Okanogan, WA – April 17-23, 2022

Our volunteer group this week consisted of three people. Kim Shantz from Arizona stayed for a second week. He was joined by Rich Enns from Iowa and Nathan Zerbe from Minnesota. At the end of the week, we bade farewell to our cooks Kathy and Steve Rhodes from Virginia. They provided three weeks of excellent meals.

Wednesday evening we were joined for dinner by Dayton Edmonds, a local indigenous educator and lay leader of the United Methodist Church where our unit is located. He shared the joys and challenges of a small congregation, and the congregation’s gratitude for being able to host the MDS unit. He also told stories from his tradition and played a hand-made flute.

Volunteer work this week transitioned to next steps on houses #5, 6, and 7.  Houses 6 and 7 had their foundations sealed. House 7 had windows and doors installed, the exterior wrapped, the side door deck framed, and the shower/tub installed in the bathroom. House 5 was wrapped and windows were installed. House 6 was wrapped, had windows installed and the shower/tub installed. Volunteers also returned to House #2 to seal the grout in the shower, caulk and paint window trim and baseboards, and do touch-up painting. Several Americorps Volunteers joined us one day at House #2. Cabinets arrived for all seven of the houses; most are in storage awaiting transfer to the homes.

During the past three weeks we have enjoyed increased engagement with the homeowners of houses 6 and 7. The homeowner of House 7 helped with various projects: installing windows, sealing the foundation, and digging the trench for the water line.

Group Photo:

Back (l-r): Kim Shantz, Joetta Schlabach, Nathan Zerbe, Rich Enns, Don Mintmier
Seated (l-r): Ginny & Chuck Gibson, Steve & Kathy Rhodes