Lexington 12/18

Today we had another great day helping with Habitat! We started off at a different home today. The walls were bare and needed painting. With the twelve of us, we successfully put a coat of paint on all of the walls in the home. Before we began working, one of the Habitat workers told us what we would be painting and gave instruction on how to properly apply the paint to the walls. As he described the process, he stressed “making a nice finished product” because families would be moving into the house in two weeks. As he spoke, it was obvious that he truly cared and wanted to make the home nice for the future family to live in. For him, it wasn’t about how quickly it got done but about the quality of the work. After the painting, we took a break for lunch and then began work at another location. At this home, we worked outside to install a silt fence around the property. This job required us to dig a small channel around the yard, wedge the posts of the fence into the ground, and fill in dirt around the fence to keep it in place. Because it rained yesterday, the soil was VERY soft…our shoes got so muddy! This is definitely the most physical task we have had yet, but we still had fun coming together to complete the task and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. It was difficult just to dig a small channel; I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to lay the foundation for the entire home! When we reflected on this task, we discussed how building a foundation for a home is similar to building one in life. Whether its relationships or an education, a solid foundation is crucial, although often difficult to create. In the “family room”, after dinner we reflected on the day. One of our participants shared something really great: Trees have branches and leaves that bloom out of the trunk. We see this on the surface, but deep beneath the soil, there are roots that are a mirror image of what shows above. This fact shows the similarity between a tree and a leader. A good leader should make the right decisions, not for selfish reasons, but for the benefit of others. A leader’s actions should reflect intentions. No one on our trip has come to build their resumes. We all came here to make a difference in the lives of others. This trip has been amazing so far because we have been able to serve, but also because we have become closer friends. Starting this trip, we were a group of 12 strangers and now it feels more like a family. Although we have many different personalities and backgrounds, we have meshed really well! I wouldn’t want to be on this trip with anyone else. That’s all for now! Check back tomorrow for another update!