Late Fall Gathering

Twenty members of our building/rebuilding team met in Clifton Park, NY, on Saturday, December 12th, to begin planning work for the new year. As usual we had a great time together and somehow, amid all the cheerful banter and food consumption , we actually got a few things done. We hope to be able to move in several different directions as 2010 rolls out: repairs at Wellspring, the conference center of Church of the Saviour in Germantown, MD; construction with a Habitat or Habitat-like project someplace in Virginia (or with a days+ drive); the addition of a room for a family in Corinth, NY. Obviously many details remain to be worked out, but, if the way be clear, these are the directions we plan to take. (George took our photo.)

NOLA: Week Two, Day Three

This is Eagle Street, Miss Thelma's house. Some three generations live here, but we are only working on the "new addition" on the left, where we are trying to correct a problem with the floor joists and supporting girders. Tomorrow we will pour cement into four new pads which will support the new piers. These in turn will bring everything into a level plane -- we hope. Also, we have wrapped the exterior walls with Tyvek to create a vapor barrier, so that new siding can later be installed.

Gordon Street was finished today at three o'clock! A local TV affiliate showed up to talk with the owner and some of our NYS-fits+ thought they may have been pictured in the background. This is the second home that we have been able to see to completion, which gives a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. We realize that it takes the efforts of many, many groups to do all the work, but it is a wonderful high when you see that everything, literally everything, is finished!

Sadly, tomorrow Jim leaves. Another of us will go on Friday and then the rest on Saturday. The days have flown past us. We give thanks to God for the safety we have known and the spirit of cooperation and joy that has infused our team.

NOLA: Week Two

Time has been flying. It's already Tuesday of week two!

Good progress continues to be made on Gordon. Today some 25 bags of cement were mixed and poured into the reinforced forms for the bases of the two stairs. Inside, caulking, painting, hot water heater connections and other "punch-list" items were completed. Wesley again worked side-by-side with our intrepid volunteers.

On Eagle Street, Seth and Ted worked once more with Dan to level the joists in the middle room. Each of the lines in the photo are levels against which they are attempting to move the joists, so that the new floor will be level. A larger jack, capable of lifting 30 tons, is coming tomorrow to raise the center joist. Following that the news pads will be poured for the piers. Outside, the sheathing was wrapped around 3/4 of the house and set in place with staples and felt nails. When the sheathing is completed and the floor leveled, the windows will be re-installed.

NOLA: Days Four and Five

Thursday and Friday work pushed ahead on three fronts.

On Gordon Street both the inside and outside areas made great progress. Caulk, paint and plumbing tasks continued on the inside; the front and side porches are nearing the completion point. Pressure treated wood was used throughout, and the sculpted handrails and rounded spindles give them an attractive appearance.

On Tchoupitoulas we finished the roof Friday afternoon when the ridge caps were added. Two vents were installed to take hot air out of the attic. The entry way and side shed roofs were also completed as well. Fortunately this all took place about two hours before the heavens opened and about 4 inches of rain fell!

On Eagle Street most of the tearing outs and removing of old materials was finished. The first steps in the rebuilding were taken, beginning with the outside area around the bay window on the side of the house. Next week we tackle the center and supporting joists of the floor.

NOLA: Day Three

Work continued under mostly cloudy skies. We lathered up with sunscreen early because it looked as if the skies would clear and we might bake, but that was not to be the case.

On Gordon Street in the Lower Ninth, the front porch efforts continued apace, as did the painting and caulking on the inside. Also, the side porch was begun. They appear to be on track to finish or almost finish by the end of the week.

On Tchoupitoulas (Nice name, huh?), we stripped off the last part of the roof and continued to shingle the first half. Ted built a railing for the long flight of existing stairs and a short set of steps from the landing to the ground. In the picture, Seth has stolen the nail gun from Ted to drive in the last nails.

NOLA: Day Two

The skies opened up last night and dropped some more rain on the Crescent City. It continued raining in the morning, but then slowed and cleared enough for some of our roofers to return to their work. Others on the crew were moved to a third house to do work that would not be slowed by rain. By the end of the day, however, our intrepid roofers had entirely papered all of the roof and shingled about half of it.

On our second house progress was made on the new front porch. Interior painting and cable wiring continued, as well as the plumbing. There is a good chance that this house will be finished by the end of the week.

At the new third house, old water and drain lines were cut and removed to make way for the new plumbing. Underneath the main rim joist where the flooring has been removed, two new temporary piers were erected. These will be used as part of the solution to a four inch floor sag. Additionally, the first step in addressing other joist issues was begun. Much work remains to be done.

NOLA: Day One

Fortunately, the hot and humid conditions that had been forecast for Monday never appeared. This gave us an opportunity to get a good start on the roof of one of the two homes we are working on. We have about half of the old shingles and paper off, repairs made to the roof surface, almost half of the new drip edge installed and several courses of paper and shingles started.

At the second house, work has begun on the new front porch, the new cable lines were pulled and some of the interior finishing work is underway. Painting and plumbing also need to be done, including the installation of a new hot water heater. Some of the exterior work may be slowed down if the rain predicted for tomorrow materializes.

And, yes, our final two re-builders arrived late this afternoon. We are now nineteen strong!

Our Return to New Orleans

Seventeen NYS-fits+ have arrived in New Orleans to continue the rebuilding efforts that we began here in the Fall of 2007. We are expected two more persons tomorrow to bring our team to its full complement. Once again we will be working through the Disaster Recovery Office of the Presbytery of Southern Louisiana.

Grace Lutheran on Canal Boulevard is our host church for this visit. Their building was under eight feet of water for three weeks, but, with help from persons all around the country, they were able to return to their sanctuary for worship on Easter of 2006. They continue to be highly supportive of the rebuilding effort in New Orleans, as hosts and volunteers. They have also sent teams to other parts of the country to assist rebuilding efforts there.

Albany Project: Fifth Day

The clutter remains -- ladders, scaffolding, cut and un-cut drywall, corner bead, two-by-fours, scraps of this and that, but not nearly as much joint compound as a while ago.

Our finishing work continues. The proscenium arch in the theater has come a long, long way. Now, sheathed in a skim-coat of joint compound, it is almost ready to paint, as are the surrounding walls. Almost, almost.

Further behind is the Oasis. Though every joint now has a coat of mud, much sanding and reapplications remain. The soffits are almost done, too.

With John joining the work crew today, the Theater now has its new door. The closet door is not far behind. Seth has been given a design commission by John to sketch out the marquee. So that, too, may soon be underway.

The projection: two more days of mudding and everything should be ready for a first coat of paint.

Albany Project: Day Four

Sydney and her father, Jim, joined us today. We also had church members: Susan and Mike, Linda, Ray and Pastor Glenn. NYS-FITS+ included Roland, JoEllen and Tom and Debbie and Eric, with Rose Ann preparing supper.

Our efforts today included a variety of finishing jobs. In the stage area we added more mud, corner bead and underneath trim to the arch. Soon now everything will be ready for the first coat of paint.

Linda was busy painting in the Arts and Crafts area. With just a little more work the Theater will be ready, too.

In the Oasis the mudding continued after the smoke and fire detector was installed and the last piece of drywall lifted into place. Corner bead and mud were added to the soffits. Another coat or two on the ceiling and soffits and everything will be paint-ready.

Albany Project: Day Three

Well, today we were supposed to finish, but we didn't make it. Much ground has been covered -- many walls drywalled including the Oasis pyramid, the risers and sink are in place, and the taping and mudding begun -- and yet there is much remaining to be completed.

A reduced crew, less than half the number we had to start, will work the next two days. Perhaps by the end of the week the mudding will be close to being finished. This will include installation of the corner beads and trim around the arch above the stage.

Once again today we were fed a delicious lunch by the Deacons of the church. They have done this all three days and will continue through Friday. Our evening meals are prepared by Joanne, Marcia and Rose Ann. All this good food has helped to keep us going. We truly appreciate all that everyone has done to support our efforts!

Several church members, Marilyn and Phillip, Leslie, Mike, Douglas, and Ray, have worked with us, increasing our output. Miriam and Glenn Leupold, the pastoral team serving the church, have occasionally been able to join us for lunch or dinner. Miriam has also gone the second mile of greeting us each morning with fresh coffee, as we gather in the parking lot.

Albany Project: Day Two

After a second long, productive day, the end -- while still distant -- is almost in sight!

The Jericho Theater risers are finished, as is the drywalling in that room -- next comes the taping and mudding. Unknown for the time being is how the rug will be re-attached on the surface. Ron and Jim moved on to drywall the hall closet and finished hanging that by day's end. The door jambs to both the closet and Jericho Theater need re-framing before the doors can be re-hung to complete these areas.

