Youth Mission Team

Friday, July 28
"Wow! This week at the Pittsburgh Project has been very eventful. I have gone from being fully energized to being completely exhausted. This year has been very meaningful to me. I was able to become close to my homeowner, Jon Smith. He is definitely one of the greatest homeowners I have ever met. This man is so independent and intelligent. It is so incredible. Mr. Smith is also one of the most generous persons I have ever met. He always tried to pitch in or help any way he could. One thing he did was give all of us girls one of his t-shirts. It might not seem like much, but it really was amazing to me. I'm so glad I was able to come this year and have the opportunity to touch at least one person's life."
~Gen Fleming

"My experiences here have been unforgettable. I know so many new people and jokes. But not just stuff like that, but also new lessons and skills. For once I'm going to be able to go to my Mom and tell her that I learned something useful! It will be the most gut-wrenching experience to leave this place. It's going to be dramatic! I've done things and learned things that will last a lifetime. This is John Odom signing off..."
~John Odom

"Here ends the week. It was one of many firsts for me; first time on a ladder 35 feet high, first time installing siding (on that same ladder!) and the first time in Pittsburgh. Theresa's words as we left her now primed and painted house made all of our work worth every ounce of effort we put into it. 'I'm so thankful,' she said to my crew, over and over 'I'm so thankful, and God bless you all.'"
~Amy Leinkram

Thursday, July 27
"Hi, anxious parents and worried friends - it's me! I'm here at Pittsburgh Project having a blast! This week my work site group (including our beloved Music Director, Pat Vaughn, and our own Patrick Slack) has been helping Miss Daria. She is 56, widowed, alcoholic, suffers from emphysema, had a bout with cancer, suffers from depression, a heavy chain smoker and a Jehovah's Witness. Oh yeah, her brother stole her inheritance which is why she's at the poverty level. BUT, even through all of this, she is SO kind! I am blessed to have met her. Well, today is Thursday night out and we're going to Dave and Buster's! See you later!"
~Emily Fay

"Today I woke at 7:00 and then went to eat breakfast. I had a bagel and cereal for breakfast. I also had a cup of juice along with it. Then I went to get the cooler for work. At the work site, I helped to build a fence. After that I came back to my dorm to proceed with the rest of my day."
~Nick Haigh 

"Today was an awesome day! We are continuing to help our homeowner, Bobby, repair her yard. Today we built a fence at around 12:00 and sat around before that. The fence building was tedious work that took three people. One person used the screwdriver and the other two held the fence in place. Despite some struggles, we built a fence in her yard and it looked great when it was completed. I had a sandwich for lunch and then started building another fence in the backyard. We weren't able to finish it, but we made great progress. In the end, I did most of the saw work myself and that concluded my Thursday."
~Kevin Schunk

"I had my alarm go off at six, but I didn't wake up then. I turned it off and decided that I would get up in a minute. So at 6:05, I finally crawled out of my top bunk and jumped down to the floor nearly missing Michael's dangling feet. I took my shower, changed into my work clothes and then went to the cafe, where I got a large hot chocolate. I came back to the first level of the dorm where we sleep and finished my hot chocolate just in time for Saleem's morning Bible Study. After the Bible Study, I got to breakfast right on time instead of being late like I was every other day. I ate my cereal, played a game with Alex, Michael and Patrick and then went to morning devotional time. Afterwards, we left for our sites where putting up drywall on the ceiling awaited me today. After falling off a ladder, cutting drywall and putting it up, we spackled the ceiling and painted a couple of walls. Well, my day has brought me back to the Project, where I will shower and meet up with Alex Cannon and my sister. I, Spencer Smith, now sit at a picnic table watching air hockey and pool. The Pittsburgh Project is AMAZING!!! Dave and Buster's tonight...so, peace out..."
~Spencer Smith 

Wednesday, July 26
"This week has been great! When we arrived we were separated into smaller groups. Within those groups we divided into smaller work groups. My group is working for a seventy-four year old lady. She is very sweet and offers us pop (soda). Yesterday we got paint all over me and two other girls. Some of it isn't even off yet. I've loved this week and I'm very glad that I came!"
~Michael Driscoll

"The Pittsburgh Project is really fun. Today is Wednesday and it was homeowners' night. It was great to see the homeowners come to dinner and get into the worship service. The whole Pittsburgh Project experience is very spiritual. You can't go anywhere without being confronted with spiritual advice. I would recommend the Pittsburgh Project to anyone! It is a blast and you all would really like it!"
~Danny Laurence

"Here in Pittsburgh we are making a lot of progress done with our homeowners. Not only is it all about getting work done, but connecting with our homeowners as well. Janet Hollice is the woman we work for and she has had a rough life. Yet, through all her trials, she has a cheerful attitude and loves our company. Besides our work, my faith in God and with God has grown tremendously. We had a guest singer who brought me to tears and I went up to tell her. She gave me a hug and said, 'No, Honey, that is the Lord in your spirit.' I would do this trip again in a heartbeat and recommend everyone to come and experience it."
~Jackie Bradley

