By Meghan Curran

Yesterday we made a huge dent in our workload by completing all the drywall and getting half of the mudding and taping done. Everyone was in bed early last night for the extended workday we had today.

The morning began as usual: breakfast, van ride, task assignments meeting. Although we have made significant transformations in the past two days, we still have so much to do. The yards are clear of all gutted materials and sea debris. The doors are hung. The furniture is purchased; but the rooms are not yet rooms, only white un-sanded walls. The fixtures and switches are not yet fixtures and switches, only blue wiry boxes.

We are moving quickly, and efficiently. The mudding is being finished as I type (I should get in there to help!) as is the sanding. I can see a cloud of dust pooling out the windows and doors into the night sky.

This afternoon both the front and back yards were fully landscaped. Potted plants now line the house, along with flowers and trees. Tomorrow the sod should be coming, and when it does this home will stand out like a single blooming tree against a forest of winter skeletons.

Transformation really is a beautiful thing.

I feel as though I have learned a lot about creating and creation from this week. I love creating, making things with my hands from scratch, using all kinds of different materials and mediums to make art. But what I’ve seen here in Beaumont is creation by restoration. We are not building from scratch; we are taking what’s left over after death and destruction have had their way and making something new-a home.

There seems to be far more power in turning around something meant for devastation verses just something new. This is an aspect of God that I am learning more and more about; not only is He a creator, but He also is the mender of His creation.

Seeing this restoration right before my eyes in the physical world gives me confidence that He might do the same in my soul, in places slightly less viewable.

He is constantly renewing, recovering, and restoring to make all things new. Tonight as I sit here all I have to say is thank you. Thank you for letting me be a part of the creation of something that will re-establish life for an entire family.

Tags: Disaster Relief, Extreme Blessing, Hurricane Ike, Hurricane Relief, Illinois, Master's Commission, Meghan Curran, North America, OBI, Operation Blessing, Rebuild, Rockford, Volunteers

This entry was posted on Friday, October 24th, 2008 at 2:15 pm and is filed under Disaster, Hurricane Relief, North America, OBI Volunteer Blogs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.