Goodbye 2006

Yes, when you head north the temperatures take a dive and this is how our dogs chose to deal with the colder weather! They did get adapted somewhat but were glad to get back to the coast!

This being the last day of this year brought a message from Pastor Rick this morning that I found to be "just what I needed." Amazing how God works that way!

At this time of year many of us are looking at the New Year with the hopes of changing some things. The usual ones are exercise more, loose weight, stop this or that habit ... the list can go on and on. We all start off filled with enthusiasm and dedicated to "making it" this time. And then comes a few weeks later and we are discouraged because we have already fallen short of our goal. Pastor Rick gave us 3 points to think about when deciding to make changes.

1. have faith! faith fills us with anticipation, looking ahead. Faith and fear DO NOT mix, like oil and water. It's when we loose that faith that fear gives birth to doubt and doubt gives birth to failure! We must stand firm and not let the devil steal our desire, our goal. Just remember that "if God be for us, who can stand against us?"

2. stay focused! to stay focused we must hold fast to our faith. They work hand in hand. The devil will throw in distractions and in time we will forget our goal if we don't stay focused. If the devil can't make you bad - he'll make you busy! That busy can take us off focus. We are to "throw off all that hinders us and run the race"...

3. follow through! take it one step at a time. If God said it -- do it!! Each day is a clean page, a clean slate! There are no quitters in the kingdom of God!

Faith, keeping focused and following through all work together -- and spell success! Keep that in mind as you think about the changes you would like to make in the new upcoming year! It helped me and I hope it will give you some encouragement also!

Monty and I would like to wish each and every one of you a safe and blessed New Year!
With our love and thanks, Susan and Monty

We're Back

Yes, we finally made it back to Mississippi! It took alot longer than we expected seeing as how nearly the entire northern part of the US also packed up and headed south after Christmas!

It was amazing, over 2 hours to get through Nashville, TN along with delay after delay. Throw in an accident where an 18 wheeler jack-knifes on the interstate and you have quite the journey!

The temperatures here sure are alot better than elsewhere! Today was in the 70s. Storms that tore up quite a bit in Louisianna have nearly blown themselves out this evening so hopefully we won't be drowned with the huge rainfalls and 80 mph winds they predicted.

It felt good to be back. We stopped in and visited our Convoy of Hope station to the north of us and they have filled their lots with RVs. Many of the RV Maps people are either already here or in route. This will be an added blessing for us as they are mostly skilled and willing to work solo or join in when we have teams.

Speaking of teams -- thanks for the prayers. Our month of February is nearly filled to capacity and rolling into March! If you are thinking of scheduling a team this info might be helpful. We are so excited at the thought of continuing the rebuilding of homes by the rebuilding of lives.

It will be nice to reconnect with our homeowners that we were busy working with a few weeks ago. Monty and I have been here so long that it was like "coming home" in a way. We both enjoyed our time away and our time with family and friends but found ourselves also feeling as though we had no purpose while we were away. I think it's another of those "God - things" He places in our hearts when we are busy following His calling!

We did spend some time with our families -- thus the photo above. That is our grandson!!! Meet Luke who is now 19 months old! Isn't he adorable! He is the son of our middle daughter and her husband. Seeing him, and seeing all 3 of my children was the greatest gift I could have received! PRICELESS! That's for sure!

Tomorrow brings the last day of yet another year. What an amazing year it has been, one that is truly impossible to describe. Hopefully you have been reading the blog for that is the only way you would truly understand what I mean by my statement! Make sure you continue reading as I know that 2007 will bring even more stories of hope, stories of life and even more miracles! I've said it before and will continue .... God is moving here on the coast! God is fulfilling His plan for not only the Gulf Coast but for the world!

We thank you for coming along with us this past year and pray you have a safe, a happy and an even more blessed New Year!

Yea God! Boo devil! Susan and Monty

It's getting closer

Yes, it must be the Christmas season as there are decorations everywhere we look. Most of the time the days just turn into other days and I have no idea what the calendar date is but with all of the "reminders" at this time of year I do know "the" day is getting closer.

