Iowa in the deep south

Here they are, Iowans at work in the deep south! The top photos introduce Cindy and Jim to you. They had flood waters knee deep inside their home and although they tore out all their walls 48" up from the floor the inspector came in and said they all have to come out all the way to the ceiling. Moisture "leaks" upward in sheetrock therefore mold can grow and so they all have to come out. To be honest, it's easier to re-sheetrock a home when the walls are completely out instead of trying to match the old with the new about half way up the wall. This team dug in their heels and away they went. They had quite a pile of debris by mid-afternoon and were going full steam ahead. Cindy stood in awe at the progress that can be made with a few extra hands. There are actually 6 team members at her house and 6 at Virgil's.

Next we introduce Virgil to you. Virgil had water come in from the roof and you can see that his subflooring took the brunt of the damage. The team started cutting away the rotten flooring and getting ready to replace it with new. Virgil had also torn out all his walls half way up but some of them had to be taken out the entire way. They also managed quite a pile of debris.

Both teams of Iowa will be continuing in their respective homes again tomorrow. We could be ready for some insulation and new sheetrock if they keep going at this pace. We will be limited in what we can do until all their electric is taken care of. Virgil's house must be completely rewired where Cindy's just needs new boxes. Pray for some electricians in the next group (which is also from New Jersey).

Speaking of New Jersey, this team planned this trip this week just so they could be here for the Halloween Outreach planned by the church. They are now sunburned, mosquito bitten and have sore feet from being on them the entire day but they had fun!!! The worked the set up from 8am this morning, came back long enough to put on a clean shirt (on top of the sweat) and then headed back to participate in the evenings festivities. When Monty and I walked through Pastor Mike was playing his guitar putting on a solo concert for all those waiting in line to enter. Trish was helping with the games and Jack and Sue were working the prayer tent! They were having a blast and no doubt will sleep more than well tonight! We are so thankful to them for coming this week to participate in another avenue of spreading the word of Jesus to those who need to hear!

Also, today was an extra special day ---- HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRISH!!!!! She chose to spend her 20th birthday with us, what a sacrafice and what a blessing! She said she wouldn't want to spend it anywhere else ---- God bless her for her heart of service!!!!

When we have days like this, 3 new jobs going at once, it's awesome!!! Seeing the looks on the homeowner's faces, looks of amazement and thanks that they cannot put into words --- once again the blessing of a lifetime being able to be here, working with Convoy of Hope, and rebuilding for the Lord!!!!! We thank all of you who make this possible! Please continue to pray for us, the devil never sleeps!!!!!

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty

Welcome Iowa, Good job New Jersey

Here they are, New Jersey at its finest!

The top group photo was taken before they ever entered the home of Rosemary. Next is the photo of Rosemary as the team was able to locate some paperwork she had been looking for since the storm! She was thrilled to find it!

The bottom two photos show the before shot of her dining room, covered with nothing but mess from the storm. The right photo shows the after, the furniture trashed and everything neatly organized and stacked in the middle of the room. Stacking things in the middle allows us to work around the room with the insulation and sheetrock, when the time comes. It's nearly impossible to ask the homeowners to empty their homes as they have no place to put anything. Working around a pile in each room is as good as it gets.

Rosemary was unable to take all of the day in! If she told me once, she told me 15 times that we were sent to her from God, she was at the end, she didn't want to go on as she couldn't get done what needed done --- and NOW she sees a new beginning instead of the end! She has a totally new outlook and cannot thank the team enough! And today was just the first day there! Another total God-thing and one of the blessings beyond measure of being here, working this effort and expanding our ever growing family!

The New Jersey team will take a one day break from Rosemary's tomorrow. The church here, The Refuge, is planning an outreach for a Halloween alternative. The team came here just at this time to help with the outreach. They will be working at it all day, setting up and then participating from 5-8pm. It should be an outstanding day so be sure and stay tuned for photos! The church is planning for 5,000 people---keep us all in your prayers!!!

This evening we welcomed our second team for the week, Iowa. There are 12 of them, 5 men and 7 women. They are all part of the Assemblies of God RV Maps organization. This organization travels around the country building churches. They won't be building any of those this week but they will be doing plenty of blessing of others. They will be divided between two brand new projects. You will be introduced to Virgil and Cindy. Each has their own story and each is desperate for help. Hold on one more day --- help is on the way!!!

I wish I could convey the feeling when someone tells you that they feel you were sent directly from God to help them! We continually tell them that it isn't us -- it's God! They follow up with, "yes, but you make yourselves available to be used by God" and I guess they are correct. It's the absolute greatest blessing in the whole world -- being here rebuilding lives by rebuilding homes! Words cannot express it, you must experience it! God is such an awesome and loving God and it is such an honor to be rebuilding for Him! You should try it --- then you would understand!

Don't forget about emailing for your free DVD about our relief efforts. It will tell and show you just how badly you are still needed here --- 14 months later! ANYONE can get one, no cost, no obligation. Just email to: forycindi@gmail.com and they will be happy to get one out to you asap. Take what you see to heart, then think about coming with a team or organizing a team! We 100% guarantee --- it will change your life!!!!

Monty and I would like to send an ENORMOUS thank you to some very special people in New Jersey who sent us some "fluff"!!!!! You know who you are and what you did for us!!! There are no words to thank you enough! Your hearts, your efforts, your care and love --- you are family to us and we love you!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Steve --- Monty could really use you about now! He just finished his 3rd day underneath the truck (he's done) and his back and neck are gone ---- adjustment here he comes!!!!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Welcome back New Jersey

Here they are the last time they were here, just a few weeks ago. Four of them returned this evening and we are so excited to see them again! It's like family coming back! Their flight was a bit rough but they made it and are getting busy with the settling in and food preparations for tomorrow.

They will be starting a new project for us tomorrow. It's one with ministry as the first priority. Rosemary cares full time for her terminally ill mother and can in no way rebuild their home. She can't even do the cleanup process, which is where this team will come in. Pastor Mike is with the team -- another appointment from God! Be sure and stay tuned as there are bound to be blessings flowing back and forth on this job all week long!

Monty spent the biggest part of his day underneath the truck again. He made real progress today -- the new fuel tank is now on the truck. There is still quite a bit of work to be done in reattaching the hitch and wrapping up all the details. The prayer now is that is doesn't leak!

I spent most of the afternoon trying to better organize the hundreds of photos we have. They are all in folders on the computer and sometimes get downloaded without the proper explanation as to who and what they are. It took hours but I think I got it! Atleast I can figure out who was where now.

We are looking forward to the arrival of our team from Iowa tomorrow evening. Please pray for safe travel for them as they are driving. They will be divided into two teams and each will also be starting a new project. Should be an eventful week, to say the least!

Don't forget to email for your FREE copy of the DVD made by Convoy of Hope. All you do is email Convoy at forycindi@gmail.com and they will send you one free of charge. Also remember that the last 3 women that they interview are homes where our teams worked and blessed the households. It's an amazing testimony of what has been done and what still needs to be done! I think it will really be an eye opener to alot of people! Get yours today and show it to your congregation, family or whoever! Then see about putting a team of volunteers together and coming down. January is wide open just waiting for YOU! Remember -- without the volunteers this rebuilding of lives and homes will stop! We need you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Turning back time?

Does this look like a crew or what? The gator is inside Gator's Cajun Restaurant and these men from California had some fun posing with it!

We said goodbye to our Indiana team early this morning. Some of them were headed back north and others of them were headed to Florida with their motorcycles. They were all heading out a bit on the tired side but still wanting to stay a bit longer! They did such a wonderful job on Bruce and Linda's, two rooms ready for paint and then they can move in them. Both rooms are bedrooms which means they can now get out of their FEMA trailer and feel more at home, even if the rest of the house isn't done yet! There's just something about sleeping in your own bedroom that makes life so much better! Thanks, Indiana, we really enjoyed having you here and pray you will be making plans to return soon!!!!

We also said goodbye to two of the California team. I took them to the airport in Gulfport this morning. They had obligations to get back to and had to leave before the rest of the team does tomorrow morning. One of those that left was Scott and it was REALLLY hard to send him off again! He had really wanted to stop in and see Gladys and her completed house but time just got away. We said it is just another reason to make a return trip--- and he agreed! The rest of the team continued working away at Charles and Lynne's. They had all 3 rooms nearly completely sheetrocked and Charles had even started taping and mudding one of them last night. This is just the "boost" he needed and doing that kind of work isn't strenuous and will not be hard on his heart. The team was taking Charles and Lynne to dinner this evening----an added special treat for sure!

Monty spent the entire day underneath his Ford truck. We did get the transmission resolved but now the issue of the leaking fuel tank must be addressed. We have the new tank but getting the old one off and the new one on isn't quite as easy as it sounds! The rust underneath is a force to be reckoned with and with the help of one of the church members, James, Monty had some great help most of the afternoon! The old tank is now off but he will be spending atleast all day tomorrow and probably most of Monday getting the rest of the work done. Watching your diesel fuel leak out on the pavement is a bit disheartening and now that will be resolved! Keep him in your prayers as this is tough work and anything mechanical can try the best of patience!!

By tomorrow evening our incoming team from New Jersey should be here. There are 4 of them, all 4 came with the last trip about 6 weeks ago. We are excited to be seeing them again. They are flying in specifically for the outreach the church is having on Halloween night. It's called the "Holy Ghost Weenie Roast", a night designed for all the kids and it should be alot of fun! We are so glad the NJ team wanted to come back and help out!

Incoming immediately behind them, arriving Monday evening will be our team from Iowa! No doubt they will enjoy the warmer temps here! Today is was in the mid 70's with a real breeze from the north which means lower humidity --- a real change of pace for here!

