Eight youth and three adults from the Cedar Springs and East Nelson United Methodist Churches spent July 11-17 in Manistique, Michigan, in the UP, painting, trimming and hanging doors for a Habitat for Humanity house for the Menominee family—Jim, Jodie, and their children Amber, Amanda, and Ashley.

During the week, the team, Menominee family members, and the Reardon family (the youth worked on their house last year) primed and applied two coats of finish paint to the ceilings and walls. They also hung four interior doors, boxed in ten windows, stained a few hundred feet of baseboard and door molding, replaced the front door and installed most of the moldings.

It was exciting to watch the relationships develop between the family and the youth. It was even more fun to watch the Menominee children as they painted their rooms, hung the doors and put up molding.

Last year, Alicia Reardon asked us if she could work with us when we came back. When we arrived on Sunday afternoon, Alicia was waiting for us at the Habitat Volunteer Center!

On Wednesday night, the team traveled to Munising and shared supper with another crew from Hastings Presbyterian Church. This group has been building houses for years. They raise enough money and bring a crew that can frame up a house from the foundation in a week. When they leave, the house has windows, siding and shingles and is ready for the plumbing and electrical rough-ins.

After dinner, the groups were treated to a Pictured Rocks Boat Tour courtesy of the owner of the company. What started out as a rainy evening ended with a spectacular sunset bringing to life the myriad of colors of the Pictured Rocks and a beautiful rainbow.