Photo Night with Indiana & Alabama

Here is our day, in complete color, sweat and all! What a day it was! We had a record 7 jobs going on in one day and it was fantastic!

The first 2 photos are of our tilers, hot as they might have gotten they tiled away and made huge progress! Barbara made the 3 hour trip here to meet the gentleman and thank them for the work they are doing. She had them in tears, and they thought they were big tough guys! :) It's a God-thing! They even took time at the end of their day to go over to the Spanish Village and get started on getting power to one of the trailers! What a team!!!

The next 4 photos are of Pastor Watson's mother and father's house. The team was busy hanging sheetrock all day, once again in the intense heat! That really is sweat you see, not water that was poured on them. Stephen joined this team today and had the "fun" of working high and lifted up on the scaffolding to reach the peaks in the ceilings!

The next 4 are introducing you to Icy and Jerry's house. The team spent their day removing the kitchen cabinets, hanging sheetrock and painting the ceilings, only to find they needed to scrape the ceiling first! Go Girl Power!

The following 2 photos are at Julia and Oscar's house. This team of 3 tore out the remaining sheetrock in her laundry room, insulating it and rehanging sheetrock. Julia joined right in with them in painting her room a beautiful light yellow, the color that she said made her smile when she came into the room!

The final 4 photos are of Delores's and Tom's new "family". She can now use the new dryer the Colorado team bought for her, she needed electrical done and this team got it done! You can bet that Delores is washing and drying clothes this evening and hearing a new "music" in her ears! They also got her family room ceiling fan up, anything to make it a bit cooler!

As you can see, these 2 teams had an incredible day! Each person had a smile on their face, no matter how much sweat was combined with drywall dust, the joy of the Lord held fast in their hearts and nothing was about to take it from them! That joy carried into each one of the households they worked in and was clearly evident in the faces of the homeowners. Each of these volunteers has expanded their family and the same goes for the homeowners! Going around to each home, taking photos, it's such a joy and blessing to see the miracles happening each and every day! Every volunteer says the same thing, you have to be here to experience it!

So many of these volunteers already have plans to return. This is awesome!!!!! They have already spoken to their pastors at home and informed them that this relief effort if FAR from over and they want to come back! THIS is what it takes to rebuild lives!!! Committment, love, compasion and allowing God to work through each and every one of them!

We say a HUGE thank you to each of these team members, Indiana and Alabama equally!
We love you all and are humbled by your servant hearts! God had something special for each and every one of you here and I do believe you have found it! Praise be to God!!!!

Until tomorrow....which will be a full work day for all of us....Susan and Monty

Working for the Lord

First note to Jack of NJ team coming = bring any and all hand tools you can fit into your trip space. If you can bring power tools, pack them. Most likely you will be hanging sheetrock someplace. You can never bring enough tools so use your judgement based on the space you have. We look forward to having you here.

What a day this was! Our hometown Indiana team awoke raring to go. We took time to evaluate all of the 4 jobs they would be involved in and allow them to take some time to divide themselves into groups, according to talents. It didn't take long and they were all ready!

One group returned to Delores's house and we were amazed to see all of the work she and her family had been doing while we were away! She welcomed them with open arms and the tears started when she heard one of them was the electrician she so desperately needed. By the end of the day she had been out and bought a brand new air mattress for the gentleman and his son who are helping her, she heard they were sleeping on the carpeting and thought they needed more! Another of those blessings being returned to the volunteers.

Another group returned to Barbara's house. They continue with the laying of the tile flooring and final wall work in the closets. Barbara will be coming to town tomorrow just to meet this team and tell them just how much she appreciates them. Sounds like another blessing to me!

A third team went back to Stephens's house where they got busy hanging doors and sanding walls. It seems they all really hit it off and felt like family in the first day on the job, coincidence? not on your life!

The fourth group went to Pastor Watson's mother's house. She lived about 2 blocks from the water and lost the entire house. This group was also busy hanging sheetrock and seemed to have a blast, working in the heat with no air condition even!!!! Isn't it awesome how God supplies the energy to do His work!

Earlier this evening we welcomed the Alabama team. They are 7 women and 3 men! Go girls! I always love to see women coming to help! I always tell them there isn't anything a man can do that a woman can't also do! It might take us 2 hands instead of one or a bit longer but we can accomplish anything we set our minds to! They are anxious to get started tomorrow. Part of them will be returning to Julia's house to tear out her laundry room and hang new sheetrock. They will also be replacing the damaged area in her upstairs bedroom. The rest of them will be starting a new house, the home of Icy and Jerri. They will also be hanging sheetrock.

Monty and I feel so blessed to have both of these teams here. Coming to southern Mississippi in mid July isn't my idea of a vacation but these people have taken time from their lives and their families to come here and do whatever it is that they need to do to help these residents rebuild their homes and their lives! You don't get much more of a God thing than that!

We were also blessed to have past volunteers, Don, Maryanne and daughter Kaity stop in and visit with us this afternoon. What a joy it is so have them return, and to talk about organizing more teams to come back and do more work! This family was such a blessing to both of us and every life they touched while they were here. Thank you guys and we will be keeping you in our prayers as you prepare for the new adventure God is planning for your lives!

By tomorrow I hope to have photos of all the things going on. We have 6 different projects going on at the same time and balancing all of them successfully can get tricky but we know God is in control and He will bless each and every family represented, both those needing the help and those receiving. Please keep all of them in your prayers.

Until tomorrow....count your blessings....and hug your family....Susan and Monty

Meeting Day

Today was the kind of day that can refill you with renewed enthusiasm for not only what we are currently doing but for what is about to come! God is such an awesome God and always far exceeds what we think is the best that could happen.

