Tuesday at Puppy's House

Hello Iowa, this is Mandy Trusty writing to you from Pass Christian, MS. Since arriving on Saturday we have been very busy working around the community rebuilding homes and making relationships. On Tuesday I had the pleasure of working with a group of nine individuals at the home of Puppy and Sunshine DeGroat.(Yes you read that correctly) The names only represent a fraction of their persona. When we arrived at the home we were greeted by small home and framework for what would be a motorcycle shop. From living in Ankeny with nicely manicured homes and yards it was a surprise to see piles of junk and animals that roamed freely. We were surveying the yard and all the apparent work to be done for the day when out of the house walked a tall man with a white long beard topped with straw cowboy hat in overalls and tattoos. The tough exterior covered up the lovable man we came to know and love as Robert"Puppy"DeGroat. This mans life is one of excitement and doing what no one thought possible. He has lived an outlaw lifestyle as a card holding member of Sturgis, and a wildest reenactor in Deadwood, South Dakota. He has pride and ownership in all that he does making sure to show us pictures and memorabilia from his past. Around noon we meet Puppy's wife Sunshine. Sunshine is a hard as nails lady with a heart for animals. She spends her time outside caring for the animals and enlightening us with her past experience. Our main desire in working with Puppy and Sunshine is to encourage them through our simple acts of service as we helped to build their garage and clean their yard.
Although the work we do may not seem like much, spending a week with them has taught us that the simplest acts can be a bright spot in someone's recovery process.