A Pictoral Reflection

Home Sweet Home

Our last day was full of peace and quiet! Well okay, maybe not total peace and quiet....And who said travelling with teenagers was a problem? Within 15 minutes of leaving the hotel parking lot on Saturday morning, this was the view from my rear view mirror. 5 of 6 passengers "out like a light!" Maybe I could refer to them as "Sue's pooped peeps"

It was a wonderful drive home with the exception of the temperature gauge that records the outside air temperature. I watched throughout the day as it slowly crept lower and lower as we got closer and closer to home.

We did manage to get a quick hour of shopping in at the Carousel Mall in Syracuse where we stopped for a late lunch and then headed to the border. The Border agent seemed rather miffed that we had less than $150 worth of goods - "You could have $5000 worth of stuff with you!" he exclaims.

We arrived back at the church parking lot to waiting parents at about 7:30pm. No-one wanted to be the first to leave but by 8:00pm everyone was gone and I was on my way home in a very quiet van.

At church today, we were welcomed back with many questions and encouragement for what we had accomplished during our journey.

We look forward to sharing more of our stories with you on April 11th when we will present our trip to the congregation. We also have a special treat to share during Coffee Time.

Thanks to all of you who followed us on the blog, sent emails and prayed for us while we were gone. The congregation was never very far from our thoughts, for without your constant love and support, these trips would not be possible.

Until next time....

Time to say Goodbye

The last day is always bittersweet. It is a day where folks are anxious to get some last minute projects done and many are dreading the goodbyes that come.

Many went straight to the roof to continue rolling out the papers and then putting the flashing along the edges. Some continued to run electrical wires inside the house and some walked the site to clean it up and make sure that all the tools made it home with the right folks.

Stephanie, Lance and their dog brought lunch which included this wonderful Orzo salad...we all want the recipie to that one!

After our wonderful lunch, we shared communion inside the house while giving thanks for all the blessings of the week. We shared hugs and goodbyes ahd were on the road by 2:00pm, heading north.

We decided to push through the traffic in Washington (yeah for HOV lanes) which allowed us to arrive in New Cumberland, PA just as the sun was setting. The youth were able to have some pool time before we met for our final community time.

We will be on the road in the morning, hoping to get home in the early evening - will depend on the border crossing back log.

Hard to believe it is over for another year! We look forward to sharing our stories with you in person on April 11, 2010 as part of the services at KUC.

Thank you to Peggy and Tom for your heartfelt letter. We also shared emails from Kate & Richard, Glenda and Naomi.

See you at church on Sunday.

Last Full build day

And what a day it was! There was lots to do and the work site was busy. Many conquered fears and others learned new skills. Much of today's work was on the roof. The day started with the sheathing of the whole roof and then the papering of the back side was completed before quitting for the day.

Folks got familiar with tape! All the joins, staples and around the windows and door covering had to be covered with tape so that there were no holes in the plastic covering of the walls. This was a tedious job but one that had to be done.

Inside, electrical outlet boxes were mounted on the walls and Joanne had the pleasure of using the drill the holes through the studs for the electrical wires.

All the braces were removed - inside and out, the basement rooms were framed, and Robert and Herb started installing the supports for the porch roof. Sue and Ruth prepared the gable end with the sheathing.

A tradition that we have developed over the years is that we write a bible passage on the house walls. This year no different and Ruth was kind enough to write an Iona Prayer that was part of our evening letter tonight. Tomorrow, we will each write out name on the house walls also to be there for posterity.

Today's work effort was incredible and the youth were fantastic. They have truly blossomed in skill and in community....so much so that I have already caught them at two practical jokes. Well actually the same joke twice.

We are blessed at Kanata United to have such a wonderful group of young people who are so giving of their time and talents. They have done us all proud here in Kilmarnock. People continue to thank us for what we are doing - even had a gentleman pop into one of our gatherings and thank us for not just thinking about helping out but actually DOING it. We also received a lovely card from the Willis family, thanking us for our work on their house. They also brought us a gift of Northern Neck Gingerale some of which we are bringing home with us to share with all of you.
It was also the start of the goodbye's today. Leonard won't be on the jobsite tomorrow as he has to head back down to North Carolina for the weekend. He has been great to have around. Sharp witted, helpful and a real teacher, truly a gift from God on our build site.

There have been some great emails of support adn we appreciate them. It is great to know that folks are following with us on this journey.

Thanks for the wonderful letter Ann & Murray Gordon.

A day in pictures

I didn't get a chance to upload some photos from yesterday so I thought I would put some up for you this morning....

Top of the Mornin'

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It was a busy day on the build site today with all interior walls being installed (they were built yesterday), some insulation in the basement, some caulking and the final stapling of the building wrap.

After lunch there a large piece of machinery arrived to help with the installation of the roofing trusses. With this specific building site, it would have been very difficult (pretty much impossible) to put the trusses up by hand. A small group continued working on this installation while another group of folks went to the local Boys & Girls Club to help out with a project there. Some of us left the build site early (not enough work and too many spectators) and headed to the shores of Chesapeake Bay to enjoy the bright sunshine and sand between our toes.

Our evening meal was prepared by the folks at the Presbyterian church tonight - a seafood / grits caserole or pulled pork.

With alot of tired folks, we decided we would try to head to bed early.....or at least we are hopeful! Some are playing cards, others watching a movie....some already snoring away in their bed.

Tomorrow is sure to be another busy day with putting the sheathing on the roof and prepping it for shingles, drilling holes to run electrical wires and the installation of outlet boxes and I am sure there are some things to work on in the basement rooms...like an outside wall.

It's hard to believe that we only have 1.5 days left on the build site. God has been good to us, and blessed us with a wonderful opportunity and experience for this week.

Thank you Maureen Purnell for a wonderful letter.

God is Great!

Today was a glorious day to build a house! It started out a little grey but as the day wore on the sun burst forth and by the end of the day folks were working in t-shirts.

The build site was buzzing...or maybe I should say banging with lots of work being done!

A picture is worth 1000 words...so here are a few.

We headed out to the edge of the Rappohannock River for dinner tonight with the Willis family. On our way out there, we had to drive through a very small place, but we felt right at home and felt moved to take a photo to share...

We presented them with the beautiful quilt the KUC quilting group crafted for them and made them promise to use it and not to hang it on the wall. We also celebrated a "Big" birthday with Elise.

Tomorrow we hope to be able to get all the interior walls in place and then on to the roof trusses. Since there is a walkout basement, puttin the trusses up will require the use of a crane - that will be a first for us.

Thank you for your kind words Shelley Rose.

What wonderful things to look forward to!