Building on Faith Blitz

So tomorrow begins the first bit of hardcore work here for the new AmeriCorps at HfH; when I say hardcore...I really mean it. Habitat Charlotte's description of this ridiculousness:

"Founded on a Christian mission, Habitat Charlotte pays annual service to our spiritual roots through our Building on Faith Week. This project is our signature Blitz Build Project, celebrating our special connection to Charlotte’s faith community. Each fall since 1995, faith groups of different denominations partner with us by spending 1 week constructing between 10 and 20 homes for local, low-income families.

Placing a specific emphasis on action and reflection, every day for that Blitz Build week, volunteers work alongside future homeowners to bring their houses to life. Throughout the week, time's taken to appreciate these accomplishments with celebratory habitation services, where all participants rejoice in the work completed and become energized for the work ahead. Volunteers are rewarded with the special gift of seeing the tangible impact their service can have in the course of just one week."

Today (Friday) we - my partner and our supervisor - prepped the 2 houses assigned to us for the next week and a half. This basically entailed prepping some trusses (the big triangles that form the assembly for the roof) and laying out the wall components to be ready for framing tomorrow. Framing is just assembling the walls on the ground and then raising them up, bracing them, and attaching them all together to make something resembling exterior and interior walls.

My arms and shoulders are nicely singed because Charlotte is insanely hot right now and working on a bare slab for 7 hours a day has a tendency to really fuck up your day if you're not prepared for it. My right hand is all torn up from all the work it's done these past 2 days (haha, yea laugh it's funny) nailing and carrying all kinds of stuff.

I go to bed by 11pm every night now and it looks like that is going to continue for the foreseeable future; that is sad. It makes me feel old. But if I'm waking up at 5:30-6 every morning I've got to get my beauty rest in or else my day will be absolute shit.