The Big Payback: Interview with Ms. Hinerman

You're probably wondering what this Big Payback business is all about.  Even though it sounds like the name of a cheap mobster movie, it is in fact something much much better.  Hard to believe, I know. 

If you missed our last post on the subject you can click here to get yourself all caught up on what this is all about, or read the quick recap below. 

The Big Payback

• May 6th, 2014 from 6am-6pm (Central Time)
• Day of fundraising for Middle Tennessee nonprofits
• There are bonus prizes for nonprofits that get to first place on leader boards throughout the day. Which means by giving during a certain time period, your gift can multiply for Mountain T.O.P. Mind. Blown. I know. 
• Give a gift during 9am - 12 noon (Central Time) to help MTOP win these awesome prizes to help us further the ministry

Ok...everybody all caught up?  Awesome! 

Now let't talk a little more about where the gifts from the Big Payback are going. 

Meet Sherry Hinerman

Sherry has lived in Grundy, Co since the mid 80s when she moved here with her husband and children.  She worked for over 20 years at a local retirement facility in various roles.  

Mountain T.O.P. First started working with her this fall during the 5 weeks of A.I.M.  I think it is safe to say that everyone that has met her since then would comment on her pleasant nature and quick wit.  

Since beginning the project in the fall different volunteers that had the opportunity to work on her house have committed to helping her raise funds to restore different parts of her house so that she can have a safe environment for her, her sweet puppy, family, and neighbors to enjoy each other's company.  

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO to see an interview with Sherry!

The Big Payback - 24 Hour Day of Giving

Photo of Ms. Hinerman with participants from Family Weekend

The Big Payback is a community-wide online giving day on May 6, 2014. From 6:00am on the 6th until6:00am on the 7th, Mountain T.O.P. will join in a friendly competition with hundreds of other Middle Tennessee non-profits to see who can raise the most for their cause. There are many prizes throughout the day for getting the most money or the most donors during a given time frame (click here to see a list of prizes). You can help us out by giving during the 9:00am to 12:00pm time slot!

We are excited to use this giving opportunity to raise funding to support Sherry Hinerman in remodeling her bathroom, which is badly in need of repair. Sherry lives alone and is no longer able to work, which means she was unable to repair her home as it literally fell in around her. Several weeks of AIM campers last Fall were able to repair her roof and replace flooring in one of her bedrooms, while some Spring Breakout campers helped to demolish a portion of her home that was no longer usable. Sherry is exceedingly grateful for the Mountain T.O.P. community's assistance in getting her home back in shape, and remodeling the bathroom will be the last step in making her house livable. 

Our goal is to raise the $1,500 needed to complete this project through The Big Payback. Please join us in this effort! Click here to learn more about the Big Payback, and here to see Mountain T.O.P.'s Big Payback profile. Stay tuned for more info on this exciting giving opportunity.

Hooked: Shellee's Calling to the Mountain

It’s April and I’m preparing for my third summer on staff. My third summer, I don’t know when that happened. I never even thought I would be on staff for one summer, let alone three. In 2007 I answered God’s call to join my church on this crazy new adventure (new to my church and me). I came to Mountain T.O.P. for the first of five times that summer, and have been involved in the ministry some way every year since.  In the fall of 2011, I continued to hear God calling me to spend the next summer doing His work on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. I was a freshman at the University of Tennessee, eight hours away from where I grew up in South Lyon, Michigan. So I was used to being in new situations. Used to not being ‘comfortable’ and going beyond my comfort zone. As I heard his call, I questioned if it was right (because we all like to think He can be wrong). I wasn’t questioning Him because I didn’t want to do something new, but because I never felt like I could do a good enough job. I ended up applying and eventually being accepted to be a Ministry Coordinator. I spent my first spring semester as a college student preparing for what I thought was going to be an amazing summer filled of love, God, and campers (and this didn’t disappoint!)! But I also thought I was going to change so many people’s lives but boy was I wrong: instead, every county person, camper, and fellow staff member I encountered changed mine. 

