Lisa says, "We had two great mission weeks in Albuquerque. Week 1 started with two concrete slabs, framed the houses, and finished up with the roof decking on each house. Week 2 came in and did the finishing roof work on both these houses and an additional house, installed windows and blue board and wrapped both houses with Tyvek. Inspections delayed further work but we managed to insulate one house and do some drywall work.

While waiting for inspections towards the end of the week, a group of missioners went off to work on a Habitat home that was about to be resold. They tore out old carpet and painted the entire house. Some of our missioners did work on the grounds of the local church where we were able to cook a few dinners and hold worship. Other missioners did some work at Ronald McDonald House. On the last morning, a group of about 30 missioners went to a local food bank and packaged boxes of food for senior citizens. We were told that the work we did in 2 hours covered what they would be able to accomplish in 3 days

On our last day, Saturday, we participated in the blessing of both homes we had worked on. In addition, we observed the dedication of a home that had been built by a Presbyterian/Catholic Coalition. Some of our missioners even had a part, by installing window blinds and working on the driveway. It was quite an emotional moment to see the single mom and her two children take possession of the home.

We were fortunate this year to work side by side with the homeowners of both houses. Each family was provided with a memory book with notes from our missioners and pictures of the house as construction progressed.

The Greater Albuquerque Habitat for Humanity staff, Board of Directors and SWAT team were terrific. As usual, Kevin Cronk was inspirational.We all brought back great memories and a wonderful sense of accomplishment."

We thank everyone who participated and all who supported us in our work so far this year. We are looking forward to our September trip to Guatemala and to "If I Had a Hammer" in the fall.