As one person I cannot change the world...

As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person.

Paul Shane Spear

With all the problems around the world, it is important to not get overwhelmed and to do something and that something will make a difference. Today the PVs were able to make life a little easier for three different ladies.

We returned to the site in Maben to continue with the projects that were started last week. Great progress was made and we are that much closer to finishing the work we set out to do.

We also returned to the site in Allyn Junction to put the finishing touches on the drywall. The group sanded, mudded in a few places and put primer on the ceiling. Now we are all set to paint and to put the molding up.

A new site was started today near Pineville. The crew's task was to pull up floors that had many holes and replace it with new plywood. The woman who lives in the house told us that the damage done to her house was from the flood of 2001 when water ran underneath her house. She and her husband had been patching holes to make the house livable, but since his passing this last year she hasn't been able to keep up with the floor.

Dinner tonight was a green feast! Pecan Chicken, spinach quiche, broccoli and peppers and a nice green salad. With a topper of ice cream for dessert, how could you go wrong?

Listening...such an important skill to have and one that is so underrated. Reflection tonight focused on the importance of listening and what an important part it plays in being a PV. After reflecting on listening, we shared a "new and a good" from our day.

As a parting shot, thought we would share a picture we received today from twp PVs who left this past Saturday. Proves the old adage, you may be gone but not forgotten...

Walking in the rain

Sundays are PV Community Day and today we decided to go on a hike at Twin Falls State Park. Unfortunately, right when we set out on the trail we started hearing thunder and not too much later the rain came. Being the hearty PVs that we are, we continued our walk to see the falls. The rain ended up being kind of refreshing, even though we got a little wet.

After a reorientation and dinner, we gathered to start the week like we start each week with a commissioning prayer service and job sites for the week. The group has gelled very quickly and we are looking forward to a great week.

Some Pictures

Tell me and I forget...

Tell me and forget
Teach me and I may remember
Involve me and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin


Friday is traditionally the day that the PVs go into the community and work on projects that are not home repair. This week however, since we were moving in on Monday we had a combo of both home repair and "other" sites.

We finished our first site of the summer when we laid the last piece of rubber on the roof out in the Baileysville area. This was the site that was started in March so it was nice to finish the project.

Volunteers also continued to work at the the two other sites in the Maben and in Allyn Junction. We are close to finishing both, but they will continue into the new week.

For dinner we were treated to a wonderful meal of chicken marsala, lentil soup, pasta, salad and ice cream for dessert. Yum, yum, yum in the tum, tum, tum.

Since it is the end of the week and many volunteers are leaving in the morning, we capped off the week with a closing prayer service centered on the idea of light.

Remember when you leave this earth...

Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received - only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage.     Saint Francis of Assisi

What a wonderful summary of PV life! We don't have all the amenities we have at home, but we make due and while simplifying our lives it makes it easy to focus on the important things like connecting with each other on the most basic level.

Our home repair sites for today were the same three sites that we have been working on. A lot of progress continues to be made each day. Not only are volunteers building and creating beautiful things, but their lives are being enriched by being in the presence of some wonderful, generous people.

Besides the home repair, a group of PVs went to help at St. Vincent DePaul in Pineville today. They helped to distribute furniture to people who had signed up at the Itmann Food Bank. While they were waiting for the clients to arrive, they helped to sort and organize paint for distribution.

After a hard days work, we were treated to breakfast for dinner. Pancake, eggs, bacon, sausage, doughnuts, moonpies (yes, moonpies!), orange juice and coffee. This is a traditional meal the men prepare during the first week for the community. This year they had to do it without the assistance of a cook and they did a fabulous job : )

Relaxation was in store for reflection. We were guided through a relaxation exercise, including the story of Martha and Mary. We were also encouraged to look at each day as a opportunity for surprise, inspiration and learning. What a great lesson to take into our everyday lives.

How wonderful it is...

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.      Ann Frank

What a great reminder for us to start doing stuff now to help the world, even if it is just a little bit. Today the little bit that the PVs did went a long way. One group continued to work on the roof and back porch out on the west end of the county, while another group continued to drywall closer to home. We were also able to send a crew out to a new site nearby to where we are staying to repair a porch roof and build a set of steps and platform onto the front porch which has none. The home owner was so appreciative of the volunteers efforts that she had coffee waiting for them when they arrived, as well as pizza and garlic bread at lunch.  She even offered to do their laundry for them tomorrow! Now that is what you call service.

