The fence---and the casino

This is the casino on the Biloxi side of highway 90 that collapsed and is falling into the water. Take note of the truck submerged in the water, still there! If you can imagine, 2 other casinos this size were picked up out of the water and carried across the street, one landing on top of a business! I know, it's hard to imagine and still hard to imagine even when you see it with your own eyes!

The other is our friends from home, Keith and his son Jonathan, who will be leaving for their trip back home tomorrow. They have been such a blessing to many people while here this week. We will be sad to see them go as they are a piece of home for us. This photo is them on the highway 90 that collapsed.

Today was the day to get the fence back up around the school playground. As I said before, this was about 300-400 feet of fence. The team from Missouri started it a couple days ago and said they were not leaving until it was done. They finished it this evening and left right after. The school teachers and kids will be thrilled that once again they can go outside and get rid of some of their energy. It looks great. Monty and Keith joined efforts with the guys and who know how many nails are in the entire thing but it took most of the day! Thanks guys!!!!

I had the opportunity to get out and away for alot of the day. Once again, it was the trip to the laundry. This time I was nearly alone while there and got done in record time. It was then the usual errands to Walmart, the bank and refilling of prescriptions. I know my way around pretty well by now and it felt good to get things done, like being back in the world in a way! I also got the dogs to the vet to get their heartworm and flea meds. The sand fleas here are incredible and don't care if you are animal or not. Keeping your ankles sprayed with insect repellant is a daily thing. When your hairless dog gets a flea it's time to do something! :) The girl at the vet flipped out as she had never seen a hairless dog and now wants one!

We had a really special treat this evening for dinner. Keith, Jonathan and Scott had helped one of the teachers get some things in her house organized and to prepare for the tear out of her home. She and her husband have had a difficult time getting the things out of the house and these guys were the boost they needed. They took us all to Biloxi to one of the casinos all you can eat buffets! It was outstanding and she gave everyone a lesson in how to take the crab legs apart and get the most meat out of them. It was a Kodak moment for sure! It was the casino next to the one in the above photo. We all felt like we needed a wheelchair to get out of the place. Jonathan and I especially liked dipping the fresh strawberries in both white chocolate and dark chocolate that was flowing from fountains! It was so nice of them to take us and such an opportunity to get to know each other better.

The local newspaper has published a book about the storm with photos of this area. In the introduction I read some things that I feel need to be quoted so all can read them. It hits the heart of our mission. "Houses of learning and places of worship had their familiar buildings ripped away. Congregations everywhere prayed in parking lots in the shadow of their battered hallowed places. But churches and religious organizations stood in the breach where an overwhelmed government could not, with food and clothes and shoulders to cry on, arms to embrace. Years from now, when historians write the story of Katrina, the unconditional love and compassion of the church and its people cannot be dismissed. Months after Katrina the wounds are still fresh, the hurt still real. And for every individual the loss stung in different ways. This is history, to be sure. But it is also a story of heart and courage and of hope!"

I wanted you to read this. It is not over and will not be for a very long time. It still covers the front pages of the newpapers, still the main topic on the news and the thing everyone talks about. Everyone was touched in a different way and everyone needs to get rebuilt, not just in the construction way but in the spiritual and emotional ways even more.

If you would like to be a part of this rebuilding process by supporting us in our work, you can send your tax deductible gifts to: Vineyard Community Church, PO Box 3277, Bloomington, IN 47402 and please note "Katrina fund" on the check. 100% of your gift will be sent to us to help in every way possible and you will know you are a part of the solution!

May God bless and keep you and we thank you for reading and living this adventure right along with us!

Until tomorrow.....please keep us in your prayers! Love to all, Susan and Monty

PS. Please pray for my youngest brother as he had reconstructive surgery on his leg today. Please pray for a speedy recovery and for movement in his leg! Our entire family thanks you!

Discouragement

Another house that will need to be demolished. The furniture has been sucked outside and the entire thing twisted and torn beyond repair.

The other photo is what is left of a car that went through the storm. These are all over the place but getting cleaned up by the insurance companies. Of course, if your vehicle was older and you only carried liability (insurance to cover the other guy in an accident) you are out, no coverage, no money to try and replace the car. One of the teachers at the school here lost 4 vehicles!

I titled this day as it is for a reason. There are those days when you really feel like what you have done has made a positive difference, and then there are those "other" days. Today was one of those. We had planned on taking 3 of our volunteers to the home of the 93 year old lady I had written about a few days ago. Her home was filled with black mold that had supposedly come in from storm damage to her roof. She said the house was cement block with paneling on all the walls and ceilings. When we arrived we were more than shocked! The damage to the house was from leaking that had gone on for who knows how long! The termite damage is so extensive and will require major reconstruction. One floor is ready to fall through to the ground and the others aren't in much better shape. I don't know that I have seen such a mess since we have been here. On went the masks and gloves! It was one of those that you just don't know where to start and the only thing that makes any sense is to shove the entire thing over. But....this is her home. She has lived here for nearly 50 years and she doesn't want to live someplace else. Our job is to do what we can do to the best of our ability with the resources we have and get her back home! We did get all of the walls and ceilings torn out. There is still a room of ceiling insulation that will need to come out. We need to wait for the family to remove everything from the kitchen cabinets and bathroom before we can go any further. She had no insurance of any kind and also has no money. We will get it torn out, hopefully bring in a portion of one of our larger teams coming the first of April to put on a new roof, take down the tree that is in the roof, fix the floors and walls, redo the electrical throughout, get her some heat as there are small heaters in a couple of rooms, put up new sheetrock and take this house to completion and give her a home that is something she has not had for who knows how many years. All of this can be overwhelming and also discouraging. We want to get in and get the work done but in order to do that we have to have the volunteers and the materials. It cannot get done in the time frame we would like. She understands and is fine with everything. She is just so thankful to have someone to come in and do anything that time isn't a factor. And she is 93!!!!!! Please pray for her, for us, for volunteers to come who know how to do these things, and for the materials we need to be provided. THIS is what this work is all about! I have taken a personal interest in this particular home. My neighbor lady is 94 and I miss her with all my heart (and her daughter). They are family to me and I couldn't imagine something like this happening to them and they not have someone to come in and care, to take care of them and assure them that we will get this done!

That is what we spent our entire day on. We did stop a bit earlier than normal because we wanted to get to church this evening. It was the church where we did the free clothing give away last Wednesday and we promised them we would come back this week for their usual Wednesday evening worship. God sure had a message in the minister's message sent directly for us! It was an awesome service and just what we needed. Just like so many times, God reaches out and touches us and speaks to us just when we need it most! We love the people and they were so warm and welcoming to us. We will definitely go back! And Lee mentioned that we could probably use a home cooked meal---this evening she was fixing snow crab legs with garlic butter----you bet we could use a home cooked meal! :)

I read something today that I want to pass on to all who read this.

"Out of the worst has come the best! God's love is clearly seen as so many new ways of diverse people working together for a common cause, to see the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus grow! God has used Katrina to cause us to talk to each other like never before. We all have different backgrounds, we are from differenct churches, but we are all trying to communicate, collaborate and create a better Mississippi and a better world. We must all continue to pull together to help one another. We're doing the best we can with what we have".

With that I close and say that if you are interested in supporting us in the work you can send your tax deductible gift to:

Vineyard Community Church

PO Box 3277

Bloomington, IN 47402

We thank you for helping us keep this vision alive and continue to do God's work!

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

Drywall in --- drywall out

I wanted to show this church, or what's left of it, in Biloxi. We were shocked when we saw how much damage there was to it and yet it is still standing. The entire bottom of it just blew out. The other view in taken from the inside looking to the back, completely gone. And yet outside in the yard the angel statue was not touched! Another miracle in the midst of the storm!

This day started at 5am for Monty. He had to get the forklift and lift the scissor lift onto the platform area inside the sanctuary so the drywallers could work above the platform area. Although the ceilings in that area were not covered with water they were damaged. They needed scraped and remudded and retaped before being repainted. It was not an easy task getting one lift to lift another but he got it done.

He had to get it done early as the semi with the drywall was to arrive at 7am. It actually got here at 8:30 and within an hour he had the 700 plus sheets unloaded, along with 1/2 a trailer of insulation and had 2 trucks loaded for the people to take to their homes and get started with the rebuilding. It was quite a morning. He unloaded and stacked it all only to take the rest of the day to unstack it and load it onto trucks and trailers, even a rented UHaul, for people. I think drywall is worth more than cash around here! We went from over 700 sheets to around 85 now left and they will probably disappear tomorrow! We pray there is more on the way and it won't take long to get here. The people on the receiving end were so thankful! The drywall gives them a ray of hope that things are progressing and they are making headway in getting back into their homes again! Seeing the smiles, feeling the hugs and hearing the thank yous are priceless and we feel blessed to play such a small part in it.

