Date: 2012-04-01
From: Fontana Village

To: Seiverville, TN
Miles today: 0.0

This is how Trail Mama's day went on Palm Sunday/April Fool's Day 2012. Woke up in my room alone, packed up, ate some breakfast and loaded the car for my journey. I set the GPS for cousin Jerry's house but right away decided to get "brave" and vary my route by going back to Fontana Dam to take a few pictures since I didn't have my camera the first time I was there. Made my way there and back to the right route and headed for Cherokee. I wanted to find a church so kept my eye out and discovered that the Methodists either aren't in the mountains or are hiding there because every small church and church sign that I passed was for a Baptist church! I got to Cherokee and stopped at the Visitor Center to ask about the closest UM Church...got directions (which were confusing as they often are when the person giving directions knows the route so well and the one trying to find it doesn't...they often leave out pertinent parts) and finally found the Cherokee Mission UM Church. As God helps out with timing on these things, I arrived 5 minutes before the service stated at 11am. This beautiful little church of less than 50 people was mostly native Americans. The elder who gave the welcome and invocation gave part of it in the Cherokee language. He also gave the children's sermon to the many (almost half of the congregation) children present. Children are very welcome in the service...some of the little ones "escaped" to the aisles once in a while and no one seemed upset. We sang two familiar hymns, had a baptism of a young adult, prayed for Rog after I told what we were doing in their area, and had a good sermon by the senior pastor...yes, this church has two pastors on staff! After church, one of the members took me on a tour and very proudly told me that this church was the consolidation of 4 smaller churches and that they were very mission minded and had completed 60 (SIXTY!!!) mission projects last year. They have two bunkhouses which would house 50 people who come to help with projects as work teams. Small but mighty and very alive and well is how I would describe this church!! Go to cherokeemission.org to see pictures of this church on their new website. A wonderful way to spend Palm Sunday!!After church and lunch at a native American restaurant, I swallowed my hesitation, talked to Shep who silently gave me courage, and on I went...up and over the mountain on the twisty, curvy, speed limit often 20, road that passes right thru the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I had been thru here many times before but always as a passenger. It is funny what you don't get to see when you have to stay between those lines on your side of the road! I now have a greater appreciation for Rog, the driver! 31 miles later, I was in very heavy traffic, both humans and cars, in Gatlinburg, TN. My GPS was taking me a totally different way to cousin Jerry's house and I just kept trusting that "Edith Chloe",our GPS, knew what she was saying...she did! And I got safely to my destination.Cousin Jerry has a very nice seperate guest quarters where I soon discovered that there were no lamps or good source of light to hook by. When I went up to ask Jerry to borrow a lamp, he discovered that he didn't own even one...so I said that is fine..I will just sit by the window in the daytime. One half hour later he came down with a "lamp" that he had just made..using a small section of 2 by 4, a light socket, a bulb, and a plug in cord! It works wonderfully and I got to hook a section on my rug last night. Sandy. his wife, brought me all kinds of food so I am set here for a few days time. THANKS Jerry and Sandy, for the "radical hospitality" - (going over and above what is expected) as we Methodists like to say. Anxious to see SOS tomorrow!