Habitat for Humanity Mission Blog for Biloxi Mississippi, February 18-24, 2007

E-Mail From Construction Supervisor Bryce McKee

Hello everyone,

I am writing to tell you what a tremendous group you were this past week. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know each of you (even you canadians who were only with me for a day and broke my bench:). It is an amazing thing to see people energized and
passionate about what they are doing and even more so when it is simply to help out another person. So i hope that in the next few days, minutes, weeks or months you take a few moments to reflect on what a difference you made on the lives of individuals you never met and probably will never meet. It is truely service to work with vigor for rewards that you will never reap and I just want you to know how much those efforts mean to me and everyone else on the gulf coast. I hope that you enjoyed your time down here and are looking to come back because the need for help will not go away any time soon. I thank each of you for your help and hope that you gleened something from the experience. If you are ever back down in Biloxi make sure to look me up and certianly go see the houses that you helped build. God Bless.

Sincerely,
Bryce McKee

OHD Construction Supervisor
1450 Beach Blvd. 314
Biloxi, MS 39530
cell 812-336-0078

Friday - Finished Building & A Stunning Story of Hope

We pounded thousands of nails on our final house today. The exterior walls were erected and we put up most of the interior walls. It is now ready to be sided with board to firm and square it up so the roof trusses can be attached. We worked along side several college students from Canada. We named each wall, signing them in marker with our children's names. This made it much easier to talk about which wall was which. At the end of the day, we took lots of photos with friends and the project. These will be shared at church, with National Ministries and the Suffield Observer (see the April 2007 front page issue and two-page photo-spread). We wish we could have worked for days more, but all good things must come to an end. We still had the energy to work well into the evening. It felt so good to make even this bit of difference.

On our final evening we met with Alice and Gay Martin who are seventh cousins to Suffield's Art Sykes. Their grand seaside home in Ocean Springs across the bay from Biloxi, was completely wiped away. It had survived Hurricane Camille in 1969, but that storm, while a category higher, was stronger only in wind-speed. Katrina's duration, geographic size, force and storm surge were far worse. As she arrived, many people gathered at homes which had survived Camille. People in the region now say Camille killed far more people in 2005 than in 1969. The morning Katrina arrived, the Martins were ready to sandbag the foundation and pump water out of the basement as previous owners had done in ‘69. At one point the storm surge had come across the shore road and into their front yard - that signaled a fifteen foot surge like Katrina. However, a mere hour and a half later, they jumped from the last remaining bit of roof to one of the remaining large trees behind their home. They clung to it for a few hours waiting for the storm to pass and the thirty-five foot storm surge to recede. While they were shocked by the surreal experience, they never panicked and give credit to their faith as their primary source of strength. The Martins have purchased a new home, much smaller than the first, and are not sure whether they will rebuild. While they once had had a beautiful home full of precious treasures, they have gained a new appreciation for what is most important in life. The home and its contents "were just stuff."

As Alice martin finished her story, she showed us a bag of glass beads she recovered from the site one at a time over the past year and a half. She said, "As I gathered these glass pieces, I dropped them into a vase. While it was hard to see the difference in the vase after dropping in one or two at time, over time it was clear that my effort made a big difference. I want you to remember that because there is so much damage here, that it might not seem like your work on a few houses makes much of a difference. But your work is like these beads, it all makes an incredible difference. We could not do it without you, and we appreciate your help so much. It is a sign of God's mercy to us. Thank you, and y'all come back next year."

CLICK HERE to view before and after photos of Alice and Gay Martin's home.

Home Sweet Home

Dear Friends,

Thank you for all your prayerful support and for following our Habitat mission adventures here online. We all arrived at Bradley airport safely at 3:20 pm. It has been a long day as we got up at 4:45 am to make our 9 o'clock flight in New Orleans. We are exhausted and very happy. It was an excellent trip. While we are sad to say goodbye to one another, it is good to be home. More photos of our last two days (and perhaps a short video) will appear here soon. For now it's time to hug our loved ones, wash some extremely dirty clothes and get some sleep! This team will be gathering together to eat, share photos and plan a major presentation at church in the near future. More details on that will come soon.

