98 degrees is HOT

Lunch is always served when we work at the Spanish Village! Thanks to Anita and her family the volunteers never go without a wonderful lunch! Diane continues to work there, framing windows, hanging curtains, installing window air conditioners and whatever is needed. What an amazing place to be working in!

Our Illinois team got started at Barbara's house this morning and worked till dinner time. The heat is oppressive and being inside makes it worse. Thankfully they brought two gigantic fans to use inside the house and it saved the day, or atleast made it nearly bearable! They hung and finished sheetrock all day and proved to be quite the finishers. There is an art to the taping and mudding process and these guys know the art! They brought the quick dry mud and what a smart thing to do as drying time in this humidity can take forever! Barbara also came to town for the next couple of days, she has doctor appointments, and she took the time to come by and sit and visit with the team for awhile. It's always so nice when the teams have the opportunity to meet the homeowners, it brings awesome blessings! She will be coming back tomorrow. She was just so surprised to see all of the progress that has been and is being made! It's actually beginning to look like a real house again! We are just so thankful to this team for taking time from their own lives to come here, knowing it would be extremely hot, and blessing others!

Monty and I headed north of town to take a look at another home that has not even been torn out yet! The lady had filled out a request for work form and we always go and look at the homes before sending teams there. This one has alot of dried black mold but it is dead mold. She just has so much "stuff" in the house that it must be cleaned out before we can do any kind of remodeling. We will be sending members of our teams coming next week to just go in and help her sort through everything and decide what can be saved and what must be thrown out. She has rented a storage facility to put the saved things in and these can be taked directly there as they are being sorted. This is the kind of task that does not require a "skilled" person, just a person with the heart to help. There is no such thing as unskilled and this job is a perfect example of there being something for everyone! We will probably send 8 - 10 people to help her and they will most likely be there all week --- there IS that much stuff!

We also welcomed Dee Dee here to Gautier tonight! She only has a couple more days to teach in Pascagoula and we felt she would be alot better off here with other volunteers. Being over there all alone is not necessary, and besides, we missed her! Being here she will be helping the church office staff with things they need later in the days after teaching and then joining in with the teams of volunteers all next week! She found the accomadations to be quite nice in comparison also -- carpeted floors! It's the little things that mean so much!!!! :) It was also nice for her and Diane to join us for dinner this evening. Having real friends here means the world to us!

Tomorrow will involve making some decisions about Barbara's house. Her air conditioning unit may need to be replaced, not to mention appliances and bathroom fixtures. She lost nearly everything and what insurance money she did get went to put on the new roof. As always, we pray God will provide what is needed at the time it is needed. It's just another step of faith!

As always, we thank all of you that are following our journey on the road to rebuilding. Without you and your support we would not be able to do what we are called to do. If others of you would like to help us continue this relief work you can send your gifts to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please remember to note "Katrina" on your gift as all of it does come to us, the church does not keep anything. Your hearts of service and giving are such a blessing to us and the people here in Mississippi.

Also, as you might have already seen, there is the first tropical storm now off the coast of Florida and has been updated to a hurricane. Please keep everyone all along the coastline of the USA in your prayers. NO ONE is ready for another storm!!!!

God bless each and every one of you. Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Illinois arrives

This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad!

Our morning church service was awesome and a kind of renewal. Just what we needed to hear, again!

Our Illinois team arrived late this afternoon, loaded and ready for work. They pulled a trailer full of tools with them. They are prepared for most anything! They came down through New Orleans and across so they could catch some of the sights as they came in. There are 6 men, all of whom have backgrounds in construction so this should be an awesome week. We tell everyone, and mean it, that there is no such thing as unskilled labor but it sure is nice to get skilled in as they can work together in such a way as to really get things accomplished. We are so thankful that this group of men decided to come here to bless the people! They will be working in Barbara's house all week and by tomorrow will have their own goals for the week set.

We were blessed this evening as church held an evening worship service, something out of the norm. It was awesome! The entire service was based on entering a new season and "capturing the city of Gautier" for God. Monty and I have felt like we are in a new season ever since we arrived here and receiving prayer for just that was a blessing. As I have said before, starting over in another new location wasn't an easy adjustment to make but as each day goes by we see more and more that this was God's plan for us. It is so nice to be welcomed, loved and have the church join with us in the outreach frame of mind. Pastor had a word for Monty and I this evening, "forget the past". How appropriate!!!! A true word from God!!

We are also happy to say that our hometown friend, Dee Dee, will be moving over here for the next 2 weeks of her stay here. She is just too alone in Pascagoula and can make the drive back and forth to teach for the next week. The following week school will finally be out and she will be joining in with our incoming volunteers and going out with them on jobs. It will also be wonderful for us as having someone from home here with us is such a moral booster and makes it just feel more like home! I will be preparing a room for her tomorrow and she will be arriving after school lets out.

We would ask for prayers this week for not only us but for the team here. This heat wave continues with temps in the mid to upper 90's. By mid afternoon the heat is really oppressive and it can take a real toll on someone if you are not used to pacing yourself. Please keep all of us in your prayers as these homes are definitely NOT air conditioned! We thank you!

Bless you for your prayers and support.

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

Dee Dee's dinner

Sometimes Saturdays actually slow down a bit. Today was one of those days, thankfully! They are nice to get every once in awhile.

This morning we visited our North Carolina team who are in Barbara's house working on the electrical issues along with putting in insulation and sheetrock. It seems the electrical inspector went ahead and got us power and the team was able to make significant progress inside the house. They headed back to Mobile to stay with friends there for the night and attend church services there in the morning before heading home. We thank them for making the long journey and for blessing us with the help in Barbara's.

This afternoon was spent with laundry and helping Chad (a member here) work on the air conditioning for the church. He has been working for a couple of days and seems it will take a couple more to get everything installed properly. On a day like today he was just thankful to be working inside! The temps are in the mid 90's and quite humid. They issued a heat advisory for today.

We have also been watching the first tropical depression of the season down along Cuba. I must admit I never paid much attention to anything until hearing the word hurricane but being this close and seeing the results of a storm, I am just a bit on edge myself at even the words "tropical depression". But the residents are more than just a bit on edge! Please keep them in your prayers.

We headed over to Pascagoula to help Dee Dee get ready for the dinner she had planned for the teachers and their families. One of the things she noticed on her last trip here was that the teachers talked about not purchasing "good" foods at the grocery like they did before the storm. Everyone is trying to conserve on money and buying less expensive foods is one of the ways they are conserving. Dee Dee decided to cook a home cooked meal for them. She brought it up at our home church and got members to make desserts that could be frozen for the 14 hour trip here. And make desserts is exactly what they did ---- enough to feed a small army!!! She also prepared chicken tortillas, a vegetable casserole, a watermelon fruit salad, a fruit and lettuce salad and grilled chicken and hamburgers. Like I said, enough to feed a quite large army now! It was fantastic and we all felt as though we should just roll home and take a nap! There was more than enough to send some home with everyone and have enough desserts to get both the teachers and the students all through next week! Hopefully none of them thought about starting a diet the last week of school as they will surely fail, but will surely enjoy every bite!!!
We are so thankful to everyone back at the Vineyard for all of the wonderful things they sent down and especially to Dee Dee for having the idea and following through with it. It was a great evening and fun to sit and talk and get to know everyone just a little bit better!

It seems strangely quiet in here this evening without any volunteers in the building. We just get so used to people being in here, moving around, talking and laughing. The quiet just doesn't seem normal! That will change tomorrow as our team from Illinois should arrive a bit after lunch. We pray for safe travel for them.

We got a call from our Iowa team and they arrived home safe and sound around noon today. They drove all night and the trip was uneventful, thankfully. We look forward to seeing them again and hope they will plan another trip soon!

