Work Day Two-Team 1

Work group 1 (Jack, Gavin, Ed, Nick, Charlotte G., Alex, Squire)

Today our team drove to the same work site as yesterday to work on the roof. With the trusses in place, our next step was to nail wood boards around the perimeter of the trusses. In the room that was going to be the kitchen, we nailed in boards where the kitchen cabinets would be, and put wood boards in the corners of each room in the house. After a devotional and lunch in the Kentucky heat, the majority of the group climbed up to the roof to nail in large pieces of plywood. On the ground, Squire and Ed measured, cut, and lifted the wood with the help of one of our carpenters, Mark. Our other carpenters, Steve and Justin, helped Jack, Gavin, Charlotte, Alex, and Nick nail in the plywood and handle the nail gun on the roof. We finished the day with half of the roof nailed into place and a sweaty, happy, and slightly sunburned team of hard workers.

First Work Day-Team 3

Work Team 3 (Maddie, Teddy, William, Carly, Jack D., Gayle, Kendra)

Today our team went to a Housing Development Alliance house (the third house to be built by the organization in Hazard).  The life expectancy of the shingles on the house expired at 20 years, so we worked to replace them. The new shingles have an expectancy of 30 years.  First we ripped off the old shingles with unique roofing shovels, designed specifically for removing shingles and nails.  After removing left behind nails, we cleared all of the debris into one of our carpenter’s trucks. Once the roof was clear of the old roofing we began laying roofing preparation sheet/ paper. We used an air-pressurized nail gun to secure the paper. We also laid down one row of shingles. As there were only three harnesses for the roof, four people had to stay on the ground and completed other jobs. The people on the ground cleared a small crawl space underneath the home in which the floor was covered in a plastic mat that needed replacing. The team enjoyed a great day of productive work although they were terrorized by the unbearable Hazard heat.

First Work Day-Team 1

Work group 1 (Jack, Gavin, Ed, Nick, Charlotte G., Alex, Squire)

           

Today we worked on roofing a house. Our carpenters (Steve, Justin, & Mark) were absolutely amazing. Steve was the carpenter of the Kentucky Mission Trip 3 years ago, and he remembered the PPC'ers from that trip, so we got along with him just fine. Justin was a kid straight out of high school. Steve “ran the show,” but everyone got along just fine. The house had already been built in terms of the base, but the roof was yet to be put on. Before we could do anything, we had to secure the planks located on where the trusses were to be placed. After those were hammered in place, a truck came and delivered the trusses, and our group had to move all of them out of the road and onto the sidewalk. That was not the only lifting that took place today. Aside from moving the trusses, everyone had to assist in moving heaps of wooden planks from one side of the house to the other. This took roughly an hour. Though we forgot what they were called, everyone assisted in setting up these “bridges” of some sort on the sides of the house to create walking space. After the bridge things were set up, the trusses had to be placed. Gavin and Charlotte took the initiative of going up to the roof to assist in placing the trusses where they needed to be placed. Jack, Ed, Squire, Alex, and Nick were on the ground, and to get the trusses to the others, they had to work as a team to get them up a ladder and to Gavin and Charlotte. Everyone got through roughly seven, then it was time for a lunch break. Lunch was quick as everyone ate a simple sandwich along with some chips. Nick led our group’s period of devotion, and everyone was proud of his way of handling the group. This period of time lasted roughly 45 minutes, then it was time to get back to work. From 1-3, everyone took part in placing the trusses where they needed to be placed. Gavin and Charlotte were switched out on top with Nick and Jack, and by the end of the day, roughly 25 trusses had been placed on top of the house. Our group departed and arrived back at the church at around 3:30.

First Work Day-Team 2

Work Team 2 (John, Chandler, Charlotte K., Reilly, Sam, Meredith, Nelia, Charlie)

Today we went to a woman’s house to help clean and paint her newly built walkway. Her brother was a war veteran and was confined to a wheelchair so we stained the ramp for him. We split up into two groups, a staining group and a power washing group, and rotated so that everyone could try both jobs. Once we heard about what our job was, we thought the whole job would take us no more than two hours, but we soon realized it would take at least two full days. Fortunately, we finished up the power washing today, but we still have a lot of staining to do. Our carpenters watched on as we stained to ensure the stain didn’t drip. While it may seem like this was an easy job, the stain had the viscosity of water and it had a tendency to run. There were chickens. 

Happy Father's Day!

A special message to all the men who have supported and nurtured and loved us...

Sunday, June 19-Settling in

Yesterday we journeyed the long 8 hour car ride to Hazard with a stop for dinner at McDonald’s, and made it in around 8:15. We all settled our bags in and had a nice overview of the trip before crashing in bed.

We woke up feeling like it was the crack of dawn, but apparently that was “sleeping in” compared to the rest of the trip says Kendra…best of luck to us for the coming days. We had a delicious breakfast prepared by the famous cook Ed. After some cereal, muffins, and yogurt we played some ice-breaker games to get familiar with the whole group. Following these competitive games (4 on a couch got pretty heated), we joined the rest of the congregation for the worship service upstairs. It was a nice sermon about forgiveness, which we all thoroughly enjoyed. During the passing of peace and welcoming, the church was very mindful and kind about recognizing us. Then, we gathered before we took off to go to Subway for lunch. After that, we completed the looooooong and adventurous journey through Walmart where we gathered our week’s groceries and supplies. I (Charlotte G.) ended up getting closest to the total cost of all the groceries added up. Then we all came back to the church and unloaded all the groceries (fitting all of the refrigerated items was quite the task, but we did it!). We all got the chance to go to the Hazard Pavillion where we played tennis, ran on the track, and showered. After returning, we ate a delicious dinner of lasagna and chocolate cake for dessert! Finally, we finished the night with a nice introduction to the theme of our week (“Daring Greatly”). 10:00 bedtime, and we are all so excited for the hard work and fun ahead!

Arrived safely

We made it! We are safe and sound in Hazard, Kentucky. The AC works, and everyone's air mattresses are inflated and ready for some R&R. All plan to sleep in tomorrow, as much as possible!