...from Art Janzen

Here we are, day three of our SWAP mission. Where do I start? Day one, the word of the day was stunned. As the day progressed it became more and more apparent that we were not in Kansas (Waterloo) anymore! I was emotionally and physically exhausted by the end of the day, 13 hours in a van full of kids, perhaps, lack of sleep and a time change, maybe, meeting a family living in 1969 mobile home in a ditch with holes the size of end table in their floors, definitely! On a scale of 1-10: Disturbance Level: 1 Building Code Nightmare: 1 Hanging out with awesome kids including my daughter: 8 Day two was a new day, we knew what we would encounter on site, we began to see a spark in the family we were working for and I was able to concentrate on the task in front of me and not be so concerned about the rest. It was a day of much progress, time spent connecting with the homeowners Bert and Patricia and a great day of connecting with our team, Sarah Reed, Sandy Koop, her son Noah, and my daughter Maddie. This crew can work and it was great to teach and learn together throughout the day. As a group that night we made our way into town for a great night of pick'n & grin'n! I'm sure Pete has shared this already. Today our work group really began to see what our trip is all about. Our homeowners tell us many times throughout the day how thankful they are for our work. They are eager to pitch in and help where they can which is not the case on other team experiences. It's giving lots of good reason to question WHY we are doing what we are doing. What is the point?, Are the families impacted? Will the homes we refurbish just go back to what they were after we leave? The answer: Why Not. There doesn't have to be a reason other than we are here to serve. Uncomfortable, yes, stretching, yes, a joy to see our kids grow, share and serve, definitely! We ended the day with a very cool visit to a luthier makers shop. That's a fancy way of saying guitar maker, what an amazing craft with a deep and rich history in Kentucky. A little square dancing with our banjo playing friend Randy and we are all ready for bed! Tomorrow is a break day that will have us traveling to a museum and going for a hike on the tallest mountains of Kentucky. Stay tuned, there should be lot's of exciting things to report! ... Art