Even though we are still reflecting on the blessings that remodeling Gladys's house brought to all involved it is now time to shift our focus and continue with the next project. Barbara's seems to be running smoothly thus far and this next week will put it to the test. The Illinois team will be working together in her house the entire week, at their request. They wanted a home where they could work together and really be a blessing. Barbara is planning a trip here during the week to meet each one of them and express her thanks and deep gratitude to all of them. It is always an extra blessing to be able to meet the owner of the houses the volunteers are working in. It's the personal touch, the relationships that God talks about, the rebuilding of lives that I have mentioned so often. Without the relationships we would all be lost!

Hopefully all of you will be attending your church tomorrow, or visiting one. This is where our relationship with the Lord is bolstered each week, where we are fed the bread of life, where we are energized for the upcoming week. This is where the relationships with others are established and built! This is where family is found! If you don't have a church, look in the paper and find one where you think you would like to visit. If you do have one, reach out to someone you don't know and love on them a bit and make them feel at home. You never know when that bit of loving might be just enough to change a life!

We thank you for your support of our relief mission here. As you know, we are only supported by your donations. We still have our home and a couple of bills back in Indiana and will someday be returning there, God willing. We thank those of you who have made it possible for us to follow this calling that God has placed on our lives. For those of you who would like to join us in this mission you can send your donations to us through our home church who will send you a tax statement for your donation. Please mark your donations with "Katrina" and send them to: Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. May God bless you as you reach out and bless others.

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

Front page news!

Yes, today we made the front page of the local newspaper, complete with photo and another photo as the article continued on the back page!

The photos are of the Iowa team who "got "er done" and made the makeover complete. The other is for our California team, this is the flooring completed! It turned out beautiful and thanks to you and your donation to make it possible!

Yes, we went to the paper stand this morning only to see mine and Gladys's face on the front! If we had been hugging each other any harder we would have popped! The reporter did such a wonderful job in capturing the excitement AND the blessing of the entire evening. She was not afraid to mention God, repeatedly, and our hope is that people will be able to read the article and smile, to bring some joy into their lives and some hope that they, too, can be helped! When I asked the reporter why this would be such a wonderful story because of all the rebuilding going on she told me that there aren't the "complete" rebuilds being done. Some people are getting drywall, some roofs, some flooring, some of this and that but the complete package just isn't happening because relief efforts can't take on the entire thing! This is where we feel so blessed to be able to be here, to have made our year commitment, to be able to coordinate the efforts so these complete rebuilds can happen. We have 2 more in the works right now, Barbara's and Dane's. Make sure you stay tuned to see what is happening with both of them.

Just a short recap on both of them; Barbara was forced to leave her home after the storm as she had over 4' of water inside. She is disabled and awaiting a double knee replacement. She is living out of town near family so she can have the help she needs. Her house has been completely torn out and there is a team from North Carolina here only for today and tomorrow who are working on her electric, getting it as ready as they can for the inspector to check.

Dane is the gentleman whose house is less than a block from the water and due to the flood codes being changed, had to have his "shell" of a house lifted 19 ft 7 inches into the air! His wife is completely bed ridden with Alzheimers and he has been trying to do the work on his own! He lost everything and is planning on using what was the garage (not needed 20' in the air!) as a room for his mother in law to come and live with them to help in the care of his wife! When I called Dane this morning to tell him that we would have a team coming in 2 weeks to help him he was brought to tears trying to thank us! He will take that week for his "vacation" just so he can be there to work right along with the team!

These are the upcoming rebuilds - don't miss a minute of them! God is moving so much down here, you can see Him! Our mission has always been to rebuild, structures being the 2nd thing, lives being the first! Please pray that the materials we need to do these projects will come in and that we have wisdom when it comes to making decisions.

I have said it before but it is worth repeating...if you have worked in construction before, whether it be new or remodel, I guarantee you have NEVER worked in conditions like this! It will test everything you thought you knew and more! Thus the reason to pray for wisdom, and patience. Just when you think you have it figured out to make it work, guaranteed something else will pop up, or break, or burst or who knows what!

Our Iowa team left for home this morning. They had some sightseeing to do first and then would be on their way. Seeing them go was so sad! After the blessings they experienced last night they all wanted to stay longer!

There was another "quotable quote" from one of the team members this morning, one I will never forget; she said that this week was better than any vacation they could have taken!!! Now there's a God thing for sure! We love you guys and will miss you and are already looking forward to Steve and Jenny coming back late next month! Get some rest guys, you earned it!

If you would like to become a more intimate partner in this relief mission, and enable us to continue God's work, you can send your gifts to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please note "Katrina" on your gift as it all comes to us and the church keeps nothing. We are funded ONLY by your gifts, nothing else! We thank you for your prayers and support and pray you will be moved to continue both!

God bless all of you....have a safe weekend....we love you all! Susan and Monty

WELCOME HOME GLADYS!!!!!!

THIS was a night like no other!

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all present for this one!

The Iowa team pressed on toward the goal of finishing Gladys's house today and they reached their goal!

The night was complete with 5 of her 8 living children and the local newspaper with photographer. It will be in the Mississippi Press tomorrow!

She cut the ribbon and entered her house for the first time since February! She was so overwhelmed and surprised by what she saw that each one of the 5 children present were speechless --- in all the years they have known "Mamma" they had NEVER see her cry --- and tears of joy flowed like a river this evening!

What a blessing it has been for Monty and I to be a part of this family! From the first day she and her daughter pulled into the parking lot she stole my heart! Tonight was the culmination of everything!

She loved everything about the house and is so anxious to get moved back in. She told us that she never even dreamed it could be so beautiful! She deserves every blessing that was put in to this house by every member of every team that participated!

The stories flowed from all of her children there, along with some of the grandchildren. The house had always been a place filled with children, her own and all of the neighbors. Turns out she raised all of her children and then went to college, at the same time as her youngest, and graduated a registered nurse! She was more like a doctor and it seems even the doctors came to her for help! She has served the Lord all of her 93 years and surely must have a crown filled with jewels awaiting her in heaven, although she plans on living and enjoying this new house for years to come!

Her youngest son read a Bible verse and prayed a blessing over the home. It filled the rooms with angels and you could just feel the Spirit of the Lord! What an amazing night! What a blessed night and what a blessing to be a small part of it! What a blessing to be used by God to bless those who have been such a blessing to Him! I just can't put it all into words!

For those of you who have followed her story and the "makeover" of her home, we thank you! She thanks you! For those of you who would like to become more of a participant in rebuilding lives like Gladys's you can send your donation to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Be sure and note "Katrina" on your donation as 100% comes to us, the church keeps nothing!

It is because of your donations, your prayers and your strength that God is able to accomplish such blessings as this one tonight! Without your donations we would not be able to fulfill His calling on our lives and we would not be able to bless His people as He has instructed us to do! We thank you and ask you to continue to pray for us, pray for Gladys, pray for the other 100 plus people who are on our waiting list, and pray for those who we haven't even reached yet! Pray, pray and pray again!

Thank you and may God reach out and touch all of you as you read this and see the photos! And if you shed a tear of joy, thank God for all the blessings you have!

Until tomorrow...bless you, Gladys family, for allowing us to become a part of your family. I WILL be sitting on her porch someday soon and be blessed for sure!

Susan and Monty

Get behind us Satan!

Today has been one of those days where it just seems Satan is lurking around every corner! We must be doing something right as he is surely on the attack! If all of you could take a minute and pray for us I am sure Satan would take off running! :)

It seems our biggest obstacle in this relief effort is trying to manage our time efficiently along with our energies. We are continually going in so many different directions with so many differenct decisions needing to be made and so many people depending on our decisions it is so easy to fall into the trap of feeling overwhelmed, defeated and overloaded. Even though God promises to fully equip us for any mission He calls us into, we are human and this can be more than tough! Toss in all the "tugs" on our hearts with all the needs and you have the perfect combination for the devil to come a knockin' at your door! He doesn't take time to ring the doorbell, he just starts banging away!

We went to church this evening at one of our favorite ones and sure enough, God has managed to whisper all our problems directly into the pastors ear and he preached that message directly to us! Isn't amazing how God does those things! No coindence!

