We had some incredibly amazing back to back build days in Lawrence, KS with the Lawrence Habitat for Humanity. This was the first build site where we were all able to make great contributions on the same site, at the same time. At many of our previous build days we have been split up into multiple groups or their hasn't necessarily been enough work to go around. That was not the case in Lawrence where we had plenty to do, including weather bracing, window placing, and our personal favorite, roofing!
We worked for about 6 hours on Tuesday and made great progress, despite the continuation of the Kansas heat wave. We were all sweating just as much as we were on our previous bike days, maybe more, but by the end of the day we were proud of what we were able to accomplish.
Today we woke up early, ready for another day of slaying poverty. Unfortunately, poverty decided to slay back with a big thunderstorm just as we were about to bike over to the build site. We ended up having to take the morning off, but we were back to the site after lunch for another 3 hours of work. Although we weren't able to work as much as planned we still we able to finish a large part of the roofing and got to a point that allows electrical work to start inside the house.
It was so amazing to make such a tangible impact over the last couple days. We literally put a roof over an entire families head and it's hard for me to put into words how it felt to look at the house as we were leaving and know that that roof is so much more than a roof. It's an opportunity for a family to have a fresh start, for their kids to grow up in a stable household, to help remove this burden they were carrying. We may not know how many nails we hammered or brackets we installed, but I do know the most important number; 6 - the number of members of the Asuku family that will be changed when their house is complete in September.
I look forward to following the progress of their house and will think about them when I'm struggling to get through a bike day. In the end this is all for them, and all the other families struggling to find affordable housing.