It hardly seems possible that we have finished our stint of work at the Hope St. site, but here we are at the end of our last work day. Our Ohio/Michigan/Wisconson folks are gone. The RI contingent is all that is left and here we sit in an Internet cafe downloading photos and writing down some last thoughts for you, our faithful readers. Tomorrow morning we will get up bright and early and do the remaining laundry before boarding a plane to come home.
One of the hardest things with a trip like this is to leave “our” project unfinished. We have to remind ourselves again and again that the work began before we arrived and it will continue after we are gone! We must pass the baton to another group, another team of willing workers. Eventually, one lucky group gets to see the project to completion. But, it will not be us. It is not easy to pass the work baton. You’d think that we’d have enough experience at this, but every year it’s a struggle.
Sometime after the first few uncertain moments on a work project we have organized ourselves into work groups and from that moment on we take on a sort of “ownership” of the work. We talk about what we’ve accomplished at dinner each night and on the way home from the work site. In the morning the conversation on the ride in usually drifts to goals for the day. All this is well and good, but there comes a point when we have to walk away and head home. We have to trust that “our” doors/windows/soffits/walls, etc. etc. will be in good hands.
So, for all the hands that have worked here before us and for our own hands and all that has been accomplished here and for those hands who will come after us we ask God’s blessing. There is much to do, but we have done our part. We return home tired, but happy that we have had the opportunity to contribute what we could! Could someone give me an “Amen”?