Home-made gumbo!!!!

Left side is hanging sheetrock in Margaret's kitchen. Right side is also hanging sheetrock but in Dane's house. This is what went on all day today!!!! In all three homes!!!!

The progress of Margaret's kitchen is amazing! Today the flooring was put down, the walls were taped, mudded, textured and primed. Tomorrow the paint will go on, the vinyl flooring will go on and the cabinets will be installed. As a surprise for her the walls are a beautiful yellow in color! She was seen last night having friends over to take a peek at her kitchen! :)

Dane's sheetrock went up to the point of running out. They made a trip late in the day and restocked so the men will be ready to go first thing in the morning. Two thirds of this team will be working at Dane's tomorrow hanging the sheetrock and cleaning up the entire jobsite.

Bruce and Linda also have over half of their house sheetrocked. The team will not be there tomorrow because Bruce and Linda's son has been doing the electrical and he will be finishing up tomorrow. Part of our next week's team will return and sheetrock the rest of the house. Bruce and Linda are still in shock as they had been doing it all themselves and seeing what all of the extra hands can accomplish has them in amazement! It's part of the flowing blessing thing!! Happens everytime!!! It's a God-thing!!

Monty and I went to visit another home this morning. This is another gentleman who has been trying to do it all on his own and is overwhelmed. There are areas of his home where the subfloor has rotted through due to the storm. These areas will need to be removed and rebuilt. He has all of the sheetrock torn out so this is a plus for us. He will be getting an electrician in to take care of some things and hopefully we will be working in this house in two weeks. He is disabled, as is his brother, but they rebuilt their mother's home first and then went to his. His brother lost his entire home to the storm, rented an apartment, couldn't keep up with the rent and his landlord threw everything he owned to the curb, wheelchair and all! We have referred him to a local governmental agency to see what they can do to help him. He was there with his brother this morning and we reassured him that this agency will be able to help him. Such wonderful men who are just too disabled to accomplish the huge task ahead of them! You'll be hearing more about him - Virgil.

This evening we had a special blessing. One of the church members invited us to their home for dinner - homemade gumbo! Jamie and Cindy love to reach out to the teams and give them a good ole' southern style dinner. It's so wonderful to go into their home, feel so comfortable and be fed a home cooked meal! We are so thankful to them for their hospitality. They just want to give back some of the blessings they received! Bless you Jamie and Cindy!

Over the dinner table this evening there was alot of conversation going on. We were asked the question (again), "what is it that you need the most?" We always have the same answer -- PRAYER!!!! This person asked what were the top 3 things we need. 1. is prayer 2. is prayer 3. is volunteers. Without the prayers we won't have the volunteers and without the volunteers we won't have a relief effort. It's that basic, it's that simple!! Monty and I need personal prayers for the work we are doing and for ourselves personally. Convoy of Hope needs the prayers for wisdom in the decision making they must do each and every day. The coast needs the prayers for literally everything you can imagine! With all those prayers going up the volunteers WILL continue to come and the relief effort will continue and the lives will continue to be rebuilt! THAT is what we need the most! How can you help?

To all the families of these gentlemen who are here from West Virginia --- we thank you for sharing the special person in your life. Even though you are back home, you are critical to this relief effort. If you weren't home, keeping life going for these men, they would not be able to be here, to be rebuilding homes and thus rebuilding lives! You ARE a huge part of this effort and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

They're rollin, rollin, rollin ...

Here they are, a bit more tired than yesterday, and a bit on the warmer side, but still hard at it!

The top two photos are at Margaret's. She is getting a new window above what will be the sink area. This one she will actually be able to see out of. They started hanging the sheetrock and it is now coming together. Each day shows amazing progress, all the while Margaret sits back and gives all the praise to the Lord!

The next two photos are at Bruce and Linda's. The team was really excited when they came in this morning and found that Bruce and Linda must have worked all night in getting the rooms cleaned and prepared for the team. They have nearly half the house sheetrocked and are moving at an amazing pace!

The last two are at Dane's. You can see by the faces of all of them that it was quite a day! Dane is feeling better and better with each day of being able to bond with this team. God calls the ones who need to be here and this team was definitely called. We are just so thankful that they listened and followed the calling! Each one of these homeowners is blessed because of this teams obedience which will have blessings falling back onto the team members!

