Hey there friends! We had a great day, yesterday, sharing memories of Pearlington with the Church Family at FPC. It was so good to hear the experiences of other people. Hopefully I will get them to report HERE soon!
We have decided to take down the PayPal button. Our mission to Pearlington has been completed at this time. If God decides we are to go back, the PayPal button will show back up.
Thanks for your support, encouragement and help through the years. We have been blessed!
The story of one little church's efforts to bring hope and healing to a small town after Hurricane Katrina
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Sammy's Thoughts
Every time I have visited Pearlington, I feel like someone who has just been pushed into the ocean. You know what is there, and what it will feel like, but the experience is always different.
I did what I thought I was going to do, and I accomplished all I could have accomplished, and everything in my heart told me that this chapter in my life was over but fulfilled. God was and is so good to me. and there is not one aspect of money raising or working or team meetings that would have been done without Him and all his amazing grace. But I cannot say that the tears I shed on the last day there were the last ones I will every cry for Pearlington. Although I have not been on every trip, I have been enough to know that what I have done there will stay with me for the rest of my life. This nowhere town has changed my path in this mess we call life for the better.
It's pretty amazing to think that after all the death and destruction and disaster this storm has brought, it has also brought hope and love and friendship that no one ever thought possible. God is so good, and I thank him every day for this great opportunity to laugh, love and live.
Watch out...she knows how to use that caulking gun!
Watch out...she knows how to use that caulking gun!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
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
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
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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.
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.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
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
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)