Oh, I almost forgot. We were busy loading drywall on a pickup truck and an attached trailer and noticed that the college aged kids all had Indiana University shirts on. We are so used to seeing them at home that it took awhile for us to realize that this is not the norm in Mississippi! It turns out they are IU students down here spending their spring break doing whatever they can do to help! What a boost for us to see people from our hometown, even if we didn't actually know them! Thanks to all of you for choosing to come and serve others!

Keith, Jonathan and Scott spent their day painting a house for a lady who had injured her knees trying to paint it herself and is facing a double knee replacement. They were able to get almost all of it done and be such a blessing to her! We are so thankful to these guys for coming down here and making themselves available to do whatever needs to be done. God bless all of you! And Jonathan did such a great job!

Tim and his friends from his home church spent their day getting ready to rebuild the fence around the school play yard here at Bethel. It looks like it is about 400 feet of fence and over 95% of it was destroyed. They made the trips to get all the materials and started drilling for the posts. The children will be so excited just to see it starting to come together. The only place they can play now is inside the gym and with these really nice warm days they are getting stir crazy, not to mention what it does to their teachers! Tomorrow and Thursday should show some real progress and show even more smiles!

Monty and I took about an hour this afternoon and "got away" from it all. We went back to the ponds we found the other day. We were the only ones there and the ducks were very happy to see us,especially since we came bearing food. The really ugly ones will come right up and take it from your hands. It is a peaceful place, a great place to go and reflect and get some energy back. Not to mention today was about 70 degrees with a wonderful north (dry) wind. I say wind because I don't think there is such a thing as a breeze around here being so close to the water. It was nice to have the high humidity gone. We felt a bit more rested when we returned.

Our dinner was the Pizza Hut buffet, which Jonathan really enjoyed!!!! The sugar and cinnamon breadsticks with icing were a favorite! It has become the place to be for Tuesday night dinners. We always try and look for the best deal of the day!

Jonathan was last seen arranging and playing the drum set in the church this evening. Our drummer is left handed and since they instruments are down on the church floors he was arranging them to suit him and having alot of fun. I think the icing combined with Mountain Dew gave him added "energy'?!

I got a phone call that really warmed my heart today. Our church family members Jackie and Levi and their adorable baby girl, Lydia are also on a mission. They packed up and moved to Guatamala! They left about the same time we did and getting the opportunity to talk with Jackie is so great because we now have so much in common. They are doing fine and we are keeping each other in our prayers! Thanks for calling Jackie! Love you all!

I feel the need to share with all of you what God told me this morning. Nearly 2 years ago (for those of you who don't know) Monty had a heart attack and it took the doctors shocking him twice to bring him back. They put in a couple of stents and said he could live to see age 90 (he was 39 when it happened). He had also been the type of person who needed to take a nap during the days and would tire easily. Since we have been here he is the one who is up at the crack of dawn and goes non stop all day and into the evening. He commented to me a couple of weeks ago that he was amazed at the energy God was giving him since we had been here. This morning God got my attention and told me this is one of the reasons He brought us here. He wanted to show Monty just how much life he has, how his life truly has meaning and when you are following God's ways you have a zest for life, combined with the energy and love for life that you have never had before. This is why God needed Monty to be here! I have seen more life from Monty than ever before. He is truly alive, with a purpose, with a love for life and for what he is doing. THIS is God! THIS is His blessing! And because it is a blessing for Monty it becomes an added blessing for me! I am the one who gets to see this for my own eyes. I am the one who gets to share in this. Monty and I are one person, joined by God and the blessings given to each of us are shared by the other. I thank you, God, for this incredible life I see and share in with Monty. I pray you continue to lift us both up, keep our hearts open and grant us your wisdom.

If you are interested in supporting us in this mission you can send you tax deductible gifts to Vineyard Community Church
PO Box 3277
Bloomington, IN 47402
Please note in the memo section of the check "Katrina and/or hurricane relief"
100% is sent to us.
God bless you for your help. Without you we would not be able to do this work!

Until tomorrow...we love you! Susan and Monty

Jonathon's Day

The one photo is of Tim and Sherry on the left side and the couple who came to visit them. Tim and Sherry have been here coordinating relief efforts since December. The gentleman in the orange shirt, Chris, is the one responsible for getting our van up and running----what an angel! The back of his shirt says, "live your life so the pastor doesn't have to lie at your funeral!"

The other photo is what is left of an apartment complex. The sign that the property has been deemed unsafe. You can see how some of the apartments still have their sliding glass windows still there and others are completely gone! If you click on the photos you can enlarge them and see more details.

Monty waited for the delivery of drywall again today only to learn it won't be here until 7:00am tomorrow morning. Following the delivery there will be someone here to pick up the first load. It will not last long as the need is so great! We are just so thankful to have any coming to us! I don't know where this is coming from but hopefully there will be more to follow.

We were very sad to say goodbye to our senior high kids from Georgia this morning! What and incredible group of seniors and what a love they have for God. Their devotions and singing are a blessing to everyone who hears them. They all looked tired but I am sure they felt their time here was more than well spent! They touched so many lives while they were here and were able to be such role models for other teens they came in contact with! Thanks guys, we will miss you!
We'll get your photos on here in a couple of days!

Keith, Jonathan and Scott started their day but going to one of the school's teacher's house to help them clear out some of the rooms of their house. Even though it has been 7 months they just have not been able to get the rooms cleared of their personal items and then start the tear out process and go on to rebuilding. Jonathon was the one we were a bit concerned about but he ended up being the only one who didn't get hurt! Keith fell going to their storage barn and wiped out both shins. I think the one might still be bleeding a bit this evening! Then Scott cut his wrist on a piece of glass somewhere! They managed to help the couple get some things out and get a start on the rest. They came back to the church around 2:30. Keith got busy and started the process of building a set of steps for our trailer. The ones that pull out from underneath it are broken and we had been using a couple of cement blocks but they didn't work all that well. I stepped out a couple of days ago and hit just the side of the blocks and fell all the way to the ground. We now have an awesome set of 2 steps and getting in and out is much easier, not to mention safer! Jonathan also got in on the action and could probably build his own now! He proved to be quite a trooper and I think enjoyed the working.

Monty was busy cleaning and arranging the warehouse. Like I have said before, this warehouse used to be a grocery store and although it really needs a new roof it serves its purpose for us to store things. The problem is that some of the stuff has been stored since the storm and needs to be moved out to the curb for the trash to pick up. He managed to move out numerous pallets of old soda pop and the reaction from people driving by was something! Monty made it clear that everything had expired dates on it and we meant it for the trash but it didn't matter to them. For the rest of the evening people were stopping and sorting through for something they might like. The pile will undoubtedly be much smaller by tomorrow!

Jonathon also went with Monty to pick up a bunch of doors that someone else had put out by the street for the trash! The old saying, "one man's trash is anothers treasure" holds true down here. These are huge doors and with 6 matching its hard to tell what they can be used for!

The painter and his crew started painting the sanctuary this morning and according to them they should be done in 10 days! The sanctuary is big! The color looks good and hopefully the congregation will agree. It will be so nice to get it done and have it look like a real church again and people can come in and not be covered in white dust when they leave!

We had a short rain shower come in this afternoon and raise the already high humidity! We are keeping the trailer windows open during the day but closing up at night and turning on the air conditioner. It gets the trailer too cold if we leave it on so we do the on and off thing and can atleast sleep with dry sheets! The summer should be "damp"!!!!

Keith, Jonathan, Scott and us enjoyed the local Chinese buffet this evening for a late dinner. There just are not very many restaurants around here so when we find one we like we frequent it! Jonathan was going to try and eat the crawfish he made the effort to peel but just couldn't quite get it done! And yes, Mom, he has been eating well, plenty of fruits and we won't say anything about the pop-----he's used up every bit he has been drinking, believe me!

We heard from our friend from home, Dee Dee, who is planning on coming down to volunteer in a couple of weeks! We are so excited to see her and Meow (yes, her real name is Meow). They have not been here and it will be quite an experience for them. Be careful girls and we are looking forward to seeing you!

I would like to close this with some information that I should have been including with each entry. When Monty and I decided to take this "leap of faith" we quit our jobs, left our insurance, our home, our families and friends. We know this is God's call for us and we intend on following His call to the best of our abilities. We are totally dependent on the hearts and love and support of others, of you!

If you are interested in supporting us in the mission work you can send you tax deductible gifts to Vineyard Community Church, PO Box 3277, Bloomington, IN 47402. Please note on your check "Katrina fund" as 100% comes to us!
If you have questions about the authenticity of our mission please feel free to call the church at 812-336-4602.
We thank you for your kindness and generosity and for sharing in our mission.

Until tomorrow....May God bless and keep you. Susan and Monty
No amount is too small, everything adds up.

