Hardee County, FL – RV- Dec. 10-16, 2023

This week saw us trying to bring our projects to a good stopping point. After getting much done on the Gaona home last week, the group is back at the Snelling house. The furring out has been completed, and prepping for drywall has begun. Cindy D. and Kathy cleaned construction debris from the yard.

On the Gaona home the Sandersons finished applying the waterproofer to the window and door openings and began installing the foam insulation. They worked alone on the Gaona house for a couple of days, and it was amazing to see what the two of them accomplished!

The group put a lot of work into the Gutierrez home this week, to put it in good condition before our departure.  The group put on furring strips and baffles and began wall layout.  They installed windows and doors. On October 31, this lot just had a hole in the ground, and now there is a house with doors, windows, and locks on the doors!

Wednesday night, we took advantage of having a pavilion next to the office trailer and the warm south Florida temperature to have a potato bar covered dish, complete with dessert, of course! The group has really enjoyed one another’s company, and truly appreciate the new friendships formed and old friendships deepened.

To thank Andrew Macias the park manager for all he has done for us, we gave him a box of fresh pastries from El Ranchito, the local Hispanic grocery store. Andrew loved it and dove right in to eat a concha! To thank our group members and to give them something to remember our experience here, each couple was given a small Christmas bag with lotion and an ornament.

Thursday night, we had our final team-building event together. We had pizza in the office trailer, and Larry Stoner was our guest. April Diruzzo of Send Me Missions had dropped off two pumpkin cheese rolls that she had made, so we had a delicious dessert with our pizza. Larry shared with us his life journey in helping people in need of housing, and we discussed how the RVers work with the MDS scheduling of RV projects. Larry also wanted to know about each of our families.

Leaving the project is bittersweet! Everyone is ready to take a break from work and to head home or off to the next adventure. But we have had a good time together and will miss this group and the special fellowship we have had here. This week in our devotions, we discussed joy from knowing God, being able to enjoy nature, and the joy that comes from serving. That seems to incapsulate our time here!

Mitch & Ann, Cindy & Steve S., Lee & Kathy, Cindy a& Steve D., Dave & Karen, Paul & Sarah

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