We’re in the car on the ride back to PA from our hard week of service. Van #1 just finished six energy drinks and we’re partying harder, longer, and faster. OH YEAAAH. This brings us to the home stretch…

All the Faith Workcampers finished up their sites and some finished early, giving them the chance to work on multiple sites. Christy was able to complete two entire sites with her crew. Andy, Melanie, Lynn, Mark, and Kelly built wheelchair ramps giving their residents better access to the community around them. Platte, Stephanie L., Justin, Dan, Eric, and Diane had carpentry jobs ranging from porches to trim work. Others including Jayme, Will, Stephanie H., Greg, Larry, and Emily brought tired homes to life with a fresh coat of paint on the interiors and exteriors. Big Jim was the first Faith Presbyterian member to serve as Workcamp Staff. He chose to serve other Workcampers as a site coach, who is responsible for troubleshooting at a number of project sites. Overall the White Gold Workcampers volunteered nearly 11,000 hours of their time to the community of Somerville, TN and worked on 56 different homes.

Saturday morning we packed up our bags, swept the classrooms we had been sleeping in, and loaded back into the vans for our 16 hour trek home. Our first stop along the way was Nashville, TN to check out Platte’s old stomping grounds of Vanderbilt University; an exact replica of Greece’s Parthenon; and enjoyed Nashville’s famous “hand-made” burgers at Rotier’s. After lunch, we headed further east to visit The Hermitage- the residence of our seventh president, Andrew Jackson. We finished our long day in Marion, VA, where we stayed in First United Methodist’s youth house. Everyone was extremely impressed with the facilities, which not only provides a home for their youth program, but also shelter for the Crossroads Program. We woke up well rested because of their gracious hospitality… and because many of us we able to sleep in beds for the first time in over a week. This morning we loaded in the vans yet again and embarked on the last leg of our journey home to Emmaus, PA.

Our goal following this Workcamp is to maintain the “Jesus attitudes” of humility, sacrifice, servanthood, obedience, and love as we return to our daily lives. This week has brought us closer together as a group and expanded our Faith Workcamp family with eight new members. We know this has been a memorable experience for each and every one of us and we thank all of you for the support you have provided us, which ultimately changes hundreds of lives.