INDIAN RIVER HABITAT: SUNSHINE & SONSHINE !

Hi! It’s been some time since my last posting. We have been busy at work here at the Indian River Habitat for Humanity in Vero Beach, FL. I thought I’d share with you a little about the “sunshine” we have enjoyed here but, even more important, I want to share with you some of the “Sonshine” we have experienced here. I want to “put a face” on this experience by sharing with you some of the dedicated people we have met and worked with at this build.

As you might expect, the topic which seems to come up more than any other among the volunteers is the weather, especially the temperature. Our stay here in Vero Beach has been great. We have enjoyed sunshine every day, with a few clouds as well. Some days are more still than others but there is usually at least a little breeze. Though we have had a few days in the mid 60’s, most of the time we reach the mid 70’s up to 80 degrees. The local radio calls it “above average” temperatures but that’s ok with us. It would be accurate to say that not a morning goes by but what those of us from the “frozen north” speak with each other about the weather people are experiencing “back home”. At this build we often speak of the cold of West Virginia, the storms of Michigan and the snow of Northern New York. You hear things like, “They had 20 inches of snow in Michigan last night” or “It was 12 below last night up home.” Living in T-shirts and shorts much of the time one forgets the “norm” that was your life until you headed south along with many other “snowbirds”.

There certainly is something to be said about the effect which prolonged exposure to sunlight and warm temperatures has on a person both in body as well as mind. We have experienced that not only through working in our shirtsleeves in December but also in being able to take a walk, ride our bikes or just sit outside and “soak up the sunlight”. We feel very blessed to be able to be experiencing all of this. But along with all this sunshine I also want to speak of the “Sonshine” we are experiencing here at Vero Beach.

We have enjoyed worshipping at a local Baptist church since arriving here but the “Sonshine” I’m talking about is the people who openly share their faith in how they live and how they work together at this affiliate. Don’t misunderstand me, we have met some wonderful people of faith in our other two Habitat experiences during this trip but the Indian River Habitat staff is very open about their faith, about this work being a ministry and we have heard many different staff members share a devotion at the start of the day or lead prayer on the job site before sharing a work break or lunch. It is refreshing as well as encouraging to see people putting their faith into action and also be so willing to make their personal faith an integral part of who they are and what they do. I’d like to share with you a few of the “faces” of the Indian River Habitat for Humanity.

I am in no way trying to tell you about all the staff members here for there are many dedicated people serving in this ministry. But I want to introduce you to several with whom we have worked closely and tell you just a little about them.

When we are on a “site” we work with supervisors who guide us through specific tasks. They, in turn, are under the supervision of a construction foreman whose job it is to keep everything on multiple sites running smoothly and on schedule. There is also a construction foreman whose main responsibility is in working through the mountain of paperwork necessary to not only build these homes but secure funding, keep up with material needs, scheduled staff and volunteers, etc.. Beyond these folks are dozens of staff who work in the office or the Home Store to provide the necessary funding to build these homes and work with the families who will buy them. Their interest in the families does not end when they move into a new home either. They work with these folks long term, helping them with homeowner’s issues, assisting them in establishing neighborhood groups and in many other areas of their lives. The Habitat experience is so much more than just building a house and hoping the family who buy it makes a go of it. There is a lot of support after they move in to their new home as well. Most recently the local affiliate has been running a food drive to help Habitat homeowners who have either lost their jobs or have had a severe reduction in their hours of work. Just last weekend we learned of a staff member who meets with children of some of these families here at the home base of the local affiliate to lead craft classes. The ministry of Habitat goes on long after a house is build and a family moves in.

In Matthew, chapter 6, verse 16 Jesus said: “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” We have met a lot of people at this build who reflect the love of Christ in their lives and their work. They are the “Sonshine” which I spoke of at the beginning of this post. So, now, I’d like to introduce you to just a few “Faces of Habitat”.

When we arrived here in Vero Beach we were met by a retired couple from West Virginia who have made it their ministry to serve as “Team Leaders” for all the various groups who come to this affiliate through the course of a winter.



Fred and Pauline travelled for many years in their RV and now settle in here each winter to help all the volunteers who come here as Care-A-Vanners. They keep us all informed of anything we need to know. They met with us at the initial orientation meeting and provided us with lots of information about schedule, local points of interest and services. They organize meals and events for us to do together, creating a sense of a team among the group. They oversee daily lunches which Pauline brings to us at the worksite as Fred is on the site working side by side with us. Most of this build has seen Fred up on the roof! Fred and Pauline share themselves with us in many different ways. Fred worked as a square dance “caller” for many years and we have enjoyed two square dances and ice cream socials during this build, complements of Fred and Pauline. It seems that between the two of them there is always a camera at the ready and they compile a booklet for each team member filled with photos to help us remember our experiences here. Fred and Pauline serve as intermediaries between the Care-A-Vanners and the affiliate as well. They make this local experience something special.



The overall supervision on the jobsites is handled by a man named Carl. He brings over 30 years of construction experience to the job and does a great job in a challenging role. Carl juggles multiple construction sites every day. He often needs to be in three or four places at the same time dealing with construction issues, arranging for material deliveries and contracted services, and assisting site supervisors as well as volunteers. He works with a wide range of people from professionals in the construction industry to unskilled volunteers who bring a hammer and willing hands to the job site but little else in terms of skill. This husband and father of three boys is such a witness to the power of Christ in a life. In a job which could be filled with great stress and problems, Carl maintains a quiet and composed attitude with his staff as well as the sea of volunteers around him. When he has a free moment, which is rare, Carl picks up his own tools and steps in to help with one task or another or simply helps us volunteers to understand how to do something at the work site. Carl is a man of great patience and he shares his time and talents in this ministry in a great way. He is a great asset to this Habitat affiliate.

