A Workin' Day

Today was a good day. I managed to get four loads of laundry done and all put away, which is something when you consider that I'm currently line drying everything. I also did dishes, weeded, and cleaned up some of the construction debris. I've recently realized that somehow I find more peace and enjoyment in my daily chores here, and least when Ethan is content.

This evening Terral's mom came over to watch Ethan for us so we could both go to the stake service activity. So many people showed up! We were a few minutes late, but there were still people in the parking lot that could give us directions. They told us that the homes that had a red paper on the door were the ones that needed help. Well, it took us quite a while to find anyone that could use our help. We just kept driving around, and any time we'd see a house with red on the door, we'd stop and they'd say, "We're all done here!" It was pretty amazing and just a little bit frustrating too. We finally found two places where we could work, and neither of them were marked. We weren't at the first place very long because it had a pretty small basement and it got taken care of pretty quickly. The second place we found belonged to an older couple. The husband had just been working and working and didn't tell anyone that he needed help, but luckily the neighbor found out and called in the troops. We helped haul out debris for a bit, but there were so many bodies that we were still doing a good amount of standing. Then the neighbor told us that there was a window well full of clay mud that he'd been working on that still needed to be cleared out some more, so Terral and I went to work. That stuff was heavy and sticky. It was quite difficult to clean it out. It felt good that we knew we were doing something to help that the owner wouldn't have been able to do himself. We spent quite a long time in that window well, and all the time the rest of the basement was like a beehive with all the activity going on.

It warmed my heart so much to see all those people so willing to help. And to see so many cheerful people too! At one place we stopped to see if they needed anything, the man said, "No, we're good. The church came, and BAM! it was done!"

Things like flooding can be so very difficult to deal with, but they really can bring a community together. Suddenly it doesn't matter what religion you are or if you run in different circles. Some people need help, and other people have the need to help. It doesn't matter which role you are currently filling. Both can bring you closer to God.