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Note from Esther: God is Love (spending a day with Britney)

Brittney, her daughter Ayanna and Esther

On Saturday, we got the privilege to work with Britney. Esther, on her first Biloxi trip, was one of the people working with her the closest. She wanted to share some of her thoughts…

God is Love.

Today is Saturday, our last working day at the job site. It
was a bittersweet day as the trip is coming to an end. I thought it was only
going to be both our teams working at the site today, but when we arrived,
another lady joined us. Her name was Brittney and her family lost their house
from the Katrina Hurricane.

I was very excited we got to work with her today! She has a
1 year old daughter name Ayanna, meaning “beautiful flower.” She currently
lives with her parents, with her weekdays filled, working as a Pharmacy Tech
and going to school. Best of all, she is a believer! She even invited us to go
to her church tomorrow! Awesome!

Today, she completed her first 8 volunteer hours! She needs
to complete a total of 100 hours and also take around 12 classes that will
assist her with this process. Out of the 100 hours, up to 40 of those hours can
be earned from family and friends, and her dad is excited he gets to help out!

She said she was very fortunate when the hurricane happened.
By God’s grace, she and her family was in Washington
DC attending her sister’s
wedding. All the flights were delayed for her return for almost 2 weeks. Her
neighbor, however, witnessed it all, and even floated out of her house! The
flood was around 8 feet high and it happened real quickly. Her parents did
re-build their home, but now she’s trying to get one herself! She has a real
positive attitude about this process. Recently, she just went to her first class
and was thrilled and excited what else she will learn in future classes. She
has a kind and gentle spirit and was very helpful doing and assisting whatever
needed. She was glad she came out, wanting to use all the skills she learned
for her future home. Her mom, Karen, and her daughter stopped by for a few
minutes during the day and I felt even more touched meeting her daughter.

By the end
of the day, we are able to lay hands on her and pray for Britney! The Co-Ed
team also sensed that God wanted us to help her financially. She felt really
touched and blessed!

God works
in mysterious way and this was a tremendously great experience for me.
Throughout the week, I felt I lost focus and kept concentrating on building
these houses. After praying and meditating on Kyle’s devotional (teaching) on 1 John 4:7-11, my
eyes opened. God is love and we are to extend this love to others. This mission’s
trip is not just about hammering nails or putting up siding, but it’s about
ministering to those around.  God is good
and brought Brittney to the job site. Although it was only 8 hours, but it was
a great 8 hours of working together, chatting with her, and being able to
connect with her. Hopefully she felt the love from us and was very blessed how
we chose to come and help. Please continue to pray for Brittney for the other
volunteer hours and classes she needs to complete! Also pray that the process
in getting a home will go smoothly!
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Day 7 – Arrival of 1-Week men’s team, and work at New Life Disaster Relief/Biloxi Christian Church

The men’s one-week team arrived safely. We did a similar tour that we had with the CoEd team. Conner’s Garden, where we left a card for Kathy, the woman we spoke with last year; Biloxi Lighthouse and Pier, Katrina memorial, CoEd team’s site of last year; lunch at Cafe New Orleans, then back to our temporary home. The 1-Weekers then went to the Habitat office for orientation, and the 2-Weekers went to work.

The Pier, a place where many fish.
While at the pier, we had the opportunity to meet a couple of folks, Sean (sp?), who is suffering from a serious condition, as well as his friend Tony, who followed the fishing industry to Mississippi, but had his home was flooded by Katrina. We have to remember that even though his home wasn’t entirely submerged, the damage was devastating. We were able to pray for them respectively. On the way off the pier, Gary M spoke with Dave, who was smiling ear to ear. Dave explained that he was a Christian, and was strongly encouraged by our willingness to pray for folks that we were just meeting casually.

Work Day
Biloxi Christian Church is celebrating paying off their mortgage with a mortgage-burning celebration. Ken, our facility director, thought it’d be a nice idea if the church looked a little more spruced up for the celebration. We did gardening, painting, performed some minor repairs including fixing baseboards, windows and a deck.

Now, we’re minutes away from our evening devotional

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2011 CoEd – The flight home, a new friend.