Another husband and father who spends his day on the jobsites is Jeff. Jeff also works daily with an army of volunteers, both skilled and unskilled, assigning tasks and then guiding willing hands in their completion. Jeff also sees this work as a ministry but he has a special calling outside the Habitat experience as well. Jeff has a great heart for mission and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Shortly after joining a new church the area, Jeff spoke to the pastor about starting a missions program in the church. Jeff has already led mission teams to places like India, Guatemala and Central America. He looks forward to the day when the Lord will make it possible for he and his wife to serve in the mission field full time. In the meantime Jeff is serving the Lord not only in his local church but through the ministry and mission of Habitat.

This local affiliate currently has four Americorp staff members. Three of these folks work in the office side of the ministry and one young lady named Hillary works as a supervisor on the work sites. During our build she shared supervisor’s responsibilities with a talented man named Ishmael.



Whether it’s working up on a roof, cutting and fitting trim inside a home or laying down vinyl tile, Ishmael never seems to stop. His working speed is fast forward all the time. Ishmael is like the Energizer Bunny. He just keeps going and going and going! It was greata to have the opportunity to work with him.

Hillary is a dynamo. She is enthusiastic, energetic and always brings a smile and a spark to the job. She makes workdays fun as well as productive. At the start of a workday she’s seems genuinely glad you came and she always makes a point to thank us and complement our work at the end of a day. Hillary, like the others mentioned already, spends her day working at multiple tasks on one or more sites and supervises, encourages and works along side many different volunteers. Where Carl is never far from his cell phone, Hillary is rarely seen without “her truck” nearby.



This is Hillary's first experience at Habitat and she plans to continue for a while. She not only teaches many of us but she has a real desire to learn more and seems to enjoy the challenge of trying something new at the construction site. In keeping with her new found “thirst for knowledge”, Hillary has recently decided to begin college and is preparing to step out in that new direction while, at the same time, continuing to work at this Habitat affiliate. That is a big challenge but Hillary is a woman with the energy, enthusiasm and the drive to make it work. She has a great personality and a willingness to learn that will bring her success in college and in life.

I mentioned earlier in this post that we have enjoyed two square dances sponsored by Fred and Pauline.



Hillary and another Americorp girl, Joanna, joined us at those dances, their first square dancing experiences, and their enthusiasm and bright, energetic personalities were evident to all. They are fine young women with a heart for service. I guess that is why they were drawn to serve others through the Americorp program. They have much to offer both here and wherever their futures take them.

Along with the few people mentioned above are so many others we have experienced here. There are the future homeowners who work over 300 hours on various sites building up “sweat equity” toward the purchase of their own Habitat home.



It is a privilege as well as an inspiration to be able to work side by side with those who will benefit from your efforts. They really put a face on this ministry for us.



There are also our fellow Care-Vanners who come from a wide range of backgrounds, bringing with them a willingness to share themselves, their time and their skills to help provide better housing for people who need it. There are folks like Bill and Donna from New York State who came to Vero Beach for their first Habitat build. Another first timer is Scott who hails from California and is traveling around this great country in his Motor Home. And there is Ina, a PGA Golfpro from Michigan, who has spent several winters in Florida working at different Habitat builds. She’s a real sweetheart who felt that she wanted to “give something back” during her off-season. The most experienced of our team would be Ted and Kitty from Wisconsin. They have spent several winters at the Vero Beach Habitat and then, later on in the season they move on to Miami to share their time and talents in service to others down there. This year Al and Norma, also from Michigan, have come to Florida to spend their winter working through The Vero Beach Habitat affiliate. These are the members of our Care-A-Vanner team, along with our Team Leaders, Fred and Pauline. We work together, share good food together and even square dance together. This relationship is what Care-A-Vanning is all about. People from all walks of life who come together for a common goal of helping to eliminate substandard housing while getting to know and work with new people from all over this great country. They, along with many local volunteers, staff members and home buyers make up the work force which is the backbone of the Habitat construction ministry.

There are many other staff members who work in the offices, the Home Store, and on the road gathering items to sell in the store or keeping the worksites well stocked with materials, tools and whatever else is needed to keep things running. Sales from the Home Store provide a major portion of the funds needed to build these Habitat homes. Their effort is what makes it possible to build such places. This is a large and well run Habitat affiliate and one which as won “Outstanding Local Habitat Affiliate” several years running. I would encourage anyone interested in trying out a Care-A-Vanner build to consider the Indian River Habitat for Humanity in Vero Beach, FL. You will not be disappointed. They are a great bunch of dedicated “servants”. Through them you will see the “Sonshine” while enjoying the sunshine of this beautiful area. We’re sure glad we had the chance to work with them all out here “on the road”.

A DIFFERENT “LOOK” AT CHRISTMAS

Today Frannie and I arrived at our next build. We pulled out of Sebring at 7:30AM and arrived at the Indian River Habitat Store in Vero Beach, FL at 10AM. We met our Built Team Leaders, Pauline and Fred, along with several of the couples we will be building with the next two weeks. We learned that the Vero Beach Christmas Parade was to be held tonight (Saturday) and that all the Care-A-Vanners were welcome to participate in the parade by riding on their float or walking alongside. Since neither Fran or I had ever done that we decided to join the fun.

