Thursday, November 30, 2006

Prayers

Sorry for missing last night's entry.

The only thing I can manage to get across to you now is a request for prayers.

I thought I was on the mend but NOT! I have been hit with an intenstinal virus and one of the worst head colds and sore throats ever! Your prayers would be appreciated!

Until this evening, when hopefully things are better..... Susan and Monty

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Doors and more doors



My favorite birds! I have seen more of them the past week than ever before, must be the season. The cranes are also returning. We tried to go to the bird sanctuary yesterday but found it closed due to construction. Another Katrina catastrophe, no doubt!

Today was a day with a bit more energy. It seems like everyone on the coast is sick in one way or another. Colds, sore throats, stomach pains ... you name it and someone has it. Back home we would blame it on the weather but down here ... I don't think so, not when it's in the upper 70s.

Our main project today involved being at the warehouse. Two more families were blessed with being able to get all the interior doors for their storm damaged homes. These aren't just any old doors that you can walk into Lowes and purchase from the shelves! Most of these are solid wood, red oak! They are so beautiful and the families realize the extra special blessing they are! It's such a joy to be able to see the smiles on their faces and know God has touched them with these blessings.

We also learned that a semi load of sheetrock is due to arrive early next week! The blessings continue to roll. All that sheetrock is in preparation for the new year. Prayers for teams are pouring forth from the coast! The month of December is more than bare, but we look at that as a good thing too. People can concentrate more on the birth of our Savior and have a bit more time to do so.

It was also great news to hear that our team that came from Mt. Vernon, Indiana is planning a return trip after the first of the year. Cecil called today and they are putting together the dates! We assured him that we WILL be right here, working away and awaiting their arrival! Goodness knows there will be plenty of work!

Convoy of Hope puts out a newsletter and I would like to quote from the latest issue: "There is a reason why Convoy of Hope is still working in the Gulf Coast. Even though the headlines have changed and the news has turned elsewhere, litter and debris still line the streets. Thousands of homes remain untouched since Katrina wrecked havoc -- the initial devastation compounded now by a year's worth of mold and infestation by rodents. Thousands of families are still displaced. Homeless. Helpless.

At the same time, hope is rising from the rubble! Ever since we began this "journey", we have watched in amazement as the caring compassion of our staff and thousands of volunteers has cut through come of the enormous pain wrought by the damaging storm. Convoy of Hope has been used to not only providing physical needs, but to mending mental and spiritual wounds as well. This is why we are still there! And it is why we intend to stay, with YOUR help, for as long as we are needed.

This Thanksgiving season, we are continuing our "God Cares" Outreaches to bring hope to the people of the Gulf Coast, to let them know that we do still care about their needs, that we will still be available to help them and that they have not been forgotten. PLEASE join us in this most important undertaking. YOUR neighbors on the Gulf Coast still need YOU! What will YOU do to show you STILL care?" (powerful and 100% truth)

Now would be a good time for YOU to think about putting together a team for after the first of the year. Vacations will be renewed and most likely it is colder where you are than here! You just can't get alot further south than right here! There probably won't be snow for Christmas here but you can bet it will still be Christmas! :)

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty

Monday, November 27, 2006

It's been a rough weekend!!

Yes, the weekend was a rough one.

After our dinner together with our home team on Friday night we all started falling like flies!

During the night Monty got up and came inside the church only to find Rob laying out on the floor of the sanctuary in stomach pains. At the same time it was happening to me. By morning it was a race to the restrooms, not a fun time at all.

Monty took the other 2 men from the team and wrapped things up at Dane's because it was obvious Rob wasn't making it to work anywhere. They decided to pack it up and head home, Rob feeling well enough to drive. They drove part way and stayed the night before arriving yesterday afternoon. By the time they stopped Sat night the other 2 men were also suffering!

I was down so far on Saturday that I wasn't sure if I would make it back up! Sunday was a bit better but not much. By today I think I'll live!

We have no idea what hit us --- a big mach truck would have been less painful --- but whatever it was, Monty escaped!!!

It was very upsetting to me that I couldn't even say goodbye to our family. I love all 3 of these guys and we had such a fantastic week! To have it come to an end like that is just the devil in action as far as I am concerned! We know the devil and his means and this was him for sure!

We are just glad all are back home, safe and sound, and feeling better by now. Dane even called this morning to see how they all were doing because he, too, did not have the chance to thank them and say goodbye!

