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# ® Wednesday, June 26, 2013 The Kings Mountain Herald | www.kmherald.net Page 5C Trip to India fun, eye-opening for Smith Kings Mountain man teaches children, sees temples and other sites on mission trip DAVE BLANTON dave.kmherald@gmail.com Although Zach Smith says he’s happy to get a proper shower and eat famil- iar foods like fried chicken and biscuits again, he would- n’t trade his recent trip to India for anything. In fact, he’ll go one step further. « “Oh, absolutely,” said the 20-year-old Gardner Webb University student who wants to join the ministry after he finishes school. “I could go back tonight or to- morrow.” Smith recently traveled to the subcontinent with other Gardner Webb students and two ministers connected to the Boiling Springs school as part of a medical mission that also sought to spread the word about Christianity. Most members of the group were nurses, but the trip was open to any student who was interested. Smith says he found India to be a land of many reli- gions: Hindu, Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism, among others. Aside from matters of faith, though, he says that In- dians are much like the peo- ple he’s known all his life. “Their family bonds are very strong. They’re un- selfish. They would do any- thing for each other,” he said, adding that parts of the Asian country have the highest rates of poverty in the world. The trip lasted two weeks Zach Smith is seen here with several students of the Daystar School in Manali, India, during a Christian health fair. PLONK: celebrates 90 years From page 1C the end of the war, Julia and Clarence bought parcels of property to build their own farm and home place on Cherryville Road, Highway 216. They were married for 50 years, until Clarence’s death in 1993. She still wears both of their wedding rings. Julia was the only child of Thomas Alexander and Linnie Cudd Pollock and had dreamed of a large fam- ily of her own. She and Clarence had six children: Tommy, Ken, the twins Mike and Steve, Judy and Richard. Tommy is married to Becky, Mike to Sue, and Judy to Steve Davis. Julia has 13 grandchildren, and 8 great grandchildren with the 9th one expected any day. Julia and Clarence ran a dairy, produce, beef, chicken and pork farm. They grew, harvested, or hunted all the food for the family. The gar- den produced vegetables and fruits for summer consump- tion. Her hard work of can- ning and freezing insured there would be tomato sauce, vegetables, jellies and jams needed for the remainder of the year. She made butter, collected eggs, baked and cooked for the thriving fam- ily and employees needed to run the farm. Clarence was a meat-wholesaler, providing beef and pork to family-op- erated green grocers around Cleveland, Gaston and sur- rounding counties. Every winter Monday, Julia cooked enormous batches of home- made Plonk Livermush to be delivered to stores like Blalock’s, Fall’s, Hord’s, Macs, Margrace, Pauline’s, and H and H. Side by side with the livermush in the meat case was Plonk Sausage ground and mixed by hand on the Plonk farm. Julia, Clarence and their children were founding members of Resurrection Lutheran Church. She recalls digging the soil, carrying bricks, and sewing the origi- nal vestments for the sanctu- ary on her home machine. For many years, Julia was deeply involved in her beloved Resurrection, teach- ing Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, organizing egg hunts, singing the choir and serving her Lord every day. As the children became school aged and the older ones enrolled in college, it was time for Julia to begin working away from the farm. She relished her 18 years of teaching first grade at West Elementary with the sister of her heart, Edie Bridges. She loved it, and - her students. After she re- tired in 1985, Julia and Clarence were able to travel to visit grandchildren and enjoy retirement together. She still loves academic and word challenges. Her grand- children, great-grandchil- dren and kittens are her favorite things to snuggle. BETHWARE FAIR: opens this week with rides, exhibits From page 3C Additionally, there are 15 separate categories for paint :and photography, from chalk ‘and pencil drawings to pho- tographs featuring people and animals. There will also be top prizes for scale mod- els from airplanes and cars to rockets and motorbikes. There is also exhibiting and judging of over 30 kinds of flowers at this year’s fair. In the antiques section, entrants in over 35 cate- gories range from garden tools and coffee pots to shoes and old toys. Prizes for first place range from $2 to $5, and $1 to $3 for second place. Judges will also award the best booth in the exhibit hall with a $20 prize. A scale model of Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 DuPont stock car sits ready for judging. Scale models are just one of six categories under arts, crafts and hobbies that will be exhibited at the local fair this year. This will be the last race season for the iconic Gordon Chevrolet — a new sponsorship will brand it the Axalta Coating Systems car. and the group spent the bet- ter part of two days just reaching their final destina- tion in the northwest corner of the country of 1.2 billion people. He reports on the long journey with the re- lieved exasperation that can come only come with the ex- perience of it being in the past tense. . “Tt was 20 hours of flying (including layovers) to reach New Delhi,” he said. “And then right after we got to New Delhi we took a 14- hour cab ride” to reach the remote village of Manali, which is nestled in the Hi- malayans. On the long cab ride, while Smith tried to sleep, a bicycle smashed into the window he was resting his head against. Later, a motor- cycle collided with the car, causing some damage to both vehicles. No one was injured in either incident. “There