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July Building Teams

Well, two more building teams have came and gone! They accomplished so much work and we were so blessed to have them. Arriving first was Team One, and that included Jerry, Chris, John, Jodi, Tanya, Kevin, Patsy, and Kristian. Team Two included Jerry, Chris, Randy, Tanya, and a different John. Somewhere between Team One and Team Two came Philip, but he mostly wandered around and smelled flowers, so we'll just move on with the story.

Because the 2nd floor of Smile House is basically done, our volunteers focused on the 1st floor, basement, and outside. They poured mass amounts of concrete (when in Ukraine!), did sheet rock, painted, framed walls, did electric work, cleaned, organized, and tiled two miles. Here's some picture proof:
Randy cutting tile. He might have broke a nail, but otherwise he was pretty tough.
Tonya installing baseboard for dear life. She is truly a woman of all skills!
 John standing there looking charming. Oh, and he did electrical work and ate my coffee cake.
 Chris showing his sunny side. Concrete is fun!
Daniel...erm....umm...Daniel pretending to be James Bond in ridiculously cute white boots.
I did have the chance to stuff the team full of lasagna, carrot cake, grilled BBQ chicken, muffins, cookies, steak, sauteed mushrooms, coffee cake, baked zuchinni, brownies, and squid chips. 
Dean, Daniel, and Jerry help smooth out the driveway. That is, when Philip wasn't flirting with them.
Team One. Notice Philip in the lower right corner looking extra perty for the camera.
Team Two doing the Sun Stare

Volunteer Spotlight: Many of you may recall us talking about Manna Freedom, a campaign to raise awareness about human trafficking and modern day slavery. You may remember us selling wrist bands when we were raising support. We shared that Manna Freedom would be focusing on Christian camps around the nation, and there kids were to submit their best idea on how to combat trafficking. The winner would receive an all-expense paid trip to Ukraine!

Well, a year passed and the winner was finally announced. Kristian Rasch from Montana claimed the prize, and joined the first July building team along with her mom Patsy, who also came free of charge. This was their first mission trip and first time out of the country, and we were so blessed by their enthusiasm and willingness to do any job.
Kristian said that the trip changed her life.  If you come, your life will be changed, too. Janna is waiting for you; cookies are baking in the oven, and Smile House is ready for some workers. Also, there are some orphans who need a few hugs. Won't you come join us?

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