Tonight it the night we turn back the clocks and gain an hour of sleep!! What a fantastic thought! It will make it quite dark quite early here but the morning will be good and early! I continue to be amazed at the beautiful sunsets here! Just another reminder of the beauty of God!

Hopefully all of you will be in your home churches tomorrow praising and worshiping our Lord for all the blessings we have! It's a day to be refreshed, refueled and better prepared for the upcoming week! We thank you for keeping us and this effort in your prayers.

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Indiana pictorial

I want to pay tribute to someone very special from this Indiana team, even though she may not be here in the physical sense, I know she is reading and keeping a close eye on her parents.

Candice -- what you have been through these past couple of years is an inspiration to us all. Your parents shared the video with us and we stand in amazement at your faith and strength! You will continue to be in our prayers for continued healing, strength and most of all God's love to continue to shine upon you! We feel honored to know you, even if it is through the video. Keep up the good work and thank you for blessing us this week with your parents being here!

(for those of you who are wondering what in the world I am referring to, Candice is the daughter of one of the couples here from IN this week. A couple of years ago she was severly injured in an auto accident and, against all odds and against the voices of numerous medical professionals, she lived through it and is a walking miracle today!) We thank her parents for sharing their walk of faith --- may God bless and keep your entire family!!

You can see by the photos that this team has really accomplished their goal of blessing a family here. Bruce and Linda are speechless! They can see their house being transformed into a home right before their eyes, on a daily basis. We join them in thanking this team for all of their hard work but most of all for their ministry while they have been here! They truly did rebuild lives through the rebuilding of a home! They will be leaving us tomorrow morning and they will be missed! They brought their skills, they brought their tools, they brought themselves, but most of all they brought their hearts of service and love for the Lord and THAT is what made the difference! THAT is what rebuilds lives! We pray safe travel for them and also pray that they will return soon to share even more blessings and receive what the Lord has for them here!

The California team also continued to bless Charles and Lynne. It was a bit more difficult today as it decided to rain quite hard throughout the day and part of the team worked in the rain just to help clean up outside the home. They accomplished wonders and will continue tomorrow. They invited us for dinner this evening and it was such a blessed time of fellowship and prayer and we thank them for both!

We thank you for everything you are doing to make this rebuilding of lives and homes possible. You might think that you aren't doing much but praying --- THAT is what we need the most!!!!
We do have a request, something for you to think about and possibly make some calls to see if you can help us --- we are looking for a small forklift to help in the unloading of materials used to rebuild homes. If you have one, or know of someone who has one, and would like to donate it to this effort (you will receive a tax donation statement), please enter a comment at the end of the blog and let us know. You would be offering a blessing that would spread out all along the coast!

Until tomorrow ... thank you !!!! Susan and Monty

Photo night with CA

For some reason there have been alot of problems with the blogspot this week and tonight is another one. I planned on doing a pictorial of both teams but it will not allow any more photos other than those here. My sincere apologies to the Indiana team. I will have a "special" on you tomorrow evening. I have heard that Google purchased the Blogger but haven't gotten anything to let me know. I just know that the problems have been more than aggravating and hopefully whatever is happening will be corrected soon.

First news -- the Ford truck is repaired and running well. I am not a mechanic and couldn't begin to tell you what the problem was but it is working now and purrs like a kitten, a diesel one anyway!

As usual, the teams were working well again today. The Indiana team is ready to prime and paint a couple of Bruce and Linda's rooms. Their expertise at both hanging sheetrock and finishing it is amazing. We (and they) wish they could stay longer and do more! All in God's timing!! The women have the place nearly spotless, or as much as possible on a construction site. Tomorrow is their last day and this evening they asked if we could do the morning devotions at 7am instead of 8am as they want to get an early start. Getting an early start on day 5 with all of the aches and pains of the week really catching up with you is remarkable! We are so very thankful to have had the pleasure of getting to know this team and counting them as more of our family.

The California team found themselves doing things they hadn't expected. They did a wonderful job in repairing the roof ridge and making more patches as needed to get the thing dried in. Just in time as it is supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow. They also got the new windows installed, more sheetrock hung along with some structural changes that were necessary. They have been such a blessing to Charles and Lynne and their grandson! You can see the "family photo" taken of the team with Charles and Brian, the grandson.

Monty and I visited 2 more homes this afternoon. We will be starting both of them next week. Rosemary cares for her terminal mother full time and was literally at the end of her rope. She kept telling us that she just knew God sent us to her because she was "at the end". We will start with helping her get the house cleaned up, just the place where our incoming New Jersey team of 4 will be perfect. We also called on Project Recovery to pay them a visit, something they did this afternoon immediately after we called! They are a team of trained counselors who are life savers down here! They will get some immediate help to Rosemary and her mother and will be working right along side of us to see that their needs are taken care of to the best of our ability.

The next home is one we helped with back in March. Wendell and Sharon lost literally everything in the storm, including 4 vehicles. They have 4 children, the oldest of which just returned from Iraq. They rode out the storm in their attic, convinced that they might not make it. The water stopped at the entrance of the attic. They both work full time, raise the children and have been trying to rebuild on their own. They need help!!! We will be in sometime in the next couple of weeks to get some extra hands to do some extra work.

This evening we were blessed to be invited to bring both teams to the home of Jamie and Cindi and their daughters Elaine and Anna. Jamie loves to cook and gumbo is one of his specialities. They love to invite the teams over for some good old southern fare and it is such a wonderful evening to be invited into their home, share wonderful food and watch relationships grow. We are so thankful to them for sharing their home with us week after week and the volunteers sure do enjoy the southern hospitality!

Just a reminder to those of you who didn't catch it last night, the Convoy of Hope DVD. It is a 4 minute video showing what has been, and is still, happening all along the coast since Katrina and just how desperately the volunteers are still needed. This video is completely FREE to anyone or any organization who would like one. Just email Convoy at forycindi@gmail.com and they will make sure you receive yours. If you are thinking about sending a team this video is just what you need to spur some enthusiasm! Email and get yours today.

Until tomorrow ... God bless .... Susan and Monty

Ups and downs

Wednesday has been knicknamed "hump day" and Monty and I traveled over a few of those humps today. As you can see, one of them the blogger being unavailable again last night so this entry is being entered way earlier than any of you would be up!!!! I don't sleep well if I can't blog before I go to bed!! :)

The top two photos are of the CA team working away at Charles and Lynne's house. Welcoming Scott was a priority!! We picked up a few sheets of outside siding for them and they were planning on even doing some roofing on the ridge vent when we left them in the afternoon. There are no limits as to what a team can get into when they get on the jobs and this team is ready and willing to do whatever is needed, and more! Charles had been able to get the back portion of his roof reshingled before his heart attacks and thought the front part was in pretty good shape. He kept saying he would get to it "later". Later became yesterday because when the team got the ceilings torn out you could see daylight through them, thus it became evident that the "later" was now! Off they went, headed to Lowes, and would be repairing the roof so the work they did inside wouldn't be all for nothing. They are coming along fine with the insulation and sheetrock and two rooms are really starting to come together.

As you can see in the bottom two photos, the IN team rode in with style! The motor home is beautiful and when they opened what we thought was a rather large tool trailer, out popped the two bikes! They are on their way to a bike show when they leave here so they really came prepared! They also continued with insulation and sheetrock at Bruce and Linda's home. It never ceases to amaze me how God always sends just the people we need at just the time we need them. As I said, we have not one -- but three -- sheetrock finishers in this team and they are doing a fantastic job! It won't be long and they will be ready for primer and paint in some rooms!! Bruce and Linda are in shock and awe at the pace that their home is coming together! All these months they have been trying to do what they can and all it takes is a few extra hands and hearts of service and love and ta-da, a real home is coming together!

Monty and I spent the morning in meetings. The first one was a financial one regarding Mike and Faye. We are in the planning stages, looking at many different options, trying to get them into a home. ECD Hope is an organization that is going to be instrumental in our planning. The meeting went very well, Monty and I both learned alot and we feel things will go smoothly. I took quite a bit of paperwork to Mike and Faye and when they have it all completed they will call me and this ECD Hope representative volunteered to drive back and pick it up in order to expedite the process! God bless this organization, they are doing some wonderful things to help out people all along the coast.

You might also remember that our Ford truck has been in the shop all week getting the transmission problems taken care of. It was finally done yesterday evening! There were a few glitches along the way but we were told it was all put back together and would be the awesome work truck it is supposed to be. We picked it up and headed to Pascagoula to make yet another trip to Lowes. I was amazed at how much smoother the engine ran and all seemed to be right with the world, until we pulled into the parking lot! There was a light "thud" and all of the sudden we had NO gears, none!!! So .... thanks to our friend Joe, we called AAA and they towed the truck, and us, back to Gautier, in front of the repair shop once again! One of those "humps" I was talking about! (you might want to pray for the truck but at this point it might be a better idea to pray for the repairman!! :) )

Our other morning meeting was with our Convoy leaders. We always enjoy when they come for a visit! They brought us more Tshirts and it gave us the opportunity to share some of the things that have been happening here. They are always on the road and having a morning to visit with them is always special for us. I do want to remind all of you that the DVD to encourage volunteers, and to tell a short story of the relief effort, is FREE for anyone who would like one! It only lasts 4 minutes but they are VERY powerful minutes! If you would like one sent to you, at NO CHARGE, please email our Convoy leaders at the following address and they will be happy to send you one. If, after viewing it, you are interested in sending a team or coming with a team, please email that same address and they will get you everything you need. The address is: forycindi@gmail.com

Today is a new day! It will be a blessed day! It is the Lord's Day! "Rejoice and be glad in it."

