2023

“Princess Peach” was led by Amanda Grace and Fred Sacco with the wonderful help from Ella Mitchko, Jackson Critchley, Frank Leone, Kristin Larsen, and Tyler Abrego. The team served homeowner Miss J, her lovely grandson M, and their dog C. This past week, the team finished front porch steps and railings, adjusted purlins, installed drip edges, tin roof caps, valleys, and the tin roof. Each team member learned how to safely transverse a ladder, handle tin with gloves, cut straight lines of wood and tin, recognize the various uses of saws, and understand the different bits for power tools (i.e star bit, Philip’s head). Frank is the only person who had previous experience with roofing, so this assignment was foreign and interesting to all of us. His wisdom and guidance was essential to ensure the success of our work. 

There were many ups back at the center, such as Tyler winning a corn hole tournament, but there were also some downs, such as the blazing heat on the hot tin. Throughout this process, we began to understood the “why” of our work versus the “what” of our assignments. We each had to personally reflect “why” we travel hundreds of miles from home and donate our time and energy to ASP. Our “why” varies, but Jesus’ sacrifice and love for His people is the center of the question. Communication was key during the five work days, especially since our team was split between the roof and ground level. We are privileged and blessed to serve our brothers and sisters (and dogs) in Christ and deepen our love for our neighbors in Appalachia. Thank you for all of your prayers and support these past few days.

This week we were group name team Maizie and worked on Ms. R’s house with another group while the 3rd group worked on Ms. R’s daughters home. We were in Floyd Co, KY and traveled up a very long steep gravel road with the sound of undercarriage scraping as we approached the home. We were greeted by evil chickens, Scooby the dog, and Grayson the cat. This week our group split up into 2. Some of us worked on repairing the band joist and sill plate on the side of the house, while the other did insulation and siding on the front of the home. The home owners were very appreciative of our labor and continued to come outside to check on us. 

This week showed us how fortunate we are and it meant a lot to make a difference in someone’s life and well being. This year at culture night was very special and meaningful as one of the homeowners preached on his own life and how there is a god. He repeatedly said to us “it’s not the what it’s the why.” Why are we are here and why we are doing this. 

Our team's codename was Oxford, and we had the pleasure of working on the home of Mr. and Mrs. P. We had three projects to work on throughout the week, completing a section of underpinning around an air conditioning unit, removing and replacing the front porch stairs, and opening up the kitchen floor to make it ready for a subfloor repair. On our first day at the site, we ran into a few challenges regarding the underpinning and stairs because of some unique conditions present at the home. We discussed these challenges with the staff and other volunteers once we were back at the center, and developed a plan for how to address them the next day. Having made our plan, we were able to execute it so we could complete the stairs and underpinning sections by the end of the week. 

During the week, our homeowners spent much of their time out on the porch so we could talk to them while we worked. They shared countless stories from their lives that kept us both entertained and inspired, and they generously made us pepper bellies (or walking tacos) for our lunch on Friday. We also thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend time with their pitbull puppy, Mouse. Something that particularly stood out to all of us on the team was when Mr. P blessed our lunch on Friday, and then offered to say another prayer before we left for the week. He had told us that he wasn't typically the type to pray, so the fact that he felt compelled to do so twice for us was incredibly touching. Our team felt so honored to have the opportunity to work at Mr. and Mrs. P's home, share endless laughs, give countless snuggles to Mouse, and make a connection that we know will last for years to come.