No Pain No Gain

Thursday came and went so quickly. I can’t believe there’s only one day left of work! At this point our bodies are aching beyond belief – we’ve got the blisters, bruises and sunburns to prove it… But somehow we still have this incredible energy running through each of us.

We’ve been working on a number of houses throughout the week. I’ve watched other teams build floors of houses and attach shingles to create and complete roofs. Today the team I’ve been working with completed and raised the four exterior walls of a house. We began building and installing the interior walls as well, with the goal of completing all interior walls tomorrow.

Check out pics of the progress step by step...


I can’t begin to describe the feeling you have when you’ve been part of building something like that. And being able to see the progress you’ve made – when a few pieces of wood become something so real and tangible. They’re just so much more than four walls.

Today we met Miss Kim, a future Habitat homeowner. She hammered and nailed with us throughout the day. Miss Kim couldn’t stop thanking us for our generosity and commitment, and at the end of the day she showed us pictures of her beautiful six year old daughter so we could see who we were helping get a new home. It was so simple, yet so magical a moment – seeing the real lives we’re touching here.

I’m really proud of our group and of all of the volunteers and Habitat employees. We’re doing something really great here. And I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re having a phenomenal time doing it.

-Monica