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Saturday, March 19, 2011

Getting to work

March 8, 2011 A.M.

Day one of the Miami Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge (wow long title)…was a success!! It all started with a 6:30 AM symphony of cell phone alarms. My four roommates (Veronika, Amber, Bridget, April) and I managed to get ready for the day in our quaint motel room. We were in our large white vans and ready to leave the motel by 7:10. We drove to Cameron Fields where all of the habitat groups met to begin the day. Carlos and Dominique (habitat staff) introduced us to one of the habitat homeowners. She expressed her gratefulness and appreciation, and she seemed excited to continue working on her future home. We were also introduced to one of the construction leaders who debriefed us on “how not to fall off of a roof” as well as other safety precautions. After learning these essentials, the leader from Illinois prayed for an enjoyable and safe experience. We received the address of our site…and it was off to work!

JW, Natalie, and our handy-dandy GPS got us to the worksite by 8:00. We quickly discovered that we were working with the Wake Forest College group. After hammering nails with some of our Wake Forest friends, we learned that their college is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Almost all of the members of their group are involved with their Intervarsity Christian Fellowship organization. Getting to know the Wake Forest Crew was fun! We also got to know a few of the Ameri-Corps workers, Will and Leeon. We learned a lot about them, and they are both great people!







As for the physical labor…we had the opportunity to do some exciting stuff! My group worked on the roof for the entire morning. We successfully used our newly acquired “how not to fall off of a roof” skills. Our task was to secure tar sheets with the proper materials. This seemed like a daunting task, after Will told us that they needed to be six inches apart…that’s a lot of hammering. But it was amazing that by working together as a team, we were able to finish the entire roof by lunch! The people on the roof had a birds-eye-view of the hard-working landscaping team! They worked diligently to remove concrete, garbage, and leaves from the yard. The team working inside the house prepared for the drywall by nailing wood to the walls and constructing a ceiling. After lunch, people switched assignments and continued to work and sweat! Day one was fun and gratifying! I can’t wait to see how the remainder of the week unfolds!

--Nikki Thomas

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