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Published: September 26th 2008
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At The Shed
The Biloxi team is joined by Habitat site supervisor Bryce and his fiance Kendall. It was another beautiful day on the build site. With temperatures in the mid-80s and humidity that wasn't too bad, we divided and conquered several tasks. Weather wise we have so much to be thankful for this week. No rain, not a lot of humidity and lots of sunshine. As for the health of our team--just a few minor scrapes, bruises and hammered thumbs. So far so good in that area. One more day, so we continue to pray for safety!
Our team truly did divide into several different jobs today. While one group worked on the wall sheeting, another worked on the top wall plates. Yet a third group worked on nailing the wall sheeting. If I recall correctly, before we're done with the nailing tomorrow, we'll have more than 1,600 nails in just one wall, much less all four! Aimee gained some experience with the router as she had the pleasure of cutting out the windows. The sawdust was flying! Personally, I don't think I've ever pounded so many nails in my life much less in one day. We'll see how the arm feels tomorrow. Tylenol anyone??
We were joined today on the site by Kim, who
is working her last three days on site. Her home is nearing completion, and she is so excited to move in with her husband and three daughters. She was very willing to share her story with us--she's an incredible woman. Kim is so passionate about what Habitat for Humanity stands for--making home ownership a reality instead of just a dream for many people. She may have her hours complete by Saturday, but in her words, she's not done volunteering with Habitat. She will continue to give of her time and skills on the build site, helping others achieve the dream that soon will be her reality.
This morning I realized that I haven't given anyway a good idea of where we're staying. Yankie Stadium is the old Biloxi High School football stadium that was purchased by the Salvation Army three days before Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. They intended to turn it into a community center; instead they went into partnership with Habitat for Humanity to provide shelter and food for volunteers coming to the area to help those impacted by Katrina. We are staying in dorms, sleeping in bunk beds. Each dorm has a bathroom with showers, and
more showers are available in a communal space available under the bleachers. That's also where we meet, can enjoy some relaxation time, and enjoy the food provided to us.
Sometime next month, the Salvation Army will be turning the stadium into the community center it planned, and Habitat will be partnering with Camp Victor Ministries in Ocean Springs. Camp Victor, whose parent organization is Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi, has been providing food and shelter to volunteers coming to the area to work on rehabilitating homes. (If you read yesterday's blog, that's where we enjoyed the great meal prepared by Thrivent Financial Representative Terry King.) Very soon, half of the volunteers staying at Camp Victor will be rehabbing homes, while the other half will be working on new homes with Habitat for Humanity. Camp Victor is where future Thrivent Builds teams will be staying. It's a great facility in a great community.
Tonight, we had the chance to eat dinner at a local place well-known for its barbecue and atmosphere! It's called The Shed. The food was fantastic! The beer was good (so were the wine coolers that a few of us enjoyed). And the company was fabulous.
We were joined at the shed by our site supervisor Bryce and his fiance Kendall. Also enjoying our buffet with us were the other two Thrivent teams in Biloxi with us--one team from Pennsylvania and one from New York, both made up of LCSS's and members. Back to the food--the sauce on the pork and chicken was phenomenal--I'm sure it's a secret recipe:-) And the potato salad--well, in the words of Bryce, it's diesel! Yes, that means better than best. As we were hanging out after dinner, a TV crew moved into the area. As they moved from table to table, including ours, we learned that it was a crew from the Travel Channel, taping a segment for the show Food Paradise. Most of us were on camera and several of us were asked questions as well. Yes, we had to sign the infamous consent forms, similar to the ones I--and our members--complain about all the time at work! So, tune into Food Paradise the end of November and you may see someone you know!
Then on the way home we detoured to Wal-Mart, except we took a wrong turn. So we had Roz driving a cloverleaf, literally, as
we went on and off several ramps. It was like being on a roller-coaster. The laughter in the van probably could be heard all the way in Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin!
All in all, it was another fabulous day as we worked to make a difference here in Biloxi--serving God and others!
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