Until this evening ..... Susan and Monty

Welcome California

Here they are, Indiana and California working away!

The top 4 photos are Indiana at Bruce and Linda's. You should see these guys finish sheetrock! They kept their talents hidden for a day! We are so blessed to have them as they are doing a professional job and finishing (taping and mudding) is not a talent many people have! The house is looking fantastic, changing by the hour and looking more and more like a home. They got the insulation done and were also addressing some electrical and plumbing issues. This team has many skills and we are putting them all to use! Linda was cooking their dinner for them this evening and they are sure to have a feast. Linda does catering when she isn't teaching at one of the local Christian schools and we know how she can cook! She is the one who made my birthday cake and I nearly overdosed on chocolate! She had turtle brownies waiting for this team when they first arrived on the job yesterday morning and when I asked about them this morning they were smiling when they said "those are all gone!" Just a small blessing the team is receiving back for all the blessings they bring to the family!

The California team started one of our new projects this morning. Meet Charles, Lynne and their 18 month old grandson, who they are raising. The photo of them is taken in their family room, notice the walls in the background! There isn't one single wall in the home that has complete sheetrock. The CA team is ready to also spread blessings and one of them was a new set of double windows for the front of the house! They also were busy with insulation and sheetrock, but only after doing some structural repairs. They have more than enough work to keep them busy for the week they are here! It was especially good for us to see Scott again! If you remember, he spent a month with us back in the spring and volunteered whenevery and wherever we needed him! We were also surprised to find that this team consists of 5 men and not the 4 planned. One gentleman decided at the very last minute to come along, even though he had to take a separate flight that got in a bit later than the others! That is the kind of surprise news we love to get -- MORE volunteers than we thought!!!!

I also want to update you on what is happening with Mike and Faye and their situation. Although getting them out of their house and into the FEMA trailer happened quickly, nothing from here on in will happen that quickly! We are now in the ever present paperwork realm of things but all is progressing forward with no steps backward. I have a meeting with a company tomorrow morning to start some of the process. He has already done the leg work on his end and seems to think the paper process won't be too long. We also spoke with Joe, from the WV team that just left and he is lining up some things on his end to possibly do a "speed build" sometime right after the first of the year! PLEASE keep him and his team in your prayers as they really!!!!! want to do this build. Pray that the Lord places all the steps in order for them and they are able to bring this thing to completion.

Speaking of prayers, please keep the IN Pastor's wife and family in your prayers. Her mother passed away this morning and she is traveling from northern IN to southern KY by herself. Even though her mother was elderly it is still a loss and they would appreciate your prayers for comfort and strength.

On another lighter note I need to say a very !!!! belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our "some guy named Dave" back home! He hit the BIG 50 a few days ago and I didn't mention this on the blog until I knew all of his surprises were unveiled! If you are reading this and know him you also know he received the gift he has always wanted --- a long haired daschund puppy --- which he appropriately named Java Bean (he is a coffee nut)!!!! HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY PASTOR DAVE ---- WE LOVE YOU!!!!

Until tomorrow .... blessings to all of you and thanks for coming along with us on this mission of rebuilding lives and homes!!! Susan and Monty

Turn on the heat???

Yes, last night there was also difficulty with the blog, thus no entry. Today is a new day and all appears to be running well.

Yes, we awoke to something called a "cold front" that blew through here last night and not even 2 fleece blankets kept me warm. You see, these camper trailers cool down just as fast as they heat up. It reached somewhere in the mid 40's and if we were home we probably wouldn't have needed the heat, but ... we're a long way from home living in a metal box!!! :)

Today was beautiful, high around 70 with a wonderful breeze, one of those days we have longed for. The "locals" seem to think it's too cold --- we're not locals!!! We love it!!

Today was the start of a busy, blessing filled week for our Indiana team. Part of them went to Margaret's house to wrap up a few things on the punch list. They were making great progress by the afternoon and if they did not finish this evening they should be after a couple of hours tomorrow. They will then be joining the rest of their team who are working away at Bruce and Linda's house. They are putting the wall and ceiling insulation in, hanging sheetrock and starting to finish some of what the WV team hung last week. There is more than enough work for the entire IN team for the rest of the week there. It sure is starting to look like a house again and Bruce and Linda are absolutely thrilled. Their son finished the electrical over the weekend so the team was ready to roll. Be sure and stay tuned to see how they progress over the week. They come to bless and the blessings turn right around to bless them back. Another of those "God things" for sure!

As I write this we are awaiting word from our team from California. They were to land at the Gulfport airport at 5:30, rent a vehicle and head this way. Shouldn't be too much longer now. We are really excited to see them as one of them is Scott, who spent an entire month with us back in the spring! He became really close family and we can't wait to see him again. We have also worked with the other men coming on the team and it feels like "old home week" with them making another return trip. They will be starting a new home project for us, Lynne's house. They will be doing some structural, insulation and sheetrock. They have their work cut out for them and we know they will be prepared to bless the family. Also stay tuned for the latest happenings with this new project.

This afternoon we had some family stop by and visit with us for awhile. Teresa and her husband Berry came and spent a week volunteering a couple of months ago. Teresa ended up staying behind when they left and worked with us for another 2 weeks. She also became close family and it was so good to see them this afternoon. They had been in Florida and were headed home to northern Alabama but decided to come by and see us. We're so glad they did --- and that they got the chance to do some shopping at Hudson's while they were here! Teresa made daily trips and we loved teasing her about it! This time it was Berry's idea to stop --- he knows the bargains she got while she was here!!!!!

Last night we were blessed to attend a different church here locally. Our dear friend, Pastor Ken, was a guest preacher and invited us to come. I have a few "one liners" that he spoke about that I want to toss out to all of you ... for some deep thought and inner reflection. I won't go into the details of the sermon but guess you will be able to read between the lines to fill in the blanks. It was an incredible sermon, one I won't forget!!!! Read these, really read them .... and then take them to thought and prayer!!!

Faith is the substance of the Christian life.

Stand up and become who God called us to be.

Tithe as you would like to be blessed.

Trust God for who He is and watch the miracles take place.

There's nothing we can't do through the blood of Jesus.

Stop being who others want us to be and start being who God called us to be.

We need to start the spiritual warfare that God calls us to do.

We must get ourselves out of the way.

Stop worrying about what other people are doing.

AMEN and AMEN and AMEN again!!!

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Sorry for the delay in writing, the blog had some difficulties last night and I wasn't able to write. Looks as though it's back and running this morning.

Yesterday we said goodbye to our team from West Virginia. They were up and headed out early, notice I didn't say "awake" and ready to go! I think they were a bit on the tired side yet still thinking about the evening before with Margaret and her wonderful prayer. As with all the teams, we will miss them and pray for their safe travel. They should be home by now, reunited with their loved ones and on their way to church to share all of their experiences and no doubt give thanks to God for being able to be here!

Hopefully all of you are also on your way to your home church to give thanks!!!???

Two of the WV team had arrived, and departed, seperately. Marv and Donna were on their way to Florida for the winter and decided to stop and help for a week here. They brought their RV and had to get it all unhooked and ready to pull out yesterday. They took their time and it gave us a chance to visit with them a bit longer. As they were leaving the parking lot our next team from Elkhart, Indiana came rolling in with their RV! This team has 4 staying in the RV and 3 more at a local hotel. They had made better time than they thought and so arrived quite a bit earlier than expected. They busied themselves for the rest of the afternoon getting "camp" set up.

Monty and I took a couple of hours and finally got to the local county fair. It's been going on all week and yesterday was the last day. It's all we heard about, everyone so excited that the fair was happening this year. After the storm last year none of the festivals or the fair came about and all were really missed. The weather yesterday was perfect for an afternoon at the fair. We walked through the midway, saw the smiling faces of the little ones on the rides, the others who were popping balloons for prizes or watching the mouse to see what color of hole he would run into. We also did what we were supposed to do -- the BIG thing to do at the fair -- taste the gumbo!! It nearly becomes a competition between food booths as to who has the best gumbo. They laugh when we tell them we have no such thing "up north". Pastor Ken was there with us and he and Monty both had to taste some. Both agreed it was great and probably would have indulged in an entire bowl if we hadn't been planning on eating with the new incoming team for an early dinner. It made us feel a bit more at home to see the farm animals, although this climate isn't so great for them and thus there were very few there. It still helped me to just be able to see them and yes --- pet the pigs and cows!!!! I grew up on a farm and am still a farm girl at heart and always will be!!!

Dinner with the Indiana team was very nice. It gave us a chance to visit with them and to get to know them a bit more. They should be another great team as they are skilled, have been on quite a few overseas mission trips and have construction skills. But --- we warned them that they have entered a new "territory" and will be working in conditions they can't imagine!! They'll soon discover that we are right!!!

Today the team will be joining us in worship service and then they will load up and travel west for the afternoon. We encourage teams to go west and see more of what Katrina did to the coast. They will come back changed people! You can't see it and not be changed, even after nearly 14 months now! I've said it before and will continue to say it --- IT'S NOT OVER! IT'S NOT ALL OKAY NOW!! They will see for themselves and they will realize the reality of it all. It is our deepest prayer that they will then take that information back home with them when they go! Spread the word that the volunteers are still needed and without them this effort will not be able to continue! THAT is our prayer and we hope you will join with us in that prayer!

It's time for worship, a time I look forward to all week! It's our time to be refueled by the One who has blessed us with the privilage of being here serving Him. It's our time to praise Him for all His blessings and to also ask for the strength and wisdom we need to continue following His leading. Join us in doing the same!

