Promise Village

Saturday, April 10th, was a God-filled day for the Live 3rd and North Ridge volunteers. We converged on Promise Village, in Holly, MI to execute a plan that would take us all to new heights of appreciation of what we all take for granted. The only thing that seemed bigger than the assembly of volunteers was the long list of projects that needed to be completed.
Given the scope of the projects, we extended the usual 3 hour serving event to 5 hours and Promise Village residents made sure everyone had plenty to eat and drink. The team worked on various projects throughout the 72 acre campus.
One of the major projects was to spruce up the grounds of the main house. Weeds were pulled, beds cleaned, yard raked, bushes and trees trimmed an all around clean up including spreading 9 yards of mulch and 6 yards of dirt. Rakes, Shovels, and trimmers were roaring with activity throughout the day.
Another of the projects was working in the barn and indoor arena. Stalls were cleaned and left over hay bales from winter were moved and rotated to preserve their freshness and restocked with an additional ~500 bales of hay for the spring and summer season. The outdoor arena was tilled and leveled out to prepare it for a season of riding. Additionally, in order to restore the riding program, the mile long trail needed to have many fallen trees removed and widened. The roar of chainsaws was a constant sound throughout the day and the volunteers were able to re-open the trail for the summer riding program.
Some of the other activities included the removal of a large wood pile from the campfire area; brush clean out around the outbuildings and a huge burn pile to take care of the evidence of the day’s efforts. There was no hiding the results of the day, though, as there were smiles all around, tired smiles as they may be.
It was a rewarding day all around. Promise Village was able to knock out a number of nagging items on their project list and the volunteers were glad to have the chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. The rewards to the volunteers dwarf the benefits enjoyed and much appreciated by the organization.