Fabulous, Fantastic, Fruitful and Fulfilling Friday :O)

The Lord stopped the rain! Thank all of you who prayed. The day was absolutely beautiful. We made so much progress on the house, it was so fulfilling. We were able to continue with the work we had done in July so the continuity made it very special and to see the beginning of the end of the work was inspiring. The next teams that follow will be able to finish the home quickly and I hope get the family in for Christmas...

We did some work for a gentleman named Gip. He and his wife have done most of the work on their home themselves and have not asked for help until recently because Gip felt that everyone elses needs were so much greater than his. He blessed us with a home cooked meal for 30! True southern hospitality...

After dinner, we had our final team meeting with worship and sharing what the Lord had done in and through each person this week. With math that only works with God, those who came to bless others walk away blessed! We thank God that He is faithful to complete the work that He began in the hearts of the team here in Biloxi. As we look back on this week, we realize how precious life is and how fast you can lose all that you have in this world. We are so blessed to have a relationship with such an awesome God.

Enjoy the pictures from today and please pray for our safety as we travel home tomorrow. Our plan is to leave at 6:00 Biloxi time which SHOULD put us in the Calvary parking lot around 9:00 - 10:00 PM. See you all soon!


Today's pix:

Thunderous Thursday \'.\'.'.'.'.'.

Our last outreach team went out to invite the community to our Celebration. Billy led the team (Raf, Curtis, Eric, Gina)...I am very proud of everyone...it was a stretch for many of the team members who had never shared the Gospel before. Everyone who went out was able to lead at least one of the discussions with the community and make a connection that will stick with them as they leave Biloxi.

The weather was interesting! Major thunderstorms rolled through the area, and yes, right over us...we were all praying for the Community Celebration in the afternoon and it was probably the best we have had so far. And yes...it did rain...it rained hard. As they say in the south, "It was a real frog strangler!"

The rain forced everyone under the tent so we were all real close...like family! Some of the entertainment included watching the bounce houses blowing away :O) On a serious note, the storms in the area were serious and the tornados in Florida caused some damage. Pray for those affected by the storm.

At the outreach, Liz met Dennis. Dennis is a shrimper and shared that of the eleven factories in the area, only four are now operational and the one where he works will open in one to two months. Unfortunately, there is still a job shortage in the area with many of the businesses not open or never reopening. The casinos have become some of the largest employers and there are no more jobs there. The only way to create more casino jobs is to build more casinos. A vicious cycle. As some of the damaged businesses get back on line, that will help tremendously. Until then, rent triples, FEMA wants their trailers back, and people are left out on the streets. Keep Dennis and those like him in prayer. It is an incredible opportunity for the Lord to do great things!

James also showed up and we were all excited to see him. He appreciated the message and the love shown him, but is not yet ready to give his life to the Lord. Keep praying for James.

We met another family at the Community Celebration. Justin has Cerebral Palsy and weighed 2 lbs. when he was born. He was so excited to be there and talked to everybody. Jason had the opportunity to pray a prayer of salvation with Justin. His family was so thankful. His grandmother was also there. She is a believer who is recovering from cancer treatment. She was enjoying her new hair that was growing in and was a new color and curly!

Jason shared his testamony and so many were touched by his story. A lot of the kids wanted their face painted like Jason so we had a tribal tatoo festival with the kids...

After everything was cleaned up, we all came in, dried off, and headed to the "Shed" for dinner. A local landmark, the Shed is a great place for BBQ. Even Billy Scruby enjoyed it, but of course...it is not as good as.........

I am posting this on Friday morning...it rained all night and is still raining so pray for sunshine sometime during the day....

Pix for today:

Wonderful Wednesday...

The half-way mark! As with all trips of this type, time is flying by! We sent out our fourth and fifth community outreach teams. Susan Giglio led the morning team (Jason, Heather, Carol, Chris) and Susan Porfido led the afternoon team (Curtis, Ken, Dave). The morning team met James. James lost his son right after the storm (someone robbed him and then shot him) and then he lost his wife shortly after that. James was one of the few who had a block home so it stayed intact. There were 9 people on one side of his attic and 7 on the other and all survived the storm. As the team began to spend time with him and show genuine interest, he began to open up and share some of his frustrations and fears. The team shared the Gospel with him. He did not pray at that time, but we are expecting him at the outreach Thursday...Pray for James!

