Culinary Cooking Team – Day 5

Our final day brought the first ever NCCS Breakfast Challenge.  The Waffle Tacos and The Fearless Forks were facing off as they prepared breakfast for our faculty and staff.  This week these young chefs learned the importance of behind the scenes prep work. Christian, T.J., Madelyn, and Mark arrived bright and early at 6:00 am.  The others arrived shortly after them.  The staff dining room was immediately buzzing with activity as they began decorating their tables so they would be ready to start their food.  Each team created a menu and assigned various responsibilities to their team members. Communication and team work was an important part to the success of this event.  With the clock ticking, the chefs began their jobs.

The Fearless Forks planned a Hawaiian theme to get everyone in the mood for spring break.  Madelyn created two amazing smoothies – Very Berry and Mango Tango. These cool, sweet drinks were topped with colorful straws and bright umbrellas.  Ashley mixed up some cheesy eggs that were perfectly cooked. Melissa prepared some bacon cups and a sweet cinnamon vanilla syrup.  Phillip and T.J. worked diligently on the chooolate chip waffle skewers with strawberries and bananas.  The sweet taste of milk chocolate was a nice addition to the fruit. The skewers were displayed coming out of a pineapple making it very eye-catching. The Fearless Forks table was full of color flowers, leis, and creativity!

Across the room, The Waffle Tacos were displaying an Americana theme.  The traditional red, white, blue was seen on their patriotic table.  Christian showed off his amazing knife skills as he cut all the fruit, creating beautiful skewers filled with cantaloupe, strawberries, and grapes.  Mark made some flavorful bacon candy that had people asking for this recipe.  He also created a warm maple blueberry syrup to accompany Eden’s perfect silver dollar pancakes.  Nykilah cooked 40+ over medium eggs as she dropped them into a honey wheat bread to create “birds in a nest”. Orange juice and sweet tea accompanied this breakfast.  The Waffle Tacos captured a delicious taste element in their food!

Beginning at 7:15 am, over 60 faculty and staff came through their serving lines.  Excitement was in the air as the chefs described their dishes trying to earn the votes.  We challenged the faculty and staff to judge the food based taste, presentation, creativity. They were given 6 tickets, allowing them to divide their votes or even give them all to one team. The chefs cooked and served nonstop for a solid hour.  The delicious smells permeated the halls of the school. Both teams did an AMAZING job!  We were so proud of all their hard work!  After cleaning up the staff dining room, food, and dishes, the tickets were counted.  It was very close, but in the end The Fearless Forks prevailed and took the NCCS breakfast challenge win.

It felt like we had been up for hours, but we still had a full day ahead of us.  We made a quick stop at Starbucks to give us a little boost of energy for our day ahead at The Mill Restaurant in Roswell. Executive Chef, Benjamin Castro, who is Mrs. Poplin’s Uncle, provided an incredible experience for us. Chef Castro began by giving us a tour of the Front House of the restaurant. The front of house is where the interaction takes place between the servers, hosts and guests. This tour included the fascinating history of the restaurant and the building.  The Mill is a farm to table restaurant, so everything is fresh grown and bought locally. They are also considered a “green” restaurant, which is an asset for our environment.  We learned that there is a Back House to every restaurant. The Back of the House includes the walk in freezer, walk in fridge, dry storage, prep kitchen, hot line, cold line, garnishing line, and pastry room.  It is amazing to see the small space that these chefs work in as they produce 250-300 dishes every night.

After the walking tour, we headed upstairs to learn more.  Chef Castro share his culinary experience and we had the opportunity to ask questions. We enjoyed tasting some of their fabulous appetizers comprised of Pimento Cheese Fritters, Deviled Eggs, and Black Eye Pea Hummus served with Pita Bread.  Following our taste testing, we enjoyed a delicious lunch that we did not have to cook ourselves!  The owner, Randy McCray, came to see us and talked about the business end of owning a business.  He shared three keys for a successful restaurant. These include strong leadership in both the Back and Front of House, the right location, and customer service.  Together, these three elements will make or break a restaurant.  We learned that the failure rate of restaurants is 97%.

We ended with a cooking demonstration. Chef Castro showed us his terrific knife skills as he cut apart a full chicken into pieces in less than one minute. He did it a second time and slowly showed us how to correctly cut a full chicken.  Mrs. Poplin and I have continued to learn new cooking skills ALL week!

