Paradise, CA – Feb 6-11, 2022

Greetings from Paradise, California.  This week we had a small crew but we accomplished a lot.  

Our crew volunteers this week were 3 women from Pennsylvania. Long term volunteers are Don, Marvin, Nancy and Rose from Pennsylvania, John from Oregon, Paul from New York, and Peggy from California.

The house at Jewell Road is moving along  This week the soffit was finished and painted, all the trim was finished and painted, all exterior painting was finished, and the scaffolding was dismantled and brought back to camp.  Laura, the homeowner, is so ready to move in!  She loves the colors that she chose.   We are waiting on the fire sprinkler installation before the four-way inspection can be done. 

At Hoffman Road, the kitchen cabinets and the bath vanity were carefully installed.  Caulking was completed.

Many things take longer to arrive then formerly, including such mundane things as syrup.  Because of the shipping situation, time delays have become a part of the puzzle to be solved for many building parts and supplies.  The interior doors were ordered for the Scottwood and Newland houses.  Truss orders were checked and confirmed.  Dirt, compaction and grading are proceeding at the Scottwood site.  

From getting portapotties situated in the correct place, to learning the intricacies of tbe required HERS (Home Energy Rating System) report, details must be taken care of.  Each person has their part to play in doing the best work possible.  We appreciate the Lititz office for handling so many coordination details, without which how could a project off the ground?  Thank you, God, for giving some the gifts of organization, detail, patience, and persistence.

We extend our immense thanks to each volunteer here, and to those who will arrive, as well as those who wanted to come but who were delayed by the circumstances of the world.  We met and befriended new friends, and did our best to help each person we met, with a smile and friendly greeting, a blessing, or a helpful thought.  One evening, we watched the PBS program called “Fire in Paradise,” which gave us a shocking idea of the terrifying day when this town we are working in burned down nearly completely, with much loss of life.  It gives much meaning to the MDS Vision Statement:  To inspire and equip every Anabaptist congregation to respond in Christian love with volunteers to those affected by disaster.