Week 7

We’re almost done.

This morning a friend wrote that if this summer they just affected 1 youth (of 550 volunteers) then this summer was worth it.  I don’t have the energy to process any of this summer right now (just when I thought I couldn’t get any more exhausted) but I’m not looking to processing it when I get home.

Because even though I’m tired to the bottom of my being, I know I’ll want to be back here.  I’ll probably ache for it.  I’ll miss having the adrenaline rush as we try and make the impossible happen everyday; I’ll miss my morning run through the McDonald’s drive-through, when I’m carrying 16 foot boards out of my van; I’ll miss joking with the hardware and culture night guys; I’ll miss having a homeowner give me a surprise hug; I’ll miss those moments when I drive where the beauty of the Appalachian mountains strikes me and I just know God is present in this work; I’ll miss browsing through the hundreds of pictures we’ve taken and watching the homes change before my eyes.

Most of all, I’ll ache because I won’t have the ability every waking minute to make these people happier.

——————————————-

Because it’s the end of Week 7, we’re in the cleaning process.  Last night we had our Cleaning Party (with a magical places theme – would your crew like to clean Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom this evening?) and this morning was our Supply Give-Away (basically Christmas if you dream of building materials and sugarplums.)  I have a ton of paperwork to finish now, as we slowly strip away layer after stinky layer of personal belongings from our office.

——————————————-

This hopefully won’t be the last post before I get home, but if it is, here are some stats from this summer:

Number of homes worked on: 17

Total number of volunteers: 545

Amount spent on building supplies: about $43,000

Amount raised from individual donations: $9,000

(*By the way, you guys blew me away with your generosity.  Thank you for anything you sent in.  Because of that, we were able to complete more floor projects, purchase a couple more doors, and give additional supplies away so that families can continue working on their own homes.)

Number of porches: 15

Number of ramps: 2

Number of roofs repaired/replaced: 6

Number of bedroom additions: 1

Number of homes with electrical wiring done: 3

Number of homes with plumbing work: 7

Houses with drywall and insulation replaced: 11

House with floors repaired/replaced: 14

Number of drainage ditches: 6

Peace & see you soon!

N