The Des Moines Christian School team spent the majority of their fourth day repairing the Saunder’s house and enjoying a local farmers market.
Today we were at the Saunder’s house finishing the last coats of primer and starting paint. The Saunders are one of the many families whose home was destroyed during Hurricane Dorian in 2019. The walls and ceilings were painted a white color that had a slight tint of gray. After it dried we started covering the living room with real paint along with the laundry room. The long hours of work made us feel accomplished because we saw the product of our work. Some of the others painted trim white to contrast with the exterior blue color of the house. We were able to visit with the family as we worked and met their dog. Kota is a cute golden lab that enjoyed getting pets and being loved on by our team.
During the day, small groups of people got to go to a small farmers market in town. There were only a few stands, but they had a lot of delicious food (a lot of delicious desserts). We also got to connect with the people who ran the stands and exchanged stories. The people were bright and excited for the day. We got pie from a local who sold her goods to a restaurant we had been to before and saw where the produce from Driftwood farms is sold.
While at the Saunder’s, some of us connected with the family who opened up about the events of Hurricane Dorian. Despite the horrific events, the family is still full of compassion and faith. They thanked God for their blessings and were thankful to God for sending us. Later, we talked about how making relationships is an important part of making connections in mission work.
After the Saunder’s, we had some free time and enjoyed fun in the sun or chill time. We swam and used the paddleboards to cool off after the long hot day of work. We had scrumptious pork chops, rice, carrots, and black beans at dinner. After dinner, we had worship on the beach and then small groups. Small groups had deep conversations that built more meaningful relationships and community. We ended the night by stargazing on the big rock and a basketball game with the Liquid Legacy Team from Tennessee.
—Olivia, Reagan, Anna, and Grace