Thanks to Convoy of Hope we now have a new shipment of sheetrock that arrived today. This will enable us to continue the rebuilding process and keep the blessings flowing.

Monty and I also went and visited two more prospective homes this morning. We will be starting work in them, one next week and the other the following. Each time we go out we are going into the unknown and although nothing should surprise us, it still does! How people live in the conditions they do is beyond me! The one we start next week falls into the emergency category!

Memo to the Elkhart, Indiana team --- this is where some of you will most likely be working. Lynne and her husband are living in conditions you couldn't imagine in your wildest nightmares! Her husband is only 47 and recently had a series of 9 massive heart attacks, all in one day, all before they could rush him to the hospital. He cannot do any work and they house is a disaster! They need some walls torn out, others rebuilt structurally, ceilings torn out, insulation put in, sheetrock hung and just about anything else you can imagine. They are desperate and were in tears when we told them we would be there Monday morning to start work!

Memo to California team --- some of you might be here also!

Memo to both Indiana and California, you will most likely be divided between this new home of Lydia's and Bruce and Linda's home. Hopefully this hint will help you prepare for your trip. Call me if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing ALL of you! It will be an incredible week.

I spent a good part of the afternoon working behind the scenes on details for Mike and Faye's home. One of the organizations that we thought was going to team up with us has decided not to do so. I am working on "plan B" with "plan C" in the wings. This has given me the opportunity to learn about new avenues, new organizations out there with hearts of service and the chance to meet new people. It will take alot of time and even more organization but mostly prayers!!
This is where you all come in --- we need YOUR prayers!!!!! Mike and Faye need YOUR prayers! God's timing is always perfect, never too late and never too early!! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness in everything!!!

Tomorrow is also packed with blessings yet to be discovered! What an amazing blessing to be here working this relief effort! God is amazing! Witnessing miracles each and every day is incredible and impossible to describe! You just have to be here! How about making a trip?

Be sure and stay tuned .... you don't want to miss anything!!

PS There was an awesome salvation on the beach this evening! Like I said, daily miracles!

PSPS --- The guys say hello to all their families back home! They are enjoying the Church Camp for Boys (and they are behaving quite nicely!!) :)

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

"Church Camp for Boys"

Allow me to introduce Margaret to you! Isn't she absolutely beautiful!!!!

Her grandson is in the photo with Margaret and myself. He is the one who made the call to us requesting help. He tells us that even though she is nearly 89 she is THE decision maker and what she says goes! Her family is very good to her, they make sure she gets her meals when she should, they check her medications each evening and they never allow her to be alone at night. One of the family stays all night with her each night!

As she sat watching her kitchen being transformed today she got so excited and said "I'll look like a million bucks and I don't have a dime!" She can keep us entertained with all of her stories but the biggest blessing to all who talk with her is hearing her speak of her love for the Lord. She gives ALL thanks and praise to Him! She tells stories of her life and how God was right there with her. The knowledge and experience she has are just priceless! Everyone who comes in contact with her falls in love with her, you just can't help it!

The three parts of the West Virginia team worked like mad today. We had begun to think we might need an ark to get to the three jobsites as the rains fell, rather poured, all night long! I never heard a total but according to a gauge I have outside it was around 10 inches!!! Like I said, ark weather! It did finally stop late morning. The teams were working away and accomplished tons!! It is just such a blessing to see the looks on the teams as they are intensely figuring out this and that and really making progress. It's an equal blessing to see the looks on the homeowners faces as they realize just how much progress is being made. They have been working on their own for so long and are amazed at how much the teams can get done in such a short amount of time! The ebb and flow of blessings, and Monty and I are the "best blessed" by being able to be right in the middle of it all!

A special thank you needs to go out to both Convoy of Hope and Camp Hope for making it possible for us to do this work in Margaret's kitchen! Without the loving and giving hearts of both of these organizations it would not be possible! We thank all of you and pray God's blessings be returned to you in abundance!!!! We are blessed to be working with all of you!

Tomorrow Monty and I will be looking at two more homes that need help. We always take a trip and check them out before sending any teams. It's just part of the preparation process! We just never know what we will find so please keep us in your prayers.