Our team is still working full steam ahead and the grand unveiling of Gladys's house has been moved up to tomorrow evening. Her family had prior obligations for Friday and this team will be done by tomorrow anyway. What a glorious evening it will be! God will be shining down and pouring out his blessings on this team, on every team that has worked on her house, and on Gladys's entire family! Praise the Lord! Our extreme makeover has been made over! God is truly an awesome God!

This morning we had to say goodbye to a couple that has been here for nearly a month, Gregg and Pam. They took the month to come here and be a blessing wherever God needed them. They have spent alot of their time in the Spanish Village and received a thank you letter from the 18 year old daughter that brought tears to the entire team this morning at devotions! Once again, THAT is what this mission is all about. If you will bear with me I would like to type out the letter for all of you to read (get your tissues ready)
" Brother Gregg and Pam,
We miss you so much. I hope you have a wonderful trip. We love you so much. I want to write a big letter but maybe isn't time. I write a simple word with all my heart. We are from two differenct worlds, you are person sho has alot of money and we are some poor people. But we are one in Jesus Christ. You know Jesus is a Kinig and born in Jerusaem. He grew like a poor guy. We are so happy to know you. We love you. First we think the American people doesn't feel care. But now I know they have a big heart. Now you have a big heart.
Thank you for everything. We love you so much. God bless you always!"

Lord, we thank you for allowing us to be a small part in this rebuilding of lives!

If you would like to help support us in this relief effort and the rebuilding of lives and homes you can send your donations to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Be sure to note "Katrina" on your donation. Without your donations we would not be able to fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives. We are supported soley by donations and thank you for your loving and servant hearts.

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

They're rolling now

Down go the flooring in Gladys's. Her house will be completed by this weekend and we are planning on the grand reveal Friday. It should be quite an event, complete with red ribbon cutting and all! Keep her in your prayers as she is 93 and has not seen one bit of her renovation since she left her house over 3 months ago!

With this being the second day of work, everyone is in their rythmn and working away. It usually takes the first day for everyone to get the feel of what is going on and get into what they are actually doing. This is when they set goals and somehow they always seem to meet them before they leave for home! Must be a God-thing?!

This Iowa team has been working fast and furiously on Gladys's house. The flooring, trim, bathroom and last minute punchlist duties are being done. Be sure and see the new photos on tomorrow nights blogspot.

The work in the Spanish village is also continuing. The flooring, cabintry and a multitude of things is going on at the same time. The Spanish residents are in there working away, whether it be on their own home or that of their neighbors. All we do is show them how to do something and turn around and they are in there doing it. They are so thankful that they provide lunch each and every day for those working! The fact that they don't speak English has not been a problem, the communication just flows---another God-thing?!

We are also very excited to know that our North Carolina team that was here only a couple weeks ago will be returning in August! It's always so much fun to have teams come back and see us. It's like a family reunion! We have been so blessed to have our family grow by leaps and bounds, and to be spread all over the country! God has been moving so much down here and it is an amazing blessing to be a small part of it!

I had a wonderful conversation with another recovery effort today. It's always uplifting to have the opportunity to talk with someone who shares in the big picture and understands the need. I guess it's like a kindred spirits thing! He will be doing alot of relief work here and there will be so many people blessed due to their efforts! Thanks, Jim!!!! We look forward to meeting you next month.

Today we had even more requests for help in our mailbox. Just a sample; sheetrock needs hung in 7 rooms, sheetrock needs hung in 5 rooms, carpeting needs installed, ceramic tile needs layed, one house needs elevated due to the new flood zoning (we can't do this), and one is down to the slab and needs rebuilt (we can't do this). The requests just keep coming and what needs to be done just keeps growing. There are some things we just cannot do as they need to be done by licensed professionals. When this happens I just give them a call and reassure them that once the professionals have done what they need to do, if they will call back we will see if there is anything we can bring volunteers in to do. Sometimes the thing they need most is that phone call, just to head them in the right direction and to let them know that we will be there for them when the time comes for us to be there. They are desperate, depressed and feel as though there will be no end, no return to a normal lifestyle! This is where the rebuilding of lives comes in, just talking with them and giving them some reassurance, some ray of hope and love! This is also why there is no such thing as unskilled labor! God gave us 2 ears and 1 mouth just for such a time as this!

If you would like to help us continue God's calling on our lives and be able to continue this relief mission you can send your tax deductible donations to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please mark "Katrina" on your donation as 100% comes to us, the church keeps nothing. Without your help we cannot fulfill our calling. We do have a home back home and the mortgage company could care less where we are or what we are doing, they just want that monthly check! We are not sponsored by any one church or organization, it is solely through donations, none too small, that keep us so we can pay our bills and eat! That is all we have ever asked for, that is all we need! We thank those of you who share with us in this mission and pray that God moves the hearts of you who haven't come along for the ride just yet! Jump in with us, hang on to your seats and be ready for the blessings to return to you in ways only God can do!

Until tomorrow...we love you all and praise God for you! Susan and Monty

Sight Seeing Sunday Afternoon

The first photo is quite a site, when you know what it is. The "cloud" you see isn't a cloud at all but the smoke from a forest fire somewhere west of us. We aren't sure of the location but have watched it build larger and larger throughout the afternoon and saw trucks from the local fire stations headed in that direction this evening. We will try and catch the local late news and see what is happening.

The next photo is our new "home" away from home. You can catch a glimpse of our trailer behind the Convoy banner, Monty is headed toward the door and our vehicles are parked in our front "yard". We had been moving some pallets around and those are what is sitting in front of the tent. Hopefully we will get them relocated this week.

The last photo is of Steve and Carol, the couple who had been coordinating teams from this location since last October. They headed for their Wisconsin home a couple of weeks ago and are hopefully enjoying some of that lovely less humid weather by now! We miss you both and pray God's blessings on your next venture! You were such wonderful examples for all of us to follow and we thank you for your friendship!

Church services this morning were awesome, Pastor Rick had special guest speakers who spoke on the covenant of marriage. They are a couple who has been married for 53 years, are both certified counselors and practice right here at the church. Their message was wonderful and something all of us needed to hear, ponder and put into practice!

From there we took Dee Dee, her sister in law, Cheryl and her son Alex for a tour of the area. Going to the highway 90 bridge collapse is always a must and from there we took the scenic route along the coastline all the way to Pass Christian where the road once again ended due to the storm. The devastation still amazes us and it's hard to believe there was once anything at all along the coast. To imagine that there were businesses and "life" along there seems impossible! It will take years and years to rebuild, if ever. There is so much land for sale that it makes one wonder just how many people will stay gone? Will it ever look like a thriving area again, and if so, how many volunteers will it take to get it done? We still hope to make it all the way to New Orleans some day but as usual, we ran out of time this afternoon. Even though it's only 93 miles from here you need an entire day to do it and we just never seem to have an entire day!

We are also really excited this evening as we have heard that our dear friends Elmer, Kim and Rose will be coming down to see us later this month! Having someone from home here is priceless and such an emotional boost for both of us! I can see it now, Monty and Elmer sitting out on our front "parking lot" playing the guitars, pickin's some real bluegrass!

Dee Dee will start her substitute teaching job tomorrow and is really excited. She teaches special education children at home and this change of pace will be alot of fun for her. Her sister in law and nephew will be going to the Spanish village to wrap things up with cabinet installs and flooring installs. Be sure and watch for photos as this project will probably only last a couple more days.

Our Iowa crew will also be up and ready for work come tomorrow morning. We promise to keep them more than busy! With 2 days rest under their belts they will be in good shape! All anyone has to do is remember to drink water --- all day long!!!! With the temps in the mid 90's you cannot drink enough water!

Tomorrow is our first real day of working from our new location with our teams. We will be starting the day with devotions and from there the teams will go out and bless the communities. We are ready for a "new beginning", a new "season" and feel refreshed and ready to get going. God has us here at this location for a reason and we are seeing His hand move more and more each day! We thank Him for this opportunity and the privilege of using us as His servants. It is such a blessing to be here.

For those of you who would like to invest in this relief mission you can send your tax deductible donations to us through our home church; Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please be sure and note "Katrina" on your donation as every dime comes directly to us, the church keeps nothing! Thank you, Vineyard family, for everything you are doing! We love you and miss you more than you could know!

