Bittersweet

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What a bittersweet day--the last day of the build. Even though I'm blogging this on Saturday at the Biloxi airport, I want to share our experiences on the job site on Friday and our last evening in Biloxi.

It truly was a bittersweet day as we worked hard to achieve all we could. And that was a lot. We almost completed the nailing of the sheeting to the house--only about 20 nails left on one wall and about a quarter of the back wall. That was a lot of nails--especially on the last day when we ran out of the "good" nails--ones that we thought were better--to aluminum nails that caused many of us to pound three nails for every one that actually went into the wall. We learned the art of patience as we hammered. But while several of us were on scaffolding, ladders and the ground nailing, others were making like chimps in the high regions of the house--finishing the top plates, followed by pulling up the trusses and starting to put them up! That was thrilling to watch the first truss go up, and then the second, then the third...until about 2/3 of the house was complete.

Simply amazing is the only way I can describe it. Future homeowner Kim joined us on site again, along with our Habitat folks--Bryce, Bill and Victor, along with Bryce's fiance Kendall. At the day's end, we had the opportunity to leave our own messages on the studs in the house. What a great feeling to know that we've left our love behind for them. We look forward to the day we can see the final picture of the house -- and know that we have had a big hand in building a home for a family!

After our day on the build, we headed back for dinner with several of the future homeowners, including Kim and her family. That was a fun time of sharing and hearing their stories.

We then headed out, as a team, for our final evening in Biloxi. Actually, we went to a restaurant and bar, the Grocery, in Ocean Springs. It was a relaxing evening with the team, and a wonderful way to end our week together.

There are few words that can describe the experience...but I would highly recommend that if you get the opportunity to serve in this manner to give it a shot!

Check in later for one more installment and reflections on the week....

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Photos

Great leaders!
Aimee, Lindsay from Habitat, and Tom!

Leaving our mark
We created a sign to leave behind at Yankie Stadium.