Monday

This morning, anticipation was building as we all ate a delicious breakfast cooked by the Arthauds, piled on to the bus, and went to the work site. When we arrived we saw a white trailer, and found out that the resident's name was Mrs. Tomlin. She lost her husband years ago and has not been able to do any repairs on the trailer since. The roof needs to be repainted to reflect sunlight away from the trailer, insulation needed to be installed, a few windows are missing, the shower in the bathroom has mold behind the tiles, and her clothesline has fallen over in the soft ground. We certainly have our work cut out for us! I could not believe how quickly the students jumped into their work- they got SO much done today! The youth leaders have asked Nicole Arthaud, an upcoming freshman, to write a reflection of her day-

Nicole Arthaud:
"Today was my first day on the worksite. Ever. I went in dreading what it would be like. After cleaning up garbage that made me gag without a care in the world, I realized that I was truthfully happy- even though I was dodging broken glass, wasps, and half a dozen ant hills. Nobody cared if your sweat stains were the size of Texas- we just WERE. All the chores became fun, not work. More people wanted to work than there were jobs for. I enjoyed crawling on the ground with my fellow YMOers. At the same time I learned how to install insulation and became a mole, accepted by my new friends. I wasn't intentionally supposed to come on this trip. I was meant to be at  summer camp. But that got cancelled- and after only one real day on the worksite, I am glad that I'm here instead."