Living Waters in Mississippi

On the road again.....

2008-02-09T04:56:00.001-08:00

It's 7AM local and we're about to hit the road - please pray for us as we travel.

Quick 10PM update...

2008-02-08T19:57:00.000-08:00

Just had a shrimp boil here at the home of the head of the volunteer section of the local government, and man was it ever good. Besides the camaraderie and fun, one of the benefits was that we got some really great quotes:

Conversation between Kevin and Don while driving:
Kevin: Big hole.
Van bounces
Don: Got it.
Kevin: Glad we could work together on that.

"And that is why kids don't drink." - Roth

See you soon!

Days 4 and 5 over...

2008-02-08T16:33:00.001-08:00

Quote of the day from day 4 and 5:

"It's not that bad for as bad as it is..." -Tom

Days 4 and 5 passed without much incident. The teams shifted to new locations on day 4, with Tom, Kevin, Kris, Jon and Jay moving to site 2 for wiring and trim work. Peter, Dan, Diane, Rick, Roth, Tom and Sue moved to a new site near Bay St. Louis to move another site even closer to completion.

Apparently teams that had been at both of those sites prior to our arrival didn't understand terms like "square" or "wiring", because we had to spend a good deal of time correcting problems. It was time well invested, because any team following us should no longer have any issues.

Day 4 saw site 2 getting some trim installed, wiring stripped and prepped for switches and outlets. Day 5 saw site 2's wiring completed and trim nearly finished with very little left to do except mount fixtures and put in flooring.

As I understand it, job site 3 saw it's share of problems with wiring and drywall corrected by Peter and Dan over the last 2 days. Also, just looking at the pictures will show you some of the problems we had to deal with - most especially when you look at the house from underneath. Even so, our folks persevered and got fixtures installed, painting done and a multitude of other finishing projects.

We've had another wonderful time here in Mississippi. A sense of frustration is tangible in the group, in that once again we've been unable to see a single home to completion. However, it's been a wonderful first time for about half of the team, and an awesome encore for the rest of us. We've again seen God's hand at work in us and others in the area. We've been able to fellowship and grow together through service, and once again shine God's light of hope into a dark and seemingly hopeless place.

We plan on resting well tonight for an early departure tomorrow morning for the long road home. Check out the pictures.

Job Site 2 - Day 5

Job Site 3 - Day 5

Father - guard our hearts and our bodies tonight. We honor and praise you for the opportunity to share your love through service to our brothers and sisters. We ask that you send us protectors tonight and throughout the weekend, and that you continue to keep us safe and rested for the drive home. Most importantly, please remain a source of hope and a beacon for those in this community that are still struggling with the lack of a proper home, and are beginning to give up. Also for Conrad, Lord - that he may persevere against the adversity in his life, and continue to provide for his family as well, and ask that you provide Conrad and his family a home fitting a man of his servant's heart.

Lord, we agree and ask these things in Your Son Jesus' name. Amen.

Day three, check!

2008-02-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Quote of the day:

"Hey, that looks like an old chimney..." Kevin

"Sure does, captain obvious" Jon

So, day 3 is over.

Kevin got the center wired again, but only one of the 2 computers is operational because the 2nd monitor he brought doesn't work. :( He'll be shipping another one down next week; fortunately the 1st monitor does, so the office computer that was donated works beautifully.

The 1st job site is all but done. Just a few fine points to touch on at a later time, but right now the wiring rough in is done, and Tom completed the plumbing today. Kris finished off the insulation while Jay and Jon put the finishing touches on the fascia and siding.

The 2nd job site was on hold, waiting for trim which arrived today so we'll be heading there tomorrow.

The 3rd job site, well underway, had some outstanding electrical work as well as painting and trim which at this point has been completed with a few finishing points that need completion.

