Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others. – Rosa Parks

Today was a hot and humid day in the mountains of West Virginia, but the volunteers push forwarded and worked hard. We were able to finish up two sites today. The site in Black Eagle wrapped up nicely as the volunteers continued to replace railings and put non-slip tread on the new steps from yesterday. The other task for today was to scrape and paint the underside of the porch roof. The finished product looked great.

The other site that finished up today was the porch roof site in Alpoca Bottom. Today the group just had to install the metal and replace a few floor boards. They were done by lunchtime. The group then headed back to The Way to continue to remove the floor tiles in the front entry area. They had that job done in no time! One of the volunteers also helped to tar a leaky roof from earlier in the summer.

The third home repair site in Cabin Creek continued to make great progress. The laundry room was finished and the eave work pretty much is done. Tomorrow we will be returning to finish up so odds and ends and spend some more time with the family.

We were also able to send a group to Energy Express again to help out with the kids. The group had a great time again reading to the kids, and spending time one-on-one with them.

Dinner tonight was delicious. Quinoa and black beans and chicken, and lots of veggies. For dessert we were treated to dump cake and ice cream. As usual, we are eat well as PVs (peanut butter and jelly sandwiches included!)

Reflection tonight was a treat as well. Our talented, musical PVs took the classic “May the Circle Be Unbroken” and created PV specific verses. After the wonderful song, we were ask to share something that is classic PV for us, a memory and moment that encapsulates our idea of being a PV.

After reflection (and dessert) our two youngest PVs this week invited everyone to play a game of basketball together. They organized it and picked teams. It ended up being a lot of fun. Everyone took part either playing, cheering the teams on, or keeping score. I think there may be some sore bodies tomorrow, at least for the older ones of us who played : )

There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness.  – Han Suyin

Today we began the final week of this summer’s West Virginia program. It is always a bittersweet time knowing that our time in the beautiful mountain state is coming to a close. But with that said, we still have a lot to do this week. Our volunteers for this week arrived  this Sunday coming from Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Florida and Ohio, joining volunteers who are already here from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We are looking forward to another great week.

This morning we returned to our friends in Cabin Creek to continue to work in the laundry room and begin the little bit of work we have on the outside. Slowed by a lack of ladder, who’s arrival was delayed even longer due to an ailing PV Pick up, the group accomplished a lot. We look forward to going back tomorrow and continuing work.

We also returned to the site we began last week in Alpoca Bottom where we put on a new porch roof. We began to install a small porch roof over the back patio to help keep it clear of ice and snow when the weather gets bad. The crew made a lot of progress and are pretty much ready for the metal tomorrow.

A third home repair crew began work on a new site in Black Eagle, just up the road and conveniently located close to the DQ. Today they replayed decking and risers on a long set of steps that were beginning to rot and break a part. The group worked great together and accomplished a lot. Tomorrow we will continue there replacing some of the hand rails and scraping and painting part of the porch ceiling.

Today a group also went to Energy Express and worked with the kids. One volunteer was the guest reader, reading the kids three books and the other two volunteers helped to assemble backpacks full of donated school supplies that will be given to the kids. Each time volunteers go to Energy Express they always come back talking about what a great program it is and how wonderfully it is run. We are grateful for the opportunity to do our little part.

We had a tasty dinner tonight with lots of yummy veggies!! We had chicken and mashed potatoes, roasted vegetable and mushrooms, all with lots of fresh rosemary and garlic. Yummy! For dessert, our friend from Mullens who has been bringing us apples, instead brought us a freshly baked apple crisp and it was delicious!

Since it is the beginning of the week, reflection tonight was another chance to get to know each other a little better creating a sharing our biography poem. We also did the PV traditional “New and Good” sharing allowing everyone to talk a little bit about their day. These reflections are always a great time to come together as a community.

Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world. –Desmond Tutu

We wrapped up the week today working at home repair sites, as well as Energy Express and Glen Rogers Manor. We returned to the site in Cabin Creek where the volunteers focus today was on finishing painting the kitchen and getting the floor down to install the water heater for the two sisters. All the above was accomplished! We will continue to work at the site on Monday to finish up the tiling in the laundry room, the ceiling and paneling in the the living room and some work on the outside that need to finish up from last summer.

We also returned to the site in Alpoca Bottom and were able to finish up the porch roof before it started raining. It was amazing how much shade and cover from the rain it gave. We will return next week to put a cover over his back door.

We also went back to the site by Welch to put a good coating of tar on the roof to hopefully stop the rain from coming in from outside once and for all.