Until tomorrow ... blessings, Susan and Monty

Welcome West Virginia

And welcome West Virginia we did --- at 3:00am to be exact! Sleep wasn't something they got alot of last night, and neither did we! But they were up and raring to go at 7am this morning. We were all up with some of the heaviest rain we have seen down here in a long time. The winds nearly blew our outside Convoy tent into the trailer next door! We were all soaked before we even got started but no one complained - they were just ready to get to work!

Work they did!!!! The first 2 photos are the team at Bruce and Linda's house. This is a new house for us. They had been doing as much as they could with themselves and their son. It was too overwhelming and they needed help. We were happy to jump in with part of this team and get them moving along a bit quicker. They still had a couple of bedrooms that needed the sheetrock torn out of. It has to be taken out at the 4' level and then the new put in and matched up with the old. It's a task that isn't as easy as it sounds but they are hard at it and doing a fantastic job.

The next 2 photos are taken at Dane's house. We returned this week with 3 men from this team. They are finishing the hanging of the sheetrock and will start the taping and mudding in the next day or two. You can see Dane in the photo on the right, the gentleman in the green tank shirt. You can also see how they are sweating. Even though it rained most of the day the temps combined with the humidity make for some pretty muggy working.

The last 2 photos are also at a new house we started today. This is Margaret's house. I spoke about her a couple of months ago and need to make a correction. Margaret is 88 years old, not 98! She will be 89 on November 17th and she was happy to let the team know that! She will be getting a totally new kitchen this week. The storm played havoc with her kitchen area. This team got it completely torn out today and will be rebuilding some of the floor joists and subflooring tomorrow. The insulation, walls, sheetrock and cabinets will come before the week is over. You can see Donna with the pile of trash they took out. In that pile of trash are what used to be her cabinets!

One of the awesome things about this team is their skill levels. It is just amazing to be blessed with a team this highly skilled - and with willing hearts of service to go with those skills. To be as exhausted as they were, yet filled with adrenelin, it was just a sight to behold! Once again we see a group of individuals who wanted to take time from their comfortable lives and come here to be a blessing to whomever God called them to bless! They come with no agenda other than that! They don't come with any expectations, they only come to represent Jesus and to love on the people and do whatever they can for them. They have already found that God called them directly into the homes they are in - for a specific blessing to be returned to them! They have already bonded with the homeowners and their lives are already changed! Such a God-thing, such an example of Christians who practice what they preach! Thanks to all of you and thanks to their families who are surviving without them this week! We are keeping all of you in our prayers and hope you, too, will get to come back sometime and share in the blessings that flow and flow!

We heard from Diane today and she has landed for the night a bit north of Indianapolis. This leaves here with about a 6 hour drive tomorrow and she will then be reunited with her family! She called a couple of times and already was missing being here and being a part of everything going on. It only takes being away for a day to realize how much goes on here and miss being in the middle of it all! We are praying for the rest of her journey, for safety and for a wonderful time spent with family. It is my prayer that her family realize what a wonderful, giving Christian mother/grandmother she is and that they love her even more for the example she lives out for them!!!!

I am more than tired and need to be up and ready to go in the morning. We are under a tornado watch tonight and since we hear every single rain drop falling on our trailer I am headed to bed and pray for a peaceful night!

As usual, we thank all of you for coming along with us on our mission! Without you this would not be possible! May God bless each and every one of you!!

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Goodbye Diane

There she is -- our "parking lot princess". On her way back home to northern Wisconsin! Notice her companion, the teddy bear, in the passenger seat! Atleast she isn't traveling alone!! :)

She spent last evening and all of this morning getting everything ready to go. The little car was packed full but she got everything in. The teddy bear was a gift given to her this morning from Anita and family in the Spanish Village.

The three of us went to lunch after church and she was on her way. We each had a gift for the other and we laughed as once again, we were all thinking the same things. The gifts were evidence of it!

We have grown so close, the three of us, over the past months and it will be difficult to not see her smiling face at devotions in the morning. She won't be here to help lead a part of the team in their work project. She won't be here when we reunite for dinner tomorrow evening. She will be missed, not only by Monty and I but by the families whose lives she so deeply touched while she was here. Faye shed enough tears for all of us this morning.

