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.

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)