A day of goodbyes

Friday.... We titled this blog a day of goodbyes because this was the day that we finished our work on our sites, took our pictures of our new friends, and said our goodbyes for our early leave tomorrow morning.

Again, our team split up this morning. Because we were not able to have our half day on Wednesday, we decided to reschedule our half day (half working, half site seeing) for today. This worked very well, too, because we were finishing up work on our sites within the half day time frame anyway.

Part of the team returned to Wilford's home to finish up grouting the tile that had been installed in the bathroom. After meeting and visiting with Wilford, they left to join the rest of the group working on touching up Marilyn's paint. The group also worked on installing new and fixing the old porch screens, fixing lights, and painting a small area on the roof. Some of the group left a bit early to walk back to the church for cleaning before we leave tomorrow.

After a lunch of leftovers, the group cleaned up a bit in order to take the rest of the day off. We decided to tour each others' worksites--and visit a team-member who volunteered to go finish work with another team rather than take the half day. Angel's home was our first stop. This was the site another team member was helping out on. She is a soft-spoken, beautiful, young woman who was in desperate need of rebuilding for herself and son. When we got there, she had new floors waiting for grouting, new countertops, painted and textured walls, and was getting new siding. She is more than happy and relieved at the help and the new friends. Our second stop was Marilyn's. We knew that she got off work at 3, so we were able to catch her with her makeup on for a great group picture. With hugs for our goodbyes, we moved on to Wilford's home and church for one last tour. All of our group members were able to finally see how the texture worked out, the beautiful tile flooring, and the fantastic church. Wilford has been such a gracious and friendly host!

After our goodbyes, the group decided to drive down the coast to check out the beach, the lighthouse, and the round church. Some were also able to check out the local police station for patches. The beach was plush with soft, white sands, plenty of seagulls, and wonderful views! The sun was fantastic on our backs as we took in the sights and relaxed after such a long week. Just back from the beach, the lighthouse stood in the median of the highway. Though we could not get into it for a tour, we were able to find the beauty in such a beacon and hope that we were as such for others around us here this week. The round church was one that Wilford had told us about. This church sat just along side the highway near the coast. While other homes and buildings around it crumbled down from the force of the floods, this stood standing (probably because of its round structure and the arms of the Lord as the water rushed around).

We returned for dinner of leftovers, and part of our crew jetted off to catch the sunset. As we took in its beauty, we really had a chance to reflect on this week and what the Lord has done.

Tonight we pack for an early start tomorrow. One of our group catches a plane at 6am, and the rest of us will travel slowly by caravans.