Pictures

Pictures as promised...

Unloading sheet rock (Jonathan and Sammy)


Preparing the walls for sheetrock (Lynn, Gail and mystery person in picture)


DJ working in the attic at the Yellow House. There will eventually be two bedrooms up there.


Before


And after...(Mr. Ben, Debbie and Doug in photo)


Mary waiting for sheet rock to arrive


How many people does it take to level posts...a lot! (Steven, Sammy, Brittany, Jonathan and Bordie--Captain John's son)


Ellen and Captain John...buddies


Looking down a ramp...what a beautiful sight!


A beautiful archway...though Debbie looks a little concerned!


Tearing down a trailer (Jeff and Gail)

And lest you think that all we did was work...

Bill trailer surfing


Steven striking a pose


The group at Peck's Seafood...best Po-boy's in town!


A little lunchtime Christmas Caroling (Brittany and Gail)


The December 2010 Mississippi Team

Home

We are home safe and sound. I (Brittany) would have posted earlier but the Internet is out at my house. Sigh.

The flights home couldn't have been easier. We arrived home just a few minutes later than expected but that didn't matter at all. Our wonderful airport shuttle was there (thanks Meggie and Kerri!) and we all were home for Christmas Day with our families.

More pictures and reflections will be up in the coming weeks. Please keep checking back here! And Thank You for the support, the prayers and encouragement.

Bittersweet

Our jobs were done to the best of our ability this week.

Team Sheet Rock finished two rooms at the Yellow House. DJ was even able to get some lights on for the crew to get the last two pieces up. Standing outside, it was neat to see the lights on in the parlor and people moving around. Bill finished the archway and got Ben's seal of approval. Mary and Doug won the race and got their last piece in place before Bill and Debbie. Ellen learned the art of sanding down mud. Jeff worked with Debbie to get the most difficult piece of sheet rock hung in the whole parlor. They measured multiple times...and cut a couple of times before getting it right. Jeff also suffered his second injury of the trip...the first was a scrape when he was on Team Destructo, this one involved a popping sound from his finger. He can bend it and move it though! Gail peeled paint a lot from doorways and windowsills, helped hang sheet rock and was her usual helpful self.

Team Ramp cemented in the last post, set in the last plank and got 1/3 of the handrails set in place. The siding improvements were made and the house looks fantastic. Steven dug a lot of post holes, willingly, and helped Mr. Ben and Brittany get the last four posts set for the sloping part of the ramp. Jonathan and Sammy were a great team on the siding and got the last pieces set, caulked and painted. It was nice to leave knowing that the ramp was functional and that rain wouldn't be able to get into the seams in the siding. Captain John was very happy with the job and was fixin' to take a walk on his new walkway.

Leaving is bittersweet. There is work to do but no money to do the work, which is so frustrating. We keep thinking about the day when we will come to Pearlington, not to work, but to celebrate the work that has been done...though Steven imagined us in a year or two driving through Pearlington, seeing a house that needed fixing and our crew stopping, knocking on the door and asking if we could help. It's indicative of this team of people...we have all taken the time to stop and help others. Not because we've got great skills (some of us), but because we have great love and have been loved greatly by God.

There will be more reflections to come in the next few weeks, more pictures to be posted. The simplest way to say things is that we have been a blessing and have been blessed. Thank you for your love and support.

The lights are on at this house!

What a beautiful archway...and no, Bill did not fall...neither did Mary

"Must.finish.sheet rock. must.finish.sheet rock."


Captain John's house...and finished walkway


Steven and Ben conferring on the best way to get the job done.


Get that board straight!

A little fun in the middle of the day

One more day

This was the sunset tonight. A beautiful end to the day.

Team Ramp can see the end of their job. Literally. There are three posts to set, four planks to be put down and hand rails to attach. Hip-hip-hooray! Jonathan and Sammy put a make-shift scaffold together to get to the side of the house that couldn't be reached by regular scaffold. We all agree that just adding a couple of boards to the front of the house makes it look polished and finished...and it's not even decorative!

Team Sheet Rock got an influx of people (Team Destructo) and started rockin' the walls of the parlor. The Pretty House is starting to look like a real house. Bill got half of the archway done in one room and got the nod of approval from Mr. Ben. That's big! Sheet rock is a frustrating job but they are conquering it!

Tonight we are a little subdued, recognizing that tomorrow is our last day...our last day of work, our last day in Pearlington, our last full day in Mississippi, our last day with Ben, our last day with DJ. We have jobs to finish before that happens though and we will press on!

