Rockin' the FOUR-ZERO

This week I had the privilege of being a site-leader at the Mid-Ohio Valley Workcamp. There were over 540 workers that painted forty-one houses.

My group was crew 40.

(Quick note: If you don't want to know my personal feelings about each of my group members, and I can't imagine why you wouldn't, skip to the last paragraph. There is a point to all of this)

The crew consisted of the following workers:

George from West Virginia – The fearful rule-breaking leader. I’ve never painted anything that didn’t eventually have to be repainted. Not really site-leader material.

Debbie from New Jersey – Debbie may have had a hang-up (or ten). Very driven, very hard working, very maternal, and had a difficult time expressing her opinion er, maybe not so much. She was also an experienced painter.

Beef from Florida – I’m not sure what Beef’s real name is. I do know that he’s a Gator fan, so we had at least that in common. He is a fixer, which came in handy, because we had a lot that needed fixing on the house.

Kailey from Florida – The brains behind Beef. She didn’t have a lot to say, but when she talked, it was important.

Emma Jo from Ohio – I love that kid. She’s like having a mom on the trip, and she is as ADD as, well… me.

Mary from New Jersey – Mary was a hoot. Especially when she tried to run and jump with her leg in a cast. She was a great worker and never complained about her leg. I got some guys in the youth group that qualify as plan E, F, and G.

Dee from Connecticut – One of the “Roof Girls.” Dee is the coolest mix between Nicaraguan and Italian that I’ve ever met. Her heart for God blew me away. Remember, I get to preach the wedding.

Sam from Tennessee by way of Texas – Sammy has quite the fro. And he kept us laughing the entire week. What is it about people from Texas thinking God made Texas first?

Mallorie from Florida – The quiet leader. She worked the entire week. She did everything she was asked to do, and her sweet spirit kept us going.

Brandon from Connecticut – Brandon was an amazing worker. I gave him all of the difficult jobs on the site, and he did them without complaint. He also gave me a run for my money in sports trivia. He was definitely the point guard of our team.

Hope from Tennessee – The other “Roof Girl.” Hope was a lot of fun to work with. She climbed on the roof and painted no matter how hot it was. She was always there with a comment or a story to make the work go faster.

Dwayne from New Jersey – Also one of the coolest fros I’ve ever seen. Dwayne didn’t do anything fast. Didn’t move fast, didn’t paint fast and didn’t talk fast. But, he cracked me up every day. He never complained about anything. He’s one of those guys who is just cool, without really trying.

Cole from Next Door – Cole was a nine year old who lived next door and came over for one of devos. The next day he painted with us and had a blast. He followed Beef around so much we started calling him Little Beef.

Then there was Kacy and Alli from good ole West Virginia – I mention these two together because it’s difficult to separate them in my mind. I would say they drove me crazy, but it wouldn’t be entirely true. They are my girls and I’m going to slowly kill any guy that tries to date them. For now I’m okay because they are both too scared to talk to guys.

Here’s the thing. By the end of the four days together we were saying things to each other typically reserved for the closest of friends. It’s not surprising; Christ was all about eating with his disciples and meeting the needs of others with his disciples. If Site 40 can get that close after four days, imagine what a church could be if all of its members would pick up a hammer, and together go to work.