Day 3: Tuesday
Today we actually split into two different groups. So here is Sarah talking about the first group.
Today we drove about an hour away from our campsite to a small town called Double Springs where we met a woman named Betty Tomas. Betty is an elderly woman who lost her husband 13 years ago and is disabled. Because of her disability she needs a ramp to get up to her house but it was sadly extremely unsafe. So that is what we were there for. We started off by tearing down the old ramp and then we built a new one. We ran into a few setbacks during the day but John, the Habitat for Humanity contractor was so amazing and taught us once again what it meant to be gumby. We finished the day off strong by finishing the top half of the ramp. We are going back Thursday to finish the rest of it and install some doors in her house to help insulate heat.
Now onto the other group
The second half of the group stayed back at camp and helped Brother Ashley clean up. While we bounced between the camp buildings we made an effort to explore the site. In the process we found a lot of bugs, an old waterslide, and an attic above the gym. We spent the first part of our day running around Trinity Bible Camp, but after lunch we drove back to The Weldy House. The were excited to have us back, and after we fixed up some dry wall we helped the girls with their homework and played games.
By dinnertime we all reunited at Aromas –it'd be an understatement to say we were excited because we've been hearing about this place all week! Of course we were treated to a fantastic meal, and Mrs. Kate's desserts were even better. We finished our night by taking a painting class with John Adkins (a friend we made at our breakfast on Sunday). Everyone's paintings definitely showed everyone's unique style. Will's green vase turned into a blue owl and Sarah has an eye for abstract work. It's been really great to get out in the community; we've all agreed that getting to know the locals is one of the best parts of this trip!t
Day 4: Wednesday
We started our day at the senior citizen home where we met with the director for the Winfield Park. With our group being from all over the country and having lots of different fundraising experiences, she had us brainstorm ideas for fundraising for the park, along with ideas for beauty pageant themes, and health and nutrition for both seniors and youth. We followed that by playing Bingo and singing church hymns with the seniors. Afterwards we did a brief cleaning of the community center. After the community center we visited the Habitat center in the area, where Teresa gave us a tour. Teresa then took us to a local high school to speak to the high school's Habitat chapter, which recently started this year. We spoke to them about what service meant to us, along with fundraising ideas, letter writing, and service we had been involved with. Then we were invited to a chili dinner at The United Methodist church in Guin and had the most wonderful chili and pecan pie. Most definitely feeling apart of the Alabamily.
Day 5: Thursday
Today we split into two different groups. The first group went to go finish the wheelchair ramp we started on Tuesday and it turned out amazing. Betty was so overjoyed and can't wait to get back into her home. The other group went to the Winfield Community Center. A few months ago, the northern part of Alabama was hit with massive floods, so the baseball fields at the community center had an incredible amount of damage. We helped by piling up all the leaves that had been pushing down the fences. The staff at the community center was so sweet, they made us a red velvet cake and brought us lunch. When we were leaving the community center, the director gave us all of the old shirts they had not used from their little leaque. This will come into play later. After our work for the day, the vice president of the habitat board brought us homemade lasagna to our campsite. We sat with her and was able to learn the business behind Habitat, which was incredibly fascinating. At our campsite, there is a gym, so we were able to get a good ole'game of kickball going. The final score was 25 to 21, East Coast Vs. West Coast. And those little league shirts…yep you guessed it, they were our uniforms. During reflection we realized that "Communicate Love " was the MAB principal that stuck out to us the most this break. No matter where we went, people were extremely kind and incredibly generous. They say thank you everywhere we go, but it is the complete opposite. We need to say thank you Alabama.
Day 5: Friday
Our last day! We woke up and could not believe it. We felt like we had blinked the week away. But we also promised each other that we would make the most of this day. The whole group went to the park again. We again racked leaves. When we were saying goodbye, it felt like saying goodbye to extended family at the end of the holidays. You know those moments when you are all standing at the door to leave but no one wants to move, those are the moments that you realize you have something special.
For our evening, we went to Winfield's basketball game. We sang Sweet Caroline and Party in the USA at the top of our lungs, tried fried oreos, and cheered for Winfield Pirates. At the end of the day, we realize there is something special. There is something special about a smile, a simple meal and constant giving. Thank you Guin for teaching us that. We will always love you.
And just like Mama T said, it isn't goodbye, it is see you later.
No comments:
Post a Comment