Rebuilding A Home

My trip to Baton Rouge (Louisiana) was full of excitement and hard work. I was not only able to
work with several amazing One Brick volunteers, but also staff from SBP. Our
goal for the three days we were there was to repair homes damaged from historic level flooding
from last year.

The first day was challenging for me, as I have never been one for construction work, but never
the less I gave it my all. I attempted to install some drywall and found out quickly how tough that
actually can be. The highlight of the day was when the owner of the home came by to share his
story with us. Scott Edleman was a very positive individual who made us all laugh more than
once. Hearing his story put it all into perspective for me, because a house is just four falls, but a
home is something that you can never replace.

The second day I learned how to install tile flooring, which oddly enough is very satisfying. Our
work day was cut a little short, so that we could attend a welcome home party for a home that
had just been finished. Seeing someone welcomed back home after months away was
heartwarming. I will admit I had to fight back a few tears during a few of the speeches. It was
amazing to see the difference of a finished home and the one we were working on currently.

The third day was an emotional one, as we said our goodbyes to Scott and the SBP crew. Scott
had gotten me something of a gag gift that made us all laugh. At the end of it all we all gathered
around and reviewed our progress and went over all the work we had accomplished. It is
amazing to see the improvements from day one to the end of day three. Being able to attend this
event has made me a more humble person and I am definitely going to try and help out again in
the future.

Kevin