"We ourselves must be full of life if we are going to make life fuller for others."
David Sawyer
Summer is officially upon us, although with the warm temperatures of late you would never know we weren't already in the throws of summer. Today as it being Friday, was a day for volunteers to connect with local agencies throughout the county that provide much needed services year round, as well as visit residents whom they have worked with in the past.
This group was lucky in that it was Distribution Day at the Itmann Food Bank, so they were able to help with the monthly distribution. Over 500 residents were served during the day getting food boxes, clothing, diapers and household items. The PVs helped alongside local volunteers to put the boxes together, run them out to the cars and assist with the clothing and other household items.
Part of the group left mid-day to go help at the future home of UGWA (Upper Guyandotte Watershed Association) but pulling up the Japanese Knotweed that has grown and overtook the area in front of the building.
Volunteers also spent part of the day stopping in and saying hello to many residents in the county. Building relationships have always been an integral part of the PVs and these visits help to cement those relationships.
Lasagne was on the menu tonight and it was absolutely fabulous. The meat lovers and vegetarians alike were thrilled with their respective lasagnes. Along with the lasagne we ate salad and garlic bread. For dessert we were treated to chocolate raspberry bars. In this bloggers opinion, no finer combination has ever existed.
Tonight was the closing prayer service for the week. The Friday reflections are always a chance to look back on the week that has finished and reflect on those experiences that have been most significant for each volunteer for the week. This week we shared how God has called us to serve this week.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Friday, June 21, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
"Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish." Michelangleo
Another beautiful day in wild, wonderful West Virginia. And speaking of West Virginia, today is West Virginia's 150th birthday. Happy Birthday West Virginia! Keep your eye out for a commemorative forever stamp to mark the occasion, coming to a post office near you, nationwide. You can share a little of the beautiful mountains with your loved ones (and bill collectors : ) )
Today the volunteers worked in two separate groups. One group went up to Baileysville and finished up with all the work that we set out to do. Thanks to the hard work of the PVs the family should have a drier and safer place to live. Luckily we finished up an hour our so early, just as it was starting to heat up.
The other group of PVs got a little relief from the heat, as they were working with water all day. They had the task of power-washing, and then when the power-washer quit on them hand washing, the St. Vincent DePaul building, Holy Cross Church and the Pineville Children's Clinic. All three of these organizations have been and continue to be wonderful supporters of the PVs and we were happy to lend a hand. Now, all three buildings are glowing white and clean!
Dinner tonight was a treat, chicken parm and eggplant parm along with a salad. And for dessert, chocolate and vanilla ice cream with butterscotch and chocolate toppings. It was delicious and satisfying.
Tonight we had another wonderful reflection, capped with the first "new and good" of the season.
Another beautiful day in wild, wonderful West Virginia. And speaking of West Virginia, today is West Virginia's 150th birthday. Happy Birthday West Virginia! Keep your eye out for a commemorative forever stamp to mark the occasion, coming to a post office near you, nationwide. You can share a little of the beautiful mountains with your loved ones (and bill collectors : ) )
Today the volunteers worked in two separate groups. One group went up to Baileysville and finished up with all the work that we set out to do. Thanks to the hard work of the PVs the family should have a drier and safer place to live. Luckily we finished up an hour our so early, just as it was starting to heat up.
The other group of PVs got a little relief from the heat, as they were working with water all day. They had the task of power-washing, and then when the power-washer quit on them hand washing, the St. Vincent DePaul building, Holy Cross Church and the Pineville Children's Clinic. All three of these organizations have been and continue to be wonderful supporters of the PVs and we were happy to lend a hand. Now, all three buildings are glowing white and clean!
Dinner tonight was a treat, chicken parm and eggplant parm along with a salad. And for dessert, chocolate and vanilla ice cream with butterscotch and chocolate toppings. It was delicious and satisfying.
Tonight we had another wonderful reflection, capped with the first "new and good" of the season.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
"Emotion is the chief source of all becoming conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness in to light and of apathy into movement without emotion." Eric Jung
Today started off a lot drier than yesterday. It wasn't sunny first thing, but as we drove to the sites in the morning there was fog nestled in the mountains. If you haven't seen that sight before, you are missing something of beauty.
Today we had several different crews heading out for the day. One group went back up to Long Branch to work on the porch that was started yesterday. With the drier weather and a hard working crew, the porch was finished by the end of the day. By all accounts, it looks wonderful and will be much enjoyed by the four generations of family we have met over the days.
