OUR ASP TRIP
At 5:00am on Saturday, July 9, 164 youth and group leaders departed Westborough, MA in 24 vans. Headed for West Virginia with the Appalachian Service Project. It’s a trip we’ve been preparing for 9 months. Once there, we’d break up into 24 groups of 2 Group Leaders and 5 Youth crews. We’d spread out over 2 counties (Logan and Lincoln), each crew would go to a different project. We slept in schools, and worked hard all day in the heat and occasional downpour. In theory, this experience should not have been as fun as it was.
Every morning, we’d gather together for a quick group meeting, and breakfast before heading off to fixing up homes in the communities.
My son, Noah and I were on different crews. Here’s a picture of us before loading our vans with supplies and heading off to our job sites.
This is my crew. Our job was to rip out, and install new floors for the sweetest Grandmother. Her floors were badly damaged from a previous flood and were weeks for collapse. I had only met the other Group Leader on my crew and one of the kids before this trip, by the end we were like family. I have gained a brother, and 5 new kids.
Our homeowner’s name was Shirley. Everyday she’d hug us and call us her angels. Nicknaming the group “Shirley’s Angels”.
Brian was amazing at training all 6 of us simultaneously, on 6 different tasks. Here’s a picture of us standing in a hole in the ground in Shirley’s living room after we ripped out the flooring.
This picture is one of my favorites. Before we started laying down the OSB board for the new floor, we signed this beam. A piece of our hearts will always be with Shirley.
The finished floor, with some pretty amazing kids!
Everywhere we went, you could feel the love from, and for, the community.
VIDEO
This video is a glimpse at my crew’s project from start to finish, and all of the fun in between.
MORE INFO ON ASP
For more info on ASP: https://www.asphome.org/
Our local chapter: http://www.westboroughasp.org/
What an awesome service project! Awesome youth and youth leaders showing God’s Love!
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for showing us what love can do!! And a little bit of hard work. lol I know Shirley will never ever forget the kindness she was shown. God Bless you all!!!
That brought tears to my eyes! What a wonderful thing to do!!! May you all continue in wonderful projects sharing your talents and love for others.
How wonderful that you and your son Noah participated in this! I know the community is so appreciative and you feel a sense of accomplishment in helping others. I wasn’t able to go, but my daughter went with her friend and that friend’s mother to Nicaragua for a week while in college. The girls stayed in an orphanage for boys ages 5-10 to give regular staff a week off at Christmas time. They read the kids stories (she was a Spanish major), gave the smallest ones lots of hugs and piggyback rides, played with the children, and distributed simple items other parents and I sent with them like crayons, pencil, notepads, drawing paper, games in tins like “pick up sticks” and checkers), did art work with the children, served their meals, and gave a Christmas party for them at the end of their week, making sure each boy received his own Christmas present. She will never forget it and cried when she had to leave.
God bless you Tami and all the workers for helping people rebuild. It must have been rewarding seeing all the hard work when you were done. Projects like this help our young people build strong values. Our church helps out like this too and seeing everyone come back enriched from the friendships they’ve made and their love for one another is a blessing to see. Loved seeing all the pictures. Thanks for sharing.
God Bless You and all those lovely helpers. I’m sure that he has already – but the work you’ve done is definitely in his name and with his love and much much appreciated by all. Thank you for sharing!