After this busy day, we headed back to school feeling accomplished as we were able to take apply our new skills to serve others.  We have been reminded to “Taste and See”  both in the kitchen and in our spiritual lives.  God has great plans for these young chefs and we can’t wait to see how they use their gifts and talents to honor and glorify the Kingdom of God!

Bon Appetit!

Wendy Titus

San Francisco Team – Day 6

Our final day in San Francisco was no less busy than the previous five days. The students began the day by going to serve with an organization located in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco called City Impact. This place was amazing and the vast variety of services they provide was astounding. The students were divided up into smaller groups and were able to choose an area of service that best suited their personal interest.

Adam, Morgan J., and Anna joined me in working in the school that is run by City Impact. They have classes for grades kindergarten through eighth grade. They spent the hours moving and organizing school supplies for the school, which is located on about three different streets. Garrett, Chandler, and James joined Mr. Rupp in what City Impact called Spring Spot, which is an area where people in need can come in and talk, play games, or just hang out. Kendyll, Carissa, Tanner, Morgan S., Michael, and Zoe helped out in a thrift store that is operated by City Impact. Casey was the most versatile volunteer, who did everything from cleaning restrooms to moving carpets. Nick fortunately found his passion and was placed on helping them to repair and set up their computer systems. Mr. Jackson was also in his element helping in the administration area in designing a flyer for them to use. It was so cool to watch the students help impact this city for Christ by doing things that they were naturally good at doing and all the while, just seeing the joy and love of Christ shine through them.

After our service time, we headed back to the Ferry Building for lunch and to Over the Moon for homemade ice cream sandwiches. Casey managed to match his previous record of three ice cream sandwiches. We then headed out to visit a few of the icons of San Francisco. It was so fun to drive down Lombard Street, which did not have a sign that we could see prohibiting vans! Coit Tower was closed, but still offered a fantastic view of the city from the base. The students were then able to split into groups to cover some individual interests. Mr Rupp was able to get tickets to a Giants game at the AT&T stadium. He and Mr Jackson took several students to this exciting event before heading to the airport. The remaining students took a stroll down to Pier 39 to visit the sea lions during the daylight hours. They were so fun to watch! After Pier 39, we took a cable car ride back up to Union Square for those last minute Nike Store and Apple Store visits before departing for the airport.

It was so evident at the airport that the students were tired and happy to be heading back to North Cobb Christian School. It was a much more quiet ride home, as most of the students were able to sleep and the tailwinds cut the flight time from six to four hours. I want to say on behalf of Mr. Jackson, Mr. Rupp, and myself, that we truly have the most awesome jobs in the world and love everyone of these precious students! Thank you for sharing them with us this past week. Praying that all will get the much needed rest over Spring Break.
Mrs K

College Tour Team – Day 5

As expected, we woke up with torrential rain in Auburn which was forecasted to continue through the afternoon. It was just too miserable to tour. We are so thankful that after arriving at Auburn last night and meeting up with Avian Brown and Andrew Nuckolls, they were willing and able to give us a personalized tour at night before the weather turned.

Avian was just the best Auburn host! Clark was able to go with her to her 8:00am Biology class. Avian’s schedule allowed for her to then join the rest of the group for a fabulous buffet breakfast at The Hotel at Auburn where we stayed. She made herself available for our group to ask more questions. Thanks Avian and we are so proud of you!

Of course we shopped for Auburn apparel before heading back home!

A few reminders for my group of God’s promises as you search for God’s plan in your life.

I Cor 2:9-10 No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

Proverbs 15:22 Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors they succeed.

Psa 32:8 The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

Karen Bollinger

 

5th Grade Aquarium Trip

The fifth grade class had a marvelous time at the GA Aquarium! First, the students attended a “Weird and Wild” class to find out some interesting facts about the creatures God has created. Then later on that day, the students and chaperones went on a self-guided tour of the Aquarium. In the afternoon, everyone attended the fantastic dolphin show. A trip to the gift shop completed the fun day!

San Francisco Team – Day 5

We first headed out to the Golden Gate park, which is larger than Central Park in New York. The students divided into two groups which allowed them to choose an activity in the park. A few of the students visited the Japanese Tea Garden and took many beautiful pictures after having some authentic Japanese tea. Other students participated in a pickup baseball game and threw frisbees. The weather could not have been more perfect.

We then headed to the Ferry House where a farmers market was in progress. This was lucky for us because the market does not run every day. The students were able to choose lunch from a variety of places. Everything looked and smelled great except for Mr. Rupp’s egg creme that was more like spoiled milk. (I am also still not too sure about the bacon jelly he purchased either!) After lunch we visited Ghirardelli Square where a chocolate overload would be very easy to accomplish!

