They're getting closer....

The top 4 photos and the 6th one are of the blessed ones who received appliances and/or sheetrock yesterday. The appliances and carpeting came from Operation Family Care, the sheetrock from Convoy of Hope. Both of these organizations are awesome beyond words and without them this rebuilding would be completely impossible. Along with these people, and everyone along the coast, Monty and I included, we thank both of these organizations! May God bless all of you!

The following photos are of our wonderful New Jersey team! They are outdoing themselves! They are also finding muscles where they didn't know they had them, grouting floors all day long will definitely locate them! They continued to pour it on today, making tremendous progress. As the time gets closer, they work even harder. They WILL make the deadline and it will be an incredible "unveiling" for Barbara. We are also excited that our Convoy of Hope leaders will be coming to see the house. Once again, without their help this would not have been possible. Camp Hope was also a major part but considering they are located in California, they will not be able to be here. I know Jim will be watching the blog and Jim, we thank you for everything you are doing!

The second part of the team continued working on elecrical in the Spanish Village. My hearts went out to these guys this afternoon because it was cooler outside (95) than it was inside the trailer they were working in. Not once did they complain, they just worked and worked and knew they were working for the Lord! They will return again tomorrow and the Village will continue to be blessed!

I am also pleased to report that our neighbor, Frances, continues to improve after her surgery for her broken hip. She had her first therapy this afternoon and amazed the doctors. I don't think they believe she is 94 years "young"! We thank you for continuing to keep her in your prayers!

This week has had extra evening blessings. A couple of the team members brought their guitars and every evening is a wonderful celebration to the Lord. Monty has joined in with them and it has become a huge "class" where each is learning from the other! It is relaxing to listen to all of them playing and praising the Lord!

Until tomorrow where everyone will be working toward their goals to the finish line...blessings to all of you....Susan and Monty

Get Ready Barbara

Only 2 and 1/2 more days to go!

On Friday we are having the "grand reveal" of Barbara's house. Yes, she has seen what has been going on since the beginning but we managed to convince her to stay out this week until the final day! It wasn't easy as she was actually in town today for an appointment but she didn't come by the house!

We are planning an entire afternoon where she can invite family and friends, people from her home church and anyone else she would like to be there. It will also be an opportunity for the team and her to get to know each other as they will not have the chance to meet until then. It will be another day of God moving throughout the community and we thank Him for everything He has done in this rebuilding project! "With God, nothing is impossible"!

The team is working away at getting everything ready. Part of them went over the the Spanish Village for most of the day. They are working on their electrical issues and made some awesome progress. We were doubly blessed! The children in the village were the ones that did the interpreting for their parents --- those children are back in school --- we wondered what we would do --- God is always ready with His perfect plan --- team mate Jessica speaks Spanish and all was solved! They will be returning tomorrow to continue working out the issues and of course, so will Jessica.

Monty and I had the pleasure of giving away sheetrock and household furnishings this afternoon. There is an organization, Operation Family Care, who is a blessing beyond measure to us, and they have only just begun. They are the ones I spoke about a few weeks ago, the ones who are acquiring furnishings from Las Vegas hotel rooms and time share condos on the west coast. These places completely remodel their places every few years and this time, instead of destroying perfectly good things, they are donating them to Operation Family Care. And thanks to a gentleman named Steve, we are reaping the benefits. The entire coastline will be doing the same within months. In this last load we received appliances, dining chairs, carpet remnants, flooring and pad. We will never know exactly what will be on a shipment but we do know that we will be able to use whatever it is! Today we met 6 people who were blessed with things that will make them even closer to moving back into their homes again! We thank Steve and his answering the calling God placed on his life! May God return those blessings to you a hundred fold. I plan to have photos of the blessed people on the blog tomorrow night. Stay tuned!

We are also pleased to let you know that Frances is coming along fine. She needed a boost of a blood transfusion today but is getting stronger and the doctors feel she will do well when therapy begins. Please continue to keep her in your prayers.

Thank you all for all you are doing to support this ministry of rebuilding. You will never know just how much your support and prayers means to us!

May God bless and keep you .... until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

New Jersey gets started

Don't they look like a lovable group of guys? This is the team from Mt Vernon, Indiana that left on Friday. Sorry for being late with the photo guys! We love you and miss each and every one of you! Come back soon!!!!!

I want to start with some wonderful news! Thanks to you and all of your prayers I have the honor of telling you that our neighbor, Frances, came through her hip surgery just fine and amazed the doctors that at her 94 years of age that she is as "spry" as she is! Her daughter, Cynthia, will be getting settled into our house for the time being and they both will be staying there once Frances is dismissed and through her physical therapy! Remember that they just sold their house and were on their way to their big move to Pittsburg. We always told them that our house was their house and now it came true in the literal sense. Please continue to keep her in your prayers for a speedy recovery.