We haven't been taking many pictures but here is a glimpse of our day.

Makeshift scaffolding Captain John's...do you see the cross?


Steven bolting the last of the runners for the ramp.


Doug and Mary cutting sheet rock...look at those purdy walls!


A happy Ellen at the Yellow House


Jeff looks a little guilty or very surprised!

Where did God show up today?

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Team Destructo conquered the trailer today! YAY! It's down to just the frame, which Ben will be hauling away hopefully by the end of the week.

There were actually 8 bolts that held the frame together. Lynn, Gail, Ellen, Jeff and DJ were done a little after lunch with their job. DJ and Jeff found the sewage line on the trailer...not on purpose! According to Jeff's story, "sewage started spilling and we ran away". Reminds us of little schoolboys getting into trouble. :) The team is glad to see the job done. One visual reminder of the storm has been taken away from Pearlington. Again, we Californian's don't want to be anywhere near Pearlington when the burn pile is lit.

Team Ramp took a morning break from ramp work to fix a problem at Captain Johns house. The siding on the front of the house has come loose and is buckling at the joints. Sammy and Jonathan climbed the scaffolding to put 1x4 boards over the top of the joints and caulk around the edges to keep the rain out. The job is halfway through and looks like a cross on the side of the house. Joel, Captain John's son, said he might have to get some Christmas lights and light up the cross.

Team Sheet Rock rocked! The front parlor is halfway done and they started on the hallway while the contemplate how to get the archway done. Mary, Doug and Bill worked diligently, meticulously and well as a team.


Debbie continued to work in the closet and is close to being done. Her goal is to get the closet mudded (is that a word?) and taped before she leaves.

This team is determined to get as much done as possible with care and love.

Brittany returned to her leader roots and spent much of the day driving back and forth to Lowe's...which wasn't that hard because there's a part of her that is really a truck girl and driving the 2011 Ford Expedition with a sunroof and satellite radio is close enough to a truck for her! This is a picture of her working today...

Every night, we gather together to talk about the day's highs and lows. Last night Debbie asked us to look for God in our day's work today. Here are some ways that we experienced God and God's provisions:

Jeff has connected with DJ, the electrician from Virginia.. DJ is partially blind but yet continues to astound Jeff with the things that DJ can do without full sight. Jeff and DJ have been great partners on the work site. To Jeff the fact that DJ is here at the same time we are is a divine appointment.

Brittany saw God in the kindness of strangers in the Lowe's parking lot as she and Ellen struggled to get boards tied down on their vehicle.

Steven, who spent the day at home sick (prayers please!), took a walk this afternoon to get some air and had a chance to get close up to an egret.

Mary experienced that need, that all of us have experienced, to get in and get working and do as much as she can before she leaves.

For Debbie the laughter that was shared at lunch today, as Mr. Ben and the team talked about trips past, was a reminder of the joy that the work brings.

Jonathan experienced the willingness of others to get things that are needed to get the jobs done.

Jeff, Debbie and Steven were up in the middle of the night to watch the lunar eclipse. It was perfect evening with clear skies. When we woke up this morning the clouds had rolled in and covered the sky.

For all of the team, we are reminded again and again of God's providence and faithfulness.

The team asks for special prayer tonight for Lynn. She is returning home tomorrow, a couple of days early. She will be dealing with some family issues and needs God's strength and wisdom as some hard decisions are made in the days ahead. Thanks, as always, for praying.

Halfway through

It's 10:20pm our time. Tomorrow is Waffle House Day and wake-up is 6:15am. This blogger is really, really tired, so this blog will be picture-less. I apologize.

What shall we tell you about today? Shall we talk about the 60 sheets of sheet rock that had to be unloaded from the trailer into the Yellow House? Shall we discuss the mountain of metal that was put onto said trailer after the sheet rock was removed? Shall we discuss the boards that would not be level on the ramp? Shall we talk about the close encounter with the local police? Oh let's talk about it all!

Team Sheet Rock spent much of the morning finishing up what they had started the day before. Working in close spaces, pulling out errant nails and screws, getting the walls ready for the sheet rock that arrived just as we were all finishing lunch. 12 foot sheets of sheet rock. That stuff is heavy! But this team worked like a well-oiled machine and got all 60 sheets into the house in under an hour. Doug, Mary, Bill and Debbie wasted no time in getting the sheet rock onto the walls. Mary, again, impressed the bunch with her power tool prowess.

