Day Two - Pittsburgh Project July 19, 2011

"Surprising" is a word for our work at the Pittsburgh Project today.  From "Swuirrels are strong in the force," to Sarah and Anna's debut as karaoke singers, the day was full of surprises, many of which occurred at the homes of the two families we visited.

 

 

After breakfast and devotionals, the camp staff started our day off with a funny skit (hence the Star Wars fanatic’s line). We all then dispersed to gather supplies and head to our work sites.  Yesterday, we had some concerns about our various tasks, but all came together today as the one group (Rick, Mary, Jane, Margaret, and Meg) raked, dug, mixed, and slabbed on the concrete to rebuild a broken wall at the Moore’s house.  Everyone enjoyed talking with Mr. and Mrs. Moore and another relative, who sat outside with their cute beagle, Duchess. They are not well enough to work, but Margaret and Meg kept them involved in conversation and made sure that they knew they were the focus of the day. 

 

 

At the Hill house, meanwhile, Sarah played Miss Versatility, Anna was Spiderwoman climbing walls to apply painters’ tape, and Zyg and David teamed up to use the paint roller and brush “maturely” as we taped, and primed.  Mrs. Hill’s nephew remained at the house and supplied us with extra items as we needed them.  We are blessed to have a chance to get to know the families involved with the Project, and we are hoping that some of them will come to the homeowner’s dinner tomorrow night.  At the end of the workday, we were all proud to have accomplished what we did, and the adults were impressed by the kids’ diligence and sense of responsibility; we were especially thankful that some of our doubts about what might be able to accomplish at each site seem to dissipate.  Thanks be to God. We probably shouldn’t be surprised, right?

 

After returning with paint-splotched legs, arms, and hair, and tired, dusty limbs, we all had some free time, which some people (Sarah, Meg, Margaret, and Peggy) used to run or walk; others to clean up (Anna) or to read; and Zyg and David to swim at the pool across the street.  Where did the girls run?  In the nearby graveyard, of course.  The landscape stretched out up hills and around three large areas where we could experience some history of the families in the city while appreciating the sunny, blue-sky day.  The girls kept up a good pace, regularly outstepping me as I tried (but failed) to keep up.

 

Fortunately, we can’t run away from God—the message of the day.  During the evening “club” time, we all learned about Jonah and his attempt to avoid God and God’s will for him.  Not only can we not successfully run away from God, we learned, but also, God is there for us always, even when the “storms” come, as they did with Jonah. The day closed with this thought before we split into groups for discussion.  Then, kids headed into a luau, where Sarah and Anna could be heard singing the Back Street Boys, “I Want It That Way.”  They expect to be getting agency calls next week; hold the phones for two more days, please.

 

We are thankful for no storms of the weather sort today, and we hope and pray for our work to occur without certain storms tomorrow:  bad weather, injuries, conflict that could obstruct our mission.  We appreciate your prayers and look forward to sharing the (good) news with you again soon.

 

Blessings,

 

Peggy (blogster for the day)

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