Palmer Home: Wednesday and Thursday

I need to give a big shout out to Phillip, who brought his laptop on this trip. I had no idea we'd have wifi here, so when I found out we did, I kicked myself for not bringing a laptop to blog. Thankfully, Phillip had his. Thank you, Phillip!

Hopefully you saw my What We Wore Wednesday (WWWW) post - we had a lot of fun with it. We did a lot more on Wednesday (other than dress up and strike poses for the camera) ... so here's a glimpse into things. Also, I apologize for it being a shorter post. The Internet decided to get really buggy yesterday, and it took me hours to do that one little post ... and there are just better things to do here on a service trip besides waiting on the Internet.

I forgot to mention that on Tuesday, Palmer Home's director came into our breakfast, gave us some history about Palmer Home, and thanked us for coming to work. He made several good points, but one of them really resonated with me: He thanked the students for taking their spring break to serve others, and mentioned that he wished he had spent his college breaks learning to serve instead of taking fun trips for himself. There's nothing wrong with fun trips, but there's something to be said about learning how to serve the Lord and love others during "your" time. I'm thankful for each of these twelve students and for their willingness and desire to serve others and love well during their free week. (I kind of feel like a mom saying this, but oh well: To the parents and grandparents reading the blog, thank you for raising your children so well. They have had servant's hearts all week long, are full of joy and energy, and clearly love Jesus. I am so thankful for each of them and am grateful to those who have loved them well and shown them how to serve and give selflessly. Thank you!)

Yesterday morning, Ms. Helen took us on a tour of Columbus. We saw a lot, and I have a lot to share, but here are a few of the highlights:

Rebekah at Tennessee Williams's house. Rebekah is a theater major, so this was a major highlight for her! (Doesn't she look excited?)

Matt and Phillip pretending to dive on Tennessee William's bed

Friendship Cemetery has a lot of famous graves. This shot shows the graves of Confederate soldiers. This cemetery is where Memorial Day originated.

Columbus has a number of antebellum homes. I can't remember the name of this house, but it's supposedly haunted by a ghost named Nellie who etches her name on an upstairs window.

After lunch, we got back to work, and our group did a variety of things. Most of our girls priced, sorted, and cleaned the Palmer Home thrift store. They found some great outfits at the thrift store - you can see yesterday's blog post for some of those photos, but here are a couple more:

Nicole, Kayla, and Ansley sporting matching bowling shirts

Lexi, Nicole, Ansley, and Rebekah hit up the formal wear

Kayla cleaning the cases at the thrift store

Hannah and I finally completed the bathroom wallpaper removal project! I've showered and I'm still pulling tiny pieces of wallpaper and glue out of my hair. Hannah and I are incredibly sore and have been trying to figure out how to stretch and relax our tired muscles. (Some photos of the crazy, contorted positions that we put ourselves into for hours to get that wallpaper off those walls are included below.) If you saw the WWWW post, you'll see me claiming the bottle of Snuggles fabric softener as my "perfume." Hannah and I have smelled amazing for the past two days - I bet most of y'all know you can mix fabric softener and water in a spray bottle and use it to soften stubborn wallpaper. It's pretty potent stuff, and I'm thankful for the fan Ms. Helen gave us to provide some fresh air. I think my nose (and sinuses) will be just fine never smelling that fabric softener again. (I can't use it in my laundry due to skin issues anyway.)

Hannah took this photo of me (she worked high above me most of the day). I was squished on the floor working on the last stubborn bits of the wallpaper. Got it!

Thank goodness Hannah is small and could fit up there! She is a trooper for staying in the most awkward positions for hours over the last couple days.

Our guys probably feel similar aches and pains  - they've been busy clearing brush and hauling lots of stuff. Yesterday, they spent a good part of the afternoon on the roof of the admin building blowing off leaves and bagging them. I spent a good while trying not to worry that one of them might fall off the roof, but thankfully, they are all safe and sound. The Lord has blessed us with no injuries good health this week (minus a little poison ivy and several of us with allergies ... thank you, Mississippi).

Brett working on the roof of the administration building

Last night, our group spent time together sharing what we're thankful for and what we've enjoyed on this trip. It has been so enjoyable -  I've loved being with our crew, and they've loved being with another. It was such a joy to hear what the Lord's taught them, see the fruits of their labor this week, and watch them interact with these precious children. I really hope KSU RUF can continue a relationship with Palmer Home and that this isn't a one-time trip.

Sharing (and listening) about what we've learned and done this week

Ms. Helen found some sparkling cider (obviously non-alcoholic) and gave it to our crew. After we shared, we did a toast!

Today, half of our group went to the thrift store. Our guys helped haul and move furniture, as well as load up furniture for some of the customers. The girls sorted, priced, and cleaned the store. The other half of our group worked in the greenhouses with Ms. Mary. Palmer Home has gardens and greenhouses where they grow their own food (to eat and to sell at the farmer's market).

Matt found a pair of Carhatt overalls (sadly just slightly too small). Kayla found an excellent 80's prom dress with a strange slit in the front.

This is from Anna's phone, and it did something funky with the sizing. But this is Rebekah, Ansley, and Aubri working outside the greenhouses on new plants.

Ansley is holding cilantro - the plants are smaller than your pinky finger!

This afternoon, most of our crew headed back to the thrift store. Anna and I stayed back at the apartment and did some deep cleaning, as well as three loads of laundry. We organized the linen closet and refolded everything. Everyone has just arrived back here, and we're cleaning and showering to get ready for dinner and then RUF at Mississippi State! I'm so thrilled to go back. (I haven't been back since I graduated in May 2010.) It will be strange just to sit there and not be responsible for anything, worrying about PowerPoint, or trying to figure out where I hid the nametags. Whew. :) RUF is hosting a formal after large group, and my gang wanted to attend, so we're going! As I type, the ladies are getting themselves extra beautiful and are doing a wonderful job sharing the small bathroom. :)

It has been a great week, and I'm thankful for the time that I've had with our group. I won't be blogging tonight due to RUF and the formal, but I'll try tomorrow or Saturday with a wrap-up of the trip. Please pray for us tonight as we worship with State's RUF, and pray that we would rest well tonight. Also, pray for traveling mercies as we head back to Kennesaw tomorrow (no hitting deer, wrecks, flat tires, etc.) - and please pray that we stay well. (Two of the Florida RUF girls have a stomach bug, and that would be bad news for any of us, especially with traveling tomorrow.) Thank you for your prayers and support!