Perry, FL – Nov 3-6, 2025 (RV)

Work continued this week at both Robin’s and Buster’s houses. We keep thinking we are nearing the finish line, but complications, conundrums, more questions, and even some drama arise.

Buster’s house shifted about two feet during Hurricane Helene in the storm surge. This broke off all the plumbing in the crawl space, and the electrical panel had actually been under (salt) water. Other groups had stripped and replaced drywall and flooring, but in order to move back into his house, Buster needed power and water. After days of working unsuccessfully to reconnect the power, it was finally determined that a new electrical panel and new supply wires were needed. Buster took matters into his own hands and pulled the old wire from pole to house (drama, but it was successful!), and new wire and conduit were installed. Water now flows through all the pipes to the sinks, shower, and toilet, but the hot water heater is still not connected to power.

Work continued apace at Robin’s, with painting of the kitchen ceiling, tub and shower installation, and new drywall in the bathroom. Things are looking good, although there are still some issues with wiring that seem prudent to resolve for safety reasons.

A laundry/pantry ceiling was replaced at Charlie’s and is ready to paint first thing next week. At Annie’s, two volunteers worked on taking down a damaged ceiling and putting up new drywall. This project will continue a bit longer.

The highlight of the week was Buster’s house blessing on Wednesday. Buster lost his wife to cancer four years ago. Then his house was severely damaged in the storm, and he has been living in a small travel trailer for over a year. His gratitude shone through, and his faith is being restored. Praise the Lord!

We said goodbye to one couple at the end of the week. It’s always hard to say goodbye. We will miss their contributions to our group and wish them well.