Team Destructo found out that 5th wheel trailers are held together with four bolts, millions of screws and staples, buckets of glue and weird brackety things. They also found out that the things that you would think would come off easiest, were the hardest to get off. Items were sorted into "burn pile" and "scrap metal" and put in stacks. We won't talk about what went into the burn pile, by California standards we would all be put in jail. Gail, Lynn, Ellen, Jeff and DJ have made quick work of the trailer destruction. We may have to find new jobs for them tomorrow.

Team Ramp had a bit of challenging day. It started off well, took a little turn but ended on a semi-high note. Boards were set in place, boards were not level. Boards were taken off, much pondering ensued and boards were reset. We hope that the fix works and that when the planks go on, everything works out. The good news is that the last four of the posts that needed to be set before the ramp makes a turn for the road were set in place today! Yee-haw! Tomorrow Team Ramp will take a bit of a break and focus on fixing some siding issues on the house. Brittany, Jonathan, Sammy and Steven do make a good team.

Tonight as we were gathering for our team meeting, we read a chapter from "The Greatest Story Never Told", it's kind of a retelling of the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus, through the eyes and imagination of the author. As we read tonight, we were reminded that God specifically selected Mary and Joseph to be the parents of Jesus. God called them to play a crucial part in the history of God's people. As we finish out our time in Pearlington this week, we are reminded through that story that God has called each one of us to this place, at this time for a specific purpose. We are playing a part in history and it's an honor to follow where God leads.
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Oh yeah, that other story. Well, you see, it goes like this. Tonight we needed to make a run to our favorite place to loathe but only place to buy groceries, Wal Mart. On the way as Brittany was driving going the speed limit, these blue lights started flashing behind her. Being the good person that Brittany is, she pulled over. Then she realized that the blue lights were behind the car behind her car. Still, not knowing if she was the one in trouble or the car behind her, she put the car in park and waited...because that incident a couple of years ago with the police officers in Mississippi is still very fresh in her brain. Soon the police officer came up and said "You aren't involved in this incident." Praise Jesus! Off to that store we went. That would be the 2nd police incident in Mississippi, driving a big white vehicle. There's a theme going here that we don't want repeated!

Timber!!!!

Today was a productive day. Team Sheet Rock was busy at the Yellow House finishing up a couple of storage areas so that they could be sheet rocked and putting sheet rock onto the ceiling. Doug officially hates sheet rocking the closet. Mary had a chance to use every power tool in the house and did so with style. She also crawled into a very small space to work...sorry for the fuzzy picture.
The front room ceiling is done and the walls will be "rocked" tomorrow. Bill has been completely enjoying NOT doing electrical work this trip.


Team Ramp worked on putting in the final posts so that the ramp at Captain John's house can be finished by the end of the week. Battling weeds, the mud and avoiding dog "gifts" was challenging; as was working faster than the concrete would set up in mud. Time was taken to appreciate the wildlife. A frog was rescued, mice were scattered from their nest (which had to be moved), cardinals flew by and a hawk came to oversee the work that was being done.

Team Ramp also enjoyed the company of Mr. Ben and Bordie, Captain John's son.

Team Destructo worked to tear down the trailer that Captain John and his son's lived in while waiting for their home to be built. It's not often that we get to destroy things these days but this team tore into their work with gusto. We even have video of the official collapse. This trailer has served it's purpose in many ways but with the mold growing and the floor failing apart, it was better to destroy it than try and rebuild it. Jeff, who rarely gets angry, was particularly angry at the door of the trailer...more specifically the screen door of the trailer. It was Jeff's nemesis and the last thing to collapse on that part of the trailer.

Captain John watched all the activity from his porch, in between throwing out shells for the dogs to retrieve (no sticks in the swamp!) and checking the score of the Saints game...they lost.

DJ, the electrician from Virginia who is working on the Yellow House was happy to join the Destructo Crew. Between getting out of the attic, the sunshine and a little demo work, DJ's smile was big at the end of the day.

If no other pictures get uploaded tonight it's because blogger isn't wanting to upload them. :( And this blogger needs her beauty rest! Another fun filled day of work is ahead!

The day that was

The whole team is here! Sammy's flight finally arrived at 1:40am and the airport shuttle was waiting for her (aka Brittany and Jonathan in the Expedition). It was certainly a nice thing to have everyone together!

