Meridian, MS - Habitat for Humanity (Post 4)

Yesterday was one of the busiest days we’ve had on the trip. We woke up early and went back to Mr. Henderson’s house to do some final touches on the repair process. We painted cabinets, hooked up all of his appliances (stove, dryer, washer), floored the bathroom, swept and mopped the kitchen and rooms, and raked the yard. And we did all of that before lunch! After lunch we took the pile of trash to the recycling center and landfill, cut down loose branches that overhung the small shed, and packed up all of Habitat’s tools at Mr. Henderson’s house. As we began to pull away Mr. Henderson stood on his porch, waving and giving us that big toothless grin. It was so neat being able to see the finish of a project and the impact such simple service can have on someone’s life. 

We all had difficultly waking up and facing the task at hand today. This morning we all realized that this was our last full day in Meridian. Although we had heavy hearts, we knew that we still had one more contribution to give this community. 

First, we went to the Boys and Girls Club where we were introduced to the Boys and Girls Club of the East Side of Mississippi Board.  After the orientation with the board, we were given a tour of the facility and met many of the young kids that the club serves.  After that, we helped clean some of the classrooms and the computer room. It was nice to end the week interacting with other members of the community and help out another great organization. 

After returning to the Habitat house and cleaning up, our Habitat leader, Fonda, led us to the famous Meridian carousel which was used in the St. Louis World’s Fair. Although the carousel did not sound like the most amazing landmark, it is one of the few of its’ kind still left in operation. We took a few spins on the carousel, which was surprising fast for such an old carnival ride.  Surprisingly, we ran into a family traveling back to Mizzou that had also stopped to see the carousel.

For our final night in Meridian, we enjoyed a real southern dinner at Weidmann’s Restaurant where many of us dined on fresh seafood. Once again we wrapped up the evening with games enjoying our last night together.

P.S.  We learned this week that Mississippians do, in fact, wear shoes!!