Part of the Nomads team getting ready to install a new valve sThe first 2 weeks of December found us immersing ourselves (almost literally) in the work of our newly-joined Nomads team. Nomads is a mission group under the sponsorship of the United Methodist Church that recruits RV’er to do work on various projects for churches, camps, disaster responses and more. Our project was for Faith UMC in Jacksonville. It was a great team and we ended with a tremendous sense of accomplishment and service.
The Work
We began our first Nomads project with a number of objectives: replace a water line to the sanctuary, strip and paint the posts along the breezeways and cover the roof of one of the buildings to slow its deterioration. The primary objective was the plumbing and it quickly grew in size and scope from a simple “replace the line to the sanctuary” to a project that ended up rerouting most of the water flow to this 14 acre site.
We began our first Nomads project with a number of objectives: replace a water line to the sanctuary, strip and paint the posts along the breezeways and cover the roof of one of the buildings to slow its deterioration. The primary objective was the plumbing and it quickly grew in size and scope from a simple “replace the line to the sanctuary” to a project that ended up rerouting most of the water flow to this 14 acre site.
Excavating the Main valve The project team had what we learned was a unique set of skills for this complex plumbing project. With a former city engineer, a vocational school teacher of (among other things) plumbing skills, and Dave’s project planning skills, the team scoped out the work to be done, devised a plan to bypass the existing plumbing, and managed to avoid some risky tie-ins to the existing plumbing. By the end of the 3rd week, we had cutover from the old main valve to the new, and replaced the plumbing line to 90% of the church’s buildings.
Cathy starting up a pressure-washer. The secondary objective was to strip and paint the breezeway support poles. This involved the deployment of 3 power washers almost continuously (except when the plumbing project had the water off) for several days. In addition to stripping the paint, we used the washers to clean lots of mold and dirt from the roof. We also cleaned the eaves of the sanctuary and many of the sidewalks. The painting continued after the official project ended, but lots of the hard work was behind us, which much easier work for Nomads “drop-ins” that followed.
Finally, we had taken advantage of Cathy’s sewing machine to fashion a temporary solution to a leaking roof on one of the church’s older buildings. She sewed together 2 – 30ft x 40ft tarps so they could be spread across the roof. The team then hauled the heavy combined tarp up to the problem side of the building’s roof and nailed it down. There is only a small section of roof not covered. And the rain in the intervening weeks has proven that the tarp is doing its job.
Morning Devotions So, how does the project day go?
We start each morning at 8am with a short devotion and get directions for work for the day. There are breaks in the morning and afternoon and a hour for lunch mid-day. The evenings on our project were rarely idle. The church organized dinners for the group at the church, or we were invited to participate in church events: Wed. dinners, Circle Christmas party, UMW brunch, Sunday School Christmas parties, and so much more. We were invited to dinner at nearby restaurants and at member’s homes. We could say no, but we enjoyed being part of the church’s hospitality and its Christmas preparations.
We start each morning at 8am with a short devotion and get directions for work for the day. There are breaks in the morning and afternoon and a hour for lunch mid-day. The evenings on our project were rarely idle. The church organized dinners for the group at the church, or we were invited to participate in church events: Wed. dinners, Circle Christmas party, UMW brunch, Sunday School Christmas parties, and so much more. We were invited to dinner at nearby restaurants and at member’s homes. We could say no, but we enjoyed being part of the church’s hospitality and its Christmas preparations.
New Tire covers RV Stuff
We managed to get a few things done on the RV. Cathy made some tire covers from Sunbrella. We decided it was a wise idea to buy an extension cord, so that we aren’t quite so restricted in where we park the RV in the future. And Dave wired in a more permanent 12V plug and battery monitor. No more guessing about the health of the batteries
We managed to get a few things done on the RV. Cathy made some tire covers from Sunbrella. We decided it was a wise idea to buy an extension cord, so that we aren’t quite so restricted in where we park the RV in the future. And Dave wired in a more permanent 12V plug and battery monitor. No more guessing about the health of the batteries
