“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.“ (Leo Buscaglia)

Dear family and friends,

We are now well into our volunteer season. I have included 3 of Brad’s photos of some of the projects that our volunteers have been doing here at The Homes of Ethnos360.

Our sewing ladies are set up in the small classroom just off the chapel. Two of the ladies are pictured with Laura, (the intern who has been part of my housekeeping team). As you can see, Laura is very happy with the apron that they made for her.

We’ve had a few mornings where the temperatures were a bit too cool for the Merry Maids to work outside washing windows and screens for retirees living in the duplexes. A few volunteers showed up at the Latham Center and wanted to know how they could help. I had them using Swiffer dusters to dust the ceiling lights as well as dry sweep all the hallway walls with the long-handled floor dusters.

The men are working on refurbishing jobs in 9 duplexes to get them ready for the next retirees who will soon be moving in.

The men poured concrete in 3 driveways and 3 sidewalks here on Brazil Court. They completed a much larger project on another section of the property. Large oak trees had grown to the point where the roots had cracked and raised up places in the driveways and sidewalks. As much as possible, our staff guys do what they can to make all walking surfaces even to prevent our elderly folks from tripping and hurting themselves. There were also some drainage issues that have been addressed. We thank the Lord for our many volunteers as they joyfully put their skills to good use. Their willing hands and grateful hearts have been a HUGE blessing to staff and residents alike.

As I shared in previous letters, Brad’s health progress has been much slower than we expected. This is due to the seriousness of his illness back in October and November. His doctors are telling him that it will take at least 4 to 6 months before he will be back on top of things. Many have asked why this has taken so long. While in the hospital Brad was diagnosed with the flu, COVID, pneumonia, MRSA, sepsis, A fib, as well as other health issues. The combination of all these took a toll on his body. Therefore, it is going to take time for complete healing. Brad continues to have doctor’s appointments, blood work, tests, etc. Your prayers for his health would be appreciated. Brad is working in the office 4 to 5 hours a day but must quit when his body tells him that he has done enough. He then takes his camera and walks around the property documenting the many activities accomplished by our staff and volunteers.

I never quite know what I will run into when I am at work in the Latham Center. One day, one of our residents came out of her room and into the hallway and said, “There is a mouse in my house!” I calmly asked her if she could show me where she had seen this mouse. She pointed to her little refrigerator in the corner of her room. I suggested that she go out of the room, and that I would take care of the problem. I asked Laura if she could grab a broom and I got an old towel. I had seen a small lizard run behind the refrigerator. Since Laura is not too keen on lizards, I knew that I needed to be the one to capture the lizard and remove it from the room. We closed the door, and we began to move some of the furniture out of the way. I instructed Laura to shoo the lizard back towards me if he darted in her direction. My plan was to throw the towel over the lizard and then carry him outside. I thought I had him, but when I took the towel outside to let him loose, he was not there. I went to plan B. I got the handiest vacuum cleaner and decided to suck him up. This worked well. I got the lizard and deposited him outside. He scurried off, and we could get back to our normal cleaning jobs. I was SO thankful that it was not a mouse!

I will close with a few prayer requests. Please pray for Brad’s health as well as patience for the two of us as we walk this journey. Please pray for safety for our staff and volunteers as they work on the many projects, large and small, around The Homes property. Pray for the housekeeping team as we clean and attend to other needs of our Latham Center residents. Please pray for a lady or man to join our staff who enjoys cleaning and wants to serve the Lord in this way.

When we wake up every day we are faced with many choices. One of those things we can choose to do is speak words of kindness and in doing so we can brighten someone’s day.

By His grace,

Brad and Wanda Hull

(Serving at the Homes of Ethnos360 in Sanford, FL)