Today, we got the chance to visit with the Barbosian family, who's house we worked on the last time and was finished by the group from California that followed us. Margie and Bo, and their kids are enjoying their new home. 6 months later and Margie still has the home absolutely spotless and is just still overjoyed with everything that has happened. Margie and Bo greeted all of us with hugs as we reminisced with them of our time here back in August of last year. I personally was nearly brought to tears by one of the stories told by their daugter, Alexa, most of who's friends were all killed by the hurricane in 2005. I had not heard that from her before, and it was gut wrenching to think of the feelings that must have dredged up.

I asked Margie about all of her possessions, mostly family memories and pictures, which had been stored in a uhaul trailer that had not been opened since the hurricane. She stated that she had been too afraid to open the trailer for fear of what she would find, mostly destroyed memories and keepsakes. She reveled in telling me that only 1 picture out of hundreds was lost and that none of the things in the trailer were ruined in the least.

Having spent a good deal of time talking to the family on the last trip, it was beyond a blessing to hear how their lives have not only changed, but have been restored so fully. The joy in their eyes at being able to share those few moments this evening with us was overwhelming.

See some pictures of their new, beautiful home by clicking below.

Barbosian House

The last time we were there it looked like this.

And here are some of the 3rd job site:

Job Site 3 - February 08

Day two down!

2008-02-05T20:17:00.001-08:00

Today's quotes:

When asked "where are the alligators?", one of the regular volunteers replied, "where you least expect them..."

"The later it gets, the less early it is." - Pete Fisher

Hello all - one more day down. Wheee!

Today was Mardi Gras, "Fat Tuesday", and in due turn some of us worked a half day and then proceeded to go to New Orleans to see the parades.

Today we split up into the same groups. At the first site, we continued with plumbing and electrical, as well as siding and trim. Some of the electrical conduit that was run previously needed to be replaced due to poor installation, so Jon and Kevin lit into that. as well as adding another bit of conduit for an exter Pete finished wiring up the new panel, and Kris got most of the insulation installed. Tom continued on with the plumbing.

At the end of the day at this job site, the electrical was pretty well ready for inspection with some minor fixes here and there, the drain pipes for the plumbing were all but installed, and the insulation and siding were just about done.

Meanwhile, back at the other site...they're still waiting for the trim so Conrad took them to another house today that needed painting and some other finish work. At the end of the day, the trim and paint were done.

Some of us ate in New Orleans, and some at locally at a nearby restaurant. We're all pretty beat, so we're hitting the sack. Tomorrow, the weather will be cooling down, but it should still be pretty nice.

God Bless and we'll see you tomorrow! Click on the photo below to view a small photo album that includes maps of where the pictures were taken.

Nehemiah2

Quote of the day (Day 1)

2008-02-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

"I'm going to have to learn to delegate more tomorrow..."
- Sue Wilson

Day one down!

2008-02-04T16:43:00.000-08:00

Monday came and went, and it was absolute torture. We had to spend all day working in balmy breezes in a sweltering 75 degree heat. It was just unbearable.

We started on both of our job sites today. Pete, Kris, Jay, Jon, Kevin and Tom split off and went to the house that needed all of the electrical and plumbing connected. By the end of the day Pete had replaced the breaker panel, which was too small, Kevin had prepped all of the outlet boxes and switchplates, Tom got a good bit of the bathroom plumbing in place, Kris got a lot of the insulation placed into the exterior walls, and Jay and Jon had most of the soffit up and had completely prepped the area under the house for the concrete pad that should be getting poured on Wednesday. Making good progress.

At the other site where the group left Dan, Rich, Roth, Diane, Don, and Sue and Tom Wilson, the group manages to finish the cleanup of the site, paint the interior of the house, build a platform for the AC unit, but were delayed by interior trim not being delivered although it was supposed to show up by 10AM.

We're about to eat dinner. Kevin zipped up the sauce a little bit with some garlic, parsley and some secret ingredients (muahahahhahha). After which, we might head up to sonic to sit outside and enjoy some ice cream in this insane heat.