Today has been an exciting day! Even though we are away from the coast for some business the telephone calls continue to come in. Today we have already received word from 3 teams that are planning on coming to volunteer after the first of the year! THIS is what we need to hear!

One team is coming from our hometown area. They are planning on an instate mission trip this year and should be coming around the end of January or the first of February.

Another team will number near the 150 total, yes, 150 volunteers! We haven't seen those numbers for who knows how long! They will be coming the last of March into the first week of April. Needless to say, we are FULL for that week! They are mixed with skills so that should be some kind of extra ordinary week for sure!

The third team will be coming from Illinois. They will be arriving around the third week of January.

These are the kind of phone calls and emails that we need to hear! So many times people ask us "how long will you be doing what you are doing?" and the only response is, "for as long as the volunteers keep coming." Convoy of Hope is committed to continue and so are Monty and I. We don't know where this will lead. We don't know the direction God has planned for any of us. The one thing we do know is that the need is still there, the people still need help and hope, their homes still need rebuilt and they still need us (you).

I will admit that doing what we did back about a year ago, quitting our jobs, walking away from our insurance... was a leap of faith! But God never calls anyone into anything without the promise that He will provide. That He has done! (and we doubted?!) But as for letting us know where our future lies ... He only lets us know what we need to know on a "need to know" basis. We are committed to listening to His calling and just being obedient and following wherever it is He leads us. We are thankful that Convoy shares our hearts!

I have a special prayer request. One of our Convoy leaders needs some special prayers. Cindi has somehow managed to injure her shoulder. She went to the doctor and has learned it is something called a "frozen" shoulder. The only treatment for it is aggressive therapy. Due to the fact that they are constantly on the road with their jobs, the therapy thing isn't possible. She did receive a shot and some exercises to do but could really use your prayers for complete healing. We all know that what we are doing can take a toll on our bodies. Once again we also know that with God nothing is impossible and everything is in His almighty plan. Please include Cindi in your prayers so she, along with the rest of us, can continue working to the best of our abilities.

Please pray for all of the residents on the Gulf Coast who are, for the 2nd year in a row, still not in their homes. They ALL need our prayers! With the suicide rate up 900% along the coast, prayer really isn't an option!

Until the next time we are in a wireless area and can write ..... Blessings, Susan and Monty

Remembering ...

Yes, I found my way back to the internet, something that is a bit difficult these days. I thought I had found a "way in" but no so...thus the delay over these past few days. Thanks for being patient and bearing with us. The holidays are always busy and there are always a few "extras" tossed in for extra busy!

The above photos are taken in the warehouse. You can see some of the furniture making its way to the Gulf Coast. To the right are the doors and their frames, also donated. The furniture has been coming in complete sets, an added blessing to those who lost everything. Getting something that actually matches and goes together isn't something most residents planned on!

I have been doing alot of thinking over these past few days. Remembering last year this time when we were preparing to make the move to the coast. One of those "if I knew then what I know now" things! I had NO idea!

Pastor had a message this past week that put it all into perspective. He spoke about the "cost" of following the Lord. When I received the direct call from God to go to the coast there was no question who was doing the speaking. And there was no question in my mind as to whether we would go or not. I think some might refer to it as "blind faith". In some ways they were right.

I thought I knew exactly what we would be doing, how it all would flow. NOT! God always has a better plan, one we aren't even able to fathom. This time was no exception. I also thought I had faith. I grew up in a Christian household and didn't know anything else, any other way of life. I had no idea what real faith was!

This past year, with all its difficulties, challenges, hurdles, highs, lows, battles and blessings beyond measure have been nothing short of mind blowing! I wouldn't have traded it for the world. There is no amount of money that could have replaced it! NONE!

I feel as though our family has grown to spread across the nation. I wonder if that's what Moses felt like when God had him look to the stars and make the covenant with him?

Pastors preach on relationships, how they are vital to our faith. Pastors know what they are talking about. Our relationship with God is, of course, first and foremost. But the relationships that develop from there, with God's people, cannot be "planned" or "scheduled". God has His own timing, His own plan and He is always right on time.