Biloxi visiting

We have an entire new group of photos taken today on our trip to Biloxi. The 2 are of highway 90 on the east side of the bridge. This is the highway that we all saw so much of on television. The power of water and wind is displayed here like I have never seen any place else in my life! It took this highway, which was built with double rebar and concrete and crumbled it like a cracker! You can see how it moved and broke into pieces. This highway was about 5 miles across and connected Ocean Springs and Biloxi. I am the one standing on one piece (pink shirt). The second one shows our friend from home, Keith, in the blue t-shirt and white shorts crossing from one piece to another.

The other photo is what used to be someone's home. This house was lifted up completely off of its foundation, turned and dropped. It will no doubt be demolished and is probably waiting on insurance settlements. Remember, this is after nearly 7 months now!

We had a wonderful church service this morning with Tim delivering quite a message. His message was "pressing on toward the goal" and gave 7 keys to accomplishing our goal of living a victorious life and winning the lost to Jesus!

1. respond to our responsibilities

2. forget our failures

3. master your mind (don't make excuses for our past)

4. learn to love

5. conquer criticism (forgiveness)

6. develop determination

7. know God's word

Thank you, Tim for bringing out these points and giving us all something to work toward. Take a few minutes and think about these and then listen for the goal God is leading you to.

From there we stopped and had a bite for lunch and took our trip to Biloxi. Here is Pascagoula most of the homes and buildings are standing but had atleast 8 feet of water that got inside. In Biloxi they got hit by the direct winds of the hurricane. Thus the damage you will be seeing in the next blogs. Most of the buildings along the coastline are gone or so severely damaged that they will be demolished. You don't know if it was a business, restaurant, home or what it was. What it is now is gone! Our friend Keith and his son Jonathan went with us and were also in what is close to a state of shock! It is so difficult to put into words and even the photos we take cannot give you the full idea of what has happened here.

Our hope is that you can see these photos and realize just why Monty and I are here. It looks like this after all these months and even though so much has already been done----there is so much more needing to be done! It can, and is, overwhelming and leaves you with a feeling of where do we start and will it ever get done? Everywhere we go people tell about what they have been, and are still going through. The depression is setting in and you only need a couple of minutes to hear it.

Our high school seniors here from Georgia have heard and felt it. They took church to the family whose house they have been working in. There are a couple of girls who have wonderful voices and are happy to share them with others. These kids are so on fire for God and are such fantastic witnesses to all who are around them. They will be leaving us tomorrow morning and we are very sad to see them go. We pray God will continue to work through they and that they continue to be the wonderful examples of youth we all need to see and know! Thanks, kids! We'll have photos of them on here in a couple of days!

Our 3 man group from Tim's hometown in Missouri arrived tonight and after a 14 hour drive they were exhausted. This week seems to be hometown week with his people here and our people here also. And one of our hometown pastors is supposed to be coming here tomorrow and meet us for lunch! It is so great to have pieces of home here! Goodness knows we have more than enough work to keep them busy!

Once again I want to thank everyone from home who participated in putting together our "care" packages. Rob, only you would know the exact drywall screw gun Monty would need! Kevin, the painting is fantastic and is on our wall. The "Breath Prayer" book was perfect as I need those prayers everyday! Bitty loved (or will) her mac and cheese and they both got some of the treats today. I have already been in the Girl Scout cookies, just what I needed as my dessert this evening! The cross magnet is right on our range hood where we can always see it. The candle "warms" the place nicely. The blue shirt for me is a favorite color and is actually a "nice" shirt that will be good for church services! You all are so wonderful and each of those things, along with the foods, are just what we needed, not to mention giving us some love from home!

We are expecting a semi load of drywall tomorrow and also have quite a few homes to go and check out to see what stage they are in. It will no doubt be another busy day. It's hard to believe we have been here nearly a month already as the days just roll by and it's difficult to keep track of them. I do know that for us, temps in the 80s this time of year are nearly unheard of and we are really enjoying them!

Until tomorrow....may God bless each and every one of you. We love and miss you! Susan & Monty

A piece of home!!!!!!

This photo is what the side of the streets look like. People tear out and throw out nearly everything inside the house, walls, insulation, ceilings, floors and all furniture that was inside. They take it to the edge of the street in front of their house and the trash picks it up from there. Things are unrecognizable in most cases. These piles are what is left of peoples lives. Driving by them can be very emotional.

We had a pancake breakfast with the senior high group that is here from Georgia before they set out for a day of taping, mudding, priming and painting. These kids are such hard workers and a joy to be around. They work with all their might and seem to enjoy every minute of it. The house they were working in this evening bought pizza for all of them for dinner---what a blessing to everyone involved!

We spent most of our day working inside the church. Monty was taping off the entry of the church in preparation for drywall shooting and then painting. I finished painting 2 rooms to test the color of paint that was donated to us.

Thanks to Chris, the "mechanical minister" we now have both vehicles running well! There aren't enough words to properly thank him! And to top it off, he and his wife and children took us to dinner this evening! They will be leaving Monday morning and once again I will be shedding tears as they have become family!

When we returned from dinner our friends from our home church were here. Keith and his son Jonathon have come down over their spring break to volunteer. Keith was with us when we originally came back in December and after spending a week with someone, day and night, they ARE family! We have been so excited to see them as they bring with them a piece of home----and did they ever! Rob, if you could have seen the look on Monty's face when Keith gave him the drywall screw gun from you------THANK YOU with all our hearts! You are an amazing friend and for you to send that is such a blessing! And then there are the "care" packages sitting on our table that I haven't been able to really get into just yet. I see food and bug spray (thank you), bones for the dogs and yes, mac and cheese for Bitty ( she thanks you!) but I haven't opened the things wrapped in gift paper as I know I will cry. If you all only knew just how much everything means to us and how we miss all of you! I have said it before but it needs repeated; yes, we know God has called us to do this mission but it is very far from home and at times very difficult to be away from all our families! It can be a lonely feeling at times and knowing you all care is enough to keep us going! Cathy, your card and wonderful words of inspiration are such a blessing!

We plan to attend church in the morning and then take Keith and Jonathon on a tour of the coast line taking them to where the eye of the storm went through. The weather is supposed to be wonderful, again. We then will be attending the "tent" church tomorrow evening. We have promised ourselves not to work on Sundays. When you live in the parking lot of the church and have to go inside every time you use the restroom you are never really away from your work. Sundays are the days we must use to get away from it all and take a breather. Taking people along the coastline is the only way for them to see and know the needs of the people. It is something they will never forget! Like I have said before, life-changing!

Thank you again for the care packages and for all the prayers, support and love. We will miss being in our usual seats for worship tomorrow morning but we will be there in our thoughts and in our hearts.

Have a blessed Sunday and worship the Lord with all your hearts. Thank Him for your many blessings and thank Him that you were not living on the coast when this storm hit. Thank Him for all the "usual" things in your lives that we all take for granted. Thank Him over and over again. Then thank Him again!

Until tomorrow....we love you all! Susan and Monty

3 in 1 equals blessings!

Another photo of where a home used to be. This is taken right along the coastline, you can see the water in the background. There is nothing left standing except a few of the posts that held the house above the water. Homes along the coast were built on "stilts" to keep them dry in case of hurricanes. Didn't work this time, not with the power of Katrina. You can see the bare concrete foundation underneath, the flag they hung from the tree and the trash surrounding the area. This is what it looks like all along the coast - NOW! They haven't even begun to rebuild! Just think of all the work that will need to be done and the time it will take to do it, then multiply it by thousands and you have an idea of how desperately volunteers are needed here! Then take a minute and fold your hands and thank God for what you have!

Today was quite a day! I have mentioned Convoy of Hope before. For those of you who did not go the their website (Convoyofhope.org) let me tell you a little bit about them. They are an organization started and completely funded by the Assembly of God churches around the nation. They come in disaster areas and provide assistance in the form of rebuilding and at times have the funds and connections to also provide materials. They are responsible for the drywall we have received thus far (and the semi that is due in Monday, rescheduled from today). They have stations set up at the cities on either side of Pascagoula. We are so very pleased to now be their station here in Pascagoula. They will be assisting us in providing skilled volunteers and materials. We are so thankful for this opportunity to be able to provide even more help to residents with this connection.

We also have combined efforts with another disaster group from the Calvary Churches nationwide. They had been working out of another church here in town but that church is now in the final stages of completing their rebuilding and are anxious to get back to normal. After they install the carpeting they would prefer to not house the volunteers. We met with their representative and have successfully combined efforts. This will also allow us to have more volunteers which will in turn help even more people in getting their own lives back to normal.

We are so very thankful for this "merging" of 3 efforts into one location! God has truly had his hand in all of this and as usual, He is able to bring about efforts we could only dream of. We have seen so many miracles during this adventure that I told our pastor today that I truly believe the day will be coming when I see the physical hand of God!