God bless - catch you later, and we'll have some pictures of the job site as well as some additional photos and information about the area.

We're heeeaaaaaaaaaaaarrrr!!!!

2008-02-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

We arrived at Camp Salvage at around 4:30-5PM local time (CST). Just in time to throw the stuff through the door then plop down to watch the game. Talk about the SuperBoring. The game did not get anywhere near exciting until the last 5 minutes. Anyway...

We would have gotten here earlier today but for a few bumps in the road. More police than I've seen having people pulled over for speeding. Mississippi's welcome center consisted of the backseat of a Ford Crown Victoria from what I could tell.

While we were still in Alabama, we stopped to get some fuel and managed to lock the keys in the van. Yep, that's right, we needed AAA and Jesus really bad. Fortunately, a really handy guy showed up with a wire hanger and a screwdriver (not the AAA guys) and managed to get the door open in a few minutes. We added some air to Tom's truck tires as well and then headed on down the highway.

After arrival, we met up with Conrad who gave us a rundown on what we'll be doing this week. Rather than starting the construction like last time, we'll primarily doing finish work like paint, trim, or even electrical and plumbing connections. One of the ladies waiting for a finished home is apparently 92 years old.

It's an early morning tomorrow, but we'll be meeting up with some of the families we helped the last time. Oh - I'm turning off moderation to make it easier for people to post questions or comments.

God Bless!

Hello again our old friends...

2008-02-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

Hello from Chattanooga, TN at the lovely Days Inn. It was a long day of sunny, beautiful driving capped by an evening of sleeping about 5 to a room. :)

We're pumped for a week of work and building houses. Be prepared for as many messages as we can cram on this site again. Feel free to leave comments and ask questions as we go about the Lord's work down in Waveland.

My knee (Kevin) hurts, Tom's finger hurts and is tired from moving this week, but everybody is in good spirits. Please pray for us as we keep a chooglin' on down to New Orleans...

Phone's will be on in the morning, so if you want to try and give us a call please do!

On the road again...

2007-08-11T05:55:00.000-07:00

Can't tell you how many times we've sung that line this week. Seems like every day we're getting in the van to go work. :D

Anyways - it's almost 8AM local time Saturday and we're just about to hit the road. Please pray for use to once again have a safe drive.

Lord, as we embark on the journey home, we just humbly praise and honor You for the experiences we've had this week. We also praise You for the opportunities we've had to be a witness to the folks here in MS and have hopefully left an impression of You in their hearts. Father, we come before you into your presence and ask that you guide and protect us on the road home. We also ask that you give us no opportunities to be patient Lord, that we can be calm and kind with one another in the understanding that we are all tired from a week of hard work. We ask also Lord, that you would touch and heal all of the bumps, bruises, sore muscles and joints, backs and back pain, and anything else that might pain any of the workers here.

And finally Father, we agree and ask in Jesus name that you remain here as a mighty presence in this community, a beacon of hope to the hopeless, a light in the darkness to those who can see no way out, and a source of strength for the many workers and residents of this community as they labor to restore what was lost.

Lord, we humbly agree and ask for these things in the mighty name of Your Son, Jesus. AMEN.

Pictures!

2007-08-10T15:33:00.000-07:00

It's not all of them, but it's pictures of the team at 2 of 3 of the job sites, as well as our Wednesday eve trip to New Orleans. Hopefully, I'll be able to get pictures from everyone that will encompass every location that we've worked in so you can get a better idea. You'll notice that all the pictures are mapped as well, so you can see exactly where we worked.

Job site 2

Job Site 3

Nawlins

Day 4

2007-08-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Day 4 is over. We had dinner tonight with the pastor of the California church who is taking over for us after tomorrow, along with the local family who we're all building the house for.

Job Site 1: Still done - thank you, God!

Job Site 2: Still working. Brad and Kevin along with the concrete guy poured almost all of the footers. It would have been all had we ordered what we originally thought we needed (7.5-8 yards). Instead, we only got 7 yards and came up a few holes short.