First, after getting our gear settled and the trailer all set up, we checked out the beach and surrounding areas during the afternoon.



Later on we went to Riverside Park where all the floats were being assembled and arranged for the evening parade. As with the floats in Sebring and Avon Park earlier this week, all the floats had generators or systems connected to their tow vehicles which allowed them to be covered in Christmas lights. The Habitat float was a flatbed trailer with three houses. The first was just a framework, the second was a partially complete house and the third was a completed home with a porch, siding, roof and even shutters. Of course everything was outlined in Christmas lights and the float carried two large generators for power.



All the participants received red or green Habitat shirts along with reindeer antlers for their heads to make the spirit even more festive. Many of the people who are getting new homes through the Habitat program were on the float with their children, all adorned in yellow shirts.



Frannie and I got our shirts and, yes, our reindeer antlers.



We walked along the driver’s side of the float and greeted people young and old with wishes of “Merry Christmas” all along the way. What really surprised us was how many of the people along the parade route were just as anxious to shout out their “Merry Christmas” greetings to us as well. For the entire parade we waved and shared smiles and happy Christmas greetings. By the way, this was not billed as a “Holiday Parade”. There was no doubt that this was a parade celebrating Christmas. It is refreshing to see that in the south people are not afraid to stand for their beliefs and speak openly of them.

From little ones in their mother’s arms to elderly in wheel chairs we saw countless smiles, waves and happy wishes of “Merry Christmas” as we walked. I can’t tell you how long the parade route was or where we were walking. We were just too busy connecting with people all along the way to notice or, for that matter, to even care. We were having such a good time “seeing” a Christmas parade from a totally new perspective. It sure filled us with lots of Christmas joy. Even when the parade was finished and we all climbed back onto the float for the ride back to the park where we started, people would honk their horns as they met us on the highway. It was quite an evening.

We will tell you more about this affiliate in a later post. For now we will just say that they were very welcoming upon our arrival and their facilities are very accommodating for Care-A-Vanners. We have a lounge area with TV, books, tapes, full kitchen, laundry facilities, local phone service and even WIFI so we can stay connected with families and friends just like you! We will meet all of our building teammates tomorrow at our orientation and begin our work on Monday.

I hope that you are finding ways to get into that Christmas spirit. There’s nothing like it. If you have Jesus Christ in your hearts this should be one of the best seasons of the year for you regardless of the current political, financial or other situations. If you have Jesus in your heart you hold the greatest gift of Christmas…life now with none other than the Son of God dwelling within you AND the promise of living with Him forever in Heaven. If nothing else does, that fact alone should make your Christmas one of wonder, joy, love, peace and hope. We’ll see you again soon out here “on the road” but, in the meantime, “Merry Christmas”!

CHRISTMAS IN JULY…IN DECEMBER

Last night Frannie and I had ,what was for us, a unique experience. We went to a nighttime Christmas parade. Actually, the three towns we are most near to, Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid, all have nighttime Christmas parades this week. Last night it took place at Avon Park. We have, unexpectedly, had a difficult time getting into the Christmas spirit down here in the snowless south. We saw the central park in Sebring being decorated a couple weeks ago and Frannie asked me, “Why do you suppose they are putting up Christmas decorations so early.” I had to remind her that it WAS the middle of November at that point. It has been hard for us to adjust to the idea that it’s the Christmas season when it’s not that cold and there is no snow around. Not that we’re complaining, mind you. But I guess as life long “Yankees” it just is an accepted fact that Christmas time means snow and cold. Well, let me tell you about our first night time Christmas parade.

To begin with let me say that it was WONDERFUL! Imagine tall palm trees lining main street, each tree wrapped with a spiral of bright Christmas lights from the bottom to the very top of the tree on the street. Imagine a parade where kids lined the streets, sitting in chairs on on the curb in shirtsleeves, sneakers and light jackets. We have been to many Christmas parades where you could hardly see the faces of children behind the snow suit, hood, scarf, etc.. It was so much fun to watch all the kids and see the sparkle in their eyes as each float, clown, band or dancer passed by. We had three little girls seated right next to us on the edge of the curb and they had a ball! But let me tell you about some of the floats.

Many of the businesses in the three towns had floats or vehicles in the parade. Many were quite involved and carried great detail. There was a float on top of which sat a full size, actual airplane completely outlined in bright lights. The wings had been removed and replaced with ornate, large, white, angel-like wings which actually moved up and down as artificial snow blow over it.



Actually, many of the floats had snow machines blowing artificial snow into the air. At one point the snow blew onto the street just out of reach of the three little girls I mentioned earlier. They jumped forward, reaching out to touch the “snow”. It was at that moment that I thought to myself, “I bet they have never seen the real thing.” Then I thought that was probably true of many of the people standing near us, not just the children. It’s kind of amazing. We have talked to adults down here who told us THEY had never seen snow in their entire lives. But, then, I digress from the parade.



We saw five different dance studios represented with 60 to 100 dancers in Santa-like outfits doing unison dance routines down the street to recorded music travelling with them. There were several bands, some with battery powered lights draped on some of the instruments. We saw floats so large that they were built on the flatbeds of tractor trailers or low boys used to carry bulldozers.



Actually, I saw one of those too, a real one, all outlined in bright lights. There was a huge steam train with wheels which actually moved on one of the floats. It’s engine and cars were filled with children and adults all waving to the crowd. Many of the floats were presented by local churches, many of which were accompanied by walkers handing out candy and flyers about their church's special Christmas programs.