With the justice, faith and powerful love of God,

Russ (Team Leader), Russ Sr., Laura, Linda , Valerie, Rachael, Becki, Joel, Scott, Bob and Dave.

Thursday Reflection by Valerie Mercey

[PHOTO AT LEFT:  Valerie worked long after clean-up time, to make sure she pounded the last nail into the roof of someone's new home.]

We awoke to a glorious sunny day – a nice change after the rainy gloomy day yesterday. Those of us that ‘stayed behind’ yesterday were eger to hit the construdtion site today. After our group devotional time, and another great breakfast, we donned our sunscreen and headed out. Most of the group worked on one of the new homes laying out framing while Laura and I volunteered to work on a roofing crew - a rather daunting job considering the heat. For those on the ground the temperature was around 80 degrees and for Laura and me… a balmy 3,000! Ha ha!

As Linda commented yesterday, we are enjoying the community of working with everyone. Today Laura and I got to work with a church group from Mayrland. We worked with them previously. However, today, due to the close proximity of roofing and the heat, we felt like the greatest of friends by the end of the day. It’s really unbelievable how fast relationships and feelings of camaraderie form when everyone’s hearts and spirits are aligned to achieve a common goal. Even though most of us have yet to meet the homeowners we are building for, there is a feeling of love for those who have lost so much.

One of the construction supervisirs, Kim, whom we’ve worked with each day approached us at the end of the day about going to a great BBQ restaurant that was on our way back to the stadium. Pastor Dave, Joel, Scott, Bob and I quickly took her up on the offer (even without showers!). She promised it wouldn’t disappoint and she was right! We all enjoyed some real down-home Mississippi BBQ with all the fixings. The atmosphere alone was worth every bit even if the food wasn’t great, but it was AMAZING!

After enjoying dinner at picnic tables outside, Kim, took us sight seeing along US-90 gulf coast to areas we had yet to see. She described where massive casinos, apartment complexes, homes and businesses used to be – and were simply picked up and dropped elsewhere. At one point we parked by the roadside to walk through a damaged cemetery – it was very humbling and shocking. The power of Katrina is simply mind-boggling. We all felt incredibly blessed that she took the time to share her experiences since arriving last August with AmeriCorps (who partners with Habitat for Humanity). Truly we have all been blessed since arriving here.

Laura Wields Her New Roofing Powers With a Tar Gun!

Russ & Rachel Cut Hundreds of Pieces for Framing Layout

Framing an Exterior Wall

Val Delights in Mississippi BBQ & Refreshing Iced Tea

Linda Isham's Wednesday Reflection

We're part of a larger community here at "Yankie Stadium." There are groups from Annapolis, MD; Bridgeport, CT; Wilfred Laurier College in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada; a family from New Jersey; and RV campers from all over the country plus Habitat for Humanity staff, some Salvation Army staff and a group of AmeriCorps workers.

Many of us are staying in the volunteer housing - bunkhouses for 10-20 persons. Others are in RVs. We eat breakfast and dinner together and make lunches to take with us to the work sites.

As with a community we are sharing our life together for this week - in addition to sleeping in bunkrooms in bunk beds and eating meals together we are working in smaller groups at three work sites.

There is much to do behind the scenes to keep things running smoothly. Today only seven members of our group were needed at our work site so four of us ‘stayed back.' Folks who stay back do a number of things that help keep the community running smoothly including cleaning the bathrooms - not a glamorous task but a needed one.

So while some folks were installing insulation and putting up walls four of us were cleaning bathrooms and cleaning up and organizing a storage shed - all essential to houses getting built.