Besides that, the project is moving along smoothly. We'll be doing the framing for the floor tomorrow, hopefully getting all of the joists hung and the decking in place for the next team.

Job Site 3: Done! Howie, Brad, Pete, and Dan knocked out the shingles this morning in about two hours. Pretty good for a 1500 square foot house roof! Once that was finished, Howie, Pete, Kevin, Brad, and Dan finished up the truss bracing, siding, and cleanup. The house is now ready for electrical and plumbing, and once that's in - drywall. Jack will soon have a house again. If the windows had been on hand, we'd have put them in.

I almost forgot to mention that Jack, the soon-to-be resident, along with his father and brother went out and caught about 45 pounds of shrimp which we gladly helped them eat. Jack stewed them up with corn on the cob and potatoes. Yummy!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch... the girls broke out a major whoopin' on the cleaning of the facility. They scrubbed this place, and believe me - it needed it. We've left them with some extra cleaning tools and supplies they didn't have before. Tom also got the A/C in the kitchen wired up, as well as the washer/dryer connections. We also installed real latch hardware on all of the stall doors, as opposed to the thin wire hooks they were using to close the doors. We also left (thanks to Jade), the Nehemiah verse painted on the wall - Nehemiah 4:6.

Tomorrow, we'll hopefully get the decking and joists done. Once that's finished we'll be travelling to New Orleans one more time.

God Bless - we'll see you all at home sometime this weekend!

N'awlins on Day 3

2007-08-09T06:07:00.000-07:00

Like I said, we decided to shoot over to N.O. because Andy is leaving early on Friday. What we saw was incredible.

As we came in on I-10, the devastation is still visible. It's nothing like they show on TV - 1 house in 10 is livable. Most of the taller hotel, apartment, and condo buildings are still gutted. I would guess maybe 3 in 10 businesses in some areas are even open or would even be operational. Most of the downtown areas are still intact, with exception to the taller buildings, but most look in sever disrepair and I had to wonder if they would ever be used again.

We drove over to the 9th Ward to see the new levees and just to see what it looks like now. We've all seen the pictures of when Katrina hit, but very few pictures are shown of what it looks like now. Imagine "Planet of the Apes" with more grass. 2 years later and few houses stand at all in the 9th Ward. It was very nearly completely and totally wiped out. It was post-apocalyptic. It was horrible, terrifying, and utterly awe-inspiring. I saw one sign painted by a local, "Shame on you tourist, for driving through here to see our pain and suffering. Over 1600 dead, all houses gone. Donate something to keep us alive." Need I say more? Clearly the job isn't done, and many locals say it isn't being done either.

After leaving the 9th Ward, we decided to get some dinner. We drove back over to Bourbon Street and walked. It wasn't nearly as wide as I expected, almost an alleyway with sin at every doorstep. I would guess the width at no wider than Shippen St. in Lancaster which makes me wonder how they get all those people there during Mardi Gras. There were many strip clubs, bars, gift shops, etc... Some of the girls were a little surprised at how blatant it is.

We went to a little, multi-floor restaurant called "Oceana". The food was INCREDIBLE. Or waiter was hilarious. Someone would say, "What's 'etoufee', and is it good?" He'd answer, "It's kind of like brown gravy over rice, but you don't want that - it's not really all that good." His theory was along the lines of why eat something that sits in a steamline all day when you could have the cooks do up something fresh? Some got steak, some got ribs, Jade and I got this creole fettuccine alfredo with crawish tails, shrimp, and lump crab meat. All I can say is wow - you'll never see this much seafood in one plate back home - there must have been 20+ good sized shrimp in both of our meals.

The drive back on US90 was quiet. Not only were people tired, but I think we were all still thinking about what we saw there. God knows I was.

Love y'all! We'll see you in a few days.

Day 3

2007-08-09T05:39:00.001-07:00

Ok, catching up now.