One float which struck me was simply the back of a flatbed truck with a single light, resembling a street light handing on a pole high above the truck. Under the streetlight was the pastor of that church wearing white shirt and tie, holding his Bible and telling the crowd as he passed of their need to know the Savior personally to really understand and celebrate Christmas. It was in stark contrast to the floats, colors and lights yet, at least where we stood, people were respectfully quiet and listened to his message as he passed by. I was struck by his dedication and focus. Here was a man of God who seized the opportunity to speak to hundreds of people about the true meaning and message of Christmas. I will not make a judgment as to the impact or effectiveness of his churches approach over those of other churches but I admired his willingness to take it to the streets, literally. It made me wonder how many of us, myself included, would have thought of that idea or had the “guts” to put ourselves in the public eye like that. God bless his willingness to reach out to the lost.

Well, I mentioned dancers but there were many, many clowns as you might expect from the Shriners and other social organizations. But there is something special in this area. There is a clown school in Lake Placid which has taught the art of “clowning” to hundreds and hundreds of people, both local and visitors. The result of this local “clown college” is the presence of many people of all ages who entertain as clowns in all sorts of situations in the area.

There were many other floats of all sizes and shapes with literal smoke rising from chimneys and snow (artificial of course) blowing over rooftops (and wingtips). There were cars and festival queens, motorcycles and cheerleaders. There were bands, bikes and balloons but, once again, the thing we most noticed and enjoyed was the lights of the night. And when you think of it, isn’t that a great thing about Christmas. Not only the wonderful lights decorating so many businesses and front yards, living rooms and trees.



But think about this, Christmas is when the light of heaven came down to shine on this sinful old earth. The lights of Christmas and the lights of this Christmas parade as well remind us of the light of Jesus Christ. He didn’t say, “I came with the light.” He said, “I am the light of the world.” I hope that the light of Jesus Christ shines brightly in your hearts this Christmas season. It can be a pretty dark world, and a pretty dark life without him. May the light of Jesus shine in you and out into the world through you not only during the Christmas season but all year.

We’ll write again soon with more news from out here “on the road” but, in the meantime, enjoy this season of Advent as we prepare our hearts for the celebration which reminds us of the birth of our Savior. May this Christmas be even more special for you because He is the center of your celebration. Remember, Christmas was Jesus' birthday but we were the ones who got the gift. Enjoy the season and Merry Christmas to each of you. We’ll see you again soon, “on the road”.

OUR PLANS...GOD'S STEPS

In our last post I shared that we were about to begin a two week break in our Habitat building schedule. Several things have happened this past week which have led us to plan out a slightly different path for the second half of our winter here in the south. I will share that a bit later.

We have settled into a nice, small RV Park called Sunny Pines for our two weeks of R&R. It is located right in Sebring. We arrived here on Saturday, Nov. 22, after we broke camp at the Cloverleaf 4H Camp where we stayed during our two week build here. We had the opportunity to break out our bikes and do a little riding at a local state park called Highlands Hammock State Park over the weekend.



The park has a campground, picnic areas, hiking and bike trials as well as a museum about the Civilian Construction Corp, a music performance area and several walking paths which take you out into subtropical areas of the park.



Our plans were to stay at Sunny Pines for our first week and check out some of the local points of interest, like the state park, and then move toward Vero Beach where our next build takes place. Within a couple days we felt that a change was coming our way. The more we experienced the folks at the park and the area, the more we felt that we were to stay here longer so we asked some of the residents if there were any sites open later in the winter. They told us that they understood that the park was all sold out but we went to the office anyhow. The lady in the office told us that there were a couple sites still open so we decided to return here after Christmas to “settle in” to one area for a little different experience.

We will still head to Vero Beach at the end of this week to join a two week Care-A-Vanner build there and then head north for Christmas with our families. After we return, Frannie plans to volunteer at the Habitat Home Store in Sebring part time and I plan to rejoin the local volunteers who work part time with the local Habitat building team we were with last 2 weeks. We may both look for some part time work as well to defray the cost of our site. We’ll share more as it develops. In going through all of this I was reminded of Proverbs 16:9 which says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

We can, and should, make plans for our lives but we should always be mindful of the Lord’s direction and the “course corrections” He often brings into our plans. As believers we have the promise of His direction. There are lots and lots of verses which remind us of the need to trust God and to know that He will guide us. One of my favorites is Proverbs 3:5,6 : “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” (or “make your paths straight”) I hope that you, too, are really trusting God to “direct your paths”. I’m tellin’ you, He really will.

The park here has many activities scheduled throughout the week for the residents including worship right here in the park on Sunday mornings. We attended worship here last Sunday and enjoyed the “family”.



We joined many at the park for a group Thanksgiving dinner along with 80 other people! The owners provided turkey, ham and dressing while all of the residents contributed other dishes or desserts to complete the meal. It was a nice time where all of us, away from our own families, could join together as a “family” and share a meal to remember the day. It sure was different but it was nice to be with others in a similar situation. As usually happens, we all ate too much and found time for a little nap later in the day.