Until tomorrow... hug your husband/wife and thank God for them!

Susan and Monty

Plumbing at last!

What a day! Getting relocated isn't easy and we are still working out the gliches!

First thing today we moved our trailer. The spot where we had landed was just temporary and so getting everything hitched up this morning we moved about 30 feet! This location is what we needed to get our plumbing hooked up with the right "fall" in the pipe. It took a couple trips to Lowes and most of the day but it is now complete. This means we can take showers AND use the toilet --- such luxuries!! :) But when you are as hot, dirty and tired as we are at the end of these 90 plus degree days taking a shower IS a luxury! Living in a 24 foot trailer with one of us having to sit down while the other gets ready is a feat in itself so we will truly appreciate any extras we can get! You also must understand that when one makes the journey to Lowes around here it isn't a quick trip --- everyone in the city is rebuilding their home and Lowes has no competition here! It looks like Christmas in the parking lot every day - all day!

While Monty was busy underneath the trailer I had quite a bit of help setting up our office location. Dee Dee, from our home church, is here for a month to do substitute teaching along with her sister in law and nephew, who will be here for a few days. They all came over here and helped get the office and tool areas organized. It looks great but of course, one of those gliches has come about. The wireless internet connection cannot be picked up from the office area we set up so it looks like we will be resetting it come Monday! I had to take the computer, turn it around backwards to do the blog! But it works so no complaining!

Our team from Iowa arrived late this morning. They drove all night so they took the rest of the day to get settled, get some groceries ready for breakfast and lunches, showers and they had lights out very early this evening! They will be here for church in the morning and then take the afternoon to do some sight seeing and get the full effect of the devastation. Monday morning it will be off to work.

I was also thrilled to hear from our Tennessee team leader this afternoon and learn they will be returning in June! It's always such an added blessing to have a team return as we feel as though they are family and are so pleased that they want to come back and be more of a blessing in the rebuilding! Thanks Bob, we look forward to seeing you!

Another couple who have been volunteering here for the past month took the day and went into New Orleans. They had not been there and wanted to see it before they leave mid week. It is just as bad as everyone says it is --- still 9 months later! Of course all we hear, see and read here is about the start of the hurricane season and how to be prepared, is anyone prepared and how bad the predictions are! It's all over the TV news, radio and newspapers. Everyone is terrified and no one is ready! Everyone has the feeling of helplessness and all of the governmental officials are concerned over the thousands and thousands of FEMA trailers that are still in use and how unsafe they are. THIS is why this relief effort must continue and even step it up a notch, if that is possible!

If you would like to become a more active participant in this relief effort and make it possible for Monty and I to continue this calling, you can send your tax deductible donations to our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please be sure and note "Katrina" on your donation as every bit of it comes to us, the church keeps nothing! Without your donations this effort would not be possible! We thank you for your loving and supportive hearts!

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

We're back....

Yes, we are back in Mississippi as of this evening!

We needed to make a return trip home for less than a week and although we made the 13 hour drive in driving rain nearly the entire way we are here! The time spent at home seemed so short and even though our dearest friend, Joe, had a great picinic over the holiday we still missed seeing people. It is so hard to fit everyone in over the short time but yet it was so refreshing and refilling for us to be home! We are so blessed to have our church friends be our true family and spending time with them is exactly what God wanted us to do. Thanks to all of you and thank you for your prayers and support, without you we could not do this mission!

This weekend will be spent preparing for our incoming team from Iowa who are scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning. They will need the rest of the day to rest as they are driving all night. They plan on attending church services Sunday morning and then touring the area the rest of the day. They will be raring to go to work on Monday morning. We are excited to have them and pray for a safe trip this evening.

There is something I feel I must talk about this evening and hope you will take the time and take this blog to heart after reading it.

When Monty and I made the one year commitment to come here and work the relief effort we left our home and both of our jobs behind. No, they are not holding our jobs for when we return, we had to quit! We knew this was an enormous leap of faith and that God would not call us into something without providing for us. For the entire time we have been here we have been supported by only our families and church families. We never expected them to carry this load entirely by themselves but it seems that is the way it has been thus far.

These families are just like the rest of us, they have more than enough of their own bills to pay. They have dug way deep to do what they have done for us and they need help! Our funding has slowed to the point of nearly zero and without something happening real soon this mission will be in trouble! To be absolute honest, it is already in trouble and is to the point of only being able to keep us here about another 6 weeks. To have this mission end due to the lack of funding would be horrible, I can think of no other word other than heart breaking (and that's 2 words)!

We are averaging anywhere from 20 to 40 people each WEEK requesting help in rebuilding! The volunteers are still coming and we are scheduled through the end of July with some already requesting time in August!

I know, without a shadow of doubt and know clear to the depths of my soul that God directly called us for this mission. He has continually shown us that we are following His plan and we see miracles each and every day! If you have been reading this blog at all you have also seen them through photos and our words! This mission MUST be able to continue! These people MUST get their lives and homes rebuilt! Hurricane season started yesterday and there is not one person down here who isn't totally aware of that --- and is terrified! We must be able to do what we can to get them out of these FEMA trailers and into their homes!

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!!

There is no fancy way, no "beat around the bush" way, no "gentle" way other than telling you the truth!

Monty and I would like for any and all of you reading this blog and coming along with us on this mission to please take our plea to prayer and listen for the answer God will give you. Then reach out, take that step of faith and do whatever it is He directs you to do!

"In as much as you have done for the least of these you have done for Me."

We thank you in advance and pray God to return blessings to you in abundance!

If you feel you want, and can be, more of a part of this mission you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. There is no amount too small. You can do a one time gift or pledge a monthly amount. We, and the people of the coast of Mississippi are forever grateful!

May God bless you as you take this to prayer.....

Until tomorrow...... Susan and Monty

Goodbye Steve and Carol

Wow is it hot today! The good ole Mississippi kicks up about 1:00pm each day and it is intense! I tried to take the dogs for an afternoon walk and after only 5 minutes they were frantically searching for shade with their tongues nearly dragging the ground! And they say it will get worse! Adaptation is the key word! :)

Monty spent the day working electrical again and also got a strong taste of the heat!

Today was spent checking on the ongoing jobs with the last day of the North Carolina team. They were continuing the floor installation at Gladys's, hanging sheetrock at Ms Barbara's and assisting an elderly lady with arthritis who is unable to get herself to the grocery or clean her trailer. The team was able to really help her and also be there to minister to her. This is the example of meeting more than construction needs.

We are so thankful for this team and ask for prayers for them as they will be leaving around 3:00am and driving straight through. May God guard their vehicles and keep an angel on each bumper!

This evening was a wonderful, yet sad evening. The church held a banquet for Steve and Carol, the Convoy of Hope couple who have been here since October. This church has become their home church and they will be missed so deeply. The church prepared a wonderful meal for all of us and then had people video their goodbyes and showed the entire tape to everyone. Pastor Rick tried his best to get through the evening without tears but was very unsuccessful! Monty and I are so thankful for the example Steve and Carol have set for us and the blessing they have been in our lives. We had time to visit with them a bit today and it just won't seem right without them here! We pray God's blessings on them as they travel on to the next venture in their lives of service to the Lord.

I want to let all of you know that I will not be blogging for the next few days as we have some outside business to take care of. Please stay tuned as I am not sure how many days we will be off but I do know it won't be long! There are times when business things must be attended to and there are just so many hours in the day! I can assure you there are big things about to happen with the relief efforts, more teams are coming and more stories of rebuilding in the communities. You won't want to miss out on any of it!

We thank you for your support and prayers. If you would like to become a more active participant in this effort you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through our home church:
Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please note "Katrina" on your gift as all comes to us, the church keeps nothing for themselves. May God return your blessings a hundred fold or more! Without your support we would not be able to continue following the calling God has placed on our lives.

Until I return ... God bless you! Susan and Monty

Happy Birthday to Me...