When I look back over this past year it makes me stop and think. We really had no idea what we were getting into. God did! We didn't know how our lives would be changed forever, how we would grow closer and closer to God each and every day. He did! We didn't know what the challenges would be. God did! We didn't know what the blessings would be. God did!

Whenever we follow the calling God places on our lives there IS a cost! Sometimes our reputation gets bruised by what other people think. But we must put our character over our reputation. Our character is who we really are! Our character is what God sees.

This year has been life changing, not only for us but for all of those who came and volunteered. Each week we meet a room full of new faces on that Monday morning at devotions. We watch those faces change each day. By the end of the week those new faces have become old friends and will be included in our family for the rest of our lives. They also have become family within their own groups. They come to volunteer and leave different people, they leave blessed beyond measure! Their lives will also never be the same! THIS is what the experience is all about! THIS is what God has in His master plan!

To all of you who took time from your own lives to come and be a blessing ... you know what I am talking about. To those of you who have only heard and/or read about it, think about experiencing it for yourselves. You won't be sorry! I promise!

This time of year has us all looking back over the past year and doing some remembering. I will always look back at this year as a year that changed my life! A year that has been unlike any other in all my 52 years! I have missed some things, some people, my home, my recliner at the end of the day, my bed where we both can sleep together, working in my yard, sitting in my same seat each Sunday morning, seeing my family at church....I could go on and on and on.

BUT ... the blessings I have received, the miracles that I have seen with my own eyes, seeing hope come to the hopeless, seeing life come to the lifeless, feeling the hugs of thanks that are unlike any hug I have ever felt, seeing the tears of joy flow from the faces of those who thought they had been forgotten about, seeing the change in my husband and most of all --- seeing the change in me ... these things are priceless, these things have made this year the best year of my life! This year has been a life changing year! I want to thank all of you who made this possible! I want to thank God for calling me!

Until next time .... God bless. Susan and Monty

A "typical" day

Christmas time brings thoughts of family and I would like for you to meet one of my daughters, her husband and our grandson! It's an amazing thing when your own children start having children of their own! What awesome blessings!!!

I had a question asked last night that made me think that you all just might be wondering what a typical day is like in the relief work. If you have been with us volunteering you already know and so I apologize if this isn't something that is of more interest to you. To those of you who have not been there, maybe this will answer some questions or spark more interest.

Each one of our work days (Monday through Saturday) start bright and early with devotions at 8am. This is a special time where the devotion hopefully gives all of us some "food for thought" for the day. It's such a blessing to begin each day with devotions and reflection on why we are doing what we are doing. At the end of devotions we all make a circle, hold hands in prayer and turn the day over to the Lord and His plan for each of us.

From there the team/teams make sure they have the tools and/or supplies they need for their work for that day. We have a couple of tool rooms where we store things and have quite an assortment of tools but it always seems there is something else we need. That might require starting the day with a trip to Lowes, or ending the day with one.

After all necessary things are loaded into vehicles the teams head to their worksite. On Mondays they are following Monty and I to the sites. If there is a team of 6 or less they are all working on the same site. If more, there are more sites going at the same time. From Tuesday on the teams know where they are going and off they head.

Once they head out it's time for us to take care of things "behind the scenes". There are emails to be checked and answered, things to be cleaned up, phone calls to be made and/or received and just general duties to try and get either started or done. We might need to go to the warehouse for who knows what. Sheetrock to be delivered and/or given to those in need. Furniture for the same. Doors and on and on and on. This is where no 2 days are the same.

Someplace in that morning time Monty and I try and catch a meal on the fly. From there we are headed to the worksites. We go to each site each and every day. I have photos to take to keep posted on the blog. After all, their public awaits! Many times they are working away so hard that they don't even realize I am there until the flash goes off! :)

The day continues with the teams working away, making phone calls with questions and then the calls come requesting materials or special tools that are needed and not realized that they would be needed when loading things that morning. When you get into rebuilding like this, you just never know what needs might come up. There is just no way to be fully prepared. Every home is different!

