Fabulous Friday

Team Leader: Brian Thiel, Brad Hinman
Team members today were: Brian, Brad, Frank, Al, Dylan, Ashley, Terri, Patti

Summary:
Today, our loading of the tools seemed to be lightest of all. We lost part of our team to other projects that needed extra help.
We arrived at the site, unloaded and huffed up the ladder with all the supplies. We lugged and slugged to get the 99 bundles nailed to the roof. Brian cut holes in the roof for the ridge vent, Frank cut shingles to be used for ridges caps – a 68’ long main roof and 2 side sections of house that were 28 feet long roofs. Al and Frank finished installing the last of the outlets inside the house. Brian, Dylan and Terri ran runs of shingles down one side of the roof while Brad, Ashley and Patti ran shingles down the other side. Brad started capping the ridge vent and Brian finished. What an awesome feeling it is to accomplish such a large (grand) task.

Recorded by: Patti Gridley


Team Leader: Roy McCarthy
Team member today was: Bill

Summary:
Well our day started by waiting for Bill, like always. We had to go to Valerie’s house for the final day. We returned the bad faucet and replaced it with a new one. Then we wanted to bring Katie some of our famous fast food. When we found her she was excited to see new faces. We started to help her crew with their job, boy that was long. We finished what they had to do and while we were working, someone from my crew went and took a nap, we will not name this person (Bill). After that we went to Mort’s job and started to help his crew. We helped with crown molding and more cement board. Then we cleaned up and left for dinner.

Recorded by: Roy McCarthy.

Valerie's home was finished today and we had our evening devotions there with a beautiful "Last Nail" ceremony (pictured above) which included a house blessing and communion. A happy moment for Valerie, a proud moment for the volunteers. This is what everyone is working toward.

Photo by Leslie Matthews (from Shenandoah team)

Team Leader: Gene Wahl, Mort Gridley, Jr.
Team members today were: Betsy, Stuart, Nancy, John, Judy, Colleen, Sandy, Jane, Mort Sr., Erica, Cathy and Kim

Summary:
Our last day to work! The week went so fast. We had so much we wanted to accomplish. We worked on molding, painting, and floors. Allen’s home has been transformed physically, and his spirit has been transformed emotionally. We have given him hope! You can tell by the sparkle in his eyes, the smile on his face, and his hand upon his heart. We all signed a Bible and presented it to him … to help him in his spiritual journey and to remind him of his friends in New York!

Recorded by Betsy Wahl

John and Colleen figure out the next angle of the cut while Roy fits the piece just cut.

Picture by Sandy Hall


Team Leader: Paul Riker
Team members today were: Kate, Pete and Mary Ann; later joined by Bill, Roy and Leslie (from Shenandoah Univ., Winchester, VA team)

Summary:
Today we had 4 people from Kansas help us by tackling the drywall in the back room. We finished painting the family room while laying backer board for ceramic tile on the floor. We were fortunate to have Roy, Bill and Leslie help us with additional screw guns. We accomplished more than was originally asked of us. Mary, the home owner, seemed very pleased.

Recorded by: Paul Riker

Paul's crew with Mary Ann, the owner of the house where they worked.

Photo by Mary Ann Riker

The Nifty Night Crew

After all of the work of the day, many of the team leaders and volunteers are going out to another home and put in 3 - 4 hours of additional work.

Night Crew: Mort Jr., Mort Sr., Brad, Roy, Brian, Erica, Al, Bill, Cathy, Katie, Leslie (Shenendoah)

Summary: Last night (Wednesday) Mort Jr., Roy, and Al went to a new site, assessed the work that needed to be done and developed a plan of action. This afternoon (Thursday) the homeowner, Lawana, and her mother, went to Home Depot to purchase supplies …then spent the rest of the day unloading cabinetry, tiles, and doors.

