Holton, IN was blessed -- and so were we!

What an awesome team of volunteers!  Allow me to introduce them to you;  from left to right, Hannah, Becky, Jonathan (in the back), Charles and Birthday Boy Keith. 

We were up and on the road by 7am yesterday and on the job working before 9am. The weather was picture perfect and everyone was super excited.

 We were blessed to join a team from Ohio that was on their 3rd and final day of volunteering.  Our task was to construct a 10 x 12 shed using the pattern given.  An Indiana disaster organization had donated all the materials needed to build around 25 of these sheds -- which are desperately needed in this small town of 450 people.  Each one is to be exactly the same and when I saw the color it reminded me of Jesus' blood shed for us and how satan meant these tornadoes to steal, kill and destroy and yet God reigns and this sheds are visual proof!

It was Keith's birthday (55) and he started right in on the foundation of the shed. 

Jonathan (Keith's son) and Charles and Becky made quite the team.

Jonathan did double duty also working with Hannah measuring and making all the cuts on each piece of material needed.

They worked like a well oiled machine and yet couldn't help but notice the damage around them and when they heard how one of the local churches was gone -- completely demolished -- the reality hit home. 

I had been there a few months ago and was pleased to see the progress made and yet realized what still needs to be done.

I joined the ladies from Ohio in painting all the siding for the sheds.  Each shed took 10 panels of the T1-11 and by the end of the day I was nearly the same color as the sheds!  Each of us women marveled at how our husbands can paint and never get a drop on them and we . . . well, it's quite obvious what we've been doing and what color we've been doing it with! 

They worked all day long.  No one really took much time for lunch even though it was provided by a local woman and was delicious beyond explanation!  The whipped cream piled high on the pumpkin pie was just what they needed to keep going.

As you can see in this last picture, the sun was setting and they were determined to keep going.  The Ohio men jumped on board and by the end they had all 3 walls up, the roof trusses and all it needed was the set of double doors and shingles! 

And if I hadn't just insisted !!!! they would probably still be there!  No one wanted to stop, everyone wanted to keep going, and yet everyone was more tired than they realized!

After packing up and stopping for a nice dinner we arrived back home around 9pm and then did realize just how tired we were!

My sincere thanks to this amazing team of servant heart friends whom I have grown to love and I have a feeling will all be going back on our next trip on December 1st!!

Until next time . . .  each smiling face glows with the joy of the Lord!                   Susan and Monty