Carl with Lisa, a new friend the team met on the return flight
Divine Appointment
Flying from Gulf Port to Houston the CoEd team made a new friend on the plane. Here’s Carl’s notes: 
Lisa is a remarkable individual and she inspired me.  Our plane ride back to Houston was a divine appointment … not a coincidence, as some would think!  Lisa grew up in Sacramento where her parents live today.  She finished her education and found a job and purchased a condo in the San Francisco area.  However, she felt that God was asking her to sell her condo so that she can be mobile and able to move wherever God called her to go.  Lisa is currently working to help administrate at a non-profit missionary organization to help out against trafficking children from Nepal.   
So here’s where our encounter begins … the monies from selling her condo assisted her to take numerous trips to New Orleans/Biloxi area. She has worked with Habitat for many years and built homes from laying the foundation to completing interior work on homes.  
Lisa was flying home from a conference for prospective new teachers in the New Orleans inner city.  She desires to do God’s will in her life and is reaching out in faith even if it means leaving family & friends for a season.  She has a godly heart and desires to know where God is leading her.  If accepted into the teaching program, she would leave the SF area and move to New Orleans in September.  Confirmation would come if she were to be accepted which she should know very soon.      
The Katrina co-ed group prayed over Lisa to support her in her desire to become a teacher, asking for God to use Lisa in a very special way.  She has such a testimony and caring heart for the children in New Orleans.
Please pray that Lisa will get into teaching program at Mississippi.
Pray that God will continue to guide and direct Lisa. 
Pray that Lisa will grow in confidence of God’s will for her life.   
Pray that Lisa be used by God to assist children.
     

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CoEd team returning, 2nd Men’s week flying out…

We’re assuming that the 2nd Week men’s team are prepping at the airport soon, and the plan is for them to greet the CoEd when they arrive in a couple hours.
The 2-Week men’s team pretty much have the whole church/center to ourselves, and since we’ve been eating so much fried food, we resigned ourselves to eating a salad for tonight 🙂

Steve O just walked in from his evening run. If he hadn’t returned by 830p local time, we were supposed to send out bloodhounds.

In the meantime, here are some pictures from today, and

Katrina 2011 05 15

Our visit to Mosaic, Gulf Coast

 another video from our dynamic duo of Carl and Esther (from Day 1)

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Gary M’s note… about noticing..

Gary M (with Gary H behind)

I have noticed this year that spending this much time with the various team members has had an impact on me.  I am starting to pick up behaviors and characteristics from the other people as we rub off on each other.  This is the way God meant it to be.  Here is how they have each given me something to imitate.

Roy – quiet plodding along with humility and not for show.
Kelly – polite and always thinking of serving others 
Esther – joyful and “thumbs up”
Gary H – wanting to learn and experience new things
Peter – being bold in engaging people
Carl – willingness to do whatever is needed
Bu – never complaining even though he wants to
Bart – searching the Scriptures for the truth
Chris – admonishing others very gently
Steve – never questioning God’s ability
Lorin – appreciating even the smallest things
Tommy – speaking positively about other people
Mo – thinking before jumping in and doing
Kyle – having a passion for people and wanting Christ to impact their lives

Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God.
3 John 1:11

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Note from Lorin: “God Instances”

Chris M, Esther, Lorin at The Shed
God definitely has a plan.   I came to Biloxi expecting-but not knowing what to expect.  This week, God showed me in many ways that He has all the details worked out. 

First, I met Chris M. from Chicago and had a chance to work with her on Wednesday and got to know her.  We both enjoyed each other’s company and as Chris M. was joining the team for dinner on Thurs. someone rearranged the seat “assignments” in the cars so that Chris and I could ride to The Shed together.

Next, Bu noticed that we’d made a “connection,” so he volunteered to trade job assignments with me for Friday so that Chris and I could work together again.  (Thanks Bu, sorry your sacrifice meant that  you had to clean up rat poop.  You were a blessing to your “honorary mom.”)

 

Chris spent the day cutting and hauling siding with me and we had a great time.   We would not have had a chance to bond if:

  1. we’d both chosen not to come work with Habitat
  2. we’d both chosen different weeks
  3. we’d stayed at different camps at night
  4. we had not switched car rides
  5. if Bu didn’t take a “bullet” by making the sacrificial trade

These, along with a few other personal events led me to see that God’s hand had orchestrated all these details and that they were not merely coincidences but were God instances.  In the process of all the sharing, Chris and I both felt blessed by each other’s presence here in Biloxi.  Neither of us wanted to go home and we felt it was the Lord’s divine appointment and provision that we have this time together.  Chris shared that she  felt covered in an unconditional love by our Katrina team.  She even joined us in our worship and small group time.