We will continue to keep you posted as to our “going ons”. We are enjoying the weather down here (upper 60s to mid 70s and sunny) and we receive regular reports about the weather we are “missing” up North. Just a couple days ago our son, Jason, sent us a picture, via his cell phone, of the snow storm he was driving in so we sent him a picture of Frannie, in her shorts, standing next to a lake behind our park. And speaking of Frannie, here she is with another edition of:

“WHAT I LEARNED ON THE ROAD”



Hi all,

Earlier in this article, Bob referred to the Highlands Hammock State Park, and after seeing numerous signs for Hammock Falls, Golf Hammock, etc., I wondered what exactly a hammock was. (no, this isn’t the hammock you sleep in) A hammock is a forest of broadleaf trees surrounded by pinelands or marshes. Now, isn’t that interesting?

God bless you all. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family. All of us have so much to be thankful for. We know that we’ll be seeing our family during Christmas but we hope to continue “seeing” you here at our site as we continue “on the road”.

ANOTHER ONE IN THE BOOKS

Today marks the end of the second Habitat "build" on this winter tour. On this final day of our two week stay there was only the three of us "Care-A-Vanners" and our site construction supervisor, Frank.



Frannie worked on small jobs at ground level and did a major clean up around the site while Frank, Kent and I continued sheathing the roof in preparation for a metal roof.



This build was very different than our first in that we got a chance to not only do some serious painting at one site but we walked onto a concrete slab last Monday morning and spent much of our two weeks building a new Habitat home from the ground up. During our stay we worked with two on site construction supervisors, Robert and Frank along with visits from the overall construction manager, Alan, and our local volunteer coordinator, Nadia. This particular affiliate utilizes Care-A-Vanner teams throughout the winter with major groups coming in January and February after they have spend Christmas in the north and headed south for the duration of the winter.

Frannie and I will spend a week in this area doing some exploring and site seeing. We have located the Highlands Hammock State Park which has bike trails and many walking paths and boardwalks through various sub-tropical environments. We plan to spend some time enjoying the out of doors without a hammer in our hands. Hey, we'll carry a camera instead and share some of what we see. How does that sound?

Before I close out this edition of "On The Road", Frannie has another installment for you to read. We have had many comments about not only this blog but the fun facts that Frannie is discovering and sharing here as well. Please feel free to make comments via the blog or through email. We love to here from y'all.

NEW THINGS I LEARNED ON THE ROAD:



Since we are staying at a campground in Lake Placid, Fla.,a little background history might be interesting, especially for the northern New Yorkers. Lake Placid has endured a number of name changes since the early 1900’s,the last being Wicco, changed by the railroad. By 1926 the Florida building boom resulted in tourists flocking to the town and business sprang up everywhere. In 1927 Dr. Melville Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal System for cataloging library books,(you do support your local library…don’t you?) arrived in the area. Finding the area similar to his native Lake Placid, N.Y. due to the lakes, Dr. Dewey had visions of a resort town as the semitropical branch of the Lake Placid Club in the Adirondack Mountains, which he had formed in 1893. In 1927, at Dewey’s urging, the town’s named was changed to Lake Placid by legislative act. Now, wasn’t that interesting? Stay tuned for more interesting and useless facts as we travel “On the Road.”

CHANGE OF PACE

Monday, as I metioned in Sunday's posting, we drove about 45 miles to a closed Captain Dan's restaurant in Okeechobee, FL. We took two large box trucks, two pickups and a trailer along with a crew of 8. We spent the morning stripping all the furniture and appliances that we could and hauled it all back to the Sebring Home Store where it filled most of the downstair storage area and most of an upstairs storeroom as well.



The next time you sit in a Red Lobster or similar chain restuarant try to imagine removing all of that "stuff" and hauling it away. That still won't get you the full picture. There was also about 6 huge deep fryers, prep tables, dishes, trays, cleaning items, etc. all packed into those trucks. And I haven't metioned that there was lots and lots of very old grease coating much of the frying and kitchen equipment

The amazing thing about this job was that by Tuesday afternoon, when we stopped in at the Home Store after work, all the booths and two of the large freezers had already been sold. This will be a nice addition to the sales at the store. It's just one of the many ways that Habitat generates income to help with their goal of providing affordable housing.

Tuesday, it was back to our main building site where we completed work on roof rafters and then started laying plywood on them in preparation for roofing.



Today (Wednesday) we were shifted to another build which we had worked on some last week. We were joined by about 20 retired folks from a local Methodist church for a work day of painting a house we had insulated last week. Along with the volunteers, the Habitat construction supervisors, Frannie struck up a conversation with one couple which resulted in an amazing discovery. The couple had not only known both of Fran's parents as well as my dad. They had rented a store front to Fran's mom at one time. As I got into the conversation as well, we discovered an that an old friend of my family who had gone into ministry was also a common acquaintance as well. What a small world it is. Here we are, 1200 miles from our family and we meet people who lived where we grew up and knew both of our parents.

This whole group of volunteers from the Methodist church volunteer regularly as a group for a "work day" where they join the Habitat builders for a day. A smaller group from within this group is made up of retired men who worked as electricians. They come out on additional days whenever another house is ready to be wired and they provide that service to Habitat. It is great to see so many people who don't just "fly south for the winter" to sit around but who also get involved by sharing their time and talents in such a selfless way. Hey, maybe there's something you can do in your own communities where you do the same thing...share your time and talents through some type of volunteer work. God calls us to be servants, following Jesus' example of servanthood.

One of the other people we met was the wife of the couple who will be buying this particular house. She joined us for a day of painting and was picked up by her husband in the afternoon. It's always great to meet and work with some of the people we are actually building for.

Tomorrow we are back on the main build site where we will be joined by a group of High School students who are doing community service work as well. Last Saturday they joined the crew laying down sod around another nearly completed house and tomorrow they will join us to help put on a roof and maybe even some siding. Friday afternoon will complete our commitment here in Sebring. We will then take a break before heading out to Vero Beach to begin yet another build. We'll be seeing you "on the road".