We met Ben at the Yellow House at 8am on the dot. Of course we were scolded for not working yesterday but Ben can't stay upset with us for long. DJ, an electrician from Virginia, has been working hard to get the Yellow House ready for us. He's been in Pearlington since October and will be here through Christmas...much to the dissatisfaction of his family. That's a testament to the power of Pearlington.

The whole team spent the day at the Yellow House, preparing the walls for sheet rock. Okay, well, actually, Brittany and Sammy made a very much needed run to the coffee shop...when part of your team is running on three hours sleep, a Starbucks run is EXTREMELY necessary.

But we digress. At the Yellow house floors were swept and swept and swept again. Baseboard was pulled off the walls in four rooms. Boards were replaced. The old TV antenna was taken down and put on the scrap metal pile. Multiple trips were taken out to the burn pile (which may be lit before we leave). Scaffolding was put up in the parlor and living room so we could get to the top of the 11 foot ceilings to remove the old drywall and remaining nails and screws. Many spent much of the day scraping paint from window and door trim so that the sheet rock will lay flush against the edges. Douglas folded himself into a small space to fix some of the walls (and Ben had a good laugh at Doug's expense). Sammy, Jonathan, Steven and Mary spent the afternoon atop the scaffolding cutting out old dry wall and laughing.

Laughter is a common theme on these trips. There is a lot of teasing, a lot of jokes and a lot of fun being had. It's a good thing.

Tomorrow we will be split into three different groups. One group will remain at the Yellow House and start putting sheet rock on the ceiling. The other two will be heading to Captain John's house for two purposes. One group will be finishing the ramp that our previous team started in March. The other group will be demolishing the trailer that Captain John and his sons lived in while waiting for their home to be built. There is an eager group of people ready to do some demolition of that trailer!

Pictures will have to wait until tomorrow. This blogger is tired and ready for bed! Thanks for the prayers! Keep 'em comin'!

Today and tomorrow

Today's day of preparation went too quickly. Well, okay, we didn't actually get moving until after 11am, so maybe we just lazed the day away.

Coffee was enjoyed at the Mockingbird Cafe. Christmas present were bought at a local antique shop...where Brittany discovered that a lot of "antiques" were made in China. She bought the ones made by God and the local artisans. Toes were dipped by one brave soul into the Gulf of Mexico. A trip was made to Wal Mart to stock up on food supplies for the week. Bill and Lynn arrived safely, if a bit later than planned, from California and our first night reading of "A Christmas Story You've Never Heard" was enjoyed.

One would think the day was ending there. But no! Sammy has yet to arrive. Her flight was delayed as well. Brittany and Jonathan will be making a midnight run to the airport to bring Sammy safely to our warm and cozy home-away-from-home for a few hours rest before...we head to work!

Mr. Ben is expecting the team at 8am sharp. If we are late, there will be no end to the teasing. I'm preparing for some teasing.

Our trips to Wal Mart were eventful. The group that went for breakfast supplies were greeted at the door by Madeline who knew right away that the group was together (matching sweatshirts anyone?), were volunteers (again, sweatshirts?) and were from California (see previous parenthesis). She hugged each one of them and praised them for the work they were doing. Then there was the cashier who can't understand why people can't build their own homes, without expecting people to come from all over the country to help them. Two different people, two different reactions.

The afternoon trip, Brittany was in the laundry detergent aisle when she looked up to see Miss Shirley. The team that came to Pearlington in March of 2008 built a ramp for Miss Shirley. She and Gail spent an afternoon in the kitchen making pralines...the best pralines we ever had. Brittany talked with her a little while, received a fantastic hug and exchanged phone numbers with Miss Shirley. She has promised to make us more pralines before we leave. Yum!

Photo's and updates tomorrow...we hope! :)

P.S. We are praying for people back home as the rain comes down-down-down!!

Yes, we are a little loopy this morning

We are slowly getting up this morning. It was nice to get a full nights sleep and be a little refreshed, if still a little sleepy from not enough sleep Wednesday night.

The cooks, Jeff and Gail, are trying to make a list of our meals for the next week. There are yummy things on that list. Spaghetti, Pot Roast, Shrimp Scampi and Jambalabah...ummm, what? Oh Jambalaya. Yep, we're a little loopy this morning.

The laughter is flowing freely...the trip is off to a good start.

