Tuesday July 28, 2009

Tuesday was our last full day in wonderful Mississippi. Both the demo group and the ramp crew headed back to their sites to finish their remaining work. The demo group didn't have much left to do and were finished before lunchtime, so they ventured back home, made lunch and cleaned the house up for the next group to come in. The ramp crew started with a very early morning leaving the house at 6am to get a head start on the day before the heat in order to be able to finish by the evening. Moses' ramp was completed and looks absolutely beautiful as he is now able to get into his house safely and easily. After some completed Moses' ramp, they headed next door to Myrtle's house to help finish her deck/ramp complete with stairs. The day started out with the framing almost completed for the ramp and deck and ended with the decking laid, a thick concrete walkway which had been mixed and poured by hand, and a small staircase for easy access. Two studs, Ross and Alex mixed around 5,000 pounds of concrete throughout the day. We were unable to finish the ramp completely, but got a stellar amount done. We were all quite impressed with the amount of work we were able to accomplish in two days at Myrtle's house. Both Myrtle and Moses were very thankful for their ramps and expressed their gratitude to us as we left. Although it was an early 12 hour workday, every last minute of it was worth the time.

As we have been focusing on love and what it means to love others, we have been introduced through Christ to our brothers and sisters in Christ and have been challenged to discover the role love plays in our own lives .

Monday, July 27, 2009

For some of us the day began early. We left at 6:30 AM for the ramp site we have been working on for the last few days to get in as much work as possible. With such a quick start on the day we were able to nearly complete a 28-foot wheelchair ramp and demolish a different pre-existing ramp.
Others of us went back to Joseph’s demolition site, the owner of the house we were deconstructing. After pulling out nails and bringing down rafters we completed taking apart all of Joseph’s great-grandfather’s dilapidated house.
Following a hearty dinner of chili and chips after our lengthy work day we had our nightly devotional with our passage being 1 Corinthians 13:7.
The day was long, hot, dusty, and insect-filled, but the work we accomplished and results we achieved made the difficulties worth it. In the challenges we worked through we are experiencing love and the power of mission.
Tomorrow we plan on getting another early start on the day to work on the ramps and begin to prepare for returning home.

Pics Mon July 27, 2009

Sunday raining video

This was the rain at the stair site. It is a little hard to see, but you can see a flash of lightning near the end.

Pics for Sun, July 26

Stairs before

After

At the demo site

Removing nails

Building a ramp

Imminent storm!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Today began a bit different from previous days. We were able to sleep in a little longer due to the fact that we had a small worship service in the living room of our humble abode. In our service we discussed the passage Luke 14: 25-35, as well as partaking of the elements of the Lord's Supper. Following our service we diverged into several task forces to work at different sites. Groups went to serve by building a wheelchair ramp, completing construction of a staircase, carefully deconstructing a damaged home, and surveying and preparing a potential work area. As the work day wound down we heard the deafening clap of thunder across the humid lands of the Mississippi bayou. As we raced home against the weather, we recieved an emergency broadcast announcement reporting an oncoming storm with "penny-sized hail, damaging winds, and cloud to ground lightning" on 95.3 FM, ZROCK radio, with 55 minutes of music and only 5 minutes of commercials!!! Our last group remained in D'Iberville to complete the staircase amidst the clouds of the imminent storm, which had begun by the time we left.
Waiting for the last group to arrive home we shared stories of today's conversation with Moses, a gentleman whose home we were working on. Hearing of Moses's wild and crazy past was a raw and uncensored story that stimulated questions of our purpose in mission and the power of love.
After flying through the streets to get out of the storm our fourth group arrived and dinner commenced shortly thereafter. Prepared by our gourmet chefs, we feasted upon the finest hamburgers, french fries, and cookies east of the Mississippi River. After fellowshipping and relaxing we ended the day with a group prayer. Tomorrow we plan to get an early start on the day and accomplish as much as we can.

Pics: Sat, July 25, 2009