The cost of recovery

Debbie is our people person. Every trip we can count on Debbie to talk with someone new, to find out new information and to make new friends. We can also count on Debbie to do the jobs that no one else really is excited about...like crawling in the attic to put in insulation but we've already talked about that.


Debbie spent time this last trip talking with Captain John about his house and volunteers. Captain John shared that in Bay St. Louis workers were trying to stop the volunteers from helping with rebuilding process to guarantee the workers jobs. As a result people aren't getting their homes rebuilt as quickly. Seeing both sides of the coin, so to speak, it's hard to condemn the workers for wanting work and earn wages to support themselves and their families but it is also so hard to watch homeowners continue to live in trailers or Katrina Kottages when they really want to be in a house but don't have the money to pay for people to do the work.


Debbie reported that the workers are earning as much as $40 an hour, which made my jaw drop and my mind start whirling. A few weeks ago I listed some numbers of what we had spent on 6 trips and how many hours we had worked (approximately). Adding in the hours from this trip we have put in 5194 hours into the recovery efforts in Pearlington. If we were paid $40 an hour for that work it would come out to $207,760, just for labor costs. Though I don't have the exact amount we spent on this trip I estimate we have spent under $100,000 total on the trips to Pearlington.

It's easy for us to complain about having to raise money for the trips but yet when I think that our raising money to get to Pearlington is saving people in Pearlington thousands of dollars, that they don't have, and helping to get them one step closer to being in a real house, it's all worth it. Yep, fundraising is a pain and the cost of the trips seems daunting but the reality of it all is that we are helping people who need help. The cost of recovery doesn't seem so high anymore.

The most beautiful sight

Home. We are all home. There was nothing more wonderful after 48 hours, 4 flights, 2 hotel rooms and 3 airports to look out the window of the plane and see home. It was the most beautiful sight in the world. The 2nd most fabulous thing was to walk into baggage claim and see our luggage. If Doug's luggage made it to him, then the drama really has come to an end.

It was a great week, airline drama aside. More pictures and thoughts to come, so keep checking back! Thanks for being a part of our journey!

Monday morning update--Monday Night update

From the lobby of the Hilton in Houston--Mississippi Team Travel Headquarters:


Douglas landed in SF last night--back to SLO--luggage to follow
Meggie landed in SF hours after Douglas--luggage?
Jonathan has made it to L.A.--plane complete with TV screens built into the seats that had
individual choices TV and movie choices for his viewing pleasure.
Steven in the air heading to the OC

Debbie, Lee, Gail & Brittany have sprawled out in the lobby at the Hilton to use free Internet and wait on comfy chairs and couches before heading to the airport for their respective flights.


Stay tuned for more travel updates throughout the day.

Monday Night update: Steven is home, Debbie is on the ground in SJ, Jonathan is still in the air. Brittany & Gail are in Phoenix at a hotel...Gail is washing some things so that we don't stink profusely on the plane tomorrow because we just couldn't force ourselves to buy Texas t-shirts. We looked, we just couldn't go through with purchasing and, of course, all the shops in Phoenix were closed when we stepped off the plane. Lee is in the air headed for Phoenix.

But now, the saga continues. Where is our luggage? Debbie reports that it's not in SJ. The person from Continental doesn't know where it is either. The good humor that has kept us going this far is quickly dissolving into weariness and frustration. Pray!

Travel update

At last edit Doug, Meggie, Jonathan and Steven had flights. Doug was on a plane, Meggie was about to get on a plane, leaving the 6 remaining to figure it all out. The good news is we all fly out tomorrow at some point. The not so great news is that some of us don't get to go home tomorrow. Seriously.

Debbie will leave tomorrow evening for a direct flight to SJ, sitting pretty in first class. Ironically Debbie will arrive soon after Jonathan who arrives about an hour after Steven, thus their family will reunite in SJ to drive home together.

Gail and Brittany leave on the same plane tomorrow bound for (drum roll time again) Phoenix! Lee follows a few hours later and they will all reunite in Phoenix for an overnight stay. It couldn't be somewhere more exciting like Las Vegas or even Reno where we could stay with family, no it's Phoenix. Sigh. Their adventure will continue in the morning bound for SJ.

In the meantime the remaining 6 are holed up at the Hilton in Houston courtesy of Continental, after having dinner courtesy of Continental. Breakfast and lunch tomorrow will be courtesy of Continental as well. Thank you very much.

