Lilly's House

Monday -- The Work Begins with "The Framers"

So it's Monday evening (I actually wrote this last night, but the internet went down before I could post this), and our first work day is completed. Since we have 44 people here at Camp Gulfside between the two Methodist districts, we were split up into four work teams. My team is called "The Framers", and as the name would suggest, we're completing the framing on a house in Hancock County. As the name would not suggest, we're also going to be putting the roof on, at which time our name will change to "The Roof Raisin' Posse" (if they allow me to name us, which I've already been informed they won't).

Anyhow, today was a great day. We arrived at the work site around 8:30 am and got started right away. We blocked the trusses (a new phrase for me), and nearly competed the entire plywood sheathing, and also added the tar paper to one whole side of the roof. A great start. And only once did anyone break out into “If I Had a Hammer”. And for that, I’m very grateful.

A highlight of the day was meeting Miss Dena, the homeowner. She was SO happy to see us, and made sure she gave us all a big hug of thanks. Here's a picture of her, along with team members John Heaner and Nate Turner. Dena told us that her great-grandson had just been born yesterday, and we prayed for him as a group after learning that he was just diagnosed with a heart murmur. Our team has a great leader in Carl, who is actually a roofer, and about 10 more of us who have varying degrees of experience in framing and roofing. It's really amazing to see the work getting done and everyone pitching in whether they know what they're doing or not! We're high on energy, and the results of this first day's work have been very fulfilling.

The scope of the damage in this area is truly vast, and difficult to comprehend. Here we are now, 20 months after Katrina hit, and the rebuilding efforts are evident, yet so much remains to be done. Anywhere you drive around here, you pass by lot after lot after lot of ruins with nothing left but the concrete slab where the house once stood. Or the lone stilts from a supposedly storm-proofed home. Huge pine trees broken in half 40 feet from the ground. A double size mattress high up in a tree. Tangled ruins of aluminum siding, car parts, bicycles and hundreds of other items.

It’s good to be here.

Steps

Step by step, Dena's new house is taking shape.

Today, Karl and the roofing crew finished sheathed and papered the whole roof.

And... the building inspector from Hancock County finally stopped by... and gave us a thumbs up! We have the go ahead to
put in the windows tomorrow, which is a good thing since it may rain... and now we can work inside.

Dena and her son Dennis have been just super, greeting us with coffee and Krispy Kremes each morning. Here they are on their post-Katrina "veranda."

This morning, Dena told us that baby Chase has been airlifted to Tulane for more tests. She showed us a picture of Chase, and his parents Cory and Laurie, and the family couldn't be lovelier. Doctors are being cautious, and tests will tell them more soon. Dena believes fervently in the power of prayer, so every whisper for a blessing will be deeply appreciated.

After she told us about baby Chase, Dena asked very politely when some temporary stairs would be installed so she could see the inside of her house.

So some of our team, "The Framers," took care of it for her, spending much of the day putting together a surprise for her to find when she comes out for an evening walk around the site.

The leader of the effort was Howard, who grew up in Ackerman, Mississippi. You can see by this picture just how much Dena and Howard enjoy each other... I can hardly wait to see the hug she'll give him when she learns that he led the team that built her the steps she's been dreaming of.

See that shawl Dena's wearing? That's a prayer shawl, given to her by the group from Santa Barbara that worked on her house last week. It's one of her great treasures now.

Missionary Neighbors