Tonight we went back to work on a house that some crew members had worked on last February. Last year on our February trip to Vancleave we repaired sheet rock, sanded, and lots of other repair work to prepare her house for painting. The house belongs to a single women who retired from the military after 23 years. After retiring from the Army she bought this house, moved her possessions from all over the world into the house, and was having it fixed up when Katrina hit and changed everything. Lawanna lost everything to the hurricane and moved in with her mother who lived nearby.

Tonight our work included hanging cabinetry, laying cement board to prepare for tile work, hung a door, and scraped paint from electrical outlets and replaced the covers. Tomorrow night we plan to go back and lay the rest of the cement board, start laying the tile that she purchased, install the remainder of the cabinetry, and hang more doors.

Thrilling Thursday

Team Leader: Roy McCarthy
Team members today were: Bill

Summary:
We started the day by losing 3/5 of our team. The remainder of the team went to Moss Point and measured windows. While there we had to fight off 2 poisonous snakes. Then we went to Lowe’s for 2 hours and stood around for 2 hours waiting under a code 4 for help.
After leaving Lowe’s we went back to our original site (Valerie’s). After spending 15 minutes we decided to go to lunch (by Bill’s orders). Roy proceeded to drive an extra 25 miles to a checkers in Ocean Springs. Back to the site to finish up plumbing. One small mistake (Bill putting a hole in the wrong spot in a cabinet door) we went back to church.

Recorded by: Bill Hall (Do you REALLY believe everything in this summary?)

Team Leader: Gene Wahl, Mort Gridley, Jr.
Team members today were: Stuart, Gene, Betsy, Judy, Colleen, Mort Sr., Mort Jr., Erica, Kathy, John, Sandy, Kim, Nancy

Summary:
We are trying to finish up today. So we are really trying to get things done. We are painting, priming, mudding … the whole works. They are putting up crown molding (Judy and Colleen) around the main room. Stuart and Gene are putting new casing around the windows. All new vents are in the ceiling as we get the ceiling done. Mort and John are doing the popcorn finish. Kim, Kathy, and Erica are really getting that painting done.
At noon Nancy had to go back to the Hospital to check on blood tests, Gene and Betsy wanted to see the church they worked on last year, Faith United Methodist in Pascagoula (Doc Tindale- Pastor). It looked really good so they called the pastor and he will see them at dinner or breakfast at the Vancleave church. Sandy and Nancy follow everyone around to sand, paint, mud, etc.

Recorded by: Nancy Balch

Betsy Wahl and Jane Fisher mudding the dry wall.

Top - Mort Gridley, Sr. helps John Jackson with protective covering in preparation for "popcorning" a ceiling. Lower Photo - Mort Gridley Jr and John applying the "popcorn" to the ceiling. Photos by Sandy Hall

Team Leader: Paul Riker
Team members today were: Paul, Bill Miller, Katie, Pete and Mary Ann

Summary:
We completed the painting in one of the bedrooms and living/dining room. We started work on the family room and master bedroom suite. We have enjoyed getting to know Mary and help her get her house a little closer to completion. This is Bill’s last work day with us and we will miss him for his spirit and joy.

Recorded by: Mary Ann Riker

Paul rolls paint on the ceiling while Mary Ann does the wall.

Photo by Kate Hall

Team Leader: Brad Hinman, Brian Thiel
Team members today were: The Twelve Disciples 1 : Brad, Brian, Terri, Patti, Dylan, & Ashley; The Twelve Disciples 2: Marie, Jeff, Marcia, Diane, Al & Frank

Summary:
The day started again just like it has all week by with the loading of all the tools needed for the day’s job. Before leaving, we did a prayer to jump start us all. Today, although our combined team all went to the same house, we split into two groups, with half going up to work on roofing and the other half working inside with the team from Kansas.
When we arrived at the site, we found Team Kansas working hard at completing their project of painting and installing all the trim and doors in this 2300 sq ft house. The Disciples 1 headed for the roof. Now let me tell you… it was not just the run of the mill roof, requiring close to 99 bundles of