Many times when our volunteers work in homes the residents enjoy providing them with meals as their small way of thanking them for the work they are doing. This was taken yesterday as the North Carolina sheetrocking team worked at Allan and Carolyn's home. This is such an added blessing for the teams and a wonderful way for everyone to bond even more!

As the title says, today is my birthday! I won't tell which one but let's just say the number keeps climbing and it's a joy to be spending this one in the direct service of the Lord! He sent me so many blessings today it's hard to remember them all! They started with my cell phone ringing before 7:30am and continued through to the birthday dinner shared with our dear friends, Bruce and Linda this evening. She even made me the most chocolatey birthday cake I know that is known to mankind! The thing has to be sinful as it's way to good to be anything else!

I received phone call after phone call until I had both lines tied up and voicemails coming through on top of those lines! They were calls from people wanting to send teams, needing more information and dates, to those teams already scheduled and had more questions. One team is requesting to work all together in someones home and be able to "adopt" that person/family and bless them even further. This can definitely be done, I just won't know which home until closer to their arrival time. Another team coming wanted to know how to send a separate donation and specify that it comes to our Gautier location of Convoy of Hope. Yet another wanted to know what tools to bring, how many gift cards for Lowes and if we knew what house they would be working in. Our procedure is for the teams to give me a phone call about a week out from their arrival and then I have a better idea of what they will be doing. We always encourage them to bring hand tools and favorite power tools, especially if they are driving and have the room. I just seemed like it was one super phone call after another. I looked at it as God's birthday gift to me, reassuring me that Monty and I are doing what He wants us to do and it was His way of letting me know. He sure got the point across and I am thankful to Him for doing so.

We did have the opportunity to visit a gentlemans home who also called this morning needing help. Before you read on please know that this is a tough story to write, let alone you reading it!

This gentleman lives less than one block from the water. His house had over 6 feet of water inside and he lost everything inside and all the tools and equipment he has stored outside in his out buildings and tool sheds. After the storm they have changed the flood elevations which required him to raise his home, or what is left of it, to a height of 19 feet and 7 inches off the ground. Yes, you read correctly, it is feet!!! He did have both homeowners and flood insurance and it took all of that and much more that is not paid yet, to just have the structure raised to the requirement. He has been working day and night trying to do as much of the work as possible by himself. He gutted the entire house, complete with tearing off the remaining brick on the outside. He has rebuilt the decks required on the back and front of the house. He now must strap the structure down as required by code and repair the roof. He also must pay a licensed electrician to do the work now required. He has taken off work to try and get as much done as possible and is at the end of his rope. He is the kind of man who has always been there to help others with whatever they needed and not the kind to ask for help for himself. The pain in his voice both on the phone and in person was exactly that - pain! After describing everything going on with his house he then told us that his wife is bedridden in their FEMA trailer with Alheimer's disease and he has to care for her full time! Her mother lives in the trailer next to theirs to be able to offer some added assistance. Due to this fact he will now have to build an elevator in the house just to be able to transport her up and down as needed. He is also adding onto two areas in the house, one is what used to be a garage but is useless as such when nearly 20 feet in the air. He will enclose it, add a few feet to it and make it into living quarters for his mother in law to live with them. The other area he is adding is a few feet to his and his wifes bedroom so he can have their very small bathroom a bit larger to enable him to bathe her a bit easier! He had a few sheets of sheetrock donated by a local church but nowhere even near the amount it will take to complete this house! He also had one package of insulation and it also won't cover much! He didn't know where to turn and was ashamed to have to ask for help! When you see a grown man break down in tears because of the weight on his shoulders there isn't another dry eye in the building! Monty offered up prayer with the 3 of us standing there, holding hands in the shambles of what once was their home! And all the gentleman could do was continually thank us for even taking the time to come by and see him and offer help! We asked him to get the structure foundation secure as code requires, get the electricians work done and call us back and we will get teams in there to start the sheetrock and insulation using what little he now has. We are certain, and assured him of such, that God will provide the materials and volunteers to get this work done. It will not happen quickly and will really be an added challenge due to the fact of working nearly 20 feet in the air, but God will provide! What we ask of all of you reading this is to keep this man, his wife and mother in law in your prayers! They all need them so desparately and prayers work miracles, just what is needed here!

Getting to go and meet this gentleman, hearing his story and taking on the task of helping him was God's greatest birthday gift to me today! He once again gave me the gift of being here, of being able to do what we can, and maybe what we can't, to help this family! THAT is the greatest gift for me! I thank God for that gift today, for it being on my birthday, for it showing me that we are on the right path, that we are right where God wants us to be, and that God is still, and always will be, in complete control! Praise God for His faithfulness and His perfect timing!

For those of you who would be interested in a real investment into this relief ministry we are doing, please do so by making it possible for us to remain here doing this work. Without your donations we will not be able to continue. We are just like the rest of you, we have bills to pay and our mortgage company of our home back home don't really care what we are doing or where we are doing it --- they just want that monthly check! We need your help!! The people of Mississippi need your help! If you are interested in helping you can send your completely tax deductible donations to us through our home church; Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please be sure to note "Katrina" on your gift as all of it comes directly to us, the church keeps nothing back for themselves! God bless you as you contemplate helping. We thank you for what you have already done!

Until tomorrow ... praise God for the roof over your head tonight and pray for those here who are trying to get the same....Bless you...Susan and Monty

It's 90 degrees & they built a bonfire!

There are quite a few photos today because there were quite a few relief efforts going on at the same time.

The first 2 photos are taken at Gladys's house. The 2 smaller boys are from the neighborhood. They came by and stayed and worked the entire day! What an outreach this house has been and this is just one more new way! Here it was, a very hot day in southern Mississippi where everyone had already sweat clean through every stitch of clothing and these boys decided to clean up the sticks and branches that had fallen all over her yard and burn them! I asked them where the hot dogs and marshmallows were! The leader of this team told us this evening that both boys assured him they would be back tomorrow, and I have no doubt they will. The joy they got from serving another neighbor was priceless and no doubt had God with a huge smile on His face!

The next 2 photos are another team hanging sheetrock in Allan and Carolyn's house. They live north of town and also had water flood them. He lost his job and she has a serious heart condition. They had done as much of the work themselves as they could and within 2 days this team completely rocked the rooms needed! Allan and Carolyn served them lunch each day and what a blessing that was! This team is on a roll and will start rocking another house tomorrow! Thanks team, you're awesome!

The next 2 photos are at John's house. The team primed and painted the kitchen, dining room, bath, hallway and back room. When we started this house John's walls, ceiling and flooring had all caved in and now they are all completely rebuilt, he has running water, a kitchen for his boys to eat in and a bathroom for them to use! Praise the Lord and thanks to this team it is now a nice color and looks like a real home!

The final 4 photos are of the Spanish Village. The trailer park they are in was a FEMA trailer park back in the 70's from another hurricane. Anyone else coming into this place would have turned away and said that the place needed condemed! These trailers are the only home that these non-English speaking people know and they deserve to be livable! In the first 2 photos you can see the before, the black mold, the falling in floors, walls and all the destruction! This trailer will be condemed but doesn't look that much worse than the ones that have now been rebuilt. They have actual sheetrock walls, real floors and some donated furniture inside. They still don't have air conditioning as their window units were destroyed but they aren't complaining! The transformation has been incredible and most of this village came to church this past Sunday, even though they could not understand the language, Pastor was prepared and had printed his message out on paper - in Spanish! They all have been such a joy and have stepped in and worked right along with everyone else! They have even cooked some real mexican lunches which everyone truly enjoyed!

As you can see, today was an extremely busy day! This North Carolina team is wonderful and are having such a fun time serving the people and serving the Lord. They haven't complained about the intense heat, they just keep drinking water and sweating for the Lord! Their joy is contagious and something we should all take note of! True joy does not depend on our circumstances but comes from our hearts! In each of these photos you can see the joy on their sweaty faces and they are loving it!

