a dry house

So the house we worked on had 1/3 of a roof left after the tree smashed it two years ago. We had to move tarp to do the work we needed to do -- blue tarp from FEMA. There were packs of shingles stacked in the front yard waiting for us. I thought the construction crew was able to get the delivered early. Yeah! Later I found out that those shingles had been sitting in the front yard for 2 years because there was no one to do the work.

In five days, the two teams working on one house left it better than we found it. When the 14 of us -- 4 adults and 10 Jr and Sr High -- were done there were:

• a finished roof with new decking, tar paper, and shingles making the house dry for the first time in two years
  
• a completely painted house with Kilz under the paint to get rid of the mold
  
• a neater yard because the old carpet, padding, insulation, and drywall that were pulled out 2 years ago were finally taken to the dump by our group
• a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen with new insulation and drywall walls and ceilings
• hope for actually being able to live in their home again

On Sunday night our construction coordinator told us that there were two teams on this one house because it was a big job but we could do it. On Thursday night, when it was obvious that we would finish, he finally confessed that he didn't really know if we could get all of it done. We weren't really supposed to get the bathroom done or paint the trim. Our youth were terrific.

On Friday, there were 14 smelly, sweaty youth and adults sitting in the much cooler kitchen under a completed ceiling eating our sack lunches. We brought extra food with us and shared lunch with the momma and the son for their first meal in the kitchen in 2 years. The mamma said, "You are God's grace. You are an answer to my prayers. You are God's grace."