Our team of 11 from New Jersey got started on their big week this morning. We divided them in 2 teams. The first team of 4, including the 2 electricians, went to Delores's house. She had some issues that needed taken care of. She had her complete check list ready and waiting for them and they got it ALL done today! She also made her way into their hearts and they into hers!

The rest of the team went to Barbara's and worked on a multitude of things. They were grouting the tile flooring, cleaning furniture and who knows what all. I really think we might be "closing" on this house by the end of the week. I know Barbara reads this blog daily and I don't want to "let the cat out of the bag" so you'll just have to wait and read about some things AFTER they happen! Barbara --- I'll be calling you so just sit tight and don't start the drive here just yet!!!! :)

We were also able to be a special blessing to another family this afternoon. Along with providing them with some much needed sheetrock we were able to get a freezer and carpet remnant from what has been donated from the west coast. She, and both of her sons, were so thankful! Just another way to share and show the love of God to others. We can all talk the talk until we are blue in the face but the "show me, don't tell me" is really true. If you could just see the looks on the faces of the people we are able to bless, to see the warmth in their hearts, to see the tears stream from their faces because they can't believe you are doing this for them....I would dare you to not join in with the tears! We are so thankful to the organizations that are aware that the need is still sooooo great down here and then step out to do something! A God - thing, again!

Thank you for all you are doing to keep the awareness level up. We are fast approaching the 1 year anniversary of the storm and although things are getting cleaned up, there is a huge difference between getting cleaned up and getting rebuilt!!! Thanks to organizations such as Convoy of Hope who have made a lengthy commitment to get the rebuilding done!

Until tomorrow ... hug your neighbor's neck ... and thank God for all your blessings! Susan and Monty

Goodbye Teresa

Here are some more photos of the Outreach yesterday. You can the trailer full of bagged groceries given out, the man in yellow was the most awesome trash supervisor ever seen!

The crowd of people are watching the puppet show and 19 of those kids won a free bicycle! The kids zone was filled with things for them to do. The last photo is of Diane and myself taking information from those looking for some kind of help getting their homes rebuilt!

Church this morning was still overflowing with enthusiasm from yesterday! It was an incredible service. Some of the newest "members" that came from yesterday were here.

After lunch we had the sad experience of saying goodbye to Teresa. She has been with us for 3 weeks and has become like a sister to us. I must call her tomorrow morning and ask her why she is late for devotion! As hard as I tried, the tears still poured! When we make our trip home and stop in Alabama do speak at their church we will be blessed to stay with Berry and Teresa and their family. We will look forward to seeing them then. And saying goodbye to Amber brought even more tears. She is in high school and has the heart and goal of being in missions and we know, without a doubt, she will succeed! We love you guys! Teresa, you were such a blessing not only to the people you helped but to us and we will miss you more than you know!

Atleast she got the chance to be adjusted before she left. We are so blessed to have a chiropractor in this team and he actually brought his portable adjustment table with him! We all made it through our first adjustment and will make it a daily practice.

This day took a turn that we had not planned on and we REALLY need prayers. Our dear neighbor ladies who are mother and daughter, Frances and Cynthia, are our family! They won't mind me telling their ages as it is something to be proud of! Frances in 94 and Cynthia is 71. Today is a day that they have been planning on for the past 2 years. They were moving to Pittsburg to live near family, Cynthia's son and his family. God had other plans. Last night, after their son had packed all of their things and already left in the UHaul Frances fell and broke her hip! They have not only sold their house but also their car! Frances is now facing surgery sometime tomorrow and needs your prayers! She is a very small lady, only about 4'8" and can't be 89 pounds soaking wet! This surgery won't be easy and she needs all of the prayer strength we can all muster! I beg all of you to please pray for them as they will be staying in our house until who knows when. We love them dearly and are heartbroken that we are not right there with them. THIS is when this calling gets tough!

We thank you for everything but mostly, this evening, we thank you for praying for our ladies!
We will keep you updated as to how she does.

Until tomorrow ... God bless and comfort our ladies ... Susan and Monty

Outreach Day!!!!

Today was the day! It finally came! All of the preparations were worth every minute, every drop of sweat and every sleepless night!

The photos are of various areas of the day. You can see Pastor Rick and wife, Vickey, greeting everyone as they wait at the gate for the "go".

Each area was filled with people all day long. From the food tent, the children's play area (complete with water slide), the community service tent (where Convoy was located), the prayer tent, the entertainment stage and the handout of grocery bags of food. An absolutely incredible day!

The weather was a bit "iffy" first thing this morning but God had it all under control. The clouds stayed around, a nice breeze was blowing all day and the temps were bearable! Diane and I were under the tent all the time and it was actually nice.

Convoy of Hope signed up 34 more "work tickets" from people coming to our tent and asking for help. It's heartbreaking to listen to their stories and not be able to tell them that "we'll be right over and get your home back together". We instead had to tell them that it all depends on the volunteers and with them slowing down we are slowed down in our ability to respond.

