Easter Monday

Hopefully all of you were able to celebrate our Risen Lord yesterday and are still working in the joy that came from that day!

Ms Ollie's foundation continues to rise up and should be at the required 9' elevation today. An inspection will follow and then the subflooring will begin. You can see all of the red dirt in the above photos and also the detailing that is required to raise a home that high in the air! Not an easy task to say the least!

Gregg, Pam and Diane continue working their magic in Ms Darlene's home. Her brand new grandson is doing fine and home with Mamma in Ms Darlene's little cottage. I saw them all this morning and he is beautiful! Dark hair and olive skin tone -- so small and such a miracle! Makes me even more anxious for the arrival of my upcoming granddaughter this June. I apologize for not being able to put his photo on the blog but there is the privacy issue with children!

Pam and Diane are priming and painting and transforming each room right before our eyes. Gregg created some of the most beautiful windows I have seen and will continue doing woodwork until there is no more to do. They are already planning on starting the flooring process so who knows how far they will get by the end of the week! Ms Darlene has that "deer in the headlights" look on her face -- along with the world's largest smile!!

Our days are spent trying to keep up with all the regular things happening along with the Speed Build items. Each day each list seems to grow but each day we are able to cross off others. It's an amazing thing -- to see God's hand in so many ways in one day!

We started making our list of all who are involved in this build and it's now on the 2nd page! We will have another banner posted, just like the same one at Ms Faye's and I imagine I will once again be using a permanent marker to add additional names the very same day we are dedicating her home! God just reaches out and touches peoples hearts and sends them our way!

The WV team is busy putting their last minute plans together. Joe said they are having a "mandatory" final meeting tonight. What an amazing group of people who leave their jobs, family and homes to come here and build a complete stranger a brand new home --- and ask nothing in return!!! The heart of Jesus in action!

Be sure and stay tuned. I will do the best I can to do daily updates even though we don't have internet access at our trailer. Things are happening and changing minute by minute so please keep us -- and everyone involved -- in your prayers. We thank you in advance!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

It's a great Good Friday

We passed!!!!

The hauling of red dirt is complete, the laying out of the house (for the 2nd time) is complete, the footers have been dug, the inspector has been there (on his holiday) and we passed the inspection, he took down our Stop Work order and the footers are being poured as i write this!!!

Tomorrow the blocks will be layed and also poured with concrete. When you raise the foundation of a home to 9 feet in the air it takes more work than one can imagine!

God has shined His grace on us today!! The sun is shining, the winds are light and blowing to dry things and our sins have ALL been forgiven! What a glorious day!!

AND . . . Gregg, Pam and Diane are working more miracles in Ms Darlene's home. Ms Darlene hasn't even seen what is happening there as she became a brand new grandmother last night at 7pm. Her grandson came into this world weighing nearly 8 pounds and mother and son are doing fine. Grandmother just might faint when she walks into her home and sees the amazing trim nearly complete on all her windows, rooms being primed and her bedroom painted!!!

Like I said, what a glorious Good Friday!

It's nice to have such positive reports coming from all around! The spiritual battles have been fierce! And I would be a fool to think they aren't just around the next corner. BUT -- I know Who has already won the war! And this Sunday I pray we ALL will be in church to celebrate that victory!!!

Have a blessed Easter! Susan and Monty

PS Happy 95th Birthday to my grandmother! I am SO sorry we cannot be there to celebrate with you! Keep on getting better and we will see you as soon as we can! I love you!!!!!!!!

Waiting . . .

Yes, we wait -- and Diane, Pam and Gregg just keep working away. They have a couple of extra "paws" there today. Ms Darlene's daughter is at the hospital - in labor - as I write. So the team is watching over her lab and Gregg and Pam have their own "Cooper" with them so it's quite a busy day!! The house is looking great and they hope to be priming yet today or tomorrow. Gregg is installing window trim while the girls work the walls. What an amazing team!!

