Great First Day!

We had a great first day up in Asheville.  8 work teams got lots of great work done.  It was a hot day, but we made sure all the youth ate lots of water!  The rule of thumb on trips like this is to be flexible!  When I get updates for teams 1 and 2, I will update this post! 

Here are updates of today's work from the youth's perspective!   The internet isn't working well enough to add photos at the moment.  

Team 1:

We started the day off by taking the long drive up to Leicester and first stopping at Big Sandy United Methodist Church as this would be where we used the restroom and ate lunch. The church over looked the mountains and was very quiet and peaceful. We then continued down the road a little while and made it to Mr. and Mrs. Reemes home. Our goal for the week is to help rebuild their front deck that desperately needed to be fixed due to rooting and other issues caused by the storm. We arrived and were greeted by a peacock, a dog, a cat, a few cows and one very large duck. After getting everything out of the truck and trailer we finished clearing the dirt, using a large magnet to clear any nails and metal that weren’t visible. We then started cutting down all the lumber and digging the holes where the posts would eventually go. We came across a bunch of very large rocks while digging which took a whole lot of work and group effort to get out, even breaking some tools while trying to pry them out. Once the 8 holes were dug to the depth and the lumber was cut we headed back to the church for lunch and the bathrooms. Once we returned to the site we then began building the frame out and attaching it to the side of the house. We had just enough time to then cut all the posts and get one ready and set with concrete which we mixed using a tarp and lifting the sides one at a time to get it completely mixed. Once that was done we started to clean up the work site and got to meet the owners for a little bit before having to head back to Abernathy UMC to reconvene with the other groups. Overall we had a great day led by the master himself Jim and got more comfortable using tools and working together.

Team 3:

Today we were at Amanda’s house doing all different kinds of work. 2 work groups were there so we divided up and accomplished all we could in the 5 hours we were there. We got to meet the homeowner & pray together and then we were off to work. My group was working on yard work as the trees had been super overgrown and hard to manage for someone all alone. Some were in the back of the house using power tools and some on the side using loppers. Carson and Amelia worked diligently on measuring and drilling in new pickets for the staircase. We all worked together so well and accomplished all our work in under the time allotted so, of course, my group stopped for some ice cream.

Team 4:

Group 4 demoed a deck. We ripped off the parts of the deck and then we took all the nails off of the boards to see what boards were salvageable. We improved stairs to get into the house. On the inside we sprayed for mold and we did some work with the installation. 

Team 5:

Today, our group visited a house with overgrown trees and vines that were clogging the gutters, causing water to seep into the basement. To clean the gutters, we first had to clear away the vegetation to get to them. We also mowed the yard and trimmed the bushes. We finished that house pretty quickly so we moved to another job site and cleaned around the base of the house so a different group could repair the crawl space.

Team 6:

My group went to downtown Hendersonville and then Hope United Methodist Church.  Then we helped and moved stuff and organized food for homeless people in the area.  Then we pulled weeds to help the church look better.  We had a wonderful time.  

Team 7:

Our team had a great day in Asheville, starting at Deep Time Coffee where we roasted beans together and got to try their famous horchata cold brew. it was a big hit. After that, we headed to 12 Baskets Diner, where we shared a meal and had some really good conversations with people in the homeless community. It was a warm, welcoming space that gave us a chance to listen and connect. In the afternoon, we volunteered at Safe Shelter, helping clean up the playroom, bathrooms, and downstairs hallway. It felt good to pitch in and support a place doing such important work. Overall, it was a day full of connection, service, and great memories

Team 8:

Today my group worked at a church that houses RV homes for victims of the hurricane. We started off by cleaning and adding to the shower stalls in the area. Then, we painted an area to prep for the other groups who will do a design on the wall. Afterwards, we ripped apart wooden pallets so that we can make them into garden bed thingies!