If I could wish something I would wish that it could have been YOU sitting there, hearing their stories, seeing their tears and broken hearts, reaching for any kind of help they might get, and then realizing that you can't really do anything to help them right now and might not be able to -- ever! I know, without a doubt, that then you would be motivated to do something, anything, to help! I wish you could have heard the story of the sisters living in the family home, who just buried their father a few months ago, who are willing to shingle their own roof to repair it, who just need the extra hands to help and the ladder to reach the roof! They have black mold growing all over the house because the blue tarp that FEMA placed on the roof 11 months ago has torn and blown off due to the weather. They have torn out what they can, they cannot get a FEMA trailer to live in, they are raising 2 very small children in the house and are more than desperate! What would YOU do? Could you tell her you don't have the help? Could you tell her you don't know when you will be able to do something and she shouldn't be living in the house because she is endangering not only herself but the lives of her children? What WOULD you do?

Please think about it and please keep all of these people in your prayers. Remember all of us when you go into your house of worship tomorrow.

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Goodbye Indiana

The Indiana team worked over half the day finishing up last minute things at Barbara's with Monty. They had planned on making the trip home in 2 days so they weren't in a big hurry to get started. It was just so hard saying goodbye to these 6 guys because they have become family also! And as tough as they are on the outside they got a kick out of the 6 teddy bears we had lined up for them to take home with them! :)

Diane and I spent the entire morning setting up for tomorrows outreach. We put up orange fencing until our hands hurt and then helped with all of the tents. I lost count but think there are 8 - 9 tents up and a couple of them are quite large! It reached 95 degrees today before a shower came through late afternoon. We were soaked through in a matter of minutes but had fun getting things layed out. There will be a kids area with fun and games, a prayer tent, a social services tent, free food and drinks, free groceries and so much more. Be sure and stay tuned as tomorrow night will most likely be a pictorial of the day! Please keep us all in your prayers as it is to be another extremely hot one tomorrow! Also pray that those who need to come will come. At the last one in April they had 55 salvations --- really a God thing!

We went back after a pizza lunch and finished with what we could do in setting up. We need to be back there at 8:30am tomorrow to put on the finishing touches before opening at 10am.

There was service/volunteer rally at church this evening. Pastor Rick handed out pumpkin seeds and challenged us all to "plant seeds" tomorrow. All it takes is a smile and/or a handshake to reach others for Jesus.

We then divided into the different groups for a short training coarse for tomorrow. Pastor thinks it should take about 100 volunteers and I am sure we will have plenty.

Berry, Teresa's husband came back this evening also. He brought Amber with him and it is so good to see them again. The only bad thing is that when they leave on Sunday they will be taking Teresa with them and that will be tough! She has become such a part of our family here, Monty, myself, Diane and Teresa. We will truly miss her and I know how hard it is going to be for her to leave. She has a real servant's heart and is already dreading leaving. We are so thankful that she made the decision to stay the extra 2 weeks and thank her for everything she has done! I know she won't stop when she leaves so those of you who know her --- get ready ---she is on a roll!!!

The final touch for the evening was making the Convoy of Hope posters to hang over our tent awning tomorrow. We are as ready as we can be and are so excited! God is about to sweep over the entire city and it will be awesome! Don't you wish you could be here????

Until our big day tomorrow....GO GOD! BOO DEVIL!! Susan and Monty

Barbara Visits IN team

This is what the back of the trailer looked like last night, at the beginning of loading the bags of food for the upcoming Outreach. By the time we were done this trailer was filled from back to front and bottom to over the top! The sides of the trailer stand 4' high to give you a better idea of its size! Like I said, 1650 bags ready to bless 1650 people! Please keep us in your prayers, for the people who need blessed to come and be blessed!

Today was the day Barbara came to visit the IN team. She always loves to come and meet the teams who have taken time from their lives to come and bless her. It's always such a great blessing to the teams to have the opportunity to meet her, to talk with her, to hear her story and to hear her thankful heart. She spent the afternoon there and was also able to see all of the progress made by this team. She was in amazement! She also realizes that we are getting closer and closer to moving her back into her home!

Pastor Tim will meet the team there tomorrow morning with the toilet for her master bath. He will be purchasing a handicapped one to make life alot easier for her! We are so thankful to him and her church for the help they have been to both us and her in getting her rebuilt!

Monty spent the day with the team and was able to install doors and purchase a couple more that were still needed. She has a linen closet that had become a problem in finding a door just the right size. Lowes wanted "an arm and a leg" for one and would have to order one to size, thus putting the price too far out there for us. We decided to wait and as usual, God steps right in the middle and puts just what we need, at a discounted price, right in front of us just when we need it! It is now the most beautiful door in her house! Praise the Lord--once again!

