Day is done

When I was a Girl Scout we used to sing a song that went like this.

Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.

All is well, safe we rest, God is nigh.

Our week is done. The sun has gone down from the sky and we have said our goodbyes to Pearlington and to it's residents. It's not been an easy week. There have been moments of conflict and frustration. We have experienced times of boredom along with that sense of urgency to finish the job. Some of us have sore muscles, some have struggled with allergies and illness, most are just plain tired. We've had a couple of small injuries and some scrapes and bruises. We've worked on 11 homes, put in around 900 hours of sweat equity into Pearlington, ate some great food and saw destruction that left us in tears. All of us have felt frustration and experienced some challenge but I don't think any of us would trade this experience for the world!

Here are our memorable moments from the week:

Jodi--The most memorable thing was walking into the Yellow House and just seeing the furniture turned on it's side...personal belongings, toys and pictures with a layer of dried mud over everything.

Joe--For me it was leaving Ms. S's house at the end of the day with the two kids running over saying "Don't leave! Aren't you going to come back and finish the house?" What do you tell them? How do you tell them that you're only here for a week and aren't going to be able to finish the job.

Zach--The change of people's opinions about Ms. S's house after we were done working on it. Before we got there the general consensus was that house needed to be torn down but not they say it will take a year to two years with volunteer help for her to be moved in.

Norm--Mr. P's house in the afternoon was one of the most exciting moments. Rita and Sandy came and said "We want to do more!" Everyone was teaching others how to do the work and we were running like crazy by the end of the work day. The other was at the site today roofing. Once everyone got started on their task it went well. When other groups came back to drop things off, they saw we were still working and joined in the work. At one point there were four lines of people working on the roof, racing to get it all down. It felt like things were really moving and was just fun.

Bill--One of the most memorable things for me was New Year's lunch, though it was long, it was moving to hear the people of the church share how much they appreciated all the people how had come to the town. They actually look at the storm as a blessing. They have served 6000 meals since the storm.

Lynn--The high point of the week was at the yellow house, walking into all that devastation and at the end of the day seeing the difference we made. No one stood around, everyone was moving and working hard and worked together well as a team.

Maaike--What I thought was really important was the feeling of being together and home with the people in this group. The most memorable was the yellow house and seeing what had happened in the storm.

Douglas--My funniest moment was today with the crowbars and Joe, just whacking stuff all day. My most memorable moment was being a team leader with Mark. It was fun for a couple of days and then I didn't want to be a leader anymore. My 2nd most memorable moment was the first day at the yellow house. It was like we were all on fire. I was always carrying buckets out.

Pedro--At Mr. M's house working in his closet, there were dirty clothes everywhere. Underneath one of the piles was a cockroach...Mark was like "Okay, that's a cockroach." I said, "Kill it." and Mark said "I don't know how to kill it." It was a lot of fun working with Mark. We worked together well.

Molly--I have three things about the week I will remember forever. The first was walking into the yellow house feeling angry that people have just left it that way and seeing the power of nature. The 2nd most cool thing was on the 2nd day at Ms. S's house when both her grandkids remembered me. It was really important to me. Third, I've had more "girl power" moments this week than I've had in my life. Everyday I've been proving myself. I feel like God has been showing me my strengths this week.

Joe G.--One was when went down to the Gulf and took that drive. Every house it was like just the metal bases of the house. It was pretty emotional. Second this week I've mostly worked with Norm. He's a really good worker and teacher. I had a lot of fun with him.

Mark--I liked being roommates with Joey. We talked late into the night and it was cool getting to know him. The other thing that I really liked was being a co-leader because if I had any hard decisions I could tell the other person to deal with it. I really enjoyed having a group of people who maybe didn't know what to do and maybe I knew what to do. We got together and worked together as a team. It was really cool that everyone came together to help other people

Jonathan--My most memorable moment of the trip was getting sick. I don't remember feeling that bad in a long time. But the brighter side was rooming with Joe. We've been best friends for a long time and he's still my best friend. On the site, the teamwork that we had on the flooring job was the other memorable moment. Whenever someone needed to help someone was there.

Pete—To have the opportunity to spend such profound time with my son was by far the best part of the trip. One of the most fun things was when Mr. Guy and Mr. Peanut had rock and roll flashbacks on the way back to Slidell. It was fun to finish strong and I felt like we finished strong today.

Violett—My best moment was today when Justine and I were talking. I liked that all of us were really close and actually bonded. Today I was talking with Brittany that I’m really a wanting and needing person, I’m always asking for more. I finally realized on this trip that there are people who have less and I need to be happy with what I have.

