Painting Ladies

Hey there friends!

Ladies rocking Habitat

Day two of my West Virginia adventures started off on a much cooler note-thank goodness. Temperatures were a much more agreeable 70° F with a steady breeze, which made building throughout the day much more enjoyable. I arrived at the same site as before and found Tiny in his red hardhat and shirt combo, as expected, milling around the site. I caught up to him, signed in, and also got to meet my two teammates for the day. I was excited to see that for two days in a row I got to work with women-usually I’m the only woman on a site and it’s empowering to see more of us working together and learning new things! One volunteer was Casey, who had volunteered once with Habitat in Texas and was excited to learn more about building so she could apply skills learned to her own newly purchased home. The other volunteer was a future Habitat homeowner, who was working through her sweat equity hours so she could be selected for a home (I forgot to ask permission to use her name, so for her privacy I’ll keep it anonymous). Her friend is also a Habitat homeowner, and she was excited to someday live near her with her two sons. Tiny rallied us together and had us get right to work painting the foundations of the homes Darby and I had worked on the day before. With paint and tools in hand, I led the way up the hill across the site to get down to business. 

Getting my tan on

Both women were a bit unsure of themselves at first, so I took a few minutes to explain how to paint in order to fully fill the small holes in the concrete bricks and have good coverage. I strategized the best way for us to work around each other, and gave them instructions on where to begin, and how to proceed along the walls to ensure we fully covered each of the walls of the home. Once we got going, both of them seemed to get more comfortable and we got into a groove. It was fun for me to have an opportunity to take the lead and teach others about the tasks we were doing. I’m usually the student at these sites, so it meant a lot for me to feel comfortable enough to be able to mentor volunteers and teach them something new. Again, it’s another thing I love about volunteering with this organization. It’s given me a chance to gain confidence and learn new skills in a once unfamiliar environment, and grow into a mentor for others who are in the place I used to be in when I first started my journey.

As we were painting and enjoying the summer breeze, we all got to chat and learn more about each other. Casey and I had the privilege of working alongside someone currently going through the program, and we had the opportunity to hear her perspective of how it is to be in the process of receiving a Habitat home. She spoke about working the sweat equity hours, and how informative she thought the homeowner curriculum was she was required to complete before accepting a home. She was learning new skills and felt more prepared to take on home ownership once the time comes. She mentioned that she was a phlebotomist and was hoping to go back to nursing school. This homeowner was motivated to make a better life for her family, and it felt really good to know we were quite possibly working on a home where she and her kids will one day be making happy memories together.

I think it’s important for me to touch on the fact that this woman has a stable job, a loving family, and yes, qualifies for a Habitat for Humanity home. Many people think this organization gives away homes to the homeless or gives handouts to bums who don’t earn or appreciate the kindness given to them. That’s not the case! Habitat homeowners are honest people trying to make a life for themselves and their families. Life circumstances sometimes get in the way, but these folks have jobs, make mortgage payments and pay bills just like everyone else. Like Tiny mentioned, Habitat for Humanity is simply giving people an honest shot at owning a home when life has dealt them a less-than-ideal hand in some cases. Habitat for Humanity selects homebuyers based on three things:

1.       Their need for adequate shelter.

2.       Their ability to pay for the home.

3.       Their willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.

The selection process is thorough, often comprising of home visits and comprehensive reviews of applications. Information materials provided to me by Trevor, this chapter’s volunteer coordinator, state that the selection process can take up to two or three months. After selection and becoming acquainted with the program, homebuyers are able to really take ownership of the process and have a sense of pride in the effort they have to put in to get the keys to their home.

All this to say, I always really appreciate the times I get to work alongside people going through the program, because they are the reason this organization exists. Sometimes it’s easy to think that you’re not making that much of a difference, but when you get to meet those who benefit from the work you realize how much your own sweat equity hours matter. Even when you can’t see massive progress at the end of a day, eight hours of honest work takes the project farther than when it was when you arrived that day!

Losing track of which
brick I was on

Well I better get off my soapbox and get back to the story. The three of us worked diligently through the rest of the day; I spent much of my time on a ladder taping off the siding and painting the upper portions of the foundation. It was slow and methodical work, but was honestly quite peaceful once you got into a rhythm. I felt like the Karate Kid practicing “paint the fence” for hours. By the end of the afternoon we had painted six walls, which wrapped up painting the foundations of the two houses we had been working on. And just like that, it was time to go. It was a bittersweet moment to say goodbye to the ladies and to Tiny. To be quite honest, the past few weeks leading up to this trip had been tough for me, and I really needed to be surrounded by goodhearted people. It felt nice to be around others who were just happy living in the moment, and doing some good for others while they’re at it. I missed them as soon as I started driving down the hill back into town, but didn’t let that get in the way of my plans to explore downtown Charleston for one more night.

Celebrating a job well done

I ended my second build day by taking myself to dinner downtown, and walking to the waterfront to watch the boats drift by with families enjoying the summer evening. I wandered down the main drag of town and stumbled upon a small music festival, where a crowd had gathered in a small courtyard to listen to tunes as the sun began to set. I sat for a while and listened, watching small town America come together for a fun summer night. After a time I left, packed my bags, and went to sleep early to prepare for one final adventure the next day on my way home to Virginia.

Bridge walk

Waking up on Sunday morning, I felt energized and ready to tackle the six hour drive back home. I had to make one pit stop though-to do The Bridge Walk. This is an opportunity to walk across the New River Gorge Bridge, the iconic single arch bridge you may have seen on the West Virginia state quarter. I paid someone good money to get hooked to a harness and walk along a two foot wide catwalk, traversing the 3,030 foot bridge as I took in the view of the New River Gorge from 851 feet in the air. To put that in perspective, that’s a little more than 300 feet higher than the Washington Monument in DC! It was chilly under the bridge, with temperatures hovering around 50°F with the wind and shade from the road above. The view of the gorge was spectacular; you could see the original bridge, part of the famous river rapids, and peregrine falcons soaring over the trees many feet below. The mountains were a lush green and met the bright blue sky, dotted by the occasional cloud. I loved taking in the picturesque mountain view and getting some fresh air before climbing back in my car to head home. Don’t worry, I didn’t run into any madmen on the freeway this time.

I walked under that!

All in all, this was a much needed trip. God has created a beautiful country for us to enjoy, and has put some pretty great people in it too. I was reminded of how impactful a kind gesture and an open heart can be, and I really believe the Lord prompted me to come here to refuel and use the gifts He’s blessed me with. As a parting word until my next build, I encourage anyone reading to give Habitat a try. If building isn’t your thing, find another way to give back to your community using the passions and gifts you’ve been given. It helps others so much, but also impacts you in a way you can’t imagine until you’re right there in it. Get out and enjoy the world around you while you’re at it, there’s so many things to experience that make life truly rich. I’m already dreaming about my next building adventure, and you’re welcome along!

Until Next Time,

Lisa