Putting it all together

Archie and Nina with Monty and Chester who leads the Presbytarian camp.

Day 4 brought more sanding, taping and mudding at Archie's and then more electrical work at Mariano's. They move like machines powered by the Energizer Bunny.

Hopefully they won't be quite so hot tomorrow. The weather is supposed to change sometime tonight with a cool front coming in. We broke the record high today and I just can't say how much we are ready to have this heat leave!

Today we got the rest of Mariano's deck materials ordered. The team coming in next week will be tackling quite a few projects over there. The deck railing will be one of them. We really liked the railing that our team did at Garaldeen's last week and plan on going with that same pattern for Mariano's. Delivery should arrive tomorrow.

The dumpster for Ms Carol's house is to arrive tomorrow morning. Our team coming to work tomorrow and Saturday will be gutting her house so the dumpster is a necessity. The county is no longer picking up trash at the curbs so we are forced to get dumpsters for any big jobs.

We also learned that Catholic Charities is trying to locate temporary housing for Ms Verlis and her family so we can get in and gut her home next week. Even though they are currently living in it with everything destroyed, cabinets and counter tops falling in, bathtub not usuable and numerous other problems, living in in during and after it's gutted is just too difficult. We pray they will be successful and the family will get to enjoy being away while we dig in and gut and rebuild.

I took some time late today and reorganized the tool box on the back of my truck and the inside. Things get tossed in and it ends up being a mess before I can even think. Monty was working on his and so it just seemed like the thing to do. I ended up rather "pink" when done as all UMCOR tools are spray painted hot pink so teams will know they belong to us and whenever I paint anything I tend to become the color I am using. And spraying on a windy day . . .

We've had a great time with the Presbytarian teams over the past weeks and Chester even seemed a bit disappointed today when he realized their team for next week won't be working with us but will be working in Galveston with construction coordinator, Sandy. We reassured him that their teams for the following 2 weeks will be returning to San Leon.

It's just such a blessing to have the teams coming as they are. I sat up late last night reworking our schedule of teams and that proved to be quite a job. Example -- next week we have a team of 27 working Monday through Friday, another team of 12 coming to work Thursday through Saturday and another team of 5 coming for just Saturday. If only each week could be like that we would be closing house after house and moving folks back home in record time!

We did get a bit of really good news today -- our dear friend back in Mississippi -- Pastor Lavoy and his wife Tracy's little girl is doing much better. She was diagnosed with the swine flu and was quite ill. She's only 5 years old so we were all happy to know she is doing better. Thanks for the healing touch Lord.

Be sure and stay tuned over the weekend as we have a team coming tomorrow through Saturday and another one for Saturday -- won't be a dull moment!

Until next time . . . be blessed to bless! Susan and Monty

Still Gutting!

Meet Martha and Steven. I stopped by today to drop off some towels and kitchen things that had been donated and they were thrilled when I asked if I could take their picture. They said they didn't have a photo of the two of them, the hurricane destroyed all their pictures! I promised I would print a couple of them out and bring them back for them.

Today started with our weekly UMCOR meeting. Receipts get turned in, incoming teams get reviewed and all sorts of catch-up business gets done in the shortest amount of time possible. Keeping up with all the incoming teams and their skills isn't a small feat.

From there we headed back to Dickinson to review the gutting of Ms Carol's home. It's not a complete gut so we wanted to make sure we were all on the same page as to what to gut and what to leave. She will be moving in with one of her daughters while the rebuildin takes place. Our incoming team for this Friday and Saturday will be working on her home and should get all the gutting done along with helping her take her things and put them in a local storage.

It was then off to meet Art at Home Depot to get the flooring for his house. The incoming team on Monday will be going there to install all the floors. Art chose a vinyl that looks exactly like laminate and is more than durable. We even managed to get it all loaded in the back of his truck. He's so excited to see the end result and then move on to cabinets and kitchen completion.

I then had some donations to drop off. First to Martha and Steven and then some donated baby blankets to another recovery organization here in town. They were thrilled to get them and will have them out into the community within days.

