Wow is the only word that comes to mind when trying to wrap up this INCREDIBLE experience. We came into this trip hoping to serve and do good for a week, and left with a whole new outlook on justice, relationships, and community. The list of things we learned and ways that our hearts were changed goes on and on.

Working with Habitat for Humanity provided us with a deep appreciation for the importance of affordable housing and how it transforms so many lives. Habitat for Humanity has changed neighborhoods from bad to good, and people from good to even better. On Friday evening we were able to attend a dinner that the Habitat families (those families working towards a Habitat home) made for us. It was really wonderful to hear the stories of these families and how they got involved with Habitat. The meal was great too :)!  It made all of the hard work that much more rewarding knowing that we were helping these families who are so deserving of a great home. This is what Habitat is all about!

The learning was endless this week. The wonderful Habitat crew that we worked with gave us a plethora of construction knowledge. We learned how to do so many new things and we are so grateful! Not only did we acquire new skills, but we were able to be in solidarity with the community and form strong relationships with each other.

Even though the trip has come to an end, the real journey is just beginning. Each of us now has 12 new family members along with a heart full of the willingness to be with people by serving people. This experience has caused a spark in all of us to move forward by being aware and educated of what is happening around us, and by being willing to help those that are in need of it.

All that is left to say now is thank you! Thank you to God for our ability to learn and for our hearts to be changed. Thank you to all of you for following along on our journey. Thank you to all of the wonderful new people that we have met and all of the bonds that we have formed with them. Thank you to the Coastal Fairfield County Habitat for Humanity for so graciously taking us in and providing us with the experience of a lifetime.

Our last shot of the group as we stopped and had our final reflection at Seaside Park on our way out of Bridgeport.

Time is flying by way too quickly!  The common theme each and every one of us is speaking is how we are so sad that this trip is almost over.  As stated before, we love learning new skills, meeting new people, and giving our time to others.  Our beliefs and opinions have been challenged and influenced by the things we have seen and experienced.  

Instead of expounding upon the physical labor that we are doing, I want to try to explain the dynamics of our small, 13-member community.  At the end of each day, we have a time of reflection.  Bryton prepared some extraordinary exercises that made us reflect upon what social justice is and how we, as individuals, can make a difference.  We end it with each person reflecting upon three things about that day--our highest moment, our lowest moment, and when we felt closest to God.  That simple exercise completely transformed our group.  The expression of personal thoughts created an atmosphere of love and harmony.

The immediate bonding that was created by our time of reflection began on Sunday.  Sharing the high moments of the day often meant the group erupting into peals of laughter that made our stomachs hurt or we would have tears in our eyes because our hearts were overflowing with love.  During the low moments our true selves were revealed to others.  We were able to share some of the deepest pains and moments of hurts or sorrow and, in response, the whole group saw pieces of each other that we never knew existed.  The moments closest to God was sobering and inspiring as we got to see how God moved and dealt with us in distinct, personal ways.  

As time progressed throughout the week, each night got better and was the highlight of our day.  We became more and more comfortable about sharing our feelings, and with that came the ability for us as a whole group to cry together.  Thursday night had the most impact on each of us, and it was during that time that we realized we weren't just a group of Habitat volunteers from Gannon University, but we are a family that has grown to love each other deeply in only five days of time.  The depth of emotion we have experienced has transformed our hearts and will have life-long effects.

