Jennings, LA – Feb. 19-25, 2023

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound . . .” The devotional led by 12 students from Rosedale Bible College reminded us to be grateful. This group from Ohio was led by Al Yoder, a long-time MDS volunteer. Their liveliness was refreshing, their energy leading them to the corn hole, ping pong and basketball courts. We have had a great week with them, full of fun bantering and work: “Andrew, I don’t feel like it should take you this long to do the calculations,” teased Alyssa.

“That’s because I’m doing ALL the calculations,” Andrew shot back. They were all working in the same neighborhood, this crew shoring up a house and repairing windows, under the guidance of Doug Goertzen. All the old siding was removed. The 81-year-old Bobby was cold all the time; his insulation was rotted to the point of nonexistence. So, in went new insulation. He can feel the difference even with no new siding on yet.

Across the street and down the block, Veronica Joseph has received a new roof, and interior repairs are in full swing. Dave Mininger is leading the crew in revamping two rooms, with new insulation, drywall, doors, and cabinets. The Rosedale students are learning to paint, measure, and cut trim, install insulation, and hang doors. They are quite pleased with the whole affair.

Terry Prudhomme, who came to dinner with his wife on Tuesday night, helped us last year to get the word around about MDS looking for homes that need help. He is somewhat able to help with the renewal of his kitchen area, which had to be torn down and rebuilt. It is now under roof and looking great, thanks to Al Yoder and crew.

Geneise Pierfax’s home had solar panels on the roof, which the owning company took a whole year to remove from the time they said they would do it. MDS managed to spur them into high gear so we could fix the roof, which got done this week. Bryant Swiers’ crew has worked hard not only on the roof, but also with other repairs: new flooring, new fascia, and a handrail in the yard.

Now camp is cleaned up, thanks to the hard work of the college students, and we are getting ready to say good bye to yet more new friends.

Submitted by Christa Barth on behalf of the Jennings team

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