Our team of Presbytarians were making quite the progress this morning at Archie and Nina's. Not only do they have all the sheetrock hung but they also got the first tape coat on. While waiting for it to dry they packed up and headed off to Mariano's to get all the light fixtures hung and the gas line to the stove completed. They don't let any grass grow under their feet!

And that brings us to the end of our day where I wait to hear from our next door neighbor at home in Indiana. If you remember I mentioned that my youngest daughter was moving back home from Boston. Well, after only a few days she found the heat and the water heater not working! Some welcome home! The heat turned out to be something simple but no so with the water heater. It's a gas heater and we have always had problems with the pilot going out. Seems it's never been vented correctly and we might be forced to change it to electric. Things like this are twice as difficult to deal with when we don't live there. We are dependant (and more than thankful) for our neighbor to handle things. I imagine my daughter is more than tired of the "cool" showers, especially since they are having cooler than normal temps right now!

We will wait and then see what needs done. In the meantime, tomorrow is another day with nearly each hour scheduled. More houses to look at, more to add to the waiting list and with prayers we will get to each one -- one at a time!

Until then . . . be blessed and be a blessing! Susan and Monty

My Mom is the BEST!

See all the drills lined up -- that's what it looks like when a team comes in and works at the speed this one is -- fast!

They are hanging sheetrock as fast as one can get a sheet to the other. They have framed in walls, formed the kitchen and are ready to start taping and mudding tomorrow. Archie said they have done more work in the past 2 days than he got done in the past who knows how many months! And the smile on his face was lighting up the entire room!

They also found time to stop off at Mariano's to check on his electrical as they also are wiring at Archie's. They made a list of what they need, will return tomorrow and plan on being done with it all in around 3 hours!!! And then --- with any miracle at all --- we can call the power company and they will agree to come out and turn the power back on!

Like I said -- an amazing team and there are only 5 of them!!!

Now -- as for the title of this blog entry! I have -- without a doubt -- the best Mom in the world! I have always known that I got my heart for helping others from both my parents but my Mom gave me a bit more I think!

I called her yesterday to tell her the story of Martha and Steven and how we are really up against it with this couple. We cannot apply for funding through our usual means because of some rather personal issues with them. This leaves us "out to dry" as some would say. We just say that we have to take another route. As I was telling my Mom about this I could hear her wheels spinning. And today I get this incredible email! She is organizing a "one woman bake sale" --she being that woman! Her Pastor has agreed to help out by letting her do the bake sale at their church (First United Methodist in Columbus, Indiana) just in case you're in the area! :)

And that isn't enough for her -- she has contacted friends who are going to also start baking and do what they can to raise some funds so we can help Martha and Steven.

Baking is only the beginning for her. Over the summer her pet bird population grew -- too many to bring inside with the cooler temps coming. So she advertised them for free -- or rather a donation! She got quite a nice donation for 4 of them this morning!!! Go Mom!!!

Just knowing that my Mom is working so hard -- has such an amazing and giving heart -- she just has no idea how much that means to us!!! The help may be going to Martha and Steven but what it does for us is impossible to put into words!

For the past 19 years my Mom has run the "Hot Meals" program at their church. Every Monday night she organizes food and volunteers to come in and cook for the homeless and anyone who walks in the door. Sometimes they serve near 100 people. She never fails. She never runs out of food. Most of all -- she never runs out of love for people -- she doesn't judge, she doesn't shun, she just loves and hugs and smiles and dishes up some of the most delicious food known to man!

I can only thank God for such an amazing Mother, for such an amazing example and for the love and support she has, and continues to have, for us and what we are doing!

I have asked her to get a plane ticket ready so she can personally come and share with Martha and Steven. (I really just want to see my Mom as I miss her soooo much)

May all of you have just a "touch" of the heart my Mom has --- and then we pray you take that "touch" and bless someone with it! YOU in turn will be amazingly blessed! Just try it!

Until next time . . . I miss you Mom -- I love you and I thank you for being my Mom!

Be blessed. Susan and Monty

The Presbytarian 5

They didn't get in until late last night, all the way from Virginia, but they were ready to go this morning. The Presbytarian 5 are quite skilled and already made an amazing difference in Archie and Nina's house!