Sandy—Mine is being with my church family again on a week’s worth of travel. It’s always amazing how close we get in this one week and when we go home we stay that way. We have a bond that people can’t understand a lot. Also going to the Baptist Church lunches, seeing them still serving great meals, it hasn’t changed. It’s still just as good now as it was then. And I got to pound two nails into their new church building, one for me and one for my sister.

Michelle—My highlight of the trip was the yellow house the first day, how we all banded together. Also, the church where we eat lunch at being remembered by the people who were serving lunch. It was nice to know that someone remembered me. Also, just being here and being able to work when most people choose to sit on the couch and watch TV on their break. Probably the biggest highlight was at the end of the day sitting and listening to everyone’s day and hearing how they were changed by the day.

Guy—For me the highlight was being able to go back to Ms. S’s house because I had been there last year. It was also a low point because she seemed to be doing much worse but by the end of the week she was much better. She gave me a picture of her rose that I had pruned for her last year.

Rita--I really appreciate the fact that I was able to accepted and build relationships with everyone in this group. I enjoyed going to three different sites but I felt it was a real privilege to go to the yellow house. I know that everything I did throughout the week meant something but to see the inside change and the outside change that was the true Katrina experience.

Sarah--At Mr. P's house I felt not only did I learn something but I was tested because I had to teach people. I got to do the same thing today at Mr. J's house too. I think one of the best things about our group is how we all get along. We all care about each other.

Brittany--My favorite moments this week were hanging out with Ben and Tom, knowing that Katrina had brought them together and seeing the love and respect they have for each other. It was so special to be treated as an equal in the leadership capacity.

Sue--The thing that I appreciated most was the caring attitude the team had and the professionalism. For being volunteers we did a better job than some professionals. I was just totally bowled over today just seeing the greenhouse apart. There were some great victory calls as things feel down.

Debbie--I was struck today by the complex recovery process. Each house is different and the recovery is different. From the house that is in the same condition that we left it the last year, to the house that is finally in the beginning stages of recovery, to the house that the people have moved in but will have to move out because of the permit process. Yet everyone is still grasping onto hope. It's evident that everyone is in their own process is healing.

Gail--The thing that was the most memorable thing for me was the caring that the people of Pearlington have for us. The morning that we first came in one of the neighbors saw us come in, going across the glass door we were using to get across the gully. In the afternoon he was out cutting boards and putting them over the door making it a safe place for us to walk. Today at lunch on of the gentlemen we had met the day before came in, saw me and said "Where have you been? I've been looking all over for you!" He had brought a heater over to the house we had worked on the day before, knowing how cold it would be in the house.

Justine--Meeting Ms. L was great. She was so interesting. It was great to talk with her. Working on the yellow house, at first I didn't want to work there but going in I understand why my parents watch "This Old House". There was a chandelier in the bathroom! We got connected to the house and connected to the owner. It was amazing working with everyone on that house.

Regina--My most memorable moment was seeing Pete hit a nail in in 2 strokes when it took me 20. Also seeing how much it took to make the house level and straight. The first couple of days our crew didn't really know what we were really supposed to do but as the week went on we knew exactly what to do.

Alex--Ms. P's story about the Katrina disaster really brought home the whole thing while we are here. Walking into the yellow house, seeing what had been done and what was yet to do. Seeing the water level in the house and the mess made it all real to me. The other thing is what the team has accomplished this week. Finally, being on a mission trip with my two daughters was amazing, even though we were never on a site together.

Lisa--I enjoyed hanging out with people but it was hard in a lot of ways. I enjoyed that we got to see Ms. D today and that I was remembered by her daughter. It was just a different trip then last time.

Thank you, dear readers, for sending us, for commenting, for praying for us and for trusting God to care for us on our journey. We have been blessed!

Day 5...the beginning of the end

Throughout our time here on the Gulf Coast we've had warm days, cold days and rainy days. Today was a cold, windy day and it's supposed to be colder tomorrow. Oh joy.

It's evident from today that we're all tired, emotionally and mentally. Tempers are shorter, patience is vanishing and tears come a little bit easier. None of us are immune to these effects, though some are more clever at hiding them. As you pray for the team on Wednedsay, please pray that we would end our week of work on a high note, enjoying each other's company. Tomorrow is it, at 5pm we are done, we put all the tools back in Ben's trailers and head on home. I'm not excited about that. It's not a moment that any of us are really looking forward to, though the prospect of our own beds sounds really good right about now.