Brian Thiel, Marie DeWispelaere, Marcia Peters and Al Walker work as a team to get the shingles up to the roof.

shingles. The team carried the bundles of shingles to different sections of the roof, laying them across the ridge. Then rest of the day was spent cutting and laying shingles, air nailing them, and fixing areas where there had been leaks. By the end of seven hours, every member of the roofing team was sore, but extremely happy with what they had accomplished. We should be able to complete the roof tomorrow.
Marie, Marcia and Jeff started the day by reinstalling all of the ceiling vents that they had taken down, scrubbed and painted yesterday. As Marie screwed in all the hardware, she realized that she had a whole group of muscles that she never knew she had. They then turned their attention to scraping all the plaster globs off the

Terri Persons, Brad Hinman, Brian Thiel and Ashley Dann working on the roof.

cement and tile floors and sweeping all of the rooms. Their biggest accomplishment was the painting of the 64 pane picture window in the living room.
Al, Frank and Diane worked all day on installing outlets in all of the rooms- a real challenge with small electrical boxes, stiff wire, and live circuits. Several times, it was a “shocking experience” for Al and Frank and once we even had our own personal fireworks show, with sparks flying.
Nellie, the lady whose home we are working on, is 97 years old. We haven’t met her. She currently lives in a small assisted living house, until she can return to her home. She gets around in a wheel chair.
During Katrina, there was about 1 ½ ft of water throughout her home. Her house also has roof damage and collateral ceiling damage. Contractors replaced sheetrock, removed damaged electrical outlets and wiring, but Nellie ran out of money to complete the repairs needed to make her home inhabitable.
A team from Kansas visited her this afternoon. As a life-long Methodist, she is very appreciative of the work that has been done by the United Methodist Volunteers in Mission from Camp Hope.

Patti Gridley puts in an electrical outlet.

Recorded by: Patti, Terri and Diane

Team members today were: Lorraine, Jane, "Jeff"

Summary:
Today the inside work began on the new Camp Hope Disaster Relief building here in Vancleave. This building is 150’ X 70’ and is located behind the church. It will house over 70 volunteers and will have 6 showers and 8 sinks. Also included on the floor plan is a large kitchen. Insulation was begun with many groups working together. Jane worked inside the present buildings cleaning and helping in the kitchen.

Lorraine and Jeff install insulation in the new Disaster Relief Building at the Vancleave United Methodist Church.

Thursday report delayed

Judy Bezon telephoned to say that internet service at the Vancleave United Methodist Chrurch is down. Thursday's update will be posted when service is again available.

Wonderful Wednesday

Team Leader: Paul Riker

Team members today were: Paul, Mary Ann, Bill Miller, Pete, Katie

Our team arrived on scene at the home we were working at bright and early this morning and wasted no time getting started. With some painting jobs already started, we finished a bedroom and started the trim, finished a bathroom, and started the living room.

After taking a lunch break the home owner, Mary (come to find out her full name was also Mary Ann!), came home to check on our progress. She was thrilled to see people working on her home and found each team member to greet them individually. Mary is a working woman who is an intake officer for the Jackson County Youth Court. She told us that she only had water damage from flooding in one room of her house. However, due to the wind most of her roof was ripped off and trees fell on the 2 bedrooms at one end of her house. Without a roof her house suffered more water damage. Mary commented that there was only 4 feet of water in her neighborhood, but her sister who lived on the north side of Route 10 had 8 feet of water. She told us to expect her sister to be visiting us while we were working on her house because she likes to meet people and have someone to talk to. We look forward to hearing more of Mary and her sister’s story tomorrow.

Our saying of today was “you’re going to work yourself out of a job,” which we did. Since we needed the paint to dry before starting the next coat we came back to our home base (Vancleave UMC) early and became the kitchen and laundry crew. We only hope our little contribution lightened the load some!