We haven't been in Archie and Nina's house for quite some time. Archie has been working at his own pace - and with an injured back. Their daughter called last week and said they were ready for some volunteers to come in and help.

And here they are --- and Archie thought all they would do is hang and finish sheetrock! They started in with framing and insulating and doors and such. I can't imagine the transformation this house will take on by the end of the week.

It might be raining on the outside but the sun is most definitely shining inside their home! Even Nina was down on her hands and knees and having fun helping with the insulation!!

I also paid another visit to Martha and Steven this afternoon to just check on them. Good thing I did as they needed help. Remember me telling you how they don't have any hot water or kitchen cabinets or sink? And the only things they had to make meals with was a very used microwave (that I know must have been what Noah used on the ark) and a hot plate? Well, the microwave breathed its last and she was very upset.

Off I went -- and met an angel along the way -- and returned with a brand new microwave! Angels are wonderful creatures arent' they! If only I could find a few more for this family!

Until next time . . . be blessed and be a blessing for someone else. Susan and Monty

Thank you Baytown

Usually we stand under the park shelter either swatting mosquitos or wiping sweat during orientation of teams. Not this morning!

Our team drove only 30 minutes to get here and we stood shivering in the winds! The temps were in the high 50s -- yes, 50s -- this morning. And no one was complaining!

After orientation we were off, first headed to Walter's. There the team got started with painting the exterior trim the beautiful blue color that Walter had chosen. The kids on the team got a plan of cleaning up the trash lumber in his front yard. They were off and running when we took the other part of the team to Mariano's to also paint the exterior trim. And once again, the kids there took the same idea of cleaning up the "mountain" of lumber scraps in their front yard.

It's one thing to clean someones yard when the weather is nice and dry. We had anything but that all evening and night last night leaving what used to be yards looking like mud bogs. What perfect conditions for kids - right? They didn't care. I've never met a boy yet who doesn't "bond" with mud in a miraculous way! :)

Not only did they paint the exterior trim and even touch up some of the siding, they packed wood, they packed trash and they packed whatever needed to be packed to make the front yards of both homes look awesome!

And no one complained -- in fact -- the kids at Walters insisted that I take a photo of them in the tree as they finished.

It was a great day --no one was wiping sweat and yet most were either covered in paint and/or mud! All were smiles as they left and hopefully they will come back and work with us again and spread even more blessings around the community!

On a side note -- some of you remember the episode where Mariano's neighbors pitbulls got out and killed their mother dog and all 8 puppies --- well --- both pitbulls got out again a couple of days ago, jumped the fence of the neighbor and killed her dog, pet rabbit and rooster! This time the dogs were caught in the act and were immediately removed from the homeowner. We are all so glad to know those dogs are gone as our deepest fear was for the children!

Many thanks to all the teams who have taken what would be a day "off" and come here to share their hearts and hands to help others! We know God will return the blessings a hundred fold!

Until next time . . . be blessed and be a blessing! Susan and Monty

And the weather changed

The team blessing Mariano's family yesterday. Check out that awesome deck! All we need is the railing and it will be the meeting place for the neighborhood and family!

Yes, we still need the cover for the attic -- waiting on the final electric!

Monty and I have been a bit of everywhere today. The day started with its intense heat and humidity. We kept an eye on the forecast for the cool front that was supposed to come blasting in! And blast it did!

By noon we had over 60 mph winds and rain that made driving quite the challenge, especially as we crossed over one of the high in the sky bridges! It didn't last long and it did bring in the cooler weather -- Praise the Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A trip to Lowes allowed us to close the case for Teresa and Butch. He was able to get the final bits and pieces of the materials needed to finish their home. As we left he had quite the smile on his face! AND -- he has volunteered his services to help others! AND -- since he knows electric we plan on using him asap!

After navigating our way through the storms we made our appointment to see Ralph and Laura. We met this couple many, many months ago when we sent a team to help them gut their home. It was amazing to go inside and see all the work they have done! They are in the finishing stages of their sheetrock and need some help getting the last things done. Ralph himself will put together the estimate for us and we will be able to bring in teams and hopefully have them back home in a short amount of time! Sure was good to see them again!