On to the work. Today a team headed back to the yellow house to start gutting the greenhouse and sheds out back. Guy came over with his chain saw and helped to eliminate a problem tree branch. We spent the whole day making the garbage pile bigger and bigger. If our work required a crowbar, Joe S. was quick to off his services. Our prayer is that he won't wound himself with that thing! We had a lot of visitors as well, curious to see what was happening. One group came through and made it a point to share how impressed they were with the job we had done inside the house. Hopefully by the time we are done tomorrow, people will be impressed with the outside work as well!

Mr. Peanut's house was busy today making sure the floor was level at Ms. S's house. There is a new sliding door in and sheetrock is going up to make the house weather safe before we need to leave. Debbie will be coming home with all her limbs intact, though I heard she shouldn't be trusted alone around a saw. Mr. Peanut's group is sorry to see the young 'uns leave (Ms. S's grandkids) but looking forward to a day where they don't have to worry about kids underfoot.

The flooring work at Mr. P's house ended today. Yo Momma and Violett rocked and got an "EQ" from the boss man. That's "early quit" in Ben-speak. Mr. P and friend enjoyed their company throughout the day. They couldn't just not do anything though, so Yo Momma and Violett headed over to the yellow house for the last hour of the day.

Mr. Bill took a group to a new site for us, just down the street from Mr. P's house. They spent the day taping and mudding drywall. I've heard tell that Sarah is a whiz at mudding corners. There is another day's work for them tomorrow, helping one family get a step closer to being in their home.

Norm and Alex finished up their roofing job today and spent some time talking with Ms. P and her family. Ms. P's grandson had stayed in the house while the rest of the family had evacuated. When Pearlington flooded, Ms. P's grandson was evacuated to Bay St. Louis, unbknownest to the rest of his family. Days after the storm, Ms. P and family went to the Bay to look for her grandson only to be told that the evacuation camps weren't keeping a list of names of the peopel there because there were just too many. By chance Ms. P's grandson spotted the top of his grandmother's van as they were driving away and chased down the car to be reunited with his family. It's stories like those that make us all realize how difficult it must have been in the days after the storm, not knowing where your family was or even how to find them.

Mark's crew continued flooring at Ms. J's house. Maaike is proving to be a great asset to the team! She laid down a peel and stick bathroom floor in about an hour and a half. Go Maaike! Pedro got mad at the boards and tried to break them, but was quickly calmed down by Jonathan. They have another day's work ahead of them and hope to have most of the floors done by tomorrow. They seem like a pretty happy team!

As we talked tonight in our nightly meeting, I was reminded that we sometimes forget how big our small jobs are to the people we work for. It gets tedious doing the same thing over and over. We are easily frustrated when we have to recut something 4 times to make it fit but yet the end result is that we are helping someone get one step closer to living in their home. Though the work may not be personally satisfying, the work is important. We are blessed to be here doing what God is calling us to do with an amazing team of people!

Snake!

Today was a great day for everyone. We worked at 6 different homes today and got a lot of work done. There are many highlights today, so here goes...dot style!

• Mark and Pedro rocked out on shelving at Mr. M's house...Mr. M was very appreciative of their hard work! In the afternoon they headed over to another house with Jonathan to install Pergo. Pedro was very excited about their day. I don't have pictures because they haven't given me any!


• The group at Mr. P's house continued on with the floor prep. I've heard that Joey is very good at cutting out holes in plywood. Word on the street is that he's so exact that when the crew did a test fit, they almost couldn't get the board up! Sarah, Sandy, Jodi, Yo Momma, Violett and Jodi are a great team!

• Work has been finished for the time being at The W's house. Debbie, Bill and Lisa put the finishing touches on their jobs today. Bill only put holes where they were supposed to be the and Debbie perfected her texturing technique.


• Team Peanut out at Ms. S's house had an excellent day. They have gotten the house level and plumb! Even with the distraction of little ones, this team worked well. Thank you for your prayers for Ms. S. She seems to be finding hope in the work that is being done. Keep on praying!
• Alex, Norm and Jonathan spent the morning roofing...Jonathan was taken away to another site in the afternoon, but Norm and Alex continued to make a great team! They even made it to meals on time! They were aided by some local residents as well. Hopefully they can finish the job tomorrow!


