Today was the first day being on site, in construction clothes, decked out and ready to serve those whose homes were devastated by Katrina. For many of us, this was a little stressful—we really didn’t know what to expect and whether we were the right ones for the job. Plus, it can be quite difficult to for those who are used to controlling every aspect of life to let go of the reigns and simply trust. We would soon find out that despite our fears, God has us in His hands. It wasn’t half as difficult as we imagined it might be and the weather, while hot (as expected), would not be unbearable.
The day started at 6:00am when Habitat lights up the barracks and sets the whole facility in motion. We start the day with showers, breakfast, packing our own lunches, gathering ice cold water, and preparing our hearts for the day. We depart at 7:45 for a 20-minute drive to our construction site. We meet the crew who will be supervising us for the day: Brad (a Philly native), R.T., Vick, and Kurt. There are three homes in various stages of completion and our team is given instructions and direction is divided into thirds. We tackled several tasks during the day: decking, roofing, bracing the roof to the frame (especially helpful in hurricane weather), weatherproofing the exterior with foam sheeting, and a sundry of other jobs. The crew was helpful and constantly providing instruction so that no one would ever feel lost.
As you can imagine, the big fear is that it’s going to be unbearably hot. Well, it is hot—come on this is the south!—but it’s not quite as bad as we thought. God gave us cloudy skies, a few refreshing raindrops, and several welcome breezes throughout the day. There was so much unity and helpfulness among everyone on the team. Not only are the leaders constantly checking on us to make sure we’re sufficiently hydrated, but everyone is lending a hand to everyone in need. The day while tiring went very fast.
We returned to the Habitat facility, many of us with just one thing in mind: a shower and a fresh change of clothes. After dinner we would meet for an uplifting time of sharing what we learned from God and from each other. We took time to positively affirm one another recognizing that this was a team affair and that everyone played a part. It was a time full of smiles and laughter—we are certainly blessed with a team that has a strong sense of humor.
We wrapped up the evening with a visit to the local Sonic where ice cream and fellowship would close out the evening. If any of us had trouble sleeping on prior nights, this night would not be one of them.
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