We know Diane will be back. God needs her back with her family and new grandson for awhile. God always has perfect timing and He has a wonderful plan for her life. The blessed part of it all is that Diane will hear His voice and obediently follow His plan. We thank God for bringing the three of us together, for bonding each with the other, for allowing us to share with each other our calling to serve. God go with you Diane, we will miss you! You know we love you and will be praying for you!

Very late !!!! tonight we will be welcoming the rest of our team from West Virginia. They are expected to arrive around 2 -3 AM. I know they will be tired but also will be ready to go tomorrow morning. We pray for their safe travel and for a good nights rest.

Until tomorrow ... God speed .... Susan and Monty

Festivals return

More beauty from the gardens yesterday! It still just amazes me that this is mid October and there are these kind of flowers blooming! The beauty of the Lord showing through.

October is a busy month here in the south. At home (Indiana) our fairs, festivals, craft shows and the like are during the summer months. Not here! The summer months bring such oppressive heat that those kind of things cannot be scheduled then. They are all set for October. Today was the Mullet Festival, yes, mullet as in the fish. And what a festival it was! I have no idea where the name comes from other than the mullet is a very popular fish here. Monty, Diane and I just had to see what it was all about. There was a mullet toss, yes, you see how far you can throw a mullet fish! The line was quite long and everyone not throwing was watching and cheering on the others. There were craft booths set up all over the place, food of all kinds was everywhere and community service agencies had their own booths set up. I don't know as I have seen so many people in one place since we have been here. Want to know why? NONE of these festivals and such happened last year! It's just one more thing that hurricane Katrina destroyed, atleast for one year. To say that everyone was ready for the Mullet festival is an understatement! They came from everywhere and enjoyed every minute. Even the weather was absolutely perfect, around 75 with sun and a breeze. God blessed everyone with some fun back in their lives, a day when they could get away from the mess, the work, the dismay and come out and throw a mullet or eat some jambalya or drink a lemon shake-up and smile and laugh and see friends and neighbors doing the same thing. Life was back to normal, atleast for the afternoon.

Tomorrow the 4H fair starts. We pray for good weather and plan on attending as much as possible to share in the fun, the "normal" for a change!

We got Diane lined up with her one way car rental this morning and this afternoon she went to say goodbye to a couple of really close friends that have become her family. She was instrumental in the rebuilding of the Spanish village and they all plan on being here for church in the morning to say goodbye. Diane had a way of touching the lives of those whose homes she rebuilt. Her warmth, her bright smile, the twinkle in her eyes, all told them that she really cared. Her love for our Lord showed in everything she did. She didn't need to speak about it, her actions showed it, and that is the way to win hearts for Jesus! Actions DO speak louder than words, especially here, especially in these circumstances. There will be many tears at the end of church tomorrow. Mine will probably start flowing when the sun comes up!!!!

We hope all of you will be in your home churches tomorrow, praising the Lord for all of your blessings. Monty and I are so blessed to be here, to be doing what the Lord would have us do, and for having all of you supporting us with your prayers. Please keep Diane in your special prayers tomorrow .... Wisconsin is a long way from Mississippi!

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty

Diane gets a blessing back

Have you ever seen such beauty? And what about all the different types? If anyone out there knows what the red flower on the right in the second row is please let me know. Isn't it spectacular?

All of these, and many more, photos were taken by Diane today. As you know, she is leaving on Sunday afternoon to go back home to Wisconsin for a couple of months. Stephen and his mother treated Diane to a day of beauty in someplace called Bellingrath Gardens just over the state line in Alabama. You can go to the site at www.bellingrath.org and check it out for yourself. It was a wonderful treat for her. They wanted to do something to thank Diane for all the hard work she has done in their home over the past few months. Even though there was a light rain most of the day it was still a fantastic treat for her, not to mention being able to spend time with Brenda and Stephen. I think it was even more special because when Diane gets home not only are there no flowers in bloom, the fall colors in the leaves is gone, only to be replaced by snow??!! Yes, it's that far north!!

