Sheds of Love!

For our third day, we went to Washington Christian Church to build sheds. These structures will keep families' valuables safe either while they rebuild their homes, or after if previous sheds were not covered by insurance. These simple constructions are a vital part of the recovery effort, and the leadership team from WCC takes this work very seriously. The attention to detail and excitement of the build was contagious, and kept us motivated throughout the day.

Adding the flooring sheets.

We worked on six sheds, in an assembly line with each at a different stage of completion. We start with a floor, made with 4x6 skids, and 2x6 joists. This would be one sturdy shed! Our construction coaches were sure we made the base square, since the entire structure would rest upon a good job on this piece.

Walls were built at another station, with two identical sides, a front and back. Once all the panels were made, the assembly began! Teams put up the back, added the walls, and finally tacked in the front panel. Each step required teamwork and planning, and our team did very well each step of the way. Everyone worked on at least one of these parts of our shed puzzle, making this a true team effort!

Placing the final, front wall onto the base.

When it came time for the roofing, we borrowed the guts of some of our more adventurous younger team members! They did an excellent job of climbing on top of the sheds we just created, ready to install roofing and shingles. The last step was to put on the doors and trim, making a complete shed, much like one Bob and Allison from our previous site were making good use of!

The roof, though hot and crowded, was still a popular place to work.

We stacked the floors and walls for the next teams, gave the area a final sweep for stray nails, and gave a heartfelt goodbye to our hosts. We were done with our work for this trip, and it was time to celebrate with some pizza and shared memories. We visited one of the local restaurants, Monical's Pizza, and enjoyed yet one more fantastic meal in Washington. Our bus trip was quiet, as we were full from dinner and tired from the work, but otherwise uneventful. We arrived back at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd just before 9pm on Saturday, and gave one another a tearful farewell as we returned to our homes. There was much discussion about how to best share our stories, and the stories of those we worked with. We committed to putting something more detailed together for you, and will share many more stories along with a few surprises in our road show. Watch your congregational news closely for upcoming presentations, thank those who worked on all the tasks we tackled, and pray for the people of Washington, who have a long road to recovery yet ahead of them.

"Welcome to Washington" sign, with six crosses for each those
who lost their lives in the November, 2013 storms.

Please follow along with those who will continue rebuilding long after we left for our homes and families

Bob & Allison: www.facebook.com/1322Washington
Washington Christian Church: www.washingtonchristian.net/tornado-relief-4/sheds

Thank you for following, and pray about joining us next year!

In Justice and Mission,
The Interfaith Service Team