To continue our food pattern, we walked down to Pier 39 for an early dinner at Hard Rock. The next stop was “The Rock” aka Alcatraz. This was an amazing tour! The magic of the night tour was the open hospital area that is usually closed during the day tours. We watched the sun set while on the Alcatraz island. The Rock is definitely a different place when the sun goes down. After a vigorous tour, we really needed a night time treat, so we headed back to Ghiridelli for ice cream.

Back at the hotel we concluded the day with a devotional that included another cool Truett Cathy story from Mr. Jackson and a personal testimony from our Joshua Expedition guide. We will be working with City Impact in the morning, which the students are really looking forward to. It has been a wonderful week and even though a few will miss the west coast, we are happy to be heading home tomorrow night.
Mrs. K

Baseball Missions Team – Day 4

Today started off a little different. We had the privilege to hear one of the top hitting instructors in America speak. The interesting thing was, what he had to say had nothing to do with hitting.

C.J. Stewart is the hitting coach to big league baseball players such as Jason Heyward, Andrew Mcutchen, and Charlie Culberson. However, he runs an organization that focuses on the three most difficult zip codes of inner city Atlanta and the kids within those communities. Today he spoke to us about confidence and teamwork and what it meant to have both of those things working together.

Next we went to work on the rest of the bank around the pond. The guys really poured some hard work into getting this project finished. They did a great job and the staff was really grateful.

Right after lunch we were able to drive into the little town of Roberta and practice for about an hour. Then we came back to the camp and finished the project. After a little free time and dinner, we met around the camp fire to hear one of the directors of the camp, Lucas, share his testimony. He had a lot of really good insight and perspective coming from someone who found Christ in college and who has really been able to understand how much God has blessed him and protected him.

After Lucas spoke. Coach Pager asked for everyone to share something about this week that had impacted them the most. We started with the freshmen and ended with the senior Martin twins. The overall theme from these guys wasn’t about how much fun they had, but rather realizing how much they have to be thankful for – from having the ability to play baseball, to understanding what a even what a privilege it is to have a mom who’ll go to the store and buy you some sunflower seeds!

Josh Schibi said tonight that he was most impacted by the Miracle League, noting that at the end of that particular day, he got to play in a real life baseball game. And even though it was so cold and everybody was ready to go home, he realized that the kids he got to play with earlier that day would have given anything to play in a real life baseball game!

Again, this was just one of the many stories we heard tonight. Don’t hesitate to ask the guys about their latest greatest adventures.

Tomorrow I will tie it all up and have a lot more pictures. Internet service has been hard to come by at the camp.

Blessings from Coach Pager and myself

College Tour Team – Day 4

Today we were in Tuscaloosa, exploring the University of Alabama. We started off visiting the Paul W. Bryant Museum. From there we explored some of the surrounding athletic complexes. The Alabama baseball field was close by and so was the arena where basketball and gymnastics call home. Alabama is on their Spring Break this week, so it was pretty much deserted. We walked up the steps of the arena and a coach’s assistant let us in to take a look. No lights were on but we were able to check out the arena that holds about 18,000.

We went for an early lunch at the original Dreamland BBQ where we chowed down on ribs and banana pudding. There is a reason why they call this place Dreamland BBQ, just ask Clark Myers!

Even though Alabama was on Spring Break, the admissions office still provided us an official campus tour and information session. This was the largest campus we visited on tour. We finished our day at Alabama visiting the football stadium.

We then traveled three hours to Auburn where we met up with Avian Brown and Andrew Nuckolls (both Class of 2013) and treated them to dinner at Cheeburger, Cheeburger. We checked the weather forecast for Friday, and it is predicting 80% rain, so Avian and Andrew provided us a night tour of Auburn! It was perfect!

We still have some additional spots to explore at Auburn tomorrow even if we do have rain.

Karen Bollinger

Charleston Team – Day 4

The last full day for the Charleston team was one of our most jam-packed of the trip! After a pit stop at Krispy Kreme, we returned to Awaken Church in the morning. The task for the day was a bit different than the previous work day. This time we split into teams and walked throughout the neighborhoods in the surrounding area inviting people to Awaken Church. As the morning progressed, the students grew in boldness. It was exciting to watch them take ownership of a task that seemed so daunting at the beginning of the day.

On the way back from Awaken, we stopped to picnic in the park. The lunch break gave students a fun, relaxed break and a chance to breath the salty air.