We were blessed to attend a luncheon meeting this morning with a group of Assembly of God ministers at one of the local churches. The truck we unloaded last week was filled with furniture, and the gentleman responsible for that furniture came and spoke to us all today. It never ceases to amaze me how things start happening with God in control! This man, Pastor Steve, is from nearly 3,000 miles away, the state of Washington. He told how he wondered how he could be of help here, him being so far away. Never fail, God always has a plan. Through numerous connections and people he has managed to obtain literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture that will be shipped here to the coast and we can further bless those who have lost so much! There are casinos, condos and who knows who all involved, that redecorate every so often and they have agreed to send their "old" furnishings to Katrina victims. To hear the enthusiasm, the joy and the hope in Pastor Steve's voice, to see it on his face, is to be renewed ourselves. We are about to embark on another completely new adventure in rebuilding lives! It is, and continues to be, such a blessing to be called by God into this mission! Be sure and stay tuned as the blessings will no doubt continue to pour out all over the coast. We are on the cutting edge of history and God is out in front paving the way!

After the meeting we went with the heads of Convoy of Hope, Fory and Cindi, to get their trailer loaded up with floor tile for a church south of New Orleans. The tile has been released by Bethel Assembly and we thank them for such a wonderful gift. I didn't think you could go 2 hours south of New Orleans but I was wrong, Katrina sure did so that means we can too!

As I write this we are awaiting the arrival of our team from our home town, Bloomington, Indiana. They should be getting close and we pray for their continued safety. They have had a very long day and are probably getting tired about now. Please keep them in your prayers this week as they continue to issue heat warnings for here, the temps and the humidity continue to climb daily! We thank The Life Church for sending us the volunteers we so desperately need.

Speaking of teams, this was a main focus at the meeting today. The teams have slowed considerably and without them we cannot get the work done. There is no way to state it other than as a fact. WE NEED YOU! We need volunteers to get a renewed sense of urgency to realize the devastation is still all around us. I realize that there is alot going on in the world right now, the Israel things and such. But THIS is here, in our backyards, and we need to continue to remember what is still happening here. Please, consider coming to help or mentioning it to others who might be able to come. Try mentioning it at your church and see if you could organize something. You'll never know until you try! Just remember that Jesus tells us that when we help others we are helping Him!

We thank you for supporting us with your prayers and thoughts. YOU are what makes this mission possible!

Tomorrow will prove to be an awesome day, new teams spreading out over 4 different jobs, new photos to be taken and more people to bless. Be sure and stay tuned, tell others about this blog so they can come along with us. Spread the word! God is love and love is pouring out all over the coast!

Until tomorrow....keep cool....and pray for all of us and the families we are helping!
Susan and Monty

Good news day

WOW -- a day filled with good news.

First, our dear friends from home, Jeff and Karin are engaged! All I can say to both of you is "yeah, it's about time!" We love you both and are so glad God saw fit to bring the two of you together. Have a great time in Costa Rico! May God bless and keep you both!

Second, our new friends from North Carolina, the cooks "Don and Maryanne and daughter Kaity" are heading this way Thursday morning and might be stopping in to see us! We are really excited to see them. We pray blessings on their trip. Hey guys, just call us when you are close and we'll be sure and be here!

Monty, Diane and Stephen worked the entire day at Stephen's house. It looks as though Stephen just might have his room back to looking like a room again. Bless his heart as he and his parents work late into the night every night but it is paying off and things are improving day by day. He now has a door on his room and might just have paint on the walls tonight? We are anxious to get their house close to being done so Stephen can continue his volunteering in the homes of others for the rest of his college summer break.

I can't imagine what our teams would look like if one person from each home that has already been rebuilt would join us for a day or so, just to give back a small portion of what they received. Our teams would be bursting at the seams!

I went back to visit Julia this afternoon to see how she and her family are doing and see if they are ready for the next group of volunteers to come in Friday morning. Boy oh boy have they been busy! They managed to tear out all of the paneling and insulation in the kitchen and family room and take out the bar area in the kitchen! I left her with a list of things she needs to have to be ready for the next team and she was on her way! I think she was in a hurry because the central air in the house has quit working and she was a bit warm! :) She said to be sure and tell the "Sarge" hello! She has not been able to find Sarge's address so if you are reading this, please contact Julia and give her the contact info --- again!

They have actually been issuing heat warnings for here the past couple of days. About a week late for me but I understand them quite well now! I feel much better this evening and have been doing fine with solid foods. I just have no desire to return to the warehouse anytime soon!

As I mentioned last night, please keep our home church in your prayers as they leave early tomorrow morning for their mission trip to Costa Rico.

Also, a very special prayer request for Dane and his family. I spoke with him today and his contractors are behind schedule, as usual. But his wife's caretaker fell a couple of days ago and cut her head, requiring stitches. She also has not been able to recover from the disc injury to her back and will be undergoing back surgery tomorrow morning. Dane will be taking her to the hospital and as you can imagine, he is feeling a bit overwhelmed, again! Remember that his wife is totally bedridden with Alzheimers disease and requires full time care. This family has more than their share of burden, let alone the fact that he is trying to rebuild their home. Also remember that if you know of anyone who could come up with an elevator to donate for their home please comment at the end of the blog and let me know. If you remember, Dane's house was required to be elevated nearly 20' in the air after the hurricane, due to new flood codes in the city. Please keep this entire family in your prayers!

It's time for my evening to come to a close so until tomorrow.....we love you! Susan and Monty

Calm Monday

Okay, I did watch the Brad Pitt in New Orleans this morning and really thought he had some great points and was just about to be thrilled that we are back in the news when the news media did just what Brad asked them not to do ... they made it all about him! I was truly disappointed and can only hope that part 2 tomorrow morning will be more about the situation than him as a celebrity and new father.