Recorded by: Katie Hall

Above - Kate Hall and Bill Miller helping with dinner.
Right - Kate helping with laundry.
Photos by Mary Ann Riker

Team Leaders: Brad Hinman, Brian Thiel
Team members: *Team 12 Disciples* Patti, Ashley, Dylan, Brad, Al, Diane, Brian, Terri, Jeff, Marie, Frank, Marcia.

At Erica’s house, we painted two ceilings. At Wesley’s, we finished putting doors in, put the last blinds in a bedroom, and finished painting the trim on the doors. We went back to Wesley’s to take pictures for everlasting memories. First, we blessed his house. As we finished praying, it became more apparent that we were actually done and wouldn’t see Wesley again, and it brought tears to my eyes (Ashley).

We finished with tons of group pictures and waved our last good bye. Then, we went to Allen’s house, where Mort’s crew was, to bring supplies and eat lunch.

Then, we went to our new site where we sat and waited until our roofing supplies showed up. We then set off on a whole new adventure, lifting shingles. Boy, they were heavy! We laid shingles the rest of the day until sunset. We made a lot of progress today and we should be able to finish the roof tomorrow or Friday morning.

Recorded by Ashley Dann and Dylan Thiel

Team Leader: Roy McCarthy
Team members: Roy, Judy, Bill, Colleen, Lorraine

Today will go down in history for the FFHB & G (Fast Food Home Boys & Girls). We made a total of 4 (editor's comment {here after ec} - really 2 – author tends to exagerate) trips to Lowes, and a quick trip to Sonics on Roy’s orders (ec - really Bill’s orders). We thought we were done at the site when suddenly a huge spout (ec - tiny spritz) of water erupted in the homeowners bedroom. The 4th (ec - 2nd) trip to Lowes and 100 dollars later, the problem was solved. (ec - $2.97 – can we believe anything Bill records? Bill bought himself a power tool.) This incident set us back a day per our team leader, who promised we would be done by Tuesday afternoon.

Roy McCarthy cuts the hole in the counter top for the kitchen sink.

Photo by Colleen Saxton

Recorded by: Bill Hall

Team Leader: Mort Gridley
Team members: *The Lord’s Laborers!* Gene, Betsy, Stuart, Nancy, Erica, Cathy, Jane, Sandy, John, Mort, Sr., Mort, Jr, Kim

Our team kept very busy today. We had lots of priming, painting & sanding to do. It looked like it had snowed on us all today! Betsy was still filling spots with dry wall compound. Gene and John worked on the bathroom drywall. Nancy kept sweeping up the dust, but we kept making more.

Above - Mort Sr (aka Poppy) helps John don protective covering before he "popcorns" a ceiling.

Right - Brad Hinman and Stuart Balch are cutting window casings for Allen's house. Mort Gridley Senior consults with Al Walker in the background.
Photos by Diane Walker

Stuart cut moldings and sills for the living room windows. Kim and Cathy scraped rust off of grates, and Nancy and Jane reinstalled them.

Photos by Sandy Hall

Mort got the ceiling “popcorn” machine today and started the final finish on the ceilings. It was a very busy and fruitful day.

Recorded by Jane Fisher

Editor's Note:

Quite a few of our VIM team members have taken on another home to work on after dinner. Come back tomorrow for their blog and photos.

Mississippi Mission Trip blogging is a group process. Note cameras waiting to be downloaded so pictures can be uploaded to our blog.

Photo by Colleen Saxton.

Terrific Tuesday

Team Leader: Roy McCarthy
Team Members: Lorraine Dawes, Colleen Saxton, Bill Hall, Judy Bezon

It was a beautiful , sunny, cool day and we returned to the same home, doing pretty much the same work ( instaling kitchen cabinets and finish moulding, finishing closets) The people from Holy Rosary School in New Orleans, LA went to Vancleave to pick up the books we brought with us from St Michaels in Newark. Then they came by our worksite for a picture of us with the books.

