No More Excuses

It was the first summer of Summer Project and we were working on a corner lot right down the street for days. If hopelessness had a location, this dump site was it. Hour after hour we toiled on this lot, but seemed to be making little progress.

Neighbors came out and scoffed at us. “Why?” They asked “it’s just gonna go back to the way it was anyways.” Yet everyday we came back and said yes, with our feeble army of 5-7 people. Our yes was chipping away at the hopelessness in that lot, and slowly but surely we would prevail.

One day an older Dominican gentleman came up to our group and started working with us. Little by little he began chipping away with his machete in hand. He didn’t speak any English but we all understood he was there to help. His name was Paulino. He lived on Swatara and had seen us working and one day decided to join us. He had a smile that covered his face and he never once complained despite the heat, his age and hard work that it was. Every day he came back and joined us and it was his persistence that helped us face the hopelessness we all felt. If he could do it at age 78 so could we! We tried to offer him our tools but he preferred his trusted machete to cut down the overgrowth that seemed like a jungle all around us.  His joy pushed us forward and his willingness to go low, in spite of his age, took away every excuse we could think of. 

One evening he invited us into his home and we prayed with him and his family. They too were believers and were so grateful for our labor. We had inspired them to be apart of something bigger than themselves. They also blessed us and prayed for us. 

He saw hope in our hearts, and was compelled to be apart of the solution. We inspired him with purpose, and yet his willingness to jump in, inspired us to continue our journey. I often wonder what it would be like if he hadn’t joined our ranks that summer. Would we have continued? 

I remember it feeling so hard that second week of that first summer, yet when we finished we felt the victory and we knew we could do this. That was the turning point for us, there were many victories after this but that moment marked us all, knowing that if this was possible then anything was possible. Hope was invading the Hill and there was nothing that was gonna stop us. 

A couple years later that same lot was purchased and renovated and became one of the nicest lots on the block. What used to be a hang out spot for drug deals, and people constantly drinking, was transformed into a home that someone can be proud of. This is one of the many stories and a constant reminder of what Hope has done.