Florida: Update 3

Today was day three on the site. It was filled with laughter, joy, and passion for helping others. It was the first day that we were able to go to three different sites. At the first site, we were introduced to a man named Skip who told us about his life and his passions for hunting and golf while removing debris from the property. At the end of the day, he reflected that he was more grateful for the people that he still has over the material items that he has lost. With that in mind, we left for our second site.

While the homeowner at our second site was not there, there was still a lot to gain from that experience. At lunch, we sat on the waterline of her property and were able to see the beauty of the water even with all the broken docks and wood. We removed brush and repaired her shed and were able to continue to acknowledge the beauty that was still around us. For example, while a portion of the shed was taken down, half was able to be salvaged as well as some of her items. This represents just how strong and brave these natives have been throughout these hard times.

Our final stop we met Claudie, his wife, and their four dogs. While this site was mostly brush removal and not a lot of heaving lifting, the family’s gratitude was still abundantly clear throughout our time there. This was shown by the selfless offering of frozen ice pops to all the workers on a hot day. It was remarkable to see the amount these people were willing to give considering how much they have lost. We look forward to continuing this journey with Claudie and his wife as we continue the tree and brush removal tomorrow.