2008 Adult Serve Trip
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
The 2008 Adult Serve Team will be heading to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on February 22/23 and returning on March 1. They will be working on new construction, roofing and other large projects that need to be completed. They are looking forward to working in a new area to help those people that have had their "world" fall apart around them by the powerful force of a hurricane two years ago.
Saturday February 23 - Arrival
We all arrived safely and on-time. Those who flew were spared the 'adventure' of last years' flight. We actually arrived in Biloxi, following our stop-over in Atlanta, a few minutes early. The plane had to wait on the tarmack for a few minutes until another plane cleared our gate.
Our host is Westminster Presbyterian Church. We are staying in their Wright house which will accomodate most of our group of 26 on 19 beds. The rest will sleep on cots or air mattresses and in their two campers in the back. The house has only two bathrooms.
Arnie led devotions from Psalms 46. A reminder that God is with us throughout any storm that life brings us. He wondered whether we would have had faith in Him had we been here two years ago. He also challenged us to be the refuge for this community that God has called us to be.
Look in the photo gallery by clicking on the link to the left for a daily update of our activities.
Sunday February 24 - The Visitors
Sunday arrived early. Mike, Justin and John Kooima returned from their early morning fishing trip with a catch that they didn't quite expect. His name is Noye and he was searching for breakfast in a dumpster. Noye lives in Hattiesburg and ended up spending the morning with us, even accompanying us to church.
We were warmly welcomed by our hosts. The message 'Is The Lord Among Us Or Not?' (sound familiar?) reminded us that Jesus came for us all, and is here even during times of hardship.
Our second guest made an appearence after lunch in one of the bedrooms. John Kratochvil graciously allowed Leanet to capture the critter (see the photo album) and mercifully release it back into the 'wild'.
For our group time tonight we first learned of our responsibilities for the week. The challenges are many but we are prayerful that God will make our efforts fruitful. Lastly, we took a spiritual gifts test and shared the results with each other.
Monday February 25 - Get to Work
Reality reared its ugly head today. Off to our first building site to complete work started by another crew. The house is being built by a gentleman named Henry. He is originally from Chicago 64th & Green. His current home is the green building in the background of some of the photos in today's gallery. He is wheel chair bound except for his walker which he uses within his home.
He conveyed his heartfelt appreciation for our efforts to provide him with a suitable home.The work completed today included roofing, siding, plumbing and electrical. The inspector came in the afternoon and only had a few minor details that he wanted us to fix. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will complete the outside work and start on drywall. Mike will be working with a crew at our second site preparing for the foundation.
Jerry lead us in devotions today reading from 1Peter 4:10. This passage emphasized that we are to utilize our spiritual gifts to honor God. After this day we all feel blessed to be here doing this work.
Tuesday February 26 - Splittn' Up Y'all
The momentum from yesterday continued into today. We worked at two different sites today. At Henry's house the crew finished up the outside work and started drywall on the inside. There was even a little time for some recreation. See the photo of Jorie on the trampoline. Painting and trim work are on the schedule for tomorrow.
The second site is at the very beginning stages of construction. A lot of digging and redigging accompanied a lot of blisters. No gloves for this crew! The site is being prepared for the concrete slab which we hope can be poured before we leave.
This home is being built for a family, the Moore's, whose home was damaged by hurricane winds. Part of the roof was torn off and the subsequent rains contributed to a mold problem that made the home uninhabitable. They currently reside in a FEMA trailor and have been in it for nearly two years. Virginia and her family have a large spread with many animals. The rooster crowed all day long. Three horses, a small colt and several dogs ran around all day. They run a rabbit and worm farm, and the rabbits aren't for pets. We didn't ask about the worms. They offered to prepare lunch for us tomorrow, mmm.
Wednesday February 27 - Pot Luck
We continue to be blessed with good weather for working. Though a little chilly, 36 degrees, there was no rain or snow. Yes, it occasionally snows down here. At site #1, Henry's new house, the crew finished taping and drywall. Henry was able to set foot in his new house for the first time!
Site #2, the Moore house, we encountered another setback. We were all set for the concrete to be poured and the site coordinator informed us that we needed to create a form for the front porch. Everything is set for the foundation to be poured tomorrow.
Virginia made a southern feast for the crew at her house. Fried rabbit, sauce pecan, mashed potatoes, rice and blueberry cobler. After all the work was done, we were treated to a tour of their farm which includes rabbit cages, a worm farm, horses, chickens and a go-cart track.
This evening our hosts at Westminster Presbyterian invited us to their weekly potluck dinner. Afterword we stayed for Lectio Divina (divine reading) service. An ancient, contemplative praying of the Scriptures so the Word of God becomes a means of communion with God.
Thursday February 28 - Multiplication
This week seems to have flown by. So much work has been accomplished, and even though we are all tired, sore and exhausted God continues to bless our work. Ray led devotions this morning and talked about how God takes the small gifts and works of His people and multiplies them. Today we were back at Henry's house finishing some details. Jorie befriended a couple of kids across the street, Lauren and Laramie. Their house has the trampoline that you may have seen in photos this week. While playing with the kids, their mom offered to make us lunch tomorrow because, as she explained, 'I feel the need to do something for y'all since y'all came all the way down here to work'. We've seen this over and over this week, both among ourselves and within the areas that we are working.
We were all over the place today. One crew was at Henry's place. Another group was at a new location scraping and painting the outside of a house. Another group put up a sign outside of the house we are staying in.
Mike made it over to Virginia Moore's place to check on some details pertaining to the foundation. While there, Virginia shared with him that she is still skeptical that they are receiving all of this free of charge. Even going so far as to have a lawyer at her church check the papers for any language containing hidden costs.
Friday February 29 - Blog End
Our last working day here was filled with relief and sadness. A lot of work was completed and two families will soon have a new place to live. We spent time with both Virginia and Henry and they were again very thankful and humbled by our sacrifices.
Monique, the lady across the street from Henry prepared fried catfish, macaroni and cheese, and dirty rice for our lunch today. This was such a friendly neighborhood. Everyone who passed the house while we worked either waved or stopped to talk.
There are a lot of photos in the gallery from today. We wanted to share our successes with you as it was made possible by your support and prayers. God was truly faithful to us throughout the week. Every problem, challenge or setback was followed by a solution and there were no serious injuries.