The "red" photos show the continuation of clay dirt being hauled into Ms Ollie's lot. At this very moment we are awaiting word from the city building department about doing an inspection for us tomorrow! You would think that would not be a problem?? Check your calendars and see that tomorrow is Good Friday and all government offices are closed! I just came from there and did everything but beg -- I actually did that also -- for an inspector to take time and give us the inspection and okay tomorrow. We cannot pour for the foundation until it has been inspected and if we have to wait until Monday . . . every single minute is critical when we are on this kind of time frame! And all I can do is sit and wait --- and that's something I don't do well!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Rain delays but still forward

Yes, we awoke to the sound of rain pouring down -- again! And from the sound of things we aren't the only ones! In speaking with my mother this morning (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM) she was telling me about the roads that are closed due to flooding!

Thus the photo at the top showing the red clay dirt being brought in for the building of Ms Ollie's home and the trackhoe NOT moving around! But the sunshine is now out and the winds are blowing quite strong so tomorrow should be a productive day!

The next 3 photos could be the Three Stooges but we'd rather refer to them as our family! Gregg and wife Pam and Diane make dreams come true! They are in Ms Darlene's house putting the last touches on the sheetrocked walls. Take note that the women are applying the mud while Gregg is the official sander! Thus the white specs covering that photo. It's not a lousy photo, it's reality! At the speed this team works they will be priming and painting before Ms Darlene can catch her breath!

I also got the blessing of being able to speak with Beth, one of the leaders of our California school who took their spring break trip to a church south of New Orleans; St Bernard's Parrish. The students have been in shock most of the week. The true reality of flooding is literally "in their faces" 24/7 and they had no idea the level of destruction! We are thrilled that so many of them decided to come down and really WORK during their school break! One of their main concerns is "why are the relief agencies closing their doors?" Hearing the answers of "the funding is running out AND the volunteers have slowed down to nearly none" doesn't rebuild lives and this team realizes it but can't accept it! We pray they take this heart and this voice back home with them. We pray God will use both their hearts and their voices to reach the nation and we will be able to get the people back into their homes before the next storm season arrives on June 1st.

Today comes but once, my friend,

It never can return --

So use it wisely while you can,

There's a lesson you may learn!

Until tomorrow . . . Bless you! Susan and Monty

The look of progress

Gregg, Pam and Diane all working away at Ms Katrina's house. They not only removed all the carpeting from the bedrooms and replaced it with laminate wood flooring they also cleaned and painted the 3 bedrooms! It looks beautiful and the family was thrilled. We sort of caught them off guard with our call yesterday morning saying we had volunteers coming in but they welcomed the team and by the end of the day were sad to see them leave!

The bottom 2 photos are at Ms Ollie's. We have had a bit more than our share of "challenges" with the groundwork but things are moving forward. The city required us to bring in clay dirt before starting the construction of the pillars to raise the home. That is being done as I write and so we are moving forward. Working in soil that is only a few blocks from the water is not an easy task. The water table is very high right now and the rains have not helped us. But --- we ARE moving forward and God is on our side!

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

Secrets!!!!

Okay, thought you might get a laugh out of this!! It was sent to me via email and I thought it was a riot!!

Where do I begin? Oh yes -- with all those people who (once again) managed to keep secrets from me!!! Let's see -- Joe, my own mother, Gregg, Pam, nearly all the local Pastors here and who knows who else!!

Yes, yesterday after church Monty and I were both VERY surprised to have Diane pop in where we were eating lunch!!! We had NO idea she was coming but evidently many!!! others did! I cannot tell you how good it was to see her!! Life just isn't the same when she isn't here along side of us!

We DID know that Pam and Gregg were returning to work with us for the next 3 weeks. When they left their home in South Dakota is was 18 BELOW zero! We have them, their rig and their dog parked east of town at one of our favorite churches and they are loving the warmth and sunshine! We are also SO glad to see them!

With all 3 of them here things just feel as they should. Only problem is that we know we can't keep them!

Now, back to another part of the weekend.

