Monessen Day 4: Work Projects

Wednesday was the day the groups switched and those who had been doing Kid's Club now went to work projects and those who had been doing work projects went to work at Kid's Club.  We knew the other group that contained the rest of our kids were going to be in for a big shock with Kid's Club. 

That morning when orientations happened, Kelly pulled aside the leaders who were supposed to be heading to Highland that morning and told us we would all be going to Park.  There had been a gang fight the night before and though she fully expected all of it to be settled down by the following week, she was going to keep us at Park for our two days of work projects.

When we arrived at Park we met Butch and lemme tell ya, ladies, if I were a few years younger and single....Hi Honey!  This was not only a cutie, but one of the nicest men I have ever met in my life.  Very soft spoken and very supportive of YouthWorks.  He told us to do what we could, but most of all, to have fun doing it.



Paula, Butch and I at the community cookout on Friday.

We were divided again into smaller groups, and Paula and I, our kids and some kids from Michigan were assigned to clean up a recently vacated apartment.  Folks, I wish I had taken Before photos, because no words can describe the amount of yuck and sludge that were all over the kitchen and the bathroom.  The Michigan gang offered to start painting, where our church preferred the cleaning end of things.  Paula bravely volunteered for the bathroom, God bless her, because I could not have done it.  The kitchen was bad enough.  The sink was loaded with cigarettes, ashes and corn of all things and Kirk took it on, while Corrina and I dealt with the fridge.  The fridge as well as counters and windowsills contained (I kid you not) piles of dead gnats.  They were everywhere.  Of course things had leaked in the fridge while the guy was still living there, so getting the gunk out took time.  PK worked on the counters and Rachel painted and though it took most of the day, the kitchen didn't look like the same place when we were finished. 

At lunch time, we had met up with the rest of our group to eat on the bleachers by the kickball field and for the first time, I saw some of the other kids interacting with our kids.  It was tentative, but it was happening.

That night after dinner, we went to a community church service at a gospel church.  There was singing and dancing and "Amen"s and "Alleluia"s.  What struck me as odd was that they sang along to a CD that was blaring where I had been expecting a Gospel choir.  There was also a mime who lip synced two songs and he had some awesome facial expressions. 



(he turned out to be a jerk though, calling one of our boys a "quasi modo hunchback" at the cookout on Friday).

After the church service we headed back for Club where we laughed until we about cried.  The groups were given out small slips of paper with Bible stories on them they had to re-enact, but there were stipulations.  Chris' group, for example, had the last supper, but they had to use the words "Hi Ho Silver away" in the skit three times.  So Chris, playing Jesus, would pretend to hold up a cup and say "The blood of Christ, shed for you." and as he lowered the cup, he said "Hi Ho Silver away."  Too funny!

By the end of the night, we realized our energy was waning after four days of constantly being on the go and not having much sleep.  Only one more to go and then Friday, we would drive home.