The team was also able to repair and remount 4 columns that held up her front porch area outside of her home. Although the storm took down all of them, 3 of them were in okay shape. The 4th took a beating but these guys were able to repair it and put them all back up again. What a difference it made in the appearance and she was thrilled. It made it look like home again, the way she remembered it!

They also continued work on the flooring and everything else they have been doing. Even though they are heading for home tomorrow they are going to go back and work half a day at her house. They have things they want to accomplish before they go and they are determined to make every minute count!

We are so appreciative of this team and will miss them when they leave. They have told us they WILL be back and we look forward to that day! Each team brings special blessings with them and this team has followed suit. Isn't God an awesome God!

I will close this with another "quotable quote" from their Pastor this morning. Just after we had our circle of prayer to send everyone out for their day he said "GO GOD! BOO DEVIL"!!!!

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Indiana/Barbara Pictorial Night

Here you see the Indiana team at work. They are loading the ceiling insulation inside the house and blowing it in with the machine rented from Lowes. The flooring is being installed and reinstalled!

You can see the new patio door coming in and being installed. This really made a difference in things! These men are constantly moving and working and working some more. We brought some OSB board for flooring in the kitchen pantry to bring the level of the floor even with the kitchen. We brought another large load of the tile. They will need more of the thin foam padding for tomorrow.

They are still finishing the electrical issues along with the plumbing. It seems as though there isn't anything they can't do!

Today the heat and humidity levels reached the nearly unbearable stage and they continued to work and sweat and work and sweat some more, no complaints!

We are just continually amazed at how God directs the people here. ALL have been called by Him and ALL have answered that call! And the people here are blessed for it. We thank them all from the bottom of our hearts!

We spent this evening bagging food for the outreach, a total of 1650 bags to be exact!!! It was one of the most fun times I have had since we have been here. It was extremely hot, everyone was dripping wet with sweat by the time it was over and no one complained! We had the girls from Teen Challenge who worked like troopers. We would have bagged more but the trailer we were putting them in hit the more than full line. There will be alot of blessings going on come Saturday thanks to the food donation from Convoy of Hope! Be sure and stay tuned!

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

"Shake it off and step up"

What a busy, busy day!

Barbara's troubled areas of flooring are now out and the new is going in. Praise the Lord!

Our day got off to a very busy start. Monty went his way to the Pascagoula Lowes to meet with Pastor Tim and pick up the blower for our team to blow the ceiling insulation into Barbara's home. It's a monsterish looking machine but just what we needed. We are grateful to Tim for arranging and supplying the machine and the insulation. Monty and Stephen made a trip to the warehouse and brought back the sheetrock needed to rock in the garage ceiling before blowing the insulation. Thanks Convoy!

Monty made a return trip to Lowes with one of the team members and their list of supplies needed. We were able to find a discounted patio double door to replace the one she had that was rotting due to the flood. The team was installing it the last time I saw them. They were also putting on the electrical plates, starting some of the door casing, painting in the closets and who knows how many other things they had on their "to do" list. What an awesome group of men who just dig their heels in and get the work done!

Diane and I also started our morning at Lowes, the one in Gautier. We had a listing of everything needed to get some closet shelving put in so Barbara can hang some clothes in her closet and use her linen closet. It took us quite awhile but we got it done and got the materials to them so they could add to that ever growing list. They just smile and keep going!

Once again we are so thankful to Camp Hope for helping us supply the needs of those in need here. We just can't thank them enough!

I also had a wonderful phone call from our team leader and pastor of the Texas team coming in a few weeks. They have invited Monty and I to come and speak at their church prior to their coming. They want to get them fired up for the trip. Of course we told them we would be happy to and will be working out the details in the next couple of days. They say Houston is not all that far from here and we are always ready to do whatever we can to bring awareness to others about this effort. We will be putting together photos to really show the reality of things! We are so thankful that they have invited us and look forward to meeting them and spending some time with them.

This evening we were once again honored to be included in the Assembly's monthly District dinner meeting. It is so great to be able to be a part of such a blessed group of people. The speaker this evening was a missionary dedicated to helping the orphans in China and her presentation was quite moving. Please keep her, and the children of China, in your prayers. She has a true heart for that ministry and pray God will guide her in her mission. We want to say a special thanks to the District Pastor David for including us in these meetings.

Tomorrow morning we will be taking our van into the glass shop. A rock hit the windshield last week and what was once a chip is now a crack working its way down the entire window. We are thankful that our insurance will take care of it! They warned us that the intense heat down here can crack windshields if you keep your windows closed tightly but this came from a rock. Should be good as new by tomorrow afternoon.

We hope all of you are keeping our upcoming Outreach in your prayers. Please pray that God brings the people that need to be here and that we all have His wisdom to know just how to reach them where they are at. We will be starting the preparations tomorrow. If you happen to be reading this and live in the area, please come out between 10am and 2pm on Saturday and share in the fun and fellowship, free food, prizes and games and a God filled day!

