PDA Mission Trip #33 (New Bern, NC) DAY 3

Written by Laura Wilson

Have you ever wondered what survivor/thriver traits you might need for a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) trip and how you could acquire them if you found yourself running short? Read on, because by Day 3, much has been revealed… 

Do you have patience, flexibility, creativity, persistence, love of critters? Do you love all types of people and personalities? Are you free of all phobias and have a love of food? 

Did you check off any of those traits? You can bless others and discover how God can bless you, while working shoulder to shoulder with many entertaining fellow volunteers, when you join a PDA trip! As a bonus we guarantee your survivor/thriver traits will multiply beyond expectation. So how do all these traits come into play? Here’s what some folks were up to today. 

Talk about having your patience, persistence, and flexibility stretched. At Miss T’s house, David F. and Edco finished up a two-day installation of a new storm door. Who knew putting in a storm door would take that long, until they discovered rotten wood in the floorboards and an out-of-kilter doorway that had to be reframed. But later this afternoon, their efforts were rewarded with a strong secure door that should hold up to heavy rains and hopefully even hurricanes. 

Also at Miss. T’s house, Elisa, Lucille, Laura, Jerry and Pat had their persistence, patience, and flexibility stretched as they began installing a new Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) floor. The room was small, but it took hours! We first attacked the lumpy, bumpy, sub-floor with crowbars, hammers, a broom, and a multi-tool. The goal was to smooth it out as best we could before we began to lay the new flooring. We then discussed the best design pattern. It began to feel like the “How many people does it take to install a light bulb?” joke. Amazingly enough, by late afternoon we had finished two-thirds of the floor, and it looked good! 

A more creative challenge was presented to Stuart, Dave S. and Bruce at Darrin’s house. According to Stuart, they were faced with a “spaghetti” array of electrical wiring hidden behind a wall. At dinner tonight they were still discussing the best method for untangling and ensuring all the wires are safely connected to appropriate outlets. Have any creative or practical suggestions for our electrical puzzle-solving team? 

Another creative team of Alice, Bob, and Maxine a Darrin’s house had the job of reframing and installing windows. They used their creative skills to rectify past workers’ errors in measuring and managed to even-up the framing for a successful installation. Maxine was able to make them shine with a little extra cleaning. They all happily welcomed a special four-legged guest for lunch. 

These are just a few of our courageous and determined teams’ unique stories. Who knows what kinds of survivor/thriver traits we’ll be summing up for tomorrow!