This evening part of our West Virginia team arrived. Marv and Donna came in their RV and arrived a couple of days ahead of the team. They are on their way to Florida for the winter and wanted to join in the relief effort. They both said this has been a dream for them and they feel so blessed to be here. Considering they drove for over 15 hours yesterday they crashed a bit early this evening. I plan to suggest they make the one hour trip to Bellingrath Gardens tomorrow as a special treat before the work begins on Monday morning. The rest of the team is not scheduled to arrive until around 2AM Monday -- yes AM!!!

We have 3 wonderful families lined up for next weeks work. Part of the team will continue hanging and finishing sheetrock in Dane's house. Another part will start a new home, Bruce and Linda. The third part will start the new kitchen for Margaret, the 98 year old. It will be a wonderful week with blessings flowing all over the place. Be sure and stay tuned as you yourself just might catch a blessing or two!

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

Clean choppers, hurting puppies

God always shows His beauty, no matter what the circumstances!

The first phone call of today came very early this morning. One of our church members, Kim, works at Lowes. She called to say they would like to donate cabinet hardware, if we could come and get them - now! Needless to say, I was out the door. Good thing the store is just across the street. And donate hardware they did! I don't know how many cabinet knobs and handles we have but we can really decorate some cabinets and make them awesome! They also donated quite a few gallons of paint stripper, which will also come in handy. We are so thankful to them for thinking of us and especially to Kim for making the call! All of this will be such a wonderful, unexpected blessing to so many.

As Diane and I were sorting through all our "goodies" we were visited by Steve and Carol. They are busy getting their relief all set up and ready for their team arriving tomorrow. They are finding more than enough work, just like the rest of the agencies still up and running. We are so thankful to them, and to Convoy of Hope, for coming back to the area to continue in the rebuilding of lives!

Monty, Diane and I then left to look at another request for help. As I have said before, we do not send volunteers into a home unless we have been there first and know the situation. This one was a surprise -- she is the same as done. She had alot of wind damage, blew the roof off, but has been steadily working and is down to intalling the ceramic tile on her floors. She understood when we told her that it might be months before we could get anyone there as there are so many who aren't even in their homes yet. It was nice to go into someone's home and not see a disastrous mess. We have almost forgotten what a "put together" home looks like!

This afternoon Monty was able to take some time and get his teeth cleaned! It's one of those things that keeps getting put on the back burner time and time again. It's also one of those things that must be done! They are shining pearlie whites now. The tea down here (quit strong) doesn't do such wonderful things on teeth.

Both of the dogs also made a trip of their own this afternoon. And they are less than pleased with the results right about now. It was past time for the annual rabies shots! We had already made connections with a wonderful vet here so they got to do the honors! Another of those things that gets put off and was finally able to be squeezed in. I'm sure they would like to have it continually put off.

Diane is fast approaching her day to head home for the next 3 months and although we know she need to go it is still more than difficult to even think about it. The 3 of us have become nearly inseparable and more than good friends, we are family! I personally don't know how I will get through each day without her but I know I will. We pray her church will recommission her to return the first of January as she is truly called by God into this effort and will be sorely missed while she is away. Besides, who in the world would choose to live in Wisconsin during the winter months!!! :) Please keep her in your prayers for safe travel! Love you, Diane!!

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

Flooring, flooring, flooring

There you have it, the final results of 2 days of installing flooring. Salvador will hopefully be very happy with the outcome. It is carpeting, installed with no padding, just a staple gun and tada!!! instant flooring! His floors were in such bad shape that no tile or wood flooring could be done. Diane and I figured this was the only option. We also learned that the occupation of carpet installer is not something we would like to do full time! :) We were working with rolls that were 12' in length and they are more than heavy! But we did it = GIRL POWER!!!

Monty was busy working with the transmission problems on our truck. We have had these problems for a very long time and it is now necessary to get something done. Please pray that the cost will not be off the charts and that the end result will be a truck that will shift into ALL gears, including reverse!

We are "bracing" ourselves tonight and tomorrow --- a COLD front is approaching and making big news down here. The "cold" temps are to dip into the 70's in the daytime!!! We have to smile when we realize that those temps ARE cold for down here! We will show our "northerness" when we are still in shorts and tshirts and they have coats on! :) I am so excited and feel so blessed to be able to be this far south for the winter!