THERE'S A CHILL IN THE AIR

This post won't be too long today but we wanted to say "Hi" to all you who are following our journey. We are having a little more trouble finding places with WIFI where we can connect at a time convenient to our schedule. This afternoon we are sitting in a Panera Bread store in Sebring sipping our coffee and tea and catching up on our emails of the last 3 or 4 days. If you have written to us we appologize for taking so long to reply.

Yesterday we took some time to look around the city of Sebring. We went to an outdoor flea market where there was everything from fresh picked fruit to squares of freshly cut sod, yup SOD. I guess it's like instant lawn, one square foot at a time. Well we discovered Red Navel Oranges. They are very tasty and the inside is as bright red as fresh red grapefruit...so......we bought a 1/4 bushel and are enjoying them. We took time out to sit in the city park at Lake Jackson where we enjoyed the fresh breezes, watched geckos scamper accross the sidewalk in front of us and soaked up some more Florida sunshine.



I shared something with a couple from our former church in Fowler which I will share with all of you. We tried a different church this morning. It met in the clubhouse of a local RV Retirement Community. There were nearly 400 people there and it was a really nice service. Their pastor, a retired Lutheran, was a very humble, down to earth man. He was being honored for his 30th year in ministry and for completing his 5th year at this church. He and his wife gave their testimony as to how God called them out of a “normal” job in the auto industry and working into ministry in a very unusual way. I kept looking at Fran and smiling. His first church asked him to come and preach for one or two Sundays and, the next thing he knew, he was candidating and was called as their pastor where he served for many years. Can you imagine that?

Tomorrow we will be heading to Okeechobee to remove all the equipment and furniture in a restaurant there which was donated to Highlands County Habitat for Humanity.



It will be a nice change of pace and a BIG change in temperature. Last night a cold front "blew through", littereally. Our trailer got to rockin' and rollin' during the night. We felt like we were trying to sleep on the old Iron Pig. If you know of us and our past that last sentence will make sense. Anyhow, along with the winds we now have forcasts with the highs around 72 degrees. That will certainly make working out in the sun a little different for us "soft" Yankees.

We are seeing truck loads (10 wheelers) of oranges on the highway fairly regularly.



Some are picked very green while others have the more common bright orange color all of us Yankees are used to. As I said before, a future post will include more of what we have learned about the citrus industry.



Today we just wanted to check in with all of you who follow our blog. We are overstaying our welcome here at the Panera bread store so we will close out this edition of "On the Road" and get out there "on the road" ourselves. Actually, we are still wearing our "church clothes" at 4 in the afternoon so it's probably about time we headed back to our home on wheels.

Thanks for checking in on us. We love you all and look forward to meeting you again soon out here "on the road".

WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT!

Well, we started work at our new build this week and have logged 4 days now. I would have posted sooner but the Public Libraries here were closed both Monday and Tuesday so this is our first chance to get back on line.

First comment, “boy it’s hot”. Our co-workers who live here all year round say this is just nice and cool to them. We have been in the high 70’s or low 80’s all week with a high of 89 today. With lots and lots of sun we are using lots and lots of sunscreen and drinking lots and lots of water on the job. Every now and then we just have to find some shade while at work too.

And speaking of work, we are having the unique opportunity at this build to start a standard size Habitat house from the ground up. Monday, we stepped on to a finished concrete pad and for the last four days we have been building and raising walls and adding plywood sheathing to the outside.



Things get a little toasty on the concrete but the ice water helps. We work with a different group of local volunteers each day. They come out each week on the same day to offer some help. We are meeting people of all ages, all skill levels and all walks of life. Today I was able to work with a man from Haiti, along with a fellow from Michigan who comes down here with his trailer to work for about 5 to 6 months during the winter. He has a dog, cat, trailer, van and a big Harley which he rides to work most days.

We have had several changes in our work schedule this week. We left one job to set up another home for the pending sheet rocking crew. On another day we left the house raising build to move to another house to add insulation. Just this morning we started our day at yet another location where we poured a concrete driveway and sidewalk. After that job was accomplished the whole crew headed back to the house we are raising and worked the reminder of the day.

As with our last build the local Habitat affiliate, Highlands County Habitat for Humanity, also has a Home Store where they sell used furniture, dishes, books, fixtures, construction items, etc.. The funds which are raised provide income for operating expenses plus money to put toward more homes. I was told by one Habitat member that these stores can generate enough income over a two month period to provide funds for another house. These affiliates work through local donations and fund raisers as well as grant money to provide these homes. As a matter of fact, I was told Tuesday by the Construction Director that he was contacted just an hour or two before with a donation of a complete restaurant’s fixtures. Plans are underway for our whole Monday crew to load up the trucks and head to Okachobee, FL where we will strip out the restaurant’s equipment including kitchen equipment as well as booths, tables ,cabinets, etc.. All of these will be brought back to the home store to be sold. It’s amazing how these different “fund streams” grow together to create the necessary funds for building yet another home.