I took yet another "adventure" to the laundry mat this morning and didn't even have to wait! But I got the shock of my life while there! Two women and their daughters/granddaughters from our home town and home church came walking in! They had wanted to come down here and do something to help the people but with 2 very young girls coming here with us just wasn't advisable. They had been reading this blog and remembered us telling about the kitchen down the street that is serving 3 meals a day to volunteers and residents. They packed up their things and their girls and went directly to the kitchen where they were welcomed with open arms, complete with pots and pans and spoons! This kitchen had told us the month of March would be difficult as they expected so many more workers out in the field but were going to be short help in the kitchen. What a blessing these women and girls are this week! And they really blessed us by coming by the church before finding me at the laundry (Monty told them where I was) and brought us a homemade yellow cake with delicious chocolate icing! You girls are awesome and the cake was just what we needed! Brianna did tell us how Rose misses us and the dogs to which my tears started rolling again! Thinking of our friends at home always brings the tears! We plan on going to that kitchen tomorrow evening for dinner and to once again see our friends from home!

Late last night our group of high school seniors from Georgia came in. There are 15 of them, including the adults. They came in singing and really looking forward to getting to work. Oh, the energy of the young!!!! They were up and ready this morning and off they went. We expected them back by early evening but they went to one of the local seafood restaurants for a good dinner and didn't roll in until nearly 9pm. When I asked one of the guys if he had worked hard today his response was,"yes, but not as long as I wanted to." Like I said, the energy of the young! They are such a great group and seem to really want to get in and help, and to get to know the people. They realize this is such an important part of the rebuilding process. The people need the emotional and spiritual connection. We are so thankful for this group coming down and making such a wonderful difference. They will be here until Monday morning and we will have photos of them here within a few days.

Monty spent most of the day working on the stage area of the sanctuary. They have the 2 stained glass areas removed and will start the drywalling process tomorrow. We also plan to get in and really try and clean up the area tomorrow. With all the drywall process and sanding everything!!!! is an ashen color and you dare not wear anything dark in color or you will have the dust all over you! Some of the Georgia kids will be helping us and the rest will be back out there working in the homes again.

I have to throw in a bit about our dogs! They get rather "restless" being in this small trailer nearly all day so we wait until the children leave the building each day at 5:30 and then let them go inside and run the halls. They know now that when we ask them if they "want to go to church" that they get to go and run! They are always wanting to go to church so we laugh and say we have very religious dogs! Really they are pretty much idiots that just like to run but if you own a dog you know what we mean! All of the volunteers enjoy them and aren't quite sure about a dog with no hair! (Samson is a Chinese Crested Hairless).

Oh--more good news. Our van is now running! The couple visiting Tim and Sherry (the other coordinators) does vehicle repairs as his mission and he is fantastic!!! We have had who know how many technicians looking at that thing trying to figure out why it won't run when there is any moisture and he took one look and fixed it! Don't ask me details---I am an idiot in this area! But thank God for someone who took this on as his ministry! What a blessing he is! Another person following God's call. Thank you Chris. Tomorrow he is going to check out the brakes and wants to make sure all is running as it should be before they leave on Monday!

Enough for today!
Thanks again for reading, for supporting us, and for loving us!
Susan and Monty

OUCH!

Have you ever seen such a "beauty"???? We found a park with a couple of ponds (a good place to get away for awhile) and this lovely creature pretty much rules the ponds! He has a lady friend also and she isn't any better looking!?

The other photo is Monty and Tim loading the forklift onto the back of a trailer getting ready to take it to the clothing give away I talked about yesterday. They used the forklift to unload the boxes and boxes and boxes of clothes from the truck into the church. (Monty is the one in the red shirt). They returned the lift this morning and just in time as we are expecting another semi of drywall here tomorrow before noon. This one is coming from somewhere in northern Mississippi. If any of you know of any drywall companies who you think might agree to donate some, please contact them and "plant the seed". The need is just getting started and there will NOT be enough to meet the need. We thank you ahead of time for anything you might be able to do.

There is something I need to mention on this site. We absolutely LOVE the comments people send to us. BUT---we cannot comment back through this site. Believe me, we are not ignoring you, we just cannot comment back.We were happy to have our volunteer, Scott, with us today. He will be with us for the next 3weeks and will surely learn alot about alot before he leaves. We took him with us to breakfast this morning, Waffle House, of course. He then helped Monty inside the sanctuary. They removed 2 stained glass walls and will be drywalling them in. The paint color has also been chosen for the sanctuary and the painter should be painting Monday morning.

Monty and I were invited to lunch with Fory and Cindi, the heads of Convoy of Hope. If you wonder what that organization is please look them up at www.convoyofhope.org and you can learn all about them. It was a meeting filled with information and it was so nice to meet them and we look forward to working very closely with them. They are such a blessing all along the coast and really have a heart for helping the people.

Monty and Scott went to a resident's house located on the coastline this afternoon. We had some pretty heavy winds going all day and she was extremely worried about her house. It is still in the decision process as to whether it will be demolished or she will rebuild. In the meantime, part of the roof had been covered but the wind had knocked some of that covering loose. They went over to replace it and do what they could. (this is where the title of today comes from---Monty stepped on, an ran through his foot, a 16 penny rusty nail while there). Thus the ouch, along with the blood and bruising. This is why one must have a tetanus shot before coming down here! Sounds like the house will eventually be demolished but she just isn't mentally ready for that to happen. It also showed us what is to come. She was terrified of the impending weather warnings and high winds today! She was near panic and this is something that will no doubt come into play with the hurricane season fast approaching. We have no idea how the people really feel and what they have been through. We can hear the stories but we still have no idea. The fear is real and the fear is only beginning! We would ask that you keep the residents all along the coast in your prayers!

Tim, Sherry and I started painting some of the office rooms this afternoon. There are around 25 gallons of paint that was donated and we wanted to test the color and see how it would work, and it did! It's a nice neutral tan that should work well with any decor. It will go nicely with the tile that was also donated and will be used in those areas. I do believe it was the first time I have painted and not "worn" the color I was working with!

Although we did not have any rain today the humidity sure did get up there! It's amazing to have moisture all over the vehicles like it does---and have no rain! It is so warm this evening we have the windows of our trailer open. I have never spent a summer here but continually get warnings that they are really HOT!!!

We were happy to hear our neighbor ladies at home are feeling better. Frances was quite sick and she has no idea how much we have worried about her and prayed for her! You girls take care of yourselves and remember how much we love you both!

We went to take a look at one of the school teacher's homes this evening as we have some skilled construction workers coming down in a couple of weeks and Sharon's house needs some skilled workers. They not only lost almost everything inside their home, they lost 4 vehicles too! We are so pleased that this crew is coming down and plan to have them working in her house the entire week they are here! We pray God's blessing on them and on Sharon and her family. She is just the first of the teachers' homes we plan to concentrate on. These women do so much for the children and they have put their own needs on hold until others get back in their homes. It's time for them to take the front seat and get some work done on theirs!!!! So if you have construction skills, this is the place to be! Like I have said before, and will continue to say, if you come here and volunteer I guarantee it will be life-changing!

I need to go and get a couple of things ready for the group who should arrive any time now.
Until tomorrow (which is Sherry's birthday!)......
All our love, Susan and Monty

FREE!!!!!

This photo is what's left of a local business = nothing! It's the norm around here, destruction everywhere you look, still, after all these months!

This morning we ran an errand to pick up even more drywall mud for the finisher. It's amazing how much it takes to do an entire church! He is getting closer and closer to being ready to paint the sanctuary and people are getting more and more excited to see it get done! Selecting all the color combinations is not an easy task but they are getting there.

Our entire afternoon and evening and into the night were spent at a church in the town next door, Moss Point. The church is Calling all Christians. They were having a free clothing give away from 4:30 - 7:30pm. They borrowed our forklift to unload the semi carrying the clothing. All of the clothing was brand new. The entire effort was organized by an organization called HANDS, Helping Americans Needing Disaster Support. This is an incredible organization working nationwide and what a wonderful service they provide! We estimate that around 700 plus individuals had their choice of 4 pieces of clothing along with a pair of shoes and a jacket. It was more than difficult to organize a crowd of this size and it was on the boarder of getting out of hand. We did call in a policeman and they were hard to come by because the president of the US was in this county today and that took most of the law enforcement! Monty were at the front door handling "crowd control" the entire time and what an experience that was! The entire event was just another type of disaster relief and another way of bringing all churches together doing what churches are supposed to do, model Christ. The label we hang outside or over the door are not what is important, the name we call ourselves is not important, what is important is that we are here helping people! Nothing else matters! Nothing! We are so thankful to HANDS for the part they are playing in the rebuilding of lives! We pray God's blessing continues to be upon you!