After lunch the team headed to the Aquarium. We were able to tour the sea turtle hospital before taking in the aquarium itself. The sea turtle hospital cares for sick and injured turtles and works to release them back into nature. The aquarium itself was a spectacle of God’s creative genius. In between the selfies students took with every fish in the aquarium, they were able to actually look at a stunning variety of animals.

At the end of the day, boys donned their bow ties and girls their fancy dresses, and we enjoyed a classy dinner cruise. The dinner cruise was a great time to laugh and talk over the events of the past week. The icing on the cake was the stack of letters from NCCS second graders to students on the Charleston team. The students love reading their letters from kids back home. What an encouragement!

Anna Clare Freel

Guatemala Team – Day 6

What a party we had today in Guatemala! No work and all play. Today, we celebrated all of the projects that we were able to accomplish this week by having a pool party with the Guatemalan kids at City of Hope. Our day began earlier than normal so that we could serve breakfast to one group and eat breakfast before the second group arrived. After that, the rest of the day was in the water on the soccer field. The morning group was full of energy and ready to splash, dunk, and water canon all of the “gringos.” Sadly, the preschool Guatemalans were winning!

After lunch, we witnessed a prom invitation. Zach had a group of Guatemalan kids ask Zoe to prom in Spanish for him as he came around the corner with a rose and asked in English. It was a good thing, because Zoe said she didn’t understand any of the Spanish:) However, the fun really began with the afternoon crew. Jose brought out the water balloons and separated the Guatemalans from the Americans. John had to face off with a tough Guatemalan to see who had first shot, and then the battle raged for an hour. When they ran out of water balloons, they resorted to picking each other up and throwing them in the pool. The highlight of the afternoon was when our team picked up Juan Carlos, our fantastic chef here at City of Hope, and dropped him head first into the pool. Everyone cheered, including the Guatemalan kids!

Before dinner, we cleaned up the soccer field and headed to a dinner of Guatemalan hot dogs. Everyone was hungry after a day in the sun and water! Our last evening concluded as Naomi Katz did a devotion from Hebrew 13:8 and reminded us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Even though we may have experienced a language and culture barrier here in Guatemala, Jesus is still the beautiful constant in all of our lives. Naomi said, “God is permanent in a world that is ever changing.” Both Guatemalans and Americans can trust that He will never leave us or forsake us.

Our last morning in Guatemala will begin serving the first shift of breakfast and a sad goodbye to both the kids and staff at City of Hope. Most of us are already dreading the last hugs from these kids! However, this trip has reminded us that there is hope for Guatemala and that God is a loving, merciful God that provides for His children. As we fly over the country and back into the US tomorrow afternoon, we will remember the smiles, hugs, joy, and love from these kids and know that God is providing what they need through the ministry of Esperanza para Guatemala.

Amber Timms

College Tour Team – Day 3

Day 3 started off bitterly cold in Birmingham, Alabama, but we continued with our plan of visiting the Sloss Furnaces and witnessing an actual iron pour and making our own cast iron tile. Sloss Furnaces are currently the only twentieth-century blast furnace in the U.S. being preserved and interpreted as an historic industrial site and presents a remarkable perspective of the era when America grew to world industrial dominance.

Sloss furnaces produced iron for nearly 90 years, which gave rise to the city of Birmingham, AL. It’s now recognized as a national historic landmark that offered us a glimpse into the great industrial past of the south and our nation.

After completing our Sloss Furnaces experience, we grabbed a quick lunch near Samford University and then arrived there for our information session and guided tour. Samford students were on break, but we still were able to see the campus and were given a generous discount to buy some Samford Bulldog apparel.

From our Samford tour we traveled across town to the top of Birmingham, Vulcan Park to see the world’s largest cast iron statue. We are on a road trip after all! The Vulcan Statue depicts the Roman god Vulcan, god of fire and forge, and overlooks the whole city from Red Top Mountain.

From there we dined at two local eateries – The Little Donkey and Steel City Pops before hitting the road to Tuscaloosa.

We went to the late showing of God’s Not Dead, a new movie that is out about a Christian student who finds himself in a battle with his atheist philosophy professor who threatens to fail him if he refuses to disavow God’s existence. Whether you are a fan of the movie or not, the main question it poses is “What would you do if someone in a position of authority and influence in your life demanded that you renounce your faith?” I Peter 3:15 says, “…always be prepared to make a defense for a reason for the hope that is in you.”

Tomorrow, we visit the University of Alabama. Roll Tide!

Karen Bollinger