Orientation Monday

Day 3

For Monday we started off the day bright and early by waking up at 7:30 to arrive for our orientation at 8:00. Our orientation started off with eating breakfast with the Habitat for Humanity volunteer staff. We got to introduce ourselves, get acquainted with everyone, and most importantly, fill up our bellies with delicious doughnuts and homemade quiche! After breakfast we reviewed Habitat for Humanity's mission statement which is "Seeking to put God's love into action, Habitat for Humanity brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope".

We then reflected on the mission statement and learned more about the Kentucky area that we will be serving. They also gave us a little history lesson from one of the more experienced volunteers, Guy. He spoke to us about the founding of Habitat for Humanity by Millard and Linda Fuller and how important the work we do for the community is. After our orientation was finished and we learned more about what we were going to do for the day we headed out to get to work!

On our first day at the site, we were able to contribute to the development of the house in so many areas! Some of us got right to work by painting the interior of the house, while others took their tools outside to prepare the porch for a makeover. Additionally, the kitchen cupboards were primed and painted. Some of the dirty work for the day came with cleaning out the "crawl space" under the house, which consisted of removing tile pieces and broken furniture. One of the biggest accomplishments was completing the flooring in one of the bedrooms! It was such a pleasant experience working with Mike, Hope, and Josh- the Habitat for Humanity volunteer construction staff. Without their guidance, our progress would not have been half as successful.

 

While we were working, we received a visit from the woman who will be living in the Habitat for Humanity home. Our group had the opportunity to get to know her personally by asking her questions and sharing information about ourselves, too. Her gratefulness was evident in the way she spoke to us and told her story. She was so excited, she even asked to take progress pictures to show her mother! Fortunately, we were able to grab a quick picture with her, too!

After the productive work day, our group headed back to rest, reflect, and seek out the showers. Once everyone got settled and dinner was being made, students began to converse and reflect on their experiences throughout the day. Amanda and David led us in some deep exercises focused on truly appreciating our work that we are doing and understanding how much this service affects the lives around us for the better. We discussed what poverty is and talked about affordable housing and how Habitat for Humanity helps home owners. In addition, we read about a specific family whose lives were transformed by the help of Habitat, and watched a "thank you" video from them as well. I just know that we can't wait to get back to work tomorrow!!