- Written by Linda Isham

Wednesday Rains Complicate Construction

It rained through the night and most of today, so indoor work with a smaller crew was essential. After a late start, Laura, Russ, Russ Sr., Joel, Bob, Scott and David went to the Gautier. Val, Rachael, Linda and Becky volunteered around the Habitat Village cleaning and organizing many different areas. On the construction site, we completely insulated two homes with paper-backed roll fiberglass insulation and styrofoam ceiling baffles. Next to us two foundations were being poured in the rain. Some of the other college students here worked outside in the rain shoveling soil on their knees. They were an absolute mess and had to be hosed down outside when they returned! After cleaning up the houses we insulated and moving materials on to other homes, the skies cleared and the sun began shining brightly - around 2:30 pm. With this new hope we began framing the interior walls of another home accross the street. This was a LOT of fun. Joel was in charge of fastening the walls to the cement foundation with special nailes shot from a gun with gunpowder charges. Laura helped keep everything square and pounded nails. The rest of us prounded away. We will pick up on this tomorrow morning when - hopefully - the whole group will get to work together again. Linda Isham will offer a reflection soon, so look for it later in the evening. Rain and Mardi Gras aside, we feel we are making a solid and satisfying contribution. Grace and peace to all of you.

Russ Campbell Hangs Ceiling Baffles

Scott Brings Great Humor, Joy & Hard Work Every Day

Joel Fastens Walls to the Foundation With Gunpowder Charges

Builder Bob Installs Insulation in Tricky Places

Fat Tuesday and the Affects of Katrina

Because today is Mardi Gras (FatTuesday), work was canceled because local roads are closed down for dozens of parades in the shoreline communities. We got up at 6 am, ate breakfast together and then split in two. Half of us went to volunteer with a Katrina outreach ministry (soup kitchen) in Gulfport, the next city to our West. (We will tell you their story later as we have not yet met up with them.) The other half of us left early to drive into New Orleans to see celebrations there. On the way we witnessed great natural damage. Millions of trees are cut in half or completely knocked down. The palm trees that once filled the area were mostly knocked down and are being replaced only very gradually. Roads have very few signs and only the most essential stoplights have been replaced. There is also an incredible amount of trash along the highways. Demolition and roads themselves have higher priority; although, we did notice some clean-up on our way home. We arrived downtown on Canal Street before 9 am, having parked in a cramped multi-story garage who’s basement was still flooded from Katrina. We walked a couple blocks to find ourselves near the Sheraton hotel that became the government nerve center during recovery immediately following Katrina. We got our places along the parade route – they have many parades during the five days leading up to Mardi Gras. Those along Canal Street are “family friendly” and many children were there with their parents and loved ones. We stood with thousands of people who could not escape the hurricane’s path, and they were eager to celebrate. This morning’s Zulu parade is one of the best. It is the most fun and joyful parade I have ever experienced! It was so interactive with people throwing beads, stuffed animals and other toys from the floats. We were catching them for the kids around us, and if you were very lucky, you got a golden coconut! Each of us went away with at least 20 strands of shiny green, purple and golden beads. The parade went on for over two hours. Afterwards we ventured part-way down Bourbon Street (still rather tame at a sober 1 pm) for lunch at well-known Creole restaurant. We had Gumbo, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etoufee and iced tea. We walked down to see the great Mississippi River with its cargo ships guarded by armed Coast Guard tug boats. Saint Peter’s Cathedral stands there on grand Lafayette Park majestically offering hope to the people of New Orleans. Walking back to the car by a different route, we saw some of the old architecture of this beautiful and cultured city. We drove through an hour of dense traffic and then got off Interstate 10 forty miles early to drive US-90 through the devastated shoreline neighborhoods of Pass Christian, Gulfport and Biloxi. Evidence of people's homes and lives stiIl litters the woods there. It was sad to see one foundation after another without a home and the devastated trees and foliage. After some time, we also began to notice something really shocking... The wildlife... it's been decimated. You only see or hear birds now and then. While the animal world will bounce back eventually, their absence makes for an erie silence. At one point we walked the beach. Kitchen floor tiles and a power-strip were among the debris that continues to wash up on shore. Many of the homes washed away were quite luxurious and have already been rebuilt. However, it may be decades before the shoreline resumes its grandeur. Over southern dinner, we reflected on the love of God in our lives, the meaning of Habitat For Humanity’s “Economy of Jesus” and the “Theology of the Hammer.” It is a great privilege to be here and we look forward to helping people rebuild their lives in the morning, one nail and board at a time. Upon returning “home,” I read on a bulletin board that the holiday colors have meaning. Purple is for justice; green is for faith, and gold is for power. What perfect, Divine gifts these are for our new friends here on the Gulf Coast. May God's justice, faith and loving power be with you... Happy Mardi Gras!