I don't know if you remember the 98 year old lady, Margaret, who we introduced to you a few months back. We will be starting work in her home next week. There are master electricians coming in our West Virginia team and we plan to put them to work! Margaret has waited a very long time for a new kitchen and with God's help, and West Virginia, we will get started on Monday. I spoke with her grandson this afternoon and he said she is more than ready and has been asking when we would be back! Stay tuned as this is one spiritual lady who has been on this earth a very long time and who has no intention of leaving this earth until AFTER she reaches her goal of 100 years! Her 99th birthday is next month! God bless her!!!!

Tomorrow we will be looking at another home where the woman is in need of some help. She is a single mother with 3 children trying her best to keep her family and home going. I'll let you know tomorrow how the visit goes.

Until then ..... Susan and Monty

Hands on working

We have been here for nearly 9 months now and today was the first day I have had the pleasure of working "hands on" out in the field! It was awesome! I am a trim carpenter by trade and have missed using the power tools and such.

I also found some muscles that had been hiding for a few years and am sure they will make themselves known even more tomorrow!

Diane and I worked in Salvador's home installing flooring. It took us awhile to get it all lined out but when we did it went very well. We will be returning tomorrow to finish it up. We were also blessed when Salvador's neighbor, Anita, provided us with lunch! Things like that are such a wonderful surprise!

Monty was busy in the warehouse once again. Thanks to Convoy and their supplies we were able to be a blessing to one of the area churches and their parsonage. They are still in the rebuilding phase and hopefully with the appliances, sheetrock and paint they received today they will be able to complete both in a short amount of time.

This evening we worked some on our relief tent located outside next to our trailer. We keep a minimum of tools under it and with some of the winds we've had it needed a bit of repair. There are some storms forecast over the next couple of days and getting the top tightened up should help in case we get any more wind.

We also are excited to say that part of our New Jersey team will be returning in a couple of weeks! It's always so nice to have teams return and we look forward to seeing them again. They will be here with another team and have the added blessing of working together with them (they are coming from Indiana).

One of the things we keep ongoing is the list of people who are still in need of help. This afternoon I was able to make some calls and check on some of those we have in our waiting list. It just amazes me how many are still there and how many still need help in all sorts of ways. I spoke with one woman who already purchased the fencing she needs to repair her but since she had no way to haul it home it is still sitting at Lowes. She purchased it back in July!!!!! Monty and I will be making a visit to her home this week to check things out and see how quickly we can get her taken care of.

You might wonder why someone like that is still on our waiting list. We can only get through our list using the skills of the volunteers that come this way. We cannot take someone whose skill is doing flooring and have them do roofing. With the slowing of the teams over the summer months there are alot of people still waiting. We are pleased to say that the teams of volunteers are picking up again, the skills are coming, and we hope to get to these people and supply them with the help they need. Like I have always!!!!!! said, this relief effort cannot be done without volunteers! They are critical, they are the keys! If you have a skill in some area of construction I would beg you, if I could, to come and help. And even if you think you don't have any construction skills, you can be taught, you can work along side of someone who does, you can learn and you can be a blessing! NO ONE is unskilled! NO ONE! Give it some thought. We are entering the most beautiful time of the year down here. The temps are still in the 80's and the flowers are still blooming. Anywhere north of here will be colder than us so think about taking some time and coming to bless others! You WILL be blessed in return! THAT we promise!!!!

Until tomorrow .... blessings....Susan and Monty

Welcome back Steve and Carol

Today we welcomed Steve and Carol back to the coast. Hey guys -- we really missed you!!!!

Steve and Carol work in the same capacity as we do. They also run relief teams coordinating the efforts between the volunteers and the needs of the victims of Katrina. They were here in Gautier before us and did a wonderful job. They are originally from Wisconsin and have grown to like the warmer winter weather here in the south. They landed here last October and stayed until the end of May this year. They have now returned and will be working out of the nearby city of Escatawpa. That is a bit northeast of us. We are so happy to have them return and realize that we will be able to make even more progress in the rebuilding. Please keep them in your prayers as they get settled back into the swing of things.