The teams usually continue working through the day. They pack lunches that morning so there isn't the delay that comes with trying to do the "fast"?? food thing. It also gives them time to take a rest and usually visit with the homeowner. Back to that relationship thing again! :)

Most of the time the teams will work until around 5 or so and then clean up the site, pack the tools and head off to the showers. We do not have shower facilities at the church where they are staying but the community college just across the street have kept their aquatic center open since just after the storm for the volunteers to come and use. There are stalls or open showers for the women and the men's are open style.

From there the teams are beginning to realize just how hard they have worked and how hungry they are. We keep a listing of some of our favorite local places and sometimes they will choose one of those or they might get adventurous and strike out on their own to see what they can find. They are almost always looking for some local cuisine to try and with most all restaurants now open that's not difficult to find! Just remember that it is the south and nearly everything is fried! Delicious but fried!

After they have cleaned themselves up and filled themselves up the tired muscles begin showing up. This brings them back to the church where they might sit around playing music (some bring their guitars) or just visiting and getting to know each other better. There are card games and/or board games that will get started too. But it doesn't take long before all is quiet and the only sounds you might hear is the snoring!!

The next morning they are all up, bright eyed and ready for a new day! It's amazing how God refills us for the next day!

I hope this gives you some idea as to how the days are spent. There are alot of the behind the scenes things that Monty and I get involved with (checking out more jobs, etcs) but this is about what the days are like for the volunteers.

As long as these volunteers continue to come Monty and I will be there to work with them, to help them bless the residents and help them see how God is blessing them in return. There are still so many homes and homeowners that need help! As long as the volunteers continue to come....

PS. Remember ... the 4 minute Convoy of Hope DVD is available to ANYONE and is absolutely FREE. Just email to: forycindi@gmail.com and request your copy today! You'll be glad you did!

Until our next entry .... God bless! Susan and Monty

Testimony

We're going to try this again this evening. I entered a great testimony last night but when I went to publish it -- it disappeared --- lost my connection and that's the end of that.

As I said a few days ago, the blog entries will be off and on for the next couple of weeks. We are traveling and tending to some business and at times there are no connections for me to get through on. Thank you for your patience and continued support. Sometimes things take us away for a period of time but our hearts are always working for the people on the coast.

I have a fantastic testimony from one of the volunteers that came from New Jersey. This man has made 2 trips and I hope you will enjoy hearing someone else's story other than my own.

" When you set out on a short term mission trip there are no firm plans as we learned again with this trip. When we returned to Gautier, MS in October we were ready for whatever the Lord had and He had many blessings for us. These are just a few.

We met Rosemary on Monday morning. We were the first team to be involved with her rebuild since the storm. A local church had gutted her home, ripped out the sheetrock and insulation 4' from the floor. They also ripped out all her carpet and appliances and that was almost a year ago. Rosemary had called Susan and Monty and said that she was at the "end". This sent up a flag with Susan and Monty.

When Susan and Monty met Rosemary they came to know that her mom was bed ridden for the past 3 years with arthritis and chronic emphysema. I can just imagine how may times she tried to get the house in order and had to stop to take care of her mother. How frustrating it was and how many times she must have felt like a failure, not being able to get anything done.

When we met Rosemary she was hopeless, she only looked at the ground as she spoke to us. She was allowing us to come into her house and pack all her possessions away after the flood. There was alot to be packed. Rosemary and my wife, Sue, developed a special bond as the week progressed.

As time went by we could see Rosemary gaining hope. She was starting to make eye contact and by the end of the week shewas smiling and kidding around with us. We took some great pictures with the new Rosemary by the end of the week. And, as usual, at the end of the week we were all sad that our time there was over.

The biggest blessing for me was to see a person transition from hopeless to hopeful. That is one of the "God things" that Susan speaks about. We had a team of 4 and God has a plan for us.