Keeping up with these teams has kept us running for sure! But without them here nothing would be getting done and all these people would be the ones suffering! Coordinating the relief efforts, organizing the needs of the people with the volunteers coming to serve is such an awesome blessing! We thank God daily for the opportunity to be used by Him! Thank you for your prayers to keep us going in the right direction!

If you would like to take an active part in this effort but are unable to come and volunteer, you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through our home church: Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please note "Katrina" on your gift as all of it comes directly to us, the church keeps nothing! Without your gifts we would not be able to fulfill the calling God has placed on our lives. We thank you for your hearts of service and giving and the people of Mississippi thank you also!

Until tomorrow ... may God bless and keep you safe and sound in your own homes!
Susan and Monty

North Carolina arrived

My apologies for not blogging last night but my computer had to be set up for this wireless and it was way!!!!! too late to get anything done! We had moved all day, with the heat in the 90's and getting everything arranged in the trailer was exhausting but we got it done. We ended up at the community college across the highway taking showers as ours was not hooked up yet. The college has been opening their aquatic center since the storm and since there are no showers here the volunteers go over there and everyone can get showered at the same time with no waiting. It works out very well and we are so thankful to them for being so generous!

Around 10:30 last night the team from North Carolina came in. They were also exhausted and got things organized just enough to crash for the rest of the night. For the first time since we have been having teams there are more females than men --- go girls!

Today started with Steve giving devotions. He and his wife, Carol and the coordinators that have been here since October and are going home for good on Saturday morning. He wanted to go ahead and do devotions this week and we're glad as he does a great job! The teams went for breakfast before returning around 8am for the devotion. From there we had 3 jobs lined up and had them divide themselves based on skills and abilities. Some of them headed north, way north, to sheetrock a couple's home. The home only flooded around the outside rooms and they were able to purchase and install their own insulation but could not physically do the sheetrock. A team went and as usual, the team was the one who received the blessings. The husband worked right along side of the team thus giving alot of time for conversation and stories of the storm. This team will be returning tomorrow morning to continue their job.

Another part of the team went to Gladys's to start working on her floors. There are a few weak spots in the floors that needed to be removed and replaced before the floating hardwood flooring can be installed. Thanks to the California team's donation Monty and I went and purchased the flooring last night and it is now loaded into the house and ready for installation when they get the floors repaired. They also had to add some small pieces of sheetrock around the shower area and the girls who were just learning to do so did a great job. They will also be returning tomorrow to continue on with the project.

The third part of the team went back to John's house to prime and paint his walls in his kitchen, dining room, bath and spare room. John was having trouble with leaking at his kitchen sink but after some investigation Monty found it was nothing more than a clogged drain. The team got a couple of the rooms primed before running out of primer. They also discovered that the paint we had planned to use was bad so both will be replaced tomorrow and they will go on about their work.

Monty and I were invited to a banquet "Light for the Lost" this evening. We really had no idea what it was about. We only knew it was a steak dinner at a local church and there would be a speaker. What a wonderful evening! Light for the Lost is a mission that provides evangelical literature to places all around the world. The speaker was incredible and had some wonderful points about the call to missions that are worth sharing with you.
1. The command is NOT optional! This really hit home with us as when we started this mission we did not feel like it was something we could either do or not do, it was something we HAD to do! Now I know why.
2. The capabilities are mind boggling! How true this is. Just answering His call brings about things and situations that would have never entered my mind! God promises to equip us for any mission He calls us into and He never lies! You just have no idea unless you answer the call He places in your heart!
3. Conflict is inevitable! Boy oh boy do we know this is true! You see, when you are following the call God has given you it makes the devil very angry! Thus comes the conflict! We have run into those who do not understand what we are doing and why we are doing it. They have their own opinions about how it should be done and who should be helped and who should not be helped. Thus comes the conflict! The conflict only makes both of us realize we ARE doing what we should be doing and we ARE following God's direction (not mans) or else the devil would leave us alone.
4. Your commitment of faith is necessary if you are going to accomplish your goal! Yes, without commitment you will fall at the first sign of conflict, you will loose heart and the goal will never be reached. When Monty and I made this commitment to come here and work in this relief effort it was a leap of faith! Our goal was, and is, to help the people but showing God's love to them in a real and practical way at one of the worst times in their lives. Without that goal we would have no direction and God's will would not be done.

As you can see, the speaker really touched my heart this evening and I am so thankful to Tim for giving us the tickets.

The conclusion to this evening is in the 3 S's.
1. Something! everyone can do something! Every little bit adds up and there is no one out there who is unable to do something! No one!

2. Stretch! We are to stretch ourselves beyond our comfort zones, beyond anything we have been doing or planned to do. There are the blessings!

3. Seed! We cannot make any withdrawals from God's bank of blessings unless we have made deposits! Plain and simple!

Tomorrow is yet another day we take another leap of faith and pray God will use the both of us to show His love! It would be easy to be back home, working our jobs each day for set hours, having a steady income, being able to commune with our friends and family whenever we wanted to.... What we are doing is not the easy way --- it is God's way. He doesn't tell us the way will be easy --- He tells us He will be with us all the way! Monty and I believe that promise and thank all of you who have joined with us in supporting us, realizing that everyone can do something, that the capabilities are endless, praying us through the conflicts and commiting yourselves to helping us!

If you are reading this and feel there is something you can do to help support us in this mission you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through: Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47403. God bless you for also making a step out in faith! The lives of the people of Mississippi are forever being changed thanks to you!!!!!!

Until tomorrow ... God loves you, don't forget it! Susan and Monty

Now this is church!

We said goodbye to our Bethel College team early this morning. They were headed to Gatlinburg for a couple of days before heading home to northern Indiana. No doubt the temps will be much cooler at home than they are hear! And considering the sunburn they are all taking with them the cooler air will probably be welcomed! We will miss their spirit and energy and pray for safe travel for all of them. Thanks to all of you! The blessings you left here will last a lifetime!

Monty and I went to our new church location this morning. We went to this church the very first Sunday we arrived in Mississippi but didn't remember much as we have been to so many in the past months. We were blessed to be so warmly welcomed! The pastor, his wife and the entire congregation have seen first hand what their outreaching attitudes have done. The church has grown and grown and grown and 3 more people gave their hearts and lives to Christ just this morning! The outgoing Convoy of Hope couple, Steve and Carol, spoke for a few minutes and will be sent off in style with a complete banquet style dinner this weekend. The relationships that have come from this disaster mission for all of them will last forever. It was also so exciting to see a group of people from the Spanish village where Convoy has been working the past few weeks come to church. They do not speak English and an interpreter was planned for the service but ended up in the hospital in New Orleans. The pastor took matters into his own hands and had already printed his sermon in Spanish so they could follow along! He really means what he says about meeting people where they are at and bringing them to Jesus! They all had a Spanish blessing for us when they left!

Pastor Rick's message this morning was on confusion, he must have been reading my mind from these past few days! He talked about the 4 types; physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. He explained that confusion comes from the devil in the form of lies and deception. He also then went into the 4 truths to help us when we are confused.
1. God ALWAYS has a plan! Sometimes when we are unable to see the whole picture we get confused and just quit. We want to know what the outcome will be but if we did know we would only mess things up! Whatever we are going through right now doesn't matter because God sees the whole picture and He promises that His plans are for us to prosper and not to harm us! God doesn't lie!
2. God's timing is ALWAYS perfect! He knows just how we got into the situation we are in and He also knows just how we will get out of it. We will always walk through that situation better than when we went into it.
3. We have nothing to fear! If we have Jesus living inside of us why are we walking around in fear? Jesus was, and is, in complete control in every situation we are going through. The number one problem people face today is fear. The Bible says that "If God is for us, who can be against us?" The answer is nobody!
4. We must realize that we have alot to learn - and we must remain teachable! God cares more about our character that our comfort and building our faith in Him is higher on His agenda than ours. God never puts a "do not disturb" sign on His door, He is always there for us and all we need to is go to Him in prayer.
Pastor had a suggested prayer that I found very helpful and you might too.
"God, I don't understand...but I submit to Your plan. Take control of my life. I know You don't want anything bad for me. Reveal to me what I need to change in my life so I can be more like You." Amen
It's just that easy! And yet that difficult! The submission thing can be tough, I speak from experience! The entire message was powerful, truthful and just what I needed. The confusion over this move has been tough. Trying to understand what God's plan is, and following by sometimes blind faith has not been easy. But walking into this church this morning, realizing that they share the same heartfelt calling that Monty and I do, to reach and help the people, is truly a God thing! God once again confirmed His calling upon us, reassured us that we are doing what He called us to do and that He is in control. We don't see the full picture, we didn't see it when we agreed to come here and do the relief work, we just believed and turned ourselves over to God.