We listen to a description of New Orleans now. Bill had lots of questions.

Photo by Judy Bezon

The home we are working on.

Photo by Judy Bezon

The next door neighbor shared his Katrina experiences with us. We listened. The brick wall of his home fell down and the water filled the house and trapped him. When he got out he swam down the street to a taller home. He had retired prior to Katrina, bought all the toys he thought he needed – a big Lincoln, a boat, a nice home, etc. The car washed out of his yard, the boat was destroyed, the entire household was destroyed. He felt it was a word from God – people are what matter, the toys are only temporary. He thought he would like to retire and travel in a trailer. After living in one since Katrina, he never wants to be in another. It will still be a while before he can live in his home.

The house in back of him appears to have been abandoned. There are no renovations, the furniture is still in the rooms, the brick wall is on the ground, the flag is wrapped around the pole by the front door. Looking at it, I felt sad and helpless. The owner came back once and the neighbor doesn’t know where he has gone. There are so many Katrina stories to be told.

Recorded by Lorraine Dawes

Team Leader: Gene Wahl
Team members: Gene, Stuart, John, Nancy, Betsy, Jane, Mary Ann

Summary:
It appeared that today would be unproductive at first, as 4 team members left in the morning to witness the destruction in Biloxi. The devastation was shocking.

While they were gone, the rest of the team produced to put a coat of primer on the walls of all but 1 major room in Allen’s house. Next, drywall went up to complete one room and one section of hallway. By the end of the day, the back door was repaired, and virtually every room was ready for paint or primer.

Needless to say, Allen looked very pleased. As yesterday, he was all smiles, friendly, and happy to see us. Though he cannot speak he manages to communicate his feelings quite well through his eyes and gestures. We took some pictures with him, and had a group prayer. I think that our trip has made a great difference in his life already, and we will continue to make a more permanent one with him tomorrow.

Recorded by: John Jackson

Team Leader: Paul Riker
Team members were: Pete, Bill Miller, Katie, special assistance from Mary Ann

Summary:
After collecting the supplies we needed and getting started on our projects yesterday, our team started out strong this morning. We paneled a bedroom wall and tiled a bathroom floor in a mobile home (trailer) out in the country of east Pascagoula. The trailer belonged to an elderly couple, both of whom suffered from health problems. They had water damage to all the floors of their home and ran out of money when they were trying to replace them. They were both very glad to see us arrive for help and very appreciative the whole time we were there.

Paul Riker putting in tile.
Photo by Katie Hall

After finishing those jobs we ate a late lunch a moved on to a new house. This house belonged to a working woman who wasn’t home while we were there. The house is mostly in need of a paint job in each room. We nearly finished the first bedroom and started the hallway.

Our group was very happy to see visible differences in the houses from the work we’ve done so far and are excited to get back to work tomorrow!

Recorded by: Katie Hall

Al, Brian and Frank get ready to "popcorn" the ceiling.

Photo by Terri Persons

Ladies at the car rental agency straighten out the car rental details.

Photo by Mary Ann Riker

Team Leader: Mort Gridley, Jr.
Team Members: Mort Gridley Sr., Erica Hepworth, Sandy Hall, Cathy Everett, Kim Dungey

Today was a busy day for our van - it made a trip to the airport with its driver Sandy, Jane and Mary Ann, to clear up some van rental issues, and made a side trip to the site of the ruined bridge from Ocean Springs to Biloxi so John, who must leave early, could see it and other effects from the hurricane. Then back to our job site where Kathy and Erica had primed the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. Betsy and Kim mudded, and Mort Jr tackled some trouble spots and was kept busy answering questions. The van, loaded with the women, made a trip for a bathroom break and some shopping for lunch supplies and building materials at Wal-Mart and Lowe's. The Wal-Mart clerk, noting our nametags and dirty work clothes, thanked us for our volunteer efforts on the Gulf Coast, saying, "God bless you!"

