Arcadia, FL – April 7-13, 2024

This week we welcomed a group of 10 young people from Lancaster County, along with their two drivers who also joined our work crews. We also welcomed two year-long crew leaders, Jack Odhiambo and Inkosiinhle Ndlovu-Mathuthu, who spent the month of March in Port Isabel, TX.

Our crews kept busy at six different work sites this week. At the Redeeming Grace Church volunteers repaired the metal roof and installed gutters on a storage building. They also replaced the soffit under the entryway gable and repaired some damaged siding of the church building. At the Lara home in Hardee County, a new build mostly completed by the winter RV group, volunteers painted doors and completed some plumbing.

We completed the flooring and replaced a piece of drywall for Ms. Hatcher and continued the drywall finishing at Ms. Lewis’ home. Extensive work was completed for Ms. Davis: floor and baseboard installation, kitchen ceiling drywall installation, kitchen cabinet installation, placement of porch supports, and some interior painting. Work also continued at Mr. Ussery’s home where drywall installation was completed and lots of mudding, taping and sanding occurred. Volunteers also installed a new sliding patio door unit.

The weekly volunteers enjoyed seeing Florida alligators and a sunset over the ocean. The Long-term Volunteers enjoyed the enthusiasm of this group, the singing that we did together during devotional time, and watching them play some serious volleyball! Although we were not in the “line of totality” some of us witnessed the partial solar eclipse, seen in the shadows of a shade tree.

Submitted by Joetta Schlabach

Group photo:

Back row l-r: Inkosiinhle Ndlovu-Mathuthu, Allen Blank, Dave Fisher, Erbie Stoltzfus, Alvin Hoover, Elmer Stoltzfus

Middle row l-r: Eric Douglas, Gene Kaufman, Janis Ott, Jack Odhiambo, Mahlon Blank, Emmy Kauffman, Jay Esh, Mary Ann Beiler, Larry Loganbill

Front row l-r: Joetta Schlabach, Mary Joyce Wise, Lucinda Shirk, Ruthie Esh, Mim Beiler, Anna Ruth Beiler

Photo Gallery