are hardly any traffic laws,” he said. “Peo- ple are blowing their horns all the time. There are no speed limits in a lot of places.” Once in the mountain city of about 30,000 people, things were more peaceful and the 13 students and min- isters settled into their work with helping out at an under- funded hospital or teaching children about the “Christian faith and making Christ the center of their life.” Smith says he found that people in that part of the world are sometimes suspi- cious of Christians and feels that’s because so many of them may have been Chris- tians “in name only.” In his time there, which he described as a life-chang- ing experience, he says was able to discuss this mistrust at length with many locals. And he agrees with what many he met bluntly told him. “They said to go home and tell your people to be sincere Christians. Don’t be hypocrites. Don’t judge.” Smith, whose family at- tends the Pentecostal Family Worship Center in Kings Mountain, said the accom- modations in Manali were plain. “You couldn’t drink the water or bathe with it. You couldn’t get it in your eyes due to the risk of infection,” he said, referring to ~ pathogens there that western- ers’ immune systems would- n’t be able to fight off in a short stay. The cool weather was one upside to staying in moun- tainous Manali, where the temperature hovered in the 70s. Meanwhile, in New ~ Delhi, the mercury topped 115 degrees — with air condi- tioning a rare luxury. Many who travel to India and other foreign lands as parts of mission trips go back many times. Dr. Carroll Page, a retired minister who was on the trip, has been travelling there for short and longer stays for 20 years. Others, like Kings Moun- Zach Smith stands beside a local Hindu priest at a historic temple site in the village of Old Manali. tain native Gary Campbell, have made their home in India. He’s the full-time youth minister at the Daystar School in Manali. Smith, who is a rising junior at Gardner Webb, is majoring in discipleship studies in the religious stud- ies and philosophy depart- ment. He hopes to go on to seminary when he graduates. Outside of school and church, Smith, an only child, says he’s a big baseball fan and loves to read. He cites the evangelist Billy Graham and the novelist and theolo- gian C.S. Lewis as his fa- vorite authors. Toward the end of the epic trip, the group paid a visit to the Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most famous ar- chitectural wonders. Smith said he toured the site near New Delhi for hours despite the oppressive heat. They were also able to see the po- litical and human rights ac- tivists Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial in New Delhi, and visit a number of Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh temples. Smith has fond memories of the food, which he said consisted mostly of chicken and lamb and rice dishes and was “very spicy.” Even ten days after re- turning to Kings Mountain, he is still brimming with ex- citement and the new per- spective he gained while overseas. He also says he’s grateful to his church and to Gardner Webb for the fundraising help he received. Leaving India after such an eye-opening and intimate experience wasn’t easy. “The last day was emo- tional. You don’t know when you'll see ’em again or if you’ll see ’em again.” Social media, he says, will allow him to keep in touch. “They don’t have hardly anything, but they do have Facebook.” DAY TRIPPERS: Garden Club visits Polkville daylily farm From page 1C has found himself host to a number of weddings and re- ceptions as of late — and lov- ing every minute of the attention the gardens are get- ting. The gardens are so pic- turesque, that Owen mentioned he had over 200 high school kids getting their pictures made in the gardens on prom night this year. “I don’t charge for such things... the more, the mer- rier!” He says he’s had as many as three brides at a time getting their portraits done, which must have been quite a sight! He goes on to say, “I figure if all this work kills me off, I want folks to have had the chance to enjoy the place a little”. Owen will be an “anchor garden” for the 2014 Na- tional Convention of the American Daylily Society, hosting enthusiasts from all over the world, next June. “It’s gonna be a tough one... these folks are kinda picky”. He has nothing to worry about. For more information on this hidden (yet easy to get to) paradise, visit.© Paul doesn’t have regular retail hours, yet will be happy to show either gardeners or brides-to-be the nursery with a simple appointment. Owen’s sitiuresaue gardens, ideal for wedlbinn or graduation photos with the mountains as backdrops, will host the 2014 National Convention of the American Daylily Society. SAFE SITTER CLASSES BEING OFFERED Create A Safer World For The Next Generation Training Adolescents for Safer Child Care SAFE SITTER is a medically-accurate instruction series that teaches boys and girls ages 11 and older how to handle emergencies » when caring for young children. Join the fun — participate in SAFE SITTER classes this summer. SAFE SITTERS learn: Bo SAFE SITTER classes are available through Cleveland Regional Medical Center. ! A fee of $40 covers the one-day program. Classes begin at 9 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. June 20 July 30 August 13 For more information, have your parent or guardian call 980-487-3826 Class size is limited. Pre-registration is required. * oo Basic life-saving techniques Safety precautions to prevent injuries How and when to summon help Tips on basic child care The business of babysitting JNSTTTER Berrer Srerers TODAY, BEER PARENTS TOMORROW,” Cleveland Regional Medical Center
The Kings Mountain Herald (Kings Mountain, N.C.)
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June 26, 2013, edition 1
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