We took a walk this morning before driving the final distance to our work assignment location. I was again reminded in so many ways of the Yakima Valley as this appears to be almost a carbon copy of that area. I had initially thought that the big difference was the lack of orchards, but we found one on our walk. Completely overgrown, with all the apples still on the trees, this orchard appeared to be abandoned. Next to it sat a house that was also abandoned, with several windows out and a few more boarded up. I guess not all farms around here are successful.
Other orchards appeared to be doing well, with several of them being actively harvested. Another reminder of the Valley was the presence of wineries, although I did not see any vineyards.
We arrived at the Hope House at about 10am. We wanted to use much of the day to get some household tasks done. The laundry needed to be done, the tanks needed to be taken care of, and Deb wanted to make a big pot of soup out of refrigerator leftovers.
We met Steve and Sharon, our group leaders and fellow volunteers as we drove in. They are the experts here, having served here numerous times. One of the kids here adopted them as her “grandparents”, and since then they’ve had a special bond which keeps them coming back.
We also met Donna who has been here for 52 years and who started this ministry in 1973 by taking in her first child in need. Since this this has grown to a whole campus spanning 52 acres along the Snake River. That’s where we come in. Someone has to help maintain this place.
You really never know what’s going to happen when you get to a project. We had no idea we would be attending a girls’ volleyball game, but, at 6pm, we found ourselves in the gymnasium, rooting for the home team, the Hope House Heroes. They were playing the high school team from Marsing. Three rounds played, and the Heroes put forth a gallant effort, but Marsing scored higher each game. The last game was called because a ball hit a light fixture, resulting in one of the glass bulbs crashing to the floor.
One thing we were not aware of was that hookups are 50 Amp only, and we don’t have an adapter (called a dog bone). Which is not a real big deal except on hot days. Today was hot. 86 degrees. And no air conditioning. So we sweltered until the sun went down, now we have goosebumps and are covering ourselves with blankets. The temperature extremes here in the high desert can be quite extreme.
We have a dog bone on order. Just in time for the cooler weather that’s coming.
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