Our hometown church team from Vineyard left in 3 shifts on Saturday. And the entire team from Clear Creek left very early that morning also. We bid farewell to Clear Creek that morning before and were speechless when it came to ways to thank them. To have a team of 25 come in and be completely self sufficient is nothing short of a miracle. And it WAS miraculous to see what they did in the homes and what they did in the lives of the homeowners! Our hope is that they carry that love back into their own homes and areas and realize just how awesome our God really is!

Vineyard, like I said, left in 3 shifts. We did hear from them yesterday and they all arrived home safely. Rob and Rich worked into the afternoon before leaving and when they did leave they had all the ceilings in Ms Darlene's home completely textured and done! She is now ready for priming and painting of the walls and before long she will be looking at a real home! When we stopped by to see her today you could still see the light of her smile beaming above her MEMA cottage!

Our foundation work for Ms Ollie's home is coming along. The weather has put us all to the test! Trying to get soil "dry" while living in a swamp isn't easy. They did get some digging done for the footers today but then hit a water line. That was taken care of quickly and we are moving forward. Please pray that the weather will stay dry for only a couple more days so the footers can be dug and concrete poured -- then the weather affected parts of the job will be complete. Going 9 feet in the air is a task in itself, without the weather causing difficulties! I am literally standing on the promises of God in knowing this will get done in the time frame we need!

Construction is scheduled to begin 2 weeks from yesterday! We thank you for your prayers! Ms Ollie has been waiting on a home for over 2 years and with the help of God we intend to put her in a new home 2 weeks from this Saturday! God told her it would be April when she got a new home and he showed me the foundation in a dream so between the both of us we know this is annointed by God and He never calls us into a project without His promise of fulfillment!

We thank you for your prayers. As per my mother, my grandmother is doing a bit better and should be celebrating her 95th birthday this Sunday!!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Keep marching forward . . .let God have the rest . . .

The top left photo is at our morning devotion time. Each morning we begin with a devotion, a thought to carry us through the day. It's been great to have both hometown teams together and to see so many familiar faces each morning.

The right photo is the latest view of Ms Ollie's soon to be home. Yes, there are still a few puddles of water from the removal of the past foundation so no work has been able to begin. We are praying for tomorrow but it doesn't look likely as there are more thunderstorms in the forecast. We need a couple of dry days, one to dig the holes and another to pour the footers to place the pylons on. Since the house must stand 9 foot in the air the pylons must be atleast 4 feet into the ground. We need all the prayers we can get as trying to get anything "dry" while living in a swamp next to the bay is not an easy feat!

The next left photo is Verda, Robert and Jackie's dog! She is as broad as she is long and has been soaking up all the attention from the team working in the home! Jackie doesn't recognize her laundry room as it has been transformed, complete with a new vinyl floor! They also have been paintig walls and redoing ceilings!

Next right photo is showing the rebuilding of Ms Mercy's windows. They had rotted underneath due to the storm and this team completely rebuilt them and I know they are better than before the storm! When this team finished her house yesterday evening they told how she cried when they left and told one team member that God had placed a calling on his life to return to this area and when he answered that call he was more than welcome to come and live in her home! A true God-thing . . . again! He will be heading back home to do some powerful praying!

Next left is what someone looks like while mudding sheetrock! This man (Rob) does this sort of thing for a living and to watch him is to watch magic! He and this team have transformed not only Ms Darlene's home but also Ms Darlene! I don't think the smile can be removed from her face and her daughters are doing alot of hanging around the house just to watch all that is happening!

The final right photo is Jonathan at work installing insulation! He and his friend, Luke, have been at this for a couple of days and although they have learned so much they are too young to realize it! They just laugh knowing that the best way to get insulation off your skin is to take a really cold shower!! They should be completed with that job today and were wondering what the next "lovely" job will be for them!

Another part of the team started a new job at David's house today. They are also hanging sheetrock and doing whatever needs to get him done. David's mother is having surgery so he has more than a couple irons in the fire!

Even more of them are still in Biloxi at Tom and Debbie's continuing to rebuild their lives by doing whatever needs to be done! Debbie has even been up and out of her wheelchair more since they have been there.