We had a new volunteer come in this evening and are expecting another group tomorrow evening. I need to make some clarifications about volunteering and want to apologize for leading anyone astray, please accept my apologies! Someone commented and asked about helping and if there were any age requirements. Please allow me to explain how it works. We encourage anyone who would like to volunteer to call us. But----due to the conditions here we feel it is not appropriate for children to be here. By children we mean anyone under the age of atleast 12 or 13 and they MUST be accompanied by their parents! They also are responsible for assumption of liability forms and health information. This is a disaster area and there are many unsafe things that come with that label. There are rusty nails and screws everywhere, there is broken glass all over the place, the working conditions are some of the worst, there are mosquitos that are the biggest I have ever seen and bite like I have never been bitten, the sleeping arrangements are sleeping on concrete floors with only 1 shower for men and 1 for women. I hope you get the point I am trying to get across. This just isn't a place for children and if I have mislead anyone I sincerely apologize! We will try and have photos of the clothing give away tomorrow. Right now it is extremely late and my mind is just about on empty.

We want to thank everyone who is reading and following along with us on our journey! We appreciate all of you and pray God' blessings for each of you.

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

It's a sunshine day!

The photo of all the trash strewn on the ground and in the trees is what you see on every street, in every yard and around every house and business. Everyone here feels as though they live in a trash pile. Most of it is too small to really figure out what it used to be. This is one of the things we hope to clean up with our volunteers. We would like to do neighborhood "sweeps" where we go in with rakes and shovels and clean people's yards and maybe even plant some flowers! Something to show life and beauty!

The other photo is our "adopted" son! Allow me to introduce Kevin. He will be graduating high school this June and we are so overjoyed that he has "put his nose to the grindstone" and accomplished what he needed to do to get his diploma. He hasn't had an easy life but he has always had faith in God and has actually been quite an example for us adults at times. We love you, Kevin and will see you soon!

We enjoyed another absolutely beautiful, sunshiney day! It's just amazing to us how warm the sun is here at such an early date. I know the summer will be extremely hot but for now we are really enjoying the warm, especially since we heard it is only around 37 at home! Sorry guys!

We spent most of the day preparing for our volunteers coming in this weekend. We had rooms to clean out and attempt to sweep. Trying to sweep drywall dust is more than difficult! We have 9 room that we use for the volunteers and all of them will be filled after this weekend. There will be a high school senior group from Wisconsin, a college group from Virginia and adults from Indiana, Missouri and a couple of other states! The outpouring of help is still coming and will be needed for maybe years!

I had the opportunity to meet a neighbor lady across the parking lot this afternoon. She has a little dog that I thought was our own dog (Bitty) the other day. They look so much alike they could be from the same litter. Anyway, she lives in her FEMA trailer all alone and is just waiting for the Core of Engineers to come and demolish her house and the attached storage building. She will then start from the ground up and rebuild. Although she is sad to see the house go, she realizes that because of where she lives, this is part of it!

We also learned this afternoon that there will be 3 semi trucks coming to our parking lot tomorrow at 1pm to give out free clothing to whoever comes by! Believe me, we will definitely have photos as soon as possible! What an amazing thing to do and you have no idea how the people will be blessed. We put nasty old clothes out by the road for the trash to pick up and people would stop and go through to see if they could find something usable! I don't know where the trucks are coming from right now but will be sure and find out! It will, no doubt, be an afternoon filled with blessings for alot of people!

Monty loaded a load of greenboard for another family this afternoon. For those who don't know, greenboard is the type of drywall used in bathrooms or anyplace where water may hit the walls. We have not had much of it and it is quite expensive. Wish we could get a semi load of that! Not to mention more regular drywall as we are now completely out! (a challenge to all of you who know people in the drywall selling business!?)

Our drywall finishers who have been working in the sanctuary should be ready to paint it in a couple of days. They are doing a great job and it will be so awesome to see it actually painted and really close to being done and once again look like a church! But we aren't nearly as excited as the congregation who have been sitting on dusty chairs (you should never wear dark colors), dealing with music that echos so badly that you can't hear it (due to no carpet and high ceilings) and walls that weren't walls for quite some time. After the sanctuary is completed we will be moving on to all the other rooms which are used for children's church, sunday school classes, youth classes, secretary's office, pastor's office, nursery and such! This is a big building with so much going on it needs to be completed as soon as possible.

Convoy of Hope, which is another relief organization, blessed us with 2 new wheel barrows this afternoon, his and hers they said! :) We sure can use them. Thanks Steve and Carol!

It sure was great to talk with one of my dear friends this evening, Rick. He called and had no idea where we were or what we are doing! I miss him, and have for a couple of years now! There's no one in this world like Rick and I love him to death!!! Thanks for the call and the support, Rick. Give my love to both Mary and Buff!

We pray God's blessings on all of our family and friends. You have no idea just how much we miss all of you. Sometimes so much it physically hurts! Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Until we talk again....remember God loves you! Susan and Monty

PS We just discovered that if you click on the photos they will enlarge and you can see the details better! We are learning as we go!!!

The troops are coming!

More photos! One is the inside of the church here. You are looking at the stage area and can see the new drywall on the walls that is only hung but not painted yet. The stage itself is still just bare plywood and the steps are temporary. There are 2 stained glass windows, one on each side of the stage area and that blank white place is where the baptismal area is, behind it. Right now that is just a piece of drywall protecting the area until everything is completed. The pews are gone and chairs take their place.

The other photo shows all the trash and debris along the road with a boat and car jammed into the trees in the background. They are getting more and more of the debris cleaned up and hauled off but it still keeps coming.

This morning we took a trip over to Gautier to the Convoy of Hope disaster center. We get our bottled water and other etcs from there. They have a huge warehouse filled with all kinds of things that have been donated.

We also made a couple of stops to pick up materials for our drywall finisher. He has been focusing on getting the sanctuary itself done. He has most all of the sanding completed and will hopefully be priming and painting soon. The board has to meet to decide on a color, not an easy task for such a large building. The carpet selection will soon follow, an even more difficult job!

I got busy this afternoon scheduling jobs for our incoming volunteers. We had quite a few work requests that needed a follow up call, all still waiting for some type of help in so many ways. The work ranges from the original tear outs to tiling floors, hanging cabinets, finishing drywall, painting, cleaning up yards, rebuilding fences, repairing electrical problems and so on and so on and so on. I also met with the teachers of the school. It seems they all have needs and have put them on hold saying they wanted the community to be helped first. I reminded them they ARE the community and such an important part here in the school we want to move them up on the list!

Monty loaded the last of our drywall from the warehouse. The resident needed more than what we had but some is better than none. Convoy of Hope says they are working on getting more but that is such a difficult task. If anyone has the connections, they do! We could use every shipment we can possibly get---and more!

The weather today was another one for the books. It was beautiful, sunshine and near 80. We would like to keep this year round but know that the summer is nearly unbearable with heat and humidity. We'll try and soak up as much of this as we can! (we heard it wasn't even 40 at home-----what can we say)!

Speaking of home, we had a great conversation with our friend (brother), Dave, who had followed us here and spent a week with us. We miss him so much and feel that in some ways, he is the only one who really knows what it is like down here. We laughed at so many things, the way Monty and I will never be able to use the same bathroom again. He uses the "boys" and I use the "girls". If we have to use the bathroom in the middle of the night it is an ordeal. You see, we don't have plumbing hooked to our trailer so we get up, find our shoes, get the key to the church, trek across the parking lot, unlock the door and pray you left the light on so you can see all the way to the bathroom! Showers are also hysterical! We each get our "toolboxes" of hygiene equipment, get the key, get your towel, get your clean clothes and once again make the trip across the parking lot! Showers must be taken before 8am or after 5:30pm due to the school and daycare being in session. Like I have said before----a true adventure-----and we love it!

Our newest "change in arrangements" is in our sleeping. I am only 5'3" and my feet hang off the end of the bed---it's that small! When I got the Katrina cough I decided I should sleep out on the couch. Now understand that the couch is about 2 feet from the bed but it is in a different room! :) I now sleep there each night as I can stretch out and Monty can sleep cross ways on the bed and have some room! It works well for both of us but the dogs aren't as happy! They had to be moved from the couch to the bench seat, which is quite a bit shorter than the couch. The first night one of them fell off in the middle of the night, hitting the floor with a thud and the next night the other one fell with the same thud! I think they have it figured out now as both of them have stayed put the past couple of nights! Good thing they are both small!

We laugh at these things and wonder; if someone would have told us a year ago that this is what we would be doing we would have never believed it! But we have adapted quite well and as long as one of us it sitting down the other has room to get dressed! :)

Seriously, we know we are doing what God has called us to do because we do it and laugh about it! The material things don't matter. The space doesn't matter. The funny way we get to the bathrooms doesn't matter. They don't matter because of the blessings that come from being here. We are here to help rebuild lives, to rebuild homes and to share the love of Christ with everyone we meet. It doesn't matter if we meet them while in line at Walmart (we are going to their house next week) or if we know they are the sheriff of the city, they are all God's children and all have suffered and are in need of help. THAT is what matters. We will have our house, our space, our one bathroom, our one bed when we return home. In the meantime we praise and thank God for bringing us here and pray He will continue to give us the wisdom and strength we need to be His hands and feet! Please join us in this prayer!