Since Monty and I have been on a 3 month run of working 7 days a week we have decided to take today and tomorrow as a breather before getting into alot of holiday outreach items around here.

We aren't the only ones that the devil was busy attacking lately. Our Convoy leaders, Fory and Cindi also went back home to Minnesota to take care of some family things and while they were there Cindi also got very ill. They are back here on the coast once again and although she is better, she still has a ways to go to be back to normal! When you are working for the Lord it makes the devil quite unhappy and he has his ways of getting to all of us at times. THIS is where YOUR PRAYERS are priceless!!!! We thank you for praying over all of us! YOU are keeping us going!

Thank you to Rob, Keith and Kevin for everything they did while they were here! Yes, working at Rosemary's and Dane's made a powerful impact, but what you brought to Monty and I is priceless! You brought family and the touch from home that we so desperately needed! We are anxious to see you again soon!

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty

Friday, November 24, 2006

Keith and his closets!!!!







We've teased Keith most of the week, all the work he gets himself in to seems to have to do with a closet! And those closets haven't been the largest ones we've seen either! :) Just try hanging sheetrock inside of a small closet, then try going back and mudding the thing! There isn't even room to turn around in most of them but he has been working away, all week, and getting them done! Yes, there have been times when he would love to have covered the entire closet opening with sheetrock and made it disappear but Rob stepped in (stilts and all) just in time!

As you can see, Monty got "completely" in the act today! Sanding has to be the least "favorite" thing to do when it comes to finishing. You can see why by just looking at Monty in the last left photo. No, he does not have on white gloves, that's nothing more than sheetrock mudd dust! Thus the reason for the mask! But that's what it takes to get a smooth seam and after all, we're building houses for Jesus so nothing but the best will do!

The team is still working away in Dane's and almost completely done with taping, thanks to Rob and the stilts so he can reach the top next to the ceilings. Also a tough job unless you know what you are doing! They had an awesome drying day today too. Temps again in the 70s and dry breezes, something a bit uncommon down here in the swamps.

I spent part of my afternoon at the warehouse having fun blessing alot of people from our church here with furniture. Four families came and now have a good start on actually furnishing their homes with beds and desks and dressers. We are so thankful to Convoy for arranging the deliveries of the furniture! I just wish they could see the faces of the people receiving the blessings!

We will be back working at Dane's all day tomorrow - the last day for our home team to be here. I can't even think about them leaving -- Pastor Dave --- can we PLEASE keep them? I know, their families are missing them but .... we love them so!!!!! Okay, we'll deal with that "sensitive" subject tomorrow!!!

Until then ...... God bless all of you!!! Susan and Monty

Thursday, November 23, 2006

What a Thanksgiving!








What an amazing Thanksgiving Day! The sun was shining brightly, the temps were up in the 70s and the food was outstanding!

The photos tell the story, in sequence, of the day.
First thing this morning the team decided to address an issue here at the church that Pastor Rick brought to our attention. They were putting in the tiles in the ceilings near the projector screens. There were some gaping holes and no insulation. No more! All repaired and set to go!

From there we headed to our Thanksgiving dinner down on the Pascagoula river at Billy Joe's 97' houseboat. You can see the line of people sitting outside on the "porch" area -- quite a crowd. We literally feasted on barbequed turkey, regular turkey, barbequed wild hog (delicious) and chicken with dumplings, complete with all the fixins. The Teen Challenge girls joined us, all 13 of them. Sitting there along the river, the ability to be outside enjoying the beautiful day, such a wonderful way to spend a Thanksgiving Day! Keith, Kevin, Rob and Armando really enjoyed the "sites" on the boat. Armando was able to join us, even this morning in the work. He didn't have any plans for the day and we were so glad to have him join us! (You can also catch a glimpse of Monty taking a quick snooze on the boat before we headed back to Dane's for the guys to get in a couple of hours of work.

Monty decided to praise the Lord from Dane's front porch! Then you can see Armando and the rest of the crew finishing the sheetrock, complete with Rob on his stilts! I told you the man came prepared!!!

