It's a Big World ... Shine Brightly

Princeton Presbyterians
Mission Trip to
Ocean Springs, Mississippi

Day Five: Wednesday, July 5
"Dinner at Sonic"

You Yankees.

You Yankees have it so easy, fun in the sun without the unbearable side effects of the scorching heat, rain without the fear of being struck by lightning while hammering nails on to a wet, sloped roof…. Yeah, y'all have it right easy. I've been on Habitat crew every day this week, working on the roof, finishing up the tarp and nailing down the shingles; all of which is hot and heavy labor, but it has been worth it! We're almost done with the roof, which will be such a feeling of success when it's finally completed. In fact, had it not been for the continuous torrential downpour and all of the lightning, that roof would be history. The one benefit of all the rain and lightning…we're going to Sonic for dinner as weather conditions were not fit to successfully carry out our previous Mission: Cook Out. Believe you me, no one is all that bummed about the change in schedule.

On a much different and more personal note, it feels as though everyone here is really coming together as a group. The Habitat crew has become very tight as we rely on each other for everything from laughter and good conversation, to helping us keep our edges straight, holding the ladder for each other, checking to confirm that everyone is staying hydrated, and making sure that the person hammering next to you doesn't fall off the house! Our devotion conversations have become much more lively and with the addition of some coloring books, crayons, and a CD player, our "down-time" should more appropriately be titled, "party-time."

Last night we walked down to the beach, which is just a few feet from the church where we are staying, so that we could watch the fireworks. To the locals I'm sure it was just another normal 4th of July on the beach…to us, it was D-day! Rockets flying past our heads, Roman Candles exploding just feet from us, running from falling ash, picking up fallen comrades as we went along…you catch my drift! Needless to say, it was certainly an adventure. I was lucky enough to meet four of the youth from our host church who were all so nice and so accommodating, they came right up to me, introduced themselves to me and included me in everything that they were doing. I later found out that one of the girls had lost everything after Hurricane Katrina and that the beach that we were standing on had been closed so that police could search for dead bodies. It's still hard to fully grasp the extent of the devastation and destruction that has occurred down here. When we were driving back from New Orleans to the church here in Ocean Springs last Saturday evening, we passed a house with a large hole cut in the roof and the word "Help" written in large, white letters beside it…. It's amazing how the mood can change so dramatically in just a single moment. Yet despite the tragedy that they had faced, the girls I met were incredibly upbeat; I hope that I will never forget their warmth and eager friendship. It is moments like that, when we really face what the hurricane has left in its wake, all of the heartbreak and the loss, that push me to work in the pouring rain up on a high roof or in the blazing heat because I am able to see what it is that I am working for, and that makes all the difference.

I hope and pray that everything is well up in good ol' Jersey and that your weather is much better than it is down here! Please continue to pray for the victims of the hurricane and all that they have lost and all of the hardships that they face every single day.

Best wishes,