In the Oasis, three of the four walls are drywalled and the insulation is all in place. Two of the corners are done, but these places have been slow-going, as has the pyramid ceiling. This ceiling is over half done but the taping and mudding remain here, too.

The plumbing is finished in the Arts and Crafts area and the sink is in place. The counter and storage area have yet to be completed.

At Sinai Stage, almost all of the drywall work has been finished and all of the large stage extensions are assembled -- two other, triangular pieces remain.

Albany Project: Day One

Eight AM, 18 people gather for introductions, a welcome from Pastor Miriam, stretching and other preliminaries. Tools were then carried to the third floor -- lots of hands, light work! And after architect-designer, John Myers, walked us through the rooms, we divided into four teams and went to work.

Fruits of our labors. By day's end, the Sinai Stage has 8 of its 10 "stage extension platforms" cut and partly assembled and about 2/3 of the needed drywall cut and screwed in place with insulation added to the interior walls. Peg and JoEllen led this crew of 5, Leslie, Mike and Betty assisted.

Kevin and "Papa" Don worked on the plumbing for the Arts & Crafts room. While it took a while to find the requisite drain line and sources of water, if the sink had been on site, they would have been almost ready to begin making connections when work ended.

In Jericho Theater, Ron and Tom led their team of 5, with Jim, Phillip and Ray rounding out their crew. Here, following John's plans, they rolled back the rug and began laying down the riser supports which will soon hold 25 theater seats, once the platforms are installed. By day's end they were ready to begin screwing down the platforms. Besides this, they did some drywalling.

Finally, in the Oasis, or open meeting area, Terry, Peter and Eric worked with Linda, Marilyn and Debbie to install drywall on the walls and ceilings. Work here was slowed because of the ceiling height and tricky hallway corners. When completed this area will also showcase a marquee over the entrance to Jericho Theater. At day's end, more than half the drywall was in place.

Sunday Celebration

We worked late on Saturday and then worked again before and after worship on Sunday. By 4 o'clock we were "finished" in more ways than one. The front room was done! The new floor and baseboard were at long last in place, but not without some last minute thinking outside the box. When the vinyl cove baseboard was reluctant to adhere to our wainscoting, it took some quick thinking by Jill to substitute ripped composite material in its place. The completed project really looks good.

And in the men's room, another completed effort. The doors are on the showers and toilet stalls. All the pine has been primed. A new light was added over the shower area, and the exhaust fan was connected and operational. The room has a bright, clean and functional appearance. Everything is now ready for the delivery and plumbing of the new vanity.

The truck and cars were loaded within an hour of completing the work. By 5:30 PM we were on the road and headed north. 

Thanks, again, to all whose donations and pray support made this latest work of our NYS-FITS+ possible.

Friday and Saturday Progress

We got up early having mapped out a plan for the day last night. Jill, Roland and Eric were to work on replacing the ceiling, as Eric and Roland had been the ones who drilled the holes in the first place. Don, Tom and Ron would work on the bathroom, installing the partitions between the showers. JoEllen and Debbie started on cutting down the 5 doors for the bathroom. Before long the lack of drilling noise was noticed. Jill and Eric had gone to Home Depot to return with a mammoth Hilti rotary hammer drill that made drilling the holes much "easier." Jill now took over the drilling and worked with JoEllen on replacing the smaller screws with large TapCons and wiring the lights to the ceiling, replacing any broken parts to the framework. Meanwhile Eric moved to putting up melamine in the bathroom. Debbie continued with cutting down doors. We worked until near 5:30 when we needed to someone to the Baptist Church to secure the showers.

Giant strides towards completing our project were made today: the ceiling is fully and totally re-suspended!! and the flooring tiles are all in place. The room, which two days ago looked like a bomb had fallen has taken on a new nature. It looks like a million dollars. Well, at least a usable , and highly rent-able, space.

The bathroom is now nearing completion. The second toilet has been installed. For the showers, the dividers are in place, the mats have been purchased and the dressing platforms made. The doors have all been trimmed and received their first coat of paint. Also, the grouting was done around the second commode, the first door was installed, the exhaust fan hooked up and vented to the outside, and a new light installed in the shower area. Some of the prime coat has been applied to the white pine surfaces, too. It won't be long now. In fact, the showers are ready for their first use and will probably get it later tonight.

Thanks go to all who have been praying for us and sending us encouraging notes. You guys are terrific. Tomorrow, we are hoping to get just a little more work in before and after worship.

