Salkehatchie | Teen Ink

Salkehatchie MAG

September 5, 2015
By Swim4Him24 SILVER, Clover, South Carolina
Swim4Him24 SILVER, Clover, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9


Salkehatchie.


Strange word, isn’t it? I looked it up in an online dictionary, and it asked me if I meant “balkhash.” However, Salkehatchie is not a made-up word. In addition to being the name of a river in South Carolina, Salkehatchie is a summer service program in which I participated last year. This program changed me. A lot.


Salkehatchie is a week-long volunteer program for teens to help fix people’s houses who can’t afford to do it themselves. We do everything from painting walls to plumbing to roofing. Saturday is the first day of camp when you arrive wherever you’re staying (usually a high school or church) and get settled in. Later, you tour the houses your camp will be working on.


On Sunday you are assigned to your site groups and get to know each other. Our group went to church together and then went bowling as an icebreaker activity. Then on Monday, the hard work began.


Our assigned houses needed roofing, painting (lots of painting), new steps in the front and back, new locks, repairs to holes in the walls, a new stove, sink and kitchen cabinets, and a general cleaning. In South Carolina, July weather is hot! Very few of the homes had air conditioning, but we pushed through our work with lots of water, Gatorade, and popsicles.


Our site owner was so excited because he got to choose the paint color, and we painted everything (and I mean everything) that color. He also kept extra paint so he could touch up his house. Most of us are lucky enough that we don’t give this much thought. I mean, it’s just a new coat of paint – what’s the big deal? But once we finished painting the walls, our site owner stood there for an hour just staring at it. We asked if anything was wrong, and he said with tears in his eyes, “This house has never looked so good.”


That one sentence made the entire week of sweat and manual labor 100 percent worth it. To see tears in someone’s eyes when they see the change that a couple of teens with paintbrushes and hammers can make is truly special. These homeowners are all so grateful for the work we do. Some (if they are physically able) help us fix things. One of our homeowners was on the roof the entire time with the rest of our site group.


Once you participate in this program, you are never the same. I went home with a new understanding of how blessed I am. With new eyes I looked at our dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, hot and cold water, working air conditioning, all the space, and doors that actually lock. Before, I never thought twice about any of those things.
The symbol for Salkehatchie is two hands – one holding a hammer and one holding a cross. The last day, each group makes a Salkehatchie for the house. We made ours out of scrap wood and put “Salkehatchie 2015” on it in big letters. Then we signed our names. Our homeowner wanted the cross right in front of the house where everyone could see it.


Our group members then chose a symbol to represent their week at camp – an object that represented their personal experience and when they felt God’s presence. My symbol was a little block of wood that we used to steady a shaky ladder. Without the block somebody could have fallen and been injured. For me, it represented how something small and insignificant (like a bunch of teens with hammers and determination) can make a big difference. However, as I thought about it more, I realized God does that with us. He can send us something seemingly small and insignificant that makes a huge difference. It can save us. For me, God is that block of wood. Far from being small or insignificant, He steadies our ladder and makes sure we don’t fall.


Salkehatchie, I’ll see you next year.

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
   Galatians 6:9



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 4 comments.


on Feb. 19 2016 at 12:23 pm
Swim4Him24 SILVER, Clover, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

Thank you so much!!!

on Sep. 16 2015 at 11:34 am
Summerstar SILVER, Clinton, Utah
9 articles 1 photo 35 comments

Favorite Quote:
“For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in your ways. And they will bear you up in their hands…” Psalms 91:11-12

Wonderful experience, thanks for sharing it with us. I love service and it's so cool when teens come together to do so much for people in need. Everyone feels the Spirit of God and service and being able to see how you've helped those people is really awesome.

on Sep. 15 2015 at 9:45 pm
Swim4Him24 SILVER, Clover, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9

Thank you! our work really did pay off! It was also tons of fun because I got to use a sledgehammer. And yes, I know that's an odd thing to be excited about:)

on Sep. 15 2015 at 9:28 pm
CNBono17 SILVER, Rural, South Carolina
5 articles 0 photos 248 comments

Favorite Quote:
Lego ergo sum (Latin—I read, therefore, I am)
The pen is mightier than the sword—unknown
Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity—1 Timothy 4:12

AMEN AMEN AMEN! Love Salkehatchie! For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes. Rom. 1:16 (also my life verse...) Btw, that house really did look awesome when you finished!