Friday, June 28, 2013

Today was our fun day. We went to a water park, and to our dismay were nearly rained out. However, the rain didn't last much more than five minutes, and the water park was quickly reopen and running again. The rain that was due to come in around 2:00 ended up arriving around 5:00, and we had lots of fun in the water park. Most of the group went on the tallest water slide, and they all have bruises and welts to show for it. Lots of time was spent in the Lazy River, and eating funnel cakes. After the water park, we traveled to Dreamland Barbeque for dinner. The barbeque was very good(and mac-and-cheese), and the restaurant had a very unique vibe, and everyone had a lot of fun.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Today we got off to a bit of a slow start, but we got a real treat when we arrived on the worksite. Patrice, the lady whose house we are building, came to visit us! She told us how thankful she was to us for helping her, and prayed for us as we started our workday. We nailed vinyl siding on three of the four sides of the house. We arrived back at Forestdale PC, had a wonderful spaghetti dinner then celebrated TWO BIRTHDAYS! Jonathon turned 16 today and Joe turns 18 on sunday! We had two birthday cakes and they were cooked by our new youth coordinator Jessie, and they tasted amazing!!!All of this was followed by us presenting Mrs. Cassandra, our host at Forestdale, a NASA emblem signed by all the youth and adults of WPC in appreciation for hosting us. We also made a donation to the Forestdale church that brought tear of joy to Mrs. Cassandra's eyes. And in return, she gave the youth wonderful, enlightening words of wisdom that moved us all. It was a great day. We are blessed. Amen. -Catherine Spivey

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Last night our Devo (devotions)was based on the Bible verse of Jesus washing his disciples feet as a way of showing humble service. In trying to understand this Bible verse, we did our own version of feet washing as a way of showing humble service. Today was a hot day at the work site, especially for those who finished putting up the vinyl siding in the sun on the back side of the house. The day's work consisted of many people running around, doing whatever job was needed. Many "specialty cuts" were needed to fit in between windows and around corners, making Jonathan and the circular saw very busy. After we were finished working, we came back to the church and did some chores to help out our hosts. For dinner, we traveled to South Highland Presbyterian Church in downtown Birmingham for food and an ice cream social. Overall, it was a great, warm day filled with busy work and delicious HOMEMADE (21 different flavors!!!) ice cream!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Today we continued our work at Patrice's house, and we could see a big difference on the house from when we first began. The house started to look like a real house. We started early in the morning by putting in insulation after a delicious bacon and eggs breakfast. Some of us started to itch as we handled the materials, and there were more than a few sneezes. However, everyone quickly adopted to using gloves, masks, and eye protection. We used insulation to fill in the outside walls and ceilings, making the "rooms" in the house more than just empty 2x4s and marks on the floor. After a quick sandwich lunch and numerous water breaks, we started back on vinyl siding trim and then moved on to vinyl siding! It was a long and delicate process, but it was very satisfactory. We left the site on time without trouble from the weather, and ate an outstanding dinner of baked chicken. We even had some apple pie and ice cream for dessert! Overall, it was a fantastic day in what has so far been a fantastic mission trip. Photo 1: Putting up insulation in the outer walls. Photo 2: Group around the sawing station. Photo 3: Jonathan! Photo 4: Zane and Drew putting up insulation. Photo 5: Break time on the back patio!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Alot happened today on the worksite! It was our first day so it took us awhile to get started. The work site was only 5 minutes away so we were able to get started early. We met Chris, a guy who helps out with Habitat For Humanity, and he told us about the history of the non-profit organization and what we would be doing that day. We measured (vinyl siding trim), we cut (vinyl siding trim), we sawed (vinyl siding trim), we measured, we braved the rickety ladders (to put up the vinyl siding trim), and we watched storm clouds come towards us, then part and go around us. We met the woman whose house we were building, Patrice, and got to hear about how her house was completely wiped out. From the back porch there were stunning views of the path of destruction that the tornado took. The day had a lot of ups and downs, smiles and frowns, but at the end of the day (or 3:00 when we quit working) it was worth it to see the bright appreciative smile on Patrice's face. Photo 1: We have just arrived at Patrice's house. Photo 2: Alexis and Kelly installing vinyl siding on the front porch. Photo 3: Jessie and Jonathon at the sawing station. Photo 4: Putting up vinyl siding trim! Photo 5: A moment of fun on the job site. Photo 6: Jimmy and Jessie

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Hello Webster Presbyterian family! We arrived safely at about 7:00 tonight after driving 650 miles to the Birmingham, Alabama area. We were greeted by Ms. Casandra Carter and Ms. Kim here at the church. After settling in, Ms. Casandra gave us some background regarding the history of the area. An EF4 tornado (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/?n=event_04272011tuscbirm) came through this area on April 27, 2011. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 80 to 100 miles and created terrible devastation in this area. The Presbyterian Volunteer Village located here in Forestdale United Presbyterian Church (suburb of Birmingham) has helped 264 families to rebuild their houses destroyed or damaged from the tornado. We are the 40th team to help in in the Presbyterian Volunteer Village. The Village consists of all donated supplies, and we are grateful to be given the opportunity to give back. We are looking forward to a great tomorrow!