So you think it's been nearly 10 months since hurricane Katrina and things are probably getting close to being done --- these photos are for you! These are taken in Louisianna where some of the cities haven't even started with relief efforts!
I realize this is not in the news headlines any longer, unless you live here on the coast, but you all need to see the reality of things here on the coast! The water is still standing in places, the black mold continues to grow and contaminate everything and everyone and some of the clean up of debris is only in the beginning stages. You can see the boat piled with what used to be someones home along with vehicles mixed in like they were put in a bowl and the mixing blades turned on high! And like I have said repeatedly, this is not overseas, this is in our own backyards and these are our family members in Christ!
I beg you to keep reading this blog, keep praying for the residents and the volunteers who are desperately trying to regain their lives back! Pray that the volunteers keep coming to the coastal areas because without them this rebuilding will not happen! They have been coming in a steady stream but with the heat of the summer on us they have slowed down quite a bit in some areas. I pray this blog will move their (your) hearts to see the reality, feel the pain and act on that still, small voice that is tugging on your ear! Come join us in this effort and your life WILL be changed!
God was moving at high speed here today! Our teams were up and laughing and singing early this morning. When I came in at 7:25am they were chanting "we want devotions". They got their devotions and were on their way.
Today we kept the same 2 groups, one at Delores's house and the other at Barbara's. Delores's team that joined in the family birthday celebration last night had a blast and did not get back here until after midnight! It's that relationship thing again! :)
They were finishing hanging sheetrock, priming, painting, installing the microwave, paintint the soon to be baseboard, finishing the bathrooms and starting to lay the floor tile in Barbara's. They had planned on working till around 8 this evening and so far we haven't seen anything out of them so they must have kept going! We took them to the warehouse to get enough tile to finish the entire house and I must say their trailer had some weight on it! They are moving like a finely tuned machine and seem to be enjoying every minute, even if it is extremely hot!
The team with Delores is the same kind of machine! They leave in the morning with laughter on their faces and in their hearts! They also were to be finishing up the walls in her kitchen, spraying the texture on the walls and continuing in the what used to be her garage! I found a photo of Delores's kitchen the first day we went to see the house and showed it to them. They were shocked to see the improvements that have been made already! It gave them even more motivation to keep going!
Monty and I went over to one of our church members homes to repair a leak in their ceiling. They (Cindi and Wally) had lived in New Orleans. They evacuated before the storm and when they returned they found they had lost everything!! They decided to walk away and move here to Gautier. They bought a trailer and are living in a beautiful trailer park. It just needed a new vent to the bathroom and we got it taken care of in no time. We would ask that you keep Wally in your prayers as he had surgery yesterday and could use some uplifting.
We also had a wonderful meeting with our Convoy of Hope leaders this afternoon. They oversee all of the relief operations along the coast and are more than busy people! We always enjoy seeing them and today they had some great news. They are in the process of aquiring furniture. From the photos they had it is really nice furniture. We look forward to getting some of it here and know it will be such a blessing to those who need it. They also were able to aquire some sheetrock which will be delivered tomorrow.
Monty and I also went to check out yet another house and homeowner requesting help. She has all of her insulation and sheetrock at the house and this will speed the process greatly. We were also blessed when her college age son told us he would like to volunteer with us --- for the summer! He wants to learn construction and this is the place! We are so excited that he has a heart for serving and hope to keep him here with us until time for him to return to college. Here he is, in the middle of destruction himself, and he wants to go out and serve and help others! Another of those "God things" for sure! Thanks Steven, we welcome you aboard our team!
Today was Kim's birthday. She is here with her family and from our home church so we had a birthday dinner and birthday cookie when we got back! Just another example of a woman with a heart for others and who is willing to be here, working, sweating and dirty on her birthday! We love you Kim and thank you for being here! (you too Elmer and Rose)!
We also received word that one of our home churches will be bringing a group of volunteers down next month. They have nearly 20 people coming and it will be an awesome week of sharing and building hopes!
We thank those of you who have been keeping up with our blog and coming along with us on this relief mission. Without your prayers we know we would not have what it takes to get up and keep going day after day after day! Thank you and may God bless you abundantly!
Until tomorrow....rest in the safety of God's arms....Susan and Monty
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