Tuesday’s Heartbreaking Cleanup of Memories Left Behind…

Russ, Russ Sr., Laura, Linda, Becki and Rachel left camp this morning and drove to Gulfport to work at God's Katrina Kitchen, not knowing what to expect. When we arrived we met Ray, who ran the program with his wife, Marj. They have been here since October 2005 serving the people of Gulfport area, and are soon returning to Ohio to sell their home so they can move here permanently to continue this ministry.

We spent some time helping to unload a delivery of food, organizing the big freezer, refrigerators, and storage rooms. We then went with Ray and a group from this organization to salvage an apartment complex which was scheduled to be demolished. It was amazing to think that even two miles from the coast, the storm reached levels of 4 or 5 feet!! Going into people's apartments, people who left, and in many cases have never returned; to take out any appliances, toilets, sinks, tubs, furniture, towel racks, tp racks, etc. which could be used by local salvage yards and reconstruction companies. It was sobering to walk into these homes and see photos, birthday cards, clothes, toys, calendars still open to August 2005; basically people's lives left behind, but hopefully not forgotten. It was in many ways difficult work, but a very satisfying feeling nonetheless was felt by the group. It was definitely a day which brought us together.

 

- Written by Russ Campbell

Mardi Gras Festival on St. Peters Street

Saint Peters Cathedral on Lafayette Square Gives Hope to All

The Gulf Coast is Utterly Destroyed

Trees Snapped In Half Along Interstate 10

We Got To Work & Came Home Happily Exhausted

We woke at 5:45 am to get showers this morning. Some of us slept well, others not. Perhaps it is the freight trains a block away… At 6:45 am we gathered for breakfast. A devotional on the selflessness of serving that God might be glorified set just the right tone for the day. Breakfast was hot and hearty and then we received our assignments. We are working on a fourteen home Habitat build in Gautier. (The Creole pronunciation is Go-SHAY.) We started with the arrival of two large semi-trailers with prebuilt “homes in a box” from a Habitat affiliate in Ohio. There were supposed to be two in their own containers that could be unloaded and wait safely for international volunteers to build them next week. Instead they received THREE homes and no containers. It’s not everyday you can say you carried three houses, but we did today – the whole morning. There are actually three church groups working on the site. One is building their own house in three weeks. We remaining two groups worked together in various combinations – they are a Baptist church from Maryland. In the afternoon one group finished unloading the final house in a box, while a few of us started roofing another home. Linda Isham and Becki Fuller did the starter shingles all the way around the lower edge of one home. Bob and Rachael snapped lines on the roof and began shingling. Laura and Joel reinstalled extremely important “hurricane proof” steel strapping across studs and window frames. Pastor Dave did some of each of these. The remainder of our group joined us in roofing to finish out the day.

We know you are all freezing in Suffield. Last night the “feels like” temperature got down to 25 degrees. However, today it was in the upper 60s. There are supposed to be thunderstorms tomorrow. Speaking of tomorrow, there is no work here because it is Mardi Gras and travel becomes impossible with roads completely shut down for parades and Creole festivals. Suffice it to say that Mardi Gras (French for Grace Tuesday) defines the culture here. It is celebrated for five days and is far more than the raucous stupor we see reported on TV. Mardi Gras is becoming a celebration of God’s mercy lifting them out of despair. It is enabling them to recover. I believe an incredible spiritual and cultural revival is beginning on the Gulf Coast. We will see… Tomorrow some of us will volunteer at a soup kitchen in Gulfport, the next city to the West. The rest will head in to New Orleans. They will not be staying late as there is an 11 pm curfew at Habitat Village – they want everyone safe. There are also very strict rules of behavior that keep this volunteer community running smoothly. We feel exhausted and very happy – there is a peace about it. Please keep this region in prayer – there is so much need.