There was also a team of 12 there from Iowa. Their ages were from 17 to 80. They worked at 3 different sites blessing the homeowners and 3 of them worked with us on Thursday and Friday.

I would encourage ALL believers to pray about being a part of the rebuilding process in the Gulf Coast. Monty and Susan have been called to this mission field. They both love Jesus and both have strong construction backgrounds. They told us that they are going to be there as long as teams keep coming down.

In closing, this was our "2nd Tour of Duty" so to speak and we signed up for our 3rd!

Yea God, Boo devil. Walk in His love and grace.
Jack from New Jersey"

Like I said, I hope this will inspire some of you and touch each and every one of your hearts. Jack told it from his view and Monty and I would like to thank him and all his team members for taking time from their own lives to come and not only be a blessing to the homeowners but also to Monty and I. We look forward to their 3rd "tour" and will be ready and waiting for them!

Until our next entry --- hopefully tomorrow .... internet willing.... Susan and Monty

Blessing the survivors!

Our day started and ended at the warehouse!

Family after family was able to receive blessings in the way of complete bedroom sets all during the day. Furniture that they never thought they would have, furniture they all watched wash away during the storm! And to be able to put something!! back into their homes, before Christmas!! Like I have said before, God is awesome and we are so thankful to be here, watching God work on a daily basis!

I have a personal plea I would like to put out over the air waves --- if you have been here volunteering with a team, would you please contact me? The first of the new year is fast approaching and I would like to talk to you. If you were the team leader, you have my number. If you came along, get my number from your team leader.

I also want to let you know that over the next days the blog will "come and go". We have some business that we need to take care of and that business is going to keep me off line most of the time. Business does keep going, even if it is holiday season. People don't stop needing help just because the calendar has a special day marked on it. But at times we do need to get some added things taken care of so please be patient with us during these next days!

PS to Jack, Sue, Pastor Mike and Trish --- THANK YOU so much for the power point and testimonies! WOW!! You all are awesome and we, along with the victims of the storm, would like to thank you for the special love you have for all of us down here! We WILL be in touch!

May God bless each and every one of you!

Until our next entry ..... Susan and Monty

Furniture!!!!

It's been a rather busy day, that's for sure!

The temps dropped low enough last night that we almost got concerned about the hose that delivers the water to our trailer. Even though being located on the south side of the back of a shopping center had it's drawbacks due to heat during the summer, we are glad to be there during the winter. We were protected just enough for things to all be fine. Not so with the case of our Convoy leaders just a few miles to the north. They awoke during the night to discover their lines had frozen solid and were making the necessary insulation changes today! The temps really change when you get directly off the coast line like where we are. Just a couple of miles can make a big difference!

Monty spent nearly the entire day at the warehouse. The furniture delivery was to come sometime between noon and 3pm and things inside the warehouse had to be shifted around in order to make room for the incoming supplies. The men from Mercy House were there by 1:30 ready and willing to get the truck unloaded as soon as it arrived. Then came the call from the driver saying he was nearly 2 hours away! The men were just happy to be next to the water watching the wildlife come and go, seeing some of God's creatures that come around this time of year.

The truck did finally arrive and what an awesome load it brought! Some of the nicest bedroom furnishings we have seen to date! There are headboards of all sorts, matching dressers, armoirs, night tables, even king and queen mattress sets! Come to find out this is the truck that was to have arrived a couple of months ago so his timing was off more than we thought!! :)

The men had it all unloaded, organized and ready to be sent out in about an hour. We are so thankful to Danny and his men for always being ready to help us when we need it. By the time everything was done it was time for the day to end. The sun sets at 4:57pm down here so dark comes rather quickly.

We will be returning tomorrow morning to start sending out the blessings!

I want to send out a special "thank you" to one of our hometown churches, Life Church. Thanks to Bob and his family who conducted the toy drive for us down here. We received the gifts today and want to thank you for everything you did, for thinking of all the kids down here and for taking time from your own lives to bless the coast. The toys will be used at The Refuge Christmas outreach next Saturday and will bring many smiles to both children and their parents alike! Bless you for all you did!