Thank you for all you are doing in this relief effort. We pray God's blessings on each and every one of you. YOU are our life-lines!

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Problem or Opportunity?

Well, Mondays usually have alot of twists and turns with it being the first day on the job for new teams. This one was "extra" twisting!

Remember the flooring in Barbara's house, refer to the photo----well, most of it had to be taken out today and replaced! This tile flooring is not ceramic tile. It actually snaps together sort of like hardwood flooring. It is called a "floating" floor. The grouting material that came with it comes in cans and looks like decorative cake icing coming out of the tube. It is VERY time consuming and difficult to use. After consulting with others we decided it would be best, and most cost effective, to use regular grout. WRONG!!!! We did use it in two rooms and when we got done it looked great. Looks can be deceiving. Today, when we thought we would make awesome progress and maybe get it close to being done we were "rechanneled" in our way of thinking. It seems the floating part of the floor caused the grout to crack and then crack some more. It just wasn't going to work. We had to go back to plan A with using the tube grout. This required the pulling up of all the grouted flooring and replacing it with new, ungrouted flooring. We thought about removing the grout and replacing it with the tube grout and again, NOT! The time invested in doing that, not to mention the mess, was not feasible. We have plenty of the tile itself and knew that was the way to go. One of those "three steps forward and two back" kind of things. The Indiana team took it very well, went to work, no complaints, just get it done! Bless them!!!! They were working well into the evening and are installing light fixtures, door hardware, electric details and every other kind of job you can imagine. They are even working on repairing the columns on the outside of her house that came down in the storm. They hold up a small roof section over the front of the house and really need to be repaired and put back in to protect the roof portion.

Just one of those days where things get a bit more than challenging and we just have to sit back and look at the challenge as another opportunity to learn something! That can be tough to do! Thanks to all of you and your prayers we were able to get it done today! :)

I was afraid that Monty might have been down for the count this morning. He was up all night not feeling well and didn't make devotions this morning. By mid morning he was up and around and doing okay, once again thanks to all of your prayers. Remember when I said that even if you don't know what to pray for when praying for us the Lord knows and He has it all covered! We ended up spending the most of our day back and forth from Barbara's and Lowes. Tomorrow will begin with a trip to Lowes as her back double patio doors must be replaced. There is a list to go along with those doors and hopefully more progress will be made once the list is checked off. We are so very blessed to have organizations such as Convoy of Hope and Camp Hope who believe in this relief effort and are such a help to us. Bless all of you for your serving hearts! Without you this would be impossible.

When I looked at the calendar and realized today was the last day of July I was shocked! I just don't know where the time goes! It seems like it was March just a couple of days ago! We are just so busy that days can go by and we don't even look to see what the date is! Must be another of those "God things".

It was also exciting to see all of the new children's bikes lining the front of the church this evening. They are donated to us to give away at our Outreach this Saturday. There will be some awfully happy children taking home those bikes! Those are just a small sample of the exciting things that will happen that day! God will be pouring out blessings all over the area and we are once again just so thankful to be a small part in the whole thing! What a blessing it is for us!

Thanks again to everyone for your prayers and support. May God bless all of you!

Until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Day of Rest??

What is the theme of your life?

This is the title of this mornings message and one to cause some deep thought. Pastor Rick had us think about how music and songs have impacted our lives. When we hear a song from our past it usually makes us think about a specific moment in our lives and we have no trouble remembering the details of where we were and what we were doing. If music has such a huge impact on our lives jut think how much more WE impact the lives of others! Really makes you stop and think, doesn't it. It did me!

God has put each and every one of us here for a reason, for a purpose, for an eternal call. When God gives us our purpose we are to take ahold of it, hang on, be determined, like a "pit bull on a pork chop" if you get the picture. That pit bull won't let go, no matter what. Pastor told us we should be the same way when God calls us to do something, don't let go of that call, no matter what! Needless to say, it was a thought provoking message!

We were so very pleased this morning as our newest Spanish family came to church! Even though they don't speak English, they were here! Pastor and Diane print out his message in Spanish for them but can you imagine going in to a church where you cannot understand a word that is being said? They weren't going to let anything stop them from coming and we pray God touched them and that is understandable in any language!

Usually we try and take Sunday afternoon and get a bit of rest but today God had something else in mind for Monty, myself, Diane and Teresa. After church we passed by the C.O.R.E. camp down the road. That stands for Christian Organized Relief Effort. This camp has been based at a nearby church since right after the storm. They are now in the process of moving out and turning the effort over to the church. They housed their volunteers inside of tents and served them their meals each day. They ended up with extra food and materials and invited us to come and take whatever we could use. We also called a couple of other relief efforts that we know and invited them to come and get what they could use. It's just another way of passing on the gifts God has blessed them with to others. That is what makes all of these relief efforts work.