Until tomorrow...be safe...and be the hands of God...wherever you are!

Love to all, Susan and Monty

Sunday is the Lord's Day!

The photo of the 2 vehicles was taken along the coastline. The house that was there no longer exists. Both of these vehicles were placed where they are by the storm and both are crashed into trees. You can see how the white van is mired down in the dirt. Both will wait for insurance settlements before they can be removed from the property. There are displaced vehicles like this all over the place.

The other photo is taken inside the church we are working from, Bethel Assembly of God. This stained glass window is in the center of the ceiling and is absolutely beautiful when the sunlight shines through it. I love going inside the sanctuary in the daytime, leaving the lights off and seeing the beauty of the light coming through this. It survived the storm intact!

We attended church here this morning and heard our friend, Tim deliver a wonderful message. He spoke on "The Lord will Provide", quite appropriate for us and for the victims trying to rebuild their lives. He talked about how God provides the right thing (just what we need), the right place (we need to go the extra mile as that is where the blessing is) and the right time (His time is always perfect). He closed with words that a woman he knows uses to close each one of her prayers, "Lord, knowing you like I know you, I consider it done!" A great way for all of us to close our prayers.

Sunday dinner was an awesome homecooked meal at Jake and Carol's house! It's been a long time since we enjoyed a home cooked roast with all the fixins! Thank you both so much for your hospitality and for your warm welcome! (not to mention some more great peach cobbler)!!!!

Later in the afternoon we took the dogs to a small park we found earlier this morning. There are a couple of ponds on it and both were filled with geese, ducks, a sandhill crane and sea gulls. We took some popcorn and had a blast hand feeding a couple of the ugliest ducks I have ever seen! We should have photos tomorrow. These things look like a cross between a duck and a rooster! But they loved taking the popcorn right out of my hands! This park will be a great place to escape into some peaceful devotion.

We had about an hour back in the trailer and it gave me the opportunity to call my parents and see how things are at home. My grandmother is doing better and so is my brother. Looks like my brother will be facing surgery to his injured leg soon so I would like to ask for prayers for his quick healing so he will be able to do the farming this spring.

We then headed to the edge of town to another church for evening services. This is the church I told you about the other evening, the one who lost everything, the building and everything in it and they are meeting in a tent. They weren't kidding, they are meeting inside a tent, along with the knats and mosquitos that, as they say, are so big that one landed at the airport and they had filled it with 50 gallons of gas before they realized it was a mosquito! (they're not kidding). Let's say its the first time I have been to church where one of the most important things you wear is bug repellant, and if you forgot, the cans are available at the door! Pastor Hart's service was fantastic! He taught on "No pain, no gain". It was all about stress and how we deal with it. He made a statement in the beginning that made me stop and think. He said that when the devil is squeezing us with so much stress, what is being squeezed from us? It should be Jesus as it is at those times in our lives when people are watching us and we don't want to deprive them of maybe seeing Jesus for the first time! He also stated that if we can trust God with our souls we can surely trust Him with our money! Some really thought provoking words! He had an entire outline ready to cover but time didn't allow it. He asked that we continue with the rest of it as our devotional material for this week.

Being at this service was a blessing for us like we have not seen before! It's like I have said before, we have come down here to hopefully be a blessing to the people and God takes it and multiplies the blessings back to us! It sure did bring me to tears, and this time they were almost uncontrolable! God never ceases to amaze us and we are so thankful to Him and so thankful to the people at New Life Church. We were invited to Taco Bell for dinner after the service and it gave us the opportunity to visit with the Pastor, his assistant Pastor and their wives. There is no doubt that we will be attending this church every Sunday evening!

As I sit and reflect back on today and all its blessings it makes me realize something. Every day we are meeting people that we call strangers. God has a way of stepping in and making them friends! Each one touches a place in our hearts and in the end draws us closer to God Himself! An example is the phone call Monty received from Dean, one of the Minnesota crew that left this weekend. He called to say how close he felt to Monty and that he missed him already! And we knew these people for a week?? God is such an awesome God and when he brings people into our lives they are truly our brothers and sisters in Christ! (we miss you too, Dean) (ok, we miss the rest of you too!) :)

During this next year there will new people becoming new friends each and every day. It is our prayer that God will bless each and every one of them as He is blessing us! We ARE all one church serving one God! He deserves all of our praise and thanksgiving, no matter what our circumstances are! Alleluhia and Amen!

PS. I would like to ask for prayer as my "Katrina" cough is not getting any better and may need to see a doctor tomorrow. Thank you!

Until tomorrow....we love you all and thank you to everyone at New Life Church!

Blessings, Susan and Monty

The Twitty bus

Here is the gang from Minnesota that I told you about in yesterday's journal entry. They just look productive, don't they! :) We miss them and wanted everyone to see what a motly crew they are! Love you all!

We said goodbye to the last couple this morning and once again I found myself in tears. I will probably be drained dry by the end of the year!

After breakfast Monty loaded 94 sheets of drywall to another couple who lost everything. It took them 2 trips to get it all but they managed and were very thankful.

Monty then returned to the truck----again! He still needed to put together the inside floor area. We took it for a test drive downtown and it seems to be shifting much smoother than before so we are considering it a success! Praise the Lord! It still isn't real happy going into reverse but we figure we are only looking forward so the truck may as well do the same!

We tried to lay back just a bit today as we have worked so very hard, non stop for a couple of weeks now. We drove down to the "beach" but found that even though there is sand, there isn't a place to actually swim. I think we might need to wait until we see where the locals go to swim. The water is filled with trash and debris anyway. The machines had been through and cleaned the sand so atleast one could walk through it and there was a small little boy playing in it.

Seeing that little boy playing was something you just don't see here. You don't see people outside moving around. You don't see the kids playing, people taking walks or sitting outside visiting with their neighbors. It's just too quiet and strange! It's like someone took the life out of the place!

We enjoyed an early dinner at a local buffet and decided to go visit a church up the street called Church on the Rock. We had noticed that they have Saturday evening services and thought we should check it out. To our surprise they had a guest speaker, Ashley Smith. Remember about a year ago this time there was a guy, Brian Nichols, who had killed 3 or 4 people already and caught Ashley outside of her apartment and held her hostage for hours! Remember how she read from Rick Warren's "40 Days of Purpose" to her captor? She had an amazing testimony as to what a mess her life had been up to then and how she had been looking for God but the entire time He had been looking for her and she just didn't see Him. She opened herself up for questions from the congregation afterwards - a bold move in itself- and we were thrilled when she answered a question about if she needed drug rehab after the incident. She answered "God is my rehab", a statement Monty has lived by for years now. To hear someone else say it, realizing just how amazing it is when God completely delivers a person from addictions, is awesome! She also had a signing of her new book and was donating a portion to hurricane relief.

As soon as church was over we made a phone call to home as the music group, Vineyard Unplugged, was meeting. This was the first meeting since we left for our mission trip and a part of our hearts were aching for home! It was so great to hear familiar voices and to hear them play a special song for us! And the thing that really made me cry (again) was when we heard the voice of our neighbor, Shelley, there! Thanks for going Shelley and we hope you will go back! They are such an amazing group of people and we love and miss them so much! One week from tonight a group of them will be here to do volunteer work during their spring break! We are so excited to see them! Please keep them in your prayers for safe travel.

I feel extra blessed today as I got to spend some time on the phone with 2 of my dearest friends, Ellen and Cathy! Thanks, girls, for brightening my day and for loving me so much! You are my angels!

I would like to put out a request this evening. I know there are people from all over reading this and you all know all kinds of people. We need sheetrock down here! What we had delivered a couple of weeks ago is the same as gone and the need is so great! Telling people that we are out is so painful, for them and for us! You all have contacts or know of someone who does. I challenge you to reach out and see what you can do! Plant the seed someplace and see what happens. There is no amount too small and definitely none too large! If a company would like to donate they would also need to donate the way to get it here. The company and driver from Minnesota did it! And they really had a long drive! See what you can do, talk to whoever you need to talk to, challenge them to step out and help! Pray about it and then listen for God to answer! I have given you my number before but will again in case you "find the pot of gold".

God bless all of you and please remember us in your prayers when you attend church tomorrow.

We love you all and will be writing more tomorrow evening. Susan and Monty

It's done-----and she's 93!

This photo shows our logo for our misison project. There are 2 of these magnetic signs, one on each door of the truck, designed by Ryan at Everywhere Signs! Our thanks to Chuck for having orange as his favorite color!

The other photo is one of the casino barges in Biloxi. It was blown ashore and blown apart! You can see clear through the thing and other casinos around it are literally falling into the bay!