• We started a new site today, which took the rest of the crew. On each trip we have driven by a yellow house that has sat vacant and pretty much untouched. Today our crew headed over to muck out. For some this was their first experience for others their 3rd or 4th, for all it was an experience not soon forgotten. It was amazing how fast the crew worked. Equally amazing was the immediate ties we all felt to this house. Douglas and Joe S. had a fabulous time figuring out how to get big pieces out of small places...Joe really likes crowbars. Maaike, Michelle, Lynn, Molly, Sue, Rita, Justine and I all took turns sweeping and shoveling. Lisa cleaned out the refrigerator and kitchen...and received the first but minor injury of the week. She was a trooper though! Justine and Joe found coin collections and Lynn and I argued about what was "junk" and what was "treasure". We made allowances for each other and moved on with the day.

The high point of the day came after lunch. I had taken a break from sweeping off the front steps and laid my tools and gloves on the steps. I came back from my break and went down the steps to put my gloves on when out of the corner of my eye I saw a snake coming out of the bushes. I'm a girl. I don't like snakes. I screamed and ran back up the steps. Michelle and Joe were there and were rapidly asked two questions "Is it real or fake? Who put it there?" Douglas was summarily fired from his job as site leader and taken to task for scaring three years off my life. I would post a picture of the fake snake but I don't need to see that again!

Thank you for your comments. We read them each night at our team meetings and have enjoyed hearing from people from home...even Holland!

We just rang in 2008 and the town of Slidell is going up in fireworks. Our hope and prayer is that in 2008 the town of Pearlington will finally see all their residents out of Fema trailers and into homes! Happy New Year!

A Day Off

I'm always amazed at how God works on these trips. Today was our day off and we got to sleep in a little, eat breakfast out if we were willing to get up, go to church together, play on the beach, have a nice lunch/dinner together and of course our almost daily Wally-World Adventures! Shopping! :)

We are never really sure where we are going to wind up on Sunday Mornings for Church. Over the last three trips we've worshipped with Baptists, Methodists and Lutherans. Today God lead us to a Presbyterian Church here in Slidell. We were a 1/2 hour early and one of the church elders came to talk with us. Turns out this Presbyterian Church has converted an unused 2nd floor of their Christian Education Building into a Dormitory to house groups coming to the Gulf Coast to help with the relief efforts...and they house them for free! It's a beautiful facility with room for 52 people. Is God sending us a message?

During the sermon, the Pastor talked about the Hurricane and how the residents of the Gulf Coast were driven from their homes, fleeing for their lives. Upon returning to their homes, many found that they had no home, that the place that they called their own had been ripped from them. He then shared about the Israelites, being taken out of their homes and wandering in the desert for forty years. When they finally returned home they found that they had no home. Yet through it all God never left them, God still cared and in fact was reaching down to hold them close and scoop them into waiting and comforting arms. It is good to remember that the whole Gulf Coast is in God's care.

Tomorrow is a work day. There is a potentially big mucking and gutting job out there, along with drywall and painting and flooring and shoring and...yeah the list is big. Thanks for the comments and the prayers! We love to hear from home!

Mr. Peanut

It's hard to believe that three days have passed since we arrived in Mississippi. Our day off is tomorrow and though we will enjoy it, the day seems to have arrived so very quickly. I've been so impressed with this group. Everyone is getting along well, willing to work hard and having fun! It doesn't hurt that Mr. Tom and Mr. Ben have been around making us laugh at their comedy routine. We will miss Tom who is headed home to Colorado in the morning. His last words to me were "Come back again!"...why do I think that this isn't the last time I'm going to hear this??!

The crew at Mr. P's house rocked again today! The all woman crew was joined by Norm's crew and they began the process of preparing the subfloor for new flooring. By the end of the day this team was running like a well oiled machine. The site was humming. Joey joined Sue's ditch digging efforts and was very successful in getting the water to drain away from the driveway. Sue, Joey and others worked hard at getting the trash picked up from around the house as well. It's nice to see things moving along.

Bill's crew at the W's had a blast, from what I'm told. Texture, primer, electrical work and painting took place at this site today. Maaike especially liked the day, learning to put texture on the walls.

The group at Ms. L's house learned this morning that Ms. L was in the hospital. She's having heart problems and was having breathing issues last night. Please pray for her! The team kept working and finished the projects at her house today. Justine took on a special task and helped to spruce up the house for Ms. L's return.

Mark & Pedro got a new assignment today and started to put in new shelves at Mr. M's house. That was after our expedition to Lowe's...my 2nd of the day!

And then there is the crew at Ms. S's house. Today Ms. S's grandkids were over and they quickly dubbed Pete "Mr. Peanut". As you can see they all had a great time! The house is beginning to look like a house again, which is so wonderful to see. Molly and Joe were triumphant over a stubborn tree stump and weren't afraid to tell us...or take a picture.