The last photo was taken along the beach as the sun was setting. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful day! I watched it go all the way down while also keeping an eye on the pelicans that were landing to roost for the night! It was a few minutes to really take in all the blessings that have come our way since we have been here working for the Lord. I've said it before and will continue to say it, being here is the greatest blessing I could ever hope for! Yes, I missed my family at home but I was able to spend today with another family. The laughter that came from today was priceless! Kevin, who was really hungry again at the end of the day, Keith who not only sampled the HOT sauce at Billy Joe's, he "lathered" it on his dressing, Rob who was in his element both on the water and up on his stilts, and Armando who made some new friends!

We closed out the day, all of us together, having dinner (some of us breakfast) at the Cracker Barrel and once again sitting forever exchanging stories and laughter and getting to know each other better and better. Priceless!

It is our hope that all of you had a wonderful day, full stomachs and time spent with not only your families but with God. Without God none of this would be possible!

Now we very quickly switch gears into the Christmas season. Some of you will be up before the crack of dawn tomorrow morning shopping the early bird specials. We all need to keep in mind what the season is really about! Just as we can't have Thanksgiving without God, we can't have Christmas without Him either!

Relax in not only the after effects of the turkey, but in the arms of our Lord!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty PS I think last night's blog got "messed up" and if so, I apologize. I think it was preparing for turkey instead of paying attention to what it was supposed to be doing?!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Farewell to part of Home






Here is the group photo of our family here with us this week. This morning we said goodbye to Bob and Jolene. They had a long drive ahead of them, headed to Florida for the holiday. I think Bob was more than ready to go but Jolene would have liked to stay!

Rob, Keith and Kevin headed to Dane's house this morning. They are doing the sheetrock finishing which will keep them busy the next few days. Rob came prepared - he brought his stilts to reach the ceilings! Keith was busy doing some sanding on the first coat that had been put on by our team from West Virginia. Dane was off work at noon today so he was excited to be able to work with the team. Monty spent most of the day also helping, he loves working in the field.

I spent most of the day driving Steve and Raetta around the areas to see the disaster details. Raetta is putting together a DVD and we covered enough ground for her to have some really good footage. We went to the gulf side, seeing all the "places" where homes used to be, we saw the concrete wave monument in Pascagoula, a couple of the homes we have worked in and then traveled to Ocean Springs to see the progress on the rebuilding of the highway 90 bridge. It was a beautiful sunshiny day and her photos turned out great. The big bird you see in the top photo is a crane, the largest bird. They are returning to the area this time of year and this one sat here all morning as if he were posing for photos. You can see the muck and mess in the water, the tide is extremely far out and everything that was under the water is exposed. The crane loved the idea of catching lunch quite easily! Steve and Raetta were on their way to northern Alabama by mid afternoon to spend the holiday with his family. Steve's mother passed away recently so this holiday will be a bit tough.

When we all gathered for dinner this evening it seemed strange to not have the rest of the team with us. Part of our family was gone and we missed them! We pray for safe travel for all of them.

As I sit here this evening, thinking about tomorrow being Thanksgiving Day, it just seems like this year has passed so quickly. I know that the older we get the faster time seems to pass, but this year has been an exception. With the temps in the 70s again it still seems like it should be summer, not the end of November. When I think about all that has happened this year, the decision to quit our jobs and come here to follow the calling God has placed on our lives, the entire thing seems surreal at times. Monty and I just have SO much to be thankful for! Yes, I will really miss being around the dinner table with my family back home, not seeing my brother that is making the trip from Florida, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! I have seen God, seen and experienced miracles beyond my wildest imagination, and been blessed far beyond words and am so very thankful for being called by God! There is nothing in this world to compare it to, no job, no anything! Being with and working directly with God day in and day out is .... it's indescribable! Monty and I would like to thank all of you who make this possible! Without you and all you do we would not be able to be here! THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts!

We pray each of you has a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving Day!

Until then ...... God bless! Susan and Monty

Farewell to part of Home






Tuesday, November 21, 2006

"Mudd Pie" Birthday









There he is -- the Birthday Boy--- Kevin turned 42 today! He's the top left photo -- working hard isn't he!? You can see more of him in the bottom right photo helping Rob tear out more of Rosemary's house.

The top right photo is a treasure, I think! This is Rob with Rosemary! She became quite attached to him and I know he will always remember her. She trusted him so much and he had a way of reaching her in such wonderful compassion that she says she will be at church this Sunday! When it came time for them to leave her home this evening it was REALLY hard for them to part!

The next left photo is Keith hard at it in the electrical area. Right is Jolene cleaning the windows.