Job site 1: Yep, still not done... back again to muck out the holes for the posts. A bunch of the girls started there early, but got fed up after trying to clear 3 holes without some of the necessary gear being used at Site 2 that morning. Some of the holes are so big you could almost part a truck in them. This site was initially done so poorly that we've really had to sweat it out to get it prepped for concrete. After pumping out even more water and digging out lots more mud, the posts are cleared, at the right depth, and ready to be set in concrete. Still hot over there - no shade. Argh - but it's finally done. We actually were there again (doing this) in the afternoon, after we had finished with Site 2 for the day and eaten some lunch that the girls (Carol and Michelle) brought over for us.

Job Site 2: Howie, Brad, and Kevin got over to this site around 6AM and started cranking out the rest of the posts. We had to drain out a few of the holes and level out some of the bottoms before setting them. Got the skid loader running again - the batter kept dying and we had to improvise some jumper cables out of some 10-3 wire in the "Mean Green Machine" as we call it. It's a really "well-driven" work van with lots of "extras" like doors that need to be bungied closed.

By noon we had all the posts in the ground and looking good, plumbed up and ready for concrete and to start the deck framing. All of the houses we are building are all stilted to 8 feet above the ground, so we have to build a deck to place all of the framing. Once we were finished there, we headed over to Site 1 to do what I mentioned above.

Job Site 3: These guys keep rocking through this site since they've had all the supplies they've needed right there. By the end of the day, Jack's house had sheeting and tar-paper on the roof and was ready for shingles. Nearly all of the siding was up and the interior is pretty much ready for plumbing and electrical rough-ins, as well as setting the windows and doors. Now what the place really needs is a staircase rather than the ladders we've been using all week.

Local stuff: We all finished up rather early. Our site 2 teams got back so early that we had time to make some improvements around the center where we are staying. Howie and Kevin installed an in-wall HVAC system in the kitchen to help cool it down, while Tom will be finishing the electrical for it tomorrow.

After that was done by maybe 5PM some of us decided to roll over to New Orleans. We plan on going over again on Friday, but since Tom and Michelle's son Andy is leaving Friday morning we figured we'd get a visit in for him. I'm putting the rest of this into a separate post because it will be a big one.

Day 2

2007-08-09T04:48:00.000-07:00

New song - To the tune of “Hot Blooded” with a PA Dutch accent : “Hot and sveaty check it and see, I’ve been working in Mississippi”

Sorry it's been a few days, we've been runnin' hard and I finally got some downtime on Day 4 to catch up.

Job Site 1: Done? This site was a nightmare. Hot, buggy - black flies, fireants, and mosquitoes. No shade. Ugh. We got all the poles moved so we shouldn't have to go back.

Job Site 2: The site 1 team moved over to help with site 2. We got some of the lumber needed, and had to play with the depth of the holes, only to find out that we had gotten some incorrect information from our local contact regarding how deep they should be. After a couple of hours of unnecessary digging, we got back on track and got all of the holes leveled out and about 2/3's of the posts set and braced. We're still waiting on joists, decking lumber and concrete, but the roof trusses showed up.

Margie (the owner of the soon-to-be house) spent the night just staring at the set posts. She told us that she was so excited about it that she couldn't sleep and at the same time was so worried that someone would come along and try and destroy our work. She's a great lady - she's given us shade, drinks, and food while we work. She's got a great daughter and a son, but we haven't met her husband yet because he has to drive almost 2 hours each way for work. Their house is going to be finished by a crew that's coming in from California, who are not only finishing what we've prepared for them, but they are furnishing the house completely and giving the daughter $4000 towards college because she's graduating high school early. She's 16 and graduates this year!

Job Site 3: Jack's house is coming along swimmingly. Felt paper was up and stapled and a good bit of the siding was put on. By the end of the day, the trusses had been delivered and the guys got them loaded up onto the top of the framing. This crew is just flying through the job.

