Destruction to Resurrection

Arriving at the house this morning we all had to get right to work! Knowing that there was a lot to be done and only half of a day to complete what we could, we worked feverishly to...trim and install baseboards and quarter round, solve an electrical dilema, finish l.aying floor, and install an air vent for the attic. The line for the mitre saw got long at times! Working at such a fast pace made the work day fly by in a hurry!

Since we could not have lunch at Mr. Joe's, we had lunch at the beach. Brandon decided to feed the birds and he, Emily and Maria splashed in the water.

Karen, Bud and Debbie were our guides as we faced a somber moment in New Orleans. Going to Lower 9th ward (the area right behind the levee break) was something that no one can be prepared for. The silence and lack of people was a hard concept to swallow. We all agreed that no matter what stories we tell or what pictures we show, justice cannot be given without seeing that for your own eyes. Driving back to Mississippi, we all had heavy hearts and again faced an eerie silence. Yet driving across the bridge, God showed us a beautiful sunset to remind us of His ever present protection.

After that trip, we needed a reason to smile, and boy did we find it when we arrived at Shanna's house! She not only has a completed house..it is definitely a home. Being able to see it in its completeness was a blessing, even to those that were not able to play a part in the previous work on the house.

To see so much destruction and then to be able to see the final fruit of a previous mission was God's reassurance to all of us that we are doing HIS work with our hands. To know that we are "eating that elephant one bite at a time" helps us to better understand our purpose for this mission.

Todays experiences have not only touched our hearts in a way to make us feel like we have done something good, it has encouraged us to want to do so much more. Each team member has been challenged to bring one new person on the next mission. We do not want to bring three groups next time, we want to bring six! Can you step up to this commitment? Simply imagine the impact that can be made in this area if we double our teams every time we come! We need to continue to do God's work as much as we can, as well as we can, for as long as we can.

Guest blogger Maria Raleigh