The confusion came in when we met people who challenged our calling, people who we never ever expected to do so. We just expect that people in the church will understand and share in our vision and our mission. When that doesn't happen, when the opposite happens, it can bring confusion. We have to stop, pray and realize this is just the devil himself fighting against us! And the devil would not be fighting against us so hard if we were not following God's calling!

We once again turned our lives and our mission over to God this morning. We once again promised to do the best we can in following the calling He has placed on our lives, for however long and in whatever place He sends us. The devil can rear his ugly head and try as he might to take us off of God' path but he will not succeed! With God on our side, man is just man and thus harmless! God, we thank you for sending us here, for not showing us the whole picture but for Your promise to always be with us and to always be in control of our lives! With you, nothing is impossible! Praise God!

I hope this message was an inspiration to some of you! Don't let confusion rule, let God rule! Believe me, God does a much better job!

Tomorrow is our final moving day! We will need to pack our last few things, level our trailer and get settled in before our team arrives late tomorrow evening. We have a full week planned for the group and pray God's blessings on their travel here. We pray that their hearts and minds be opened and God to strengthen them for their mission.

Thank you for reading and joining with us in our mission. Your support is priceless, your prayers a necessity! If you would like to become even more involved in our relief mission you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through our home church, Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please note "Katrina" on your gift as every dime comes to us, the church keeps nothing! We thank you for your servant hearts as without you we would not be able to remain here following God's calling upon our lives! We pray God's blessings on each and every one of you!

Until tomorrow ... let God be in control of your life....He has the perfect plan!
Susan and Monty

They came, they swam, they burned!

Photos of Bethel College after their performance for the school yesterday. They took time to be in the hallway and greet all of the kids afterwards and took time to listen to one of the teachers thank them for "bringing some magic" to this city!

That crew took the morning and cleaned and cleaned around the building, including mopping floors and cleaning bathrooms. I walked in at one point and saw even their bus driver down on his hands and knees scrubbing the floors. And he thought he just came to drive the bus!!! :)

They all loaded up late morning and headed to Dauphin Island for a day of fun and sun. Goodness knows they deserve it. They will be heading home early in the morning and needed some fun and beach today. What they needed to remember is that this is the southern, way southern, point of the states and MUCH closer to the equator! Even though they used sun screen quite a few of them came back more than a little pink in color! Some of them are sitting with more clothes on than usual due to the fact that they are chilling from the burn. They had a blast though and as kids will be kids, they aren't too concerned! They were thrilled to be at the beach and to stop on the way home and have a great dinner. We will miss these kids when they leave. They have brought youth, which brings energy and life, both highly missed in these days of disaster recovery! We are forever grateful to them and pray for a safe trip home tomorrow and a blessed summer. Hopefully they will return again to spread more cheer and blessings!

We also have a weekend visitor from Houston here. She took the day and toured the coastline from here to near Pass Christian. She is originally from Alabama and drove the route all along Mississippi during a career in sales. She knows this area like the back of her hand and had not seen the devastation! She is shocked to the point of tears and as everyone else, there are no words ---- and she is seeing it nearly 9 months later! We had the opportunity to talk with her this evening and she is hoping to take her photos and stories back to Houston and start bringing teams of volunteers here to help. She said her heart has been telling her to come back here for quite some time and now she knows why. There is just so much to be done and she now must come to the realization, like the rest of us working here, it cannot get done today (or tomorrow). It can be tough to get to that place! It can be exhausting until you get to that place!

I received another phone call from Project Recovery this morning in regard to a house that has been left standing since the storm. The owner is a single lady who is now in the depths of depression and is receiving counseling. She has lost all hope and feels she will never be back in her home. It is one that I will be calling on and Monty and I will schedule a time to go and see the house and visit with her and hopefully reassure her that we will be getting someone over there as soon as we can. These are the "emergencies" that we get all the time. These are the ones we want to jump out there, go and do the work right now!!!! It just doesn't happen that way!! But it could happen that way if we keep the volunteers coming, no matter how hot it gets! We will try and let her know that although it will be a lengthy process, it will be progressing forward and not standing still. Most of the time this is enough to give them some hope and therefore a stand against the depression and then they get more positive and that enables us to do our work even more efficiently. Even though she is disabled, she will be on site while volunteers are working and when they are able to meet her and connect with her they are able to give her even more hope which starts the merry go round going --- in the right direction! As I have said before, and will continue to say as long as we are doing this relief work ---THAT is why we are here! The rebuilding of the houses themselves is the easy part, it's the rebuilding of lives that is tough and yet the most important. God tells us that if we do for the least of these we are doing for Him. There are so many "least of these" here so that means we have alot of work to be done for Him!

Tomorrow is Sunday, our day of praise and worship of our Lord. When you go to your church tomorrow (and please go), please take a few minutes to pray for the people here. Pray for those who are suffering from the depression, pray for those who are so exhausted from working all week at their jobs and then all weekend rebuilding their homes, for those children who will soon be out of school and cooped up in FEMA trailers all day, for those who lost their jobs and have no income, for those who are awaiting word about their loan or insurance settlement (if there is one) or some kind of grant they have applied for, for those who are facing severe illness along with coping with their living conditions, for those elderly who are finding that they cannot do the rebuilding by themselves and have a diffucult time asking for help and finally for all of us in the relief efforts. Pray that we have the wisdom to make the decisions required, the strength both physically and mentally and the resources to do what we need to do. You see, you do have a reason to go to church tomorrow. Unite everyone in your congregation to pray for all of these needs, and even more that I am certain I missed! We all need all of you to pray for us, continually! Without you all of us will lose!

If you would like to really invest, in the literal sense, in this relief effort you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through: Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. All we ask is that you make a notation of "Katrina" on your gift as all of it is sent here, the church keeps nothing!

We thank you for all you are doing and continuing to do!

Phil 4:13 " For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

Until tomorrow ..... thank God for all of your blessings .....Susan and Monty

Bethel's play

Today was the day that the college drama team did their play for the school here and everyone loved it! I think the teachers were just as entertained as the kids! The costumes were wonderful and all of them were just fantastic! As one of the teachers shared after the program, this team brought joy and magic to the school, something VERY rare these days! No one really realizes just how fun, joy and laughter are something very hard to find. Everyone is busy working and then going home and working some more. It seems there is no time for fun and joy, let alone magic like the kids brought in with the play! Thanks Bethel College as what you brought and left behind is indeed priceless!!!!!!

The other photos are what Monty and I spent our afternoon doing. This is the center of the stage in the church. There used to be plastic stained glass type windows on each side and those were removed and sheetrocked in quite some time ago. Tim now has the ability to make some purchases and we came up with this idea of trimming out the opening to the baptismal. It has taken on a 3D effect due to the paint being a couple of shades darker in the background. It turned out absolutely awesome and made Monty and I realize just how we have missed doing creative work such as this. Our prayer is that the church members agree with us!

We moved our trailer to our new location this morning but did not get it hooked up to plumbing and such as the heat got too much for us. It was high noon, not the time to be doing that sort of thing. It has decided to become summer around here and things are heating up, way up. We got it set and left it, for now. Tomorrow will bring more work getting it settled.

We also met with the electrical inspector in the middle of the day to check on Ms Barbara's house and let us know the proper procedures to take to get her power back on. Since the salt water covered the recepticles from 4' and lower there are certain things we must do before having the inspector return and give us the go ahead. We can start the sheetrock process but will only be able to take it so far. Since she has applied for a grant we will also have to follow certain procedures to comply with the rules of the grant. Please keep her in your prayers as she is also facing a double knee replacement in August!

