Well, another adventure over, and another one around the corner. I wish I had more itme to stay in touch, but we did not have access to anything in Florida. West Palm Beach was not all that it was cracked upt o be. We were 30 minutes away from civilization, and even then it was only the supermarket and BLockbuster. We did get a few chances to get out and party, but it was a long drive home!! The work was fard, hot, hot and hot! Southern Florida in August is kinda warm, yah. Gold 4 was hacking down trees with machetes all day, every day for 5 weeks. i must say I've got some muscles now, but nothing to really brag about. We got to demolish a greenhouse on our last day. That was fun . . . we basically took sledgehammers to it. We also got to do a controlled burn (Guess what? That was hot too). Well, the burn was just a big bonfire. Remember all those trees we chopped,well they made prety fire in the end. They usually have a bulldozer that pushed all the debris into the pile to make a tall fire opposed to a wide one. But, that is not the AmeriCorps way. Instead of using the machine, Gold 4 used . . . picking up branch by branch and throwing it into the pile. Fun. Actually, it was fun. It was better than chopping again. We also had the opportunity to go to Georgia for 10 days in the middle of the project to do a Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build. Gold 2 was there for 6 weeks. It was great to be able to work with another team. I don't think that happens very often. In February, a tornado ripped through Camilla, GA and wiped out an entire neighborhood. We were asked to help rebuild 10 houses in one week with a plethora of other volunteers from around the country. It was awesome to work hard doing something different every day, and when we were done, to see the appreciation in the new homeowners tears and smiles sends chills all through your body. But it was very hot there too. About 100 degrees every day. One man actually had a heart attack and died on our second day. That was sad, but we still continued on. We also got to attend a sunday school class taught by Jimmy Carter himself. Cool. When we got back to FL,the days seemed to go by faster, so that was good. Now we'll be on our wau back to Little Rock, Arkansas to work int he children's hospital for six weeks. That will be awesome!! I will be able to keep in touch with everyone better there . . . 24 hout computer and phone access in the hospital. Sweet!!

All in all, I guess the thought of going to work in the Children's Hospital kept G4 going. Now we'll be starting all over on Monday. We still don't know what our last project is, but I'll let ya'll know.

I miss everyone and think of you all the time. I can't wait to come home in December. I'll see some of you then, and I will talk to everyone soon.

Take care, be safe, have fun, enjoy life, have adventures, give love.

Sent with lots of love,

~Jess