Katrina Mission Team - Day 3
Wednesday - March 18, 2009
Hello to everyone back home. We miss our family and friends so much. The week is going fast for us though – it’s half over already! We’re starting to feel it in the muscles and bones though. What we wouldn’t do for a massage right now!
John’s crew met homeowner Wayne today. He’s a very energetic guy with a great sense of humor. We learned that he is employed as an electrician and is able to get a lot of the materials for the house (like insulation and sheet rock) by bartering with his electrician skills. We also met his 15 year old son Christian. Patrick presented Shay with 2 Katrina Mission team shirts and some granite candy (made in Rochester). Wayne actually treated all of the crew members to a local favorite called Hubig’s Pies. They were delicious! They talked a bit about what it was like for them to evacuate before Katrina. He is an insulin dependent diabetic and if he hadn’t left, he would not have made it. The four of them drove to Northwestern Mississippi sitting in a single cab pick-up truck. As for the work done today, the crew painted the ceilings and walls with the first coat of paint – looks fantastic!
Bill’s crew presented the team shirt and NH granite candy to Cliff. Pat and Cliff told them more than once, ‘We love you guys and there’s nothing you can do about it!’. Their daughters Sarah and Elizabeth stopped by with a young granddaughter. They seemed to be impressed with the number of teens on the crew. They wondered how they could have given up school, friends, comforts of home, etc to work on stranger’s homes. This actually inspired them as they decided that this was something they were going to do for others in need. Cliff made the crew lunch right at the site. The dish was a local favorite of cabbage, ham hocks, sausage and more. The corn bread was the sweetest they ever tasted. The crew loved it!
Kenny’s crew finished up at their site today with a job well done! They then drove down to Bill’s site to give them a hand. Homeowners Cliff and Pat have to move in to their house by April 3rd and there’s still a ton of work to do. Looks like John’s crew will finish on their site on Thursday and be able to join Bill’s crew as well. The team wants to do what we can to get their house livable before April 3rd, even though we only have 2 more days.
We enjoyed a jambalaya dinner back at the Center and then had devotions in the sanctuary. We left at about 7:00 to head over to Covenant UMC for dessert and fellowship. Janice was the winner for the evening for “Most Graceful Exit”, as she missed the step down out of the building and went down on the side of her ankle and there wasn’t anyone with her. Seeing this happen from a distance, Kip jumped back out of the van and started to run to her thinking she might have hit her head on the concrete. That man can move! Then it was his turn to be graceful, as he tripped in the grass and fell as well. The rest of us started scrambling to each of them. Kip was fine, but Janice has a slightly sprained ankle. We had a good laugh about it all later. We’re just glad neither one was seriously hurt! No one wants to fill out those accident reports!
Well, that’s all until tomorrow! May God bless you all!
Dessert at Covenant UMC:
