Arrived home in good shape

The Biloxi team arrived at Bradley a little tired and sore, but in overall good shape. We had spent the night at another volunteer center that had feed us well and housed us nicely, except that we needed to depart for the airport at 4:00 AM on Sunday morning. Upon arrival, a sense of accomplishment was felt by all as we happily met up with our families this afternoon. We look forward to sharing our experiences at the worship service on February 24th at 10:00 AM. We hope you can join us.

Laura, Scott and Joel visited house from last year

We did not get to the blog last night because we were captivated listening to Alice and Gay, Art's relatives, who told a story of survival during Katrina and the aftermath.  Their story is a testament of their faith in God, as their home and all possessions were swept away.   Katrina has left a lasting impression on them and now all of us, as we heard about how they clung to a tree above 30 feet of rushing water for two hours.  So far we have had great weather and have accomplished more than we expected on the three homes under construction.  The third house was partially framed today, as well as completely covering the first house with plywood, aka sheathing.  On house #2, windows and a front door were installed by some of Suffield's finest women.  Yesterday we stopped by to see a house that was built last year by the Habitat 07 team.  It is good to see people living there.  Checking out for now.  Time to get some sleep.

Robyn, Ara and Johanne- we do windows

Chris hard at work, as always

Gary leans into it

Ted building a wall

Joe hammering away

Julie works on a door

Tim framing the third home

Dave at the saw

Diane and Johanne nailing floor trusses

Steve wraps the house?

January 30- Back to Work!

Today we went back to the same worksite and continued with more of  the same.  Our Habitat supervisor today was a teacher from Michigan who decided to come down on a four month assignment- that was over a year ago, and he's still here.  He shared with us a thought for the day: "If it is to be, it is up to me."  With that in mind, we set out for day two, having a lot of fun as a group, and surpassing our supervisors' expectations for building.  Today we worked on different parts of the houses and almost finished two sheds.  Diane helped finish the flooring on the least far-along house; Joe and Gary installed a couple of doors, a group of guys installed hurricane straps to keep the roof on.  Ted got a blister from cutting vinyl siding, and Laura became the resident expert on measuring two-by-fours.  We had some entertainment at the end of our shift when a forklift got stuck in the mud and had to get pulled out by a bulldozer.  Then we headed to "The Shed" for authentic Mississippi BBQ and "atmosphere": pulled pork, ribs, blues music and southern twangs.  This was the highlight of the trip so far for a few of our team members (especially Joel).  You can see us full and happy in the photo.  Tonight we saw a documentary back at the camp about Hurricane Katrina.  It reminded us of some of the sights we saw and have been processing from our drive through New Orleans.  Just a few days ago we saw tent cities under bridges in downtown New Orleans with people still homeless from the storm.  We also saw a bank completely destroyed except for the vault.  After the video we have lots to think about, and more motivation for tomorrow. 

Richard strikes again!

January 29- First Day at Work

Today we all met at 6:30 am for a breakfast of grits, biscuts, and gravy before heading out to our worksite for the day.  There were three houses in varying stages being built next to each other.  One group worked on the roof trusses, another group wrapped the house in a waterproof barrier, and the last group worked on the flooring of a separate house.  All the groups are already working well together.  Chris taught Robyn how to use a hammer; Julie's arm got sticky with glue; Scott dug a hole and then fell in it later (Steve witnesses this and made sure everyone knew about it).  Tim got to use powertools and covered himself in sawdust.  It was overall a sucessful day- Chris, who has been on several Habitat projects, said our day was "above average."  We also have two great Habitat supervisors on the jobsite who are patiently showing us what to do and keeping us in line.  The weather was in the high sixties and mostly sunny.  After our workday we visited the houses that some people built last year, and it was interesting to compare them to the bigger houses we are building this year (zoning regulations are different).  We are now very tired and very grateful for our dinner of macaroni and ham. 

Picture: Justin "Raising the Roof"

January 28- Arrived Safely!

Sixteen of us arrived at the church parking lot around 5:15 am, and after waiting 10 minutes for "Jumping Joel," we all left for Bradley airport.  Our flight got off on time, we had a smooth ride, and we got to meet and chat with new people on the plane.  When we arrived in New Orleans, we picked up two full sized vans from Dollar rental; Scott and Tim were our drivers.  Scott brought his GPS system, "Sharon," who directed us to Wendy's for lunch and then to the 9th Ward in New Orleans to see the worst of the hurricane damage.  The picture is of a church-the only building left standing for several blocks- that still needs renovation before it can be used again.  We also stopped at the memorial there. People who went last year said that they noticed some progress in the neighborhood.  We then drove along the coast to get to Mississippi, stopping in Pass Christian to view the beach.  We got to Yankie Stadium (the Salvation Army/Habitat for Humanity camp) just in time for orientation and dinner.  There are10 other volunteers here that are staying with us.  Now we are very tired, but we are anxious to get to work!

