Pearlington: Monday

Rachael: Today we woke up before God, at 6:00 in the morning. We had breakfast at 6:30 and then we headed off to our worksites. We had to refill the holes with dirt that had been previously dug, and we had to suck the water out of the other holes. Sarah and I had to get into the holes and “compact” the dirt. After that we left for our lunch break and we had sloppy joes. Then, it started to rain so we were unable to go back to our worksites. A few of us decided to go back out in the rain to play. We splashed in puddles, played port-a-potty tag, and played in the mud. Then, we took showers with our clothes on to rinse off, and it took a really long time to dry. After that a group of us went to get snow cones, while we were there we saw a sign that said, “I survived Hurricane Katrina even though water was over my head.” There were some people sitting on the porch so we went to visit them. They shared their story with us, and it was very inspiring. On the way to the devotional, me and Sarah fell in the mud. Today has been very unforgettable and I look forward to the rest of the week.

Jessica: Today we had to strip and unscrew the poles that we were going to use as piers. Us girls in the group had a hard time finding the right tool because there were so many. Both Mr. Monty and Mr. Teague had a lot of patience with us because we were really slow at unscrewing. We were supposed to drill holes in to the piers but it started to rain. So instead of working we play in the rain and had a port-a-potty party. I don’t think I have that much fun in a port-a-potty in my life. It rained for like 2 hours and we continued to play in the rain. So most of us were soaked head to toe. After it rained we played a lot in the mud. A group of us went to get snow cones and met these nice ladies that told us about how the hurricane affected them. It was a very fun day!!!! OH and Sarah and Rachael fell in the mud. DJ: Today was a little slow. We woke up at 6:10 because breakfast was at 6:30. When we were done eating, we got ready to go to work. But it took forever to get to our work places, because we didn’t know where to go. So we played around at camp. When we finally got to our work station, my group had a house that already had piers. There was some extra holes that wouldn’t be used, so we had to fill them in. When we were coming back from lunch, it started to storm, so we stopped working so we went to the store to get some stuff. When I got back to camp, I played around. (It stopped raining.) I went to the snow cone store just across the street and it started raining again, we stayed under the porch and talked to the guy that lived there. He said he lived here his whole life, 50 years. He said he waited out Hurricane Katrina somewhere else, and he would never do that again. He said the rain was unbelievable. He said he could see people hanging on to trees. When it was over, the water was at least 11 ft. high. It looked like a nuclear bomb went out. Trees were all over the place. When he could get back home, he did. When we got back home, his whole house was destroyed. He had to pay his own money, or people that donated money $315,000. I also talked to the lady that lived across the street. She told us about her story. She had one big and small statue. She put the small one under the house, in the bushes, and it was still there when she came back, even though everything else was gone. And the big one didn’t even move. I couldn’t understand that. But I guess it was because it was the statue of Virgin Mary.


Patti: I think I saw God today….. He was looking for Noah. All kidding aside, the kids were great! As all mission trips go, Monday was a slow start. We patiently waited. Our job for the day was to dig holes, the beginning of a deck. For the little (no rain) time that we had -– two holes emerged. Then the rain came. It rained and rained. We decided it was a lost cause for the day. On our way back we stopped at Ms. Sams' house. (We worked on her church last year. ) She was very happy to see us. Mud and all, she invited us in for a chat. She is an amazing lady, full of life and love. We get to visit her Wed. to see the finished church. (Maybe she will make us some of her famous brownies.) I am amazed at how much progress Pearlington has made in the past year. We have not come across one person that has lost faith. Everyone has a story. Everyone believes. Everyone has the faith that will, one day, help Pearlington be finished. Until then we will continue to do God’s work -– your kids are great! They want to work. They want to hear stories. They feel compassion. I feel it is an honor to be able to spend this trip with them. Thank You.

More photos from Pearlington.