We ended up coming back here, hitching up the trailer and off we went. We were able to bring back food, paper products, brooms, shovels and many other supplies. We also got food that we will be able to use in the churchs food bank. It was quite a blessing (and alot of hard work)! :)

Our team from Indiana joined us in church this morning and then took the day to travel the coast all the way to New Orleans. We always encourage the teams to do so. They need to see the full effects of the storm and be able to take the whole picture back to their own churches and communities to encourage others to come down and volunteer.

We want to take a minute and send a special thank you to Rick from our home town and The Life church. He was making a presentation to his church this morning in hopes of encouraging others to come and volunteer their time. We thank him for his service while they were here and for also doing eveything he can to raise awareness of the reality of here! We love all of you guys and miss you!

Note to Amber --- we are really excited to know you are coming back with Barry and family. We will definitely be able to used you at the Outreach. Wear your shirt! :)

Tomorrow startes another team on their mission of rebuilding homes and lives. It's always exciting to get them on their way the first day as they come in filled with energy and enthusiasm and are raring to get going. We would ask that you keep them in your prayers so their energy and enthusiasm will carry them through the week. They have already showed us just how great they are going to be with getting us electricity in the back area where we work and in covering the vents that had been leaking rainwater into the building every time it rains. We know they do good work because it rained during church and there were no leaks! Thanks so much guys!

Until tomorrow...please think about what the theme of your life is, or what you know it should be! Take it to prayer and be sure to stop and listen for God's answer!

Love to all...Susan and Monty

Mt. Vernon, Indiana arrives

Today we welcomed the newest team from our home state of Indiana. It's been awesome to have 2 teams from "home" this past month.

They came in ready to get going and that is exactly what Monty got them doing. Since this church building used to be a grocery store all of the lights were on one circuit and either the entire building is lit up or the entire building is dark. Thanks to these men we now have lights in our back area that are on a separate circuit and will hopefully save some on the electric bills around here.

They also found themselves on top of the roof covering some vents with tarps. When we get a heavy rain it comes in through those vents and floods the back area. Thanks to these men we will no longer flood and will no longer have to line the floors with plastic tubs to catch the rain! Who knows what they will get in to for their next project.

They will be attending church here with us in the morning and that is always special. The congregation gets such a boost when volunteers are here for church. Their afternoon will be spent traveling the coast, getting the full picture of the devastation - after 11 months! Today is the 11 month anniversary.

Monty and I were treated to a special evening dinner this evening. Andrea and her husband, Chris (from our NC team) flew into Gulfport for a family get-together this week and decided to come by here and take us to dinner. What a blessed thing for us, enjoying a wonderful meal and getting reunited with family. Yes, they are all family once they have been here. It's a God-thing and something you have to experience to fully understand.

I have a special story for the NC team, from Barbara. Remember how the bone spur in her knee just somehow miraculously "disappeared"? That wasn't the best thing that happened to her! Remember how you prayed that her son would be able to find a job? Well, not only did he find an awesome job, he found one right here in Pascagoula! He had been offered the job here and another in NC. The NC was going to pay a bit more and he felt he had to go where the money was going to be. When he told the local company the story they not only matched his NC offer, they increased it, offered to pay all of his moving expense AND 3 months rent until he can find a permanent home here! Barbara was so excstatic when she was telling me that we both had goose bumps! She said her life completely changed the night all of you from NC prayed for her and wanted me to be sure and let you know. Thank you each and every one! You are truly God's angels!

On a more somber note, I just got word that our dear friends in Pascagoula, Bruce and Linda are desperate for help. This couple has been so good to Monty and I, taking us to dinners just when we needed the fellowship and laughter. They lost everything in their home and hired a contractor to do some of the major work required. And now we learn that he left --- with their money and with the job nowhere near done! I know this kind of thing is happening all over down here and it makes my blood boil but when it happens to people we dearly love it makes it boil even more! We will do the best we can to get volunteers over there and get their work done. THIS is where we need YOU! Without those volunteers we cannot help them, and we cannot help all of the others who call us! YOU are critical to this effort, not us! PLEASE take this plea to heart, pray about it, talk to your friends and family and see where the Lord leads you! He WILL lead you in the direction he has planned for your life!

Thank you, all of you, for everything you have done and are doing! You all know who you are and we love you dearly and miss you so much!

Tomorrow is our day of worship! We ask that you keep us in your prayers, and the entire coast!
Thank you and God bless ..... until tomorrow....Susan and Monty

Katrina Kitchen Photos

Here are the photos I talked about last night. The cross standing alone is an amazing testimony of faith. In case you can't see it well, it says "Power from God". You can click on it to enlarge it, or any of the photos. The striped tent is the kitchen where all of the meals are served. You can also see the area reserved for those who are volunteering longer than a week, the place where they park their RVs of all shapes and sizes.

The red banner hangs in the back of the kitchen, just behind the serving line. It says it all!

