Time out to breathe?

Good thing we have our photos of our week away. The past 2 days have been so busy that it only seems like a dream now! :)

Yesterday we welcomed our newest team who drove down from Wisconsin and are truly loving the weather here! They didn't even care that it was cloudy when they arrived. We went straight to work getting them settled and through orientation. From there they headed out for food and to see a bit of Galveston before going there to work. They didn't get back until evening which gave Monty time to check vehicles and tools and Diane and I time to get some extra food and things in. By the time we were done it was dinner time and then the team had returned. By the time I got back to our trailer it was nearly 10pm -- where does the time go?

This morning it was up bright and early and ready for breakfast and to get the team divided up and off to work. We had planned on a roofing job but the weather was a bit touchy so that was put on the back burner until tomorrow. Part of the team headed back to Marie's house to continue the work there and even got into some sheetrocking. Another crew headed out to Pastor Ken's Vineyard church. They were still doing a bit of tear out before starting with insulation and then into sheetrock later in the week. Yet another group headed to a city to the east of us called Hitchcock where they finished gutting a home and were thrilled when the homeowner took time from work to come and thank them. And yet another team went to Paul and Susan's house where they were just in time. Paul has a heart condition and is the typical man that wants to continue doing what he did prior to being sick. He had been reinforcing all his floor joists and laying a layer of subfloor -- all of which was too much and caused some heart issues to reoccur. The 3 guys who went to help him today were another God appointment. They will also be there all week and most likely also into insulation and sheetrock.

Monty spent his day with tools, tire repairs and ordering and purchasing materials for upcoming jobs. The men at the tire store weren't too happy about putting 2 patches into one tire but they also did it for no cost -- what a blessing for Mercy Response as tire repairs seem to be a weekly thing sometimes and can get quite costly.

Diane picked up a couple of the men who are skilled roofers and they headed off to Hai's house to get some estimating done for her roof materials. She will need an inspection prior to starting, mid way through the new roof and at the end of the job. These inspections are required by Texas law if the homeowner wants to carry wind insurance. And just as you would suspect, inspectors are nearly impossible to come by -- you just can't have enough of them! But Hai is thrilled that we are starting to move forward with her home also.

As you can see, we are getting into the rebuilding stage with a few of the homes. That's always an exciting time to actually get to put something back together instead of taking it apart and for all intense purposes - making it look worse. Rebuilding takes alot more planning behind the scenes to make certain the right materials are on sight for the volunteers and that those materials are paid for. Sometimes I think we have to become magicians! But just as God promises over and over again --- He always provides just what we need just when we need it!

We look forward to what the rest of this week will bring -- blessings and miracles are a guarantee so be sure and stay tuned as you won't want to miss a one.

Until next time . . . Be blessed. Susan and Monty