Until later tonight ... providing the blog is working properly ... Susan and Monty

One of God's warriors has a new kitchen

Here you have the story of one of God's special warriors with her brand new kitchen! Today was the final "push", the final day of what was a wonderful week! Joe and his crew pulled no punches, left no stone unturned, worked until way after dark and the result was the entire team of West Virginia, with Margaret, in her kitchen with her breaking into a prayer that broke every single one of us in the circle! The last photo is of Joe with Margaret, a couple who grew to love each other and became true family this week!

We always tell the teams that even though they are coming to bless the residents here, there will be a special blessing just for each of them here. We encourage them to not get so busy that they miss it. This team GOT IT and will be taking it home with them to last forever! Today Donna got it! Donna has worked with Joe at Margaret's all week. She and her husband are on their way to Florida and wanted to stop in and help for the week. Donna spent alot of time with Margaret -- she is now able to understand every word Margaret says!!! Not an easy task, believe me! Donna was the only one who was able to get Margaret to understand how her new installed Lazy Susan worked! No amount of explaining by any of the rest of us worked. When Donna brought her into the kitchen and actually showed her, she got it!! It was amazing and something only Donna could do!! A true calling from the Lord!

There were some of this team who had not gotten to meet Margaret yet. Bob is one of them. He is also the one sitting next to her, her arm resting on his leg, and the bond they developed within a few minutes will also last each of them a lifetime!

Today was one of those days where words cannot relay all of the blessings that flowed faster than a raging river. Best as I try, I just cannot find a way to convey the real story. It's also one of those days that we all pray for, one of those days that bring Monty and I to tears -- tears of thankfulness that we are the privilaged ones who get to be here, to stay here and to be working this effort for the Lord! Yes, we are exhausted, but only physically. Mentally we will have a difficult time "shutting off" the day, the week for that fact! But we are the blessed ones to have our family grow each and every week with both the volunteers and the homeowners. Thank you Vineyard Church and Convoy of Hope for making this blessing possible for us! YOU are angels and warriors for our Lord!

Not to slight the other two homeowners where the team worked this week. We were not in Bruce and Linda's today but we will be returning Monday morning with a new group of people ready to spread the blessings. Today their son was going to finish his "project", their electrical! Not a small task but one he wanted to do himself and we don't want to be the ones to rob him of his special blessing in helping his parents get their home rebuilt!

The team did work in Dane's today. When they got done the place was immaculate! Not a small feat on a construction site, let alone one that is "high and lifted up". They were hanging sheetrock, finishing sheetrock, cleaning trash that filled a small trailer, shopvacing the entire place and just plain spreading blessings all over the place! Dane will now be able to get some things done over the weekend and actually be able to walk in the house at the same time!

Monty and I want to thank this awesome team from West Virginia and it is our hope that they will return shortly. We know they have mentioned wanting to come back and that is the highest compliment anyone can pay! They are exhausted, a bit bruised and probably worked harder in these past 5 days than they have in who knows how long. But they leave with a sense of accomplishment, knowing that the homes they rebuilt they rebuilt for the Lord! They will be leaving us very early tomorrow morning and we will miss them! Please keep them in your prayers, for safe travel, for rest when they return home and most of all that the blessings they received here will shine forth from them as a ray of sun, too bright to look directly at but yet life supporting!!

We thank all of you for what you are doing to make this rebuilding of lives possible! Without you it would not work!!! May God bless you for your servant hearts!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Home-made gumbo!!!!

Left side is hanging sheetrock in Margaret's kitchen. Right side is also hanging sheetrock but in Dane's house. This is what went on all day today!!!! In all three homes!!!!

The progress of Margaret's kitchen is amazing! Today the flooring was put down, the walls were taped, mudded, textured and primed. Tomorrow the paint will go on, the vinyl flooring will go on and the cabinets will be installed. As a surprise for her the walls are a beautiful yellow in color! She was seen last night having friends over to take a peek at her kitchen! :)

Dane's sheetrock went up to the point of running out. They made a trip late in the day and restocked so the men will be ready to go first thing in the morning. Two thirds of this team will be working at Dane's tomorrow hanging the sheetrock and cleaning up the entire jobsite.

Bruce and Linda also have over half of their house sheetrocked. The team will not be there tomorrow because Bruce and Linda's son has been doing the electrical and he will be finishing up tomorrow. Part of our next week's team will return and sheetrock the rest of the house. Bruce and Linda are still in shock as they had been doing it all themselves and seeing what all of the extra hands can accomplish has them in amazement! It's part of the flowing blessing thing!! Happens everytime!!! It's a God-thing!!

Monty and I went to visit another home this morning. This is another gentleman who has been trying to do it all on his own and is overwhelmed. There are areas of his home where the subfloor has rotted through due to the storm. These areas will need to be removed and rebuilt. He has all of the sheetrock torn out so this is a plus for us. He will be getting an electrician in to take care of some things and hopefully we will be working in this house in two weeks. He is disabled, as is his brother, but they rebuilt their mother's home first and then went to his. His brother lost his entire home to the storm, rented an apartment, couldn't keep up with the rent and his landlord threw everything he owned to the curb, wheelchair and all! We have referred him to a local governmental agency to see what they can do to help him. He was there with his brother this morning and we reassured him that this agency will be able to help him. Such wonderful men who are just too disabled to accomplish the huge task ahead of them! You'll be hearing more about him - Virgil.

This evening we had a special blessing. One of the church members invited us to their home for dinner - homemade gumbo! Jamie and Cindy love to reach out to the teams and give them a good ole' southern style dinner. It's so wonderful to go into their home, feel so comfortable and be fed a home cooked meal! We are so thankful to them for their hospitality. They just want to give back some of the blessings they received! Bless you Jamie and Cindy!

Over the dinner table this evening there was alot of conversation going on. We were asked the question (again), "what is it that you need the most?" We always have the same answer -- PRAYER!!!! This person asked what were the top 3 things we need. 1. is prayer 2. is prayer 3. is volunteers. Without the prayers we won't have the volunteers and without the volunteers we won't have a relief effort. It's that basic, it's that simple!! Monty and I need personal prayers for the work we are doing and for ourselves personally. Convoy of Hope needs the prayers for wisdom in the decision making they must do each and every day. The coast needs the prayers for literally everything you can imagine! With all those prayers going up the volunteers WILL continue to come and the relief effort will continue and the lives will continue to be rebuilt! THAT is what we need the most! How can you help?

To all the families of these gentlemen who are here from West Virginia --- we thank you for sharing the special person in your life. Even though you are back home, you are critical to this relief effort. If you weren't home, keeping life going for these men, they would not be able to be here, to be rebuilding homes and thus rebuilding lives! You ARE a huge part of this effort and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

They're rollin, rollin, rollin ...

Here they are, a bit more tired than yesterday, and a bit on the warmer side, but still hard at it!

The top two photos are at Margaret's. She is getting a new window above what will be the sink area. This one she will actually be able to see out of. They started hanging the sheetrock and it is now coming together. Each day shows amazing progress, all the while Margaret sits back and gives all the praise to the Lord!

The next two photos are at Bruce and Linda's. The team was really excited when they came in this morning and found that Bruce and Linda must have worked all night in getting the rooms cleaned and prepared for the team. They have nearly half the house sheetrocked and are moving at an amazing pace!

The last two are at Dane's. You can see by the faces of all of them that it was quite a day! Dane is feeling better and better with each day of being able to bond with this team. God calls the ones who need to be here and this team was definitely called. We are just so thankful that they listened and followed the calling! Each one of these homeowners is blessed because of this teams obedience which will have blessings falling back onto the team members!

Thanks to Convoy of Hope we now have a new shipment of sheetrock that arrived today. This will enable us to continue the rebuilding process and keep the blessings flowing.

Monty and I also went and visited two more prospective homes this morning. We will be starting work in them, one next week and the other the following. Each time we go out we are going into the unknown and although nothing should surprise us, it still does! How people live in the conditions they do is beyond me! The one we start next week falls into the emergency category!

Memo to the Elkhart, Indiana team --- this is where some of you will most likely be working. Lynne and her husband are living in conditions you couldn't imagine in your wildest nightmares! Her husband is only 47 and recently had a series of 9 massive heart attacks, all in one day, all before they could rush him to the hospital. He cannot do any work and they house is a disaster! They need some walls torn out, others rebuilt structurally, ceilings torn out, insulation put in, sheetrock hung and just about anything else you can imagine. They are desperate and were in tears when we told them we would be there Monday morning to start work!

Memo to California team --- some of you might be here also!

Memo to both Indiana and California, you will most likely be divided between this new home of Lydia's and Bruce and Linda's home. Hopefully this hint will help you prepare for your trip. Call me if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing ALL of you! It will be an incredible week.

I spent a good part of the afternoon working behind the scenes on details for Mike and Faye's home. One of the organizations that we thought was going to team up with us has decided not to do so. I am working on "plan B" with "plan C" in the wings. This has given me the opportunity to learn about new avenues, new organizations out there with hearts of service and the chance to meet new people. It will take alot of time and even more organization but mostly prayers!!
This is where you all come in --- we need YOUR prayers!!!!! Mike and Faye need YOUR prayers! God's timing is always perfect, never too late and never too early!! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in everything!!!

Tomorrow is also packed with blessings yet to be discovered! What an amazing blessing to be here working this relief effort! God is amazing! Witnessing miracles each and every day is incredible and impossible to describe! You just have to be here! How about making a trip?

Be sure and stay tuned .... you don't want to miss anything!!

PS There was an awesome salvation on the beach this evening! Like I said, daily miracles!

