The start of a new life

Yes, today was the start of a new life for Mike and Faye and their family!

The day was packed with emotion, there was no escaping it. As I walked onto the property it was overwhelming, the tears just started to flow. The beauty of the whole thing was breathtaking.

The team was working fast and furiously getting everything all put together. It was mass cleanup and as usual, they got the job done. You wouldn't have ever known that it was a mess just a few hours before.

The PA team came in and worked miracles in only a few hours. They went shopping and turned the house structure into a real home. You can see the added touches that were more than perfect! We thank the church back in PA who made this possible!

The people started arriving shortly after noon and the celebration wasn't to begin for 3 hours! They just kept pouring in and before long the entire yard was covered with people awaiting the arrival of the family.

One of the WV team members (Big Dave) brought his bus and we took advantage of it completely. He pulled it along side the road, Mike and Faye's daughter drove them up behind the bus, they got Mike out and settled and we "moved that bus".

The initial shock brought Faye to her knees, literally! It took bringing her sister, Joyce, to come around and help out. Mike sat with the tears streaming down his cheeks. The cheering was deafening and God was pouring out His spirit all over the crowd.

Pastor Rick opened everything with a wonderful celebration message referring to all the fantastic things that happened "suddenly" in the Bible and how this house also happened that way!

He and Crystal played and sang 2 songs, 1 was Faye's favorite.

Joe (the builder) spoke on behalf of his team and he also wasn't too successful at keeping the tears back long enough to get the words out.

Pastor Tony, from PA had a wonderful message and dedication prayer. He also choked back the tears!

From there we had Mike and Faye literally cut the red, white and blue ribbon which took them up the ramp and into their home. We allowed them as much time as they wanted to see their home with all its details before letting any other people come inside. Once again Faye was overcome with emotion and this time Mike joined her. There were pots and pans, new dishes, a microwave, toaster, can opener, coffee maker and a table perfect for what they needed and made up like it was set for a wedding.

Many family photos were taken while inside and it wasn't hard to get a smile.

Mike spent all day inside, happily greeting everyone who came in. He was out of the hospital on an 8 hour pass and was making the best of getting to see family and neighbors and friends that he hadn't seen in quite some time. Faye was also busy with the same. Mike Jr and Keesha joined right in.

The day was magnificent and a God given day for sure. God annointed this project from day one and today He gave this family a new start in a new life in a new home. We are SOOOOO thankful to everyone who made this possible. It is impossible to name everyone as I know I would leave someone out. You know who you are. You know you heard God's calling to come and be a part of this. You know you obeyed. You also know you were blessed in return.

THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. To our WV team who are all on their way home, there aren't enough words to say thank you. May God continue to bless and keep each of you and we look forward to seeing you in New Orleans and doing it again???

Until tomorrow .... Thank God for all your blessings tonight. Susan and Monty