Couldn't resist the photo of Sonny's little chihuahua -- seems as though everyone in San Leon has one -- or more!
Today was our neighbor, Shelley's birthday -- one she said she would never forget! Probably the rather off key singing from this mornings birthday wish! :)
All teams were running full steam ahead both yesterday and today. It always happens toward the end of the week; they know what they are doing and want to complete their task. With temps in the lower 80's they were super enjoying any work outside.
Cathy and Dwight now have all their rooms in the lower level constructed and primed on the outside. They still stand in amazement at how much work has been done in just 3 weeks.
Terri has a new window in her bedroom and even more siding and trim on the outside. The house has been jacked up and is nearly straight! Her dog, Flower, even made up with the men on this team!
Hai has her tongue & groove ceilings all sanded and stained, atleast all that is left to stain is a part of the living area. They turned out even more beautiful than I had envisioned. And with Fred's help her plumbing problems are solved and all new pipe was run. The main problem was caused by a plastic bag that had been flushed down the toilet and brought everything to a halt! With 5 children it's no surprise!
Richard has his screened in porch on the front of the house and all the crown molding up inside. Most of the trim is also up and nearly everything painted. He and Peggy were there today and everyone loved posing for the group photo -- looks like family!
Sonny not only has his shelter area for what is left of his household belongings, he has his old trailer nearly completely demolished! Those Indiana frat boys had way too much fun on this job! They also got a taste of real Vietnamese foods and bonded with Sonny so much that most all of them, including Sonny, parted with heavy hearts!
Butch, next door to Sonny, is still in amazement that he has spent the past 5 months working on his house all alone and in less than a week more work got done than he got to in the past months! He really lit up when I told him we would have more volunteers for him next week! He now believes there is a real chance he will get back into his home once again! His hope is back!
Marie now has her electric complete and has been relocated to the other side of her house so the work can be finished throughout. She also got quite attached to her team and once again bid farewell with a feeling of joy and sadness!
The Vineyard church plant in Galveston has all its walls finished and tile flooring underway. Alot of progress was made this week and hopefully they will be worshiping back in their sanctuary soon.
Monty made it back from his 2 day trip to New Orleans to pick up the last Mercy Response trailer. It was quite a rough trip but God watched over him. He isn't feeling very well this evening and hopefully after a good nights sleep he will feel better.
As always, we hate to see these teams leave. They are from 4 different states but all worked as though from one. They were even commenting amongst themselves that they couldn't tell who was from where! God joined strangers into friends and there are more than a couple of them returning home to check into returning for extended periods of time to be our interns -- something we really need!
We pray God's blessings on all of them as they travel tomorrow, some by vehicle and others by plane! God has touched each one and lives have been changed forever -- both with the homeowners they worked with and themselves!
What an awesome, miracle filled week! Praises to God for always providing just who we need when we need them!
Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty
1 comment:
Thank you, Susan, for helping to make my 59th birthday the most memorable one of my life! I may remember the singing, but what I will remember most is where I was and what I saw that day as you showed me around San Leon. A lot of destruction, yes, but there were big smiles on the faces of the homeowners I met--Richard, Sonny, and Hai. And smiles on the faces of the volunteers, too, taking joy in doing good for others, though the work was physically demanding and usually dirty. They made an impressive amount of progress that week! I'll remember hardworking, humble, polite Mr. Tran, also, whose house looks great now after he's spent months doing all the reconstruction by himself. I'll remember working at St.Paul's church in Galveston that week and seeing the progress there, and watching Paul from the Missouri team wield the fastest trowel in Texas as he prepped the floor for the new ceramic tile. I enjoyed meeting and working with other volunteers, especially some from the Missouri team, whom I worked with the most. I have to say that I'm pretty sure I'll remember lunch
(and dinner the night before) at Clifton's, and the very tasty and humongous po' boy.
And I won't forget travelling and working that week with my excellent teammates, Gerri and Kim,
especially getting stuck in the snowstorm on the way down, and visiting New Orleans on the way back.
I know God was watching over us, giving us protection, guidance, and strength, and I pray that He will always do the same for you and Monty, and Diane as well.
Love and God Bless,
Shelley
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