First let me say that if you freak out because there are no "good kids" left and all the crappy teens out there that are going to destroy our world: Have no fear. There is hope. And that hope is within the 32 kids that I got the honor of meeting last week. Sure we were on a church trip and spiritual levels were up there, but these are GOOD KIDS.Second, being an adult vs. being a kid on Plunge is different, but not much. You still get to play around and have a great time, but now you get to drive, stay up later, wake up earlier, and be in charge. :)
A big difference is as a kid, you change jobs from day to day, so you get to do more: carpentry, painting, cleaning, yard work, whatever's needed. As an adult, you stay on the job until its completed and you get handed the next one.For me, the job i was given was to paint a 2 1/2 story wood home. A job that we thought would take 3, maybe 4 days max. No sir. I was there from 9:15-4:15 every day, and on Friday we stayed until the job was completed: 5:45. (Dinner is at 6 and no one eats until everyone is there, paint supplies are cleaned and all people are showered.)
The main reason we stayed so late was because on Thursday, our client, Ms. Alvarez, asked if we were going to paint her upstairs porch. I explained to her that I am planning on it, but we may run out of time. She looked heart broken and said "That's what they said last time." When I went upstairs to look at it I completely understood. Her porch was caked in about 20+ years of dust and dirt. To paint, not only would we have to move the various items into her already tiny hallway, but clean all the dust off the almost rotten wood to paint it. The ceiling had never been painted, unless the spare wood planks used to repair it had previously had paint on it. The porch was dreary and dark. Her window coverings were being held up by nails and were mismatched.
By Thursday afternoon all we had left to paint was the infamous porch and some trim. About 3:00 another crew shows up at the house and says "We're here to help!" I started to get excited. We can do this, i thought. I sent 2 of them upstairs to start cleaning the porch and the others started with the trim.
*on a side note, the paint colors were a bright beige w/ 'creme brulee' trim. Ms. Alvarez picked them out.
On Friday morning I was determined to get the house done by lunch. Little did i know HOW dirty the porch was. And how poor a shape the roof of the porch was. The wood just soaked up the paint, or was still dirty after being brushed off countless times. Lunch time came and we were almost done with the trim and 2 of those awesome kids, Luis and Kyle, were able to start painting. As they took off the blinds they asked if we could get her new ones. After all, they were old, mismatched, and quite dirty. I was able to make a phone call and got the OK. After lunch, i said "lets get this done in an hour!" Negative. That dern porch roof was so tedious. But the kids didn't complain. When i asked if they were OK with staying late, they were determined to get it done just as much as i was. So 4:15 came and went. 4:45. 5:00. Finally at about 5:30 i heard Woots and Cheers from the upstairs porch. They were done! I went up to look. It wasn't perfect, but it was the best it could be for the condition the wood was in. And it was 1000 times better than the dark room it was before. It was bright and even had a place she could sit and enjoy the breeze. We called Ms. Alvarez in and she was just so excited. She kept saying the Lord answers prayers. She hugged us each one by one, even though we were dirty, sweaty, and full of paint. She had tears in her eyes, and so did I. As we were cleaning up, the 5 of us that finished shared a group hug, got the last of the supplies in the van, and headed 'home'.
When we arrived, there were still people that had not showered other than us. Apparently we weren't the only crew determined to finish. We all worked together, got the brushes and rollers cleaned, and was able to shower and get to the dinner table only an hour behind.
Ms. Alvarez is the reason I do Plunge. At 73, her only transportation is her bicycle, on which she seems to ride with no problem. She has no carpeting in her home, only plywood for floors. The home itself is probably 120 years old, and she probably has lived there since her childhood. Her only relief from the heat is a small rotating fan in her bedroom, which is where she stays most of the time to keep cool. Even though she had so little she offered to cook us hot dogs and drinks, which we politely declined. Our soup kitchen meal was waiting for us.
The 32 kids is the reason I do Plunge. Becoming a part of their life and having the mutual acknowledgement that, for me, there are still good kids out there. And for them, there are still adults who respect them. Watching them go from not wanting to be there to wanting to go back when they got their license in a few weeks, just "Help Ms. Jackson with stuff she needs."
A renewal in faith is the reason I do Plunge. "Faith Without Action Is Dead." I realized that just because I don't have the unwavering faith I did as a child, doesn't mean i don't have any faith. I learned that it's OK to be somewhere in the middle. My path didn't quite end as I thought, it just went on a 'road less traveled'. I'm looking forward to frequent renewals, I just need to keep my eyes and heart open.
I'm ready for next year.
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