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Saturday, April 04, 2009

Invisible Children

"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." - Luke 18:16 KJV

Every Thursday year round, the street in front of Bob Seymour's house on Belmeade Drive is congested with cars and high school boys. This has been going on since long before the current students were born. Lately, attendance has been well over 100 every week. They have a website at http://www.biblestudytwo.com/

Bob's Fairacres neighbors are exceedingly patient, probably because of the cause - Bible study.

Click here to see the faces of Kingsport's Bible Study leaders.

My son, Zack, was invited by one of the upper classmen on D-B's football team when he was an under classman -- and he fell in love with it. Now Zack's a senior and he's helping to bring in the younger guys.

They stay after sports practice and the older guys give the younger guys a ride. I know Zack doesn't get home until after 10 pm every Thursday and he's been known to drive guys home from Boone Lake, to Colonial Heights, to Allandale, to Cloud Apartments.

It's a diverse group. It doesn't matter about income, race, social status, etc.

That said, they have adopted "Invisible Children" as their mission. What are Invisible Children? They are Ugandan children who were abducted from their parents and made to fight in a war that has been ongoing for 23 years. It is estimated that 90% of the rebel army is made up of invisible children. If you watch "Law & Order Special Victims Unit" on NBC, there was a recent episode ("Hell") whose storyline was about Ugandan refugees living in New York City. Click here for a 2-minute recap from NBC.

I've never seen my son so focused and excited about something (well, except sports).

They've been selling small wooden cross necklaces to students and I've seen them all over town. On Friday, he said he'd raised more than $200 in one day.

Zack asked me to send this invitation to my blog and I'm happy to oblige:
Invisible Children Day
Saturday, April 11, 2009
3:00 a benefit concert
by The Jeremy Curtis Band from Atlanta
Tickets $10
Renaissance Center Auditorium
1200 E Center St Kingsport
4:30 a screening of the Invisible Children movie
hosted by folks from the
2009 Invisible Children National Tour (free!)
Will you help?

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Location, Location, Location

Location, Location, Location
www.MoveToKingsport.com is located on the Tennessee-Virginia border at the crossroads of I-81 and I-26 near the geographic center of the Eastern U.S. This city of 50,000 in a metro of 308,000, was planned by renowned American planner John Nolen in his office at Harvard Square. Located in the lush green foothills of the Tennessee Valley, it is surrounded by the Southern Highlands and mountain lakes. Kingsport is home to Marriott’s www.MeadowViewResort.com and thousands of acres of unique, natural amenities at Bays Mountain and Warriors Path Parks. The natural geography provides a temperate, well-balanced climate with four seasons and a natural shelter from extreme weather. Population growth has also been well-balanced, ensuring you will not outgrow your decision to relocate. With no personal property taxes, special assessments, or state income taxes on salaries/wages, you’ll find that Kingsport has a very low cost of living coupled with an exceptionally high quality of life (see for yourself at www.BestPlaces.net). The regional airport (TRI) has direct flights to Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando and St. Pete/Clearwater with easy access, parking, and virtually no security lines. The public education system was planned by Columbia University and Newsweek has repeatedly recognized the local high school as one of the best in America. Year in and year out our graduates go on to the top colleges and universities (and without costly private school tuition fees). Harvard also recognized Kingsport in 2009 with the Innovations in American Government Award for its higher education initiative. What are you waiting for? It’s time to leave the high costs, traffic jams, and stress behind and discover this hidden gem.