Spencer, IA (SYP) – Aug 16-22, 2026

We  hosted twelve weekly volunteers from Ohio. These young ladies brought a lot of joy, music, hard work, and teasing (showers do include washing ankles!) to the week.  Delight is a word that comes to mind in describing them.

The team had a productive five days across several job sites, romping through work that included framing new walls; installing, mudding, sanding, and painting sheetrock; installing casements, doors, and trim; and building a fence at the newly completed house.  A home dedication is planned for Dani’s house next week.  The efforts of this week’s volunteers led to the completion of two additional projects, bringing the total number of repair jobs in Spencer to 24, with two jobs remaining open.

One of the week’s highlights was the evening spent with Rebecca and Brittany, who both work with nonprofits focused on housing under-served populations.  They told of the remarkable organizing that happened within the first few hours and days of the flood.  Their stories enlarged our perspective on the extent of the damage, and the sense of helplessness early on; and we heard of a community’s resilience and sharing resources – not to mention the help of volunteers to point to and find additional resources.

This story was a prime example of community cohesion: the flood happened when school was not in session, but local teachers (on vacation) set up kids activities in the parks, so that parents could concentrate on mucking out their basements and getting back home. A thick book has been compiled with individual stories that give a local perspective on the flood and its aftermath. We read many of these stories.

MDS volunteers report being stopped in stores, at church and in the streets and thanked for their service to the community.

Looking ahead, we plan to finish the remaining two projects, and if time and talents come together, perhaps a third project to finish the week.  We are assigned to close the Spencer project at the end of next week.  There are many small and large items to consider, from post-it notes to mattresses.  And It is not premature to thank the Grace United Methodist Church for hosting us, the Clay County Long-Term Recovery Team for providing materials and excellent organization, and our homeowners who worked with and around our schedules.