The little buildings that look like storage barns are exactly that, only they have 6 beds inside and house volunteers. They are built by the Amish and donated to the effort. After they are used all the Amish asked in return is that they be donated to those who need them. Just another example of this entire effort being one church body with many members with hearts of service.

I am still amazed at how many different relief efforts are going on here along the coast. All of them have their special part and are what make the entire effort a success. We tell people over and over again that whatever label is over the door of your home church isn't what matters, we are all one body in Christ and that is what matters. You can drop your label when you come over the state line and pick it back up again when you leave, if you need to.

Today Diane and Teresa reached out in to another avenue of rebuilding. Instead of focusing on the structural rebuilding they helped one of our church families pack away some of their things in order to prepare for rebuilding. Both husband and wife have had more than their share of health problems and just don't have the strength to pack and move boxes. Teresa and Diane were able to make wonderful progress and minister to this couple at the same time. When we went to preview their home the other day trying to get a smile from either of them was next to impossible. Today when we returned to pick up the girls, both David and Cindy were smiling from ear to ear and had a renewed sense of enthusiasm that had replaced their feelings of being overwhelmed. It's like I have said so many times, there is no such thing as unskilled labor here and there is something for everyone to do!

As Teresa and Diane were helping Cindy found some clothing she wanted to donate to the cause, just another way she could turn around and bless others. THAT is something that will put a smile on our faces for sure! :)

Monty and I had an opportunity to talk with the Pastor of the church in Pascagoula where we had been located before moving to Gautier. We were thrilled to learn that Pastor Tim is really rolling along in getting their church building rebuilt and returning to a real church! He had a huge task ahead of him as this is a large church with many rooms and he has "taken the bull by the horns" as some would say, set his goals and is heading full steam ahead and getting things done. Good job Pastor Tim, you are always in our prayers and we are blessed to call you and Sheri our friends!

We heard from our team from Mt. Vernon, Indiana this evening and they are only about 4 hours away. They have stopped for the night and should be here early tomorrow afternoon. They will then have time to get settled in and get things prepared for church on Sunday morning, traveling the coastline on Sunday afternoon and ready to work hard come Monday morning. Keep them in your prayers for continued safe travel.

I have put a link to Convoy of Hope on this blog entry. I guess I just assumed that you all had located and seen their site but then realized the true meaning of "assume" and thought I should put the site on so you could easily find it. www.convoyofhope.org is a wonderful site and I encourage you to go to it and read about all of the fantastic things this organization is involved in. You will be shocked and hopefully moved to keep them in your prayers!

Until tomorrow....enjoy the first day of the weekend and count your blessings...we all have more than we could possibly count....no matter what our circumstances.

We love and thank all of you for joining us in this miraculous journey....Susan and Monty

God's Katrina Kitchen

These are the plastic bags that will be filled with free groceries to be given out to those who come to the Outreach next Saturday.

No, these are not my children...but yes, in a way they are! Can you look at those dear faces and then refuse to help their families rebuild their homes? I think not!

Teresa and Diane continued working in Stephen's house today. Stephen had to go to "real" work today as he is in college and must have some kind of income over this summer to help get him through next semester. His mother chose the paint colors she wanted and that is what the women spent their day on today, along with some cleaning and more sheetrock finishing. Their house is really starting to look like a home. Their cabinets should be here in a few days and then we are really talking about being close to being home again.

Monty and I made a trip to Pass Christian today. There has been an enormous relief effort going over there ever since the storm. Pass Christian was almost completely wiped off the map as that is where the eye went through. The relief effort, "God's Katrina Kitchen" started with a gentleman from Kentucky who came down and started cooking hamburgers on his grill for anyone who needed food. The idea took root and he has been cooking ever since. There are 2 absolutely huge tents set up and one does nothing but serve 3 full course meals 7 days a week. At their highest they were serving over 3500 people a day! They are now "down" to around 1000. Take a minute and think about just how much food that takes and then think again about how many volunteers it takes to do something like this! It's mind boggling! They also have another huge tent set up that was, in the beginning, a clothing "store" where once again everything was free. No, they don't charge one red cent for the food, ever! The clothing tent has now been converted into a food storage/church tent. They hold church services every evening, also 7 days a week! It's like their motto says, "One God, Many Churches"! If you would like to read more about this effort you can go to www.godskatrinakitchen.org

I should have photos on the blog tomorrow night so you can see some of the inside workings going on. They also went out into the rebuilding side of the relief efforts and like us, they have way more work that needs done than volunteers to do the work!

We were really blessed to be able to go there and talk with those who are coordinating that effort. It's great to be able to talk with others who are "in the same boat". Finally someone we have something in common with! Chris and Wendy and Greg are amazing people and I would ask a special prayer for Wendy as she and Chris are expecting their first baby in early October and are hoping to be back home for the birth but as they both said today, "wherever God has them at the time is fine with them". Hearts of service? Oh yea!!