Mondays are usually quite hectic as we are usually getting a new team on the road. But since our teams are not arriving until mid week today was very smooth. Monty was busy most of the day getting some much needed repair work done on our van. We were referred to a reputable mechanic who found a couple more things needing repair than we knew about. Fortunately he was able to repair them and not cost us both arms and a leg. God is amazing, even when it comes to mechanical things! :)

Diane and Stephen returned to Stephen's house to continue hanging drywall, priming and preparing to paint. They took a couple of detours to look at some flooring possiblities but no decisions as yet. They have plenty of time as the flooring will be the very last thing done. The house is really coming together, amazing what some real walls can do for a place! In another few days it should be ready to paint and then be in waiting for the cabinets to come in and be installed.

We heard from both of our incoming teams, Indiana and Alabama, and all is on schedule. They are all excited and ready to go and we are ready to welcome them. We did issue sort of a "warning" though....the heat here needs to be addressed and people need to plan accordingly. The fast and furious pace is not the pace we will be going. You all know I am speaking from first hand experience and do not want anyone to go through what I did. We will be slowing down just a bit but none the less accomplishing miracles! Please keep these teams in your prayers for safe travel and good health.

I would also ask for prayers for our home church, The Vineyard. A team of 10 will be leaving very early Wednesday morning for a mission trip to Costa Rico. For some of them, including the pastor's wife (Lisa) this will be their first trip and they are a bit on the nervous side! They, and we, would appreciate all the prayers you can send their way! We love you all and send our blessings along with you for a blessing filled trip!

Until tomorrow....God bless and protect each and every one of you....Susan and Monty
PS. To Don and MaryAnn ---- we hear you are heading this direction and would LOVE to see you if you have the chance to stop by!!! Love you both!!!!

Thank you Pedialite

Thanks to Pedialite, by the quarts, I think I am on the mend and have lived to learn a very valuable lesson! Thanks to all of you who have kept me in your prayers, I appreciate them more than you know.

Please allow me to be a week late in introducing the newest homeowners that we are working with. Welcome John, wife Brenda and their son Stephen, who is now our new all-summer volunteer. These photos show what someones home looks like when the water level was below the 4' line and they were only required to tear out their walls at the 48" mark. You have rooms with no walls, bedrooms with no separations for privacy and alot of attempting to match the sheetrock with what is already there. Mom Brenda has been scraping and scraping trying to get the upper walls prepared. Thanks to a blessing from our Camp Hope people we were able to provide the family with new doors, something they had been saving to do before the storm and thought that it would be impossible to do now.

Monty, Diane, Bobby and Stephen worked in their home all last week and the work will continue this week. The doors are ready to be installed and the taping and mudding of the walls is coming along fine, thanks to the work of the family, even throughout the weekend! You see, when you live in the home while the rebuilding is going on you are never away from it, it consumes your life and after over 10 months this family needs some joy and fun in their weekends, not rebuilding!

Our new incoming volunteers will start arriving this Wednesday night and this home will be one of the ones they will be working in. The Wednesday night team is one Monty and I are looking forward to hosting as they are from a church in our hometown. We pray blessings on them as they prepare for the trip and for safe travel here.

The next team this week will arrive Thursday and are coming from Alabama. It's not that far away yet they, like everyone else, take time from their own lives to come and help others. The heart of a servant is an amazing thing!

On this mornings news they were talking about the Today Show that will air tomorrow morning. It seems Brad Pitt made a trip to New Orleans and is appalled at the way nothing has been done to date! Maybe it will take the celebrities to get on board to raise the awareness levels and spur some people into reality! Atleast with the celebraties we are assured it will be back in the news, and that's a start! Oprah is also planning another show about Katrina and like I said, atleast it will bring it back into the news and people will see the reality, the devastation, the loss of life and lives!

This weekend we had another meeting with our Convoy of Hope leaders, Fory and Cindi. They paid us a visit and I was telling them how we have been getting requests for help in Slidell, Louisianna. When I asked about a relief effort there they told me to call a Baptist church there as there just aren't enough relief efforts set up there to date! You cannot set up relief efforts when you have no building to house them in, no way to feed them, no way to get water to them, no place for them to get gasoline, no place for them to use the bathrooms.... you get the picture! And people are calling us! The one call is for a 90 year old widow woman whose house hasn't even been torn out yet! Now I know you aren't here and maybe you haven't seen the photos, but you can imagine in your mind what it would look like if your home flooded and you didn't touch it for over 10 months, black mold would be .... well.... picture it for yourself and then ask yourself just where would you start....and what if you were 90 years old? Get the picture? Could you turn your head and say, "sorry, we don't have anyone to help you!"

Please take these thought to prayer and find a way you can help in this effort. There IS a way, you just need to see what works best for you. If you can, watch the news tomorrow. I don't know what it will tell or show, but it will tell and show something!!! Please.....we beg you....pray for the people here, for us and for a way that you can become an active part in the rebuilding of lives. God bless you!

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

Really Sick

My apologies to everyone for being away from the blog for so many days. I have been really, really sick and just couldn't do it.

These 2 photos explain what started it all. This semi truck came in, loaded all different kinds of materials donated to our rebuilding efforts. It was an awesome donation and will be one that will bless the lives of so many people. BUT, we were unloading for over 5 hours inside of a warehouse. Most of the unloadind had to be done by hand and the temps outside were nearing 100 so you can imagine just how hot it was inside the warehouse and the truck trailer! I doubt if you really can imagine unless you were there but we estimate between 125 and 150 degrees. No amount of water could be kept inside your body. I am not a big person and every drop I had was gone. By the time we were done I was already sick to my stomach and knew I might be in trouble. Right I was!

By that evening I could barely make it and food was the last thing I wanted. By Wednesday afternoon I was in trouble. We ended up in the ER at the local hospital and they pumped me with IV fluids, after 4 tries!