And then our travels took us to Carol's house. She is in line to be rebuilt but certain rooms still need to be gutted out. She is fortunate as her son has asked her to come and move in with him while the rebuilding process is going on. It is our goal to take our incoming team for next Friday and Saturday and have them gut the rooms needed and have it all ready for rebuiling. The team is supposed to number around 16 so we should have more than enough. Carol was so excited as she has waited a long time. As she and Monty got into their conversation about God's timing and His plan it was amazing to me to watch the Lord move between the both of them! And of course, Monty prayed over her before we left. She was shedding tears of joy as we pulled from the driveway!

Tomorrow we welcome another local team who will be coming to work for the day. They will be thrilled to know their jobs will have them outside in this cooler weather! And I know God has some special blessings awaiting each of them!

Until next time . . . be blessed and be a blessing. Susan and Monty

What a day!

If there are typos in this entry it's because I am a bit over tired but just had to write and let you all know what an amazing day it has been.

Our day began with checking on the team working on Mariano's deck. They had already exchanged some materials they wouldn't need for those they would and were underway. Not only were they working on the deck they were also putting the final coat of paint on the exterior siding and doing some scraping of windows in preparation for primer and paint. By the end of the day they had it all done and it looks fabulous. I hope to get photos tomorrow.

Then it was off to the doctor for Monty. He's been having alot of joint problems and breaking out in rashes and red spots. The pain has really been intense during the evenings, during the night and into the morning. The doctor was just what we had been looking for. It's extremely difficult to know who to go to when you do what we do. This doctor has diagnosed Monty with rheumatoid arthritis -- which makes perfect sense. He decided the best form of treatment and confirmation of the diagnosis was a cortizone shot. He told us that if Monty felt relief within the next couple of hours we could rest assured that was the correct diagnosis. Lo and behold -- he's been feeling better as the day goes on. Tonight will be the real test but we pray we are now on the right track! It's tough to have something wrong and not know what it is. We can always deal with a "known."

Back again to check on the team. They had taken Mariano and Maria to the park to treat them to lunch. We had a load of deck boards strapped to the top rack of my truck and when they returned we got them unloaded. It was a bit more weight than we should have had on that rack but the angels rode with us and we were successful.

We had about an hour to take care of a couple of other client issues before returning to Mariano's for a goodbye to the team. They will be heading home tomorrow and we will surely miss them. We had no idea until today but for quite a few of them -- this was their first mission trip! They were all smiling and we know God has touched each of their hearts with His special love.

The team had a small ceremony planned for the family. We all gathered on the new deck floor (the rails will be put on by another team another week) where they presented Mariano and Maria with a Bible written in Spanish and one in English for the children. We all prayed over the family and they packed up their tool trailer and were on their way! It was an awesome time of extended family and we were blessed to be a part of it.

As we were leaving little Maria came up to me and said she didn't want us to leave. I told her we would be back with another team on Saturday but she said that wasn't what she meant. She said that when they move into their home we won't be coming back anymore and that made her sad! I think that's the nicest compliment I've had in a long time -- and one that touched my core. I promised her we would be back -- and often -- to see her new bedroom and even come in and sit and watch some TV. "Out of the mouths of babes" . . .

About that time I received a phone call from Martha. If you remember I wrote about she and Steven about a week or so ago. They are probably the saddest situation I've seen in a long time and my heart is breaking. Their house is only 2 rooms, no furniture, no hot water, no kitchen, no cabinets, only a mattress on the floor covered with a couple of quilts I dropped off earlier in the week -- and the window air conditioner they had in their bedroom had stopped running. Martha had just gotten home from another visit to the hospital and it was burning up inside the house. I immediately called Alan with UMCOR and in the next hour we had a new air window unit in the bed of our truck and ready to drop off to them. Steven assured us he could install it. Just as we were pulling out of Lowes -- we didn't pull out of Lowes. My truck was dead -- and I mean dead! Not even a click when I turned the key!

One hour later Monty had taken out the now dead battery, walked to Walmart and brought back a new battery to install. We were a little later than planned but now we were on our way.