This week we do not have a team of volunteers. It's the only week "empty" from now until Thanksgiving. We are using it to get caught up on some things around the church here and a couple of things done to wrap up a couple more homes. Diane and I spent the day reorganizing the food pantry here at the church. There are still alot of people who come by looking for help with food and we hope our reorganization will help the process. We laughed as we worked thinking about how we could be doing a work out in a local gym and not be working as hard as we were with the cans and boxes of food! :)

Monty was busy cleaning up things in our relief tent outside. When tools and things are taken out and taken to the job, getting them returned and back in the proper places can be delayed. It's nice to be able to take the time and get things put back together. We took alot of things to the warehouse where they will be more centrally located between Steve and us.

We were blessed with a visit from our local Convoy of Hope administrators today. They came to bring us a new banner to use in the upcoming outreaches and with 3 of them scheduled over the next 3 months we needed a new one! It's always good to see them and get a few minutes to visit. They are so very busy traveling all along the coast from Florida to Texas that having those precious minutes just to talk is rare. We are so thankful for all they have been, and continue to do for everyone along this coastline!

This evening we were able to bless one of our own church member's family with some carpeting and a few barstools. This family has really had a double whammy lately. Tony is a young man who was stricken by a stroke a few months ago! He has been undergoing one surgery after another and still has one more to go. His son and wife have been learning alot about rebuilding their home, more than they could have ever thought! We pray for Tony's full recovery and that the small things we can do will make a difference in their lives! His next surgery is scheduled for next week when they will put 2 stents in the main artery of his heart. Please keep him in your prayers!

Having this week without volunteers also makes us realize just how important they are. Even with Monty, myself and Diane here it's impossible for us to make a real dent in the relief efforts. We NEED the volunteers and are so thankful for each team who takes time from their own lives to come here and be a blessing to others, to be Jesus to them! We all need to realize that we might be the only Jesus some people see -- which should make us more aware of everything we do and say! Monty and I are so blessed to be here, doing what God called us to do! We thank God each day for making this opportunity available for us and for walking each step of the way right beside us!

Thank you for also coming along with us. We love you all! Until tomorrow...Susan and Monty

Day of Rest

Yes, the calendar says it's October but the flowers are in bloom and the temps are in the high 80's.

Being from Indiana we just aren't used to this. We were able to leave the windows open on our camper trailer all night last night, a night we have waited for since March, I think! We are approaching the most beautiful time of the year down here and we are looking forward to it. It's been a long, very long, and hot, very hot summer! But we made it, God blessed us and we are privilaged to be here! Thank you Lord!

We did take today as a day of rest. I have come to the conclusion that I do not have a cold -- it's allergies! Something I have NEVER had, but then I have never lived down here! That's what the people tell me anyway and I trust they know what they are talking about. Therefore, the day of rest!

Tomorrow starts a week of a million things on our "to do" list. Pray that we are able to get them done! For now, I am taking the rest of the evening, getting a bit more rest and preparing for next week.

Thank you for following along with us. Mike, Faye and Mike Jr. send their love and thanks to all of you who have been praying for them. They asked us this in church this morning to send their thoughts out to everyone!

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

Lulu, part 2

These photos pretty much tell the story of Lulu and how things are for her at the moment. The first left photo is her home, surrounded by limestone that will be put on the house. The next right photo is the FEMA trailer where she currently is living. There are 2 more trailers in the back yard, remember that she has 5 children! The following 2 photos were taken of the inside of her home that is being rebuilt. This is what happens when flood waters come in and you have no time to properly store your belongings and furniture. Everything is piled in the center of the rooms as best as it can be and worked around. This means that everything is covered with dust from all the construction and will have to be totally cleaned before even setting up house! There are attempts to cover things with the blue tarps but only attempts that eventually fail. Her family has been wonderful to stop their own lives and come and help her get rebuilt. She is tired but so thankful that they are here working so hard! She is getting closer but still has a long way to go!

This morning started out with Monty needing to go to the warehouse and send out a load of sheetrock to a gentleman in Gulfport. Meanwhile Diane and I helped the youth pastor here get his room rearranged. The children's church attendance reached an all time high of 32 children and more space was needed. It's just an example of how this church is growing! Reach the children and you will reach the parents! Pastor John and Anne do such a wonderful job!