A second group returned to the site outside of Baileysville. Today the group focused on the roof and on the front porch railings. The roof had been leaking in several places. It took a little tar, a little caulk and a lot of creativity, but we think the roof should be much better at keeping its occupants dry. The work we did on the porch was to replace the railings and make it a lot safer. It looks like one more day of work and we should be done at this site as well.
A third crew took on the role of furniture movers in the morning. A local couple from the parish are moving and wanted to donate some furniture to St. Vincent DePaul for distribution. A couple truckloads and some PV muscle later and the task was complete. We will miss you Wilburn and Kathy!
With all the furniture moving, porch building and roof repairing done today, it is no wonder why everyone had a bit of an appetite tonight. Tonight is the traditional "Breakfast for Dinner" night where several men cook the dinner. This is also the night where we take pity on our cook has to cleanup after them : ) All kidding aside, breakfast for dinner is always a nice treat. You can't really go wrong with pancakes, bacon and eggs.
Tonight's reflection asked us to think of a time while in West Virginia that we had a moment, or moments when we knew we were right where God wanted us to be.
Today started off a lot drier than yesterday. It wasn't sunny first thing, but as we drove to the sites in the morning there was fog nestled in the mountains. If you haven't seen that sight before, you are missing something of beauty.
Today we had several different crews heading out for the day. One group went back up to Long Branch to work on the porch that was started yesterday. With the drier weather and a hard working crew, the porch was finished by the end of the day. By all accounts, it looks wonderful and will be much enjoyed by the four generations of family we have met over the days.
A second group returned to the site outside of Baileysville. Today the group focused on the roof and on the front porch railings. The roof had been leaking in several places. It took a little tar, a little caulk and a lot of creativity, but we think the roof should be much better at keeping its occupants dry. The work we did on the porch was to replace the railings and make it a lot safer. It looks like one more day of work and we should be done at this site as well.
A third crew took on the role of furniture movers in the morning. A local couple from the parish are moving and wanted to donate some furniture to St. Vincent DePaul for distribution. A couple truckloads and some PV muscle later and the task was complete. We will miss you Wilburn and Kathy!
With all the furniture moving, porch building and roof repairing done today, it is no wonder why everyone had a bit of an appetite tonight. Tonight is the traditional "Breakfast for Dinner" night where several men cook the dinner. This is also the night where we take pity on our cook has to cleanup after them : ) All kidding aside, breakfast for dinner is always a nice treat. You can't really go wrong with pancakes, bacon and eggs.
Tonight's reflection asked us to think of a time while in West Virginia that we had a moment, or moments when we knew we were right where God wanted us to be.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
"From a mighty spark may burst a mighty flame." Dante
We awoke this morning to sound of rain bouncing off the metal roof of the school. It was a cool rainy morning in Hanover. We spent the first half of the day waiting for the rain stop, if not to at least slow down a bit. The creek behind the school started to sound a bit like an ocean, but because of recent dry weather, still had room before it reached a level that would be worrisome.
After eating lunch at the school, the brave volunteers headed out into the sprinkling rain with the promise of clearing skies in the near future. Both sites were able to accomplish quite a bit in their abbreviated day. One group worked in Long Branch repairing a porch. Today the volunteers were able to tear off all the deck boards that were going to be replaced, as well as the railings and stairs. Now that the group removed all the old, damaged wood, we will be replacing the deck boards with new boards and putting on new railings and building new stairs.
The other group worked over near Baileysville. There are several small projects that need to be done at this house, but because of the weather, today the group focused on some of the flooring that needed to be replaced in various areas of the trailer.
We worked a little later than normal today because we had such an abbreviated day, but that didn't make anyone less hungry for the meal that awaited us. Really it was two meals, one the was special for the vegetarians and one for those that prefer a little meat in their meals. The vegetarians were treated to a wonderful Mediterranean dish, while the meat eaters enjoyed a cheeseburger pie. The wonderful meal was topped of with a magnificent recreation of a s'mores/cheesecake combo.
The unexpected was the theme for reflection.It started with part of a Run DMC song as a way to introduce the idea of the unexpected. We were ask to share something from our day or time in WV that was unexpected.
We awoke this morning to sound of rain bouncing off the metal roof of the school. It was a cool rainy morning in Hanover. We spent the first half of the day waiting for the rain stop, if not to at least slow down a bit. The creek behind the school started to sound a bit like an ocean, but because of recent dry weather, still had room before it reached a level that would be worrisome.