We loved having Chris join us and she later mentioned how lucky we were to have our church and the love of the people there.  She feels that the Lord is calling her back into a deeper relationship with Him and she credited our team with having a big part in that decision.  Please pray that the feeling Chris experienced will continue to encourage her and that she will find a church group that will bless, support, and continue to encourage her.

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LAX on, LAX off

We just sent the CoEd team off, on their way back to LAX. They got off safely after a morning visiting Mosaic. It was a great church, and Dustin, the pastor, preached a good message from Colossians about being focused on God first, then marriage, then children and then work next. Sounds familiar….

The church meets in a roller skating rink, and is used almost all week long. Afterwards, had good time hanging with Brad and Paul at a local seafood restaurant. Once again, food was good, but sharing faith and life with them was better.

As we sent off the CoEd team, they knew they had done a good thing, with a week’s worth of hard work behind them, and shared memories among them. We pray they have a safe and meaningful trip home. Just as Kyle had spoken a few nights ago, the mission began before they ever left L.A., and will hopefully not end.

It’s odd to think that even as they fly, our church is just ending service back home, and the next Men’s team will be flying out a few hours after the CoEd team lands. And we’ll receive them in less than 24 hours.

We look forward to joining up with them.

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Dear support groups…

As we post pictures of Gary’s “One Drop,” we can’t but help to think of our support groups. Time after time, we meet individuals that come out here on their own, or often church groups that come out here as part of a service mission. Either way, it’s rare that we find folks that have the same level of support that we do from home. It’s not bragging about how wonderful our supporters are, it’s just being humbly appreciative of those that send us and partner with us.

We do believe the ease of our experiences and the extra-opportunities we have to bless and be blessed by others are largely because of the prayer support we receive from home. Every person out here has a group of several people to pray for them, for their safe travels, for their family and jobs they are separated from, and their spiritual health. But most of all, we feel this covering allows us to have faith beyond our own. We are able to see spiritual opportunities beyond our own eyes, and to act with confidence beyond our own strength. It’s great when people are praying to God on your behalf. It’s a great way to not have to do this mission on your own. And for that we thank you.
And we thank you for the practical things too. Notes of encouragement, comments on the blog, little snacks that we open as the trip goes along, and yes, a little bottle in Gary M’s care package that makes sharing quarters with other men a little more manageable…..

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Last day on the site…

Saturday was our last day on the site. Also our last day working as a combined team.
Bittersweet, but quite rewarding.

Steve, Mo, Tommy and Chris went to another site for half the day and worked on baseboards . Chris was excited because it was something he could use back at home. They met Dave, a supply sargeant in the Navy, who volunteers with Habitat on the weekend. Eventually, he might be stationed in San Diego, so who knows, we might see him back at home.

Dave joined us for lunch, which we bought from Bozo’s and took back to the site. We had lunch all together, including Brittney. Brittney was doing her first day of volunteer hours and had never worked with tools before. Although she expressed a bit of apprehension at first, within a couple of hours, she was confident and capable. She’s raising a beautiful 1 year old daughter, who we met later in the day, and we enjoyed her company.

After finishing our work, we got to pray for the homes and area. Some of us wrote on the studs with verses or words of encouragement. It’s very moving having worked on a home, and then being able to pray for the future owners. They really are beautiful homes, and we hope the families that move in will have a good life with them.

We’ll be going to Mosaic tomorrow, to worship with Brad, Paul and Denise.
Click here for some pics from the day

Katrina 2011 05 14

Please enjoy this as much as we do…

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Gary H’s note from the second night

Gary H at the Chop Saw

After arriving to Biloxi in the morning of 5/9 we took a drive in the Mississippi gulf coast to see the devastation aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  It was an eye opening experience to see so much damage that Hurricane Karina inflicted on so many people’s lives and so much property damage.

We made a stop at a pier and at the end of the pier we approached a guy named Brian who happened to be fishing.  I sensed from God that he wanted me to talk to him. Although I do not really know a lot about fishing I struck up conversation about fishing.  Then the conversation became more personal about his work and his life.  Although we didn’t “officially asked if he has accepted Jesus”, we told him why we were here in Mississippi.  Our feeling was that when we had to leave, we planted the seed.  My hope and prayer is that we planted the seed and that somebody that he will encounter later would reap the benefit of him someday receiving Christ.  I emailed my MSG to pray for him.  I thank God for taking me out of my comfort zone and approaching individuals I do not know and striking up conversation with them.  I pray and hope for other opportunities like this