Next left is Steve pulling the firring strips from the ceiling and hoping they don't snap back in his face! The right photo shows Kevin really working, with Rob.

The last left photo shows Bob, bundled up in this mornings 31 degree temps and ready for work. This evening he's using an Icy Hot on some of the "new" muscles he's found!

Raetta took a day off of the jobsite today to work on a special gift for Rosemary. She had taken some photos of her hybiscus in bloom and planned on painting a picture for her. When she took them to have blown up to see the detail better the photos were so outstanding that she decided to frame them and give them as gifts. They were beautiful and Rosemary loved them!

This entire team has been so great in these past couple of days. For Monty and I personally it is renewing and like being home! With Rosemary there is a life long bond. She even called me this evening to say how happy she was to have worked with them and how sad she was that we are done in her home, for the time being, and that they would not be there tomorrow. She told me she would meet us at church Sunday morning! God at work --- once again!

It's just so amazing to see these friends, "family" from our home church working together, sitting together at dinner each evening in laughter and having such a great time bonding and becoming even closer to each other. When teams come down, even though they might all attend church together, they still don't know one another as well as they think! When you live and sleep and work with people on a 24/7 schedule you REALLY get to know them! This team is bonding stronger and stronger each day, all becoming even closer family members. This is the relationship that Jesus wants for each and every one of us!

We all enjoyed some true Cajun food for dinner this evening. Once again it's a time of sharing parts of each others day, laughter and family time around the table. Like I said, such a time of blessing for Monty and I that no one can truly understand unless you have been here with us over these past 10 months!

Tomorrow the team will be dividing themselves. Bob and Jolene are heading to Florida for the holiday. Steve and Raetta will be heading north to Alabama for the holiday. But first I will be taking Steve and Raetta on a tour where they can capture some video to take home. We will miss them when they leave. We pray for safe travel for all of them.

Rob, Keith and Kevin will be going to Dane's to start the finishing process on his sheetrocked walls. With the skill of this team I wouldn't be surprised if they completely finish his house and are ready for priming and painting. They are working through Saturday, although we will take some time on Thanksgiving to have a holiday meal.

We want to thank our home church for sending us this team, for sending their best! Thanks to Pastor Dave for everything he did to get them here and thanks to the rest of our family for continuing to support us as they have been!

Kevin says Hi to his daughter, Kristy. Keith says Hi to Karen and the boys (Jonathan -- we miss you), Rob says Hi to Candy and his daughter Joy! You all are so awesome for allowing us to spend our holiday with your loved ones!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Monday, November 20, 2006

Home team hard at work!







Here they are, all hard at work. We are giving them a hard time, blaming them on the cold weather snap "they brought with them". The temps were down in the low 30s last night, today winds and only 54 but after another repeat day tomorrow it is to warm back up into the 70 range!

They were all up and ready to go this morning. Rob would have been out the door at sun-up if he would have known where it was he would be working! (He does construction for a living and is the top right photo).

You can see them each at work, like a finely tuned machine. Rob had their jobs all lined out after getting there and surveying the situation. Raetta (first left) is busy making a hand painted plaque for Rosemary. She is painting one of the blooms on her hybiscus, a beautiful flower still in bloom!

Rob (first right) is tearing out the kitchen. What a job, cabinets and all had to come out but he made quick business out of it.

Keith (middle left and making his third trip) is busy doing more sheetrock tearout on a higher up level. And he thought they came down to finish the sheetrock--that comes Wednesday at a new location!

Kevin and Steve (middle right) are complete with masks and tearing out insulation -- NOT a fun job but they had their gear and were getting it done.

Bob and Jolene (last left) are also busy and didn't even notice me taking photos. Bob is removing the nails on the old cabinets (safety first) and Jolene is cleaning up the mess!

As I said, they were working in sinc with each other and all making amazing progress. The electrician came and will also be pulling her permit and starting some major work. Due to that fact, after the rest of the tearout is done tomorrow the team will then be moving their work location to Dane's and yes Keith -- you will be finishing sheetrock! On Wednesday Steve, Raetta, Bob and Jolene will be leaving us and heading elsewhere for the holiday weekend. That will leave the three men to work at Dane's. (Dane's is the house that is raised and knicknamed the "high and lifted up" home). Dane was more than thrilled to learn we would be returning. We didn't tell him ahead of time so it was a great surprise. He was just informed by his insurance company that he has 180 days to bring his home to completion and so our help is another of those God-things again! God's timing is always perfect!!!

