Habitat for Humanity- Picayune, MS

Just returned home from my trip to Picayune, MS where I worked with other students and professors for Habitat for Humanity. Although I have worked with Habitat for Humanity in Birmingham, AL, this was my first trip to Picayune. A group from our school has gone every semester since Hurricane Katrina, led by our very own Dr. Bob, so it was great to see the connection made between the returners and the people who worked at the site, as well as the surrounding community. There were a few graduates on the trip, and I loved knowing that these alumni remembered their past experiences and continued to make time out of their busy schedules to go on the trip. Next semester, I hope to return to Picayune to accomplish a Blitz Build- building an entire house from the ground up in 48 hours.

I have to say, there are few things more rewarding than meeting the family who is going to live in a house you are building. We were able to meet the Mom and her three children, who all stayed around the site the Saturday while we were there, helping out and putting in their Sweat Equity hours required by Habitat for Humanity to own one of their homes. And, to relay the answer to my most important question, she wants the house to be light brown, even though the girls want it to be purple!

The amazing thing about this trip was how much we were able to accomplish in the two days spent on the work site, and how enjoyable the company was. Because there were forty-five of us there, we were able to get done what my previous group of twenty-two was able to accomplish all week in Birmingham. We built, as shown above, pretty much everything from the cement foundation to completing the shingles on the roof. In addition, there was a diverse mix of students, alumni and professors, representing each of the colleges and many different cliques of people. We all seemed to “go with the flow” as instructed by Dr. Bob, and take on whichever projects were assigned, even if it included crawling around in the mud under the house (did you guess I had to do that? haha). It’s refreshing to be around that many people who just want to give some time to others and help where they are needed.

Below is a video of the scariest part of the process- lifting up the roof tresses for the professionals to carry across the top beams of the house and put in place. Although we learned a lot about building on this trip, and I can comfortably walk on an unfinished roof, I will gladly save the acrobatic acts for these fine gentlemen.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rrJWDWpubY]