Currently Listening Parachutes By Coldplay see related

Iowa. was. fantastic!
I had a blast on this trip; and whenever I tell people this, they get a funny look on their face and say "Didn't you go to work? What's all this about having fun?!" I saw/see no harm in combining the two

There were 13 of us on our team. I was the youngest, and shyest, and only single one, so I got more than my share of teasing, but it was all good. They called me Henry all week, and everyone was so hilarious I kept pulling out my pen&paper, taking notes of as many quotables as possible. I'd be in a corner scribbling away, and someone would glance in my direction, roll their eyes dramatically, and exclaim "Watch what you say, everyone! Henry's taking notes again! Who are you working for? Tell us what they're paying you; we'll double it!" &c. And of course, the camera made an appearance rather often. But anyway, apart from the fun we had on the way out, and our 10:00 dinner at Olive Garden in Indianapolis (mission trip?! we were totally roughing it!), we actually did, believe it or not, work.

We arrived in Wapello, Iowa, Monday evening and got settled in. Four of us women were scrunched into what turned out to be the storm shelter of the church all the Disaster Relief teams were staying at. It was a tad cramped, but it was only for four nights Tuesday morning we went to our first house. We rather suspected, and were told by the Experienced Ones, that we were being spoiled for our first day. Far too easy and clean. The water had all gone down, though of course we could see the 3- or 4-foot waterline on the house. Everything was dry. We just had to tear down drywall and rip nails out of the walls. They had already taken out furniture and flooring. So, it was pretty simple, just time-consuming. Each day we worked about 4 hours in the morning, with a break or two, then went back to the church for lunch, came back for another 4 or 5 hours, then quit. Day One - good (though not-to-be-expected) introduction to mud-out.

Wednesday we had mud. It was quite nasty, and some of us got to wear these snazzy paper suits that made us look like aliens from the Marshmallow Planet. Anyway, I didn't have the right kind of mask in the morning, and couldn't work inside. Some others from the team, as well as the man and woman who owned the house, went in and hauled out furniture and tore up sopping wet, muddy carpet. I helped load the pickup truck that took all the garbage up to a pile beside the road. I felt rather useless, to be honest. There were plenty of people out loading the truck already, so I didn't have much to do. But after lunch they found me a mask and I went in and tore down more drywall and nails and insulation and put it all in garbage bags. I actually enjoyed it, just because I felt like I was doing something. (I also got to stand on a ladder and learned the name of a new tool. oh yeah! ) But the funny thing about this house was, that we shouldn't have been there. It was in such bad condition, it will likely be condemned. But the couple who owned it were decidedly touched by our willingness to work hard, in unpleasant conditions, for nothing. When we left, the woman hugged a couple of our team members like she didn't want to let go (so they told me) and she cried. So what happens to the house is really irrelevant; our nine hours of labour was not in vain.

Thursday, our final work day, we were spoiled again. Well, sort of. The smell wasn't glorious - we worked at a pig farm - but the working conditions were much the same as Day One. We had a large, lovely house, and the owners had already taken out much of the lower drywall so things could start airing out. We still had A LOT to take out, and there were screws in the walls this time, not nails, and the tiles on the floor needed scraped up, and there were things like cabinets and door frames to take down as well. But it was a nice day. There were probably 25 people working in that house. Our team of 13, the woman who owned the house, and several friends/neighbours came in. It was a busy spot, and when Phil (the leader of our team) asked me to stop and get some pictures later in the afternoon, I loved standing in the middle of it all, and hearing the numerous sounds - the banging and scraping and sweeping and talking and squeaking. It was somehow, I don't know, fulfilling.

And now I'm very hungry, and must fix lunch, and will return at some later point to add a little summarising summary, or something, and pictures

Currently Listening The Beautiful Letdown By Switchfoot see related

I am returned!

(more to come)

Currently Listening Michael Bublé By Michael Bublé see related

I'm headed to Iowa tomorrow, right after church. Will be back Friday or Saturday. I would really appreciate prayers for this trip. For the most part I'm sort of in a daze that I'm even going, and not really thinking about it at all, for fear I'll make myself sick with anxiety. But, forcing myself to dwell on the situation for a moment, to have something to write, let's just say I feel unprepared. And now we will stop dwelling and go finish packing

Have a marvelous week everyone, and, if you can, enjoy your 4th of July!! (I say if you can because it is not a favourite holiday of mine. but if you like it, good for you )

Currently Listening Judy At Carnegie Hall: Fortieth Anniversary Edition By Judy Garland San Francisco see related

craziness

So much to tell, where do I start? Let us begin with little "suches and things."