We give props to the fabulous Customer Care Representative at Continental who worked diligently to get us all home...she even changed Debbies ticket at the last minute when a seat opened on a direct flight. Three cheers for our hero! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Hip, hip, hooray! Unfortunately, one fabulous employee does not make up for some pretty bad mismanagement at a higher level. I'm pretty sure they just lost 8 customers.

The joys of flights...updated 6:30pm & 6:50pm & 7pm

So we booked it to the airport this morning, up and out of the house at 5:45am Mississippi time. Got to the airport, returned the rental cars, hopped on the shuttle bus, jumped off at the Continental gates and...stood in line for 2+ hours. Flight delayed. It was a long line. Got to the front of the line and they were calling our flights to check in immediately...um, hum. We made it to our first flight from New Orleans to Houston but (drumroll please) missed the connecting flight from Houston to San Jose. That's when the fun started.


Douglas was the only one to successfully get a seat on a flight out, so far. He's heading to SF instead of SJ. True to form, our team gave a cheer when Doug got the seat, which had a visible effect on the rest of the line. Our team enthusiasm and hope reaches far beyond our work in Mississippi. The rest of us are on standby for the 5:55 flight to SJ...if that doesn't happen, our next options for flights out of here are (drumroll again) Tuesday! Yes, I said Tuesday! We did just find out that DFW is only 4 hours away, so there are options.


Just when I was thinking, gee, it's been a pretty smooth trip. Ha! Guess this is making up for our lack of rental car drama. Oh, well, it's an adventure! We like adventures and we're still smiling!

Edited to add: No go for 5:55pm. Meggie has a flight out at 9pm. Only 6 more to go. Continental is holding us hostage in Houston...boo!!!!

Jonathan is getting out! He has to wait until tomorrow morning but he is being released from captivity!!! Steven wants to know what Jonathan did to become the special one.

The battle of the brothers continues. Steven is being released too...he's going to win the battle though, he gets home an hour and 45 minutes earlier than Jonathan. Who's the special one now?!!

The last day--MS7

I was standing on a ladder today, scraping paint, (surprise, surprise) thinking about how today was our last day of work. Usually when I think about the last day, I'm swamped by feelings of sadness but today was different. In fact it's been different the last two trips, not because I'm done with the work but because I know I'm coming back. There's nothing to be sad about because I will be here again, maybe in 9 months, but we will be back.

I think the whole team felt that way today. We knew there was no way to get the scraping all done, so we did what we could on the Yellow House. The crew out at Captain John's did their job, ran out of materials and called it good. And it is! The last job of the day was to install a gate at the back of the property at the Yellow House, which was done in a flash.

The whole day felt relaxed. We had lunch at Turtle Landing with Ben and Ms. Sue, a special treat, took our team picture by the Pearlington sign and did what we could. Quitting time came a little earlier than normal and we left knowing that we had done our best. We will be back.

It's 9:45pm our time and we have to leave early in the morning, so I'm not going to post pictures tonight. My pillow is calling. Check back in a couple of days and the pictures should be up! Thanks for praying!

A blustery day

The wind picked up today. We, (Meggie, Gail & Brittany) didn't notice it much at the Yellow House but when we went to lunch at Captain John's there was a definite breeze. Meggie was very kind to gently point out that it wasn't just a breeze...it was wind! Okay, okay. Douglas stayed out of the wind at lunch but still wanted to be a part of the team. This is what we saw of him.

More wind meant less bugs, of which we are extremely grateful. Meggie's hands and arms are looking like she has chicken pox. More wind also meant a change in weather, which about mid-afternoon meant muggy. It also stirred up the Gulf a bit. Jonathan sent me a text message at about 2pm saying "the water is rising!" The tide is up, rain is coming, flood warnings are in effect. But nothing major, just higher than usual tide. A few of the roads around our rental house have already flooded over. Steven was very disappointed to find out that our street is not flooded. Bummer.

The sheet rock crew busted a move today! Captain John's house is actually beginning to look like a house on the inside! There are walls! There's something very satisfying about seeing walls go up.

There's also something satisfying about seeing paint come off a house in long strips. Really, satisfying. I had fun playing on top of a ladder today, seeing how far I could reach to scrape off the paint. Meggie was perfectly content to stay on the front porch. Gail braved the ladder though!

Here's a few pictures of the inside of the Yellow House. We mucked and gutted here a year ago...it's a little cleaner than before. A group came through and bleached the kitchen cabinets 3x to get them clean.

Tomorrow is our last day. This week went by too fast as usual. There's supposed to be thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow. Hopefully they don't slow the work down!

Watch out here comes Debbie!

This morning was early. Really early. Douglas, the Waffle House fiend, had to have his fix so we headed out the door at 7am for a Waffle House run. There are a lot of people at Waffle House at 7am. Three people came in, sat down, waited for 2 minutes for a table and gave up. We, however, did not give up. This was our opportunity for breakfast and so we waited. Douglas soon had his waffle and ate it in precisely this manner:

1. Cut waffle on the crease to expose a triangle.
2. Cut triangle in half.
3. Fold one half pointed end up with knife
4. Stab with fork and lift to mouth
5. While chewing, start procedure again.

If you follow this method you should be done in a little under 30 seconds. Seriously.

Our sites and jobs didn't change much today. More sheet rock at Captain John's and paint scraping at the Yellow House. There was a little excitement at Captain John's house today, though.

Debbie's job has been to crawl up in the rafters after the sheet rock has been installed to put in the insulation. This morning, just before lunch, as she was crawling back over the rafters somehow her shoe caught on a joist and she came crashing down...just as a couple entered the house for a tour! What a welcome! She's got a bruise, a tender elbow and a scrape on her nose but that didn't stop Debbie from getting the job done. She's a trooper! Word has it that her first thought on falling wasn't "This is going to hurt" but "I hope this isn't the piece of sheet rock that had the perfect cut!" Always thinking about the team, our Debbie.

Team Sheet Rock has almost finished with the ceiling. There are only a couple of things that need to be fixed and it's done. They've started on the walls as well and hope to get more sheet rock to keep going tomorrow.

Over at Yellow House we're having a blast with paint! Okay, our shoulders hurt, our wrists hurt, we're starting to develop blisters from holding the scraper and our hands tend cramp in one position but it's getting done! The back is done, one side is almost done and our plan of attack tomorrow is to finish the side and focus on the front. Meggie is a beast with the paint scraper who really, really, really wants to climb to the top of the burn pile. She's almost convinced me. Almost.

Ben says that we can stay another week. Guess we're doing a good job! All the "young 'uns" have headed to bed. Guess I should too! :) Night!

Half-way there...Day 3

Bugs. The warmer the weather, the more the bugs. The less wind, the more bugs. Praising God today for Skin-So-Soft Bug Spray!


Day three went by really, really fast. We FINALLY got to work on time (8am) and the boss wasn't even there to witness it. Geesh. The crew at Captain John's house went back to putting in sheet rock and insulation and the crew at the Yellow House went back to paint scraping. The morning flew by and soon Mr. Time Keeper (aka Lee) was calling demanding lunch.


Lunch today was at Turtle Landing, the hot spot in Pearlington. We sat outside in the breezy air and enjoyed Shrimp Po'boys, Hamburgers, Freedom Fries (their words) and Onion Rings. Some of us enjoyed Sweet Tea as well (I, Brittany, have found a new addiction). Debbie was curious about the Fried Corn Nuggets which turned out to be fried dough with creamed corn in the middle. Hmmm....Debbie thought it was pleasantly, uniquely disgusting (because of all the fat)and Steven liked them.


Work continued at the same sites after lunch. Brittany & Meggie had an adventure driving through the swamp to find "Tire Town" in order to get a tire repaired that had a nail or something in it. The roadkill count stands at 1 coyote (or something similar), 1 snake, a couple of squirrels and various other things that were unrecognizable. There was one alive turtle too!


It looks like the sheet rock should be done at Captain John's tomorrow. Not sure what the next project will be over there. The Yellow House hopefully will have it's final power wash tomorrow and then it's time for primer! YES!


Tomorrow morning we'll be up a little earlier for a Waffle House stop...it's just not a trip to the south without a trip to Waffle House...or so Douglas keeps trying to convince us. Pictures tomorrow!

Day 2--MS 7

Paint scraping, downspouts, insulation and sheet rock were the name of the game today.