I am mindful of a scripture verse. In Proverbs 29:18 it says: “Where there is no vision the people perish.” I am reminded that Habitat, and those who serve in this ministry, have a vision of what can be done when people get an idea, dream large and then get busy. Two of the homes this affiliate has recently worked on were older homes which were donated. The one Frannie and I got to walk through Monday morning was actually moved off the lot where it was built and relocated to another part of the town. As you can imagine there was, and still is, lots of remodeling to be done. But someone who is looking for a home can purchase one of these at a much lower cost and still have a solid, nice, comfortable home in which to raise their families. We continue to learn more about this ministry with each new experience. We will continue to share what we learn with you so that you may get a better picture of what Habitat is all about. Who knows, it may inspire you to become involved with a local Habitat affiliate or, like Frannie and me, maybe you, too may want to go “on the road” to learn more as you offer yourselves in a similar way. Hey, who knows, maybe someday soon we will literally meet each other “on the road”. Next time I'll write more about the acres and acres of orange groves we drive by every day. We have tasted some of the local fruit and it is delicious. Until next time, God bless .

THINGS I LEARNED ON THIS TRIP! by Fran

Periodically I will share new information(to me, at least)that I will be sharing with you. Today's subject is GATORS: Gators don't just chomp away at you. They grab you in their jaws, drag you underwater and hold you there till you drown.(pretty picture, isn't it?)Then they carry you to their dining room for an undisturbed feast. Snowbirds (read Bob & Fran) will be glad to know that gators are summertime eaters. They give up eating in winter months and just coast along on stored up fat. This info came from the brochure "A guide to living with alligators" (living with?)

INTO THE FLORIDA SUNSHINE

I need to appologize about todays posting. I am having trouble downloading the photos I wanted to show you so there won't be any in this article. Check back in a day or two and I hope to have that corrected. In the meantime, here's our latest post.

We arrived in Florida on Thursday and stayed in the Gainsville area. As we entered the state on Interstate 75 we decided to stop at the Florida Welcome Center and, walking into the center we were greeted by a woman behind the counter who asked everyone who walked in: "Hi. Would you like a nice cold glass of fresh Florida orage or grapefruit juice?" She was right. It was cold and delicious. It tasted like a glass of Florida sunshine. (Sound like an OJ commercial don't I?) Oh yes, the temps reached up into the low 80s ad it finally happened. Frannie and I put on our shorts.

On Friday we completed this leg of our journey when we set up our 2 week camp in the parking lot at Camp Cloverleaf, a 4H camp located in Lake Placid, FL and operated by the University of Florida. Several years ago when the local Habitat organization was trying to establish a place fo Care-A-Vanners to "hook up" they worked with the university, 4H and local leaders and set up a number of "hook ups" (electric & water) right in the parking lot of the camp. We arrived a couple days early so we set up at the end of the parking lot closest to the camps buildings and Lake June beyond. Since there is a private group there for the weekend we were unable to walk the grounds to take some pictures to share but they will appear in a future post.

On our journey through Florida we drove by many cotton fields, bursting with white and waiting for harvest. It was amazing and quite saddening to realize how many years the harvesting of these large fields were accomplished through slave labor. Isn't it interesting that just this past week our country elected the first African-American to the highest office in the land. Regardless of your political leanings, it is a huge step for a nation who, not that many years ago, held members of that race in such low regard and contempt. Scripture reminds us that, in God's eyes, we are all the same. The Bible says that He only sees two groups of people here on earth, those who are saved and those who are not. I hope that all of you reading these blogs are in the first group. If not, please email me at so I can share more.

As we drove further south in Florida we finally started seeing the orange groves we had been looking for. In the central Florida region there is so much new development taking over the former groves of citrus trees but as we got below Winter Haven we started seeing more of them. Actually, there is a large grove accross the street from our home at the 4H Camp.

Today (Saturday) we decided to look around the city of Lake Placid, Fl. It is a beautiful little town which is filled, and I mean filled, with huge wall covering murals. When I get the downloading problem fixed I will post some in this article.
They are amazing. As Frannie and I walked about town we discovered that every trash can was painted or shaped in some unique way.

Tomorrow afternoon we will be meeting with our Highlands Habitat for Humanity hosts. We expect that we will also be meeting our co-Care-A-Vanners before then. We are told that there are only 4 units for this build. In the past there were many more. We are hoping that through our blog and our sharing with others about this winter's experience that more of you may want to try out this interesting experience. We will, as always, keep you posted as to how things are going and what we are learning. In the meantime, thanks again for coming along with us on this journey and we look forward to seeing you "on the road".

GEORGIA ON MY MIND

We spent today driving through Georgia...well most of the way through it. We stopped tonight at Perry, GA to let the truck, and us, rest up for the night. Gotta let those horses have some down time ya know. We saw a lot of color in the trees today which surprised us a little. The reds and yellows were much brighter that we had seen since the glorious colors of NY and PA at the start of our trip.



We had been told by our hosts last night outside of Greenville, NC that they were experiencing serious draught conditions. One of the ponds on their property had dried up completely and one was so low that the floating swim platform was resting on the dried up sloping bottom of the pond.



As we drove down Interstate 75 today through Georgia we passed large lakes which were down 10 feet or more, exposing lots of shoreline and leaving cottage docks which lined the lakes sitting high and dry.



One unexpected "event" happened today when we stopped to fuel up at a Flying J Truck Stop in Jackson, GA. I (Bob) noticed something hanging down under the truck as we walked back out from our rest stop. It was the tailpipe of the truck which had rusted through just behind the muffler and was hanging close to the ground. So....we drove around to the back of the parking area among all the "big dogs" like the tiger striped truck in the photo below.



I crawled under the truck and wired the tailpipe back to the muffler. A couple hundred miles later it is still holding. Guess we'll see if it makes it all the way to Florida?