Yesterday proved to be no better, actually worse. We returned to the ER and after xrays, blood work, more fluids and meds to stop the fluids from "leaving" from both ends I think I just might live today. It seems I also contracted a virus on top of heat exhaustion! Not a good combo at all~ Tomorrow could be a big day --- I just might be able to handle Jello!

So I am sorry I have not been blogging but should be back from today on.

We did say goodbye to Bobby from Virginia this morning and pray his next 2 days of traveling home will be safe. Tomorrow I will have photos of where he, Diane, Monty and Stephen have been working all week.

Thank all of you who called to say you were praying for me. You don't know how much it means!

Love to all and until tomorrow.....Susan and Monty

Monday....Monday

Our team of 3 were quite busy today! Mondays are always the day when everyone is busy "getting their feet wet" and adjusting to the new job they are beginning.

Today they were working in John and Brenda's home. Their son, Steven, joined us for devotions this morning and will be working with us not only in his parents home but for the entire summer, until it is time to return to college. We hear he carries a 4.0 grade average so it looks like we have a smart one along for the summer!

As I said the other day, John and Brenda only had to tear out their sheetrock 48" up and today was filled with recutting new sheetrock, installing the insulation and trying as best as possible to match the new sheetrock with the old. This can be a really tough job because you are leaving a seam nearly at eye level and the margin for error becomes much smaller. Monty worked with them all day and everyone was adjusting to what needed to be done and how it was going to get done. They did get started with the taping and mudding in one of the bedrooms and are working at a good pace. Both John and Brenda are right in there helping and that makes a world of difference having the homeowner on site helping.

Steven was telling us this morning that in one of the homes in their subdivision 5 people died in the flooding. They are next to a bayou and thus the reason they flooded so far from the bay waters. There are still homes in this neighborhood with the FEMA blue tarps on the roofs awaiting insurance claims!

The news this evening had a special report on the insurance here in this area. These people were not in a flood plain prior to the storm. The insurance companies have covered the damages to their roofs but say the rest is due to flood waters and they have no coverage for that. The flooding was caused by the hurricane but the adjusters don't seem to look at it that way so there are thousands of people who are just plain out of luck, not to mention out of money! The news had no resolution, just stated the facts and interviewed an insurance adjuster who held fast to the original ruling. He said to change things at this stage in the game would be a nightmare. Wonder what he thinks the people are living through right now!??

We received a surprise in the mail today. Some of our worship team at our home church got together and wrote songs and made a CD. They decided to do this for us and for a couple who are doing missions in Guatamala. The proceeds from the sales will be divided between us and them! We are so humbled that they would do this for us and are so thankful that they did! We received a copy in the mail today and it is AWESOME!!!! We want to say thank you to all of those involved and ask God to send special blessings to them for their unselfish service. We love you guys!!

I want to also offer a very special thank you to 3 women from North Carolina. One of them came here to volunteer with the group a couple of weeks ago. Andrea C. went home and stirred the hearts of some of her friends and I just want to send a heartfelt thank you to each of you, Andrea, Pamela and Brooke----your gift was awesome and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Come see us sometime!

Today I talked with yet another couple requesting help. She just had surgery for cancer and he is completely disabled. They only received insurance funds for the damage to their roof but are reapplying hoping something will change. In the meantime they have both been so sick they can't even get the furniture and small belongings out of their home in order to make room for us to come in and start the rebuilding. Monty and I will be going to look at their home later this week and see if we can get some volunteers there to help them pack and move some things. THIS is where the women volunteers are such a blessing. For all of you women who think you can't do construction so there is no need for you to come, think again! This kind of need is all around us and women are wonderful for just this kind of need! Not to mention ministering to both of these people in such a time of need!

We thank all of you for reading our journal and keeping up with what is happening here on the coast. YOU are the ones who realize this relief effort is NOT over and these people still need our help in a desperate way! Please keep them in your prayers!

Until tomorrow...which begins with a Convoy of Hope delivery first thing in the morning...stay tuned to see what is in the delivery....we love you all.....Susan and Monty

What a message

Today was one of those "profound" days, atleast for me anyway.

You know how sometimes you can almost hear the audible voice of God in your ear, and it's not so silent! In church this morning that is just what I heard.

Church was awesome! It was both baptism and communion, profound enough in themselves. But the message from Pastor Rick really struck a cord with me and has been with me the entire day.

He spoke on the 7 steps to a peaceful life; wouldn't we all love that kind of life, the sometimes seemingly unattainable! I want to run through each one in short version as it is my prayer that someone out there will be touched as much as I was. All of it is based on Romans 12:16-21

1. live in harmony with others
he challenged us to go after resolution aggressively! Kind of like a pitbull on a porkchop - he will not let go! Don't walk away without resolution, no matter how long it takes.

2. be humble
our pride causes our ears to stop listening. We have to stoop low to rise above. God promises that we will be exaulted.

3. be positive
we all know it is way too easy to see the negative in someone else, to focus on what they don't do rather than on what they do do. We are to encourage each other and focus on their strengths.

4. be peaceable
we should "cut the crap" (pardon the language) and get to solving the problem. Don't wait for the other person to make the move, it depends on us! The Bible says "blessed are the peacemakers..."

5. be forgiving
let the other person, the one who hurt us, know that they owe us nothing, they are forgiven. After all, didn't Jesus forgive us from things that we have done that are much worse?

6. be aggravating
(this took some definition for me)
the old saying "kill them with kindness" really does work. Bake a cake for the person who hurt you and see what happens, you'll be surprised.

7. be strong
overcome evil with good, now that takes strength. Be determined to live in harmony with others, no matter what it costs us!

Psalm 133 says the Lord commands His blessings to those who live in harmony with others. I don't know about you but I sure would enjoy the Lord's blessings in my life!