And not to forget about the team at Sam's! They are not only priming and painting and rebuilding the outside of his home they are working on breaking up his patio that broke into 4 pieces from the storm! And then they are also inside installing his washer and dryer and finishing his crown!

As you can see by all of this that these teams have been incredible! It's just so difficult to relay the emotions and things that are going on! They have come in to do whatever needs done, made the trips to get the things to get it done and at the same time transformed the lives of all the homeowners! And then there is the transformation of each team member within their own team!

We all attended church together last night and the Pastor mentioned that there were 3 churches represented inside that building and just as Jesus said, when you have 3 cords bound together they are unbreakable!

That same Pastor called me this morning to get the addresses of where the teams are working so he and his wife could go and visit them and take photos! In the nearly 2 and 1/2 years we have been here doing this -- this is the first Pastor who has asked to do such a thing! It sure did brighten the faces of the teams to realize this Pastor cared so much for them and wanted to come to them and personally thank them!

We thank those of you who sent us your family members. Even though we know you are anxiously awaiting for them to return home I must admit we would love to keep each and every one of them!!!

Bless you for your prayers and please keep them going! The spiritual battles are tough and seem relentless! We must be doing the right thing!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Rejoice, again I say Rejoice!

Yes, we have photos!

The top 2 are at Thomas and Debra's home. Cabinets and counter tops are being installed along with anything else needed to get this family settled into their home! Girls are using power tools == what an awesome site! These teams are taking the time to teach the younger team members AND the homeowners! Amazing ministry going on!

The next 2 photos are at Sam's where the outside is being primed and painted. The rains slowed things down a bit this morning but when the sun came out so did the energy of the team and away they went!

The next 2 are at Robert's home. They have completely transformed his laundry room into a laundry room! They are also painting in the kitchen and doing so many odds and ends it was impossible to capture it all on film! Robert is following along with them in amazement!

The next 2 are at Mercy's home. She is getting her hallway painted, something she has been waiting for months to get done. Her son in law has been working there on weekends after working all week and just couldn't get it all done. She is also getting her leaking windows rebuilt and sealed, both inside and outside! She can't wipe the smile from her face!

The last 2 are at Darlene's home. The team is sheetrocking faster than the electrician can complete his job! The sheds out back have new roofs and no longer leak. The team brought in more sheetrock for the ceilings and are transforming this shell into a real home.

Ms Ollie's foundation will not start tomorrow as planned = too wet! There is standing water in quite a few locations and so please pray that the sun will shine and the winds will blow so the drying will go quickly! Building in swamp areas is more than rough!

Stepfund's home will be sprayed for mold tomorrow and the electric, plumbing and HVAC work will begin.

As you can tell, things are happening at the speed of light around here! Having 2 teams from our hometown is beyond awesome! Seeing all of them each morning at devotions just warms our hearts and ministers to us far more than they can know! All report they are sleeping well and also not missing a meal! And watching the younger ones learn and grow is also amazing! The younger boys at Darlene's are putting wall insulation in and will learn just how good a cold shower can feel tonight! The cold water is the quickest way to get rid of the itch! And even at those thoughts they are smiling and laughing and working away!

We thank each family who sent a loved one to work with us this week! You not only sent hope and love to the residents here, you sent hope and love to both Monty and I. Bless you!

I do have a rather personal prayer request. My grandmother will turn 95 on Easter Sunday and is not doing well. She has been in a nursing home for quite some time but health wise has been fine. Her only problems have been diminishing eyesight and hearing. My mother tells me she is not doing well and has really gone "downhill" lately. Please pray for her and for my entire family. This is another of those times where being so far from home is difficult, to say the least!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Indiana X 2 = Double the blessings!

Okay, I know you expected photos already and I apologize -- I left my computer in the camper this morning and therefore - no photos. I am using a borrowed one so be sure and tune in tomorrow as I will have some then.

Our weekend was another of those working ones. We bid farewell to our Iowa team Friday night and early Saturday morning they were back on the road to the freezing northern temps. I am certain they were wanting to take the warm sunshine here up there with them.