Martha and Steven were waiting for us, front door wide open trying to get some air inside -- not to mention the million mosquitos that were happy about that open door! This gave Monty the opportunity to see the home -- and break his heart also. While we were at Lowes we also picked up some cleaning supplies and the smile on Martha's face was priceless!

How are we going to help them? Right now I have NO idea. The main problem? When Martha got sick a few years ago she signed the house over to her sister. In order for them to qualify for funding for us to rebuild she must be listed as the homeowner!! How do we get around this? With a miracle! God will provide that miracle -- it will be in His perfect timing! But it WILL take His miracle! In the meantime -- we will do what we can to help them. We are gathering supplies and food as they have neither. How do people get this way? Take a poor couple, add some disease and sickness, add a big hurricane, take away everything they own, then expect them to rebuild everything AND live on $777 per month!!!

Like I said -- we need a miracle!

What a day! Ups and downs, highs and lows, hearts full of immense joy and deep sorrow -- all at the same time! That's one of the reasons I write this blog -- it's a release for me and hopefully it brings the reality of life to you!

Until next time . . . pray for that miracle, and more! Susan and Monty

Deck number 3 underway

There you have it -- Garaldeen and her new deck! She is thrilled and the team didn't take time to hardly breathe before packing up and heading to Mariano's to start theirs! Garaldeen's is beautiful! For us -- we actually get to "close" a client's file!!!! It's a great day for us along with the homeowner!

Mariano was already starting to dig the holes for the concrete when the team arrived and Chester from the Presbytarian camp decided to return to add another set of hands to the mix. He enjoyed working with the teams and has decided to come on his own, even if they themselves don't have a team scheduled! Go Chester!!!

The bags of cement were smoking as they were being poured in the holes. With some digging, some running the strings for leveling and others pouring concrete it won't be long before all the posts are set and they will be ready to move forward starting tomorrow. With tomorrow being their last day I would imagine they will be moving at quite the pace. Mariano is right there with them as each set of hands gets just that much more done -- not to mention the relationship building that is going on between the team members and homeowners!!

Buckle up and hang on -- tomorrow will be awesome!

Until then . . . be blessed and be a blessing to someone else! Susan and Monty

The "deckers"

Don't let the men sitting under the tree fool you -- it's just HOT!!!!

And yes, the women were still working on the back deck!!!

I have nothing more to say about that!! :)

They were hard at it again today, regardless of the near record heat. They plan on having both decks completed by tomorrow noon and then will be moving on to start Mariano and Maria's deck. That one is pretty good size -- 14' x 26' so it just might take them awhile?

Many times we have teams who tell us ahead of time that they are (in Monty's words) "drip dry and wrinkle free" -- until they actually get here and see the task before them. This team continually reassured us that they were just that -- and they weren't !!! kidding. They have been amazing over the past 2 days and we are so thankful for not only their dedication but their preparedness for their task ahead of time.

They are even taking back some material and exchanging it for what they need -- on their own! Thanks so much to all of them and Mariano and Maria are thrilled to know they will be getting a start on theirs tomorrow.

Remember -- if you click on the actual photo posted here it will enlarge to the full size of your screen. Just a reminder.

Until next time . . . be blessed and be a blessing to someone else! Susan and Monty

Walter is painted, decks going on and a House Blessing Day!

We knew by looking at our Monday schedule that it was going to be quite the day! And was it ever!

We started by welcoming our team from around the Dallas/Ft. Worth area to orientation. They arrived over the weekend and even attended Pastor Bob's church here in San Leon yesterday. It was great for the church to welcome them, to show them a video they had made of the storm and for the team to get a better feel of the community where they are working.

They are all constructing 2 decks for Garaldeen and Joe. I don't know if you remember their story but they lost their entire home and used their funding to purchase a replacement mobile home. We managed to get power and water to that trailer along with having it skirted. We knew it needed front and back accesses but needed to wait until their FEMA trailer had been removed. Today was the day to begin and this team is hard at it. They came bringing their own tool trailer and were more than prepared.