The greatest annointing comes to us when we are at our lowest level. We should all be fighting for the lowest position, the one of the lowest service, rather than our usual climbing the ladder to the top.

This entire lesson really hit home with me and I pray it does the same for some of you. Living in harmony with others sounds all easy but think about it --- it's one of the toughest things we do and we are challenged by it numerous times each day. It's not easy to be kind to the person who hurt us so deeply, it's not easy to overlook those seemingly little annoyances from our spouse, especially when we must overlook them day after day after day. But let's all try to focus on the positive things in each other, the good things. We may have to look a bit deeper in some people or on some days but let's atleast make a vow to ourselves that we will try!!! That's half the battle right there!

By mid afternoon our volunteer who drove all the way from Virginia by himself arrived for his week of working with us. It took him 2 days and a wrong turn landing him someplace called Pineapple, Alabama but he made it! We look forward to having him with us this week. He, Diane and Steven will be a team for the week and tomorrow we will begin a new house, Steven's house. Steven wants to volunteer with us for the summer while he is off of college and we thought starting at his and his mother's house would be awesome. They will be putting insulation in the walls and hanging sheetrock. Steven and his mother were some of the more fortunate ones, they only had to tear out their sheetrock on the bottom half of all the walls. Now will come the challenge of matching the new with the old. With any luck they should be able to complete the hanging, finishing and hopefully the priming and painting this week. Keep them in your prayers.

I thank you for coming along on this journey with Monty and I. We are so blessed to be working in this relief effort and even more blessed to have you keeping us in your prayers. Be sure and stay tuned as this will, no doubt, be a blessed week with many surprises. Every week is!!

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

PS. Thanks Stacy, it was nice talking to you today! I love you!

Free indeed

Sunset!

Our Saturday morning started with an "emergency" voice mail from Ms. Alma Sue, again! The only thing we got was that her front door would not close, it was off the hinges and she lived where frogs, lizards and snakes would come in. Diane hopped in with us and away we went to see what the problem really was. Ms. Alma wasn't kidding when she said it was off the hinges AND that critters would come in. As the real story came out she told us she had "run into" the door with her electric wheelchair cart this morning. As for the critters, the fiddler crabs were having their own party, inside her house! She lives near a bayou and the little things have no problem navigating their way up to and inside of her house. They are quick little creatures who aren't happy when someone like me comes along side of them and tries to get them to run out of the house! One in particular stood up on his back legs and snapped his little claws at me(as if that would help?). We got her door back on it's hinges and with the 4" nails Monty used I doubt if she will be able to knock it off again! It is truly a sad case as she is unable to drive due to cataracts and is so very lonely living alone. She asked us today if we knew of anyone who would come and share her house with her as she has an extra bedroom. If only we did!

This afternoon was quite a treat for us. We had the pleasure of meeting Jim, the gentleman who orchestrates a fantastic relief effort sort of behind the scenes for us. His efforts make it possible for us to do some of the things we do and we are so thankful for the opportunity to finally meet him. He brought along his daughter and sister. His sister, Jean lived in Bay St. Louis and she and her husband lost everything, including their house. They had absolutely nothing to come home to. They went to a hotel 2 miles inland, thinking they would be perfectly safe as no storm had ever come inland that far. Wrong! They ended up stranded in their second floor room for the next 5 days with no food or water or power. Jean was telling us that the water surge was over 30 foot high and the wave itself was over 15 foot high, combined with winds of over 140 mph thus the reason they lost everything! It was so interesting to hear her speak of what happened then and what has been happening ever since. She praised the Lord for His hand in everything, taking what surely the devil meant for harm and has turned it into blessings. She praised the volunteers for everything they have done and continue to do. She affirmed what we have been saying for a long time, this will take years to rebuild and that no government is set up to handle this type of disaster - and that it's about time people stepped up and did what God has called us to do, help others! She also made a statement that I found profound --- she said that when she realized that every single thing they had, including their house, was gone - she felt a sense of "freedom"! She felt free of the "things" that everyone feels they must have, especially in our society today. We all are pressured into thinking we must have the lastest, greatest and newest "thing" out there; that what we do have isn't good enough or we have to have more and more and more until the definition between need and want is gone. I just found that thought, of freedom, to be wonderful! It is one I will be thinking about for quite some time! I hope it will provoke some thought in you also....want verses need....we really do need so little!

We enjoyed a wonderful lunch, thank you Jean, and then returned to the church here so they could all see how the relief operation runs from this location. Time just seemed to fly by and before you know it hours had passed and they needed to head on down the road.

Jean and her husband have since moved and purchased a house in Pass Christian, very close by her brother and his family. He (John) had alot of damage to their home but are in the process of rebuilding and getting close to completion. Jean and her husband are beginning to feel "at home" again and she wanted to know if there was anything she could do for us?! God bless her heart! Monty and I will be making a trip to visit them as soon as time allows and realize that our family just grew ---- again! God and His relationships ---- isn't He awesome!!!

We want to thank Jim and Camp Hope for the help they are sending to the coast. It takes all kinds of relief efforts to do this rebuilding of homes and lives and Camp Hope is making that alot more possible for us --- THANK YOU to all of you! God will reward your giving hearts!

Tomorrow is our opportunity to attend our church and thank and praise the Lord for all He has done for all of us. It is our prayer that you have a home church and will be there tomorrow. If you do not have one, find one! Find one NOW! God has big plans for all of us, one of the most important is to be in relationship with Him and with other Christians. Don't miss out on what He has planned for you and yours!

Until tomorrow ... we thank God for calling us into this relief effort and we thank you for keeping us in your prayers. Susan and Monty

It didn't rain!

I found myself missing them today, Kim and Elmer. It's at the end of a week where I usually get tired and that is when I miss family and friends.