Mort found a place to sit to eat lunch.
Photo by Kin Dungey

Meanwhile Gene, Stuart, and Mort Sr, aka "Poppy," finished applying furring strips to the concrete block wall so dry wall installation could be completed in the last room. Nancy and Jane kept busy sweeping floors, and sanding and wiping down walls so they could be primed. When John returned to the work site he and Mort Jr learned the importance of the old adage, "Measure twice, cut once!" when installing a small ceiling with a cutout for a light fixture. OOOPS! The problem was corrected, and the drywall was taped and mudded.

The van made its final trip (of the day!) to Lowe's for more supplies. Allen, the homeowner, who is unable to speak due to a disability, gave us a huge smile when he saw the fresh white walls surrounding his newly cleaned purple bathtub.

Cathy Everett paints a wall.

Photo by unknown

The crew loaded up the van and made a detour to the home of a woman where Mort Jr had worked while here last year, to check on her progress. It was disappointingly little, and he plans to try to help in his spare time this week. We pulled into the church parking lot 10 minutes past dinner time, but were pleased to discover dinner had not yet been served. We sat down to a great meal, satisfied by a day well spent. We expect to complete our work for Allen tomorrow, and hope the van can stay parked, so Sandy can have a chance to work in the house, instead of simply driving hither and yon.

Recorded by Kim Dungey


Team Leader: Brian Theil
Team members: Terri, Marcia, Jeff, Dylan, Frank, Al, Patti

Summary:
We worked at the home of Erica and her family. She has a husband and young son. They live in Pascagoula. We also met her mom, Mary; and her brother. Her sister, Sandra, also stopped by with her 3 year old son. Apparently Sandra wanted to meet us because we are from New York State. Her family is moving in a few weeks to Amherst, NY near Buffalo.
Brian sands a dry wall seam on the ceiling.

Photo by Terri Persons

It has been a blessing to meet all of Erica’s family. A neighbor of hers also visited for quite a while. Erica was so pleased with our efforts today. They had no storm surge to bring in rising waters, the damage for her home was caused by the wind. The roof damage allowed the rain in, causing more damage.

Brian, Frank and Brad "rip" some lumber to fit. Photo by Terri Persons

There had been some work already done at Erica’s home. We work in three rooms. We did work on the ceilings- sanding, priming, and popcorn texturing. It was a satisfying day, and we are all tired. We will finish up at Erica’s tomorrow.

Recorded by: Terri Persons

Team Leader: Brad Hinman
Team Members: Marie DeWispelaere, Ashley Dann, Diane Walker

A part of our team returned to work on Wesley’s home. The ladies continued to clean-up and ready the house for Wesley to move in, while Brad worked on doors and plumbing. We removed the rest of the plastic from the carpets and vacuumed them. Then, we cleaned out the second bedroom, set up the last bed and finished painting the bathroom. Ashley was determined to have the house ready for Wesley to sleep in his new bedroom. She purchased four pair of mini-blinds. After experiencing a lot of frustration, Ashley and Patti finished hanging the blinds just as we needed to leave for supper!

Ashley working on the bathroom wall.

Photo by Dylan Theil

Some members of our mission team purchased a table saw to be used by all of the teams. Marie, Ashley and Diane rose to the challenge and assembled the saw by themselves (except for one place where we needed Dylan’s smaller hands to tighten some screws.)

Marie and Diane putting together the table saw.
Photo by Diane Walker

As we were packing up to leave, a neighbor stopped by to express his gratitude for those who have come to help the people here on the Gulf Coast to rebuild their lives. That’s why we’re here, not for the praise, but to bring a helping hand to our brothers and sisters in need. Our day was topped off by the gift of a beautiful sunset as we passed over the Pascagoula River Bridge. God is so good!

