Got Painters?

So as it turns out, the "trip" part of the mission trip was canceled. But the "mission" part lives on! Although we didn't get to go to South Dakota, I get to work at the church. I have made it a goal to walk my dog and bike to church every morning and have so far succeeded. It is not a fun bike ride, I must say, but it puts the "trip" part back in the mission trip. It is uphill a lot of the time. I am extremely out of shape so the ride is very exhausting.

I was a bit skeptical at first, having to wake up at seven every morning to make an 8:00 call time but have so far enjoyed my time with my fellow youth. Being able to eat Bruggers each morning is a great start to my day...and very delicious.

I have enjoyed all the work that has been given to me. I have been painting most of the time. Painting and scraping outdoors on the garage near the church. I wanted to try and tan at the same time as painting so I didn't put on sunscreen. I will most likely soon regret that decision. While painting the garage, I have gotten in a few paint fights (small ones, I swear!) and have gotten paint on my leg. I have gone swimming and taken two showers since then and it still hasn't come off. I will need to work on that. I am also getting the hang of scraping and am starting to feel like a pro.

My body is tired and I am honestly not very excited to bike and work all week long. But I have a lot of fun with my friends, old and new. I know what we are doing is helping out people even though I didn't see that before. I didn't feel I was really making a difference by painting a beat up garage but I am starting to see the light.

Luckily, our group had intentional fun time yesterday as well. We got to head to the lake and swim. On our way there, the group in the car I was in saw a sight that made my day. We saw a little old lady with a walker start to cross the road when it turned green. It was a wonderful sight because by the time the light had turned red, she wasn't even halfway across the street. It was not a short light. She ended up making it all the way across. This sight made me happy.

At the beach, I mostly lay in the sand while others tried to absorb my body heat. But a few times, I ran in the water and had a fabulous time although it was chilly willy.

Once it was over, I stopped at Jamba Juice before biking home and I held on to the container so tightly that it exploded and now my bike is sticky. It was still a delicious drink. When I got home after biking, I wanted to crash so bad but ended up playing basketball with neighbor boys. I slept well that night.

The end.
Claire Romey