Jack's a cool guy. He blares some Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson doing old hymns to keep the guys rolling throughout the day.

Onto the local news: we went to this awesome little restaurant for dinner here in Waveland. It's called Da' Kitchen. We had some of the best food we've ever tasted - nothing anyone got was bad. Good times. The walls were painted with a tropical themed mural with lighthouses, palm trees, parrots, etc... which they told us an artist from florida painted in just 2 days. We're talking like 560 square feet of wall covered with this mural in just 2 days.

Tried out the local Sonic later that night - just like home!

Job sites: Day 1

2007-08-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Quote of the day: "If you were inside a can for two years, what would you taste like?" - Inspired by the distinctive flavor of the Anheuser-Busch and Miller purified water that was donated to the Katrina relief effort.

Alrighty, day one is over and what a hot day it was.

We started the day by taking tours of what are to be considered our 3 main job sites while we're here although we will be taking on plenty of other work after these are done. We split the groups up into several teams to manage them. We also got started very late because of this tour, which meant we were working in the hottest part of the day. Tomorrow we'll be starting at 6.

Job site 1: Resetting some piling posts so framing can take place.
Team: Howie, Jade, Kaitlin, Kevin and later in the day, Brad. Could have used everyone.
Complications: No shade, no bathrooms, 97 degree heat with index of 103.
Description: The reason for us working here was to fix what a previous team had done improperly. The build plan used for most of the houses being built by this group calls for 15 8"x8"x12' to be placed into 24"x4'6" deep holes with concrete footers, with posts set at a depth of 4'6". The problem was that the previous group had only dug to 4'6" and then set a block and poured 60 lbs. of concrete into each hole, then set the posts. This caused the posts to only end up at a depth of sometimes no more than 3', and required us to remove the post completely, remove the concrete, and set a new block and replant and level the post. At least half of the 15 pilings required this to be done. Translation: We had to do the work a 2nd time, and with concrete the fun is limited.

We were fortunate in that another group, unaffiliated with ours, had a Grad-All across the street we were allowed to use which made the work go faster. It still took us from 10AM to 6PM to move 8 posts into the proper position.

Job site 2: Digging 15 footer holes, setting posts, framing out a deck supported by those posts.
Team: Brad, Josie, Tom, Michelle, and Andy. Michelle and Josie are BFF's now.
Complications: Fire ants and a 97 degree heat with index of 103.
Description: We're starting this house for a family who is currently living on the property in a small camper and a shed. Another group will be along later to frame and finish the house once we have the joists and decking on. The framing we'll be putting will be the same as the footers and framing we were fixing at Job Site 1.

The group started by marking out all of the holes and getting stringlines in place. Once that was finished, they used a rented bobcat with an auger to drill out the footers. The promised lumber didn't show, so they moved on to other sites/jobs until the lumber arrives tomorrow. Apparently we were able to secure another Grad-all to drop the posts in place.

Job site 3: Finish rough in framing, trusses, and sheeting. Setting in windows.
Team: Chris, Pete, Dan, Que, Crystal, Randy, Carol, and Kevin once he gave up on the giant posts
Complications: 97 degree heat with index of 103 and a brush burning pile that kept blowing smoke up into the worksite.
Description: Another site where we're waiting for lumber to keep going. We were able to secure some 2x4's for some of the interior framing but it wasn't enough to finish it off for the rest of the day. We were also waiting for the trusses to arrive for the roof, but they didn't... Apparently all the lumber is set to arrive "tomorrow".

By the end of the day, most of the felt paper was up and one full side of the house has sheeting attached. Shade is plentiful.

Love you all very much - God Bless and keep us strong for day 2!

Comments from the team so far...

