So tired. But it's a good tired. Things are getting done. Trees are being cleared. Love is being shared. Community is coming together. And we'll get up tomorrow morning and do it all again. - Dietz Osborn, East Nashville resident and Mountain T.O.P. friend.
Day Camp: Connecting the Dots in our Community
10 Things to Know Before Coming to Mountain T.O.P.
I don’t want to oversell it, but for many of us Mountain T.O.P. is the best week of our year. It is a great combination of serving others and camp life rolled into one. My church did a great job preparing me for the fun and gratifying work that we would do. Here are 10 tips before coming to Mountain T.O.P.
10. You don’t have to know everything and you don’t have to be a construction expert. You will be paired with people that have experience, the Mountain T.O.P. construction guide they give you does a great job explaining, and there are always people to help. Projects range in difficulty. You could be raking leaves or building a 37-foot wheelchair ramp with 3 switchbacks. In all jobs you will be positioned for success.
9. It’s not all about the work. The relationships you create are more important. Some of my best projects were hanging out with little kids. Before I went, I thought it was about building something. I quickly realized that is only 1 of the 4 needs we meet. We meet the physical needs of the families we serve, but also their emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
8. Measure twice, cut once. We use our resources wisely because there is not a handy dandy Home Depot everywhere you go.
7. God does great work through us. I now know what it truly means to be the hands and feet of Christ. You get as much out of it as the people you are serving. It is a 2-way street. I thought I would be doing all the giving, but the love and appreciation I have received far outweigh what I gave.
6. Swishers have a special place in heaven! We split up the chores at camp as a community to keep our camp clean and running smoothly.
5. We have fun events you can participate in if you want. Wednesday is HUM (Halfway Up the Mountain) Day. You can dress up and wear crazy costumes. Campfire at the end of the week is where we do skits and more to have fun, laugh, and appreciate each other. Figure out what you would like to do early so you can practice and have a full list.
4. The staff is INCREDIBLE! You will meet some of the coolest college students around. They love God so much that they give up their summer to help serve those in need and help us. PRO TIP: Ask them for their favorite dessert or food and when you are out in the community, bring it back for them.
3. Get ready to meet amazing people from all over the country. I now have friends in North Carolina, Michigan, Kansas, Ohio, Florida, etc. Funny how in just 1 week I feel like I have known them my entire life. Every year I look forward to seeing them again and we pick up right where we left off.
2. Your work groups are called YRGs (Youth Renewal Groups). We form these on the first day and they are awesome because you get to meet more people from all the different churches. Then when you are back at camp, we all hang out together and you get to know everyone.
1. Be open to new experiences. Live in the moment. Take the challenge of never saying no. Be the person that says, “Sure, I’ll give it a try and do my best”. You will be glad you did.
I am Greta Mock and this will be my 3rd summer attending Mountain T.O.P. I attend Bethany UMC in Austin, TX. My church has been going to the Mountain for 28 years.
2019 Summer Impact: Let's talk about the next step
Should we go back to Mountain T.O.P., or try somewhere else?
I was not a Christian when I came into college and had just recently been saved when I first attended MTOP’s Spring Breakout my Freshman year. I was overwhelmed by my experience that week in so many different ways. I was overwhelmed by the good that MTOP was doing for their community, overwhelmed by the joy I had working with the MTOP staff, but mostly overwhelmed by all that the Lord showed me about myself, the people around me, and about Him.
2019 Fall Festival- Another year of
For the 8th year in a row, the Fall Festival at Mountain T.O.P. was more than a success. This thought from Sofia Leon-Meza, Public Health Educator for Grundy County, explains it all: “This event is such a blessing to our community!” Along with 13 other community partners, Sofia joined the event to distribute information about county wide health programming and give away helpful kitchen gadgets.
Adults In Ministry: A Portrait of Impact
If there is anything significant we have learned as an organization in the last 30 years, it is that housing matters! This year Mountain T.O.P. is celebrating an important milestone: Adults In Ministry’s 30th Anniversary. AIM is important to the overall mission of MTOP because of its focus on eliminating substandard housing through Major Home Repair, a program that tackles large-scale, home improvement projects which address the health and safety of homes.
Looking Back on Summer 2019: Austin Fortinberry
I will start by saying that Mountain Top has been a huge part of my life. It has shaped me into who I am today, and I will forever be grateful for that. I first came when I was twelve years old and in the seventh grade. I was coming with only about ten people, and they were much older than I was. All of the guys were at least in the tenth grade. That week was one of the best weeks of my entire life. I met people I still keep in touch with today, seven years later. I think that it is safe to say that week single-handedly changed my life forever because now I am on staff here at Mountain TOP and went every single year up until now.
Summer Staff: Looking Back
It is hard to put into words all that my time on the Mountain has meant to me. I came as a camper for six years, and I was lucky enough to get to work on MountainT.O.P.’s Day Camp Summer Staff for two years- first as a Ministry Coordinator, then as a Manager for the program. I have formed lifelong friendships, gained professional skills, but most importantly, I have witnessed God moving in extraordinary ways. I read a book a few years ago in which the author writes about “thin places.”
Thank you 2019 Summer Staff
The 2019 summer mission season has come to an end! As many of you know Mountain T.O.P. completes home repair projects throughout the year. However, summer is our busiest time of year. This summer welcomed x amount of volunteers totaling over x amount of service hours.
Thank you to all of the families that opened their doors to our volunteers for meals, shelter from weather, and amazing conversation.
We want to recognize all of the churches that supported their youth groups throughout their journey to and from the mountain.