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.