After getting that team settled we headed back for our 2nd orientation of the morning. A team of Presbytarian ministers who are on retreat decided to take one day and do a service project. We were thrilled to put them to work painting Walter's house. They told us ahead of time that they only had 3 hours to work so we figured they would get a good start on his home and we would have another team come in and finish it up! Boy were we wrong! In that 3 hours the 14 of them had the entire home painted, all 2 stories of it! Walter was thrilled to see them as he has belonged to the Presbytarian church all his life and hadn't had that many people at his home in who knows when! And to see the entire thing painted -- he'll go to sleep tonight with the smile still on his face! Thanks to all of those on this awesome team -- we hope to see you again sometime when you can spend more time! And thanks to Chester who did a fantastic job in leading them!

By mid afternoon we were in the final stages of preparing for Paul and Linda's House Blessing ceremony. The Dallas team decided to come and see what it's like to have something completed and to also stand as representatives for all those volunteers who worked on their home and couldn't be here. Paul and Linda were thrilled to pack the house and to have it specially blessed for them! It's such a great blessing for us to do so! We put together a "basket of blessings" that goes as follows; fresh flowers so the home will always know beauty, a loaf of bread so it will never know hunger, sugar to remain sweet, salt to keep it flavorful, a candle so it will never know darkness and the Bible so it can remain standing on the Word of God. It's a neat way to use practical things in a special way. We even threw in a couple of pull toys for Pinkie so she wouldn't feel left out! It's not a goodbye but a Welcome Home!

And that made for quite the busy Monday! What an amazing way to start the week.

Be sure and stay tuned as I have a feeling this entire week has some special things about to happen!

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

Tangy Lemon Yellow

I told you it was yellow!!!

Tangy Lemon Yellow to be exact -- at it's beautiful! Both Mariano and Maria are thrilled to see it coming to life.

The team even said that they could see it from the main road!

Great job team -- we are getting closer and closer to calling it complete!!

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

It's Yellow!

Sorry I don't have photos but be sure and watch as Mariano and Maria's house really changed today -- thanks to an awesome painting team!

Painting the exterior of 2 homes in 4 days is quite amazing!

They all started at Mariano's this morning and had it primed and the first coat of paint on in record time. They were actually thinking they would get the second coat on --- until the skies turned very dark and the rains came.

The 2 plumbers spent most of their week underneath the house, even when the rains came today. They now have water, thanks to all new piping under the house and these 2 wonderful men, David and Harold!

David and his wife will return tomorrow but we bid farewell to the rest of the team this afternoon. They were such a joy to work with and we are so appreciative of their hearts of service.

They all were very blessed at lunch today -- Linda wanted to thank them by preparing quite the menu -- and they were all more than stuffed when they returned to work! Thanks Linda -- what a generous way to bless a team!

I made contact with quite a few incoming teams today and it seems all are on board and ready! Alot of them have done this type of work before and some have even come to Galveston. They are coming with tool trailers also -- what amazing things will be happening in the weeks to come!

To this team we say a HUGE thank you and pray for protection as they travel back to Ohio -- say hello to the midwest for us!

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

Closer and closer

They marched onward -- and the sun shone -- literally!

You can see by the photos that the 2 "men down under" are working away under Mariano's house getting the plumbing taken care of. The one photo shows how NOT to do plumbing! You just have to smile! They are working away, just the two of them, enjoying everything they are doing, no matter the circumstances. Bless you David and Harold!

Paul and Linda's house is 90% complete (wait for the photos tomorrow) and looks beautiful! They are even going back and touching up the part of the house that was already done! Each has their task and goes at it at a pace that amazes me. They literally went from working in clouds with threatening rain to sunshine this afternoon. Linda kept an eye on the radar and gave them steady reports so if they did need to pack it up they had enough time. We thank God that He once again answered our prayers and saved the day!

A surprise came mid afternoon. Seems as though the Presbytarians are receiving a team of 14 from Houston on Monday and we are the blessed ones to receive that team! The team will consist of some of those in leadership within the organization who want to come and see - and experience - the reality of what is still going on. Our plan is to have them begin the painting on the exterior of Walter's home.

Also this afternoon Maria met me at Lowes and picked out her new stove/range. She was thrilled to see the result and is very excited to see it arrive this Thursday. The men are working on the gas line and with any luck we might get it working before too long.

