Turnpike's Turn Habitat For Humanity Volunteers
The Family Life Center has a kitchen, plenty of floor space for sleeping bags, and enough restrooms and showers for everyone. While it's not as comfortable as a motel, it's also not as expensive. Habitat's Volunteer groups arrive prepared to make their breakfasts and lunches, but the local Habitat affiliate is responsible for housing accommodations and nightly meals. During the months of March and April, Pontotoc's Habitat for Humanity had several volunteer groups eager to help with two new-home constructions and one rehab unit. While most of the groups were made up of college-aged students, the largest group was all adults from Champaign, IL, and the most recent group consisted of high school students and their sponsors. Several weeks before the volunteer groups began arriving, area churches were asked to help feed the volunteers. Barbara was slightly overwhelmed by the response of the churches as offers of help outnumbered the opportunities that largely ran from Monday night through Friday night. I remember Barbara saying that she asked the churches to not only provide an evening meal but to mingle and eat with the volunteers, too. In the Christian context such interaction is regarded as fellowship. In the business world it's simply good business, and Habitat is a Christian organization that operates as a business. Of the evenings that I accompanied Barbara to dinner, it was clear the churches understood the message. Everywhere I went, I saw church members making guests feel welcome while serving and sitting at tables with volunteers. From the laughter filled conversations I felt everyone had a good time. I had the opportunity to meet a number of volunteers during the past few weeks. Though of varying building skills, I came to appreciate each one for his or her contribution to an earthly need while heeding a heavenly call to help others, and I gained a fresh appreciation of Pontotoc County's Southern Hospitality, in the process. On Tuesday evening, I transported Barbara and three of the volunteers to Turnpike Baptist Church. The rest of the volunteers followed us in their van. I thought I knew were Turnpike was, but it turned out that I didn't. I drove exactly where Barbara told me to drive, and we found the church right where she said it would be. Was I ever more surprised? (Link to group picture) The group was treated to various meat dishes, vegetables, and desserts. The food was good, but what caught my attention that night was how the young people "took up" with their hosts. As I looked around the room, I saw small groups of four or five volunteers talking to one or more "locals" seated with them. I'm not sure what the young girls at one table found interesting in the country preacher at their table, but they seemed enthralled with his humorous tales. I noticed some of the group were entertained by hair stylist, Jimmy Harrison, who later brought from his car a collection of Star War's recordings on laser disks that were handsomely boxed. Between conversations with the students and sponsors, I struck up a conversation with an elderly woman directly behind me at a different table and found we may be distantly related. She was a Bramlett before marriage and we decided we are either related or else share a relative by marriage. At one point, Barbara was explaining to Katie, one of the sponsors, that I spent a lot of time driving each week. Katie found it odd that I would drive for long periods in silence with no radio and no background music. "What do you do while you're driving?" she asked. "I think a lot," I replied. "I think of things to write." "He does a newsletter," Barbara chimed. Whenever I meet someone for the first time and that person learns that I publish a newsletter, I'm usually presented with one of two scenarios and seldom is there a middle ground. Either the person quickly acknowledges that I'm a writer and just as quickly changes the subject, or else I'm flooded with questions. Katie, who teaches French at Bishop Dwenger High School, Ft. Wayne, IN, fell into the second category, immediately asking, "What do you write about." "Just about anything…family stuff, places I go, people I meet…the hard part for me is understanding why anybody who doesn't know me would want to read it. Occasionally, somebody stumbles across my website and sends me an email asking how they can subscribe. I'm working on an article about a flat tire I had a few weeks ago." Right now, I can't remember if what I'm about to relate came from our table conversation or from the girls in the backseat as we drove back to Pontotoc. "So, I can expect to see my name in your newsletter next week?" asked Amanda, one of the high school students volunteering for Habitat. "It's certainly possible. Does Amanda have two Ms? I joked. That night several volunteers expressed an interest in this newsletter. So, the next day, I gave Barbara some of my RRN business cards to pass out to whoever wanted my web address. Due to rains, the group was unable to work on Wednesday and spent the day sightseeing in Tupelo and Pontotoc. Wednesday evening the volunteers were fed by members of Cherry Creek Baptist Church. I managed to get a freshly proofed copy of RRN printed in order to give to Katie when we met the group to lead them to Cherry Creek. Katie rode with Barbara and me each night, as did Amanda once she found out about my newsletter. The third volunteer who traveled with us was usually Erin, also a student, though I remember Annette rode with us at least once. With each passing day, I became more favorably impressed with the conduct of all of the students, even the boys. Each student had a pleasing personality, and by the time they left Pontotoc on Friday morning driving back to Ft. Wayne, I really hated to see them leave. I was enjoying getting to know them. In fact, if Jason weren't so much older than the high school girls, then I would have been introducing him to them. At twenty-six, Katie would certainly make a lovely daughter-in-law, but alas, she already has a long-distance relationship with a guy in Wisconsin. By Thursday night, I was convinced Amanda was my niece's double. Her complexion was similar, her hair was curly like Felicia's usually is, she was almost as talkative as Felicia, and on the final night insisted on sitting beside me during dinner. It's a good thing Felicia wasn't there. First Methodist Church, Pontotoc, provided the evening meal and opened their Youth Center for the volunteers to enjoy with several local youth from the Methodist Church. The Youth Center is housed in a brick home that was constructed around 1914. Barbara and I watched the volunteers mingle with other youth and burn some energy playing games. I was tempted to show off my table tennis skills, but I decided the night belonged to the young, not the young at heart. Anyway, my leg muscles had just recently recovered from an afternoon in flowerbeds, and I knew a game of Ping-Pong would have me suffering for the next day or two. The sponsors told me they make two or three trips, similar to the one to Pontotoc, each year. They also expressed the possibility of a return visit to Pontotoc this summer. If so, I can't think of a nicer bunch of folks to have for another week.
Shoe Quiz Answers Provided My sincerest apologies to those of you who've patiently awaited the answers to the shoe quiz created by Linda Wingo and shared with readers about a month ago. The quiz was a part of an article concerning Linda's love affair with shoes, and I was to have provided the answers the following week. Oh well, "better late than never." How Well Do You Know Your Shoes?
Bodock Beau Circle Flies & Better Grades Country folks, particularly farmers, have a unique way of sharing their wisdom. The following anecdote makes my point. Circle Flies After pulling a farmer over for speeding, a state trooper started to lecture him about his speed, pompously implying that the farmer didn't know any better and trying to make him feel as uncomfortable as possible. He finally started writing out the ticket, but had to keep swatting at some flies buzzing around his head. The farmer said, "Having some problems with circle flies there are ya?" The trooper paused to take another swat and said, "Well, yes, if that's what they are. I've never heard of circle flies." The farmer was pleased to enlighten the cop. "Circle flies are common on farms. They're called circle flies because you almost always find them circling the back end of a horse." The trooper continues writing for a moment, then says," Hey, are you trying to call me a horse's behind?" "Oh no, officer." The farmer replies. "I have too much respect for law enforcement and police officers for that." "That's a good thing," the officer says rudely, then goes back to writing the ticket. After a long pause, the farmer added, "Hard to fool them flies, though." Better Grades Little Johnny wasn't getting good marks in school. One day he surprised the teacher with an announcement. He tapped her on the shoulder and said, "I don't want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don't start getting better grades...somebody is going to get a spanking!" Share this article with a friend.
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Pontotoc
County Habitat for Humanity welcomed high school students from two Catholic
schools in Fort Wayne, IN, this week. Eleven students, along with three sponsors
traveled to Pontotoc in a fifteen-passenger