I had my meeting with the company we are trying to get a grant from for Mike and Faye. It looks as though all the paperwork was in order and I only need to get a couple more things from them and it will be ready to roll. The gentleman from ECD Hope seemed very positive and said he would get right on it and see if he could rush the project. I told him we still hope to "speed" build their new home sometime in January or February and that Joe, from the West Virginia team is heading up the entire construction process. ECD seems to be right on board so please keep them in your prayers. If this all comes about it will be the first of anything like this done here on the coast!

Monty and I also had the opportunity to meet Rosemary's mother this morning. What a wonderful lady who is bedridden and missing out on the process of her home. It may be for the best as it can be very unsettling to see all of your things destroyed. She was so extremely thankful for all the volunteers and wanted them to all know how she felt. It was a blessing to us to meet her.

We also were able to bless a couple more families with some furniture this afternoon. The update on what is coming also came by email. Seems there are over 700 rooms of furniture that we may be getting so the blessings will continue to spread! I would ask that this whole process by kept in your prayers. EVERYTHING we do down here is making history and this furniture is BIG! We know God will provide but also knowing you are praying for that provision helps alot!

Thank you for making history with us. Like I said yesterday, be sure and stay tuned as this week will be filled with many reasons for all of us to give thanks!

Special note to Joy (Rob's daughter), we are taking good care of your Daddy! Thanks to you and your mother for letting him come and spend some time with us! We love him almost as much as you!!

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty

Sunday, November 19, 2006

"Home" comes to us!!!!

Romans 8:28 tells us, "All things work together for good to those who are called according to His purpose."

We were privilaged to be invited to Pastor Palma's church this morning. They were dedicating their new kitchen, a dream they never thought would come true. We used to go there on Wednesday nights and have not been in quite a long time. This morning we knew why we loved going there so much. I told Pastor Palma that I felt like I could have been the only one he was preaching to this morning -- it was the Lord speaking directly to me through Pastor Palma!

God has instilled in all of us the standard of greatness! This greatness comes through humility, when we humble ourselves God will lift us up. The way to humble ourselves is to serve others.

All failure is due to lack of focus! He challenged us to focus on the TRUE purpose of our lives. I know the true purpose to which God has called me! It's as plain to me as the smile on my face! God called me to serve Him by serving others in their worst times of need! Katrina provided that for me! When we know our purpose and are following it, we will be renewed with a sense of destiny and greatness. This greatness is not to be confused with pride, they are opposites.

I know who I am, where I am from and where I am going! I have been sent by God Himself, our creator and redeemer, to this place, to do what we are doing, to glorify His name through this service!

This relief mission, my purpose in life, it not about color, not about denomination, not about being male or female, it's about the glory of God, nothing more! What more could a person want anyway?

This evening we are so very blessed to have not only friends from our home town, these are FAMILY from our home church, Vineyard! There are 7 of them, or there will be when they all arrive. Rob, Keith and Kevin arrived early evening. Bob and Jolene not until around 8pm and we are still waiting on Steve and Raetta who should arrive around 10pm. This is such a wonderful blessing for Monty and I, to have family here over Thanksgiving. I myself have never been away from my family over this holiday so having a team from our church is even more special. They will all be working in Rosemary's house all week, there are a multitude of things needing done. Rob is our experienced carpenter, he does this for a living! He will be leading the team! Having them here is also such an emotional thing for us, the support and love from home pours from each of them. Bob and Jolene will be heading to Florida to spend the holiday and Steve and Raetta up to Alabama to his family. Make sure you stay tuned and don't miss a thing as this week promises to be great! God will be working through all of us, miracles will be happening and it will be an awesome week!

We all have so much to be thankful for this year! Start counting your blessings now because if you are anything like me you have a list that will never end!

Thank you Pastor Dave for sending this incredible team! We miss all those who aren't here but we know everyone is here in their hearts!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Saturday, November 18, 2006

New Orleans visit








Today we took the opportunity to travel and visit with another relief effort located in New Orleans. You can see that it is the Vineyard Church effort. The bottom 4 photos show it in more detail. There weren't too many around as they are traveling home for the holiday. This next week they are closed down due to that fact. We did get to visit with one of the relief workers for a few minutes. This Vineyard has a congregation of nearly 1,000 on Sundays. We learned they just got into this new facility a few months before the storm. It's nice to see how other efforts are working. This one is concentrating alot of their efforts in the lower 9th ward and will have more work than they can handle for who knows how many years! But sad to say, they are like the rest of us and have seen the volunteers slow down. They are still coming but are much smaller teams and only one each week. We were still amazed at the devastation, in most places it looks as if the storm happened yesterday.

