Wednesday

Today YMO made HUGE strides on the worksite. Many jobs were finished, including installing the insulation, cleaning the outside of the house, building the back porch, repairing the front porch, repairing the clothesline, painting and sealing the roof, repairing the plumbing, and fixing the lawn mower. Tomorrow the group's goals are to finish installing a tub/shower in the bathroom, finishing the drywall and painting in the bathroom, installing 2 new windows and an air conditioning unit. They are also building a porch for another house in the yard on site, to be moved later. The group is growing closer and closer as the week goes on. Many people have said they think this is the best mission trip ever. Today, Amanda Powell and Sam Henson have written reflections

Amanda Powell:

Starting off the day was an amazing experience in itself, for when we arrived on the job site Mrs. Tomlin was outside sitting on her new deck. Another youth and I walked over to her and started a conversation about her quilting. We learned that she was taught to quilt when she was 16 by her mother, and now she spends all her pastime making them for friends and family. We learned that when her husband past away, her son burned her husbands quilt, and in order to compensate for the pain, she makes quilts all the time in order to keep her bond with him. She stayed on the deck for a little over half an hour, which is the longest that she has been outside with the entire group. It is such a godsend to see her finally breaking out of her shell, and opening herself up to not only me, but to the rest of the group as well. We also learned that even though she may not be very vocal towards us, as we drive away, she is immediately out of the house showing her love for us as she leans down to touch her brand new deck, or run her hands across her brand new clothes line. These simple things we take for granted have helped bring her closer to us, and in turn, us closer to God.

Sam Henson:

I don’t think anyone understands this heat.  This is the most disgusting, sticky, and sweat-provoking heat.  Merely standing outside for a minute will produce a river of sweat running down my back.  As gross as this image may seem, I am here to show how these waterworks are a good thing.  While I have only briefly talked to Mrs. Tomlin, I know that I am sweating for her.  My job for the past couple of days has been to cut installation for the crew down under the house.  Measuring and slicing the fiberglass has become something that I am a pro at.  Before you disregard the job that may seem “simple,” just know it’s brutal.  When I am standing in the sun for hours with dozens of orders waiting to be cut, the sweat begins to weigh deeply.  However, looking up at the house, I see how everyone is sweating and suffering along with me.  This sweat bonds us all together as we work on this house in 100% humidity.  I begin to pick up my work, and my sweat becomes irrelevant.  God works in mysterious ways, but placing us in this certain climate bonds us all together.  We are all here for the same reason and putting just as much work into the same cause.  This is a special kind of sweat, the kind of sweat that means something.