Weather has been great, 73 degrees and sunny, and we continue to meet interesting people all along the way. The forecast for tomorrow is sunny with temps nearing 80 degrees. We're lovin' it! We plan to head out in the morning and drive into Florida. We may or may not try to go all the way to Sebring. A lot will depend on when we get out on the road and what happens along the way. Either way we will be there by Sunday when we have our orientation with the Habitat Team from Indian River Habitat for Humanity on Sunday afternoon. Traffic wasn't too bad but we always appreciate the prayers of our friends and family as we travel down the highway at speeds up to 70MPH with 4 tons trailer following closely behind us. By the way, diesel was under $3 today and regular gas is nearing the $2 mark down here. Hope you folks up north are enjoying a break in the price as well.

Today we want to give a big Georgia "Hey!" to two of our young friends and their mom who are following our journey via this blog. They are Colter, Alayna and Sheila Davison who live up in Fowler, NY. "Hey, y'all. Ha y'all doin'?" We're so glad y'all are followin' us transplanted yankees down here in the sunny south."

Love to you all, excuse me...love to "y'all" and we'll be seeing you "on the road".

HEADIN' SOUTH

We left Siler City, NC on Monday morning and headed south. We settled in at an RV park located outside Greenville, SC. Since we don't need to be in place at Sebring, FL until Sunday, we decided to spend Tuesday in Greenville. We found a city which has worked very hard to bring beautiful development to the downtown area.



Much of the four lane Main Street has been reduced to two lanes to provide lots of space for trees, benches and wide walkways. The tall trees form a canopy which cover Main Street much of the distance along the development. There are many new, tall buildings as well and at least two huge buildings currently under construction with others being planned.

The Reedy River flows through the downtown Greenville area and was, at one time, lined with mills and heavy industry. Now this same area is filled with paved walkways, amazing foot bridges, beautiful shops and artist studios, many of whom are working at their craft just outside their studio doors.



There are ducks meandering up and down the river looking for a handout from those enjoying the waterside benches. And everywhere you look there are water falls and fountains. There are falls in the river as well as multilevel, manmade waterfalls flowing down between huge buildings. There is a children's fountain area with a railroad theme complete with pulsating bursts of water which they can play in, railroad tracks painted on the sidewalk and an old steam engine just peaking out from a tunnel. There are several other fountains located along Main Street along with plazas with chairs and tables where people gather to relax, chat, read, drink coffee or whatever. There is a wide variety of shops all along Main Street with just about anything one can imagine on display for sale.



Bob sampled the coffee from one of the many coffee shops while Fran was drawn to an ice cream shop which mixed items such as crushed candybars, chocolate chips, crushed nuts, etc. into one of the many different flavors of ice cream available and served in a waffle cone or bowl being made fresh before your eyes. Oh yes, she didn't eat ice cream alone! Temps today rose to about 72 degrees with lots of sunshine.



Tomorrow we will, once again, hit the road as we head south on Interstate 85. We hope to be well into Georgia by tomorrow night leaving one more driving day needed for us to reach our destination. So, until our next post we'll say "thanks" to all who keep us in their thoughts and prayers and look forward to seeing you, as always, "on the road".

GOODBYE NORTH CAROLINA - FLORIDA, HERE WE COME!

Our first Habitat build is now “in the books”. We had a great experience working with all the folks at the Chatham Habitat for Humanity. Daily we had the opportunity to work with the other members of our ‘Care-A-Vanners’ team as well as local volunteers, a great trio of Americorps youth, and Habitat staff.

Though the make up of the crew was different daily, two faces who were almost always there together leading us were the construction supervisors, Gabriela and Jack.



These two leaders worked daily with all of us, guiding us in not only what needed to be done but how to do it. They demonstrated skill and great knowledge of their craft while, at the same time showing patience and a positive attitude as they encouraged the volunteers all day long. You would often hear Jack saying “great job, guys”, “awesome work”, “way to go” and other uplifting words to make the day’s activities better. He would begin the workday with, “There’s three things we want to do today: work safely, have fun together, and get some things accomplished.” These two professionals were, in large part, responsible for our having such a positive and enjoyable experience. Our sincere thanks go out to both of them.

We had the opportunity to work with a wide variety of local volunteers. There were old bikers, a father & daughter team, a group of local men, a ladies group, individuals and groups who travelled on a once a week basis from up to 40 miles away to help build affordable housing for families who need it.



We met, and worked with, some of the families who will be buying the very homes we were helping to build. We learned that Habitat does so much more for these families than just build houses. They provide training and classes in areas such as job skills, credit counseling and personal finance, community relationships and community building. We worked in a section of housing where people were living in, and maintaining, very nice, modest homes where you could see small gardens, flower beds, well kept yards with children playing in safety. We are beginning to get a better picture of the larger mission of Habitat…building a sense of community, of home, one house at a time.



If any of our newfound friends at the Chatham Habitat for Humanity read this blog we want to offer you our personal thanks for your warm welcome and encouragement. And also to our new friends, Nancy and Richard Peter, who hosted our Care-A-Vanner team at their horse farm…thank you so much.



We want to send a special southern greeting to our nephew Ben Wypij who, along with his family, follows our blog. “Hey Ben, how y'all doin’? Aunt Fran and Uncle Bob send a big "HEY" out to y'all."

Now we head south to warmer temps (we hope) and new experiences at our next Habitat build. Please keep checking in on our progress and please pray for safe travel as we head out on Monday morning. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you “on the road”.