We started the morning by needing to remove a refrigerator that was located in the school gym. It had been moved there after the flooding and was still there, until some small child decided it would make a great place to hide during hide and seek! The teachers are so awesome here and so on top of things! The child didn't get far and the refrigerator is now relocated! Kids!

After breakfast we stopped at Lowes to pick up a parking lot magnet. We need to sweep the lots around here because another major problem left from the storm are all the screws and nails everywhere. Our van tires have successfully picked up a couple and although plugging them works, it won't work forever!

Monty got started on the truck once again. We were so blessed that one of the couples from Minnesota, Tom and Cathy, came back early afternoon just so Tom could help Monty. I don't know what we would have done without him! Even though it required yet another trip for parts, it is now done! All that is left is for Monty to put back the cab area. It works much better and what was originally thought to be a 2 hour project turned into 4 days but God blessed us and it is done!

We also received a couple of visitors this afternoon. A lady and her 93 year old mother drove in to see if this was the place where they could get some help. Her mother lives in the same house that her father built over 40 years ago, a house built out of cinder blocks. She had just been released from the hospital because they thought she had pnemonia. She did not, she had poisoning from the black mold that is in her house. She had no idea! She did not have water inside her home but found out that it had come in through the damage in her roof and is not only in the ceiling, it is coming down the walls. She had been hand washing it off the walls without knowing what it was. The stuff is deadly and how she survived is only by the hand of God. She and her daughter had no idea where to turn or what to do. Her mother has no insurance and now all of her ceilings and all the walls will need to be torn out, sheetrock replaced, painted and trimmed out. She was desperate! When I told her that all they need to do is get her mother's belongings out of the house and washed down and then to call us back and we will take it from there she burst into tears, sobbing tears! She didn't know how to thank us and repeatedly said that if there was anything! they could do for us to please! ask. Her tears were tears of joy and relief, and we haven't even done anything yet! This is what I have been talking about when I speak of rebuilding lives! This woman has lived on this earth for 93 years, lived in the same house her late husband built and where they raised their children and now she is faced with this! When I told her we could have all the tear out done in a day and sprayed for the mold she couldn't believe it! She will definitely be moved to the top of our list! She said she has contacted FEMA for a trailer (they have moved her in with her daughter) she was told it could be 6 months! We will have her home rebuilt and her back in it before FEMA even thinks about getting her a trailer! God will help us----and so will all of you----with your prayers. Her name is Gladys (so you can be specific in your prayers) :)

We went to dinner with our Minnesota crew as all but 2 of them pulled out tonight for the 26 hour trip home and the other 2 will leave in the morning. What a fantastic group of volunteers! Of course, I was in tears once again saying good bye to them. (there are going to be alot of tears over the next year, I just know it)

We went to a great seafood place where everything is served family style! Being from so far up north they really got a kick out of the accents "down here" and will definitely be taking some of the lingo home with them---whether they think so or not! We want to send out a very special thanks to Floyd for taking care of our dinners this evening! What a blessing you have been and we thank you for your hospitality! You all did such a wonderful job this week and were able to bless others, we - and they- will never forget you!

Joining us for dinner this evening was Pastor Hart, his wife and son. He pastors a church just down the highway a few minutes. They were hit so hard by the storm that it completely wiped out his church, the building and everything in it! They were left with nothing. And they also lost everything in their home! They were living in a small trailer with 30 church members who also had lost their homes! They are still meeting in a tent, with nothing! But the heart of the church remained and they will rebuild. He told us 2 amazing stories that I need to share with all of you. In them both you will not only see God's hand, hopefully you will feel it!

They had been in the process of adopting a 2 year old girl from Guatamala prior to the storm. To do such a thing is quite costly but they had been working on this since she was 3 months old and were getting closer. Then the storm hit and with all the loss they no longer had the funds to adopt. Then one day Pastor Hart got a phone call from a church in Oklahoma. It was about 6 weeks after the storm and they had been without cell phone or regular phone service since the storm. This Pastor told how their church had been in prayer about how they could help some church down here and he knew this was the church. The pastor said God had told him there was a personal need that was also a need of the church and they were going to fill that need. Pastor Hart told him of the adoption process and that Oklahoma church will be paying all the expenses to finalize the adoption! All that is left is to receive the phone call saying it's time to pick up their little girl! Miracles never cease!

His second blessing came when a church in Indiana, near Kokomo, called and said they also had heard of this church's devastation and wanted to do something to help. They ended up providing the tent in which they are still using for worship. They had been meeting in what was left of Pastor Hart's front yard! They are still using the tent and have just purchased a metal building kit to replace the tent until they can begin the rebuilding process. They have focused all of their efforts in rebuilding the homes of the church members and knew God would help with the church building---and He is!

Both of these stories are true miracles! The Bible tells us that with God nothing is impossible and God doesn't lie! Both of these, along with the 93 year old Gladys, and Tom from Minnesota taking time to help with the truck are just more blessings from God! We have been so privilaged to come down here and do just a little bit to help! Every little bit makes a big difference in someone's life! We can't do it all, but we can do what we can do, and do it now! So can you!!!!!

During this mission God will bring so many people into our lives that it will be overwhelming. We come here to be used by God and to hopefully bless others. And just as God promises, we will in turn be blessed! Sometimes I think if I focus my eyes just right I will physically see God's hand moving things around down here! It's hard to describe. It's something we want you to experience also, whether it is by coming here or by just reading about it through our journal. It is only through your hearts and your support that we will be able to remain here and do the work God has called us to do! We thank you now and will continue to thank you!

The weekend is coming. Monty has sheetrock to load for a woman at 10 in the morning. We have been invited to Sunday dinner at one of the church board member's home after church and will be going over to Pastor Hart's Sunday evening worship afterwards. So many times to show our praise and worship and thankfulness to our Lord and Savior! Thanks be to God!

We hope all of you have a blessed weekend and when you go to church this Sunday, pray for Pastor Hart's church, his family, his church family and for Gladys! We thank you for it!

Until tomorrow evening.....all our love. Susan and Monty

The volunteers are coming....

Since I have talked about all the work being done on the truck I thought I should give you an idea of what it looks like. This is me and our friend Dave, who followed us down, at our house before we left home. Monty spent the entire afternoon and evening underneath that truck still working on dropping the tranny and changing the clutch. I think it is mostly put back together but then I don't know much about it and try and stay clear! Once again, God blessed us with a bunch of men who seem to know what they are doing and are happy to help. Thanks to the Fagan men and Rick it is nearly done! God has also blessed us with some of the nicest weather to work in, sunshine and near 80 with no rain in the forecast for the next week, just in case it takes a bit longer!

The next photo is what is left of a house located directly on the bay. If you look closely you can see the water in the background. Many of the houses were built on stilts like that, to avoid flooding, but were no match for the winds of the hurricane. And this is 6 months after it happened!

We had a great "meeting of the minds" this morning. Tim and Sherry are back. They have been doing the relief coordinating, and a million other things around here, since December. We got caught up on alot of things and got our calendar scheduled with all of the volunteers coming this month. The week of the 12th it looks like we could have 60 - 70 here----wow, everyone will be blessed! I am getting things lined out for work and positive there will be more than enough! The list of things needing done has no end!

We had a wonderful visitor this afternoon. Brad, from another church up the street, came by and would like to house his volunteers here for the next few months. The church they have been working out of is near completion and after they put in the carpeting they are going to stop housing volunteers, which is understandable. He has a full schedule of people for the next few months and we were thrilled at the idea. We have plenty of room here and will welcome all the volunteers we can get! That's what this is all about. It's not the name or denomination of the church---we are all one church! And it is at times like this especially, that the labels need to be dropped and the only denomination is "Christian". And if a volunteer is not a Christain, what better way to reach them!

Even though our news up home doesn't have much about the hurricane anymore it is still the main topic on every channel down here. This morning a commentator made a statement that has stuck with me all day. She said that the people are still having problems with insurance and lack of help has slowed the rebuilding process. She said that thanks to faith based organizations they are getting there! I thought this also stated what we are all about and why we are here. It's time to have "the rubber meet the road" and remember the saying that "actions speak louder than words". It's easy to say we are a Christian but living it is another story!

Please don't get me wrong with what I am about to say! No one actually realizes just how hard it has been for us these past couple of weeks in being here! Living in disaster, seeing it everywhere, every home, every business, hearing everyone's story of loss, trying to make some sense of it all, trying to do something but knowing it is never enough and our "in box" will never get anywhere near empty----it's tough! But God has called us to do this! I know that with every fiber of my being, clear down through my soul----and with God nothing is impossible. In so many ways this has brought us closer to Him. I find so much strength in Him! That is the strength I want to share with others here. They are worn out, feeling weak and lost and discouraged. I have seen what sharing my strength does for them. I have seen the smiles, the sense of relief, the deep sigh followed by tears at the thought that someone cares, that God cares and has not forgotten them! That is what this mission is about! I may sound like a broken record but it needs repeating and repeating! You may think that there really isn't anything you can do, you don't know construction and you can't come down here. That's okay---you CAN pray, for them, for us! The power that is unleashed with prayer can move mountains, the Bible says so and I believe the Bible!

