Hello all,
So today was our last day working on the house. We finished by painting the interior walls and outside trim work. After a well deserved lunch break, we dedicated the house to the family that will be moving in. During the dedication, we blessed the house and also presented the home owner with a Bible. After the dedication, of course, came a lot of picture taking.
Everyone has worked incredibly hard, and it is inspiring to see that no matter how hot it is, no matter how tired you are from playing spoons the night before, and whether you are an expert in what your current project is, or are learning something new (like using a staple gun- very fun by the way) nobody ever gave up. It was all worth it seeing the excited face of the family, knowing that they were five days closer to moving into the house they have waited years for.
When we first showed up at the site, it was an empty space of concrete. They told us when we first got there that we would have a lot of the house up by the end of the week, and I must say, I didn't believe them. But now, to see how much progress we have made, as a team of amateur, is just incredible. I know that it is not just us building this house together, but that God has given us the energy and will power to do it all in His name.
We have been greatly blessed for such high spirits on and off the site during this week. There was never a time that someone wasn't laughing or singing this week. Everyone always has such a great time together (example: there is a game of "Taboo" going on behind me that I am anxious to get back to). God has been watching over us all and bringing us closer together through Him.
Another thing worth mentioning today is that a group of our team went to Donna's house (woman whose house our group worked on last year) to help her plant her garden. While some did that, others went to the beach. After our daily devotional, we celebrated Mike's 17th birthday with cake and ice cream.
Speaking of our daily devotional, this evening we talked about when Jesus touched the man with leprosy. Kevin told us that helping out down here and going on mission trips is great, but there is more to take away than that. There will always be someone in our lives that is suffering or needs help and we need to do our best to help them and show them that we care. He mentioned something one of our leaders on last year's mission trip told us: that there will always be a mini Katrina in your neighborhood. It is our duty, as followers of God, that we stay in step with the Lord and be His hands and feet on earth.
Prayer Requests:
- Pray that our trip back home goes safely
- Pray for the Jordan family (whose house we helped build) and that God will always be with them and keep them and their house safe
- PRAISE that we had ZERO injuries this week!!!
~Jordain
Friday, July 24, 2009
A Week's Worth Of Photos
These are pictures of our progress on the house we worked on throughout the week. One of the pictures is of the family that will be moving into this house, and the last picture is of our team. Click on the picture for a larger view.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Mississippi Mud and Mocking Birds
Hi Everyone!
Today was day 4 on the worksite, and it's completely amazing to see how far the house has come in less than a week. Most of the day was spent finishing up the exterior detailing (staple guns, nail guns, paint, and LOTS of caulk), and we also starting painting the walls inside the house. Things were a little more tricky today, since the rain yesterday turned the dirt around the house into pure Mississippi mud...I personally took a tumble once or twice, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one! But luckily (or, actually not so luckily), the sun seemed to shine twice as brightly this afternoon, so the mud started to turn back into dirt (and we all started to melt a little in the humidity). Still, all in all, it was a very productive day, and we're all looking forward to finishing up our work and the dedication of the house tomorrow.
After returning to Lagniappe for well-deserved showers, dinner, and our daily devotional, a bunch of us headed out to check out a cafe called the Mocking Bird. It was a pretty neat place - the atmosphere was cool and relaxed, the live music was awesome, and the drinks were delicious. In fact, that iced mocha is the only reason I'm still awake enough to write this blog! We also ran into some of the Habitat volunteers while we were there, so it was nice to get to see what everyone looks like with clean clothes and no paint in their hair.
As always, we learned our verse of the day this morning during the drive to the site. Today's verse was Galatians 5:24-25 : "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." This verse really acts as a good reminder that, as Christians, we should try our hardest to be like Jesus - just as he was crucified for our sins, we should crucifiy our own sinful nature. Later in the day, Dan also shared with us the simple message of praise found in Psalm 113. Both of these passages clearly reiterate important aspects of following Jesus while on this trip.
With just one more working day left, we just ask for prayer that we will continue our injury-free streak through tomorrow afternoon. This entire experience has been so exciting, and it's great that no one has had to miss anything so far because of a hospital visit. Please pray that God will keep us safe for the remainder of our trip and help us to complete our task tomorrow. Also, we ask for prayers for the family who will be living in the house we're building, and that they will be able to enjoy their home for many, many years to come. And also, we'd like to praise the Lord for our team member Mike particularly, as tomorrow is his 17th birthday. (I'm personally hoping Kevin or John ordered a bouncy house, some ponies, and a clown to help us celebrate!)
