Got'er Done

What a fantastic day! Every time we turned around another group reported they were DONE with their project.


The Cornelius group (Kevin, Stu, Angel, McKenzie, Derek P., and Jacob) finished installing carpet. They put a door and roof on the shed. They were the last group back to the compound, but they DID finish their job.

Linda's group (Linda, Ryan, Elizabeth, and Maggie) emptied the remainder of the bags, sorted through everything and put them into containers for Sacred Heart Southern Missions, created two gift bags of items we'd brought for the Cornelius' family and Ms. Washington's family, and took items to the Thrift Store to sort items into piles for distribution.

Janet's group (Janet and Catherine) cleaned the girls' and boys' buildings. Catherine scrubbed toilets and sinks, vacuumed, organized, dusted, and joined the group that went to the Thrift Store.

Dave's group (Dave, Carolyn, Derek B., Joey, Abby, Shelby, Andrew) started by cleaning the back patio area. They cleaned up dead leaves, dug out an overgrown bush, scrubbed tables, trimmed trees, and did any type of outdoor clean-up or organization needed. They then painted eight sheds in the Dehon Village area of Walls

We had a very nice Memorial Mass for Steve Shea tonight. It helped to make us feel a part of Gehlen Catholic School, who had their service at 9 this morning.

We surprised Fr. Ries at tonight's junta by each of us telling him something we appreciated about him. Then we presented him with a plaque we'd all signed. Though it was obvious he was quite touched, he responded in typical Fr. Ries fashion - with plenty of good humor.

Tomorrow we'll meet Ms. Washington and present her with a gift bag of goods. We'll also pose together as a group in front of the finished home.

After that it's off to the Garden Cafe in Holly Springs to peel potatoes and bake banana bread. We'll be serving clients our sloppy joes, mashed potatoes, green beans and banana bread, and doing a little singing for them. We'll clean up before heading to the Holy Thursday 'Washing of the Feet' Mass in Holly Springs. We'll end the day with a tour of a Southern Plantation home by the current owners.

Upon our return to Walls, we'll prepare for the arrival of the Heelan team, if they have not yet arrived. We hope to have time to give them a few tips for their mission trip and wish them luck.

No pics tonight. I plan to blog from the Garden Cafe and include some photos of the final day. Some last notes from you to read to the group tomorrow would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to those of you who have been sending comments. We wrap up every junta by reading the previous night's blog and every comment you send. Tomorrow will be our last chance to do that.

I'll be wrapping up our mission trip blog tomorrow. Tune in for the wrap-up.


Missioner notes -

RYLIE STAY AWAY FROM MY ROOM!!!! MY CLOTHES BETTER BE LEFT ALONE!!!

For everyone else…miss you and can’t wait to see everybody Friday…everybody better be there to welcome me home. J I told you not to touch my room, Dad. Well, bye, love you, miss you, and see you soon.

McKenzie

Hey everybody, it’s Shelby. I made it back safely to Mississippi and got back to work right away. Last night I helped put some screws into the picnic tables to leave my mark on them. It was a long and tiring day, but I was very happy to be back. Today we woke up to beautiful weather, which allowed us to get a lot accomplished. My group helped clean up around the compound and finished painting the sheds that another group worked on last week. Now that the weather is finally nice, we have enjoyed being outside around the bonfire. Mom, please order me a short sleeve t-shirt and a crew neck sweatshirt. Hope everything is well back in Le Mars. Bye.

Hello Dickman Family! Hope everything is going well in Le Mars. Maggie and I have been very busy, as demonstrated by the blog. Having a great time with Fr. Reis, all the chaperones and the GREAT young adults. I find myself impressed everyday by their zeal and great work ethic. The parents not able to be a part of this have a lot to be proud of. Hate to see the end of the mission but looking forward to reuniting Donna, Drew and Abbie. Love you all…

Stu