At 8 am this morning the bus pulled into Asheville. With sleepy eyes and a week behind us we filed to our cars and rooms. Tomorrow we will go back to class and to the mundane activities that are part of our daily lives. Yet, we will never forget the things that were part of our lives for the last week. We accomplished what very few in New Orleans have accomplished. We helped to seal a house in two weeks. Close to 8 houses out of over 100 that have already been built have claimed this achievement. What started out as a an unclear sea of 2 by 4's now is one step closer to becoming a home. For 5 days, it was all that we could think about. What was the task that was going to be accomplished next, how were we going to see our progress today? Often prying ourselves off of the house at the end of the day, we came to see the fruits of our labor in the smile and compassion of our homeowner. His presence on the worksite everyday, the food and drinks he provided, gave us motivation to work faster.
At the end of the week, we had a house with distinctive walls, decipherable rooms, a roof with shingles, a tveked exterior, and full hearts. We came out of the trip with new friends and lots of memories. We saw the destruction of Mother Nature, the ignorance of humanity and the beauty of humankind all in one week. We were one of the smallest schools and yet we were the largest team. We were part of one of the largest volunteer movements in America. We didn't give up our spring break to work, we made a difference in our country by helping to shape a world in which we want to live. That doesn't take work, it takes love and compassion for our fellow humans.
I would like to thank the other 46 team members that joined for this awesome week. May our example lead others to follow in our footsteps....
Megan
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