By Saturday early evening we welcomed 2 men from our hometown home church team. Rob and Rich got an early start -- driving through over 6" of snow and uncleared roads to get here. Rob wanted to be able to see Ms Darlene's house and be totally prepared to go to work this morning. The rest of our Vineyard team finally arrived by early evening. They actually came in 3 groups totaling 9 people. After church and lunch yesterday we made the trip to see Ms Darlene's home. There they met not only her but her daughters and more of her family. And, of course, she was in tears at just the thought of them returning this morning and knowing they would be working in her home all week long. Rob has a great group working with him and we know God will be all over them and the home all week!

The other portion of our hometown also arrived early last evening. Clear Creek came in 5 vehicles. There are 25 of them so it took some time getting them settled in. They are housed with another team from Tennessee, thus taking time to get settled. It was so great to see them and to see so many new faces.

Early this morning we all gathered for devotions. It's the only way to start the day! Immediately after the devotions we dismissed the Vineyard team to head out to work. It took some time getting all the jobs lined out and the teams divided to do the jobs for Clear Creek. They were right on it and were divided and ready to go in no time. They are working at 4 sites today and depending on weather and work they might be there all week or they might be moved to more. We take one day at a time here!

Part of the Clear Creek team returned to Sam's to finish the crown and lay flooring inside. They will also be installing 2 broken pillars, doing some repairs to the siding and painting the outside of the home.

Another part of them is at Ms Mercy's house working on her windows and anything else she needed. She has window damage from the water coming in and it will take some work getting them corrected and looking like new.

Yet another part of them is at Mr Robert's house. He has alot of places on his ceilings where water damaged the sheetrock. The laundry room ceiling had to be replaced and the others just worked on. He also has a back door with a water damaged frame so this team will also most likely stay busy throughout the week.

The last Clear Creek groups is over near Biloxi at Ms Debra's house. They are working in the kitchen and wrapping up some last minute carpentry jobs. Even though the city address is Biloxi it is still in Jackson County.

Like I said, this is quite the week with blessings -- and "opportunities" all around. We are so thankful to both of these teams for taking their Spring Breaks and coming here to bless the people. When I think about all the people laying on beaches soaking up the rays and then see that these people chose to come here and work . . . I know God is smiling!!

Please keep all of these team members in your prayers. Safety is always our main concern and the more the volunteers the more the chance of someone being injured. We know they are covered by God's protection and that's all that matters.

An update on Ms Ollie -- we are awaiting word from the planning department to issue the building permit -- hopefully today as the foundation work is scheduled to begin in the morning.
Pray!!!

Until next time . . .

PS Please pray for Diane as she is headed into TN to see what she can do to help those who suffered such catastrophic loss in the recent tornadoes!

Welcome Home Virgil

Yes, today was his day! Virgil can officially move into his new home!

Virgil (middle) sits with his mother and brother on his new couch! He promises that many a nap will be taken on that couch!

The Iowa team did a wonderful job this week! If you don't remember, this was the very first team that worked in Virgil's house, many many months ago. Mike and his crew replaced areas of subflooring that had rotted through as a result of the water of the storm. They also started the sheetrocking process. And now God brought them back "for such a time as this" and they were blessed to be the last team to put the finishing touches on and dedicate his home today. Pastor Freddie came and had a wonderful ceremony while Carla and Dot added the cookies and drinks! It was a wonderful afternoon, filled with prayers, smiles, hugs and more thanks than anyone could express! Virgil, Dwight and their mother expressed their gratitude and love to all those who had a part in rebuilding their lives. They acknowledged that without God leading the volunteers here to the coast they would not have a home!

It's afternoons like this that renew our strength, renew our hope and remind us even more that "with God NOTHING is impossible."

After the dedication we enjoyed a final meal with the team as they will be heading back to the extreme cold and snow of home tomorrow. Please pray for their safety as the weather is gets worse and worse the farther north they go.