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty

Ready to "rock"

Okay, who dropped the bottom out of the temps? This isn't funny! This is supposed to be "far" south? Tonight it's to get below 30 --- am I having a nightmare!!?? :)

It was a bit on the more than nippy side today, atleast for down here. But the sun was out and after tonight we should be okay. Thank goodness for the little box like ceramic heater Monty got for our camper trailer! It keeps it quite toasty!

I finally felt better today! After being down for 9 days it had just about gotten the best of me but never fail, I am back now! I didn't even lay down once today (wasn't really time anyway)

This morning we received a phone call saying the semi with 918 sheets of sheetrock was on its way to arrive at the warehouse within an hour. We haven't seen that much sheetrock in quite a few months! Thanks Convoy, it will be put to good use! Monty had the entire load unloaded, incident free! It's always nice to have the driver be the kind of person who doesn't mind joining in the work of unloading. And it's even nicer to have that driver leave with a smile on his face!

By late afternoon we were back at the warehouse with those people scheduled to be blessed with some furniture. They loved the look of their new dressers, mirrors, entertainment center, desks and twin beds. I never tire of seeing the surprised looks on their faces when they arrive and fully realize that it is FREE, no strings attached!

Before we could have them loaded we received word that another semi load of furniture will be arriving tomorrow afternoon! This also looks to be bedroom furniture from out west. Monty got busy scheduling the men from Mercy House to come and help get it unloaded as these trucks have to be unloaded by hand. Those men are always glad to help and will be "on hold" until they get an exact time of delivery. And soon after the delivery is unloaded we will once again be reaching out to those in need of furniture. The blessings come in so they can go out so they can come back in again. It's the kind of merry go round that we love to be on! We would like to extend a VERY SPECIAL thank you to Steve S. up in the great state of Washington for everything he has been, and will continue to do, to get this furniture down here to those suffering so much after hurricane Katrina! It's just a shame he can't see all the faces and hear the thanks himself! It's a shame YOU can't see and hear them also!

Until tomorrow .... keep warm and God keep you healthy..... Susan and Monty

No light

Sorry folks, there doesn't seem to be a light at the end of this tunnel I am traveling through!

I missed the Christmas parade today and am missing most everything right now!

Hopefully tomorrow there will be a glimmer of light which will lead to a touch of better health.

Until then .... Susan and Monty

This beautiful photo taken at Bellingrath Gardens by Diane a couple of months ago is about the only thing of beauty that I have seen this week!

It seems my health has taken one nasty turn after another. Now I am in a full scale war against the flu and it's still a toss up as to who will win!

To top things off, our temperatures also took a nose dive last night! Now I will admit, it's not nearly as cold (or white) as it is back home for us, but it's still in the mid 30s at night and inside a camper trailer that's a bit nippy! I give up trying to maintain any temps in the camper with a fever that has me hot one minute then cold the next. Even the dogs wonder what in the world is going on!

We did get the final papers on the grant project for Mike and Faye completed. This afternoon we stopped by and got the last piece of paper. We also took them some Christmas decorations! Faye's brother bought them a small tree with the lights already on it and she had it decorated with her favorite, poinsettias. She said the only thing she wanted on it was the white ornaments shaped like glass balls. Simple, we thought, and we promised her we would see what we could do. We spanned the cities from the east of us to the west of us and finally came up with 2 boxes of white! We also threw in some "extras" to spruce up their FEMA trailer a bit more. Just because you are living in a FEMA trailer doesn't mean it shouldn't be decorated for the birth of our Savior! Mike was feeling a bit rough as he had dialysis yesterday and was also feeling a bit fluish at the same time! Seeing the Ole Miss football decoration for his tree did put a smile on his face! (Monty was thinking of him!) :)

I thank all of you who have been praying for me and ask that you keep them going! I'm managing to use up each and every one!

PS We just heard that the semi loads of furniture coming from the west coast will be on their way and it sounds as though this is some really nice furniture!!!

Until tomorrow ...... Susan and Monty