2007-08-05T14:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some comments from the team done on the road this morning about the trip:

As we look to serve, we find that we seem to find out more about ourselves and how we focus on our will and not God’s. I am looking forward to this trip for growth in that area. ALSO spooning with Kevin is a bonus. : ) - Howie

First ever missions trip!! Looking forward to all the rewards found in serving. Have become an expert back seat driver! Mississippi or Bust!! - Kris

I can’t wait to get there and sweat, sweat, sweat and glorify God! It’s going to be a blast helping other people still in need and learning about myself and other people. I know God is working on my patience because He’s been giving me plenty of opportunities to exercise it only a day into the trip! Mississippi here we come  - Jade

First ever missions trip for myself as well!!! I am looking forward to the opportunity to serve and do God’s Will in this trip. Also having plenty of opportunities to exercise patients in this trip only a day into it!!! We are getting to know more about each other, having lots of laughs in the van, did you ever play mad gab? It’s a hoot!! Eating lots junk, making lots of stops, and having lots of fun. Mississippi here we come!!! - Carol

I am very excited about what God is going to have us do on this trip. I look forward to the kingdom work. I feel blessed to be spending my birthday this way, IT’S AWESOME!!!! - Que

Thank you to everyone who financially supported this mission trip! I feel extremely privileged to be sharing this experience for the first time with my husband. We have been talking together for several years how much we would like to do this. In God’s time! I am feeling so excited and blessed to be a witness of God’s work! Hallelujah!! Hopefully I’ll sweat off the pounds of candy, chips, and other junk I put in my mouth yesterday during the van ride…and one more thing, I can’t explain why I woke Brad up early this morning to tell him I just dreamt of Toby Keith!! God is Good, - Josie

Keep praying for us as we get closer to our destination. We are blessed to have 16 drivers, all at the same time! But seriously, Ifeel that we are the ones who will be changed through our experience this week. It is a privilege to serve in this body of believers, and that includes all those who are at home who covered our expenses and who cover us in prayer.Thank You, - Pete

The long drive, as always, was a real treat. I was glad to learn that while I was driving, I had 16 back-seat drivers between the 2 vehicles ready and willing to “coach” me along. All kidding aside, now that we have arrived, I’m looking forward to helping this community which was ground-zero for the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. This town is still utterly destroyed, years after the hurricane passed through. Signs of destruction and flooding are still everywhere and the community is still in shambles. God, I thank you for this opportunity to aid this community, and only wish that I’d have enough time to see it all through. - Kevin

We're here!

2007-08-05T14:05:00.000-07:00

Hello all! We arrived in Waveland, MS at around 2:45PM CST. The area is still a wreck as it was ground zero for Hurricane Katrina. It's amazing how much is still undone in this area - you'll be seeing this as we move along through the week in pictures. I know it won't do what we've already seen justice, but it will hopefully convey some of the heartache and destruction still prevalent in this community.

Thanks, BTW, Doug for the phone call regarding the prayers in the service this morning. I played your message for the group at a rest stop on speaker for just outside of Meridian, MS earlier today. We all appreciate the prayers and praises for this trip.

Halfway there...

2007-08-04T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, it's your friendly neighborhood sound guy Kevin.

It's 1AM Central, and we finally found a hotel that had a few rooms available for us to stay in, just outside of Gadsden, Alabama. We rolled into Chattanooga, TN around 11 EST, but like Mary and Joseph, there was no room at the inn - any inn. So on down the road we went. Some of would have willingly taken a stable at that point, but we pressed on anyhow.

We're planning on an early departure. With about 600 miles or so left to travel, we want to get going first thing. So far the ride has been a great deal of fun. Howie brought some tin foil and we had a competition between the people in the truck and the people in the van to see who could create the nicest piece of art in less than 5 minutes. I'm sure the truckers on 81 loved our art show between vehicles...but in the end it was Brad Campbell's sailboat that took 1st place (pictures to come).

Everyone else is asleep at this point, so I'm looking to do the same. I told Howie absolutely no spooning since we're sharing a bed; hopefully he'll remember.

God bless you all, and keep your eyes peeled for updates as the week rolls on. Feel free to respond with questions or comments and we'll try and get to them when we find a nice hotspot.