After all of the rain over the past couple of days it finally stopped today and allowed me to catch up with laundry. It piles up quickly when everything is wet and we have no room in the trailer for anything to pile up! :)

We wrapped up most of the organizing and it looks sooooo much better than what it did and you can really find something when you need it. And we have everything in "dry" areas. This church is in what used to be a grocery store and the roof has "special" places where the water pours in. We know where to place the buckets but over the past couple of days we had to add a couple more. Placing things strategically is a must if you want to keep it. Just entering and exiting the backdoor takes athleticism. There is no guttering over the door and the roof is flat so "when it rains it pours" takes on a whole new meaning and one can be showered to the bone in a matter of seconds!

I want to send out a special thank you this evening. This goes to Steve and Carol, the couple who ran the relief effort up until the end of May when they went back home to Wisconsin and Monty and I relocated here. They sent us a wonderful card and note today and I just want them to know how much they touched my heart! We love you guys and miss you something awful but also know you are moving on to whatever God has in store for you! Lady Di also sends her love and thanks!

Tomorrow we start preparations for our next volunteers. It's just another work day for us. It is amazing to me how the days have no names and the weeks just seem to fly by!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend. Spend some time with your families, love on them and use tomorrow to prepare for church on Sunday morning. Praise and thank the Lord for your life!

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

Preparing for the outreach

Can you make heads or tails of this? This is what used to be someones "things", their life. This is what happens when it all becomes trash piled up next to the street for the disaster relief trash trucks to come and take it away. The land fill gets higher and higher each day! More and more people are left with only this pile after the storm. And this isn't even the big stuff, the appliances and larger furniture. Where's the beds, dresser, table, couch, chairs, everything we are so used to having and take for granted?! Thank God you are able to bring up this site on your computer, that you have a computer and the chair you are sitting in to read this! Don't take your blessings for granted.

Today we had the joy of having breakfast with Pastors Rick and Vickey. Even though it came another gully washer and we were drenched just getting to their car we had a wonderful visit and the time to get to know each other a bit better. We thank them for all they are doing to welcome us and for their hearts of love and outreach into this community. We pray God will continue to bring in the lost to The Refuge where they will find a home and get to know Jesus!

Diane drove one of the church members to the Air Force Base, in the city next to us. She is elderly and unable to see well enough to drive so Diane took her to her doctor's appointment. Just another of the ways volunteers can help! No special skills required, just the desire to help.

After all of us got back we started in on the organization once again. Boy oh Boy did we make visible progress today! The 30 yard dumpster in the back is mounding up. We got through all of the things, the toys, towels, books, food, drinks and anything else that was back there. We are getting things ready for the outreach that The Refuge will be having on Saturday, August 5th. There will be so many happening things that day, gifts everywhere, food pantry items and who knows what all. It will be a fantastic day of blessing the community. There will be service booths set up for local relief agencies and Monty and I will be manning the Convoy of Hope booth. Pastor Rick said at the last one they had (the day before Easter) over 1500 people came through! Now that's an outreach! We are really looking forward to being a part of it and representing Convoy!

This evening we were still organizing and were able to move into the tool room. That room has a tendency to really become a mess. Volunteers in and out during the week needing this and that. Trying to keep some sense about it is tough but we made tremendous progress this evening and it really looks like we could find what we need. What a thought! It is so important for us to keep track of tools. It might look like we have quite alot of them but when you have them spread out over who knows how many worksites they can easily be lost. Even if we loose the small stuff it takes funds to replace it, funds that should be used to rebuild, not replace. It is a special blessing when teams come down and bring their own tools and even greater yet when they purchase things while they are here and then leave them to donate to the effort!

As I have said before, there are just so many ways for people to get involved with the relief efforts. Coming here to volunteer is the best but when that isn't possible there are many other ways to help. Sending tools, or making it possible for us to purchase them is one way. Helping those who are coming to volunteer is another way. Search your hearts and listen for God's direction in how He wants you to become an active part. You have seen the photos, you have read the stories of the families we have been helping, now see where you fit into the rebuilding of lives and homes.

Thank you for reading and for keeping us in your prayers. Without you and those prayers we would not be able to continue the calling God has placed on our lives.

Blessings to all of you and until tomorrow.....Susan and Monty

It poured all day long!

Yes, it is very real!!!! It must be the biggest grasshopper I have ever seen in my life! And she didn't hesitate to pick it up and hold it, and do her fare share of scaring the rest of the girls with it! They sure do grow their bugs big down here!

It has poured rain all day, the first all day rain since we have been here. They talked about the monsoons and now I believe them. We are nearly 18 inches below the average rainfall so this is welcomed by all. It made for an excellent day to work inside.

And work inside is just what we did all day. We all dove into the back warehouse space we have here in the church and went through boxes and boxes and then more boxes of things that just needed organized. Monty and I made a trip to Lowes and picked up some shelving which really helped us get things out and where they need to be. We are still handing out food to those who come in and request it along with numerous health and beauty supplies.

We are starting to get things ready for the big outreach Saturday coming up here outside the church. There will be games and all sorts of things going on all day. It will be so much fun and all of the things in the back room needed to be gotten ready. We are not done and will continue working tomorrow but managed to make a huge dent in things today.

I have a special notice for Elmer --- we found your bag of money and will be sending it to you soon! :)

We were so thrilled to have Anita and her family from the Spanish Village come for a visit this afternoon. She has family visiting and she wanted them to come here, see the church where they have been coming and meet Diane who has spent so much time over there helping them get rebuilt. Pastor Rick made sure all of the children left with a stuffed animal to take home with them!

Today was one of those days that we have so desperately needed, one that we don't get very often. We need time to get and keep things organized as they can get out of hand so easily. We are so thankful for today and for the rain that kept us inside. As usual, God and His perfect timing!