As we made the drive over and back, it's about an hour one way, it gave us another opportunity to see just what has been done along the beach. They have gotten alot of the debris under control but it still looks like a wasteland. There aren't near the people that should be. There are more pieces of heavy equipment than there are people. Very little, if any, rebuilding has started along the coast in the business area. The old mansions are gone and no signs of anything started in their places. It just brings tears to your eyes and makes us realize that this rebuilding will still be going on 10 years from now, yes --- I said 10 years!

We did learn something else interesting today. The Kitchen is located directly across from what used to be a beautiful beach area but the water is closed to everyone! They have managed to sweep the sand to some extent but the water is filled with who knows what. The authorities have told the coordinators that if people are seen in the water the Kitchen will be fined. And as if that isn't enough, they also were told why .... there are still flesh eating organisms in the waters! It's enough to keep that many volunteers OUT of the water for sure! And they say this effort is nearly over????!!!!! It just makes me want to scream out! How about YOU scream out for me, wherever you are, to whomever you talk to, to everyone you talk to! Wake them up to the reality of it all, shake their foundations and break their hearts to do something to help!

We thank all of you for everything you are doing...until tomorrow....where there will be more photos....God bless you....Susan and Monty

Convoy of Hope rolls in!

When the Convoy of Hope rolls in it IS noticed! You just can't miss something like that, rolling into town absolutely filled with blessings! Today it was filled with food, food for a kitchen that is on going and food for The Refuge Outreach in 10 days! There are 11 pallets of food that will be put into plastic bags marked Convoy of Hope with the John 3:16 verse in just about every language you can imagine! This food will then be handed out FREE to anyone and everyone who comes through the lines. Last outreach approximately 2,000 bags went out! And an added blessing is that Convoy really knows how to pack a truck! Every pallet was shrink wrapped and able to be off loaded with the forklift! What an amazing blessing Convoy has been since the onset of the storm. They load these trucks with food, water and medical supplies and are the "first responders" immediately after the storm. They don't have to go through all of the legal red tape to get in. Their reputation preceeds them and the blessings flow and flow and flow! We feel so extremely blessed to be such a small part of such a wonderful organization! Please keep them in your prayers.

In the very first photo you see Monty with Stephen. Stephen is our volunteer who came from us going to see if we could help his family in any way. Even before he knew if we would do anything in his familys house he volunteered to work with us and bless others. Isn't God amazing! And today was his girlfriend, Annalee's birthday. 21 years old ----can you remember that age? I have "no comment"! :)

The group photo is of the couple who volunteered and drove this truck from Missouri for free! Just another way people can be involved in this rebuilding effort!

The following photos are of our Alabama team at work. The group photo was taken the morning they left. The Convoy banner they are standing in front of has been hanging there since right after the storm!

I need to mention someone who is more than a very special person! See that man in the photo with Monty ---- that is Teresa's husband, BARRY! Yes, he does have a name and this man agreed to have his wife stay behind and continue working with us. What a man, what a husband! He went on home to go back to work AND do the best he can to keep the household up and running! Like I said, what a wonderful man! Barry, we promise to take good care of her and look forward to seeing you come back! (maybe we should keep one member of each team as a hostage so someone from the team would come back)!

Before and after unloading the truck Monty and I were out looking at new work requests. The first one will require a contractor because there is just too much structural damage for us to get in to. We have to draw the line on what we can and cannot do and this one is just out of our scope of work.

Another one has some structural damage but they have a specialist coming in this weekend to evaluate things. We will be taking Diane and Teresa over there this Friday so they can help them get some things taken into storage and get some things organized. Just another of those ways to be a blessing and be involved in the effort. You don't have to have construction skills, just a heart to serve others in any way you possibly can.

Everything is coming together for the outreach next Saturday and it's so exciting to be preparing for. When I hear about the thousands of people who came to the last one over Easter weekend it makes me so thrilled to be able to be a small part of this one. These outreaches are something ANY church can do! Convoy of Hope has a standard setup and can come to any church out there who would like to sponsor such a thing. You don't have to be along the coast and suffered damage from the storm. You just have to want to have an outreach and want to bless those in your communities! If you would like more info, just go to their website and contact them. You will be blessed in return beyond your wildest imaginations!

We thank all of you who have, and are, supporting us in your prayers, cards, notes and calls. You all mean the world to us and without you we would not be able to fulfill this calling. Monty and I were just talking this evening about how this entire mission is groundbreaking and history making. There has never been a relief effort such as this. There are no supervisors to go to if we have questions, no "how to" manual to refer to for the answers, no forms to follow, no person leading us in the way they did it. It really is history making and we are all learning each and every day! Thus the reason we NEED your support and prayers! You are the keys to this effort, not us! We thank you more than words can say and just ask that you continue to do what you are doing!

We want to welcome home our home church mission team who are returning this evening from a week in Costa Rico. We pray you had a blessed week and are filled with hearts full of joy!

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