Return to Washington

Eight of us have returned to Casa del Pueblo to finish (and repair) what we began three weeks ago. Since leaving, the ceiling in the front room collapsed! Almost all the tiles, lights and suspending superstructure fell to the floor. We are so very grateful that no one was in the room at the time, especially not under one of the lights.

Jill and Don, JoEllen and Tom, Debbie and Eric, Ron and Roland have made the trip from New York to complete the bathroom project and to re-hang the suspended ceiling. Our hopes are to complete the job by the end of the work day on Saturday. Sunday, Eric and Tom will be contributing to the worship service with one of their patented dialogue sermons.

Washington Postscript

Well, we didn't finish. Debbie and JoEllen did not finish putting down the vinyl tile; like everyone else they were worn out. And the bathroom has an even longer way to go before completion. Our thinking is to try and return, possibly as early as later this week, to put in the additional two or three days it will take to complete the job. While this crew may be small, it will be all that we need. Stay tuned.

Our Last Day

Monday, our final day. The heat continued here as in most places on the East coast: sweltering, oppressive, draining. We worked hard and long, but fell far short of finishing. Did you see that coming? I guess we did, too. However, we didn't want to think about it.

As I write it is 10 minutes to 9 PM, and JoEllen, Debbie and Don are still at work in the front room. Don is showing them how to lay out the lines to begin putting vinyl tile down on the floor. As with so many days before, the front room was all-consuming in terms of time. The trim work -- measuring, cutting, staining, coping corners, putting on polyurethane -- was simply without end. When the floor is finished being laid, the room will be done. Perhaps by Midnight??

The men's room/unisex bath and shower room has made continued progress, but it is far from finished. All three showers are in pace and connected, but the separate dressing rooms, benches and dividers are only pieces of pre-cut wood at this point. One toilet is in and the frames are up with Melamine on them. No doors, yet. The walls behind and on the sides of the toilets are completed, but not painted. The two-sink vanity is being donated and will arrive in about 6 weeks. The tile work is done and grouted, but not sealed.

At this point our plan is to return for about 3 more days of work to coincide with the arrival of the vanity. Most of us would like to be here for another Sunday of worship, too -- perhaps bringing some music along with us!

Mouse Count: 7.

Saturday

Saturday, which began as a half day of work, ended more like a 3/4 day of work -- somehow ending at 12 noon morphed into something like 2 PM.

Finishing work takes time. This has been demonstrated by work in the front room which never seems to come to a conclusion. The shelves are in and much of the quarter-round molding below it. The upside down scarf cuts were intellectually as demanding as the physical cuts themselves.

The men's room leaped ahead with the installation of over half the Melamine wallboard and the creation of the stall framework. Additional tiling was also done. While far from finished, the room has already taken on a much brighter and appealing face.

Additional Notes: Melissa, the church member who provided last night's dinner, has asked to be put on our NYS-FITS+ email list -- she's ready to join us in the Fall; Tom fixed the church's WiFi, so communicating has become much easier; we have begun talking about a quick return to D.C. to complete work left undone this Spring.

Please keep the congregation of Casa del Pueblo and their pastor, John M'Akwalu, in your prayers. They are laboring under difficult circumstances to be faithful witnesses in this corner of our nation's Capitol.

Mouse Count: 7.

Friday the 24th

Friday: another beautiful day, another day of hard work. But more than anything else it was a sad day, because JoEllen, Tom, Don and Edd's friend, Robin, died during the night. She had been sick for a long time, struggling with cancer. She never gave in, never stopped fighting, never lost her faith and hope, or her sense of humor. She was greatly loved and will be sorely missed.

Work-wise, things are shaping up, but time has now becomes an issue. Debbie and JoEllen worked in the front room most of the day. With the ceiling finally finished (which took about an hour, plus) they moved onto the wainscoting ledge -- a dimension of their work that would consume the remainder. They had to cut, stain, miter, scarf-cut, nail and glue it down. (The flooring has not yet been purchased.)

Over in the bathroom, the two new walls are up. All the wiring is done. The plumbing over 75% complete. Don, Tom, Edd and Eric kept bumping into each other as they worked there framing the walls and driving screws into the concrete floor and walls. Tom and Eric had great fun helping Don by finding a way to bring a flexible electrical cable through the boiler room/men's room wall.