Rachel Snaps Lines for Shingling

Becki & Linda Unpack a "House In a Box"

Laura Installes Hurricane Resistant Steel Strapping

We Arrive and Devestation Stuns Us

We met at church at 6:15 am. Excited and bleary-eyed we said farewell to our families. We made all of our flights today without much incident. In Baltimore we were delayed because the airline didn’t have a flight crew for the plane. (They were still playing catch-up from last week’s storm.) We made up time in the air and arrived in New Orleans shortly after 1 pm CST. From the air it y was clear that there was much damage to nature and buildings. The first thing we noticed were burned out homes and businesses and trees that are snapped like twigs. Then it occurred to us that there were very few road signs and traffic lights. Many stores and whole malls are still empty. Traffic was heavy because Mardi Gras is this Tuesday and thousands of people are pouring into town. We drove downtown past the Superdome and into the devastated Ninth Ward.

No words can explain the destruction – we gasped and were stunned to silence. We stopped our minivans and walked around in a couple places. Seventy-five percent of it is gone. Perhaps one in a hundred is occupied - and only then by a FEMA trailer in the driveway. One home rests upon the foundation of another. Russ Campbells Jr. & Sr. tell us that the area looks much better since they were here working the same week last year. So much debris has been removed. Homes are marked with spray paint as having been searched. One church was marked with a skull and crossbones where someone had died. Also, the levy has been repaired. A large barge that once crashed into the bank and rested upon a school bus was removed recently. At the foot of the bridge entering the Ninth Ward is a memorial consisting of the frame of a house and kitchen chairs with encouragement for New Orleans to return home. We drove another 100 miles east to Biloxi to Yankie Stadium, a property purchased by the Salvation Army for the purpose of building a neighborhood center. But just days after the purchase, Katrina hit. Habitat for Humanity has it on lease for 4-5 years. We had orientation and there are 250 volunteers this week from churches, families, colleges, RV groups, and AmeriCorps. The facility is nice, clean and well-organized – basic and Spartan, but lovingly cared for. Our bunk houses are solid, roofed structures with bathrooms and showers – each holds about 20 people. We will wake up at 6 am tomorrow and be here for devotions at 6:45 am. People are busy getting to work. Habitat for Humanity’s efforts are mushrooming and result in the rebuilding of thousands of homes, but more on that later. We went out for southern fish dinners and are now settling in for the evening. We are eager to get to work.

Grace & peace,

The Rev. David Reed-Brown

Two-Hundred-Fifty Volunteers Gather to Build Hope One Home at a Time

Bleary Eyed & Eager We Are Under Way

Mission Team Prepares to Help Katrina Survivors Build Homes

A team of eleven adults from our church is preparing to travel to the region of Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi ravaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Russ Campbell and his father, Russ Sr., worked in the area last year and are returning with the team. This is an interfaith effort sponsored by ABCUSA National Ministries and Habitat for Humanity. Our team will be staying at a Yankie Stadium facility adapted for the many volunteers; it is run by the Salvation Army. National Ministries and Habitat are constructing several homes together this spring. Our team will leave early on the morning of Sunday, February 18 and return Saturday, February 24. Upon arrival in New Orleans, the team plans to tour the area to see the effects of the storm and the recovery process.

Click here read local town news and view before and after photos of homes and businesses along the gulf shore. However, you may want to click here to see devastation to the home of Alice and Gay Martin, distant relatives of Art Sikes. The water rose 33 feet and they clung to trees for hours to survive. Keep in mind that other towns suffered destruction that was far worse.

Please keep our team in prayer as they prepare to work hard and build relationships with people in these communities.