Tuesday, July 25
"After being a tad frustrated and a little disappointed on the first day, today was a great improvement! I went to the house of a woman whose home burned out in the 80's and has been that way since then. Ms. Louise is really nice and has a great sense of humor. Today, we primed and painted nearly the whole house. We plan on finishing the painting tomorrow. Today we also cleaned out a lot of the burnt debris. The floor and roof of most of the house is being gutted. We are excited to see what the rest of the week has in store."
~Lindsey Fay

"Day Two of the Pittsburgh Project! For me personally, it has been quite the unique experience. Coming from outside of a church group (I come from Massachusetts and have a religious background), I was not exactly sure what to expect. I found myself in a group fixing the house of a blind, 83 year-old woman. So far, the jobs we have had to do were some hedging, mowing, scraping and painting. The physical changes that took place over only two days are amazing, as well as the emotional joy seen in the homeowner. My first impression: a kind, lonely woman who needed as much help as she could get, especially since her husband's death. Yet, I did not realize how much I would learn from such a woman; essentially, I recognized the depth and wisdom present inside someone seemingly old and withered. By working in and out of her house, I began to piece together an illustration of her life: her son, her husband, her Italian background and her strong faith and optimism that guides her from day to day."
~Lauren Schunk 

"Today I woke up early and went to Bible Study, where we learned how Jesus was humble. Then we went to see Mr. Smith, our homeowner. We took off his old roof and tomorrow will make the new one! My group is great, we all get along very well and my best friend is there too! Later we had bar-be-que chicken for supper and then watched a Christian couple, who sang and played in a rock band. They were so inspirational! I'm so glad that I came this year!"
~Nathalie Scarbrough

"This new experience at the Pittsburgh Project has been indescribable. Besides joking around and meeting new people to hang out with, I have learned the significance about being a Christian. Doing even small tasks can mean so much to other people. I also have been taught that you can't be judgmental about people on the outside. You must find the true inside of them or the person inside the person. This amazing adventure has challenged me to become a better Christian and a better person."
~Alex Cavanagh

Monday, July 24, 2006  
"Today was our first day of real work. We started out today with a Bible Study with the super-cool Saleem (Worship Leader)! Then there was the work! I love my group and the homeowner couldn't be nicer! She kept inviting us for "pop-breaks." She has lived in that house her whole life - it used to also be her beauty salon. The other half was her husband’s shoe repair shop. We're going to be painting the outside, fixing holes in her ceiling and filling cracks in the bricks. I'm looking forward to the finished product!"
~Vicky Smith

"Today was very interesting for our work group. As we were on our way, the police pulled us over because he saw we had stolen Pennsylvania Dealer license plates, when really they were perfectly fine dealer plates from OHIO! We then arrived at our home and began digging our holes for the posts of a wheelchair ramp we were going to build. The homeowner decided to have someone else do it, so since we were out of a job, we walked around collecting trash in the neighborhood. Our day ended after quite a few turns and a tasty stop at Dairy Queen. I hope tomorrow we'll be able to begin a project!"
~Chelsea McCarthy

"Today was our first day of work and I was very excited to get started! We met our homeowner this morning and she was a wonderful woman who had been living there for 30+ years. Unfortunately, she had had surgery recently on her leg and it was bothering her a lot today. We started painting the ceiling of the porch and did a lot of mortar work. We had a great time today bonding in our work group and also with the homeowner."
~Christine McCoy

"I have to admit, going into Monday was pretty intimidating. It was definitely a day of firsts! First early morning prayer time...first time away from our combined AUMC church group...first time driving around the industrial city of Pittsburgh...and the first time meeting the 83 year-old widow whose house my group would be improving all week. If there's one thing I learned about firsts, it’s that there's no better way to approach them than to just JUMP right in! Instead of waiting for someone else to do it first, volunteer to pray or introduce yourself to a group member or inquire about your homeowner’s life and experience. So that's what I tried to do today, and things went very smoothly. We had no trouble getting to our house at all (which was apparently somewhat unique) and talking with our fellow group members came easily, as well. We bonded quickly over hedging bushes, mowing the lawn, scraping paint off the porch ceiling and creating a plan to attack the rest of the week's projects. Our house owner, Mrs. Vento, was the sweetest woman. Although she was legally blind, she strained to see and remember all of our faces and names. Although she was diabetic, she had plenty of sugary soda, ice cream and other sweets which she graciously offered to us again and again. What a model of Christ for us - and I thought we were supposed to be a blessing to her! Overall, this first day went very smoothly and I am extremely excited about starting it all over again tomorrow!"
~Courtney Fay

Sunday, July 23, 2006
"The trip was somewhat long and rough, but it was livable and we made it here. So far, the drive was already worth it, and from now it's just going to get better. Hearing and being informed about what we are going to do to fix up the house sounds not only fun, but a fun way to learn handy things! I can't wait to see what is in store for tomorrow!"
~Patrick Slack