning devotion all three teams headed out.   Crew 1 Crew one spent the day at the Knoxville Area Rescue Mission, and had the great opportunity to serve KARM’s guest’s face-to-face for the first time and experiencing the heart behind the thrift stores we had been in the first two days.  We spent the morning handing out water and granola bars in the courtyard then had the privilege of serving lunch from 11am-1pm. Several of us were able to sit down and hear the stories of God at work in the lives of those we met and pray with them for God’s continued presence. …

Tuesday, June 28 Our second full day of serving! Crew 1 Crew 1 went back to another KARM thrift store for some more volunteering. In the morning the team sorted books and organized toys. The team had a great time hanging out and getting to know one another better as we served. We saw Jesus show up through our discussions on the team, and were encouraged to hear that our volunteer hours and purchases all went towards providing a significant number of meals for those who are hungry.  Crew 7 It was a very messy & productive day today at the house as the girls finally got to paint after yesterday’s humidity kept them from that part of their service project. The girls painted a side of the house and a fair amount of paint also found its way onto them!  Crew 5 The boys continued to work on the…

June 27.  Our team was treated to a good ole pancakes breakfast and then a nice morning devotional. All three teams headed out to different work sites. Crew 1 Today the KARM team went to one of the many KARM thrift stores in the Knoxville Area. All of the proceeds from each store go to help support their mission to provide meals and care for those in need. The team helped with a variety of tasks including sorting clothing, moving furniture, and helping to stock employee resources for assisting patrons. After a long day’s work, the team cooled off with frosties from Wendy’s. Tomorrow the team will head to another one of KARM’s stores. Crew 5The building team headed over to a nearby house in Knoxville. The team started the day by painting an ADA ramp at the house. While the painting was going on the other half of the team…

Day 1 (June 26) It was an early morning for the Knoxville team yesterday as a 7 AM departure came quick for most of us! Each van enjoyed very valuable time to bond with each other on the long drive. The team also enjoyed some hangout time over lunch. God has blessed us in many ways so far including clearing some accidents and traffic on I-75 in response to prayer. We drove through some heavy rain just over the Kentucky Tennessee border that lasted until we arrived at Hope Fellowship, but even the rain increased the beauty of our view of the mountains. We arrived to a nice warm dinner and an enthusiastic welcome from the Next Step team. Today, our teams are hard at work at KARM and two other work sites. Check back tonight for details on our day!” – Dakota Tomac & Josh Karhan on behalf of…