Wrapping up

The last day on the worksite can always be an emotional roller coaster. We are excited to see how the work will all come together to complete the work, but extremely sad to leave all of our friends at Miss Velma's. The day began like a team preparing for a big game - a positive energy and anxious to get rolling. The task at hand was to complete the landscaping work, paint the remaining three rooms. and lay the floor in Miss Velma's new room. All this before 2 pm so we could get back in time for our port night. Each team broke into action as soon as the morning prayer was over, and we were on our way. The transformation of the new room was the biggest accomplishment this week. The walls were respackled and taped, painted, and a new plywood floor was laid, covering the holes and patches that were not very successful. The rest of the rooms were touched up, furniture was put back into place, and life in the house was getting back to normal. But what is normal for these new friends of ours? Some of the kids told me today that the only time they feel loved or special is the week we spend in their house trying to make their lives better. When that bus pulls away on the last day, a lot of those tears are not just because they are going to miss us, it's because for the next 51 weeks, there is very little hope for them. There is a pain and despair that we can never understand. They'll try to hide it with their smiles and waves, but you know its there, waiting to explode the second the bus is out of sight. But this just gives us more motivation to come back. Even though our project is complete in Eight Mile Rock (except for a few little things), connections we've made and the relationships we've created will last longer than the paint on the walls. As we get ready for a day of great fellowship enjoying some of the beauty that this island presents, we must give thanks for all that God has given us this week and remember just how fortunate we all are.