A Hard Day of Work

Hey everyone! Today was our second day on the worksites and it was a truly amazing experience. Yesterday I ended up doing almost nothing, because the assignment we were given was only a two-person job, and preferably a person a little taller than five foot. Today, however, I got to see some of the progress we made and feel as though I actually participated, instead of sitting around, singing, and making rain dances (which actually did work) all day. We are working on the house of a man named Eugene who is currently living in a trailer behind the house. Today we began rework on his porch, which was in bad condition. We removed the trim around the screen and tore the screen down, painted trim around the windows, removed what must have been a hundred nails from the wood framework, and scraped old paint off the wood so we can repaint it, meaning our arms and hair were covered in green paint chips and dust. It is incredibly hot and humid here, and we’ve actually had a chance to use the electric bug zapper Rachel and I brought, but the living conditions, and food, are so much nicer here than they were last year. We’ve had an amazing time exploring New Orleans, working on the job sites, and just getting to know each other better. Tomorrow we’re going back to Bethany UMC to have a potluck dinner, and I’ll probably be going back to the same construction site to finish cleaning and painting the porch. Though there has been some frustration, the experience has been incredibly. I love you all and will see you soon!
- Melanie Heredia