Mariano is working on rebuilding some of the unique trim that was above their windows on the exterior of their home. I admit that he's getting pretty creative and doing a great job! I don't know when the man sleeps as he is always working on that home!

I also had a home visit with Ms Martha this afternoon and it was one of those true heart breakers. She and her husband, both disabled, are living in conditions that would, and should, make us all cry. They have no hot water, no kitchen, no flooring, no furniture and only a mattress on the floor with a quilt to sleep with! It's a very small house and they have done what they could do to clean up the mess left after the 6 feet of water left. No money left to work with and no money coming in to work with. They barely have enough for food, which they only purchase at the beginning of the month when her check comes in! We are starting the case management process and ask that all of you pray for Martha and Steven -- any and all prayers that you can pray are desperately needed!

We will be finishing up at Paul and Linda's tomorrow and that team will be joining the down under men at Mariano's where they will once again be painting the exterior of the home! They will be professionals before they leave at the end of the week!

What a joy they are to work with and we are so thankful to Ohio for sharing them with us.

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

Welcome Cincinnati, Ohio Presbytarians

Welcome to the "blue shirts." The Presbytarians have always been known and recognized for their blue shirts! Today was no different -- except those shirts got a bit wet at the end of the day when the thunderstorms surprised us all.

This team of 10 is from Cincinnati, Ohio and came ready to work all week. It's nice to have a team from the midwest. They don't have to be from Indiana to make us feel like a bit of home is here with us.

Two of the men are working at Mariano and Maria's. They are both very skilled in electric and plumbing so today was an "organizational" day for them. They put together their list of supplies and a plan for the rest of the week. Once again God has provided us who we need just when we need them!

The rest of the team is at Paul and Linda's where they finished up the caulking and not only touch up painting inside but also repainting their entire family room! What a blessing to Paul and Linda, especially since Paul was home sick today and had planned on doing it himself. It was also so good to see the work that had been done over the weekend by one of their boys! He did a fantastic job building a frame for their large mirror in the family room. If he wasn't in school we would "draft" him into our teams! :)

The team just got started with the last of the priming for the exterior siding when a quite large thunderstorm built from seemingly nowhere and that was the end of that! They did manage to get everything covered and will be ready to go full steam ahead tomorrow morning as these storms are supposed to be bringing a cool front with them and make tomorrow look good -- and a bit cooler than the mid to upper 90s we had today!

It's going to be a fantastic week -- I can already tell. This team came prepared for their tasks, have done this type of disaster recovery work before and have a heart for what they are doing. Be sure and stay tuned with each days blessings!

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

PS. You might wonder why I am dressed in long sleeves and long pants with the temps as they are --- the mosquitos are . . . I don't know if I can find the words other than TERRIBLE!!! I covered myself in spray on Friday and it only made me sick so today I decided to try covering up --it "sort of" worked . . . if only I could cover my head! The locals say they only last about a month --- I know I'm not supposed to pray for time to pass quickly but . . .

Another GREAT Saturday team comes to town

Linda will probably shoot me for publishing these photos, she had no idea Monty was going to take them!! But -- we want to show you the "after" photos of their kitchen! It's beautiful! You can see Pinkie is quite pleased also. The family painted the dining table and chairs and Linda recovered them with fabric.

Today we have another awesome team from northern Texas who came to see what they could do to help. They were 15 strong and worked between Paul and Linda's and Mariano and Maria's. The team at Paul and Linda's caulked and primed the entire outside and also the interior trim. The entire house is transforming before our eyes and our team coming Monday will be able to paint. You can see by the photos that there were enough of the team to cover the entire back wall of the house! Many hands . . .

The rest of the team worked on the air conditioning unit and electrical at Mariano and Maria's. They cleaned and organized things inside along with installing ceiling fans and a bit more touch up work for the air conditioning. That's why Monty is up on the ladder sticking his head through the outer vent!

Pastor Kay says they would like to schedule to return in the spring for another day of being God's hands and feet! We're ready!!! There will be more homeowners, more homes and more work to be done. Those homeowners will be more than ready for the smiles, the warm hearts and willing hands.