And now, it's time for me to attempt to battle the caffine running through my veins and try to get some sleep before tomorrow morning!
Thanks for reading!
Haven
Today was day 4 on the worksite, and it's completely amazing to see how far the house has come in less than a week. Most of the day was spent finishing up the exterior detailing (staple guns, nail guns, paint, and LOTS of caulk), and we also starting painting the walls inside the house. Things were a little more tricky today, since the rain yesterday turned the dirt around the house into pure Mississippi mud...I personally took a tumble once or twice, and I'm sure I wasn't the only one! But luckily (or, actually not so luckily), the sun seemed to shine twice as brightly this afternoon, so the mud started to turn back into dirt (and we all started to melt a little in the humidity). Still, all in all, it was a very productive day, and we're all looking forward to finishing up our work and the dedication of the house tomorrow.
After returning to Lagniappe for well-deserved showers, dinner, and our daily devotional, a bunch of us headed out to check out a cafe called the Mocking Bird. It was a pretty neat place - the atmosphere was cool and relaxed, the live music was awesome, and the drinks were delicious. In fact, that iced mocha is the only reason I'm still awake enough to write this blog! We also ran into some of the Habitat volunteers while we were there, so it was nice to get to see what everyone looks like with clean clothes and no paint in their hair.
As always, we learned our verse of the day this morning during the drive to the site. Today's verse was Galatians 5:24-25 : "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." This verse really acts as a good reminder that, as Christians, we should try our hardest to be like Jesus - just as he was crucified for our sins, we should crucifiy our own sinful nature. Later in the day, Dan also shared with us the simple message of praise found in Psalm 113. Both of these passages clearly reiterate important aspects of following Jesus while on this trip.
With just one more working day left, we just ask for prayer that we will continue our injury-free streak through tomorrow afternoon. This entire experience has been so exciting, and it's great that no one has had to miss anything so far because of a hospital visit. Please pray that God will keep us safe for the remainder of our trip and help us to complete our task tomorrow. Also, we ask for prayers for the family who will be living in the house we're building, and that they will be able to enjoy their home for many, many years to come. And also, we'd like to praise the Lord for our team member Mike particularly, as tomorrow is his 17th birthday. (I'm personally hoping Kevin or John ordered a bouncy house, some ponies, and a clown to help us celebrate!)
And now, it's time for me to attempt to battle the caffine running through my veins and try to get some sleep before tomorrow morning!
Thanks for reading!
Haven
The house at the end of Day 4!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Mission Trip Musical
Hey All,
Greetings . When I started out writing this blog I was determined to write the entire entry with High School Musical song titles (Some of us have been singing a lot lately). That might be "Breaking free" from the assignment to "Stick to the Status Quo" and i don't know that we would be able to say that we were "All in this together". ......
...........
...........
...........
Since no one really needs to read that, here's an update on our wednesday.
We have had even more encouraging progress on the house. Its amazing how quickly things have progressed from the concrete foundation that we met on the first day. It's really a tribute to the organization that our habitat for humanity staff members have shown. Praise the lord for all of them. The majority of the outside work on the house is done now. I spent the early part of the day installing window and moved on to doing prep painting for a variety of molding pieces that will be on the inside of the house. Tomorrow will be likely be more interior painting and moulding.
Tonight, We met up with Donna ( from last year) for dinner at Darwell's(really fun place, great food) and it reminded me of the verse of the day today was 1 john 4:7-8 (kjv) (ask about the song)
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (clap clap clap)He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
One of the most important ideas that I've beem learning is the inportance of this verse. This trip is really about showing Jesus' love through our actions and our interactions as a team and with anyone else we meet. As we discussed in the devotion today, the lasting effect of this trip won't be related to the house that we may have built, but the people who lived there and the volunteers and staff members who built it.
Please continue to pray for our continued safety and protection. Pray for the wisdom of our team (especcially the leaders) . Most of all pray that we can be God's hands and feet and open us up to that and any opportunity he may have for us this week.
