God moment at Motel 6

There was a problem with the lock on our group room door, which meant that after the housekeepers would come through and clean, our card keys would need to be reset. It became a routine for me to check in with the night clerk, Melissa at least once, maybe even twice each night, depending on whether or not I needed to purchase and internet card as well. Throughout the week Melissa would ask about our day and we would chat a little about the work. It became a routine that I looked forward to.

On Wednesday night I went as usual to reset our cards. Melissa again smiled, and asked about our day to which I replied that it was our last day. Her voice took on a little bit of a sad note as she said "Are y'all leaving us tomorrow?" I said that we were headed out to New Orleans in the morning and then on the plane for home. Melissa stated that she too was leaving the next day to go home to Memphis. When I said that it sounded like fun, she gave me a funny little smile and said "Well, the reason I'm going home isn't for fun." As we talked a little more Melissa revealed that she was going home because she has breast cancer. Her surgery is on Monday. My immediate reaction was to tell Melissa that our whole group would be praying for her. Little was I to know that God have something even more powerful in mind.

Yo Momma and other ladies in the church have been knitting prayer shawls for people for the last couple of years. They start knitting the shawls, not knowing who they may be given too. Yo Momma had brought a prayer shawl along with her to work on, with the intentions of giving it to one of our team members, but she wasn't quite sure that it was the right shawl for this team member. But Thursday morning, as our team gathered for the last group meeting, Yo Momma brought the shawl intending for the team to pray over it before we left. As we were sharing prayer requests for the day I told the group about Melissa's coming operation. From across the room Yo Momma caught my eye and mouthed the words "This shawl is for Melissa". We immediately gathered around the shawl, each holding a part of the shawl and prayed for Melissa.

Soon after our group meeting broke up Melissa walked past our room. We quickly called her in. I looked her in the eye and started to cry. I shared that we had prayed for her that morning and about the prayer shawl ministry. We all started crying as we pulled out the shawl, telling her that we had prayed over it and hoped that it would bring her comfort and hope as she went through surgery and recovery. Melissa kept saying over and over "Thank you so much, thank you so much." It was at that moment that I knew that God had planned this from the beginning. That we were supposed to be a witness of God's love, compassion and peace to this one person. Melissa's hugs spoke of the relief of knowing she was not alone in her journey. Her watery smile was a testimony God's timing, not our own.

On Monday, Melissa will be undergoing surgery. Would you pray for her? Pray for the surgeons and for her family as they support her in this scary time. Also pray that Melissa will feel the love of God every time she wraps up in her prayer shawl, that she will remember that a group of Californians are praying for her and hope to meet up with her again someday, whether that be in Mississippi or someplace even more spectacular.

Reflections & Contemplations

Someone asked me today if I was glad to be home. I had to stop and think about it for a minute. While it's nice to be in my own space again, I can't honestly say that I'm glad to be home. While I appreciate my home, my thoughts are with those who have been living in FEMA trailers (think a medium size fifth wheel trailer) for almost two years, cramming their families into this small space. I think of the families who haven't sat down around a dinner table since Katrina simply because there isn't room. We did good work but there is still so much to do. The last thing Miss E said to us as we left her home was "Come visit us in December, we should be in our home by then." I pray that they are.

Someone else asked me today what God had taught me on this trip. I think that the biggest reminder I had was that no matter what their exterior looks like, people are all the same on the inside. They desire to be loved, honored, respected and heard. While we did a lot of work, the most important work came when we stopped work and started listening to the homeowners. Really listening. I may not have accomplished all that I wanted to on the house but God accomplished a lot through the time I took to listen, laugh, ask questions and really hear the heart of Miss E, the homeowner I worked with. She said at one time, "Most volunteer groups don't want me to come around while they are working, I think I make them nervous, but you all are different, you don't mind that I come around, I don't make you nervous." I quickly corrected saying, "Oh, I don't mind you coming around and talking but you do make me nervous, but only because I want to do a good job for you." By the end of the week I could tell that we had renewed her faith in volunteers. That they care not only for the job they are doing but for her as a person as well. I pray for the volunteers that come after us, that they would take the time to do their jobs well, that they too would sit and listen to the stories and share in the lives of the people of Pearlington, no matter how nervous they may get.

One of the biggest lessons that I was taught, though, was that we weren't just there for the people of Pearlington. God worked through us everywhere we went. From the people we met in restaurants to people we sat next to in church to the people we met at the Motel 6. God had a plan and a purpose for every interaction we had. Tomorrow or I will post about my interaction with one of those people. It was probably the most heart piercing moment for me and the best God moment of the trip.

A job well done

It's 10pm on Wednesday night. We've had a long, hard day and the energy level of the group is just about gone. There are so many thoughts running through my head, stories that could be told, observations that could be made. But it's hard to get any of these thoughts out with Norm in the room making everyone laugh.

Our jobs were done and done well. Ben, our general foreman, wants us to stay around another two weeks. The home owners would appreciate us sticking around another couple of weeks as well. There have been points when we have felt like there was so much to do, other times when we've felt like we weren't making any progress at all. All in all, the projects that we accomplished were done with love, care and the utmost perfection. I, personally, have spent the last two days on my knees laying vinyl tiles, matching up corners. I have a whole new appreciation for Uncle R and his hardwood floor laying job. Even with knee pads, my knees hurt!

It's hard to think about leaving, not knowing when we will return. As tired as I am, I feel a little guilty about getting on the plane and heading for my home when there are people still living in FEMA trailers, with their homes only partially done. But to home we will return tomorrow.

There will be more posts to come in the next few days, probably not tomorrow :) There are stories that need to be told, factoids that need to be heard and feelings that need to be shared. Thank you for your prayers this week, for your encouraging comments and support. God is good, all the time.

