Working right up to the final moment, John completed the last fixture at the Daniels’ home while the tools were being loaded on the trucks. If all is well, the electricity will be turned on tomorrow! At least the next crew will be able to work later than we were: we had to rely on natural light, and with the cloudy weather we’ve had, that’s meant stopping between 4:30 and 5:00 PM every day.
It has been VERY cold, and we were dismayed to find that our plaster patching and nail hole filling had not hardened! Our body heat and the lights helped, and by about 11 we were able to sand/repatch. To our delight, this work was completed by day’s end, and the paint touch-up as well! Outlet covers were screwed on, and the walls were suddenly DONE! Did we say cold? To clean our hands for coffee break, Bill offered us a chunk of ice from the garden. Hot drinks never tasted so good!
At Mildred’s, the workers were equally focused - and equally cold!!! It was too chilly to start painting, so Cassandra and Carol got to work on putting together the double wide closet to be moved into the laundry room, once the floor is done. By the end of the day, the closet was completed, much to Miss Mildred’s delight.
After the laundry room was warmed up with a space heater and the morning sun, the painting was finally able to begin. The walls soon became a lovely sunny yellow. Cassandra and Carol worked very hard to get 2 coats done – and succeeded.
Mildreds’ Laundry - before and after
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And “Dusty Dorrie Drywall” continued work in the bathroom closet, leaving a loving message on the wall.
Shortly after 3:00 PM, when all the tools and materials were packed up, everyone got together to tour each house so we could see what the ‘other’ crew had accomplished. We were all amazed at the changes: with so many hands at work, a LOT got done.
The Daniels’ living/dining area, before and after
Back at the Church after tears and hugs, tool inventory was completed, showers were taken, and we headed off for a treat: our final dinner at the private dining room upstairs at “Lookout 49,” a restaurant in Gulfport, known for its Southern specialties. Rev. Moses even joined us for a brief time.
We shared prayers and food: our last supper, and it was in the Upper Room!
Our worship-and-debrief circle was particularly poignant, with tears and loving thoughts shared freely. A plaque representing our group – NYAC Team 34B - was made by Stoddard (from a design worked out by a group of us), featuring our self-chosen name, Friends of the Light. It was made entirely from scraps of material from our work sites: sheetrock, a Styrofoam sun painted yellow, blue painter’s tape, copper wire, and window casing leftovers. Everyone signed in green, in recognition of the color that has ‘reappeared’ since the first visit of many of our group. Rev. Moses keeps these plaques, and had brought out one from an earlier group to display during our time here.
New pathways from the Friends of the Light
Tuesday, January 30: Heading home
Our final morning started early as it had all week and was a flurry of activity as we all rolled our sleeping bags, packed our suitcases, and cleaned the church so it would be welcoming for the next group. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, and even managed to catch an earlier flight to Atlanta. This gave us a longer layover there, and many of us gathered for lunches at the airport restaurants. There seemed to be so many things to discuss. The reality of our impending return to our separate lives hadn’t fully been realized.
Our flight to Bradley was smooth and easy, and the welcome from family and friends was a sight for sore eyes. Husbands/wives and children were joyfully hugged, and then it was time to say goodbye to those who have become very dear: each other. We have become close, and we all look forward to meeting again at reunions, and on return trips to Mississippi. May God go with each of us until then.
Your journalists,
Lauren Swan & Carol Savery-Frederick