PSPS --- The guys say hello to all their families back home! They are enjoying the Church Camp for Boys (and they are behaving quite nicely!!) :)

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

"Church Camp for Boys"

Allow me to introduce Margaret to you! Isn't she absolutely beautiful!!!!

Her grandson is in the photo with Margaret and myself. He is the one who made the call to us requesting help. He tells us that even though she is nearly 89 she is THE decision maker and what she says goes! Her family is very good to her, they make sure she gets her meals when she should, they check her medications each evening and they never allow her to be alone at night. One of the family stays all night with her each night!

As she sat watching her kitchen being transformed today she got so excited and said "I'll look like a million bucks and I don't have a dime!" She can keep us entertained with all of her stories but the biggest blessing to all who talk with her is hearing her speak of her love for the Lord. She gives ALL thanks and praise to Him! She tells stories of her life and how God was right there with her. The knowledge and experience she has are just priceless! Everyone who comes in contact with her falls in love with her, you just can't help it!

The three parts of the West Virginia team worked like mad today. We had begun to think we might need an ark to get to the three jobsites as the rains fell, rather poured, all night long! I never heard a total but according to a gauge I have outside it was around 10 inches!!! Like I said, ark weather! It did finally stop late morning. The teams were working away and accomplished tons!! It is just such a blessing to see the looks on the teams as they are intensely figuring out this and that and really making progress. It's an equal blessing to see the looks on the homeowners faces as they realize just how much progress is being made. They have been working on their own for so long and are amazed at how much the teams can get done in such a short amount of time! The ebb and flow of blessings, and Monty and I are the "best blessed" by being able to be right in the middle of it all!

A special thank you needs to go out to both Convoy of Hope and Camp Hope for making it possible for us to do this work in Margaret's kitchen! Without the loving and giving hearts of both of these organizations it would not be possible! We thank all of you and pray God's blessings be returned to you in abundance!!!! We are blessed to be working with all of you!

Tomorrow Monty and I will be looking at two more homes that need help. We always take a trip and check them out before sending any teams. It's just part of the preparation process! We just never know what we will find so please keep us in your prayers.

Until tomorrow ... blessings, Susan and Monty

Welcome West Virginia

And welcome West Virginia we did --- at 3:00am to be exact! Sleep wasn't something they got alot of last night, and neither did we! But they were up and raring to go at 7am this morning. We were all up with some of the heaviest rain we have seen down here in a long time. The winds nearly blew our outside Convoy tent into the trailer next door! We were all soaked before we even got started but no one complained - they were just ready to get to work!

Work they did!!!! The first 2 photos are the team at Bruce and Linda's house. This is a new house for us. They had been doing as much as they could with themselves and their son. It was too overwhelming and they needed help. We were happy to jump in with part of this team and get them moving along a bit quicker. They still had a couple of bedrooms that needed the sheetrock torn out of. It has to be taken out at the 4' level and then the new put in and matched up with the old. It's a task that isn't as easy as it sounds but they are hard at it and doing a fantastic job.

The next 2 photos are taken at Dane's house. We returned this week with 3 men from this team. They are finishing the hanging of the sheetrock and will start the taping and mudding in the next day or two. You can see Dane in the photo on the right, the gentleman in the green tank shirt. You can also see how they are sweating. Even though it rained most of the day the temps combined with the humidity make for some pretty muggy working.

The last 2 photos are also at a new house we started today. This is Margaret's house. I spoke about her a couple of months ago and need to make a correction. Margaret is 88 years old, not 98! She will be 89 on November 17th and she was happy to let the team know that! She will be getting a totally new kitchen this week. The storm played havoc with her kitchen area. This team got it completely torn out today and will be rebuilding some of the floor joists and subflooring tomorrow. The insulation, walls, sheetrock and cabinets will come before the week is over. You can see Donna with the pile of trash they took out. In that pile of trash are what used to be her cabinets!

One of the awesome things about this team is their skill levels. It is just amazing to be blessed with a team this highly skilled - and with willing hearts of service to go with those skills. To be as exhausted as they were, yet filled with adrenelin, it was just a sight to behold! Once again we see a group of individuals who wanted to take time from their comfortable lives and come here to be a blessing to whomever God called them to bless! They come with no agenda other than that! They don't come with any expectations, they only come to represent Jesus and to love on the people and do whatever they can for them. They have already found that God called them directly into the homes they are in - for a specific blessing to be returned to them! They have already bonded with the homeowners and their lives are already changed! Such a God-thing, such an example of Christians who practice what they preach! Thanks to all of you and thanks to their families who are surviving without them this week! We are keeping all of you in our prayers and hope you, too, will get to come back sometime and share in the blessings that flow and flow!

We heard from Diane today and she has landed for the night a bit north of Indianapolis. This leaves here with about a 6 hour drive tomorrow and she will then be reunited with her family! She called a couple of times and already was missing being here and being a part of everything going on. It only takes being away for a day to realize how much goes on here and miss being in the middle of it all! We are praying for the rest of her journey, for safety and for a wonderful time spent with family. It is my prayer that her family realize what a wonderful, giving Christian mother/grandmother she is and that they love her even more for the example she lives out for them!!!!

I am more than tired and need to be up and ready to go in the morning. We are under a tornado watch tonight and since we hear every single rain drop falling on our trailer I am headed to bed and pray for a peaceful night!

As usual, we thank all of you for coming along with us on our mission! Without you this would not be possible! May God bless each and every one of you!!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Goodbye Diane

There she is -- our "parking lot princess". On her way back home to northern Wisconsin! Notice her companion, the teddy bear, in the passenger seat! Atleast she isn't traveling alone!! :)

She spent last evening and all of this morning getting everything ready to go. The little car was packed full but she got everything in. The teddy bear was a gift given to her this morning from Anita and family in the Spanish Village.

The three of us went to lunch after church and she was on her way. We each had a gift for the other and we laughed as once again, we were all thinking the same things. The gifts were evidence of it!

We have grown so close, the three of us, over the past months and it will be difficult to not see her smiling face at devotions in the morning. She won't be here to help lead a part of the team in their work project. She won't be here when we reunite for dinner tomorrow evening. She will be missed, not only by Monty and I but by the families whose lives she so deeply touched while she was here. Faye shed enough tears for all of us this morning.

We know Diane will be back. God needs her back with her family and new grandson for awhile. God always has perfect timing and He has a wonderful plan for her life. The blessed part of it all is that Diane will hear His voice and obediently follow His plan. We thank God for bringing the three of us together, for bonding each with the other, for allowing us to share with each other our calling to serve. God go with you Diane, we will miss you! You know we love you and will be praying for you!

Very late !!!! tonight we will be welcoming the rest of our team from West Virginia. They are expected to arrive around 2 -3 AM. I know they will be tired but also will be ready to go tomorrow morning. We pray for their safe travel and for a good nights rest.

Until tomorrow ... God speed .... Susan and Monty

Festivals return

More beauty from the gardens yesterday! It still just amazes me that this is mid October and there are these kind of flowers blooming! The beauty of the Lord showing through.

October is a busy month here in the south. At home (Indiana) our fairs, festivals, craft shows and the like are during the summer months. Not here! The summer months bring such oppressive heat that those kind of things cannot be scheduled then. They are all set for October. Today was the Mullet Festival, yes, mullet as in the fish. And what a festival it was! I have no idea where the name comes from other than the mullet is a very popular fish here. Monty, Diane and I just had to see what it was all about. There was a mullet toss, yes, you see how far you can throw a mullet fish! The line was quite long and everyone not throwing was watching and cheering on the others. There were craft booths set up all over the place, food of all kinds was everywhere and community service agencies had their own booths set up. I don't know as I have seen so many people in one place since we have been here. Want to know why? NONE of these festivals and such happened last year! It's just one more thing that hurricane Katrina destroyed, atleast for one year. To say that everyone was ready for the Mullet festival is an understatement! They came from everywhere and enjoyed every minute. Even the weather was absolutely perfect, around 75 with sun and a breeze. God blessed everyone with some fun back in their lives, a day when they could get away from the mess, the work, the dismay and come out and throw a mullet or eat some jambalya or drink a lemon shake-up and smile and laugh and see friends and neighbors doing the same thing. Life was back to normal, atleast for the afternoon.

Tomorrow the 4H fair starts. We pray for good weather and plan on attending as much as possible to share in the fun, the "normal" for a change!

We got Diane lined up with her one way car rental this morning and this afternoon she went to say goodbye to a couple of really close friends that have become her family. She was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Spanish village and they all plan on being here for church in the morning to say goodbye. Diane had a way of touching the lives of those whose homes she rebuilt. Her warmth, her bright smile, the twinkle in her eyes, all told them that she really cared. Her love for our Lord showed in everything she did. She didn't need to speak about it, her actions showed it, and that is the way to win hearts for Jesus! Actions DO speak louder than words, especially here, especially in these circumstances. There will be many tears at the end of church tomorrow. Mine will probably start flowing when the sun comes up!!!!

We hope all of you will be in your home churches tomorrow, praising the Lord for all of your blessings. Monty and I are so blessed to be here, to be doing what the Lord would have us do, and for having all of you supporting us with your prayers. Please keep Diane in your special prayers tomorrow .... Wisconsin is a long way from Mississippi!

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

Diane gets a blessing back

Have you ever seen such beauty? And what about all the different types? If anyone out there knows what the red flower on the right in the second row is please let me know. Isn't it spectacular?

