Monday, July 26 The drive from Abbeville, South Carolina to South Boston, Virgina was our longest bus ride. Quiet time on the bus this morning was an hour, instead of the usual half hour. Most of us welcomed the extra time to slepep, read, have our personal devotions, or jus thave some quiet chill-time. There was plenty of time for bus activities – Rook, Black 13, Indiana Jones, some for seemingly made-up rhythm game that sounded more like a primitive tribal ritual than a group game. 🙂 It was interesting to watch, though. Some people played with and entertained the children (or was it the other way around?), some had discussions of varying depths and intensities, and others contented themselves with simply watching and listening from the sidelines.
Arriving in South Boston, we were thrilled to see our evening program location – The Prizery. The building was a tobacco processing facility, which has recently been repurposed as a community center, with a banquet hall, an art gallery, and a performing arts theater. Ebeneezer Mennonite Church, our hosting congregation, was too small, so The Prizery generously donated the use of their facility. The building is gorgeous, and the theater very nice. We weren’t accustomed to the acoustic type, but were thrilled with the opportunity to sing there. We were also very happy to be able to sing in the community – the local church is very involved in reaching out to their community, especially wih music. The program was well attended, with people from the local Mennonite churches, as well as the community at large. We were very blessed to be able to converse with them, and hopefully bless their lives with the music.