I HAVE NEVER appreciated cold water so much as I did the week of July 5, 2009.

You know how good water tastes after a hard workout in fitness? Multiply that by about 500, and that is how good it felt to drink ice-cold water after working outside in the Mississippi heat. The temperature was consistently around 90 degrees.

Also, showers that don't drain correctly are really annoying. And sunburns hurt a lot. And I missed my strawberry kiwi juice.

But none of those things matter, honestly. In a couple of years, or in a couple of decades, when I look back on my experience working with Habitat for Humanity in Mississippi, I'll remember meeting the people in the community, watching the dedication of a completed house, and, of course, painting, hammering, planting, and cleaning.

How it began

Trip sponsor Bob Coverdill demonstrates the proper way to put together a roof. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Back in May, Uni parent Bob Coverdill sent an e-mail to then sophomores, juniors, and seniors about the possibility of a Habitat for Humanity trip during the summer. Coverdill first became involved with Habitat through the Good Lutheran Church in the early '90s, helping with the local chapter on Saturdays.

Then, in 2004, his son Drew was part of the group that Uni history teacher Bill Sutton took to Mississippi during Agora Days.

"On the way back," remembered Coverdill, "they were all trying to figure out a way that they could return to Clarksdale, but being all mostly 15- to 17-year-olds, they had no practical way of making this happen. So they all told Drew to ask me, because 'your dad will do anything!'"

So in June of that year, Coverdill and another Uni parent took a group of 17 students to work with the Ferrell-Sherard affiliate. They worked to help build a house for an older couple who were living in what was basically a shack, and whose water had been shut off by the farm owner. The group worked extra hard and helped the couple move in two months early.

Coverdill continued with the annual trip for two more years, but took a break in 2007.

"I only had a few kids signed up, and my mom had some serious health issues that year, so I decided to cancel the trip," he recalled. "It was a difficult decision, but I knew that I'd be back, and told Carl the same."

Aside from Uni-associated trips, Coverdill has also participated in four trips to Biloxi, Miss., to repair houses damaged due to Hurricane Katrina. From his experience, he knew how rewarding it was to volunteer, and he knew that 2009 would be the right time to take another trip to the Delta.

Day 1: Off to Mississippi

Chaperone John Shapley tries his hand at cement pouring. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

I woke up quite a bit earlier than I was used to, considering it was summer, and arrived at the Coverdill house around 7:45. I was excited and a bit nervous, but mainly tired.

Soon, everyone had arrived, we found seats on the vans, and we left our respective lives behind, just for a little while. (For a list of everyone who participated in the trip, click here.)

Uni parent and organizer of the trip Bob Coverdill drove a turtle van, while Uni parent and chaperone John Shapley drove the Coverdills' minivan.

The next nine hours passed surprisingly quickly thanks to the company. Along with me in the minivan were Johnny Shapley, Rob Diehl, Stefanie Senior, Emma Coverdill, and Heather Lin.

A few card games into the ride, excitement ensued as we crossed over the Mississippi River:

"Where are we now?"
"Missouri?"
"No … Tennessee?"
"No, I saw the sign that said, 'Missouri'!"
"No, we're not in Missouri!"
"Hey, Mr. Shapley, where are we?"
"Missouri."
"Ha!"

So, after a few stops for gas and food, we arrived in Clarksdale, where we would be staying for the week. We met up with Carl Fuller, a man with quite an interesting story.

Back in 2001, Fuller was a Port Authority sergeant in New York, but had for a long time felt that he had a higher calling in the Mississippi Delta, even though he had never been there. So when he heard about Habitat for Humanity, he made plans to retire in November of that year and move to Mississippi.

But on Sept. 11, Fuller's plans changed. He heard over the radio about the attacks on the World Trade Center and was soon called to work. For the following couple of weeks, he remained at Ground Zero, directing men in rescue efforts. But 37 Port Authority members died, 37 people Fuller regarded like family.

Now, Fuller is the construction supervisor for the Jonestown division of Habitat. He and his wife, Lorna, welcomed us warmly to the former convent where we were to stay, accommodating our every need.

First, we toured the building: the lovely little chapel in the front, a room full of bunk beds where the boys would sleep, a large common area with couches, a dining room stocked full of puzzles and games, a full kitchen with plates, bowls, cups, and silverware. Upstairs, about 10 rooms lined the hallway, with two beds each.

Soon, rooms were claimed, beds were made, and Mr. Coverdill took a small group to the grocery store for dinner ingredients; the deal for the trip was that the chaperons would have no part in the dinner-making process. The rest of us hung out, starting puzzles, playing cards, or reading.

After a lovely dinner of spaghetti with meatballs, salad, and cookies for dessert, we relaxed for a bit, and headed off to bed.