All of these, and many more, photos were taken by Diane today. As you know, she is leaving on Sunday afternoon to go back home to Wisconsin for a couple of months. Stephen and his mother treated Diane to a day of beauty in someplace called Bellingrath Gardens just over the state line in Alabama. You can go to the site at www.bellingrath.org and check it out for yourself. It was a wonderful treat for her. They wanted to do something to thank Diane for all the hard work she has done in their home over the past few months. Even though there was a light rain most of the day it was still a fantastic treat for her, not to mention being able to spend time with Brenda and Stephen. I think it was even more special because when Diane gets home not only are there no flowers in bloom, the fall colors in the leaves is gone, only to be replaced by snow??!! Yes, it's that far north!!

This evening part of our West Virginia team arrived. Marv and Donna came in their RV and arrived a couple of days ahead of the team. They are on their way to Florida for the winter and wanted to join in the relief effort. They both said this has been a dream for them and they feel so blessed to be here. Considering they drove for over 15 hours yesterday they crashed a bit early this evening. I plan to suggest they make the one hour trip to Bellingrath Gardens tomorrow as a special treat before the work begins on Monday morning. The rest of the team is not scheduled to arrive until around 2AM Monday -- yes AM!!!

We have 3 wonderful families lined up for next weeks work. Part of the team will continue hanging and finishing sheetrock in Dane's house. Another part will start a new home, Bruce and Linda. The third part will start the new kitchen for Margaret, the 98 year old. It will be a wonderful week with blessings flowing all over the place. Be sure and stay tuned as you yourself just might catch a blessing or two!

Until tomorrow ... God bless .... Susan and Monty

Clean choppers, hurting puppies

God always shows His beauty, no matter what the circumstances!

The first phone call of today came very early this morning. One of our church members, Kim, works at Lowes. She called to say they would like to donate cabinet hardware, if we could come and get them - now! Needless to say, I was out the door. Good thing the store is just across the street. And donate hardware they did! I don't know how many cabinet knobs and handles we have but we can really decorate some cabinets and make them awesome! They also donated quite a few gallons of paint stripper, which will also come in handy. We are so thankful to them for thinking of us and especially to Kim for making the call! All of this will be such a wonderful, unexpected blessing to so many.

As Diane and I were sorting through all our "goodies" we were visited by Steve and Carol. They are busy getting their relief all set up and ready for their team arriving tomorrow. They are finding more than enough work, just like the rest of the agencies still up and running. We are so thankful to them, and to Convoy of Hope, for coming back to the area to continue in the rebuilding of lives!

Monty, Diane and I then left to look at another request for help. As I have said before, we do not send volunteers into a home unless we have been there first and know the situation. This one was a surprise -- she is the same as done. She had alot of wind damage, blew the roof off, but has been steadily working and is down to intalling the ceramic tile on her floors. She understood when we told her that it might be months before we could get anyone there as there are so many who aren't even in their homes yet. It was nice to go into someone's home and not see a disastrous mess. We have almost forgotten what a "put together" home looks like!

This afternoon Monty was able to take some time and get his teeth cleaned! It's one of those things that keeps getting put on the back burner time and time again. It's also one of those things that must be done! They are shining pearlie whites now. The tea down here (quit strong) doesn't do such wonderful things on teeth.

Both of the dogs also made a trip of their own this afternoon. And they are less than pleased with the results right about now. It was past time for the annual rabies shots! We had already made connections with a wonderful vet here so they got to do the honors! Another of those things that gets put off and was finally able to be squeezed in. I'm sure they would like to have it continually put off.

Diane is fast approaching her day to head home for the next 3 months and although we know she need to go it is still more than difficult to even think about it. The 3 of us have become nearly inseparable and more than good friends, we are family! I personally don't know how I will get through each day without her but I know I will. We pray her church will recommission her to return the first of January as she is truly called by God into this effort and will be sorely missed while she is away. Besides, who in the world would choose to live in Wisconsin during the winter months!!! :) Please keep her in your prayers for safe travel! Love you, Diane!!

Until tomorrow .... Blessings to all .... Susan and Monty

Flooring, flooring, flooring

There you have it, the final results of 2 days of installing flooring. Salvador will hopefully be very happy with the outcome. It is carpeting, installed with no padding, just a staple gun and tada!!! instant flooring! His floors were in such bad shape that no tile or wood flooring could be done. Diane and I figured this was the only option. We also learned that the occupation of carpet installer is not something we would like to do full time! :) We were working with rolls that were 12' in length and they are more than heavy! But we did it = GIRL POWER!!!

Monty was busy working with the transmission problems on our truck. We have had these problems for a very long time and it is now necessary to get something done. Please pray that the cost will not be off the charts and that the end result will be a truck that will shift into ALL gears, including reverse!

We are "bracing" ourselves tonight and tomorrow --- a COLD front is approaching and making big news down here. The "cold" temps are to dip into the 70's in the daytime!!! We have to smile when we realize that those temps ARE cold for down here! We will show our "northerness" when we are still in shorts and tshirts and they have coats on! :) I am so excited and feel so blessed to be able to be this far south for the winter!

I don't know if you remember the 98 year old lady, Margaret, who we introduced to you a few months back. We will be starting work in her home next week. There are master electricians coming in our West Virginia team and we plan to put them to work! Margaret has waited a very long time for a new kitchen and with God's help, and West Virginia, we will get started on Monday. I spoke with her grandson this afternoon and he said she is more than ready and has been asking when we would be back! Stay tuned as this is one spiritual lady who has been on this earth a very long time and who has no intention of leaving this earth until AFTER she reaches her goal of 100 years! Her 99th birthday is next month! God bless her!!!!

Tomorrow we will be looking at another home where the woman is in need of some help. She is a single mother with 3 children trying her best to keep her family and home going. I'll let you know tomorrow how the visit goes.

Until then ..... Susan and Monty

Hands on working

We have been here for nearly 9 months now and today was the first day I have had the pleasure of working "hands on" out in the field! It was awesome! I am a trim carpenter by trade and have missed using the power tools and such.

I also found some muscles that had been hiding for a few years and am sure they will make themselves known even more tomorrow!

Diane and I worked in Salvador's home installing flooring. It took us awhile to get it all lined out but when we did it went very well. We will be returning tomorrow to finish it up. We were also blessed when Salvador's neighbor, Anita, provided us with lunch! Things like that are such a wonderful surprise!

Monty was busy in the warehouse once again. Thanks to Convoy and their supplies we were able to be a blessing to one of the area churches and their parsonage. They are still in the rebuilding phase and hopefully with the appliances, sheetrock and paint they received today they will be able to complete both in a short amount of time.

This evening we worked some on our relief tent located outside next to our trailer. We keep a minimum of tools under it and with some of the winds we've had it needed a bit of repair. There are some storms forecast over the next couple of days and getting the top tightened up should help in case we get any more wind.

We also are excited to say that part of our New Jersey team will be returning in a couple of weeks! It's always so nice to have teams return and we look forward to seeing them again. They will be here with another team and have the added blessing of working together with them (they are coming from Indiana).

One of the things we keep ongoing is the list of people who are still in need of help. This afternoon I was able to make some calls and check on some of those we have in our waiting list. It just amazes me how many are still there and how many still need help in all sorts of ways. I spoke with one woman who already purchased the fencing she needs to repair her but since she had no way to haul it home it is still sitting at Lowes. She purchased it back in July!!!!! Monty and I will be making a visit to her home this week to check things out and see how quickly we can get her taken care of.

You might wonder why someone like that is still on our waiting list. We can only get through our list using the skills of the volunteers that come this way. We cannot take someone whose skill is doing flooring and have them do roofing. With the slowing of the teams over the summer months there are alot of people still waiting. We are pleased to say that the teams of volunteers are picking up again, the skills are coming, and we hope to get to these people and supply them with the help they need. Like I have always!!!!!! said, this relief effort cannot be done without volunteers! They are critical, they are the keys! If you have a skill in some area of construction I would beg you, if I could, to come and help. And even if you think you don't have any construction skills, you can be taught, you can work along side of someone who does, you can learn and you can be a blessing! NO ONE is unskilled! NO ONE! Give it some thought. We are entering the most beautiful time of the year down here. The temps are still in the 80's and the flowers are still blooming. Anywhere north of here will be colder than us so think about taking some time and coming to bless others! You WILL be blessed in return! THAT we promise!!!!

Until tomorrow .... blessings....Susan and Monty

Welcome back Steve and Carol

Today we welcomed Steve and Carol back to the coast. Hey guys -- we really missed you!!!!

Steve and Carol work in the same capacity as we do. They also run relief teams coordinating the efforts between the volunteers and the needs of the victims of Katrina. They were here in Gautier before us and did a wonderful job. They are originally from Wisconsin and have grown to like the warmer winter weather here in the south. They landed here last October and stayed until the end of May this year. They have now returned and will be working out of the nearby city of Escatawpa. That is a bit northeast of us. We are so happy to have them return and realize that we will be able to make even more progress in the rebuilding. Please keep them in your prayers as they get settled back into the swing of things.

This week we do not have a team of volunteers. It's the only week "empty" from now until Thanksgiving. We are using it to get caught up on some things around the church here and a couple of things done to wrap up a couple more homes. Diane and I spent the day reorganizing the food pantry here at the church. There are still alot of people who come by looking for help with food and we hope our reorganization will help the process. We laughed as we worked thinking about how we could be doing a work out in a local gym and not be working as hard as we were with the cans and boxes of food! :)

Monty was busy cleaning up things in our relief tent outside. When tools and things are taken out and taken to the job, getting them returned and back in the proper places can be delayed. It's nice to be able to take the time and get things put back together. We took alot of things to the warehouse where they will be more centrally located between Steve and us.

We were blessed with a visit from our local Convoy of Hope administrators today. They came to bring us a new banner to use in the upcoming outreaches and with 3 of them scheduled over the next 3 months we needed a new one! It's always good to see them and get a few minutes to visit. They are so very busy traveling all along the coast from Florida to Texas that having those precious minutes just to talk is rare. We are so thankful for all they have been, and continue to do for everyone along this coastline!