Someone was asking me the other day how many homes we have "in progress." We are working on 12 different ones in 12 different stages but we have 4 to 5 that are just days away from being completed and stamped "done." But don't worry -- there are more coming right behind them -- folks on the waiting list who are just as excited to see us complete these as the owners themselves. They just keep on coming and we will keep on helping.

It would be nice though if we could just find something !! anything !! that would keep these nasty mosquitos from nearly chewing us up!!! I guess they come back when the temps cool a bit -- but temps are to reach 90 again the first of the week. Maybe it's a trade-off??

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

It's 79 degrees -- the HIGH temp for the day!

WOW - they weren't kidding when they said we would get a nice cool breeze to break the heat! We actually are able to open the windows (the ones not sealed with insulation) and let some fresh air inside. But -- we must be careful as the mosquitos are out by the millions, and that's just in our front yard area!

It's been a very busy couple of days. Yesterday we all met in Galveston to try out the new estimating form. Alan has been working on it for quite some time and it really is going to be an enormous help when we go into homes to do estimates. He covered exterior, interior and everything in between. We did some practicing and my job was to estimate the sheetrock and trim. Monty got to do the flooring. We got done just in time as the skies opened and it poured rain. That makes it quite difficult to see while inside a home that has been partially gutted and has no power.

From there we headed off to the Long Term Recovery meeting where we learned some rather disturbing news about funding that was to come our way. Without going into alot of details that you wouldn't fully comprehend we found out there were "changes" made and we went from being the county to receive the most funding to the county to receive the least! And yet we are the county with the most damage! Go figure! It's alot of this and that but we are doing what we can to make our voices heard that this is WRONG! If they follow through with this new plans there will be entire cities that will not get rebuilt! Please pray that this will turn around and go back to the original plan.

Today we headed off to Lowes to purchase the final materials needed for Hank and Cherie and Garaldeen. Cherie made her final punch list with everything needed to complete their home. This will all be delivered with their new front door on Friday. All we need to do there is install the skirting around the outside of their home and we will officially pronounce it "complete" - something they have been awaiting and working toward for a long time!

Garaldeen will be getting her new decks built in a couple of weeks. We will build a new one for the back of their mobile home and add to the existing one on the front. It will be quite the job but we have a team coming in that will master the challenge with no problem.

Speaking of teams, Monty and I made a trip to the Presbytarian camp this afternoon to make final arrangements for their incoming team on Monday. We will be able to use them as our volunteers here in San Leon and are thrilled. They will house and feed them and we get to use their skills -- it's all about working together.

And our last stop of the day was to the local health clinic where we tried to complete the necessary paperwork to have Monty see a doctor for a check up. Many of you may not know that back in the summer of 2004 he had a heart attack. It took shocking him twice to bring him back. He now needs a checkup and since we cannot be checked at his doctor at home we must find one here. Not an easy task. Most everyone I called won't even see us since we carry no health insurance. No insurance, you gasp! With that kind of health history! Well, believe me, if we had it in our "budget" we would have it. Anyway -- we were referred to the local clinic where we will return tomorrow for a "short" appointment and have a "lengthy" one in 2 weeks. Pray for him!

Tomorrow begins a new day, another day God gives us to go out and follow His will. We thank Him for this calling and try to do our best each day!

Until next time . . . be blessed. Susan and Monty

In her own words . . .

We enjoyed our womens team so much, thanks girls! Not only for the breakfast yesterday morning, the fellowship with the church service and the beautiful quilt you left with us -- but allow Linda to tell you all in her own words just how much your hearts of service meant to her!

Go to the blog entry before this one, Saturday. Scroll down to the comment and click on it. Be sure you have a tissue with you before you click!

We don't often get to "show" the hearts of our homeowners. This is exceptional and Monty and I are so thankful to Linda for sharing her thoughts and heart with us via the blog.

For all of you scheduled to volunteer with us sometime this fall -- THIS is the heart of a recovery mission! THIS is life-changing! THIS is showing Jesus in a very practical way!

Until next time . . . be blessed and share that blessing! Susan and Monty