Day 2: Tour of the town

Construction manager Ben gives our work the thumbs-up. Gargoyle photo courtesy Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Nile Hamer shows off the frame for one wall of a shed. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Everyone was up and ready to leave around 8:30. Prepared for work, I had my sunscreen, safety glasses, nail belt, and hat. We met Juanita Sims Doty, the southeastern regional director of Mississippi Habitat, and Ben, our construction manager, and soon we were off to the work site.

The ride from Clarksdale to Jonestown is about 15 minutes of land much like Illinois, but rather than the primary crop being corn, we passed thousands of rows of soybeans.

My first memory of entering Jonestown was a colorful mural on the side of a building: "Welcome to Jonestown." The town is tiny, with a short block of downtown area and only about six streets. Still, there is a community center, an oil mill where most of the people in Jonestown work, and an elementary school nearby.

Ben took us on a tour around the main neighborhood, telling us all the facts about the town. For example, 70 percent of the housing in the town is considered substandard.

This was easy to see when we looked outside the van. But, Ben said, we might also notice that there are some pretty nice cars parked outside of these houses; some people just have different priorities.

It was unbelievable to see the homes and think, People actually live there. Mr. Coverdill noted that in the neighborhoods we come from, many of these houses wouldn't pass for sheds.

But the things that struck me the most were the people and the animals. Any time our bus passed by someone walking down the street, we received a wave and a smile.

I had heard that people in the South are nicer, but I thought people around Champaign seemed nice enough for the most part. In Jonestown, though, everyone waved to us.

Then there were the animals. Dogs, primarily; I only saw one cat while we were there. The dogs were everywhere. They were lying outside, walking the streets, most of them extremely thin.

Ben explained that many of the people in Jonestown can hardly feed themselves, let alone a pet, so the dogs were left to find food on their own.

While on the tour, we came across one dog just lying in the street, and even as our van approached it, it wouldn't budge. Ben said he knew the dog, so he got out of the van and encouraged it to move. In a nearby yard, another dog was relaxing on top of a car.

By the time our tour was over, it was time for lunch. We ate in the Jonestown Habitat for Humanity dorm, where volunteers usually stay. It was quite small for our group of 21, so I was thankful that we were able to stay in Clarksdale.

After lunch, Ben set everyone up with jobs at the work site, which consisted of two nearly complete houses at the end of a dirt road. I was in the "inside" group along with Lilli Pearson, Sian Best, and Maritza Mestre.

We began with a bit of work outside, though, planting trees and bushes, where I was able to use my new gloves for digging. Next, we went inside the house, touching up the paint around the perimeter of the ceiling and on the walls.

Some people worked on the roof for one of the sheds, and another group began laying cement for the other shed. By the time my group finished the touchups for the whole house, it was 5 p.m. and time to go back to Clarksdale.

For dinner, I helped fix anything you could ever want for tacos, and we had ice cream for dessert. Exhausted, I went to bed soon after everything from dinner was cleaned up.

Day 3: Paint, wax, and dirt

Lilli Pearson, left, shovels dirt to even out the yard. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

I happened to be rather awake at 6:30, so after breakfast, I had the pleasure, along with a couple other early risers, to announce loudly to the boys room that we would be leaving at 7:30. It was rather satisfying.

At the work site, the "inside" group was again assigned to touch up the paint, this time in the other house. Now that we were experts in the art of painting small areas, the work was done much more quickly, and we moved on to sweeping and mopping the floors.

Again, we went to the Jonestown Habitat dorm for lunch: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, lunch meat and cheese sandwiches, and grapes. We also fixed a lovely and rather large sandwich for Ben, who was still back at the work site.

When we returned, Lilli and I were assigned to wax the floors in the first house. This was an exhaustive process of mopping first with water, then a soapy substance, and another coat of soapiness. And, of course, in between, we had to empty and refill the water bucket often. Still, it was worth it to see the beautiful, dirt-free floors.

At the second house again, we joined a group of people shoveling dirt to even out the front yard, and once this was complete, we returned to the convent for the evening. Dinner included hot dogs, veggie burgers, and macaroni and cheese. We even got a treat when Emma Coverdill made homemade chocolate chip cookies.

I planned to go to bed fairly early, but Rob Diehl was teaching a few people how to play the multi-round game Thirteens, and I was dragged into the game until 11, but I got to bed eventually.

Day 4: Siding and barbecue

Buck Walsh is proud of his cement work. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

I woke up to the delicious scent of blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes, and after quickly scarfing them down, we were off to Jonestown. It was time for some work out in the hot sun.

One of the sheds was ready for shingles and siding. It took awhile to start, seeing as most of us weren't very experienced with construction, so I tried to stay in the shadow of the shed while Mr. Coverdill taught us how to properly place shingles.

Soon, Mr. Coverdill felt confident enough to let a couple people do the shingles by themselves, so he taught another handful of people how to put the siding on.

Soon I was given a hammer and began to nail cream-colored slats to the shed. I continued this the whole day, stopping only for lunch: leftover macaroni and cheese.

