Saturday, July 3, 2010





Saturday, July 3, 2010
We have had a good week. One more day to spend with Sydney, Lynette and Reuben. I hope they have enjoyed it as much as we have. I am going to get Lynette to write on this blog today.
A big change for us this week was getting up one hour earlier to go to work. This was for the purpose of beating the heat. I will say it was hard at first but after learning to go to bed earlier it wasn't too bad. The irony was that this was the coolest week we have had, and the rainiest. Since Alex was in the Gulf it affected our weather very much. At the house I am working at we usually did our sawing outside but at the first of the week we had to stop work a little early because we couldn't be out there. So finally we cleaned out some junk from the neighboring apartment and made space for our saw and board painting and then things went a lot better. Kitchen cabinets are now installed and most of the floor trim and so things are looking good for a finish next week. The rain prevented Rich's crew from being on the roof except for Monday and Thursday so they worked on what drywall they could.
We spent the day Friday in Diamond, LA with Mike Wilson who had been here at NO for the first couple of weeks. Lynette will comment more on that trip.
Lynette: As we drove down the Parish towards Diamond, LA the landscape drastically changed from the New Orleans city landscape. We stayed not 200 yards from the Mississippi River and got swarmed with mosquito minutes after getting out of the vehicle. We traveled around Diamond talking to the locals and went further down towards the Gulf. After stopping at a marina we talked to a shrimp boat captain about what the oil spill has done to his business. The effects of the oil spill to the shrimpers and the people surrounding that area are greater than I had imagined. The trip was a real eye opener of how this catastrophe has effected a great deal of people.
The beginning of this week was a big change of waking up earlier and we got a fair share of hard work in the heat. Although they said the temperature dropped it still felt like an oven inside the house where we were working. I learned how to put up trim but don't think I will be hired professionally anytime soon. This trip has made me aware that even though Katrina has been over for 5 years there are still so many people in need and now with the oil spill there will be an even stronger need for housing and most of all love and support.
Lois: The speaker we had this week for Wednesday Bible Study would have emphasized this need for support. She said people may wonder why they come back. She said if you go somewhere else - especially where you are not wanted - you want to go home. They want to be where they know.
Sometimes when work on a house seems slow or I see many houses that need fixing I wonder if what I am doing makes a difference, I remember what she said, "Never take for granted what you are doing." We often pray here at the unit that our work would be a glory to God so I will end with that thought.

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