Covid Comeback

Whoa, what a ride it's been since my last post. Last time you all heard from me, I was excitedly posting about my Restore experience after moving to Virginia, a mere month before the country began it's shutdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I remember feeling so hopeful for the big move and job change, and the opportunities that were awaiting me in this new chapter of my life. The whole world stopped just a short time later, and I must be honest, these last 2.5 years have been some of the most difficult of my life. From 2020 to now, I admittedly have experienced extreme isolation, battled intense feelings of loneliness, faced Covid-19 myself, and have struggled to feel at home in this new place. After years of feeling on top of my game I felt like I was brought to my knees, and that is an uncomfortable place to be. 

Painting a clean slate over Covid-19

Despite all of this, I'm here to say that out of this deep valley came so much beauty. The challenges have not disappeared, but God used this time to push me to lean more on my faith and rely on Him get me through when I feel like I don't have enough in the tank to do it on my own. I've learned to take control of the things I can control, and let God do the rest. My relationship with the Lord has been tested these past few years, but He has proven countless times that He shows up when we need Him, no matter the circumstance, over and over again.

Since 2020 I have desperately wanted to serve with Habitat, but due to ongoing health restrictions most chapters stopped allowing volunteers to sign up for projects. But I realized that a roadblock on my Habitat journey did not have to be a roadblock to continuing to serve others. 1 Peter 4:10 says, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms". I felt God tugging at my heart strings to use my tangible abilities to show others that, despite all the hardships in the current world we live in, we still have the ability to love God and serve people (as my church would say).

So I volunteered at a local homeless shelter. I got involved with my church and began serving on the security team. I helped people with buying groceries during the height of the pandemic, when families were struggling to make ends meet. When I had some extra cash, I paid it forward in the McDonald's drive thru.  If there was a way to continue reaching out and demonstrating that people care, and that God cares, for those in Northern Virginia and the greater DC area, I wanted to be a part of it. To be honest, this was just as much therapy for me as it was a way to keep "pushing the mission forward" as we say at work, while I wasn't able to put my energy into Habitat for Humanity. I don't write this to toot my own horn, there were so many people who did much greater things to help the people around them. But I encourage people to extend kindness to others however you are able. The smallest gestures can make a big impact, especially when the world as a whole has been struggling to stay afloat and make it through day by day.

The finishing touches

All of this to say, it was a surreal moment to be able to volunteer again with this organization over two years later. I was elated to find that the chapter for Prince William County, Virginia was repairing a home for a soon-to-be selected family just half an hour from my home, and were asking for volunteers for help. I hopped right on that chance and signed up on a whim two days before the scheduled work day, late at night before bed. Come Saturday, I was ready to go! When I arrived, I was met by Markus, who I initially thought was the crew leader for the day. Little did I know that he not only lead the crew, but was the President and Executive Director of this Habitat chapter. It was so cool to see him on the front lines serving right along with us, and that just goes to show how deeply everyone in this organization cares about the mission they have to serve families. I worked alongside four other men that day as well, but got to work  more closely with the "two Johns". My specific task for the day was to prep the walls in the kitchen area for painting, and to then paint the walls and ceiling in the kitchen. 

The Before

I grabbed a sanding pad and got right to work, sanding down all the rough patches along the walls so we would have a smooth surface to paint. Afterwards, I had a big bucket of paint all to myself and went to town coating the walls in two or three coats of bright white paint. Miraculously, I got paint splattered on my arms and legs, but managed to mostly avoid spills on my clothes. Those who know me best know how big of a feat that is, considering I'm not known for my grace and poise. At noon we shared some laughs over pizza and pop, and it was fun to learn a little more about the guys working that day. That's always one of my favorite moments on builds-getting to meet so many people and coming together from all walks of life to work for the same cause. We all have our reasons for being there, and we all have something to bring to the table. 

After lunch, I helped place a light back up on the kitchen ceiling. Okay, I held   it in place while someone wired it and screwed it into the ceiling. Hey, my height comes in handy sometimes! Then I took a smaller paintbrush to paint the corners of the room, and to paint the seams between the walls and ceiling. I also had to paint the ceiling; again, thankfully the ceiling was low and I have great reach, I didn't need to bother with a ladder. I definitely got a great arm and shoulder workout as a result of this project.

The After

At the end of the day, I had almost the whole kitchen done, and everyone else made great progress on various projects throughout the rest of the home. We were thankfully able to beat the heat by staying inside-this weekend was the hottest yet with 95 degree temperatures. Markus invited me back and I am happy to have a possible "home" chapter of Habitat for Humanity to serve with. It'll be the first time I have the opportunity to more regularly serve on one project, or with one specific chapter, instead of traveling to others. I'm still hopeful that this year other chapters will begin accepting volunteers back, but in the meantime, I'm more than happy to bloom where I'm planted and continue making a difference in the communities around me. 

If you're still tracking with me on this post, I am so thankful you keep reading and are staying with me on this journey to volunteer. If these last few years have taught me anything, it's that my plans are not God's plans. Sometimes things seem to go way off track, and it can be so frustrating and upsetting. But if you pause, take a breath, and let God have control over the situation you're in, you can find the silver lining in what you're going through and find ways to cultivate a little happiness where you're lead to. I can't wait to pick up where I left off, and to see where I'm being called to next! 

Until Next Time,

Lisa