The crew that went to Energy Express was tasked with putting together snack bags for kids at five different locations. These bags will provide food for many kids in the area. This same crew went to Glen Rogers Manor in the afternoon to play Banana BINGO with the residents and to paint nails and chat. The volunteers had a great time with the residents.

We were treated to a great dinner tonight of meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and salad. Comfort food tastes so much better after a hard days work. But besides that, the meal was really good!!!

As every Friday night, tonight’s reflection was a time to look back on the week, our experiences and the people we met. Fridays are always bittersweet. The people we met have left an indelible mark on us and we will take them home with us when we leave.

Show me your hands. Do they have scars from giving? Show me your feet. Are they wounded in service? Show me your heart. Have you left a place for divine love? – Fulton J Sheen

Today was another good and productive day. We did have a rain shower or two at a couple of the sites, but in general it was was a good day. Worked continued on the site in Cabin Creek. While not as many PVs were there today, a lot of progress was made. The kitchen was painted with a few touch-ups left and the laundry room floor is partially done. The PV crew there did a great job once again.

A small crew went to Energy Express in the morning to work with the kids and then afterwards went to the site out near Welch to do some finishing touches. While they were there it started to rain, and unfortunately the roof leaked a bit. It actually was good that the volunteers were there when it rained so they could see where the drip was actually coming from.

We also started a new site in Alpoca Bottom. Volunteers at the site made quick work of demolishing a leaking and weak porch roof and were able to even begin to rebuild it. While they were outside doing this, a couple of volunteers were replacing the toilet and others replacing the front door.

All the hard work was rewarded with Taco Thursday Night! Taco’s are always a great dinner and tonight did not disappoint. For dessert, individual cups of “dirt,” chocolate pudding with crushed cookies and gummy worms. Yum yum.

For tonight’s reflection we were asked to reflect on a time in our life, when looking back, we can now see God’s plan for us and how much it changed our lives.

In a gentle way, you can shake the world. – Mahatma Gandhi

Today was a day that proved the importance of having flexibility. We were set to start a new site today, but when we showed up the home owner was not home. After knocking on several doors, we were told by a neighbor that the owner was away for the day. Plan B… The crew from that site went back to The Way to do a little bit of dinner prep for later, and then went to help out at the big site on Cabin Creek.

Our other site that was supposed to be a quick finishing job ended up needed a few more supplies then was initially thought and they had to call it a little early and they too ended up at the site on Cabin Creek.

With the majority of the volunteers at this one home repair site, a lot of work was able to be done. Most of the living room ceiling is now in place and the wall is framed out. Another crew worked at trimming the window and door, while a third tore up the flooring in the laundry room where we will be replacing the floor and water heater. Work will continue tomorrow.

The crew that went to Energy Express in the morning had a great time doing an arts and crafts project with the kids and then came home to tear up some tiles in the foyer of The Way, a project that we were asked to do while we were here this summer. While they are not all up, already it looks great.

We had a cookout for dinner tonight. Our PV who is a butcher in Minnesota brought with him ground beef so the hamburgers were made from this. We also had potato salad and baked beans. A great summer time meal that tasted oh so good.

Tonight’s reflection was centered around looking at what motivates us, and in particular, what motivates us to do service. It was wonderful to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Thank you to the volunteers who spent their 4th of July week with the PVs in Wyoming County, WV. While we may have been smaller in number, we were able to accomplish great things and explore the beauty of the West Virginia mountains on the Fourth. Lives were touched because of your presence.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. – Rabindranath Tagore

Today was a busy day in PV land. Volunteers were spread all over the county doing great work. A group of PVs split the day with going to Energy Express in the morning and then going to the site in Green Camp to wrap up some final touches. A lot of volunteer’s hard work and love was put into the work here and it was a joy to meet and work with the family the past few weeks.

We were also able to finish up at our site in Pineville. The faucet was installed in the kitchen, the paint was touched up and one of our talented volunteers painted beautiful butterflies on the cabinets at the home owners request. Once again it was a wonderful experience meeting and getting to know to home owner. She definitely left a mark.

Volunteers also continued work on the site out near Welch. They were able to locate the source of the leak on the roof and fix it. This enabled us to fix the floor and ceiling that were damaged by the leaking water. The volunteers also changed out the bathroom faucet and shower. The home owner could not have been happier with all the work the volunteers did.