Thank you again for all of your prayers. We also want to thank those of you who have been praying for Monty's step father, Tony. We spoke with his mother today and the doctors discovered Tony has blood pressure and sugar problems and he has a hernia. All of which are very treatable and we are so thankful it wasn't anything worse.

Please continue to pray for us and for all of the relief efforts that are going on all along the coast. Pray for a hedge of protection around everyone and for strength and peace for those families who are trying to rebuild their lives.

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

4th of July celebrations

Since my photos are backwards I guess I'll run through the day that way also!

The top 2 photos were taken this evening at the cookout we went to with a large group of families from our church here, The Refuge. The kids spent nearly all of their time in the trampoline arena and surprisingly with no accidents. We had enough food for a small army and it was delicious. I feel as though I have eaten enough to last me for a week but somehow know that by morning I'll be ready to eat again! It was nice to be in the company of so many people from church and get to know them a bit better. After the meal we packed in as many vehicles as possible and headed the couple of blocks to the beach to watch the fireworks. It was an amazing sight to watch them being set off over the water with the moonlight also bouncing off the small waves.

This morning we took off for Billy Joe Johnson's 97 foot houseboat on the Pascagoula river for a wonderful lunch. All of the Teen Challenge girls were there and you can see by the photos it was quite a large group of people! The girls spend every holiday at Billy Joe's and it's no wonder. You can see by the spread on the bar area that it was a feast! We had gar creole (gar is a fish), butter beans with sausage, fried catfish, smoked chicken, hushpuppies and all the usual fixins. Like I said, I should be full for a week! We watched the people going up and down the river in their pontoons, jetskis and bass boats. The river was the place to be on a day as hot and humid as today was.

Oh yeah --- the lady in the green shirt --- "single Christian lady..." :)
She is one of the leaders at Teen Challenge and has dedicated herself to helping these girls get a chance at a real life! She enjoys what she is doing and is such a joy to be around. (she'll flip to see I actually printed her words).

All in all it was a great day to celebrate our freedom. It was a holiday that I will never forget as I have never spent one like this. It was a fun day and we feel blessed to have been included in these peoples' family parties. It helps us when we think about our families back home and missing them on days like today.

It's just so awesome to realize the religious freedoms we have here and that we too often take for granted. It should be something we stop and celebrate more than just one day a year.

We thank these families and our families at home. We love you all!

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

Unwinding

Empty tombs, bodies nowhere to be found. Houses found in places they shouldn't be found. Both in and near New Orleans. Both impossible to "fix".

I didn't know just how tired I was until I started to unwind a bit today. Last week I was sick each day with sinus who knows what. Combine that with working nearly 17 hour days for weeks on end and it does catch up with you, or atleast it has with me. Both Monty and I have decided to catch up on some much needed "down time" this week with it being a holiday and we don't have volunteers. I just didn't realize how long we have been going at this pace and how it will take some time to re-energize and recooperate in preparation for the upcoming teams the rest of this month.

The entire city seemed a bit calmer today also. Not as much traffic on the streets with alot of the businesses closed today for tomorrows holiday.

There may not be alot of "excitement" with this weeks blog entries but there will be daily entries to keep you up with what is happening.

I did talk with Delores today and her family is here for the holiday. Guess what she has them doing --- they are mudding and taping and sanding her walls! How's that for a holiday? I bet she isn't the only one who will be spending their holiday working. She said to say hello to the teams for her and that she loves all of you!

We will be going to 2 holiday get togethers tomorrow and feel blessed to be invited to both. When you are away from home with family and friends, especially on holidays, it's nice to be included with other peoples families. Be sure and stay tuned to hear about them. It should be a fun day!

Hope all of you have a wonderful holiday and also remember that our freedom came at a cost, not only our physical freedom but more importantly our spiritual freedom. Thanks to Jesus who paid the price for us we are truly FREE!!!

God bless America! Susan and Monty

Pictorial of New Orleans

This is what East New Orleans looks like, 10 months after hurricane Katrina. THIS is what you see EVERYWHERE you look! Not one building is left undamaged, not one! The water slammed cars into campers into boats into houses. In the one photo you will see a white spot on the roof, that is someones side by side refrigerator/freezer. If you will click on the blue house you will see the painting on it, it's for sale for $47,000.

The only thing cleaned up are the streets, and those were done by dozers only. Nothing has been touched with the houses or businesses. The trash is piled higher than the roofs of the houses. Windows are all blown out, doors pushed in and piles and piles of what used to be household belongings are either strewn into the streets or piled inside the homes covered with black mold. The smell of the mold while driving through is quite strong. In some homes you can see their clothing in piles. In others there is nothing left.

Every single business has been looted clean, nothing left anywhere. There was not one gas station open, one restaurant, one bank, one church, one grocery store, one pharmacy, one anything! There is no place to get water, food or any necessities. There were very few people in the streets, a few trying to clean up things but nothing to clean with. The only thing that will clean up anything is a bulldozer. The other people were just aimlessly walking around the streets.

Under the overpass you see the vehicles. The ones they have pulled from the rubble are lined up there. There is no place to go with them so they just piled them there. New, old - it made no difference. There are camper trailers along side of the road, 4 piled together, not one salvagable.

We didn't even take photos as we drove through the 9th ward. The military is still patroling and we went through quickly. After awhile the photos are even too much. There are cemetaries where the bodies were unearthed and are now missing.

It's no wonder relief efforts are not inside the city as yet, you can't send in relief if you have nowhere to house them, no church, no warehouse, no anyplace they can lay their heads. There isn't even power in most places. You cannot bring in volunteers if they have no way to get food or water or noplace to even use the restroom. Not to mention the safety factor. There have been over 18 murders there in the past couple of weeks!