See you soon,
Dave
Greetings . When I started out writing this blog I was determined to write the entire entry with High School Musical song titles (Some of us have been singing a lot lately). That might be "Breaking free" from the assignment to "Stick to the Status Quo" and i don't know that we would be able to say that we were "All in this together". ......
...........
...........
...........
Since no one really needs to read that, here's an update on our wednesday.
We have had even more encouraging progress on the house. Its amazing how quickly things have progressed from the concrete foundation that we met on the first day. It's really a tribute to the organization that our habitat for humanity staff members have shown. Praise the lord for all of them. The majority of the outside work on the house is done now. I spent the early part of the day installing window and moved on to doing prep painting for a variety of molding pieces that will be on the inside of the house. Tomorrow will be likely be more interior painting and moulding.
Tonight, We met up with Donna ( from last year) for dinner at Darwell's(really fun place, great food) and it reminded me of the verse of the day today was 1 john 4:7-8 (kjv) (ask about the song)
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. (clap clap clap)He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
One of the most important ideas that I've beem learning is the inportance of this verse. This trip is really about showing Jesus' love through our actions and our interactions as a team and with anyone else we meet. As we discussed in the devotion today, the lasting effect of this trip won't be related to the house that we may have built, but the people who lived there and the volunteers and staff members who built it.
Please continue to pray for our continued safety and protection. Pray for the wisdom of our team (especcially the leaders) . Most of all pray that we can be God's hands and feet and open us up to that and any opportunity he may have for us this week.
See you soon,
Dave
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Hello, hello, hello!!!!
Greetings from Bay Saint Louis Mississippi! Things here are going great. We all want to thank you for reading our blog and thinking and praying for us while we are spending time down here. Today we had an excellent day at the site. The house is moving along so quickly its hard to believe...unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share but we'll try and get some more up tomorrow but you will be amazed at the progress we're making. The staff from Habitat for Humanity is really incredible to watch work. They are a well oiled machine and always seem to be one step ahead of the build, knowing exactly what they need next and we've been able to keep them moving right along. They contract out electrical and plumbing work (thankfully because Fran Daly isn't with us to do the plumbing work if it was required....shout out!) but today the electricians were in the house and wired just about everything. Additionally the duct work for the central AC was started. In two short days this location has changed from a simple slab of concrete with 2X4s spread out to a structure that has interior and exterior walls and a roof and is really starting to look like a home. There also was a shed that was built, roofed, painted and completed today. We polled the team about every ones day today and at least 80% of us learned something new today which is a testament to the team we are working with.
After our work day we found a coffee shop called Gimme Coffee and were introduced to Cold Drip iced coffee which was very well received by practically all of the adults on the trip. Ice coffee is becoming a theme down here. Dinner followed and we had an opportunity to meet with Kurt who is a pastor here at Lagniappe. He explained to us about the change in focus that the church here has taken on, moving from a relief effort to a support effort. It was very interesting to hear how they felt like they had been called for a change in direction in order to support the community that they have become a very important part of. They have a long road ahead of them but are encouraged by what they have seen so far and excited to see what is on the horizon. It also was interesting to hear that they have had 5 marriages (I believe he said 5) that have come from the people who have worked together and they have specifically asked for prayers for all of the staff and they're relationships that they are nurtured and continue to grow and that they not taken a back seat to the relief efforts that are ongoing. Additionally Kurt asked we keep his wife Kelly in our prayers as she's dealing with some ongoing and potentially new medical issues.
The team is in great spirits and we have been very blessed to be safe thus far on our trip and we all ask that you continue to pray for continued health and safety.
It's late and I have an early morning full of measuring once (hopefully), hammering quickly (my blistered hands tell that story better then I can) and lots of water (although we have really been blessed with excellent weather considering we've heard stories of 110 degree weather 3 weeks ago).
Tired but gratefully yours.....
Tom
Greetings from Bay Saint Louis Mississippi! Things here are going great. We all want to thank you for reading our blog and thinking and praying for us while we are spending time down here. Today we had an excellent day at the site. The house is moving along so quickly its hard to believe...unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share but we'll try and get some more up tomorrow but you will be amazed at the progress we're making. The staff from Habitat for Humanity is really incredible to watch work. They are a well oiled machine and always seem to be one step ahead of the build, knowing exactly what they need next and we've been able to keep them moving right along. They contract out electrical and plumbing work (thankfully because Fran Daly isn't with us to do the plumbing work if it was required....shout out!) but today the electricians were in the house and wired just about everything. Additionally the duct work for the central AC was started. In two short days this location has changed from a simple slab of concrete with 2X4s spread out to a structure that has interior and exterior walls and a roof and is really starting to look like a home. There also was a shed that was built, roofed, painted and completed today. We polled the team about every ones day today and at least 80% of us learned something new today which is a testament to the team we are working with.
