Hey hey!
It has been a super busy two weeks. The week of September 25-29 we started our domestic ministry. On September 25 we went out to Helen, Georgia and got to talk to the local about their lives. We went into the community and we're heading the stories of peoples lives, and what their dreams were for the future. We mainly looked into building connections and holding space and prayer for them. Then on September 26-29 we went out to a local business to support them going into fall. Our assigned business was a pumpkin patch where we washed pumpkins, set up displays and organized their sheds. It was a really fun and rewarding experience, especially since they were a local staple and were clearly so important to their community! The owners were so grateful and it was a wonderful experience getting to hear about their lives as well as support them during their busiest season!

Then on Sunday, October 1st we drove down to Fort Myers, Florida. It was a 9 hour drive, however with stops it took us around 12 hours in total. We were hosted by an Adventures in Missions pop up base that was built to provide relief after hurricane Ian. The primary goal of this base was to house volunteers to rebuild the local neighbor hood, Harlem Heights, that had been destroyed in the hurricane. We had 8 groups of women working with the base, all spread to different homes to build as much as we could in the week we had in Florida. My team was initially sent to install doors, cabinets, and drywall. However these installations all occur in a very tight space so it was hard for our team of 8 to be effective all at once. I then stayed back with my friend Sydney to install the doors cabinets and drywall, while the rest of my team was sent to do yard clean up within the neighborhood. I spent my first two days learning and installing 7 doors and molding, a few sets of kitchen cabinets, and a microwave that had to be hardwired. It was a really valuable time of learning new skill sets but also building connections with the family. It was a small home that held 3 generations. At the end of our day there I got to play and get to know some of the children that lived there that had just gotten home from school. On our 3rd and 4th day of ministry we installed a new ceiling for a family that had water damage throughout their home and we're unable to do the repairs themselves. They smoked chicken for our entire squad on Friday and a thank you which was super unexpected and kind of them. On our final day of ministry we went to another home to install more doors. The frames were really small so it took us 4 hours to install 3 doors which was a little discouraging because we were much faster at our first home. After this we all went to a home that a different group had finished that week and welcomed the owners home. This was their first time entering their house since the hurricane and having it be a fully livable home. Overall I had a wonderful experience in Harlem heights and they hold a special place in my heart. All of the neighbors had grown a close relationship with one another and had a genuine heart for building a strong community. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this rebuild and I pray all the best for the families!