For me, this has been a day where I feel my calling even stronger. Getting to work with volunteers, planning, scheduling, talking with the people who need help, that's why we are here.

Lunch was a perfect example of how thankful people are for what we are doing and how the blessings are always poured back to the ones who are blessing others. We went to some small mom and pop style restaurant. The food was fantastic. We got to talking with an obviously retired gentleman who was interested in where we were from and what we were doing here. We explained it to him and his main question was how we were able to be here without any income. When we explained how we are here because of the goodness of other people's hearts he was brought to tears. We offered to come and work on his house but he was plugging away himself and said there were others who needed the help more than him. When we got ready to pay the bill the waitress told us it was paid! By the gentleman we had been talking with! God is so good!

I had the opportunity to talk with our precious neighbor ladies this evening. They are mother and daughter and well, how shall I say this, the mother is one of the most fascinating women I know! We love them both so dearly and have taken care of them for the past 7 years! Our other neighbor, Shelley is one of the people who is taking care of our house and lawn and she has been kind enough to print these daily entries and takes them to my ladies! To all 3 of you, we love you dearly and miss you more than you know.

It is very late and exhaustion is setting in. Monty is outside talking with our Minnesota volunteers and trying to unwind at the same time. I know I will find myself in tears when these volunteers leave too. And for that---I would like to thank my mother for the gift of crying so easily! (she also has such a heart for others and I am proud (sorry for using that word Daddy) that she is my mom! Okay Daddy, I got more than a few wonderful traits from you, that shall remain nameless! I love you both and miss you so much!

Before I ramble on even more, God bless all of you and thank you for loving us enough to read these entries and for supporting us on this mission.

Love, Susan and Monty

PS. Kevin, it was really good to hear your voice this evening. We are so proud of you! 3 more months!!!!!

Sunburned on the 1st of March???

Surprise! We are showing 3 photos this evening!

The top one is me standing in front of what was a solid steel lighthouse along the coastline. You can see the concrete base next to me. The lighthouse was literally picked up off the foundation and moved about 50 yards and layed over in the field! The power it took to do this is beyond imagination!

The next photo is the crew from North Carolina that came to help. They were awesome. The 3 that came and helped us sort and organize all of the school supplies were a blessing beyond words! Two were women and where some people might have classed them as "unskilled" we do not believe there is any such thing! There is something for everyone and a place where God will use them to excel and bless the people as He wants to do! North Carolina, we thank you!

The next photo is our "babies". Bitty is the brown one, part Chihuahua and part MinPin. She is nearly 5 years old and quite the leader! Samson is a Chinese Crested Hairless. Yes, I said hairless! This was taken before we left home, thus the sweater. The only hair he has is on his head, end of his tail and tops of his feet! Okay---we admit---he is a freak but we love him dearly! He loves it here because he can go without his sweater and he is already getting darker due to the sun!

Monty spent the entire day underneath the truck working on dropping the transmission and replacing the clutch! There will be photos of this at another time, for sure! He did manage to get some extra help this afternoon. What a job this is! We want to thank Rick, Dudley and the Fagan men for their hard, greasy work, not to mention the great company that kept them laughing in what was not a funny situation! We had reached a point where it would not shift into gear and discovered this is what needed done! The next project will be finding out why our van doesn't run when wet! Monty has had just about enough of mechanical work! I must say I don't blame him! I will be taking the van to have the 2 front tires plugged tomorrow. The nails, bolts and screws around here are unending and unavoidable. Like I said, it's one vehicle problem after another but God will provide! Thankfully tomorrow is forecast to be another sunny day and highs in the high 70s.

Monty also loaded 145 sheets of sheetrock this evening. Another family that will be able to start the rebuilding process. He actually only got 100 sheets on their truck and will complete it tomorrow. He also has a separate load going out at 8:30 in the morning.

Tim and Sherry returned from their home town in Missouri today. They will be the ones we are working closely with in the relief efforts. They have been here since the first of December. They are also Childrens Crusaders and had a wonderful 2 weeks of crusades. God now has alot more children that accepted Him as their Saviour, the leaders of tomorrow and we are blessed by their choice! Great job, kids! We are happy to see Tim and Sherry and pray God's blessing on the 4 of us as we work together for a common goal! Praise the Lord!

Each Wednesday there is church at 7pm. This evening was awesome! Pastor Ken can really preach the word! At the end he called up all the volunteers and annointed us all and blessed us! It sure brought tears to my eyes and really touched my heart! It was as though he could actually see my heart and knew exactly why we are here. Thank you Pastor Ken, it's obvious that you understand and that means alot!

It is quite late this evening and we are both worn out. I will sign off until tomorrow! Oh yea, we heard from a gentleman in Ohio and they are planning on coming to volunteer in April. Each man will be bringing their son with them! How's that for a description of God's family!

Oh, about the sunburn title? We sure are closer to the sun here. I learned that it only takes a short time sitting in the sun doing my daily readings and low and behold, arms, face and neck turned bright red! And I am not fair complected!!

May God bless all of you. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We need prayer to hear and follow what God is directing us to do! And please pray that the mechanical "stuff" will be over soon!

Until tomorrow------we love you----Susan and Monty

Testing, Testing, 1,2, 3, testing

The photo of Monty unloading sheetrock was taken the day the driver donated his time to drive the load from Minnesota! Balancing all that weight is tough but Monty can make the forklift "dance" and it was all unloaded without a hitch! Our deepest thanks for the donation. It will go out very quickly and be appreciated by those fortunate enough to receive it. We have a load going out Thursday morning and again Saturday morning of this coming week.
The other photo was taken along the coastline. The size of the tree roots lifted completely out of the ground can be seen. It is massive! There are trees like this everywhere and anyone with a chainsaw can be busy until nearly forever! You can also see some of the trash that is everywhere you look! Anyone with a metal detector can also stay busy for years to come!
Today proved to be a day of testing. With both vehicles not working it can cause a "bit" of strain! Monty was under the engine of the truck all afternoon and after a couple of trips to get the proper tools he is ready to tackle the transmission and clutch tomorrow. Any prayers you send his way will be much appreciated!
Since it has been sunshine and dry the past couple of days the van chose to run today! Our "fair weather" friend! It will be the next thing on the repair agenda! Possibly a double dose of prayer?!
Monty took a trip over to Alabama to locate a source of doors. Alabama isn't all that far and I guess this is a good lead on doors, something else that is in desperate need! He also met and had lunch with a group of law enforcement guys. Good people to have on our side, for sure!
I took phone calls from people needing help getting all sorts of things done on their homes. One isn't even in the tear out stage yet! Still others are needing sheetrock, flooring and paint. Everyone is in a different stage of rebuilding. One lady called to say they lived on the coastline and originally their house had been condemed. That decision had somehow been reversed and now they needed all kinds of work done.
We take as much information on paper as possible and then they are required to sign a waiver stating that they are not responsible for the volunteers. They are then put on the list and we get to them as soon as we have the volunteers to do the work----see where all of you come in and how important you are!
I also got a call from a college somewhere in Virginia that want to send 55 college students the second week of March. They are going to spread them around different areas and wanted to know how many we could take. I told them I would let them know in a couple of days.
Yet another call came from a man in Ohio who has a group of fathers and sons that came back in January and all want to return sometime in April. What a wonderful father/son project and what an example to set for those needing help. They can do things such as sweeping a neighborhood cleaning yards, picking up limbs and sticks and planting flowers. Something that atleast has the appearance of normal springtime! Something anyone can do, skilled or unskilled, although both Monty and I have decided there is no such thing as unskilled labor! God has given us all different talents and abilities and challenged us to use them to His glory! Praise God!
Just about the time we were both on our last leg, so to speak, and past our dinner time we got a phone call from a gentleman on the church board here who wanted to meet us for dinner. Dinner consisted of Taco Bell and we decided he was an answer to prayer! God works through people so many times and in so many ways! His timing is always perfect! Thank you, Jake, for being an answer to prayer and for making us laugh and share!
I also found out that we are now located closer to the sun! I sat outside creating 2 letters late this morning and in the area of my V-neck shirt I now have a sunburn! And it's the last day of February!!!!
It's later than usual and I admit that I am tired.
Once again, we thank all of you who are reading and living this mission right along with us! It makes us feel not quite so far from home. Our Small Group Bible Study met at home this evening, the first one we have missed since the beginning nearly 18 months ago and it made us truly homesick for our "family". Thank you, family, for the prayers! You are missed and loved very much!
Until tomorrow (which is supposed to be near 80 and sunny) God bless you all!
And watch out for those "tests" as they have a way of popping up often!
Love to all of you! Susan and Monty.
PS. Samson also has a sunburn! He turned pink!!!!