The week that was...

We didn't have internet access last week at the rental house we stayed in.  I could have tracked it down but I decided not to add that level of stress to the week.  I didn't NEED to write on the blog, though some of you may have been waiting and waiting and waiting...

You will have to wait a little while longer for the photo's.  I'm not quite awake enough to deal with getting them off the camera and to the computer.  I can give you a quick rundown of the week.

1. Ben had us drive from NOLA into Pearlington on a different route to view the damage better.  There were piles and piles of debris along the roadway, vegetation and household debris, along with multiple boats that washed up along the road and just stayed there.
2. It's disheartening to walk into a home that one helped to rebuild and see sheet rock one helped put up being taken off the wall.  Very disheartening.
3. The week was about work, which we did.  The sheet rock was cut 16 inches from the floor in Ben's house, the insulation removed from that level as well and the walls framing was bleached throughout most of the lower level by the time we arrived.  We took out the miscellaneous nails and screws and then cut out new pieces of sheet rock and replaced them.  Laurel and Jolynn did an amazing job of taping and mudding as well!
4. We helped Ben take off siding and OSB from the exterior of the house and got a very small portion waterproofed as best as possible.  The latter was hard work, my fingers have the scraps to prove it.
5. This trip wasn't just about doing physical labor.  We offered a lot of emotional support, walked down memory lane a little and did all we could to lift the spirits of Ben and Sue.  That emotional support involved A LOT of Southern Cuisine.  Pictures will tell the story.
6. This 12th trip (for me) was the first time I had been in the Lower 9th Ward of NOLA.  I'm still working on my thoughts about that but I can say that Brad Pitt plays a part in those thoughts.
7. This 12th trip I also saw the levee that was built after Katrina...more thoughts on that are coming as well.

  There is more but my brain has decided it's time to stop for the night and go to sleep.  Pictures and further thoughts to come!

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.

Back home...

We made it back home safe and sound. There are more stories and pictures and hopefully a video or two to come but today, I'm taking the day off! There are books to read, movies to watch and naps to take after a good weeks work.

Happy Easter!

Long delay

So sorry for the long delay between blogs. If you haven't heard...we're home! If you are in the general area of Felton at 9am or 11:15am on Sunday morning, then drop by Felton Presbyterian Church and hear about the trip in person! Pictures and stories will be prevalent in the worship service.

Keep watching this space as well. Some of the team members will be sharing their thoughts in the next few weeks. There is still a lot to mull over.

In other news, our fundraising has gone well, though we are still about $1000 behind our goal, our expenses were not as much as we had anticipated, which is fantastic. An announcement about that should be forthcoming within the week.

Thanks, again, for your support, encouragement, love and prayers. God is good.

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!

Pictures

It always seems that whenever I return home from a trip there is never enough time to just sit and reflect on what has transpired. True to form I had part of day to sleep and rejuvenate before jumping right back into life as I know it. That doesn't mean that there aren't stories to share, just means it may take a little while to get them all out!

In the meantime I'm playing with a new program for pictures from this trip. Hopefully if you click on the link below you'll get to see a photo collage/slide show of the pictures from my camera. There are explanations for some of pictures but I ran out of time. I put more explanations later. Enjoy and please keep coming back here! The team has stories to share!

Brittany MS 6