For dinner on this particular night, Mr. Coverdill suggested Abe's, a little barbecue restaurant that is apparently so delicious that it even appeared in Southern Living magazine and a book called "BBQ Joints: Stories and Secret Recipes from the Barbeque Belt." I didn't have anything from Abe's, but everyone who ate it agreed that the food was great.

After dinner and brownies with ice cream for dessert, I was off to bed pretty quickly.

Day 5: The dedication

Juanita, who is in charge of the area Habitat affiliates, presents the new family to their home at the dedication ceremony. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

By Thursday, I was absolutely exhausted, but the knowledge that our day would end a bit sooner encouraged me. After more siding on the shed and lunch, I helped paint long two-by-fours white to make shutters. I had that careless feeling of the last day, so I slacked off a bit in terms of applying sunscreen. At the end of the day I had a couple of red spots.

Then, to everyone's surprise, Bill Sutton pulled up! We thought we would just miss him, as he was supposed to arrive soon after we left. Instead, he was early, and he even joined us in the evening.

Since one of the houses, No. 8, was complete, there would be a dedication ceremony to welcome the new family. The family, the mayor of Jonestown and his wife, Carl Fuller, Ben, and Juanita Sims Doty joined our group in the main room of the house.

After a few speeches, the family was presented with the key to their new home. It was amazing to see how the work of all the volunteers paid off. The family was so grateful to have this place to live, and it felt great to know that we had contributed.

In the evening, there was a community potluck that brought our group together with board members of the local Habitat affiliate. Sutton attended, and everyone had a great time.

That night, the students stayed up late playing games, reading, and talking. We were all tired, but happy; we were ready to go home, but we had a rewarding week of work. Finally, we went off to bed.

Day 6: The journey home

… Only to wake up a couple hours later. Everything had to be cleaned, and once everyone was packed, we headed back to Illinois. It was a much more sleep-filled trip than the way there.

It felt strange to go home. I noticed every house we passed, and realized how privileged we are. Of course there are neighborhoods in our area with substandard housing, but in Jonestown, nearly every house is in dire need of repair, or simply hopeless.

As soon as I walked into my house, I asked my parents if I could go back to Mississippi. I think I felt that if I didn't see the poverty that I saw in Jonestown every day, I wouldn't be motivated, and I didn't want to lose my motivation. I haven't been back yet, but I haven't lost my motivation either. I had such a strong sense that the work I did in Mississippi was something that I want to continue forever, so I still can't wait to return.

I also want to encourage everyone to participate in a trip like this. I had such an amazing time, not only on the work site but in the former convent living with almost 20 other people my age. I learned so much, and I think it has helped me become more independent.

So sign up for Habitat! Who knows? You might even find out that you want to make it your career.

Students and chaperones who participated in Summer Habitat Trip '09

Students

• Sian Best ('10)
• Emma Coverdill ('11)
• Rob Diehl ('09)
• Laura Dripps ('10)
• Katherine Floess ('11)
• Danny Ge ('10)
• Anna Gooler ('10)
• Nile Hamer ('10)
• Rachael Kempe ('11)
• Ben Lee ('10)
• Heather Lin ('11)
• Revathi Maturi ('11)
• Maritza Mestre ('10)
• Lilli Pearson ('11)
• Neil Pearson ('10)
• Stefanie Senior ('11)
• Johnny Shapley ('12)
• Jack Snyder ('10)
• Buck Walsh ('11)

Chaperones

• Bob Coverdill (parent)
• John Shapley (parent)

More Photos: Working Hard

Laura Dripps sets up her side of the room she and Anna Gooler shared. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click any photo to enlarge and to create your own slideshow)

House No. 7 began the week with an uneven yard and just the beginning of a shed. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Johnny and John Shapley read together in the common room of the former convent. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

This group has completed the frame of a shed. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Neil Pearson, Danny Ge, and Nile Hamer work together. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Emma Coverdill finds shade from the Mississippi sun. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Johnny Shapley (in red) and Laura Dripps (in green) move dirt to make room for a concrete step below the side door of house number eight. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Bob Coverdill and daughter Emma work together. Gargoyle photo by Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

Maritza Mestre and Laura Dripps goof off during a water break. Gargoyle photo courtesy Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)

The whole group stands in front of House No. 7. At far right, Uni history teacher Bill Sutton, organizer of the annual Agora Days trip to Mississippi, sneaks into the photo. Front row (from left): Ben Lee, Maritza Mestre, Sian Best, Laura Dripps, Emma Coverdill, Heather Lin, Revathi Maturi, Katherine Floess, Lilli Pearson. Back row (from left): Anna Gooler, Neil Pearson, Jack Snyder, Danny Ge, Nile Hamer, Rachael Kempe, Stefanie Senior, Johnny Shapley, Buck Walsh, Rob Diehl, Bob Coverdill, John Shapley. Gargoyle photo courtesy Anna Gooler (click to enlarge)