Our work is done

We hit it hard on the last day trying to get as much accomplished at Skip's place as we could.

Ian, Ethan, Arlen, Ken and Ryan got another good workout today by spreading another two truckloads of soil.

The rest of the group was kept busy cutting, nailing and filling holes in baseboard and door trim. The interior doors were installed and the handles were put on the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. Some shelving was installed in storage room and garbage was hauled away.

The group worked at a fever pitch with fourteen people in the house until someone finally called time. We packed up and headed back to Project Hope and Compassion (PHC). Skip's place is coming along nicely. Hopefully he will be able to get more help so that he can finish off and move into his new home soon. The team made a huge dent in this project during the course of the past week.

After some eats and quick showers we hit the road and headed towards New Orleans for a little site seeing. In fact, as I write these words we are heading west on Interstate # 10 in our little convoy.

It has been an amazing week of hard work where we accomplished a lot in spite of unfamiliar surroundings, strange beds, late nights and early mornings. The group really came together early on in this trip and developed a sense of family, which is in fact what we are: the family of God. It was very rewarding to have the opportunity to help people and share the love of God.

More than a couple of the team members have mentioned how rewarding they found there experience to be. Some have even indicated a desire to do something like this again.

Today's blog entry would not be complete without commenting on our hosts. Many thanks to Father Peter Mockler and the rest of the St. Ann Catholic Church and to Karen Parker the PCH coordinator. The facility was amazing and we received everything we needed. Karen's outgoing personality and genuine concern for our needs made her a terrific host.

Two other key people that made our stay so enjoyable were Iverna and Mark Mercer who have been volunteering at PCH. Iverna has been doing a masterful job meeting our gastronomic needs. In spite of the hard work none of has wasted away because the food was so delicious. Mark was the volunteer handyman, fixing what needed to be fixed, and was very helpful in getting us the tools we needed.

Both Mark and Iverna were very friendly and were great to talk to. Thanks Iverna and Mark for using your talents to support us and our mutual efforts to help those in need. Safe travels as you head home this weekend as well.

We're in New Orleans now touring the 9th Ward, so I'm going to end this post or I won't see anything. (Carl) more to follow...