Perry, FL – SYP – July 6-12, 2025

We had a somewhat unusual group of weekly volunteers.  Unusual in that all of them were women—hailing from Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ontario.  The women from ON flew into Orlando Saturday afternoon.  There was just one problem—their luggage didn’t arrive with them, and they were told it wouldn’t come until Monday.  Fortunately, it arrived at their hotel on Sunday morning.  What a relief!  The “only David in TX”, David Zarate, arrived Sunday as well to serve as a crew leader.  The groups bonded quickly—and well.  It was often difficult to quiet the group for prayer at mealtime!

The crew leaders provided leadership and David’s background in education was apparent as he taught the women to do new tasks and then let them do the jobs independently.  Creativity came through at one of the sites where a storm door was installed.  But there was a “minor” problem—no door handle.  So a screwdriver served the purpose for a time and later a bandaid from the first aid kit was applied to keep the latch from closing.  The women at the site shared lunch with the homeowner—a single mother with a young child.  She shared life lessons that she hoped would make their lives easier than the path she had taken.

Aside from building relationships with fellow volunteers and homeowners, progress was made as more drywall work was done at “Buster’s” and Patty’s.  Painting, putting on trim and base boards, as well as flooring were done as well.  Cabinets were stained a “beachy blue” at Ms. Annie’s.  Her backsplash was installed, flooring laid, crown moulding put up, as well as plumbing and electrical work done, and cabinet handles put on.

On Wednesday evening Crystal and Gary Whitt joined us to share their hurricane experiences.  Two hurricanes in two years.  They were filled with gratitude for what MDS workers did to help them get closer to moving back into their home.  But their story wasn’t complete without sharing the traumas brought on by the storms as well.

The women volunteers will go home with many memories, some that will last a lifetime.  Making new friends was tops on their lists.  They expressed being blessed and appreciative for what they have, but at the same time realizing that they don’t know when disasters may strike them.  One of the women wrote: “I was prepared to come and work for those in need, but I did not mentally prepare for the relationships you build.”  Relationships with homeowners and the volunteers.  Trips to the beach were also an enjoyable highlight, especially for those from land-locked places.

From Perry,

Edith, Tim, Herb, Emily, Rita, Adam, Lucinda, and David