• Monday - spent the day at Kennywood. Had a great time, even enjoyed the rush across the park through the sudden rain Hurt my knee somehow (it's still sore) and came home exhausted.
• Tuesday - spent the afternoon shopping with a friend. Bought my first pair of blue jeans in, like, six years. (there is a reason I bought them - it will be explained soon )
• Wednesday - been trying to get in touch with three people on the phone. Find out what time camp is over on Friday so someone can pick me up...and the other two things go in the paragraph along with the jean story.
• Thursday - will be going around town handing out VBS fliers. Not really interesting, but that's the only thing going on this day.
• Friday - will be dressed up as a clown, face-painting in town for about four hours. It was scheduled for this past Saturday, then cancelled. Some kind of Father Involvement event for a local pre-school, or something.
• Saturday - Royal Family Kids' Camp!

Okay, so camp is next week. I am SO excited! Can't wait! Have no idea what I'll be getting into! =D

Now, I've got some other little plans in the works for the following week. There is a Disaster Relief team going out to Wisconsin/Iowa/Illinois area to work with the people who have been affected by the recent flooding (if I go, I'll need to wear pants, to work in. so there ). They're leaving on Sunday, the 29th, and will be back July 4 or 5. I had been thinking about getting involved with Disaster Relief for a while - that is, it was mentioned and I was interested - but Sunday evening, when this trip was brought up, was really the first time I had a chance to volunteer. Alas, I need a 3-hour training before going. The scheduled training is set for the 24th, but I'll be gone that week. A man from church offered to give me a "crash course" this week sometime, but he was called away to Georgia. Now, the first half of this week is gone. The man heading up this trip doesn't think he'll be able to give me the training tomorrow or Friday. The Saturday after I get back would be cutting it pretty close, since I'll need to know what to pack for the following day. Too short notice. SO. I had to call one other person who MAY be able to give the training. If he can't, the only other option is maybe the Friday evening I get home. I'm becoming quite confused and, in a sense, panicky. But I figure God'll work this trip out if it was indeed meant to be. I sort of jumped at the opportunity; the Canada trip was called off a few weeks ago, which opened up these dates for me. (We would've left for Toronto on the 29th.) So I thought, hey, maybe that's why it was cancelled. Who knows? Anyway, I'm feeling rather busy right now. In a good sort of way. Prayers would be much appreciated as I pack and travel and try to figure out what I'm doing, in general

Sorry this isn't very coherent. I'm worried about the electricity going as I'm typing, and just trying to collect my thoughts from these past three days!

Hope you're all having a smashing week!

edit// (oh! and Joshua lost his first tooth yesterday )

"I don't know why it is that I can't perspire; I just sweat! It's so unladylike!"     --Judy Garland

Ahem. Yes, today is rather warm. I took a couple of the kids down to play in the creek...they played, and I made myself sit in the sun for two entire chapters. I figured if I forced myself to sit there....well, logically, the more I suffer the more I must be banishing that horrible whiteness from my arms There is, of course, no noticeable improvement yet; but I feel better about myself. Bonding with the rest of the Sisterhood - sharing in the normal summer rituals of the females of my species.... Aw, come on. I need some sort of connection with them, and this is about the only distance I'm allowing myself to go, so quit looking at me in such disapproval. Yes, I see those raised eyebrows

Guess what? I have news! I shall be leaving you again, shortly. I have volunteered to be a counselor for Royal Family Kids' Camp - a Christian summer camp for abused and neglected children (we had a couple foster girls attend years ago, and they loved it) - at the end of the month; and they actually decided to accept me. Hm! I sent in my application back in February, and hadn't heard anything whatsoever, so I figured they must not be interested in the likes of me, or they hated my handwriting, or something. But Heidi, the lady in charge of this particular camp, gave me a surprise phone call a couple days ago, apologised for having kept me waiting so long, and asked if I was still interested and available ^_^ So......the long and short of it is, that I shall head off to the camp June 21 and return home on the 27th. I'm not entirely sure what to expect. I'm just thankful for this opportunity, and very excited, and you all shall miss me terribly and I will share everything when I return. I promise.

In other news, the house is quite a mess, which means I will not be filling out that "What Would A Visit To Your House Be Like?" survey at the present moment.