This evening we were able to bless one of our own church member's family with some carpeting and a few barstools. This family has really had a double whammy lately. Tony is a young man who was stricken by a stroke a few months ago! He has been undergoing one surgery after another and still has one more to go. His son and wife have been learning alot about rebuilding their home, more than they could have ever thought! We pray for Tony's full recovery and that the small things we can do will make a difference in their lives! His next surgery is scheduled for next week when they will put 2 stents in the main artery of his heart. Please keep him in your prayers!

Having this week without volunteers also makes us realize just how important they are. Even with Monty, myself and Diane here it's impossible for us to make a real dent in the relief efforts. We NEED the volunteers and are so thankful for each team who takes time from their own lives to come here and be a blessing to others, to be Jesus to them! We all need to realize that we might be the only Jesus some people see -- which should make us more aware of everything we do and say! Monty and I are so blessed to be here, doing what God called us to do! We thank God each day for making this opportunity available for us and for walking each step of the way right beside us!

Thank you for also coming along with us. We love you all! Until tomorrow...Susan and Monty

Day of Rest

Yes, the calendar says it's October but the flowers are in bloom and the temps are in the high 80's.

Being from Indiana we just aren't used to this. We were able to leave the windows open on our camper trailer all night last night, a night we have waited for since March, I think! We are approaching the most beautiful time of the year down here and we are looking forward to it. It's been a long, very long, and hot, very hot summer! But we made it, God blessed us and we are privilaged to be here! Thank you Lord!

We did take today as a day of rest. I have come to the conclusion that I do not have a cold -- it's allergies! Something I have NEVER had, but then I have never lived down here! That's what the people tell me anyway and I trust they know what they are talking about. Therefore, the day of rest!

Tomorrow starts a week of a million things on our "to do" list. Pray that we are able to get them done! For now, I am taking the rest of the evening, getting a bit more rest and preparing for next week.

Thank you for following along with us. Mike, Faye and Mike Jr. send their love and thanks to all of you who have been praying for them. They asked us this in church this morning to send their thoughts out to everyone!

Until tomorrow ... God bless you all ... Susan and Monty

Lulu, part 2

These photos pretty much tell the story of Lulu and how things are for her at the moment. The first left photo is her home, surrounded by limestone that will be put on the house. The next right photo is the FEMA trailer where she currently is living. There are 2 more trailers in the back yard, remember that she has 5 children! The following 2 photos were taken of the inside of her home that is being rebuilt. This is what happens when flood waters come in and you have no time to properly store your belongings and furniture. Everything is piled in the center of the rooms as best as it can be and worked around. This means that everything is covered with dust from all the construction and will have to be totally cleaned before even setting up house! There are attempts to cover things with the blue tarps but only attempts that eventually fail. Her family has been wonderful to stop their own lives and come and help her get rebuilt. She is tired but so thankful that they are here working so hard! She is getting closer but still has a long way to go!

This morning started out with Monty needing to go to the warehouse and send out a load of sheetrock to a gentleman in Gulfport. Meanwhile Diane and I helped the youth pastor here get his room rearranged. The children's church attendance reached an all time high of 32 children and more space was needed. It's just an example of how this church is growing! Reach the children and you will reach the parents! Pastor John and Anne do such a wonderful job!

With nearly a days work already done before 11am we decided to go and catch a few crabs. The weather finally broke and the high was only to be in the low 80's. We haven't had such a beautiful day like this since March I believe! We didn't catch very many crabs but we did get to enjoy the afternoon. There was also a craft festival in Pascagoula that we stopped to check on. Once again, a perfect day for such an event. It seems most all festivals down here are held in October. The 4H fair will start next week! It makes perfect sense though. Not many people would be in attendance when the temps are near 100 degrees!

Tomorrow is the day when we are all privilaged to attend the church of our choice and praise and worship the Lord. It is our hope that you will do just that. Thank Him for all of your blessings and remember those here in Mississippi who are still trying to get their lives rebuilt!

Until then ... Susan and Monty

Goodbye Missouri, Hello Lulu

This morning started with bidding a sad farewell to out team from Missouri. A couple of them had already left late yesterday and the rest were on the road by 9am this morning. It was difficult to see them leave and even more difficult on them to have to leave. They made such a blessed connection with Dane and saying goodbye is never easy. We pray for safe travel for them and that they will take the enthusiasm back home with them and share it with others and then make a return trip to help again sometime. Thanks guys, we will miss you and are so thankful for everything you did while you were here!

Our next photo is Ms Lulu. We were able to bless here with some chairs and a stove yesterday. She told us then about some things she was in need of. She also lost her home in the storm (more photos tomorrow) and is blessed to have some of her men family members (who live out of state) who packed up their own campers and came here to work on her home and get her and her 5 children back in. The FEMA trailers they are in out back are more than a bit cramped. She also had insult added to injury - twice! During the storm her home caught on fire due to lightning striking. Then, during the beginning of the rebuilding process, it caught on fire again, this time it was electrical. And we think we have problems! She and her family members have been trying to rebuild her home without asking for anything. The time to ask came yesterday and we were happy to help out. We were able to donate door knob hardware and base trim to her today. Our thanks to Camp Hope for making it possible for us to do so! She was completely surprised by both donations and couldn't find the words to express her thanks! Like I said, watch the blog tomorrow for more photos of how she is living now and what the house is looking like, you'll be surprised!

This evening we were happy to spend the evening with our dear friends, Bruce and Linda. We hadn't seen much out of them since we relocated from Pascagoula to Gautier and have missed them. We had become close friends and with everything going on with all of us the summer flew by and we hadn't even realized it. It looks like we will be getting some volunteers in their home to help them out. They were also victims of some of the construction scandals going on down here and they desperately need our help! The contactors that are pulling off these tragedies should be jailed but it's not our place to judge -- just to continue doing the work God called us to do. Bruce and his son are finishing up the electrical and plumbing and will then be ready for us to come in and insulate and hang sheetrock. This should get them well on their way to coming out of their FEMA trailer and back into their home. Please keep them in your prayers also.

I would like to ask for a special prayer. It seems my body is trying its best to fight off a nasty cold and this evening I feel I might be loosing the battle. The temps are still near 90 here and getting a cold in the summer is not fun. I have been blessed so far but would appreciate your help in this one. Thank you.

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Missouri Men at Work

Here they are folks, the Missouri men at work! As I write this it is very late at night and they still haven't come in! They have given it their all and then some!

The photos tell the story. The plumbing "tree" created underneath Dane's house, the doors being installed at Stephen's house and everything in between! They got all the siding on the outside of Dane's and the doors in at Stephen's.

Leaving a job NOT completed is a tough thing, thus the reason they are still out working. We are set up with the desire to complete the projects we start. That doesn't happen here, not in a week of volunteering. They want to stay and see it to the end. That is a compliment! That is God!

We are so thankful for these men who have taken time away from their own families to become a part of ours and the homeowners where they worked. They will be leaving for home in the morning and we pray for safe travel. Two of them left late this evening as they had family obligations a bit earlier than the others. Please keep them all in your prayers.

As I have said before, without volunteers like these gentlemen the coast would not get rebuilt! They come to rebuild homes and leave having rebuilt lives! Praise the Lord for people such as these!

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

The rebuilding of lives

Look really closely at this picture -- see the man's face? He is standing on scaffolding, between the bottom of Dane's house and the top of his deck -- putting on the outside siding! There is barely enough room for him to fit - and he's a really thin guy! THIS is giving your all on the job! They got the outside siding done today and it looks wonderful! Dane was nearly in tears when he came by (during his work hours) and saw the end results!

Missouri has been working with all their hearts this week and today was no different. We did take 2 gentlemen to Stephen's house to install the remaining doors. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Nothing is simple down here! Some existing doors had to be removed, some that had been installed had to be corrected and only then could the process of installing the new could begin. They will be there again tomorrow! :) And when they are done, the smiles mixed with tears will also be flowing from Stephen's parents, John and Brenda!

The remainder of the team made awesome progress with the plumbing and sheetrock at Dane's. The rooms are now insulated and most are sheetrocked. It actually looks like a house again. They used all of the sheetrock that Dane had on site and thanks to the load that came from Convoy the other day we will be able to load up enough to finish the job tomorrow. I was there this afternoon when Dane came by and to see the look of joy, relief and utter shock was priceless! He can't find enough words to say thank you and really took some time today to sit and visit with the team. He was telling about the days when his wife was not sick with Alzheimers, when they went out on the boat and she got so excited at catching so many fish ... this is where relationships are built and this is what changes lives! The physical rebuilding stops and the rebuilding of lives takes off! Each and every member of this Missouri team was hand selected by God for this trip. Each one is here to give a blessing and each one will leave here with a blessing! Their lives will be forever changed! Some of them are already talking about coming back, about bringing their teen aged children to experience this, about bringing their wives and working as a family, about coming back and staying longer than a week! Being here, working in this environment, with the people, seeing and feeling what they have been and are still going through....changes you ... makes you more into what God wants you to be! To fully understand it you MUST experience it! I wish everyone could know that feeling, to see the blessings and miracles that happen on a daily basis, and to have their lives changed forever for the better.

This evening we had some fun. We all went to one of the local restaurants so they could experience some real southern fare. They weren't disappointed and all left more than a bit on the full side! This is the time when there is so much laughter that you leave with your sides hurting. This is the time when you really get to know each other and realize that in only a day or two this team will be leaving and we will once again have tears in our eyes seeing new members of our family leave. But this is also when the relationships that God says are key to life are formed and when they grow deeper and deeper. Let's face it, America seems to revolve around food and they have some great food down here!