Sunset over the Pascagoula River
Photo by Diane Walker

Our Marvelous Monday

Today's report is given by team. We had 6 teams working on three homes. Read on to learn about our first day of mission work in Mississippi.

Team Leader: Gene Wahl
Team Members: Stuart and Nancy Balch, John Jackson, Betsy Wahl, Mary Ann Riker

Team Leader: Mort Gridley, Jr.
Team Members: Mort Gridley, Sr., Erica Hepworth, Sandy Hall, Cathy Everett, Kim Dungey

(Editor’s note: These two teams worked together today.)
Today we worked on a cement block home in Moss Point. It is very small with 4 rooms. We were told we would be putting up furring strips to install dry wall. Guess what! When we arrived most of the rooms already had dry wall! So we mudded, primed and cleaned. We even cleaned the purple bathtub. Allen came in, all smiles! (Written by Betsy Wahl)

Allen, the owner, looking at the work Erica and Kim are doing. Photo by Sandy Hall


Mort Gridley, Sr. demonstrates painting
techniques to John and Mary Ann.
Photo by Sandy Hall

Team Leader: Roy McCarthy
Team Members: Bill Hall, Lorraine Daws, Colleen Saxton, Judy Bezon



Kitchen installation was our primary goal today,
led by Mr. Kitchen himself – Roy McCarthy. We were able to install all the kitchen cabinets for a grateful lady (Valerie) who had two teen age daughters and a grandson living with her. She is still cooking in her FEMA trailer. The ladies on the team used a power miter saw (wow!) and learned to miter corners for baseboards, which they tacked in place with a power nailer. (wow again) Bill did kitchen cabinets with Roy and went to Lowes for things we needed. (Written by Colleen Saxton)



The team conferres with Valerie, the owner of the home we were working on.
Photo by Judy Bezon

Some of the cabinets we installed. Don't examine this picture too closely! Photo by Colleen Saxton

Team Leader: Brian Theil
Team Members: Al and Diane Walker, Dylan Theil, Marie DeWispelaere, Marcia Peters

Team Leader: Brad Hinman
Team Members: Frank Mosh, Patti Gridley, Ashley Dann, Jeff Sergeant, Terri Persons

(Editor’s note: These two teams worked together today)

Our day began on a positive note. We gathered and loaded our tools and off to the work site we go. The team was pumped and ready to work. We arrived to find no one at home nor doors unlocked. It was like the old saying “hurry up and wait.”

Made phone calls to get a new assignment. We were welcomed with a grateful smile by a gentleman named Wesley.

Assessed the work to be done and make a trip to Lowe’s. Unfortunately the women and Dylan felt left out because it was electrical issues that needed to be done first. So Brad, Brian, Al and Frank were working while the rest of us got to hear Wesley’s story.

Wesley of Pascagoula. Brian and Dylan move a stove into his kitchen.

Photo by Diane Walker

Wes is probably in his 50’s and lives alone. When Katrina hit he had 5 feet of water in his home. He stayed on a chair on his stove for 12 hours when his son retrieved him. While on the stove a water moccasin swam in a broken window and wanted to share Wesley’s high ground. Wesley whacked the snake to kill it.

After the water receded, Wes lived in a tent in the back yard for a month. Then he got a FEMA trailer. Tonight he plans to sleep in his house for the first time since Katrina. Wesley has attended Wesley Chapel UMC all his life and that is why his name is Wesley.

He was so grateful and couldn’t help but smile as he saw this dream coming true. We met his 4 year old grandson, Ladevon. I think we will always remember the smile on Wesley’s face.

The outlets and switches were wired up and the rest of the team got to do some work putting on the cover plates. When all is done and powered up .... a big problem surfaces. Some of the outlets and switches won’t work.

Ashley and Marie worked on Wes’s bedroom to get it ready for his first night in his home since Katrina hit town. Ashley was almost as excited for Wes to be in his new bedroom as he was.

