TEAMWORK -Senior co-leader Sarah Recker, freshman Kenny Allen, sophomores Kim Neymeyer and Liz Hadler, and junior Sarah Christopherson hoist a truss for the roof of a Habitat for Humanity house in Valdosta, GA.

Sunday, Feb. 27

After a long day of travel, the group arrived in Nashville. At church, the pastor repented for having a Luther College choir poster hanging up. Then, we received a lesson in Southern dialect.

The drive through the Appalachians was scenic. However, we found the many billboards for "Big Daddy's Fireworks" and "Microsurgery Vasectomy Reversal" somewhat distracting.

At last we drove into the one-stop-light town of Hahira. We received a welcome, and after some excitement with wasps, invaded the six-aisle grocery store.

Monday, Feb. 28

Our first building day was interesting. We got up a couple walls, but then had to take down some boards to make changes. We were better at taking out nails than pounding them in. Britta Monson was especially good at removing large parts of the wall with an ax.

After a hard first day's work, we went to the mayor's house. We rode in his army jeep, ate lots of great food from the grill and went paddle-boating on a gator-infested creek. Kenny Allen sang to the Lord for protection, so we made it out with all of our limbs.

Tuesday, Feb. 29

We got an early start on work so we could go to the beach in the afternoon. We managed to get up all the walls and put in the bathroom window twice!

On our way to Jekyll Island, "turtle crossing" signs dotted the highway. It was a beautiful day to be at the beach splashing in the ocean and soaking up some sun.

Wednesday, March 1

Working side by side with future residents and area volunteers, we pounded in the interior walls.

We partook in a fellowship dinner at the Hahira United Methodist Church where the mayor proclaimed us honorary citizens of Hahira.

Thursday, March 2

At 7:48 a.m. we stopped for coffee served in a bag.

By Thursday everything was routine. We would put up a few walls, Britta would take down a couple with her ax, and Lisa Kidd would get a hand cramp from having it on her hip while "supervising."

For lunch we ate at the King's Grill. They had lots of fun signs like "If you don't find everything to your complete satisfaction, welcome to the real world!" The local Habitat affiliate recognized our efforts and presented us with several awards including a roofing hammer.

Friday, March 3

On our final day on site we hoisted all the trusses and got the roof up. After some finishing touches, it was time to say good-bye to our friends in Valdosta. They sent us off with an evening at the Wild Adventures theme park. Despite some whiplash from bumper cars and one member lost at sea in bumber boats, we had a great time.

The rest of our evening was spent reflecting upon our week's experiences.

Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

The service trip to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina was very special. Our work for Habitat for Humanity consisted of renovating a house to make it fit for use by a less fortunate family.

Our group worked very hard and got a lot accomplished on the house. We removed the siding from the house, replaced old shingles, installed insulation, and began working on repairing the inside of the house as well.

Many of the tasks that we had to accomplish required a lot of hard work and effort, but our group was always up for the challenge.

The trip was very special because of the beautiful area we were in as well as the comradery of our group. We got a chance to visit the city of Charleston with its beautiful houses and also got a chance to see many historical sites.

The USS Yorktown, Fort Sumpter, and Fort Moultrie were all sites that we were able to enjoy. The historical sites that we visited were remarkable. The USS Yorktown, which we were allowed to tour, is an air craft carrier that was used in World War II. Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumpter were two forts along the South Carolina coast that were larger factors in the Civil War.

Our group had a great time together on this trip. We spent the week doing almost everything together as a unit, so we quickly got to know each other.

We bonded immediately and enjoyed each other's company on and off the work site, which helped make this trip one to remember.

--Austin Robertson

Philadelphia, Pa.

KWRU (Kensington Welfare Rights Union) is a grassroots organization that fights to eliminate poverty. KWRU is led by people who are homeless or living in homes and receiving welfare.

The organization works to achieve living wage permanent jobs for all people. KWRU is an organization that starts with people in the neighborhood and branches out into the world.

Among our week's activities was a food distribution. Part of our group went to a produce import where various stores pick up their supplies.

We went around to each manager and asked for donations. We came back with a van of food to take to the neighborhood of Kensington.

Much of the week we worked to educate people about a protest at the end of the week against welfare reform. So we went to neighborhoods, college and welfare establishments to get support.

Philadelphia, Pa.

During Winter Break, I was privileged to be able to participate in a service trip that went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

When we arrived, we discovered where we would be staying for the week, at Atonement Lutheran Church. This was an awesome experience because the church wasn't in the best neighborhood, but it taught us as a group to trust each other and to rely on each other for support.

It was amazing how the group bonded during the time that we were at the church. It was amazing.

Monday and Tuesday, we worked with MANNA, an organization that provides meals to homebound AIDS patients. During these two days, we prepared over 3000 meals. It was amazing to be able to work with the volunteers at MANNA and to be able to talk to them about issues in Philadelphia. Some of the volunteers had AIDS, and it was amazing for me to see how they can do the same things that I can. The people were friendly, and we did a lot of work.

Wednesday we cleaned the church we stayed at and then went touring.

Thursday and Friday we worked with the PEC (People's Emergency Center). This was a homeless shelter for women and children. Friday I had the wonderful chance to work with the children of the women. These children were so trusting and open. It made me so excited to see how the children could run to a complete strangers arms and trust us enough to fall asleep in our arms. These children opened my eyes and made me realize that we were making a difference even in the short encounters we had with people.

This trip was a wonderful experience and I would encourage you to experience this in one of your years at Wartburg. It taught me a lot, and I have made lasting friendships with 11 other students that I will never forget. We bonded and will always be able to go to each other for anything. I enjoyed this trip and learned a lot we touched many people's lives.

--Stephanie McClure

Amarillo, Texas

Janna Swedin/ COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS - Junior Allison Kleckner, senior Elly Mattle, and freshman Jake Sorenson put up the first wall on one of two Habitat houses in Amarillo, Texas.

Braum's, Toot-n-Totem, cactuses and red sand. Yep. We definitely weren't in Iowa anymore. Saturday morning at 6, 12 Warturgianites set out southbound for Amarillo, Texas. Our first stop was in Oklahoma City, Okla., where we spent the night on a church floor. After worshipping with the 20-member congregation Sunday, we were off again, but not before a stop downtown to remember the Oklahoma City bombing that killed 178 and changed the lives of thousands others.

On the road again, we slept, read and asked "If" book questions until the Lone Star state. Laird Kinnier, superintendent of the Amarillo Habitat construction project, welcomed us and was our tour guide for six days. He instructed us on what we had all been waiting to do since November.

Monday morning we were introduced to our cement slabs. A 43' by 24' piece of concrete, 11 outside and 18 inside pre-fabricated walls were what we started with. By 4:30 Monday afternoon the walls of our first house were up, and we were beat.

A cloudless, blue sky and sunshine filled our spirits as we put up the walls on our second house and got out early for a Habitat house dedication and a hockey game.

Earlier, at the house dedication, we realized why we came on this service trip. A sense of joy came over our group as the family was presented with a Bible, marking the blessing of their new home.

Wednesday brought us a day much like Monday; tattered, gray, cold and again, windy. We finished nicknack things around the house and pulled up the trusses on both roofs. Calling it a day, we were invited to Laird's church for dinner and conversation. His involvement with Habitat and students from all over the country left his congregation very curious about our "construction training sessions" and northern accents.

Thursday morning we woke to sheets of rain as our structure sites became saturated. We used this day to tour the town, visit the Texas State penitentiary and sort cans of food at a children's home.

Heading north but not before south, Friday we hiked through Palo Duro Canyon, 20 miles south of Amarillo. Beautiful but chilly, we were ready to hitch our way home by mid-morning. We stayed with generous host families from Christy Hansen's church while in Witchta, Kan.

Saturday allowed us a fine day for driving the rest of the way home. Growing, learning, laughing and bruising, we realized the week had been a success when we returned to our usual Baskin Robbins, Kwik Trips, tulips and black dirt.

—Janna Swedin, junior

Georgetown, S.C.

Emily Speltz/ TRUMPET
HOLD STEADY - Junior Adam Klein atop the ladder, while junior Mandy Schaller and advisor Stephanie Newsom hold the ladder.

When asked what the highlight of her trip To Georgetown, S.C. was co-leader Mandy Schaller replied, "For me, it was being able to work side by side with the future homeowner. We got to work with her on a daily basis and got to meet her son and grandson. Her daughter goes to school, so we missed her, but it was amazing to know that they will have a home by May."

She said the best thing about leading the trip was, "I loved watching the group bond together and become a tight-knit "family," everyone had so many gifts in the group to share. Whether it was to make laughter, build a spirit up, have construction knowledge, etc. I was thunderstruck by the personalities in the group. Everyone was so caring and compassionate-hearing the laughter and seeing the joy was a humbling experience."

Mandy said she learned "how to be more spontaneous and flexible" from leading her group.

"I am a person that likes things all planned out and organized. We did things on our trip that weren't planned out, such as having a campfire on the beach by the ocean. This wouldn't have happened without the 'randomness' of decision making. I also learned more about myself and how I relate to others."

East St. Louis, Ill.

Courtsey of Dina Tannous

PLAY TIME - Anush Harutyunyan and junior Dina Tannous spend time with kids while on their service trip to East St. Louis, Ill.