And it's been 10 months! And people think it should be okay by now. I'd like to know the definition of "okay" if this is okay!

Before Convoy of Hope relocated us from Pascagoula to Gautier there was some thoughts of sending us closer to New Orleans. But they just aren't ready yet. They will be, someday, and when they are ready so will we be ready!

As I said last night, the only thing that kept going through my mind as we drove through was I wanted to get out and somehow start helping. My heart was breaking and at the same time God was speaking to me, telling me that we are following His calling on our lives and that there is so much to be done!

There was such a "death" feeling as we went through. I didn't see animals and only a few people. The plants are all gone, the big trees dead from being in too much water. No flowers, no landscaping in the subdivisions, no anything "live". I have never experienced that feeling before and didn't like it one bit! God brought us into this world to experience joy, His joy, and there is no joy anywhere around there! But God also brought us into this world to be His servants, to help His people, to help OUR people! The opportunities to serve will only grow and grow.

Most of this is out of the news by now. We hear a bit about it every now and then but the "newness" is gone. It's old news now and people only want to hear the new stuff!

I'll get on my "soapbox" once again and preach this message until I can't preach it anymore! We need YOU to help the coast rebuild their homes and more importantly, their lives! If you are not here, if you have not been here, you CANNOT fully grasp the depth of this destruction! But you can pray, you can do what you can do! EVERYONE can do SOMETHING! Nothing is too small. No one is unskilled. I beg of you to pray and search your hearts and find a way you can help. Find a way!!!!!!

Today is supposed to be a day of rest but I must be honest with you. Ever since we went and we saw what we saw I have not been able to rest! It stirs me to the depth of my soul and only wish I could use something more than a few photos and a few words to help you to understand! But that is all I have and I pray both will touch your hearts and you will know what you can do to help.

Thank you for caring, for caring enough to keep reading my heartfelt journal, for keeping us in your prayers. This job is not easy, but God did not promise easy! What He did promise is that He would be with us always and that is the prayer we need. Satan has been really tough on us today. Monty awoke to find a flat tire on the van. It had a 4" bolt, yes, a bolt, jammed in it along with 2 nails. It was really beyond repair but the men at Walmart took pity and did the best patch job they could. We need 4 new tires but that isn't in the budget so we look for God to provide in His always perfect timing. I awoke to find the closet where I keep my clothes to be literally infested with ants. They had made their way into my box of bathroom etcs and were imbedded in my toothbrush and covering the toothpaste tube. After alot of cleaning and spray they now are gone. These are the depths that Satan will go to when trying to stop us from doing God's will! he has no boundaries and we are constantly hit from all sides. We NEED your prayers and thank you for holding us up!

This is a holiday week and therefore we have no volunteers scheduled. This means there will be a halt to the work we have been doing in the homes. The homeowners understand this and look forward to when help returns.

Thank you again for all of your support. We love you and miss all of you!

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me."

Susan and Monty

Goodbye Colorado

Due to the late hour last night (this morning) this blog will cover both yesterday and today. Very early this morning we bid farewell to our Colorado team. They worked late into the evening yesterday and you can see the results in Barbara's house in these photos.

The first photo is the unloading of our 300 sheets of sheetrock into our new warehouse facility, thanks to Brother Watson.

The next photo is an awesome group photo of not only the Colorado team but also our friends from home with Monty, Diane and I. Thanks to Cole for taking the photo!

You can see the wonderful cross inlaid in the tile surrounding Barbara's bathtub. Monty came up with the pattern and thanks to our expert tile layer it turned out great. Barbara has not seen it yet and I know this photo will surprise her (she reads the blog daily).

You can also see the tile flooring being installed. The entire house will be done in this flooring, thanks to Barbara's home church, Bethel Assembly and Pastor Tim's donation.

Sanding away in her kitchen pantry is Kim and daughter Rose. Elmer was around the corner, a family affair! It is now ready for primer and paint. Thanks guys!

The other half of the team was at Delores's all day. They brought over a couple of members that had been working in Barbara's in order to have some extra hands. They called Monty and needed his truck and trailer to pick up things they had purchased for her at Lowes. It was nearly 4 hours later but Delores ended up with 2 new toilets, a new tub, a new shower surround, a washer, a dryer and a hot water heater - all thanks to the generous hearts of the Colorado team! I wonder if Delores's tears of joy have stopped flowing yet! I know the team members had tears of their own flowing as they did not want to leave her. This happens all the time and just shows the hearts of love and service in the volunteers who choose to take time from their own lives, away from their families and come here to bless others.

It was another amazing week filled with blessings flowing back and forth from homeowner to volunteer and back again. With all of those blessings flowing back and forth they are bound to spill out onto Monty and I. Isnt' God awesome!

Yesterday afternoon we took some time to spend with Elmer, Kim and Rose. We had never made the trip to New Orleans and neither had they so we took off and went (only after changing out the alternator on Elmer's van)! I plan on putting a pictorial on tomorrow's blog and warn you that the photos are tough to look at. I pray I will find the proper words to use with them. All I wanted to do was get out of the van and start helping, but it isn't safe, the military police are still patroling the streets and .... you'll just have to see for yourself tomorrow.

I would encourage you to attend your home church, or a visiting one, tomorrow ... and pray for all of the victims here along the coastline. They have come a long way but still have an even longer way to go! They need your prayers, we need your prayers. Without them this entire relief effort will not be able to continue with the rebuilding of homes and lives! We thank you for your love, prayers and support.

Until tomorrow...count your blessings....Susan and Monty
PS: this is for Andrea C from NC. I know you are trying to reach me. Did you get one of our cards? I know Gwen has my phone number, give her a call and then call me asap! We miss all of you and will be anxiously awaiting your return trip!