You can see from the top 2 photos, one taken in Bay St. Louis and the other in Waveland. The line of trees used to be a line of wonderful old southern homes. Now there is absolutely nothing but nearly dead trees and wasteland! And this goes on for miles and miles and miles all along the coast to nearly a mile inland! Yes, alot of the debris has been cleaned up or atleast piled up. There are still FEMA trailers being brought in for the residents that are left. Most of the east side of New Orleans is dead -- that's the only way I can think to describe it! You see nothing of life, no people, no animals, no businesses, no anything! It's just so hard to describe it until you actually see it for yourself!

We had not taken the opportunity to see Bay St. Louis or Waveland yet. It's just mile after mile of nothing, just broken trees and weeds growing where someone used to live and have a nice home and yard. There aren't even broken signs to tell you what used to be there. And forget about finding your way by reading the street signs, they don't exist! And this is nearing the 15 month mark!

Once again I come to you, pleading ... think about coming and volunteering! The new year is just around the corner and everyone will have new vacation "renewals". What a better way to spend atleast part of your vacation blessing others. You will find that the blessings are returned to you in great abundance! THAT we promise!!

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Please keep these residents all along the coast in your prayers. The suicide rate is up 900% down here -- yes, you read it correctly -- it's not a typo! Take those prayers with you to your church tomorrow and pray them with your entire congregation! There is power in prayer, we see that power each and every day and thank you for remembering all of us!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty
PS Happy Birthday to my brother, Mark! I love you and really miss you!!!!!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Goodbye Ohio





This morning we said goodbye to our wonderful team of 3 from Ohio. They worked part of the morning at Jim and Cindy's and then headed for home. We pray for safe travel and that they will return as soon as they can! We so appreciated their work ethic and the ministry they did this entire week. Not to mention their electrical skills! Thanks guys, we love you!

The top photo was taken this afternoon as we were able to bless some families with furniture. This photo is Lulu and 3 of her 5 children. You might remember her, if not --- Lulu is a single mother. She was hit by a triple whammy in the storm. The storm itself tore the roof and all of the outside of her home off. During the storm lightning struck and started her home on fire. Then, after the storm an electrical short started another fire and what little progress they had made was not only undone, but worsened! Lulu has some awesome family members who made the decision to move themselves down here, in their campers which are in the front, side and back yard of her home, and do the work themselves. They dedicated themselves to be here to bring her home to completion, and that's just what they are doing! They are near the time to start the flooring but Lulu had no furniture to put into her home, no beds for a couple of the children -- until today! She left with just what she needed and also at a loss for words. She also just underwent surgery 2 weeks ago and her youngest daughter will be having surgery next Tuesday! This story is just one of thousands down here, and just one of the blessed ones that we have been able to help. Lulu promised that we will be some of the first people invited in to see her home when it is completed and she can get back to living! Lulu also realizes that it isn't us -- it's God -- all the way!

The next right photo is Pastor Lee getting some sheetrock for his sanctuary. His church is in Pascagoula and was destroyed by the flood waters. He is single handedly trying to rebuild and has done a great job. He is now to the sanctuary and was in dire need of help. Our Pastor Ken buddy referred us to Pastor Lee. Pastor Ken is doing the electrical and realized the need. Thanks to Convoy keeping us stocked with sheetrock we were able to bless him with hopefully half of what he will need!

You can also see Pastor Lee in the last photo, helping another local church load up their new interior doors! Pastor Roger also suffered terrible damage to his church and was in need of interior doors. Thanks to Convoy (again) we have ALOT of interior doors that were donated and now one more church can get back to "having church" again!

I have preached it before and will continue to do so --- God cannot be stopped! Without a doubt, the devil meant Katrina for every kind of evil he could. God is the ultimate decision maker and has put the devil in his place, UNDER His feet! The devastation of Katrina is uniting these cities, these churches, these people and it is spreading throughout the coast and spilling into the entire USA by the volunteers coming and serving and taking the word back home! God is the Almighty and He has the final word! Aren't we the ones blessed because of it!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty