A few more photos from Monday's work

A few photos from group 1 did not get posted yesterday so they are pasted here:

A rainy, but fun Tuesday!

On Tuesday, the group woke up to a rainy day that nobody expected. Then as Sean told the group that we were not going to our work sites due to flooding here in Hazard, Sean gave us a game plan for the day and then we drove 1.5 hours to see Man of Steel(Superman). Afterwards, we drove back to the church and a few people did care cards while some people went to the pavilion to play or cool off in the shower. Later, we ate a delicious meal cooked by the kitchen crew. Then as the group settled down Sean gathered everyone for bible study. Lastly, as the day ended and everything came together Sean gave us a guide for Wednesday and we all went to bed.

The group did a great job being flexible and open to the surprise weather, and ended up getting to know each other even better. Everyone is even more excited to get back to work tomorrow!

Jack White and Mark Dager contributed to this blog posting.

First Work Day

Team 1: We are assigned to build a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house upon a pre-existing cinderblock foundation.  We were all able to experience a variety of power tools and carpentry skills in creating the supports of the floor of the home.  By the end of the day, we had all the floor supports finished, and had about half of the plywood floor in place.  We used well over a thousand pounds of wood and about 45 pounds of nails to get this far.  We enjoyed a lovely devotion after our lunch break lead by Victoria, and loved getting the time to talk to and bond with the carpenters helping us on our project. 

-Victoria Kuhn, Jane Drumheller, Haley White, Fiona Asbury, Mark Dager, Nathan VanBrunt, Ed Tennant, Squire Galbreath, and Sarah Miller

Team 2: We were assigned to clear vegetation covering an entire wall of an apartment building and build a decorative wall with cinder blocks in place of the vegetation. The morning was very successful; we cleared all of the vegetation and roots and built the wall efficiently. Unfortunately, we were told that we had to move the cut-up brush back to where it was and take down the wall (it was put in the wrong place). Although we were frustrated, we knew that this project wasn’t about us, so we had to be flexible and obey our carpenter.

-Amanda Kuhn, McCartney VanBrunt, Grace Pereles, Meredith Srour, John Galbreath, Maddie McGill, Sean Miller, and Pam Drumheller

Team 3: Our assignment is to take out the existing porch on the house and replace it with a brand new wooden deck.  Before arriving, we had no idea that the porch we are taking out would be cement.  We started with taking out the wooden banister that surrounded the porch.  That was pretty easy, most of the boards were coming apart so that part was not hard to demolish.  The hard part came next.  We had to take 8- and 10-pound sledge hammers and start whacking the cement, and only little pieces would come off at a time.  We worked hard all day and made a dent in the porch, but we desperately need the reinforcement of jack hammers, that hopefully our carpenters will bring tomorrow.  Despite the frustration of slow progress, it was really satisfying after many hits with the sledge hammer, a piece of cement would finally come off. 

-Emily Petti, Lia Sohl, Carolyn McGill, Stefanie Baarman, Jack White, Lynda Tennant, Noah Pereles, and Kendra Grams 

More thoughts on our travels...and the highlights of our first full day in Southeast Kentucky

The car ride up to Kentucky was very interesting. Every van had a different experience. Some silent and sleepy, some loud with everyone singing, some with games, some with awkward small-talk, and then the one that Kendra yelled at Ed for speeding the whole time. Even though each van was different, each was enjoyable. Kendra decided she wanted to lead the whole time so she would constantly speed to stay in front. About six hours in we stopped at a Wendy’s to eat dinner. All the cars met up again and enjoyed some good laughs over our delicious fast food. About three hours later all five vans arrived in Hazard Kentucky. We tried to navigate our way to the church, but one wrong turn led us all the wrong way. Pam, with her GPS, led most of the vans right back to the church. However, Kendra’s van rode in circles trying to find the church, for at least fifteen minutes. Once everyone arrived at the church, we got settled in. Kendra then announced she was going to be nice and let everyone sleep until eight thirty-the highlight of our day.

On Sunday, we took part in our host church’s (First Presbyterian) worship service. We then departed to a beautiful log cabin church in which we were taught the history and were able to explore.  

After the log church, we went to Walmart and worked together gathering all of our groceries for the week (4 enormous carts full) as well as some personal shopping for snacks in our rooms.    

On the road...

Our group pulled out of the PPC parking lot just after noon yesterday. For all but a short stretch on I-66 west, we had open road and smooth sailing. We enjoyed the incredibly scenic drive southwest on I-81. As we pulled off the interstate to head northwest into Kentucky, we stopped at Wendy's for dinner (picture above)...where the bird toy/ puzzle in someone's kids meal was enjoyed by several in the group (picture above). We pulled into Hazard just after 9pm as we had hoped and settled in for the night. 

Today, we will worship with our host congregation, First Presbyterian Church of Hazard, Kentucky, before heading out to explore the area a bit and do our massive grocery shopping run.

Sending our love and prayers back to all our families and the PPC family and giving a "shout out" to all the dads and wonderful men in the world on this Father's Day.

Arrived...safe and sound

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are all here safely. There may or may not have been lots of going around the block to "find" the church where we are staying, but all arrived safely. We are preparing for lights out in a few moments and will give a more full report of our travel and arrival tomorrow.

Log Cabin Cathedral...

From http://www.hazardperrytourism.com/attractions.html:

Buckhorn Lake Area Presbyterian Church Log Cathedral 606-398-7382, 300 Buckhorn Lane, Buckhorn, KY 41721 Built in 1928, this majestic Cathedral was constructed of white oak from the surrounding mountains. It is one of only three remaining buildings of the Witherspoon College campus and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cathedral features a Hook & Hasting pipe organ as well.