The other half of the team also completed Sam's today. Mike and his absolutely miraculous work of installing the crown was amazing and completely transformed the house. There will be one more team this coming week. They will wrap up minor details inside and at the same time will be working on the outside of his home. Sam's dedication will be scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Be sure and stay tuned for those pictures.

The clearing of the land for Ms Ollie's upcoming build is now complete. We had terrible storms blow through here last night. The winds were near 70 mph and the rain came in buckets. We now need some sunshine to dry out the land as we will begin the foundation work on Tuesday. Her lot currently looks like a swimming pool but with a little sunshine it will dry out and be ready to go -- or atleast get as "dry" as possible here along the water!

Please continue to keep this project, and all those involved, in your prayers. Today I spent way more time than I would like in the process of battling the demons coming against the project. I always know when I'm on the right track because that's when satan seems to be relentless -- and today was one of those days! As Ms Ollie said, "we need to pray to kick satan to the curb" and I can only agree 100% with her!

As sad as we were to see our family from Iowa head back home we are also excited that our own hometown church will be arriving tomorrow evening! Rob is bringing a crew that will be working in Ms Darlene's home all next week. We pray for their safe travel also.

And on Sunday evening another hometown church will be arriving to spread their own blessings among different jobs in different homes.

Totalling together we will have nearing 40 volunteers from our hometown!!! We are SOOOO excited!

Be sure and keep a watch for all that is and will be happening. God is moving here on the coast like never before and pray that Monty and I can stay focused on the calling He has placed on our lives -- help the people!

Blessings until next time . . . Susan and Monty

It's going to take a crow-bar

The first two photos are at Sam's house. The women are enjoying the wonderful sunshine by painting trim. Mike is working absolute miracles with the crown molding. He was smiling from ear to ear this morning, ready to run. His new gun is working and if we don't be careful we might see him working way into the nights! Sam's house is transforming before my eyes! It looks like the dedication will be held next week as we now want to bring in one of our incoming teams next week to do the painting of the outside and replace one of the columns that broke during the storm.

Virgil's is also looking like brand new! He was right in there with the team and told me "it'll take a crow-bar to get this smile off my face!" Both he and his brother are going to move in when it is completed. They should be able to do so this weekend! Immediately after the storm we found out his brother was homeless, got him a FEMA trailer and now he is anxiously awaiting the move into a real home! He hasn't seen as much of the house as Virgil as he fell and injured his ankle so he's in a wheel chair. I know he'll be there for the dedication Friday!! This team is also working wonders! I heard through the grapevine that the wife of the "new" couple doesn't want to go home!! Amazing!! A God - thing!

The literal ground breaking of Ms Ollie will begin tomorrow. George will move in with his equipment, dig up the existing slab, remove the damaged chain link fencing that surrounds the property and cut down the debris from dead trees and such. He says he will be done by Friday! Be sure and stay tuned as you know I'll be there trying to capture it with my camera so you can get a small vision of what it happening.

Joe is busy trying to continue his work from "up north" and all seems to be falling into place. BUT --- continue to pray!! We ALL need it!

Until next time . . . Blessings to all, Susan and Monty

Iowa survives storms and "opportunities"

Yes, they thought the snow at home wasn't fun!

They now know the storms that hit the coast also aren't fun -- especially when they hit in the middle of the night!

They were all safe and sound thanks to Kay and her praying. So were we! Even though we got up and headed to the local shelter we escaped the worst of the storms and were back in our beds less than 2 hours later at 2AM. That intercessory prayer really works! We had no idea Kay was up praying but now we know why the storms missed us! Bless you Kay!

After our morning devotions the team split back into the two groups they are working and headed off to Virgil's and Sam's to continue their work. Yesterday had been the usual Monday filled with "opportunities" mixed with a bit of confusion. Mondays are always that way and even though this team has been here either 4 or 5 times those Mondays can be a bit frustrating!

By the time we stopped to check in with them this afternoon they were working a bit smoother -- except for Mike's new "opportunity" with his nail gun! When I last spoke with him he was headed to the city to the west of us to return his brand new nail gun for another brand new one! He is installing molding in Sam's home and the gun quit. Unlike the gun, Mike will not quit and headed to make sure he would be able to continue his work!