We have a big day in New Orleans planned tomorrow before we fly home. We'd appreciate, one more time, your prayers for safety in travel. Dallas/Ft. Worth is having some weather issues, so our flights have the potential of being delayed. It's always something!

The end is near...

We've had a very productive day on our sites. Our breakdown of things accomplished by site are as follows:

At Miss E's house crew prepped the floors and began laying down laminate tiles for the house. Our goal is to get the bedrooms and bathrooms done tomorrow. Pray for us.

Miss P's house crew grouted two bathrooms, put in the master bath vanity, put up ceiling fans and installed light bulbs, prepared to install a toilet, is thisclose to finishing the siding and started to put up the front porch light. They also took the time to clean-up throughout the house.

At D's the crew completed painting the exterior of the house, installed interior doors, caulked everything, completed putting trim work up throughout this house, continued painting interior stuff, put up light fixtures and baseboard. The fun news is that there are two bedrooms complete! YES!

And the crew at H's house finished mudding and sanding sheet rock, finished installing insulation on the bathroom vent and screwed the sub-floor down. Our job is complete at this house, which means that this crew joined up with a couple other crews half-way through the day.

Overall it's been a productive day. I'm amazed sitting back and listening to the team talk, laugh and joke with each other. We're doing great work together, which is such a blessing!

Please pray for us on our last day on the job sites. We all are feeling the push to complete as much as possible. The heat and humidity are pretty intense at times but despite that we keep pressing on. Pray for peace to know that we have done a good job and for safety!

Random moments at Motel 6

We are drawing a lot of attention at the Motel 6. Possibly because we have our group meetings in one room, all 17 of us crammed into a pretty small room.

The second night one guy yelled from the pool (which is right across from our room) "What I want to know is how y'all are going to sleep in that room tonight!?" There are a lot of workers staying here, though I think we are the only volunteer group. So every night the balconies are filled with workers watching the coming and goings. I'm sure they are a little confused about what we're doing here, but no one has asked yet.

The general manager and night clerk are always asking about our days, calling us "baby" and "darlin'". It's a southern thang. Tonight, as we are meeting, a guy walked by the window and stopped, counting all of us in the room. Then wrote "I love you" in exhaled breath on the window (in between drags on his cigarette). Random.

We're in the middle of a meeting but I thought that was fun enough to post for now. We'll post about our day later! :)

Monday, Monday

It was humid, hot and stormy today. Luckily the rain held off until after we finished work for the day but when it rained, it poured. Big time. And there was thunder and lightening, which impressed these California people. It only cooled off for a few minutes but still, nice to see the rain.

We've accomplished a lot today. We're almost done with our projects at one house, yippee!! There is another house to take it's place, which is so great. Floors have been finished in one house and floors will start going in another tomorrow. Walls, doors, trim and exterior of homes have all been painted. Toilets will be installed at another place and a stove and refrigerator have been installed at the last house. It's so great to see things happening. We're all a little bummed that there are only two days left.

Here's a few things that made today funny. You'll have to ask us when we get home for explanations.

• Bill's re-enactment of his car's reaction to lightening.
• Kanda's "stomping" on Zach's head.
• The gigantic grasshopper.
• Gail's sweat sheet rock (yuck)
• Zach losing his earphones in a gallon of paint.
• Brittany coming out of the water closet
• Just working with Norm.

Sorry, no new pictures tonight, our internet minutes are about to run out. But we do ask for these prayers:

For strength to finish out the week, help with frustration, to finish the most needed work and energy in the midst of heat and humidity.

We are also thinking of and praying for all the people in South Lake Tahoe who have lost their homes in the fire. Please pray as well. It's kind of personal for me, Lil' Bro lives there and The Dad is there right now too.

Thanks for your comments! It is so nice to hear from our family and friends. Keep them coming!

Waffle House, Gulf of Mexico, Gulfport and a train

Today was our day off, which meant sleeping in, church and exploring a little bit more of the Gulf Coast. We joined the congregation at Lutheran of the Pines Church or something like that. It was a good start to our day.

Here's some observations about the Gulf Coast...

There are Waffle Houses everywhere. Sammy counted at least 6, with two of those being within a mile of each other.

The I-90 bridge between Bay St. Louis and Pass Christian is open again, one lane in each direction. There were people working on the bridge all day long, which is a positive sign. Made for a slow journey across the bridge though.

The water in the Gulf of Mexico is refreshingly warm. We were able to wade out on a sand bar and enjoy the water a little. Douglas was very careful to make sure he was covered from head to toe, with sunscreen, clothes, towel and hat. His sunburn is peeling very nicely. Debbie was taking this picture, so she wasn't in it. Bill had a good time herding fish.

Lunch was in Gulfport at Applebee's. As we drove through it was very interesting to see that the Casino's are all rebuilt, big and beautiful while the homes and businesses around them are still in pieces or completely missing. Shows you what money can do.

All in all it was a good day. We go back to work tomorrow. Painting, sheetrock, tiling, door hanging and baseboard are on our lists. Please continue to pray for the safety and health of the team. Our day off was really good for our exhaustion level. Other requests are for patience (though Kanda and Yo Momma request that you don't pray for their patience level, thank you very much)and for willingness to do what we are being asked to do, by the home owners, team, and God.

Additionally, while we've been here a friend of several of the youth was in a vehicle accident. He's in critical, but not super serious, condition with a broken leg and collapsed lung. We'd appreciate your prayers for him, his family and for his friends at home and here.

This last picture is for our littlest blog reader. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time and the train came rolling across the bay. Train Guy, this one's for you!