The unbelievable experience I had as a Ministry Coordinator (MC) was completely due to my staff, my campers, and the county people. The job of a MC is nothing like what I expected. I knew it was going to be hard work, but I didn’t know that would include the amount of paper work, driving, and late nights that were experienced, but I wouldn’t change one minute of that entire summer. Even if I was running around pretending like I knew what I was doing when I had no clue and solving issues that I didn’t even know existed, I wouldn’t have wanted to be doing anything different. Of course there were times I questioned what I was doing; why I was okay with the minimal amount of sleep, okay with being so far from civilization, okay with the crazy requirements of my job, but then you experience all of those rewarding moments. Giving a message to your favorite camp community, having an amazing YRG build a porch for one of your favorite county people, laughing with your staff at anything and everything that is said, those are the moments when you know the reason you’re there. Where else in the world is it socially acceptable to act like an airplane driving down a windy road? It’s not easy to ALWAYS be 100% yourself, but it is on the Mountain. Where else can you be crying one moment and the next be laughing so hard you’re crying for a completely different reason? Praying the way my staff prayed instantly puts a smile on my face just to think about. All of these experiences showed me what it’s like to truly be immersed in faith and servant-hood, but it doesn’t end there. 

God knew all of these amazing experiences meant more to me than I could say, so he convinced me to return last summer as a field manager. I knew it was going to be hard work, I knew that I wouldn’t have the same experience I had as an MC, but I also knew that my love for the county people could not be compared to a love I had for anyone or anything else. Simply put, I would do ANYTHING for these people. I love them like my family, so I knew I had to come back as a field manager, to serve them again. The hard work that came with this job was more than I imagined. The limited amount of sleep and amount of work I had didn’t compare to another job on the mountain, but once again, I wouldn’t wish for one of the moments all summer to be changed. My staff helped shape who I am, and the work in the field put a smile on my face all of the time. Even with a different role as the summer before, I knew that I belonged on my specific staff doing my job and look back and see why I was placed there by God, doing His work. 

As I said at the beginning, I’m now preparing for my third summer on staff. I have the amazing opportunity to return to the mountain as a YSM Director. I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity! Once again I’ll have a role that is not even close to one I’ve had in the past, but I get to do God’s work in a different role. Being a director requires me to lead my staff, to have a successful staff and camp weeks and I couldn’t be happier to have this responsibility placed on my shoulders. With God guiding me along the way, I know that He will help my staff and me be successful and lead us to do His work. Even if we’re not anywhere close to civilization, even if I have the hardest job I’ve ever had, even if I don’t get nearly enough sleep every night, I know that I’m doing His work and fulfilling him. I’m fulfilling Him, so he is fulfilling me in return. I get to do His work and there is no place I would rather be. I love having the opportunity to live on a mountain top and I wouldn’t ask for anything else. 

God is good, all the time and all the time, God is good. He called me to the mountain in 2007 with a servant heart, and has fulfilled that heart experience after experience. 

Hooked: Something Special. Reflections from Chad and Angela Cooper

I've been going to MTN TOP for 11 years, and each time I go I leave a little piece of my heart in Grundy County. 

MTN TOP allows me the opportunity to partner with families in the area to reach a common goal- whether that goal is  an addition to their home, or renovation of their current living conditions. The relationships I've been able to develop with my families are invaluable. Not only does MTN TOP enable me to meet their physical needs, but to assess and meet their spiritual and emotional needs as well. The families of Grundy County are determined, hard working, humble,  and have always responded with such an attitude of thankfulness that overwhelms me.  It is truly a privilege to work with them and build those relationships.

Speaking of relationships, I've made friends through this ministry that I know I'll have for eternity--- from staff to fellow campers across the U.S.  We may begin the experience as strangers , but we leave as family.

There's something so special about a group of strangers separated by so much---age, gender, geography, experience, and a million other factors----coming together for a common goal: to improve the lives of the people in Grundy County all in our Savior's name.   As a RN, construction work is way out of my comfort zone. That's when I know I have to fully rely on God for the results. It's amazing what He can do with someone with few skills, but a willing heart.

MTN TOP is more than a ministry or a place. It's an attitude of serving, caring, and giving to others that I can practice there and also when I'm back at home in my everyday life. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                         Angela Cooper

I've been going to MTN TOP for 8 years . Every year I come home thinking that is was the best trip I've ever been on, and then the next time is even better!

I've had some construction experience before coming to the Mountain, but it's been amazing to see how a team can come together and accomplish what we do in just 2 days. The last few years, I've been asked to be a point person- this is just the person who oversees the project. I've learned so much from this ministry that back home I've stepped up and done some work on my own.