During the electrical glitch we decided to say a prayer. God answered in a matter of minutes. One of the team members needed to use the bathroom and found an outlet that went unnoticed until then. That solved part of the problem.

We were able to get Wes’s home to a place where he is in his home, but we will return to finish up tomorrow. (Written by Patti Gridley and Terri Persons)

Team Leader: Paul Riker
Team Members: Pete Jimmerson, Kate Hall, Jane Fisher, Bill Miller (adopted volunteer from Raleigh, North Carolina)

We went to the Hamilton home thinking we would be installing ceramic tile in a bathroom. There was not enough tile on site and the floor was in no condition to accept the mastic. We decided underlayment and self stick vinyl would work better. There was a wall in a bedroom that needed repair. We wound up

buying paneling, underlayment, vinyl tile and some plumbing supplies so we could do what needed to be done.

The day was full of aborted attempts to do things we didn’t have the materials to do which made the job entirely different than what was assigned. (written by Paul Riker)

Pete and Paul working on the damaged wall.

(Unknown photographer)

Sunday, A Day of Rest and Relaxation

This morning we woke early, because breakfast was cooked and ready for us at 7 AM! We ate well, had brief devotions, took a group picture in front of the church sign, and went to a wonderful worship service at the United Methodist Church in Mount Pleasant.

(Photo by Sandy Hall) You will notice she is in the picture and used the timing device on her camera to take the picture. Very clever.

After that our group headed to the Battleship Memorial Park at Mobile Bay, Mobile, Alabama. It was quite foggy. As we entered the driveway, there were several old military planes, jets, helicopters that we couldn’t see until we were quite close to them. After we parked and got out of the vehicles, we were aware of an eerie outline of something. Behind the building we were facing was the Battleship USS Alabama.

A group of us headed up the ramp to the
ship in the fog. (Photo by Judy Bezon)

We couldn’t see the whole ship because the fog was so thick. We got to tour several decks of this ship which served in WWII. We got to see a lot of where the crew of 2,500 lived and worked. It was very interesting. Also at Battleship Park is the submarine USS Drum in dry dock. We were able to tour one level inside. We really had to watch our heads going through all the hatches.

Of course the gift shop was a popular place. We enjoyed the Battleship Memorial Park a lot. (written by Terri Persons)

Mort Gridley Jr. and Ashley Dann in the brigg on the USS Alabama.

(Photo by Patti Gridley)

The ship's doctor's office and the chapel. (Photos by Colleen Saxton)

For more information About the Battleship Park go to: http://www.ussalabama.com/

Late this afternoon, we had a wonderful introduction to the flora and fauna of the Gulf area with a visit to the Estuarium on Dauphin Island, Alabama. We came face to face (thru the aquarium glass) with many intriguing native animals ranging from alligators to zebra fish. There were turtles of varying shapes and sizes, some of which looked like the big brothers of our pets at home. In addition, there were fish of almost every size, shape and color – sand sharks, puffer fish with iridescent blue eyes, translucent jelly fish, tiny pipe fish and huge moray eels. Have you ever seen soft shelled turtles that look like they would bounce if you dropped them? If not, plan a visit to the Estuarium on your next visit to Alabama. (For a virtual visit go to: http://estuarium.disl.org/)

(Turtle photos by Ashley Dann)

(Photo by Diane Walker)

The star fish in the Estuarium reminded Kim Dungey of the story of the man walking along the beach throwing stranded starfish back into the sea. When the man was asked why he was undertaking such a seemingly useless task, he replied, “It makes a difference to this one.”

As we think about the immensity of the task of helping people in the gulf area to recover from the damage (both physical and emotional) inflicted by hurricane Katrina, it may seem that our efforts are only a drop in the bucket. But we need to remember that each act of kindness, each nail we pound makes a huge difference to the owner of the home we are working on. (written by Diane Walker)

Tomorrow we begin our rebuilding work. Come back tomorrow to see where we've been assigned and what our 6 teams are doing.