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Published: September 24th 2008
Team Biloxi
Our first team photo at Yankie Stadium in Biloxi!What a fabulous day it was!
We learned at breakfast where we would be working for the week-- and we were thrilled to find out that we would be building a home from almost the beginning in Pascagoula, about a half hour drive from where we're staying in Biloxi. The 12 of us piled in the van for our journey to the job site--trusting Mike behind the wheel. We quickly got the lay of the land from Habitat lead Bryce, were introduced to the other Habitat folks on site, as well as to a soon-to-be homeowner, who joined us on site to work toward fulfilling her hours. It was awesome to work with this young lady, Arlicia, who was obviously very excited about getting into her own home, which already is built. She's planning to take ownership in a couple of weeks and will be living with her mom and younger brother.
We quickly split into two groups--one group setting floor joists and the other doing demolition work on prefab walls that had lots of rotting wood. Both groups encountered maggots, termites, cockroaches and cute little lizards in the process. I know I quickly jumped back at the sight
Day 1--Just getting started
We took a team photo at the beginning of our first day! of my first cockroach! Oh, and let's not forget the fire ants that had taken up residence on the end of one of the joists as well! While it was incredibly hot--we were drinking water non-stop!--it also was a very productive day. We made far more progress than I think Bryce expected. The one team got the demolition almost complete, which sets us up perfectly to put walls together tomorrow. They were swinging that sledgehammer continuously!
And those of us working on the floor joists got those completely done, as well as the floor/decking on the joists. It was so exciting to watch it come together! I think we were just in awe how we could work so well together to get so much accomplished in just one day. Needless to say, however, since none of us do construction for a living, we're all quite a bit tired tonight and quite sore, too.
We were able to stop a little early to get back and showered for a tour of Biloxi and Gulfport. That tour really helped us put the devastation of Hurricane Katrina into perspective. We went past a memorial for Hurricane Camille, which devastated the area
in 1969--the biggest one the area had seen. We saw pine trees common to this area that they don't know if they're even going to make it due to major erosion problems. And we saw driveway after driveway that went nowhere. Tall grass covered the lots, and in many yards, the slab of the foundation was all that remained. It's hard to imagine the homes that once were there--the beautiful homes that faced the equally beautiful Gulf.
It's exciting for each of us to know that we are here serving--serving God and those who are in need of homes. We watched a video tonight--and in it one of the volunteers said: "A great day is when I've had the opportunity to put my faith into action. Today was a great day."
I think each of us would echo her words--Today was a great day!
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Nicole Doebert
non-member comment
Great job!
Hi, Donna and team. Great job getting so much accomplished. I'm definitely with you in spirit even though I'm not there in person. I hope you each experience your own life-changing moment on the trip and let the hospitality of the South embrace you.