Hammerin' In the Delta

Monday

This is Year 22 for our group! We have one rookie this year and the rest of us are veterans of various tenures. I do not think anybody has made every trip, though Andy, Charlotte and Kristin are pretty close.

Most groups leave some memento of their visit on the walls, ceiling, or wherever it they can find to put it. Over the years, the place has started to fill up and competition for space can get kind of fierce. Having been here more times than most (or possibly anybody) we have commanded our share of space.

One year we helpfully consolidated some of the contributions from the group from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in order to create a more esthetically pleasing display – And because we wanted the space.

The young people from Urbana High School have put together an impressive run in recent years, and in the process commandeered much of the ceiling.

Appropriately we started the week making some repairs to things people have tacked to the ceiling, so as not to get hit in the face with them.

This might require some further work as the week progresses.

Mike started us off this morning with a passage from Philippians inviting us to be humble servants as we work this week.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves. Philippians 2:3

I think we can honestly say that we try however imperfectly to work for the greater glory of God. Still most of us show up every year because of the rewards: the people we meet, the fun we have, fellowship we share. The relationships we have built with one another. Something brings us back year after year. That reflects the greater glory of God.

J.D. Smith has been the contractor and supervisor on these jobs pretty much since the beginning of the Habitat chapter. Nothing really gets started until he shows up.

In the meantime, his nephew Lorenzo arrived. Lorenzo has been part of our crew even before I was. We have watched him grow up. While we waited for J.D., Lorenzo was happy to show off his new ride.

Then J.D. showed up and we were able to get started.

We are currently finishing up House #50 for West Tallahatchie Habitat Chapter. We helped finish up House #49 last year. It took some time. We were the first group to come down after Covid and we worked on it then. Here is what it looks like today.

The houses to date were built on one large piece of land that had been donated to WTHFH and the dorm is built there as well, so to this point, all of the houses have been easy walking distance from the dorm. This is convenient for people who need a bathroom break, a dose of air conditioning, or a nap, or who sit back at headquarters typing a blog while the rest of the crew is working in 90 degree heat. But I did take time to at least get a few pictures of our team at work.

Dave finishing up a closet. J.D. gives some tips to Jacob on his first day.