Thursday and Friday Report from Mississippi
Thursday
Today was only a half day. We left early in the morning so we could get more time in. Our mission today was to get the ceilings finished.
Because we are remodeling a trailer, we are running into many querks. The wall frames are no completely square and the door frames are exceptionally small. Before we put up drywall we have to pull out staples that were used to put up the original drywall. I found us all exceptionally weary today.
We worked until 1pm and then headed home to shower and get dolled up for a trip to New Orleans. Some people from the Chicago group joined us and off we went. We walked all over the city, checking out the many sights. It was a beautiful evening! We heard great music, ate good food and had many laughs.
We all are ready for tons of sleep...
Friday
This morning we were the first group up and out the door. We had so much we wanted to get done before we leave in the morning. Depression has set in with many of the Long Beach residents. It is hard to see an end in sight with all the repairs that need done. Our resident especially is lacking stability. She is anxious and ready for her trailer to be done. Many times she has stopped by while were working to just sit inside her house and think. She lights a cigerette and sobs as she tells us stories of what she has been through. I could not imgane losing everything I have.
Jan our resident has also struggled with getting her home rebuilt because her home was primarily damaged by a tornado that went through the trailer park during the hurricane. Because it was a tornado and not a hurricane, FEMA is not willing to help rebuild her home. They have provided her with a FEMA trailer. The trailer park which was once a family friendly neighborhood has now become a community of savengers, scrounging around for work and money. Many times we had people come up to us and ask us if we were hiring. Many businesses were destoyed and have left people jobless.
We finished the cathedral ceiling with sore shoulders and smiles. It was so nice to have finally finished the ceiling. From there we were able to get back to work on the walls.
We got a call this morning from the ship captain we met at the beginning of the week. He said he wanted to take us out on an excursion at 1:30. We were definitely not going to miss an oppertunity to go out on a huge fishing boat. The captain's wife even baked blackberry cobbler for Bryan's birthday. We headed out towards Cat Island. The captain explained that Cat Island runs paralell to the coast and nine miles out from land. He said the island protected the coast from what was orginally a 35 foot tidal wave. The wave killed all the trees along the island. The captain said he fears another hurricane because their protection is gone. The next island we went to was Ship's Island. On Ship Island is an old fort build during the war of 1812. It's called fort Massachests. Our captain new the island police and they unlocked the door of the fort so we could look around. It was amazing! The cannons were huge, the brick walls were beautiful! We were all in awe!
The captain got us back to the dock at 5:00 and we rushed back to our work site. We worked until dark. Most of the work we did tonight was to board up all the windows to prevent the neighborhood kids from throwing rocks through them. We now have a the trailer completey sided and 3/4 drywalled. All of this work has been done by members of Good Shepherd between the Spring Break Trip and this week. My prayer is that our church will have many other hands working on this house. Whose up for another trip?!?
Today was only a half day. We left early in the morning so we could get more time in. Our mission today was to get the ceilings finished.
Because we are remodeling a trailer, we are running into many querks. The wall frames are no completely square and the door frames are exceptionally small. Before we put up drywall we have to pull out staples that were used to put up the original drywall. I found us all exceptionally weary today.
You DON'T want to make these two ladies angry!
Angel Pat With Her Halo
We worked until 1pm and then headed home to shower and get dolled up for a trip to New Orleans. Some people from the Chicago group joined us and off we went. We walked all over the city, checking out the many sights. It was a beautiful evening! We heard great music, ate good food and had many laughs.
We all are ready for tons of sleep...
Friday
This morning we were the first group up and out the door. We had so much we wanted to get done before we leave in the morning. Depression has set in with many of the Long Beach residents. It is hard to see an end in sight with all the repairs that need done. Our resident especially is lacking stability. She is anxious and ready for her trailer to be done. Many times she has stopped by while were working to just sit inside her house and think. She lights a cigerette and sobs as she tells us stories of what she has been through. I could not imgane losing everything I have.
Jan our resident has also struggled with getting her home rebuilt because her home was primarily damaged by a tornado that went through the trailer park during the hurricane. Because it was a tornado and not a hurricane, FEMA is not willing to help rebuild her home. They have provided her with a FEMA trailer. The trailer park which was once a family friendly neighborhood has now become a community of savengers, scrounging around for work and money. Many times we had people come up to us and ask us if we were hiring. Many businesses were destoyed and have left people jobless.
We finished the cathedral ceiling with sore shoulders and smiles. It was so nice to have finally finished the ceiling. From there we were able to get back to work on the walls.
We got a call this morning from the ship captain we met at the beginning of the week. He said he wanted to take us out on an excursion at 1:30. We were definitely not going to miss an oppertunity to go out on a huge fishing boat. The captain's wife even baked blackberry cobbler for Bryan's birthday. We headed out towards Cat Island. The captain explained that Cat Island runs paralell to the coast and nine miles out from land. He said the island protected the coast from what was orginally a 35 foot tidal wave. The wave killed all the trees along the island. The captain said he fears another hurricane because their protection is gone. The next island we went to was Ship's Island. On Ship Island is an old fort build during the war of 1812. It's called fort Massachests. Our captain new the island police and they unlocked the door of the fort so we could look around. It was amazing! The cannons were huge, the brick walls were beautiful! We were all in awe!
The captain got us back to the dock at 5:00 and we rushed back to our work site. We worked until dark. Most of the work we did tonight was to board up all the windows to prevent the neighborhood kids from throwing rocks through them. We now have a the trailer completey sided and 3/4 drywalled. All of this work has been done by members of Good Shepherd between the Spring Break Trip and this week. My prayer is that our church will have many other hands working on this house. Whose up for another trip?!?
posted by Maynard at 5:33 AM
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