We spent the day at the Yellow House and Captain John's, with a stop at the Dawsey's for Lee and Ben D. (Tom's son). That was the highlight of the day for Lee...not putting in the downspouts but taking the Dawsey's puppy for a walk. Though the collar was too big and the puppy kept escaping. The very excited puppy was just happy to have some attention and Lee was happy to give it to him!

Gail, Debbie & Meggie spent the morning scraping paint at the Yellow House. There is a lot of peeling paint that needs to come off before the primer can go on. But it's a labor of love. Meggie diligently worked on the front all day long while Gail worked on the back and Debbie on one side.

Steven, Douglas, Jonathan and Brittany headed over to Captain John's this morning. Finishing insulation in the walls was on the list as was cleaning the swamp. Brittany sent Jonathan in places that she wasn't willing to go...for good reason! It's muddy and slippery out there! Douglas and Steven finished up the insulation and joined in the fun for awhile. Ben T. came pulling up, though, with a load of sheet rock to be unloaded from the trailer to the Bobcat and from the Bobcat to the house. All four joined in and got it done. Steven decided half way through that tonight would be an "aleve" night.

After lunch at the Tiki Bar & Mini Barn (the new addition to the Yellow House property as named by Tom D. and Ben T.) Steven, Douglas, Jonathan, Lee & Debbie went back to Captain Jack's to start installing sheet rock on the ceiling and then put in insulation in the ceiling. Brittany, Gail & Meggie continued to scrape away paint and shoo away bugs. Meggie experimented with killing a bug on her hand and leaving it there. It kept the bugs from that hand!

It was breezy this morning but gradually warmed up through the day. Tomorrow is another day of paint scraping, sheet rock and insulation. We're all a little tired but happy to be working! Nighty-night!

Always an adventure--Day 1

Our plane was supposed to leave from SJ yesterday at 2:15pm. We had a connecting flight in Houston with only a little over an hour layover. As we gathered at church the phone call came in...your plane is delayed due to weather. Instead of rushing, we moseyed to the airport.

Then we learned that we might not make our connecting flight...and the last flight out of Houston to NOLA was full. If we didn't make the connection we would have to stay in Houston overnight and catch the 7:30am flight the next day. Sigh. We waited patiently, camped out in the food court, boarded our plane quickly when called and the pilot flew as fast as the plane would fly. We stepped off the plane 9 minutes before the next flight was scheduled to depart and were all relieved to see that it too was delayed. Yea! Real bathrooms!

We arrived about 45 minutes later than planned but it worked out perfectly. Lee & Gail (who were already here) were pulling into the airport as we deplaned, our luggage came off the plane first and we were out the door! Rental car was smooth. Miss Nina made sure we had a nice ride and kept saying "Thank y'all for coming." Our drive into the Bay was punctuated by heat lightening (Ben informed me today that the lightening that strikes across the sky is heat lightening so I'm passing along my new found knowledge.) And Meggie can attest to the fact that the thunder here is loud.

It was 1:30am before we made it to bed, lulled to sleep by the sound of the down pouring rain. 6:30 came awfully early but the smile on Ben's face when we pulled up was worth it. We split into 3 crews. One crew to the Dawsey's house to put up gutters (which was then delayed because they didn't have the materials), another crew to the Yellow House to pressure wash and scrape it for painting and the last crew headed out to Captain John's house to install insulation. Captain John's house was the one that we dug holes for the foundation last trip. It's so great to see an actual house and be able to help get the inside done too. It was a good day, with a few minor hiccups but we're flexible and just found something else to do!

For those Miss Ana fan's her house has been painted! We didn't drive by today but we will sometime this week. Miss Maria and Mr. Lee both still have their Katrina Kottages. And word on the street is that the Cat Lady hasn't changed.

The bugs are out in force. It's muggy but not too hot. We're tired but so grateful to be here! Pictures may be added later...I didn't take a single one today!

4 days...

Until 7 of us return to Pearlington and 1 goes for the first time. The news today is the highs are in the 70's and low 80's during the day, high 50's at night and there are thunderstorms. Which isn't great because the Pearl River has been above flood stage for about a week now and it's not receding super fast. More thunderstorms brings more water. Pray for receding water...there's a house that we could work on if the water recedes!

News from Slidell

Rain is falling in the south which is creating a problem along the West Pearl River. Go here to read the news for yourself. From how I read the article the problem area is along the route that we would travel to get from Pearlington to Slidell. One more headache that they don't need.