Conroe, TX – SYP – July 20-26, 2025

Katie & Jonathon Snyder, year-long volunteers, continued to serve as Crew Leaders until early August.  Also, here for this week were Crew Leaders Eric Wiebe and Ed Lombardi, Project Director Lynn Miller, Office Manager Thaine Dirks, and cooks Richard and Marjorie Heatwole.   The weekly volunteers were a SYP group from Indiana, with a total of 18 youth and adults.  Again, we were blessed with energetic and enthusiastic youth.  Unfortunately, three young people left on Wednesday due to an accidental death in the family.

One job was completed where a roof needed to be replaced.  Because of the midday heat, the roofing crew started early before breakfast and worked until it was too hot and difficult.  Two new jobs were added: a new fence and a new roof on a mobile home for a very grateful lady after much translation and distance problems.

The new fence that completed, with almost everyone helping at one time or another during the week.  The mobile home received a beautiful new roof, with a few details left to complete before the final job card signoff.    At the house guarded (or begging for attention) by donkeys, 2 regular interior doors and a pocket door were installed, and sheetrocking and painting continued.  The small, tight laundry room space continues to be a challenge.   The other house that is being almost completely restored, now has new flooring.  The closet that had a collection of things stored for many years, has been cleared, mold abated and sheetrocked. Installing electrical boxes, a 3-way light switch and texturing drywall were unique tasks and learning experiences at that house.   A vanity was also installed.

Next week there will be more progress with the two major houses being repaired.  Our Hope Disaster partner is sure to identify new jobs to start.  Finally, we hope a contractor has a kitchen counter ready so we can complete the home that had 5’ of flood water in the past.

Highlights of the week include clear hot weather, with a refreshing downpour right after Friday cleanup.  It was also a week of repairs and problems to address.  There were tires to repair, tires to replace, air pressure sensors to check, brake pad replacements to schedule, and a fussy freezer to monitor.

Next week, on Wednesday the 30th, we will see 4 new Long-term Volunteers here to overlap with our current crew.

On behalf of the Conroe, TX team, Thaine Dirks