Group 1 has arrived

The day started really, really early but with a sense of joy and adventure at what was ahead of us. All 9 of us on this leg of the journey arrived at the airport within minutes of each other...thanks to our fabulous airport "shuttle" drivers. :) We had to wait until the ticket counters opened, wait in the security line (but all of us avoided those new body scanners) and arrived at the gate where we boarded plane number one with ease. Leaving the airport really early in the morning also meant less people on the plane. Yay!

Our flight into Denver was quick and uneventful. There was no snow in the sky or on the ground. We had just enough time to deplane, find the next gate, some of us got refreshments and we were boarding for plane number two. Easy. We arrived in NOLA early, our luggage was all there, the rental car shuttle bus whisked us to the rental car agency where we were met, at the bus, by an agent. We had our cars (two upgraded vehicles thanks to the awesome rental agent) and were in the French Quarter within an hour of getting our luggage. Wow.

Beignets, Cafe Au Lait, a little shopping, dinner out and we were on the road to the rental homes. Where we are now settled in, ready to sleep and prepare for the week ahead.

Tomorrow Group 2 and 3 arrive. Please pray for their safety as they travel. Group 1 will spend the day getting things ready for the week and doing a little sight-seeing...and napping. :) Saturday morning we report to Mr. Ben at 8am. Our journey has begun!

A new exclamation point!

No sooner had I posted about needing 86 more dollars to meet our goal than I was told that someone had put a check in the offering plate on Sunday for $100! AWESOME!!!

We can now officially buy building materials. Yay!

Less than 24 hours till Part 1 of the team leaves for Mississippi. Last minute details are coming together and the packing frenzy will ensue soon!

Less than 48 hours...

9 of the team members are less than 48 hours away from getting on the plane for Mississippi. Yippee!!!! But here's even bigger news...

We are $86.30 away from hitting the $10,000 mark in our fundraising...in fact, I'm so confident that we can bring in that $86.30 that I'm changing the thermometer to reflect our new goal of $10,000...which means we can spend money on building materials!

Help us out! Donate through PayPal today!

5 Days, 16 hours

That's what the countdown clock tells us is left before we head off to Mississippi.

The latest news is that there are 3 projects we will be working on. One is definitely putting in sheet rock at the Yellow House but the other two I'm not certain about.

Our fundraising has been going well but we aren't afraid to take more donations! We know that things happen and we will be running to the hardware store for supplies throughout the week. Having extra funds to pay for those little things (like nails!) is always helpful.

One church member asked about leaving Christmas gifts for the homeowners. We talked about Captain John and how we had left him a ham the last time we were in Pearlington. She thought that was a great idea and is donating towards a ham as a Christmas gift.

What we really need is to be covered in prayer. From the early morning drive to the airport, to the flights, to the drive into Mississippi and back and forth to Pearlington, to the work we do, to the conversations we have with homeowners, to the conversations we have with each other, to the return flights and all the things that happen in-between, we need prayer.

The names of our team members are listed to the right (one is on there twice cuz they have an alias). Take a moment, read one of those names and pray for that person. Ask God to meet them on the trip, to guide their actions, to guard their hearts, to speak through them, to give them the rest they need, to give them joy in the work, you can come up with more but that's just a start.

AND PLEASE, don't be afraid to leave comments on this blog! The encouragement we receive from those comments keeps us going through the tough moments of the week. We read through them every night at our team meeting and look forward to the connection to home while going where God has called us to go!

An exclamation point!

WE HAVE AN EXCLAMATION POINT!!!! Our goal of $9000 has been achieved! NOW let's go for $10,000! :) We're just a little under halfway there with $9484 having come in. We can do it! Anything over and above will help us buy building supplies and anything above that will go towards helping get a lift for Captain John.

Just so you know, here's how the team stands:

6 people have been completely sponsored
2 people are within $75 of their goal
4 have over $100 or more to come in


10 days until we leave!

I want an exclamation point!

I realized awhile back that I type, a lot, in exclamation points. They end most of my sentences...usually. Tonight, as I was updating our Fundraising Thermometer, I accidentally reversed the two numbers. Instead of our goal being $9000, I put in $8384, so that when I typed the $9000 in the donated to date total, the thermometer got really full and got an exclamation point beside the number like this $8384! And yes, it was in green.

While $8384 is impressive, it's not our goal. We still have time to make that exclamation point happen! Help the team today, please!

Thank you to all who have donated so far...come back the week of December 16th-24th. You'll see pictures, read funny stories and see just what your donations are going towards! Plus, you can leave notes of encouragement and love to us...which makes the whole week that much more fun. =)