As we head into a day off, there are a couple of things you can be praying for.

1--We've had a couple of people get sick over the last couple of days. With such a big team, it hasn't had a detrimental effect on the work being done, but it is a bit of a low point for the team and the individuals. Please pray for our health!

2--One of the biggest things happening has little to do with the homes but with the emotional health of the homeowners. We're seeing huge changes in some people and their outlooks on life. We would especially appreciate your continued prayer for Ms. S and Ms. L.

Before I go I need to make good on a promise to the Train Guy that I would post of Picture of Grandma Gail (Yo Momma), myself, Sandy and his Dad so here it is! We miss you Train Guy, Little Boy and K!

Day Two-Women Rock! Okay, so do the guys!

Our day started with Thunderstorms and downpours and ended with a beautiful sunset. We've had a lot going on so I'll get to it!

After a slow 1st day things started rockin' and rollin'! Pete's team is at Miss. S's house. A team from Trip #2 spent the week there last December. I'm sad to say that not much has progressed for Miss S. But Pete and his team came in with visions of Sugar Plums dancing in their heads and they are starting to get her gutted house level. If that happens then the house could possibly be raised to the required 4 foot level. After two years thats really, really good news.


Norm & Alex's Team spent the day at Ms. P's property. They worked on fascia board, gutters and are hoping to get a shower door in soon. Norm's team on Trip #3 worked for Ms. P. in June, so they all spent time catching up on life. Tomorrow they will be spending time on the roof...pray!

Mr. Bill's team headed over to The W's house. A team from trip #1 worked at the W's house back in April of 2006. It's so tough to go into a home that has been in construction for almost two years, see how close they are and then see how much still has to be done. Bill's team has been doing a lot of repair work from other groups. Lisa rocks at putting small pieces of sheetrock into gaps and Debbie loves her spray guns!

Yo Momma's team headed over to Mr. P's house. They spent the day scrapping a sub floor for new flooring. Violett & Sue worked hard outside getting a very muddy driveway ready for a trailer to back into with flooring tomorrow. Violett wins the prize in the dirt contest! This is an all woman team and they rocked! They showed the southern gentlemen down here that women can carry wood through mud and have fun at the same time! Go team!


Doug and Mark had a team (and they are very proud of that fact) and spent the day at Ms. L's house framing in doors. It was a frustrating day for them in some ways, but with a little help from Norm they conquered their challenges. They are eager to finish their job there tomorrow. Ms. L lived in the Bay Area of CA for 22 years which shocked us Californians. She knows where we live!

Things aren't going as smoothly as they could but through it all this team is staying positive and energetic. I'm having a blast driving from site to site, retrieving tools, people and laughing with Ben and Tom, our Foremen. There is joy and laughter in the air that is contagious, even when things aren't going like we want them too. God is clearly present on this trip and we are so grateful for your prayers and comments of support!

On the ground in Pearlington Day 1--Trip 4

Oh the adventures of rental cars! Seriously this is getting ridiculous. Not only did we have to wait for vehicles because they only had one mini-van, they were trying to give us 3 vehicles when we had reserved 5. I stood my ground though, and we have 5 vans, 4 of them brand new.

It was a longer travel day yesterday but we made it safe and sound. Today was our first foray into the work ahead of us. It was so great to see Ben again and Tom, who flew in from Colorado, that was a great surprise. Both of these gentlemen have been organizing projects for us and are just fun guys to be around. They have a great respect for us and a great respect for the people of Pearlington. We are blessed by them!

We didn't get as much accomplished today as hoped. In fact it was a pretty slow day. Not that the work isn't there, it's just getting it all organized. But we found today that we've made connections. We saw a group from West Virginia that we had camped with last December, we worked for homeowners that we've worked for on trips 1 & 2. We are seeing familiar faces...and Pastor Ed's spy ate lunch with us. (His name is Derek, they worked together at Westminister Woods and now lives in Florida. He's here with a group from New York. I'm convinced he's a spy!!)

Our emotions have been in turmoil. Some highs, some lows. We have seen people who are still stuck in the same situation that they were in last year, which brings us down. We have seen homes that we've worked on completed and being lived in. We have had work and not had work. We're only on day 1 and already the anxiety of leaving is beginning to race through our heads. We are on an amazing journey. We need your prayers and your comments!

The following video and song is amazing. It says exactly why we are here. Enjoy and keep praying!