Motivation

Today was our second day at the work sites and it was HOT! Everyone felt like they had never experienced such heat in their lives, and they probably hadn't. It is so fun for me to watch the students on sites. The first day they are really excited and willing to work hard - it's always great! But the second day, the real stuff starts happening. The special newness of the work has worn off and the heat zaps motivation. So it is not surprising that we had some students working harder than others, some students truly suffering from the heat, and some students rising to the top of everyone's notice for their amazing work ethic and dedication to getting the job done with a smile on their face.

We have been broken into four work sites and everyone is dedicated to "their house." At my house I am working on there are 6 of us and we have been painting up a storm. When we arrived the house was full of drywall that was ready for paint. Now, it is almost all done. Tomorrow we will (hopefully) finish the painting and begin installing flooring. Our home owner is Deola, a 76 year old Katrina survivor who is as sweet and grateful as can be. She came by today and we were so excited to meet her. She told us that, though she may not be able to remember our names, she will always remember us for what we have done for her. She has been the victim of contractor fraud since the hurricane - three times. That means that 3 different contractors, one after another, promised to fix her home, and just stole her money. So now we are there and she may be home by the end of the month. Meeting her makes every drop of sweat, every aching muscle, worth it. We can only hope that we are shining the light of Christ brightly into her life.

For now, I am super excited to go back tomorrow with my incredible team: Mari A, Doug A, Jasmine B, Courtney D, and David M. (The picture above was taken with our team and Deola.)

And parents, please know that your kids are well and enjoying serving God this week!

Peace, Hannah