The End of WorkFest

WorkFest has officially ended - which is actually pretty sad. I have really enjoyed the change of pace. I have been learning so many new skills and have been challenged to push myself in new ways. And now it's over.

The last week wrapped up well, even though I was not able to be there for all of it. I had to work in Adult Ed for Monday and Tuesday, but Wednesday I was back on site, ready to put up siding despite the rain. We had a good group of students this week, but I think it took them a while longer to bond together - but bond they did, so that is good. We got a lot of work done, but unfortunately, we were unable to finish the project. Partially because we didn't have all the materials we needed...

One of the biggest frustrations for me came on Thursday. Dana put me in charge of a crew to put siding up on a wall. The trick was that we weren't putting up siding, we were putting up soffett as siding. We didn't think it would be too big of a deal, it just meant we had to cut our own factory edges so the pieces would snap together. We put up our starter strips along with some J-channel (which can often be the most frustrating and time consuming parts, since they need to be level), then we started putting up the soffett-siding. Things were just moving very slowly - for some reason the joints were just not fitting together how they should have been; we had to fit and refit pieces, which is very tedious work. And then Dana came over, walked up to the joints and started pulling. The pieces came apart very easily. I was close to tears as I watched him. Here was my first time leading a crew and I failed! I think Dana sensed that I was upset, so he quickly reassured me that it wasn't our fault. The soffett just wasn't meant to be jointed like we needed it to be and we would have to get more siding. So my first crew and a few hours of tedious work was all in vain - sigh.

I may have mentioned this earlier, but the University of Oregon was out this week - which was awesome! I enjoyed working with fellow Oregonians (one of the girls on my crew was from Lebanon, OR) and loved the fact that I fit in wearing my Oregon sweatshirt.

I am truly going to miss WorkFest, but I know that I am taking the experience with me. WorkFest reminded me, in a more direct way, how important service toward others is. And how many blessings we can heap on people in our lives if we are willing to take the time to serve them. The blessings belong to more than just those being served - I have felt so incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to serve the people of Appalachia. They have allowed me to be a part of their lives, and some have even invited me in and called me family.

...

On a lighter note, I thought I would share one of the more amusing moments from week three of WorkFest. Dana planned this all out and got Katie, the girl from Lebanon, to play along.

Peace.