Some of this team will be heading home mid day tomorrow and we would ask you to pray for their safety as they travel. The rest will be working through the day and heading out on Friday.

We thank you for keeping all of us in your prayers and for reading along with us through this blog and experiencing as much of this mission as possible.

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Missouri meets Missouri

Plumbing parts and pieces -- a HUGE puzzle that Missouri continues to work on. They ARE making great progress! You can see in these photos that they are working UNDER the house! The cement blocks are what the house rests on so ingenuity and hard thinking are what is needed most. They are also working on some framing issues and have started with insulation. Tomorrow they will be working with the greenboard that will be put in the bathrooms and kitchen. Thanks to Convoy of Hope we have plenty of the greenboard!

Speaking of Convoy, today we were blessed with a visit from the executives based in Springfield, Missouri. Thus Missouri meeting Missouri. They were touring the coast and had the opportunity to stop by Dane's house and see the team in action. Seeing the "high and lifted up" state of the home brought some interesting looks and questions. We were so happy to see them and to have them see, first hand, some of the "issues" that come up in the rebuilding. We thank them for taking the time to stop by and pray they had a safe trip back. We only wish they could come to the coast more often!

I was blessed today -- I got to meet Dane's wife. If you remember, she is bedridden with Alzheimer's disease and not aware of what is happening. Her caretaker, Laura, came outside to see the team and I got to talking with her. She invited me in to meet Etta and it was a blessing. All I can say is that both Etta and Dane REALLY need your prayers! This is such a difficult situation and they are desperately needing all the prayers they can get! I hope to be able to stop in and see her each day we are there. One of the Missouri team members is a therapist by occupation and he was also blessed to go inside and meet her and prayed with her! Another of those wonderful God moments!

Diane spent the day at Stephen's and we were sorry to learn that he will not be home this weekend. It seems he has a major exam next week and will need to study over the weekend. We pray he will do well and that he will make it home soon. His mother and father are now ready for the last of their doors to be installed so a couple of the Missouri team will be doing them the honor of installing them tomorrow.

This evening was another special one for Monty and I. It was the Assembly's monthly District dinner meeting. This time it was held at Three Rivers Assembly up north of here. The meal was outstanding and it is always so nice for us to be included. We thank Pastor David for the invitation. Having the opportunity to fellowship with all of the pastors and their families is such a blessing for us and we thank them for including us in these monthly meetings and making us feel like family. Next month will be their Thanksgiving meal which promises to be extra special!

I would like to put out a plea --- to all those team members who have already come down here and volunteered their time. I would like to put together some personal testimonies from any of you who would like to give one. If you would be so kind as to write (or type) a brief testimony of something that stands out from your trip or someone that made a lasting effect on your life, please send it to me at your convenience. If you do not have our address here, please call me. If you don't have my phone, please leave a comment at the end of the blog (I won't publish your personal information) and I will get back to you. We do NOT have the ability to comment back on the blog but leave a way for me to get in touch with you and we will exchange information. These testimonies don't need to be "professional", just from your heart! I thank all of you who decide to do so and am forever grateful!

Until tomorrow, which promises to be another great day the Lord gives us to go out and serve Him... Susan and Monty

Thanks Mercy House

The top 4 photos are our team from Missouri working away at Dane's house. If you remember, this is the "high and lifted up" house that had to be raised due to the new flood plain. There are towers of cement blocks 12 high that are now the foundation of the house. This requires climbing quite a few stairs to do anything and everything. Just putting the siding on the outside requires scaffolding, not to mention a keen sense of balance! You can see in the top photo that those two men may be well balanced physically but mentally????? Just kidding guys! They are an example of the joy that one has when working for the Lord.

When they started Dane's early this morning Dane was there to meet and greet them. He "thought" he had his plumbing nearly complete --- until the inspector arrived on the scene and had conversation with our Missouri plumber! The final result was that our Missouri plumber will need to take out everything Dane has done and redo it, according to code! Dane thought he was on the right track but with all of the codes changing all the time it just wasn't the way it should be! Job security, guys! And you can't feel too sorry for them --- they were grilling hot dogs and hamburgers on Dane's grill at lunchtime! :) They have more than enough work ahead of them this week and we are just so thankful for each and every one of them. They could be back home where the temps are alot less than the 93 degrees we had today!! Thanks, guys!!

Monty also had more than enough work for the day! As I said yesterday, the semi trucks were scheduled to arrive, and arrive they did, all 3 of them --- at the same time! Monty had planned ahead and the men from Mercy House were there before 7:30am! All 18 of them put in more than a days work! You can see by the photos that most of the windows, patio doors and the parts and pieces to go with them had to be off loaded by hand! Those men lifted, heaved, carried, stacked, restacked and turned around to do it all over again - and again - and again! The amazing thing is that they had all 3 semis emptied by 2:30pm! I bet they sleep good tonight! Or maybe not with all the Mountain Dew they took back with them!! :)

We want to thank Danny for helping us out with these trucks. The men were a joy to work with and we appreciate all of their hard work. These materials will be such blessings to so many and without their help it would not have been possible! God bless all of you guys!!

Diane was busy back in Stephen's house with drywall and painting. The kitchen cabinets are absolutely beautiful, even if there were a few installation problems. Lowes was busy making some adjustments as we left. The laundry room is now a soft yellow and ready for the new door to be installed. Brenda, Stephen's mother, will be door shopping this week and hopefully a couple of our Missouri men can get over there and get the job done. Stephen is supposed to be home from college this weekend and we would love for him to see a home that is nearly back together and looks like a home instead of a disaster! Not to mention we're excited to see him as we have really missed him!!!!

The sheetrock also arrived, just as the 3rd semi was empty. The Lowes driver was a blessing as he unloaded and stacked the entire 400 sheets, and without damaging any of them! Once again Convoy of Hope brings in the materials needed for us to rebuild the homes and thus rebuild lives! They just continue to supply materials and we thank God for them and for all of those who support them and make this whole sequence of events come together! Check out their website sometime and see just how and where they are changing lives.
www.convoyofhope.org

Also, some good news to report from Mike and Faye. Mike had his surgery to relocate his port used for kidney dialysis and did well. They were able to put it in his arm and he will be going to dialysis tomorrow. Faye's brother also came through the same surgery well. Mike and Faye also have a meeting scheduled with Salvation Army this Friday morning to see if they qualify for a grant from them. Please keep them in your prayers as this grant would be an incredible blessing and yet another step in getting them into a home.

We are soooooo glad to be back here on the coast! It is such a blessing to be directly working for the Lord! Seeing the miracles on a daily basis is just something I can't put into words! We thank all of you for coming along with us on this relief mission and pray that you will continue to follow as we make progress in rebuilding lives! God is an awesome God and NOTHING is too big for Him!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

It's good to be back!

It felt good to be back today. I missed so many people and felt God calling us to get back to work! We are blessed to have Him as our "boss"!

The hugs felt really good at church this morning. We have been here long enough to make some really good friends and receiving hugs from them, knowing that they also missed us, it just felt good!

I must tell you that the "bear" hug that I received from Faye was enough to put every vertebrae in my spine back where it needed to be! She lifted me off the floor, swung me around and finally decided to land me back on earth! I love that lady and her husband! You would just have to be here to completely understand how that kind of closer than close relationship can happen in such a short amount of time! You would have to know God to know the feeling!

Tomorrow Mike will be undergoing out patient surgery and could really use your prayers. As I have said before, he has total kidney failure and undergoes dialysis every other day. The port (surgical opening in his skin to do the dialysis) must be relocated every so often. Tomorrow is one of those days. It's a tough thing to undergo and an even tougher thing to carry around with you all the time. PLEASE pray for him and for his family. To compound things, Faye's brother is also in the same state of health and will be undergoing the same thing tomorrow! And we think we have it tough! But both Mike and Faye were in church this morning and they both know God is with them and He will be their strength!

It was back to work for us today, even if it was Sunday. The phones rang and rang, mostly with scheduling for tomorrow. There will be atleast 2 semis arriving very early in the morning, each with windows and patio doors donated from a major hotel along the west coast. Both trucks require unloading by hand so Monty has reached out to one of the local rehabilitation centers and they are more than happy to provide us with 2 vans full of men ready to go to work and be a blessing to others!

Another semi load of sheetrock is also to arrive sometime tomorrow. Convoy of Hope has arranged for another 400 sheets to be delivered for us to continue to rebuild homes and lives. Thanks Convoy --- we will put them to good use!

I also want to extend a special thank you to Habitat for Humanity for all they are doing to put things in motion for Mike and Faye. I don't want to "let the cat out of the bag" but BIG things are happening! There is a joint effort coming together, an effort where many relief organizations are putting their heads together, tapping their resources, and getting ready to provide a miracle to this family! The local TV station out of Biloxi is also on board and will be meeting with us this week and plans on continuing coverage of their story! Make sure you stay tuned as things will be happening fast and furious and you don't want to miss out on the miracles!

We also met with our incoming team from Missouri late last night and again this morning. These 10 men are about to lay a blessing on Dane's family! It just might be a blessing unlike anything his family has ever seen before! They will be on site bright and early tomorrow morning, after our morning devotions, and raring to go! God has truly blessed us with this highly skilled team of construction workers and we are so very thankful! Please keep them, and Dane's family, in your prayers this week. It's one of those things that the devil will also be sticking his ugly head in trying to see what he can stir up and we don't need him anywhere around!

I close with this verse, one that hangs on our bulletin board ...

Isaiah 1:17 "Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows."

Until tomorrow ..... Susan and Monty