The Salvation Army was gracious and allowed us to use their Sam's Club card so we sent a team to the store to buy the groceries for the first fifty families that come to the Community Celebration.

After a day of hard work, we ate an early dinner (thanks to the Salvation Army for accomodating us) and headed to Calvary Gulf Coast for church. It was a great time of worship, teaching and fellowship reuniting with our friends here in Biloxi.

There is a chance that at least half of the team were actually asleep before their head hit the pillows!

Team health update...Heather had to return to the village half way through the outreach because her foot was hurting. She spent the rest of the day with it elevated and on ice. Pray that she is up and about Thursday and can fully participate in our outreach which is so near and dear to her heart....

Pix for today....

Terrific Tuesday!!!

Wow! What a productive day...We have made significant progress on the project homes and we have even begun a couple more.

The need is still so great and so many people are waiting for help. Today we sent two outreach teams into the community. Bruce Dunbar led the morning's group (Joe, Liz, Monica, and Paul) and Justin Young led the afternoon team (Ronnie, Tony, Teresa, Robby (Robby is from a church in Texas and wanted to experience the adventure! - We gladly extended an invitation).

As with all of our trips, the people are so receptive to the teams. The word is already out on the streets about the Community Celebration on Thursday. We run into people who are hearing the Gospel for the first time and we are touched by the Christians who are standing so firm in their faith in the face of such hardship - they truly exhibit the love of the Lord and the fruit of the Spirit.

We had some rain off and on today, but that did not deter anyone. Lots of laughs and smiles to go around as well. Other than a cold or two, everyone is healthy. Continue to pray for safety, health and fruit!

The work included blowing insulation into an attic, finishing a painting job (two of the rooms are Tangarine Orange - bright!), and continuing the insulation, drywalling, priming of May Bell's house.

Here are the pix for today....

Monday Mania!

Well, the first day draws to a close! The team had a terrific time of outreach today.
We are back on site working on May Bell's house. This is a home that we began working on in July. The project is headed by a church from Oregon. We have teams here from Florida, Oregon, Texas, Virginia and Pennsylvania. It is great to see the diversity in Christ!

We are working on multiple homes this trip. We will post pictures from each worksite as the week progresses. So stay tuned!

On the way back to the village today, we drove my Miss Edith's house. Our first Biloxi team worked on her house in February. She was brought to our attention by Calvary Gulf Coast. Edith is disabled and lives with her husband and son. She was sitting on her porch so we stopped and said hello. We took a picture with her on her porch...see below. She was extremely pleased to see us and proudly gave us a tour of her finished home. She finally moved in not too long ago and was able to say goodbye to that FEMA trailer!!!

The first community outreach team went out this afternoon connecting with the people, inviting them to our Community Celebration on Thursday and sharing the Love of Christ. Brice, Carol, Curtis, and Freddie were the first team. They all did an exceptional job and were each challenged and blessed.

Here are some pictures that help tell the story...I haven't quite figured out the formatting yet so, um....

We've Arrived!

Well, after a 13 hour bus ride we arrived tired, but excited to be here. We arrived just before sunset and were able to get a quick group picture to prove to you all that we did NOT throw anybody off the bus!!!

After orientation, we went to dinner at a Chinese Buffet and had a great time of fellowship. Everyone is off to bed and looking forward to starting the week....

Preparation

We are about to have our final team meeting. For friends and family that want to "go before us" and check the place out, here is a link to where we will be staying.

Salvation Army Volunteer Village - Biloxi, MS

The stadium has been converted to a volunteer base of operations. You can easily see the track on the map. The stands on the east side of the stadium (your right) will be where we are housed. Underneath the stadium seats, a ministry called Project Teamwork built out a complete housing facility for volunteers.

The Salvation Army owns the propery and provides all of the food for the volunteers. They have worked tirelessly since just after hurricane Katrina made landfall. While two years have passed there are still thousands of people who are without a home and are having a difficult time getting the help they need. Pray for our team, that the Lord blesses the work and changes lives.