After our work day we found a coffee shop called Gimme Coffee and were introduced to Cold Drip iced coffee which was very well received by practically all of the adults on the trip. Ice coffee is becoming a theme down here. Dinner followed and we had an opportunity to meet with Kurt who is a pastor here at Lagniappe. He explained to us about the change in focus that the church here has taken on, moving from a relief effort to a support effort. It was very interesting to hear how they felt like they had been called for a change in direction in order to support the community that they have become a very important part of. They have a long road ahead of them but are encouraged by what they have seen so far and excited to see what is on the horizon. It also was interesting to hear that they have had 5 marriages (I believe he said 5) that have come from the people who have worked together and they have specifically asked for prayers for all of the staff and they're relationships that they are nurtured and continue to grow and that they not taken a back seat to the relief efforts that are ongoing. Additionally Kurt asked we keep his wife Kelly in our prayers as she's dealing with some ongoing and potentially new medical issues.
The team is in great spirits and we have been very blessed to be safe thus far on our trip and we all ask that you continue to pray for continued health and safety.
It's late and I have an early morning full of measuring once (hopefully), hammering quickly (my blistered hands tell that story better then I can) and lots of water (although we have really been blessed with excellent weather considering we've heard stories of 110 degree weather 3 weeks ago).
Tired but gratefully yours.....
Tom
Monday, July 20, 2009
Let the Building Begin!
Hi all! Today was our first official work day and the whole team was ready to get started on the building aspect of the trip. We woke up early, well, early for all of us students that are used to getting up at noon time. After a hearty breakfast served at 6:30 we packed ourselves some lunch, got our water coolers together, and hit the road. Alex arrived safely last night so we brought 17 team members to the work site. Unfortunately Bob was still feeling ill so he stayed home to rest today, but he is eager to join in tomorrow.
Before
After (Day 1)
When we got to the work site there was only a concrete slab and a whole lot of people milling about ready to build a house. The habitat leaders told us that by the end of the week they expected to have the house close to completion. I couldn't see how that was possible but if you look at the pictures below to see the progress we made in just day one, you will begin to see it is absolutely possible. It is amazing what a group of people who gather together in the name of Christ can accomplish, and that applies not just to building houses but everything we do.
We met a lot of interesting people at the site who were also volunteering with habitat. The woman who the house is being built for was there helping out with her children. There was also a family who took the day off from work to come help as well. Habitat had built their home not too long ago and now they like to give back by volunteering whenever they can. Two teenagers that live in the Bay St. Louis area and lived through Hurricane Katrina also came to help out. All together we were a really diverse group of people, with widely varying skill levels, that came together to create something amazing.
After a hard day of working in the sun we all came back and immediately ran for the showers to try to get clean. Being dirty all day really makes you realize how great a gift a simple shower is, something the people who lived through Katrina had to go without for a long time. We settled in for a delicious dinner, followed by group devotions led by Kevin, and finally a trip to Walmart. What day wouldn't be complete without a Walmart run, right?
As we continue on our trip please pray for:
-Continued safety on the work site and the strength to accomplish as much as we can
-Good health for Bob who is feeling better but still not 100%
-Flexibility
-Our team growing closer together as we grow closer to God
-Communication between team members to coordinate this large group
-The ability to see God's bigger plan in our trip and not just see it as a simple building excursion but as an expedition to show God's amazing grace and compassion
Each day we are memorizimg a new verse of the Bible to reflect on the attitude we should have on our trip. Today's verse was Colossians 3:23 which says:
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.
In Christ,
Peter
Before After (Day 1)All our happy faces =)
Our Team: Haven, Peter, Jim, Mike, John, Barbara, Debbie, James, Tom, Bob, Tim, Dave, Dan, Dora, Greg, Alex, Jordain, Kevin
*click on the picture for a larger version*
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