 MTN TOP has opened many doors for me. I did my first devotion at MTN TOP. I really enjoy coming back every year to see what God has in store for me  and what things I'll learn. I've gained many friends from the Mountain and have shared God with people on my different teams.  It's so amazing to see the family's faces on Saturday when we leave, that the little work that we do makes their life  easier.

 I hope MTN TOP will be here for a long time and continue to help others.

Chad Cooper

Hooked: Reflections from a Spring Breakout Group

 "As the Campus Minister for the students going on this trip and as the primary coordinator for our annual Spring Break mission trips, I am always looking for ways to stretch my students. All too often, they get into the mindset that their way of doing something is the *only* way to do something. This is why I chose Mountain T.O.P. as our service site.
I have traveled to MTOP in the past and I loved the diversity of Christians who serve the Lord and bring their own prayer styles to the community. When you are at MTOP, you are one serving body of Christians, each with his or her own gifts to bring to the community. Further, MTOP entrusts their participants with a great deal of responsibility in accomplishing their given projects. Our students grew in confidence and knowledge as we accomplished our projects and our hearts were opened to the wonderful diversity that the Lord works within his Church. We prayed, ate, laughed, and served together - just as I imagine it will be in Heaven. Mountain T.O.P.'s Spring Breakout is a wonderful experience that our students will not soon forget!" Scott
Campus Minister - University of Dallas

Hooked: Thoughts from returning summer staffer, Emma Couch.

I’ve been participating in Mountain T.O.P.’s ministry in some capacity since the summer of 2009. Last year, I felt strongly that God was calling me to spend my summer doing His work as a summer staffer. As I was finishing up my sophomore year at Ohio State, and preparing for a summer spent in Tennessee, I had a lot of ideas about what my experience was going to be like. A summer spent in paradise, where I was the hero, changing people’s lives and making some awesome new friends. What I found was that I was completely wrong; once my summer was complete, I found that my life was instead the one that had been changed, by the people I encountered, and the unbelievable, all-encompassing love I experienced.

Those of you who have been on summer staff will understand me when I say that our job is HARD. While I had expected a happy-go-lucky, super relaxing job, half the time I was a Ministry Coordinator, I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to fix this problem or solve that issue.  Sometimes I became frustrated, sometimes I wondered why on earth I would have chosen to spend my summer in a place whose closest Wal-Mart was 40 minutes away, and sometimes I thought that maybe I should just go home. But then came the quiet moments, whether it be during a staff worship during precamp, or a daybreak on a worksite, or quiet moment with a family at a project. In those moments, I realized that Mountain T.O.P. was an unbelievably important place, and that I was lucky enough to get to experience that crazy thing we call staff life, seeing God in everything I encountered.

This summer, I get the opportunity to return for my second year on staff, as a YSM Program Manager. I’ll be taking on a much different role than I did last summer, and I have a lot of nerves about my abilities, the experience itself, and what the summer is going to look like. I had my doubts about applying for my second year, as I’m getting ready to go into my senior year of college, but after a lot of prayer, and some gentle nudging from God, I realized that my heart wouldn’t be satisfied until I returned to the mountain to continue His work. I already know that my job will be hard, and sometimes I’ll be sad there’s no Wal-Mart, but if I learned anything from my staff experience last summer, I know that every moment of stress will be worth it, because there is absolutely nothing better than being able to live (and work) on a mountain top.

What I Enjoy About Doing Workshops for Mountain Top: Grundy Co. Art Teacher, Jana Barrett

I am always happy to do workshops for Mountain Top. It allows me to participate in one of the most important ministries in our area and spend time with children I teach art to during the school year. I enjoy having them come to my studio in the mornings. I then go onsite in the afternoon. It is a very fulfilling time. I also have a special affinity for Mountain Top. In 2009, volunteers from all over the United States worked in the winter weather to get my uncompleted studio dried in and donated tons of art supplies to my school program, which was a God send considering a very meager art budget. By opening the studio I have also been able to offer extended art lessons to my students who really love art. Because of their generous gift of time and materials, I have been able to teach art to homeschool groups, hold greatly reduced art workshops by professional artists and have a place where artists and learners can come together. While I am not a 501 c3 (yet), I have been able to serve people who would not be able to go out of town for quality art experiences. Mountain Top is has been a blessing to all of us in Grundy County and I am honored to be part of their program.