Day 3 -- Saturday

Saturday morning I awoke to find myself not only sleeping in my pajamas but also my hooded sweatshirt -- with the hood over my head!  Yes, it was that cool in our room!

During the night Mary had gotten up and covered me with a comforter on top of the sweatshirt too.

This morning we were on our own for breakfast so each one got up at different times and did different things for food.  We decided to hold devotions till lunchtime when we knew Schel and Sus and Autumn and Kevin would be able to join us.

Bev was really struggling this morning.  The drive the night before had pushed her tummy over the edge and it was just too much for her.  Try as we may to convince her to take the day off it wasn't easy to finally convince her.  Her heart was there to help and resting wasn't helping -- in her eyes!  But she did give in and went upstairs to rest in front of the fans and beautiful view of the mountains.  Different women went up to check on her and spend time with her throughout the day.  When I made my morning call to Monty I told him what was going on with her.  He said God didn't bring her up there to work but to rest!  God loved her that much that He took her all the way to paradise to get some rest!  She had been under an enormous amount of stress at work and also had been diagnosed with an ear and sinus infection 2 days before we left.  I immediately went upstairs to share this with her and she was shocked!  The love God has for her was a bit overwhelming and although tears streamed down her face she did rest for the remainder of the day and it worked! 

Autumn decided to take on the sanding of the kitchen ceiling. 

Yep, sanding a ceiling means all the dust has to come down directly on your face!  The stylish sunglasses just set the entire scene.  Even though she was a mess all I could hear was her laughter.  I texted her mother and told her I had not seen Autumn that happy --- ever!

Hannah, Mary and Linda put the finishing touches on the painting of the pantry and went to work planning for the flooring.

Schel and Kevin started the rough in plumbing for the kitchen and the closing in of the double doors in the kitchen.

Sus was cleaning and getting things organized to put back into the pantry.

Bobby, Charles and Becky were busy upstairs in the loft with sheetrocking and framing and taping and mudding.

Lunch was brought in by another church member -- homemade chicken salad that we all agreed was the best we've ever tasted.  Devotions finished the meal and it was back to work.

The entire afternoon was fast and furious with work and laughter.  The girls were working on the peel and stick tiles for the pantry and Autumn was learning how to cut the angles.  She got the hang of it quickly and did an amazing job!

Linda was getting them all layed out and it ended up beautiful and an amazing improvement!

Mary decided to tackle the job of stucco on the outside of the building where the double doors had been removed and framed in.  None of us had ever done it but all it took was reading the directions and getting the feel of it and she had it down.  Sus decided to jump in and help her and between the 2 of them it was perfection.  You could not tell where the doors had been.

You can just see the joy of the Lord shining through each of their faces!

Dinner arrived and it was a true Hawaiian feast!  Everyone had such fun trying and tasting and laughing.  Charles really loves vegetables and so he really enjoyed this meal.

After dinner the guys helped unload 1 of 3 truck loads of kitchen cabinets that had been donated.  They are beautiful and yet will require someone good at solving puzzles to get them all lined out in the way they should be.

Hannah and Mary wanted to make a Walmart run so I drove them and was thrilled to find souveniers inside Walmart. 

It was getting late by the time we got back and decided team showers were in order.  Somehow -- showering in a facility with no roof and outside made us laugh.  Modesty has no place in a situation like this and soon it had spread throughout all the women.  What happens in Maui stays in Maui!!!!!!

As I sat on my bed and began journaling I realized just how well this team is working and living together.  What a blessing to be a part of.

Tomorrow is church and we have to be ready to leave by 7:30am so lights went out fairly early

Autumn and Kevin will move into their condo and spend the rest of their time celebrating their anniversary.

Sus and Schel also moved into their condo and although we will see a bit of Schel, probably not Sus.

So our number of workers gets smaller but the growth of the family gets stronger.

The outside showers!!!  How brave would you be?

Until next time . . . "giving trips always change me in some way.  But seeing the expressions and experiences of the people that join me on the journey is equally, if not more, powerful."

Susan and Monty