Today was again a WONDERFUL day!  As usual

We went to the habitat warehouse for our usual morning meeting.  However, today had an interesting twist - we were split up into three small groups to all go work on different homes throughout Bridgeport.  This split was a window of opportunity for us to not only practice our newly learned skills but to also work closely with people we might not have worked with before.  The first group went to install fiberglass insulation into a basement - a very itchy task, but of course made extremely fun with the help of habitat’s wonderful painter, Jacques!  Another group worked hard in a couple homes installing spray insulation – or should I say worked hard for two entire hours trying to unplug the insanely long hose.  Although they spent so much time trying to get this hose unplugged, I heard no complaints once we were reunited at the end of the day.  They instead kept talking about all the crazy ways they tried unplugging it – you can tell that our group is growing in a positive fashion through turning all these negatives into a positive.  Our other group continued to lay the last bit of that super fun, splinter causing luan (plywood) in the house we have been working on this entire week.  At the end of our day, we even got to meet the home owners for this house!  Meeting these individuals really helped us realize why we are out here in Connecticut.  These people are walking in the home with that special sparkle in their eye – a sparkle that shows their excitement and eagerness to actually live in their own home.  These future homeowners are no longer seeing all the tools and ladders scattered everywhere, but imagining their own kitchen table with everyone they love sitting around it, laughing and making memories. 

 

Coming to Bridgeport has us not only building homes, but building relationships.  Yes, I had to throw in that corny line but it is beyond true!  It has only been five days, but I feel as if I am making friendships that have the potential to last a lifetime.  Tonight in reflection I realized we truly are connecting to one another, like a little crazy family.  With each passing day we become closer, acting as if we have known each other for years.   I know we all came here hoping to meet some pretty amazing people, but I am sure not one of us expected to feel so much love from people we barely know.  At reflection, a few of us shared some really deep information; I swear there wasn’t a dry eye in our living room.  This shows our trust in each other, our love for one another. 

Day five, and we are a family.  A big fun, loud, amazing family.

Today was our first experience on a Habitat work site.  This wasn't the traditional home that is started from scratch and built from ground up, but it is a home that Habitat has taken and revitalized.  They call it ReHab.

Not only did we meet the Habitat employees, but we worked with two Habitat homeowners.  Meeting and talking with them was a highlight of our day, simply because the reason we are here is for the people of Bridgeport.  It's not only about the work experience, but it is about getting involved in peoples' lives and making a difference.  It was rewarding to meet with people who have been blessed and whose lives have been changed by Habitat for Humanity.

A favorite homeowner is Dale.  His openness and sincerity allowed us to get close to him and become fast friends.  During our lunch break he entertained us with stories about his life, his children, and why he chose Habitat.  He is a Jamaican immigrant who came to Bridgeport when he was young.  After spending time in the military, he wanted to come back home, but the high cost of living caused him to live at poverty level.  Habitat enabled him to stay in the area and lead a successful life in his hometown.

The Gannon team was split into two work groups.  One group spent the whole day painting the entire upstairs of the home.  The other group laid luan, which is a thin type of plywood and serves as a backer for tile.  They took turns working the saw and gluing and stapling the tile down. The Habitat staff who were helping us (Aaron, Jaq, and Larry) were extremely great teachers and were so helpful. They really broadened many of us our skill-sets. We are very excited to see what tasks we are handed this week and are looking forward to continue to working with Habitat for Humanity of Coastal Fairfield County!

Megan and Perdita, our Americorp Vistas, took a lot of time out of their day to show us around Bridgeport!

Before we went to the Habitat warehouse, we toured a few of the Habitat homes in Bridgeport. We heard the story of one of woman, an Iraq veteran, who became disabled while on tour. Habitat was able to provide a home for her family. It was actually the first time her family had ever fully lived together - because of economic issues before, her and her children had always been split up prior.

Eventually we went to the Habitat warehouse, where we'll be meeting each morning before we go to the build sites. There we met all the people that work with Habitat in Bridgeport, most notably, Tall Bob. Bob is denoted as Tall because at the warehouse, there is another Bob. To avoid confusion, his name is Suspenders Bob. Anyway, Tall Bob is 89 years old! It's so inspiring to see someone giving back at that age.

We also heard about the volunteers from Youth United and their work with Habitat. You have to be at least sixteen to volunteer at a Habitat work site - so kids from Youth United come in and build shelves for the homes. Not only that, the volunteer that collaborated with Habitat recently raised $150,000 for Habitat - enough to fully fund the building operations for a Habitat home! We all really want to meet them, so hopefully we'll be able to work with them by the end of the week.