Both of these homes are coming along wonderfully! It's amazing what just cleaning can do! And this is THE team to do it! The women are busy cleaning and cleaning and then more cleaning! They are transforming both homes and with a little bit of luck and a little bit more prayer they will have them both completed by the end of the week and we will be able to dedicate them and turn them over to the homeowner!

Monty and I met with homeowners this morning who lost everything. Their home was another one that was completely lost, wiped away. The husband is undergoing dialysis and having much difficulty. The story goes on and on and we are at step one as to how we can possibly help them. The list of people in this situation continues to grow and we continue to try, one family at a time. We are so thankful to teams such as this Iowa team who also share the heart to work wherever needed, doing whatever is needed and giving it their all. God has special rewards for them when they get to heaven!

Blessings to all until next time. . . Susan and Monty

WV meets Ms Ollie

Friday was quite the day! We started around 7am and didn't close the day till nearly midnight! The builder of Ms Ollie's home flew in from WV (Joe) and along with meeting Ms Ollie, checking out the building site, meeting with the building department, the HVAC gentleman, the foundation gentleman and the rest of the crew we managed to get a visit in with Ms Faye where Joe could see her home a year later! Like I said, we almost ran out of hours in the day but it was a wonderful day!

Ms Ollie was in tears, telling Joe he was an angel and she would be praying to "kick the devil to the curb" for all of us! She couldn't look at the drawings of the home for the tears streaming from her face!

Today has had atleast 3 Mondays wrapped into one -- I am certain!!

We welcomed back our Iowa team last evening! Family has returned -- with a new couple! It's just so incredible to see them again and to see their hearts for this community! They are working in two homes this week, bringing each one to completion and will participate in the dedication ceremonies at the end of the week! Each home has it's "challenges" and "opportunities" which they will master -- with such talent and grace!! Please keep them in your prayers for the week. They are also VERY pleased to share in the warm sunshine instead of the snow they have at home!!

Be sure and stay tuned for photos of them in action this week and keep Ms Ollie in your prayers as she has not been feeling well the past couple of days!

Blessings to all of you!

Until next time . . . Susan and Monty

Whirlwind!

Stepfund's house is now completely gutted on the inside. The team did a wonderful job, they even cut all the electrical and made it ready for the electrician to come in. We have always "preached" that a clean job is a safe job and this team did an awesome job in making it a safe job! We thank them and we thank Nate for sending them to us!

Ms Mercy has 5 windows that need replaced in her home but the framing must be replaced before the windows get installed. She also has transition strips on her laminate flooring that need installed. What a lady! Not only does she have her own handicapped granddaughter, she cares for her 2 great-grandchildren who are both babies, only 9 months between them! And she waits patiently "for God's timing."

Mr Coleman will have volunteers back in his home next week. They will continue the sheetrock process.

Mr Chestang also patiently awaits people to work on the ceiling sheetrock in his home along with some soffit issues and a back door frame needing replaced.

Ms Hope continues working on her home, she's painting her bedrooms and we will be delivering her bed framing and putting it together for her before this day is over.

Mr Nash is also waiting for a couple of rooms in his home to be sheetrocked and completed.

I could go on and on and on but I think you get the picture. Person after person, family after family . . . they continue to call for help and we continue to do what we can to help them. The numbers on our board climb faster than we can get them moved to the "done" side of the board.

We are thrilled that our Iowa team will be arriving this Sunday evening! They will be divided into 2 teams and will each have a home that they will bring to completion. And as a special "surprise" to them (they won't know this unless they are reading the blog) we have planned dedications on both homes at the end of the week! Both homeowners will be thrilled! These dedications will be in both the newspapers and the television stations. News like this gives others hope that they just might be the next ones! News like this always sends out a huge thank you to God! ALL the praise and thanks MUST go back to Him! It's a couple more opportunities to see God in action! And once again, we are blessed to be here to see Him in all His glory!

Until tomorrow . . . give God some of your own praise! Susan and Monty