After eating lunch at the school, the brave volunteers headed out into the sprinkling rain with the promise of clearing skies in the near future. Both sites were able to accomplish quite a bit in their abbreviated day. One group worked in Long Branch repairing a porch. Today the volunteers were able to tear off all the deck boards that were going to be replaced, as well as the railings and stairs. Now that the group removed all the old, damaged wood, we will be replacing the deck boards with new boards and putting on new railings and building new stairs.
The other group worked over near Baileysville. There are several small projects that need to be done at this house, but because of the weather, today the group focused on some of the flooring that needed to be replaced in various areas of the trailer.
We worked a little later than normal today because we had such an abbreviated day, but that didn't make anyone less hungry for the meal that awaited us. Really it was two meals, one the was special for the vegetarians and one for those that prefer a little meat in their meals. The vegetarians were treated to a wonderful Mediterranean dish, while the meat eaters enjoyed a cheeseburger pie. The wonderful meal was topped of with a magnificent recreation of a s'mores/cheesecake combo.
The unexpected was the theme for reflection.It started with part of a Run DMC song as a way to introduce the idea of the unexpected. We were ask to share something from our day or time in WV that was unexpected.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
"Love cannot remain by itself-it has no meaning. Love has to be put into action and that action is service."
Mother Teresa
Today the volunteers had the task of helping to organize the worksite hallway and the school to help the run to run more smoothly. The beginning of the program this year bumped right into the end of the school year for Wyoming County Schools so we weren't able to get much of a head start setting up the school. Everything looks wonderful and ensures a very smooth summer. If you are coming later in the summer, you have this group of volunteers to thank for their organizational skills.
Our community dinner tonight consisted of baked ziti (from the PV Cookbook, thanks Rocco!), garlic bread and salad. A very simple meal, yet very satisfying.
In the evening we reflected on what the experience of coming to volunteer means to us. We had a nice sharing amongst the community. After reflection we talked about the day ahead, which jobsites we are doing and volunteers signed up for their sites.
Mother Teresa
Today the volunteers had the task of helping to organize the worksite hallway and the school to help the run to run more smoothly. The beginning of the program this year bumped right into the end of the school year for Wyoming County Schools so we weren't able to get much of a head start setting up the school. Everything looks wonderful and ensures a very smooth summer. If you are coming later in the summer, you have this group of volunteers to thank for their organizational skills.
Our community dinner tonight consisted of baked ziti (from the PV Cookbook, thanks Rocco!), garlic bread and salad. A very simple meal, yet very satisfying.
In the evening we reflected on what the experience of coming to volunteer means to us. We had a nice sharing amongst the community. After reflection we talked about the day ahead, which jobsites we are doing and volunteers signed up for their sites.
Monday, June 17, 2013
2013 Summer Program Kicks Off
We are off and running in West Virginia! The 2013 PV Summer Program began this weekend. Volunteers started arriving on Saturday for another summer of service, community and reflection. After Mass on Sunday the PV community headed up to RD Bailey Lake Dam for a little community time and to take in the wonderful view.
We shared our first community meal together and followed that with a re-orientation. The night closed with the traditional PV Commissioning Service. Before beginning the week it is always nice to have the service as a way of connecting with our past and preparing ourselves for whatever lies ahead in the week to come.
We are ready for all the adventures that lie ahead and we hope you will journey with us. Each day we will be posting about our activities and on the weekends, pictures from the week.
We shared our first community meal together and followed that with a re-orientation. The night closed with the traditional PV Commissioning Service. Before beginning the week it is always nice to have the service as a way of connecting with our past and preparing ourselves for whatever lies ahead in the week to come.
We are ready for all the adventures that lie ahead and we hope you will journey with us. Each day we will be posting about our activities and on the weekends, pictures from the week.
Monday, June 10, 2013
5 Days Until the Summer Program in West Virginia Begins!
It is almost here! We will kick off our 16th summer in Wyoming County, WV, (and 41 years as a program!) this Saturday. Volunteers from all over the country will be descending upon the coalfields of southern West Virginia to lend a hand and take in all the beauty that is found in this gorgeous mountain land. We invite you to come along for the journey by following us on the blog. We will be posting daily, our activities and adventures as the summer progresses, first in West Virginia and then as we move up north for Peace Camp in Bedford Stuyvesant, NY.
Whether or not you will be joining us in person, or following along on the blog, we appreciate your presence and interest and ask for your prayers for a safe and successful summer.
Whether or not you will be joining us in person, or following along on the blog, we appreciate your presence and interest and ask for your prayers for a safe and successful summer.
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