Tonight, Melissa, a member of the congregation, has prepared a lasagna dinner for us. It's still in the oven but smells wonderful. Tomorrow will be a lighter day. We are looking forward to it with great expectations.

Mouse Count: 7.

Thursday Report

Our day began with the departure of Rose Ann and Roland. We were very, very sad to see our clever cook and her skillful husband leave for home, but everyone has many commitments and these two were on their way to fulfill theirs. (Marcia is taking over the cooking chores until she has to leave.)

Thursday saw us unload a Home Depot delivery truck loaded with supplies for finishing touches -- $1,300 worth of building materials -- in the front room and men's room. Getting the 16 footers through the narrow hallways was a challenge in itself. The 2 x 4's, Melamine and greenboard will keep us going for a while. (Yes, the time crunch is now beginning to become a factor!)

Most of our day was spent in the front room, although, like Wednesday, Edd spent most of his day doing plumbing in the men's room. The ceiling tiles are now mostly up -- just a few more pieces around the rear pier-supports. The wiring is finished except for one recalcitrant fluorescent and a few finishing touches. The front windows are painted, along with the front door casings and the stained ledges received their first coats of polyurethane.

Mouse count: 6.

On Wednesday

Wednesday was a strange day. We got a late start because Edd called in an order to a local Home Depot, and it seemingly took forever. Then at lunch time, we walked up to Christ's House and while we ate our lunches learned about their ministry of assisting the homeless with medical conditions. We also learned what the City and other organizations were doing to make their lives better.

In terms of construction, the suspended ceiling in the Front Room made rapid advances; almost all of the supportive pieces are in place as are some of the panels. Best of all, the last of the holes which had to be drilled in the concrete ceiling were completed. Don, Roland and Eric worked on this. Final adjustments were made to the wainscoting and the entry stairs by Debbie and JoEllen, while Marcia stained the boards which will go on top. Tom and Edd finished the frames around the new front door. Tom also put in the last piece of replacement glass while Edd did some plumbing work in the Men's Room.

Mouse count: 5.

The Week Begins

Monday saw us re-tiling in the men's room -- some tiles pulled loose from their mortar. Before we got to that, though, the last of the old drains were capped-off. Several new valves were installed on various lines to give some cut-offs in needed places. Then, we closed off the room so the tiles could set, and we could get back in for other work on Wednesday.

In the front room, the wainscoting went up after the electrical boxes were put in place. The walls and door frame were painted. The front windows were removed, the protective grates taken off and the broken windows replaced. Some repainting was also done on the windows by Amos, a church member who came to help. The ceiling lights were re-wired and new switches installed, in preparation for the new suspended ceiling which we hope to start on Tuesday.

After dinner, Kevin left for home. Pastor John, Florence his wife and Sammy his son joined us for our evening meal, along with Bernardo and others from the church family. Before we went to bed we had heard from Kevin that he had made it home safely.

Mouse count: 4.

After Four Days

Today is Sunday. Much of Friday was spent at Home Depot. We went on a spending spree purchasing among other things: 2 x 4 and 2 x 6 (treated and untreated), Trex, plumbing supplies, wainscot, and screws for concrete and wood. We must have been at the store for five hours. Fortunately, the store is not too far away. Last trip for the weekend was made Saturday evening at 9:15.

Decision-making is still a complex issue, with things changing constantly in both the Men's room and the front office. However, every time this occurs we come up with improvements over our previous ideas -- sometimes these are simple things we just never thought of before, like the wainscoting to conceal pipes and wires in the front room, which grew from the suggestion for an extra-large baseboard.

The entry platform into the front room is now completed and all of the wainscot supports are in place. Mid-Saturday we cut into the water pipes and installed a new valve and a cap; we also took out the old mixer valve from the shower room. Another ball vavle needs to be installed so that this line can be used for the new sinks on that side of the room. By mid-afternoon we began laying the new tiles in the bathroom.

These tiles had been purchased at 7:30 in the morning. Ryan, a member of the congregation, laid the tile in the afternoon and in the evening after supper. By the time he stopped about 3/4 of the floor had been done. Both rooms are now really beginning to take shape.

Day Two

With eight of us here Wednesday morning, we went to work in two rooms: Demolition-R-Us. The men's room stall dividers and the urinal surrounds are now gone. It did not take long for the dust to settle, and most of the floor has been swept. In the front room, destined to be office rental property, the smaller room separators have been removed and the floor partially cleared of the wood and drywall debris. This room seemed to grow in size as the work progressed.