We also went to the University of Bridgeport and met Jennifer, the coordinator for their Alternative Break Service Trips. She told us her story of getting involved in Bridgeport's community. She candidly spoke to us about what she believed to be the real causes of poverty - it was very eyeopening.

We also visited the Rescue Mission where Gail, a former Bridgeport-Habitat employee, enlightened us about what they offer to Bridgeport's community. The Rescue Mission is a non-profit organization that provides an incredible amount of meals to the impoverished. In 2012 alone, they gave out an incredible 556,000 individual meals to the people of Bridgeport. They're also a rehabilitation center - they take in homeless men and women who are willing to give up their former lifestyles for a clean and honest living. Some of the men who are in the program spoke to us very openly about their life experiences, how they ended up at the Rescue Mission, and how they're working to turn their life around.

After dinner (Tacos, thanks Tonia, Val, and Bryton!!!) we went to see the city of Greenwich. (I think some group members are planning to write to the Oxford dictionary to get the pronunciation changed to what they believe is the right way - Green-WITCH. It is pronounced Grenich, come on people!) We've had an incredible time getting to know each other, and the van ride over was probably indicative of that. It was just so much fun, and we're all becoming really comfortable with each other! Seeing Greenwich was interesting. The homes were extravagant - some of them 'MTV Cribs' level. It's incredible that these homes, these people of such a high socioeconomic status, are just 25 miles away from the incredibly impoverished area that we're working at in Bridgeport.

At Reflection, we talked about what we can do better to achieve the Catholic mission of social justice. There is a distinct difference between charity and social justice. Charity is simply the act of service - literally volunteering at shelters or food pantries. Social justice is more complex; it's the act of making real social change and not only solving the temporary problem of a single individual, but actually solving the problem so that people won't fall victim to social circumstances out of their control. We talked a lot about today's experiences, and discussed what we can hope to do, if not now, but in the future, to achieve real social justice. Ultimately, there is obviously no one answer to solve these large social issues. Yet, we all now understand that there is more to service than the literal act of charity. This week, we'll be able to look at the issues in Bridgeport through a lens that will ask us not only how we can help while we're here, but what we can learn from this experience in order to make our world a better place.



Seaside park, just a mile away from where we are staying in Bridgeport!

First Day

We have arrived!  Our day was filled with fun, laughter and sharing as we traveled 493 miles.

One of the main highlights of today was our lunch at Circle E.  Steven and Evan put several minutes of research into finding a place to eat our lunch.  Steven discovered a unique review about a small diner in Hancock, NY.

"I dont give out 5 stars too frequently, heck none of us should. Cuz lets be honest, if everyone is a 5 star.....then NO ONE is a 5 star! I am sure my social-scientist liberal friends would have an opinion or two about that but we'll save those rants cocktail parties, shall we?

The reason I am giving 5 stars to Circle E is for the coveted "X-Factor"! Now for those who dont know what I am talking about, the X-Factor is that special pinch of magic, that wonderful variable that kicks the whole equation over the top. Its the intangible element so crucial to a human experience whose impact ultimately results in a mass far greater than the sum of its parts."

After a review like that, how could we pass up a chance to experience the Circle E?  We were not disappointed!  

We were graciously welcomed by our three new friends--Megan, Miguel and Perdita.  Megan and Perdita are AmeriCorps Vistas that specifically work with the local Habitat for Humanities affiliate.  We are staying with them in a habitat house and they will be our guides for the week.

Tomorrow we shall tour some of the habitat houses and other non-profit facilities in Bridgeport.  Tonia is excited about meeting the director of the local food pantry which provides food for 5,000 people each night. 

Bryon is looking forward to having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day this week.

We are looking forward to what this next week holds.  Keep tuning in!