We also started a new site today for two sisters that live in Cabin Creek that we have worked with in the past. They greeted the volunteers they knew warmly and opened their arms to all the new (to them) volunteers. The work they were able to do today was to install a new ceiling in their livingroom, a project started this past spring by the Northern Illinois University students. They also began work on building out a wall and trimming out a door and window.

As you can see the volunteers worked up quite an appetite, which was lucky because a feast was prepared for us by our resident chef volunteer. Sausage and potatoes, eggplant and green bean sauted, kale salad and 4 bean salad. It was all very good and didn’t end there. The dessert…. pound cake with strawberries and blueberries and a beautifully carved watermelon. (pictures to come..)

Reflection tonight was a sharing of who we have met in the last couple of days that reminded us of Jesus. We have met quite a few amazing people these last couple of days.

Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop. – Dorothy Height

Over the weekend we welcomed a new group of volunteers. Volunteers traveled from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Chicago, Minnesota and Wisconsin to spend time volunteering in Wyoming County. Yesterday we had our orientation and commissioning and jobsite sign-ups for the first day.

Today we have volunteers at four different sites throughout the county. One crew headed back to our site in Green Camp to continue with the second coat of paint. They once again had a great time talking with the family.

Another crew worked for a lady in Pineville installing two sets of railings on her steps to make it easier for her to get in and out of her house. While the crew was working outside, there was a crew working inside giving the kitchen a fresh coat of paint. A lot was accomplished today and only touch-ups and a faucet installation is left to be completed.

A third home repair crew spent the day out between Pineville and Welch working for a woman whom the PVs met many years ago. This time we were tasked with trying to stop a leak in her roof that had water running down into her livingroom damaging her ceiling and floor.

We were also able to send a couple of volunteers to Energy Express in Mullens to help with the kids literacy program and feeding program. The volunteers that came were the guest readers for the day and also were able to share what their life is like in Wisconsin. The kids had lots of questions…

For dinner tonight we had sweet and sour chicken, mashed potatoes, black beans, sauteed carrots and green beans and a delightful salad. Definitely a yummy and filling meal. Yum, yum.

We spent time at reflection this week getting to know a little bit more about each other. We have several new PVs this week and many returning volunteers that have not worked together before. It is a great mix and will only get better and we grower closer as a community. We also had volunteers share a new and a good from their day with the group.

I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value. – Hermann Hesse

We closed out the week today having two groups working in the county. We sent a group to Energy Express to help with putting together 90 snack kits for next week. These snacks will be distributed at five locations next week.

A group also went back to the home repair site in Green Camp. Upon arrival we were VERY happy to find out the the tarring job from the day before fix the leaks completely. The roof was tested last night with heavy rains, so we and the home owner were very happy. Today we were able to do the final sanding and get a first coat of paint everywhere in the inside of the house. On the outside we were able to patch all the areas on the underside of the porch roof where the leaking had damaged the wood. We were also able to get a first coat of paint on this fresh wood. Next week, second coats everywhere!!!

Both groups spent some time in the afternoon visiting with people with whom we have worked for in the past. One visited the family in Lynco that we have know for years. By all reports all the brothers are doing great. The other visit was to a lady known to the PVs as Foxy Lady, whom we worked for many years back, as well as painting her church. Visiting is such a great experience and we love it when volunteers take the time to do so.

Being it is Friday and we have a new group coming in over the weekend, we decided to clean out the fridge and make it leftovers night. We were able to revisit all the wonderful food that we ate earlier in the week for a second time and it was just as good the second time around.

Also since it is Friday, reflection is focused on looking back at the week that was and to share about how our experience this week has effected us and how we want to bring home a part of West Virginia with us when we leave.

Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers this week. We may have been a bit on the smaller side, but the work that was accomplished was mighty!

We convince by our presence.  -Walt Whitman

Today we went back to continue working on the site in Green Camp. We were able to get on the roof first thing to put tar down to make sure the water had no place to get in. On the ground the crew continued to sand and re-mud where it was needed. They were also able to start painting were the mud was dry and ready. We also did some work on the underside of the porch roof where the water leaking from the top had damaged the wood. We pulled down most of the bad parts and started replacing the wood. Right as we were wrapping things up for the day there was a torrential downpour. It was quite the test for the roof, and happily it doesn’t seem to have any leaks, yay!!!

Dinner tonight was quite a smorgasbord of food. We had meatloaf, a baked potato bar, 3 bean salad and Irish Soda bread. Yum yum! You can never say we don’t eat well here.

During reflection tonight we talked about our journeys as pilgrims through this life, as well as how we can be an advocate for those we meet and share our experiences once we get back home.