Dinner this evening was a delicious grilled chicken, homemade broccoli and cheese soup and absolutely yummy apple spice cake, still warm from the oven.

Tonight for reflection we focused on opening our hands and opening our hearts, and in particular when this happens during our time in West Virginia.

There are two kinds of gratitude...

There are two kinds of gratitude:  The sudden kind we feel for what we receive, and the larger kind we feel for what we give.     Edward Arlington Robinson

Today we ventured off for the first time to home repair sites. We were spread across the county at two different sites. We worked in Allen Junction to help a women hang drywall on the ceiling in her house. Despite the struggles of nothing being square, the crew did a wonderful job, getting a large part of the room done. The home owner and her grandson were right there lending a hand whenever they could, whether it was holding drywall, or providing the volunteers with a sweet treat.

The other site was a two-parter. A group worked up on the roof installing a new EPDM rubber roof to stop many leaks. A second group of PVs worked around back of the trailer to build a small platform by the back door to give the family a second exit out of their trailer. This site was started in March when Northern Illinois University was here, so it was great to return and see the family.

After a hot and humid day, we were all treated to a wonderful dinner of chilli and Irish soda bread. While chilli may seem to be an odd choice, it was absolutely delicious.

Reflection for the night focused on our journey as PVs and all the times in the last two decades that we have had to shake off the dirt from our shoes and move on. It was a great reminder about change and how as the PV Vision Statements says, "In all endings are seeds of new beginnings."

There is a tremendous strength that is growing in the world...

There is a tremendous strength that is growing in the world through...sharing together, praying together, suffering together, and working together.     Mother Teresa

This quote perfectly summarizes what it means to be a PV and really encapsulates the last few days. Together as a group we have worked together to settled into our new home. After our prearranged housing fell through less than 24 hours before volunteers started arriving, we reached out to Mark at The Way youth center in Mullens to see if he could help with our housing problem. The Way is a wonderful center that is a safe and positive place for kids. A few summers back, the PVs were honored to be asked to help alongside the hundreds of volunteers to make the Way a reality. Because of all this hard work, Mark was more than happy to try an accommodate the PVs for the summer, and hence our housing crisis was solved.

As we get used to our new home, it has taken the hard work of every PV pitching a hand to get the program where it needs to be to function for the summer. Because of the late start in preparation, we spent all day Monday getting the rest of our tools and supplies over from storage. The volunteers all eagerly helped with this project and gave up a day of their service week in service to the program.

We happily enjoyed a taco feast for dinner, as well as a perfectly ripened watermelon for dessert. After dinner we gather for the first reflection of the summer. We were asked to reflect why we came to WV our first summer. It was a great way to re-center and reinvest in what it means to be a PV, sharing together, praying together, suffering together and working together.

WV PV Program Has Begun

This weekend was the official kick off of the West Virginia portion of the summer. Sunday was spent getting to know each other and settling in to our new home at The Way in Mullens. We wrapped up the evening with a commissioning service. We are still organizing everything, so should be up and running with daily posts soon!

PVs in West Virginia

Saturday is the official kick off of the PV experience in West Virginia. We will be staying in a new place, the Bailyesville Community Center, and are ready for new adventures! The plan is to post pretty much daily throughout our time in West Virginia, so please check back and be a part of the summer with us.

PV Video Contest

Amazon Special Promotion This Week To Help The PVs

In honor of Dad, shop at AmazonSmile through 6/15/14 and Amazon will donate an extra $5 to Pv Volunteers Inc. Click here to get started: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/27-0311803

In other words, if we get 30 people to make a purchase this week who are registered on smile.amazon.com with the PVs as their charity, we will get a check for $150, plus a percentage of the purchase.

The first quarter we received a check for $94 from Amazon Smile for your purchases and participation in the last deal. While that is wonderful, we know we can do so much better!
Please consider emailing your families and friends and ask if they would take part in this deal. 

To make sure your purchase is counted, make sure you go to smile.amazon.com, as oppose to just amazon.com. It is the same site, just a different way to get to it.

Thanks!!!