With nearly a days work already done before 11am we decided to go and catch a few crabs. The weather finally broke and the high was only to be in the low 80's. We haven't had such a beautiful day like this since March I believe! We didn't catch very many crabs but we did get to enjoy the afternoon. There was also a craft festival in Pascagoula that we stopped to check on. Once again, a perfect day for such an event. It seems most all festivals down here are held in October. The 4H fair will start next week! It makes perfect sense though. Not many people would be in attendance when the temps are near 100 degrees!

Tomorrow is the day when we are all privilaged to attend the church of our choice and praise and worship the Lord. It is our hope that you will do just that. Thank Him for all of your blessings and remember those here in Mississippi who are still trying to get their lives rebuilt!

Until then ... Susan and Monty

Goodbye Missouri, Hello Lulu

This morning started with bidding a sad farewell to out team from Missouri. A couple of them had already left late yesterday and the rest were on the road by 9am this morning. It was difficult to see them leave and even more difficult on them to have to leave. They made such a blessed connection with Dane and saying goodbye is never easy. We pray for safe travel for them and that they will take the enthusiasm back home with them and share it with others and then make a return trip to help again sometime. Thanks guys, we will miss you and are so thankful for everything you did while you were here!

Our next photo is Ms Lulu. We were able to bless here with some chairs and a stove yesterday. She told us then about some things she was in need of. She also lost her home in the storm (more photos tomorrow) and is blessed to have some of her men family members (who live out of state) who packed up their own campers and came here to work on her home and get her and her 5 children back in. The FEMA trailers they are in out back are more than a bit cramped. She also had insult added to injury - twice! During the storm her home caught on fire due to lightning striking. Then, during the beginning of the rebuilding process, it caught on fire again, this time it was electrical. And we think we have problems! She and her family members have been trying to rebuild her home without asking for anything. The time to ask came yesterday and we were happy to help out. We were able to donate door knob hardware and base trim to her today. Our thanks to Camp Hope for making it possible for us to do so! She was completely surprised by both donations and couldn't find the words to express her thanks! Like I said, watch the blog tomorrow for more photos of how she is living now and what the house is looking like, you'll be surprised!

This evening we were happy to spend the evening with our dear friends, Bruce and Linda. We hadn't seen much out of them since we relocated from Pascagoula to Gautier and have missed them. We had become close friends and with everything going on with all of us the summer flew by and we hadn't even realized it. It looks like we will be getting some volunteers in their home to help them out. They were also victims of some of the construction scandals going on down here and they desperately need our help! The contactors that are pulling off these tragedies should be jailed but it's not our place to judge -- just to continue doing the work God called us to do. Bruce and his son are finishing up the electrical and plumbing and will then be ready for us to come in and insulate and hang sheetrock. This should get them well on their way to coming out of their FEMA trailer and back into their home. Please keep them in your prayers also.

I would like to ask for a special prayer. It seems my body is trying its best to fight off a nasty cold and this evening I feel I might be loosing the battle. The temps are still near 90 here and getting a cold in the summer is not fun. I have been blessed so far but would appreciate your help in this one. Thank you.

Until tomorrow .... Susan and Monty

Missouri Men at Work

Here they are folks, the Missouri men at work! As I write this it is very late at night and they still haven't come in! They have given it their all and then some!

The photos tell the story. The plumbing "tree" created underneath Dane's house, the doors being installed at Stephen's house and everything in between! They got all the siding on the outside of Dane's and the doors in at Stephen's.

Leaving a job NOT completed is a tough thing, thus the reason they are still out working. We are set up with the desire to complete the projects we start. That doesn't happen here, not in a week of volunteering. They want to stay and see it to the end. That is a compliment! That is God!

We are so thankful for these men who have taken time away from their own families to become a part of ours and the homeowners where they worked. They will be leaving for home in the morning and we pray for safe travel. Two of them left late this evening as they had family obligations a bit earlier than the others. Please keep them all in your prayers.

As I have said before, without volunteers like these gentlemen the coast would not get rebuilt! They come to rebuild homes and leave having rebuilt lives! Praise the Lord for people such as these!

Until tomorrow ... Susan and Monty