Outside the rain has continued, which isn't a problem except when we are out there filling the dumpster. We hope that you are having dryer weather where you are than with what Washington is sharing with us.

Tomorrow more reinforcements arrive -- Johnny, Marilyn, Don and Edd. By the time they join us, we hope to have the front room almost entirely prepped for retiling. But you know how it goes, things are often a bit more complicated than you expect.

D.C. Mission, Day 1

Our rebuilding team members have begun to arrive on Columbia Road. Roland and Rose Ann, arrived with Debbie and Eric yesterday. JoEllen and Tom are on their way today as are Marcia and Jim.

We spoke with Pastor John in the afternoon, and then in the evening we had dinner with Melissa, an active member of the congregation, and spoke at length with her about the recent and distant history of the church which extends back to the beginnings of last century. Several times this congregation has been severally challenged; each time, by the grace of God, they have rebounded stronger than before.

As you can see from the photo, Spring has sprung in Washington. We've had rain and a little chill in the evening, but nothing like the weather we left in upstate New York. Really wishing you all were here!

Washington Set Back

George The (our irreplaceable, irascible, irradiant) Cook was told by his doctor to call off his scheduled trip to Washington. We knew that he was planning to have aortic valve surgery in June, but we -- and apparently he --were unaware that there were certain limits on his pre-surgery activities.

So, now we are scrambling to find a stand-in at the prep table and stove for our current culinary specialist. George is one of the ones who helps make us the NYS-FITS+. He, more than most, helps keep the mishuggeneh in our group. We are all major contributors to the quality of life that we share, but George pushes us over the top -- say have been know to say over the edge -- more often than others. His skillet will be hard to fill, but we have been blessed so often in the past that we believe someone will come forward.

Speaking of blessings, we are delighted that many others who have been ill are well on the road to recovery. We are thankful too that supporters, friends and team members have helped to raise over $4,000 to purchase building materials while we are at work in Washington. Lastly, your prayers are coveted for the time of our stay and for the congregation after we leave.

Pre-Mission Visit to Casa del Pueblo

Pastor John M'akwalu was standing outside the church when this picture was taken. He has served the congregation in the midst of a changing neighborhood for over six years. Casa del Pueblo on Columbia Road has been an area where immigrants have settled into the community. Latinos, Asians and African Americans have populated this section of the Adams Morgan district for decades. Now the neighborhood is beginning the process of gentrification, adding a new challenge to work and witness of this congregation.

Don, Edd, Eric and Seth made this visit, and again measurements were taken and alternatives examined prior to the start of our work camp after Easter. We will be cleaning old paint off of pipes, then priming and painting them along with the walls in the down stairs bathroom entryways. How to precede with the installation of the showers is still being mulled over. While the goal is clear, the stages of the construction process are not quite so clear. Likewise for the front room, the goal of renovation is clear, but the step-by-step process, especially the floor, are still options being examined.

Planning for D.C. Mission Trip

Thirteen NYS-fits+ gathered this afternoon to finalize plans for the post-Easter trip to Washington. We decided that four of our members should return to Casa del Pueblo on Thursday to examine more carefully the church site. Daily work plans need to be laid out, and we also need to determine how best to use our financial resources. Other efforts will include: determining what other funds might be available to support this endeavor; needed permits or inspection schedules; discounted sources for building materials; ensuring parking, showering, storage and other on-site arrangements. Contributions for building materials can still be sent for deposit at: Bethany Presbyterian Church, 21 Lyons Avenue, Albany, NY 12204, including on the memo line -- NYS-fits+ Rebuilding Fund. The deadline for receiving funds for this endeavor is Saturday, April 4, in order to be available for use.

There is still time to decide to go. George would rather cook for 20 than 15. We are recommending that, if possible, each person donate $200 towards materials, but we know that some of our group cannot afford that much. Please don't let that stop you from coming.

Spring Project, Washington, D.C.

Our current spring project calls for work to begin at Casa del Pueblo on Wednesday, April 15th. Located at 1459 Columbia Road in the Adams Morgan area of D.C., this United Methodist Church, led by Pastor John M'akwalu. The sanctuary and other parts of the building have experienced considerable rain damage, but that is beyond our abilities to repair. However, we felt that we could improve the condition of the Ladies' and Men's rooms through the addition of showers and newer vanities, which might encourage other volunteer groups. Also, we could lay a new floor, paint the walls and do other work to make the front room more useful to the congregation.