Speaking of prayers, I would like to ask for prayer for Monty's finger. If you remember, he cut it pretty bad about a week ago. He managed to reopen it again the other day and now it is infected and quite a mess. We are medicating it and hoping it will heal but the prayers would really be appreciated.

We also have a "group" of two from West Florida here for the weekend. They are currently working on the steps in the sanctuary and trying to remodel part of the stage. They have their work cut out for them!

There were 2 more calls today coming from volunteers who are planning on bringing crews in the month of June. This is exciting as the needs are not slowing down so we don't need the volunteers to slow either. Without them we would not be able to get the rebuilding done! If you are thinking of bringing a team here to bless the people just comment at the end of the blog and we will be happy to get back with you with information.

If you would like to invest in this relief mission in another way you can send your tax deductible gifts to us through Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Please mark "Katrina" on your gift as all of it comes to us for the mission. We thank you for your servant hearts as without you we would not be able to fulfill God's calling on our lives.

Until tomorrow...enjoy your Saturday and prepare for worship on Sunday....Susan and Monty

There goes the sheetrock

Bethel working away, again!

The first photo is them painting in the baptismal area, getting ready to rehang the cross on that back beam. You can tell by the photo that they are having a blast and enjoying everything they are doing.

The next one is another group priming and painting the material that will be used to frame out the opening to the baptismal area.

We then have the continuation of the mural in the nursery, complete with the designers! This Noah's ark theme gets more awesome each day! Their detail is incredible and will be such a blessing to not only the children but also the teachers. No more staring at the same four blank walls again!

At last we have sheetrock going out all over the place today. The first photo is Ms Barbara's house with a group of Bethel College kids helping with the unloading. It took two trips with the bed of Monty's truck loaded down. It is all placed in the house and will be ready for the next crew coming in to get started. We are still waiting on the electrical inspection and they are supposed to meet with Monty tomorrow and hopefully give us the approval to go ahead! If so, hold on Barbara, here we come!

The next two photos are the loading of sheetrock for the church that meets in the tent. They expect the arrival of their temporary building next week and this sheetrock will be enough to get the thing done! We are so thankful that the Lord put this pastor and his church in our lives! They have been such a blessing to us, always encouraging us, always seeing the big picture of what our mission is, and always welcoming us with open arms. We plan to help them as much as possible and get them out of their tent and into a real building so they can worship without bug spray!

We also sent a houseful of sheetrock to Ms Linda, a teacher at the school. They are still in the process of tearing out and doing some major remodeling. Likewise, this will be enough for their whole house and get them started in the direction of being able to get back into their home where she can continue her catering jobs along with teaching!

Along with all the sheetrock Monty once again was on the electrical work this afternoon. And once again he has injured that same finger --- I think the can lights have something against that hand! And doing electrical with gloves on is nearly an impossibility! Thank goodness for bandaids!

I finally got most of our things transferred into our trailer in preparation for the relocation. We will be taking most of the weekend to get it all done but it should go smoothly now that most everything is rounded up and loaded. These trailers were made for camping for a week or two, not for living in constantly! It can really challenge ones ability to organize according to the space allowed! So far, so good!

We enjoyed spending our evening with Tim and Sheri. They have become such good friends and even though we will only be about 15 minutes away it seems far for all of us. When you all live in the same parking lot, practically on top of one another day and night, you develop close relationships and it just won't be the same without seeing them a hundred times a day! We pray God's blessings on them as they take over the job of pastoring this church! God has called them to this place and to this position and I know He will bless them with the strength and wisdom they need to bring the people to Jesus!

Watching these college kids all week has been amazing. They are such a great group, all get along well and all seem to really know the meaning of service. That is always a wonderful thing to see in people, let alone college age. I sit back and wonder what the world would be like if everyone had the heart of service like these kids do? What if everyone thought of others first and themselves second (or third)? What if everyone used the gifts that God had given them to the fullest extent and for the blessing of others? There sure would be alot less hurt and fear in the world, not to mention alot more people following Jesus! Maybe this is what heaven is like! All I know is that having people like these kids here really shows what this relief effort is all about and I thank God for them!

If you, too, would like to be a more active participant in this relief effort here in southern Mississippi, it's easy to do. You can send your tax deductible gift to us through Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Be sure and note "Katrina" on your gift as all of it comes to us for this mission. We thank you for your heart of service and want you to know that without your support we would not be able to fulfill the calling God has placed on our hearts. God bless each and every one of you!

Until tomorrow....think about one small way you can serve someone else besides yourself...and DO IT! Bless you! Susan and Monty

Gators!!!!

Here you see a couple of the aligators we happened onto this afternoon. Some of them were just huge! I have been wanting to see some ever since we got here and this little place of water had more than their share! They kept their eyes on us, they thought we looked like "gator bait"?

You can also see the progress of Bethel College and the mural they are putting in the school nursery room! They drew this free hand on paper first and it is now covering all 4 walls of the room! The colors are incredible and the talent is beyond amazing! The teachers are in awe of the whole thing and the babies will surely be easier to care for because they will be watching the walls!

Bethel also created a wonderful puppet stage for Tim and Sheri and their childrens ministry. Once again, their creativity came through and became such a blessing for this ministry!

The "grouting crew" were once again in action. They completed their goal for today and made it all the way down hallway. I can't believe their knees are holding out, but then again they are college age kids and I am showing my age just thinking about painful knees!

Another group continued their work in the school play yard and it is actually looking like something besides a field of tall weeds! The kids will actually be able to go out and play and not get lost in the weeds! And of course, with all those tall weeds you get mosquitos of an entirely different (and large) breed!

The group has another drama presentation tomorrow afternoon and already have the rest of their days here planned out with work and presentations and fun! They are such a joy to be around as they continue with their music, singing, working, laughing and serving in the Lord! If only all of us adults would keep that free spirit, that sense that working for the Lord is FUN?! We all seem to get so caught up in what WE need, what WE want and how easily forget that the Bible itself says that in everything we do we should be doing it for the Lord!

Today is our "adopted" son's 18th birthday! This is the day our entire church small home group has been waiting for! He will graduate high school in a few weeks and we learned today that he will be baptized in another week! Kevin, we cannot fully express how happy we are with your choices and want you to know we miss you and will continue to keep you in our prayers. God has great plans for your life, stay close to Him and He will reveal them on an as needed basis. God is never too early and never too late!

We heard from Barbara, our next home rebuild. She had to return to her house today to wait for inspectors and for someone to come and evaluate the house for a grant application she filed. We hope to haul her sheetrock into the house tomorrow but will need to make sure the inspection has been completed. I heard a story today of someone who decided that their house was their house and did not get a building permit after the storm. They went ahead and rebuilt the house without any inspections. When the proper authorities found out and paid them a visit they made them tear out everything they did in the rebuild and start over again. This may seem ridiculous but remember, this flood wasn't just water, it was salt water! What that does to electrical is dreadful. Nearly every house needs some form of electric work done and some need completely redone! Just a reminder that most rules are there for our protection!

We paid a visit to our friend, the pastor holding his services in a tent due to the total loss of his church. He has a team of volunteers from Virginia there this week helping to get the parsonage rebuilt and able to house volunteers. There was a small part of the church structure that is being made into a warehouse type building and they were busy trying to get it closed in. We will be loading him up with sheetrock for their temporary structure also. Tomorrow should be the day of hauling, thus the day they are one step closer to getting out of the tent and into a decent place to be able to worship our Lord! We would like to thank his volunteers for taking time from their own lives and coming here to serve! God bless all of you!

If you would like to take an active part in this rebuilding process you can send your tax deductible gift to us through Vineyard Community Church at PO Box 3277 in Bloomington, Indiana 47402. Be sure and note "Katrina" on your gift as all of it comes to this relief mission.
We thank you for giving us the ability to follow the calling God has placed on our lives!

Until tomorrow.... Susan and Monty