 

Team Commissioned to Serve in Biloxi

On Sunday, January 13, Pastor Dave and the SBC congregation commissioned the seventeen members of the Biloxi mission team along with the youth Dominican Republic team during the Sunday worship service. As the team prepares their hearts and packs their bags for the trip, we ask for your continued prayers. We have already seen God providing for us financially, with all cost covered by donations and fund raising. The team leaves Monday, January 28 and will return Sunday, Feb 3.  Look for updates from the team posted that week on this page.

2008 Mission Trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast

THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS OCTOBER 31, 2007

SPONSORING ORGANIZATIONS
Suffield Second Baptist Church Missions Committee, American Baptist Churches USA,
& Habitat For Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast

WORK TO BE DONE
Under the direction of HFH of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, build homes in support of the rebuilding efforts due to Hurricane Katrina in August, 2005

TRIP DATE
Sunday, January 27 through Sunday, February 3

VOLUNTEER SKILLS
Be willing to do a hard day's work; training and tools will be provided by HFH

TRIP COST
Initial deposit of $250 will be requested from volunteers with additional costs anticipated to be covered through fundraising, donations, and Missions Committee supplements (financial assistance is available if needed); final cost for the volunteer is dependent upon total cost of the trip; on the February 2007 mission trip, the total cost per person was $680 with each person asked to contribute $250

ADDITIONAL COMMITMENTS
Attendance at initial kickoff meeting, Pasta Supper fundraiser, pre-trip teambuilding meetings, post-trip debriefing meetings, and presentation to the congregation

REGISTRATION AND QUESTIONS

Please register with Dave Burnaford by clicking here or calling 668-2333 by October 31, 2007

____________________________________________________________________________________________________

HFH of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Motto: "Everyone deserves a place they can call home"

Q & A Informational Guide for the 2008 Mission Trip to the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Q: Why is Second Baptist Church embarking on its 2nd mission trip to the Gulf Coast?
A: Much rebuilding remains to be done as a result of Hurricane Katrina which devastated the Gulf Coast on August 29, 2005 as well as this will be a time of fellowship together

Q: Who are the sponsoring organizations?
A: Suffield Second Baptist Church Missions Committee under the guidance of American Baptist Churches, USA and Habitat for Humanity of the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Q: What work will be done while we are there?
A: Build homes in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Region under the direction of Habitat for Humanity

Q: When will the trip take place?
A: Sunday, January 27 through Sunday, February 3 (travel dates yet to be determined)

Q: What are the food and housing accommodations?
A: Provided by Habitat Village, Biloxi, Mississippi; the bunk houses are basic ranch style houses with ample heating, bunk beds and nice, clean bathrooms with hot showers; buffet breakfast, snacks, a hearty bag lunch and buffet dinner are provided by Habitat. There are accommodations to store your own special foods in a fridge or pantry basket.

Q: Who is our volunteer base?
A: We welcome all from the church, friends, and the greater Suffield community with preference given to the church community in the event that enrollment needs to be limited

Q: What skill sets are required of the volunteers?
A: Be willing to do a hard day's work; training and tools will be provided by Habitat for Humanity.

Q: What is the cost of the trip?
A: An initial deposit of $250 will be requested from the volunteers with additional costs anticipated to be covered through fundraising, donations, and Missions Committee supplements (financial assistance is available if needed); final cost for the volunteer is dependent upon total cost of the trip; on the February 2007 mission trip, the total cost per person was $680 with each person asked to contribute $250

Q: What additional commitment is being asked of the volunteer?
A: Attendance at initial kickoff meeting, Pasta Supper fundraiser, pre-trip teambuilding meetings, post-trip debriefing meetings, and presentation to the congregation

Q: What are we asking of those not able to make the trip?
A: Your prayers and support

Q: Is there a registration cut-off date?
A: We will need to register by the end of October so don't hold off in making your reservation!

Q: Who can you register with and who can answer questions?
A: Dave Burnaford, Chair of the Missions Committee at 668-2333 or dlburnaford@sbcglobal.net