Tile's and Ms. Donna

So, I've mentioned a little about the peel 'n' stick tiles over at Mr. Pat's but thought y'all don't quite have the picture of what that's all about.

In December of 2007 we trucked in and laid the sub-flooring in the house. Another group came in and laid down peel 'n' stick tile right over the top of the sub-floor. The tiles are cheap to produce, most likely, and when we put them in a house in June of 2007, we used gallons of mastic to adhere them to the floor. The group that laid the tiles at Mr. Pat's didn't use that. After a couple of years of the house settling, the cheaply made tiles started to peel up around the corners. Add to that a front door that didn't seal correctly, letting water in and a leaky roof and, well, the floor is a little bit of a mess. Insert our group.

Lynn, Jeff and Regina were the troopers over there this week who ripped into that floor. Some tiles came up easily but most needed a little shoulder, arm and sometimes whole body strength to be coaxed off the floor. Once the tiles are up, the stick part of the tile is still on the floor. So if you walk around on it for very long, your shoes start to stick. Nasty stuff it is. And frustrating.

We've been on the receiving end of cleaning up after volunteers before, repairing things that other's had done incorrectly. Our motto is do things so that other's don't have to clean-up our messes. And it works most of the time. But this took things to a whole new level. This wasn't cleaning up after volunteers, this was ripping out what other volunteers had done because the materials were bad. Frustrating and yet, the end result will be a better floor and a better house.

Tomorrow, we will be heading up to Ms. Donna's house. Ms. Donna and her husband lived in Pearlington before Katrina, next door to the Post Office. Katrina destroyed their home and they moved up into the country, to Ms. Donna's father-in-laws house. That house was damaged by the tornado's and winds that came along with the hurricane. Ms. Donna has a generous soul and has her house is filled, FILLED, with boxes and things from friends and families. About 18 months after the hurricane Ms. Donna's husband passed away. Ms. Donna hired a local carpenter who came with great recommendations and who wound up taking money from her, doing really bad work and skipping town, leaving Ms. Donna with a house with lots of problems and company's going after her to pay bills. Every story solidifies why we are here...to bring hope and healing to people that Hurricane Katrina has brought to their knees.

Today, we are waiting for group number two to arrive and prepping the rental houses. A day of rest before gearing up for the rest of the trip. God is good, all the time.

Positive comments and words of encouragement are greatly appreciated!