"You are the light of the world. A city on top of a hill can’t be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they put it on top of a lampstand, and it shines on all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16 CEB
We've come to the end of a very productive week, happy with all we have managed to accomplish. But weariness has definitely set in and I write this as we are on the road, heading for home. It has been a rewarding experience for everyone, VIM veterans and first timers both. With the week coming to a close, we took time off on Thursday evening for a well earned break and took a drive to the actual beach of Virginia Beach and spent 45 minutes walking the boardwalk at sunset. Afterward we then returned to St. Luke's for a dinner of leftovers then turned in early after devotions, clean-up and discussing logistics for Friday.
Pastor David, Robin, Anita and Jim finished their painting at the 2nd home. There is still work to be done there but the homeowner is very pleased. He wished they could stay longer and begin work on the other portions of his home that have yet to be done. He planned on recommending them to everyone until he was gently reminded that they are not professionals!
Since they finished on Thursday and we only planned on working a half day on Friday, Michelle then asked them if they would take on a small project at a 3rd home. So today David, Jim, Robin and Dennis repaired, patched and painted a cracked ceiling and began painting the kitchen. This is the home of a retired pastor and his wife, both facing health challenges and recently moved back into their home after 10 months. UMCOR and the Virginia Annual Conference had made arrangements for folks displaced by the flooding to be housed in hotel rooms and unused time shares. Unfortunately this meant that they were forced to relocate every 5-7 days, carrying limited clothing and personal items. They were very grateful to be back in their home and for the brief work our team was able to do for them on our last day.
Since they finished on Thursday and we only planned on working a half day on Friday, Michelle then asked them if they would take on a small project at a 3rd home. So today David, Jim, Robin and Dennis repaired, patched and painted a cracked ceiling and began painting the kitchen. This is the home of a retired pastor and his wife, both facing health challenges and recently moved back into their home after 10 months. UMCOR and the Virginia Annual Conference had made arrangements for folks displaced by the flooding to be housed in hotel rooms and unused time shares. Unfortunately this meant that they were forced to relocate every 5-7 days, carrying limited clothing and personal items. They were very grateful to be back in their home and for the brief work our team was able to do for them on our last day.
Anita and Carol stayed behind at St. Luke's to paint a few doors and to get a jump on packing, cleaning up after ourselves and preparing the place for the next team coming in behind us a few weeks.
Doug took Steve, Martin, Bonnie, Norm and me back to the house we have been working on all week. Yesterday Steve and Dennis dug more roots and stumps out of the yard while Doug and Martin cut and placed baseboard in 4 rooms. Norm and I followed behind caulking while Bonnie trailed the two of us and began painting trim around closets. By quitting time today, all baseboards and trim were caulked and painted. The powder room has a base coat of primer and Doug and Martin began sanding the main bathroom that up until today had been left untouched. We then swept, vacuumed, tidied up the work site and sorted and packed tools to bring back to the supply and tool closets at St. Luke's. Then finally packed up, we took group pictures and bid a fond farewell to Michelle and Janet, who we met on Thursday. Janet is training with Michelle in order to be backup liaison and custodian at St. Luke's.
We stopped for a final dinner together as a team at Pierce's Pitt BBQ in Williamsburg. This is a local favorite in the area. When Norm and I lived in Hampton, the restaurant was little more than a trailer on the side of the road and people drove from miles around on Friday nights to pick up takeout for dinner. The place is a little bigger now, with a few fixed fast food style tables but it is still doing a booming business. A steady stream of customers came in the entire time we were there. We parted with Jim here since he drove separately and has farther to go to get home to Towson but we are grateful for his presence and hard work all this week.
As we slowly make our way home, negotiating the inevitable stop and go traffic on I-95, we are all thankful for the wonderful week we've had. The weather was perfect, the rain only coming in the evenings or overnight. We were blessed with cooler temperatures later in the week and comfortable and pleasant ocean breezes.
To God be the glory! With Him all things are possible.
To God be the glory! With Him all things are possible.
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