Hope Team - MDS Trip Blog, New Orleans

Middianites are home

2009-03-01T17:22:00.001-05:00

We arrived home @ 4:30. Thank you for your support and prayers. It was a privilege to be the hands and feet of Jesus to Ms. Halloway, Ms. Jefferson, Ms. Reault, Ms. Guy and Ms. Marie. (Ms. Halloway kept calling us the "middianites"! No one bothered correcting her 'cause it was too funny )

Final Guess Who...

2009-03-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

... But maybe it should be a guess why!

We finally had a correct guess on the owner of the cockroach killing shoe. Joy W. identified it as Barb. She showed no mercy to the big critters!
Mitzi was identified as the "potty sitter" by Joy W (Queen Mitzi), Jane and Kara.

We're near Lexington, VA so a couple more legs. Susan drove through a snow squall but the roads remained clear.

Mickey D's in Bristol, TN

2009-03-01T08:40:00.000-05:00

Rain has stopped for now. Grabbed breakfast at a McDonalds that has fresh eggs.

Last leg

2009-03-01T06:44:00.000-05:00

We left at 6:06 this morning. Praising God for his protection and praying for saftey on the road today. All are eager to be home to be with our families. Blessings as you worship today.

Hungry and tired...

2009-02-28T19:40:00.000-05:00

Mark reads the Cracker Barrel menu while Connie shows the fatigue of the week. We're in Knoxville for the night and watching the weather forecast for tomorrow evening. Hopefully the weather forecasters will be wrong again.

Tennessee

2009-02-28T16:51:00.000-05:00

We're about 1:20 from Knoxville where we'll stop for the night. Back in light rain. Ask Joy what makes a stinker of a date.

Mississippi - Alabama border

2009-02-28T12:10:00.000-05:00

Susan takes over the wheel from Mark, and Connie keeps her company. We head for Alabama. Morning naps are over and some break out the DVD players and others listen to music.

Heading home!

2009-02-28T08:25:00.000-05:00

We left about 7am central with a bit of sunshine, but heavy clouds taking over. It has been a great week and we said goodbye to our coworkers who are returning to Oregon, Virginia, and Manitoba. It will actually feel good to sit all day!

Guess Who - Friday

2009-02-27T23:32:00.000-05:00

We enjoyed some New Orleans style Jazz at Preservation Hall. Then some donuts and coffee. So, tonights guess who is... Who really enjoyed their sugar coated donut at Cafe Du Monde in the French Quarter.?

Gumbo!

2009-02-27T15:55:00.000-05:00

Lunch served by Ms. Vergie Halloway. Sausage, chicken, shrimp, crab, oysters, crawfish, and who knows what else! Good, good. Now to get some more drywall hung and joints mudded. If we can get moving again.

Guess Who - Thursday

2009-02-26T22:44:00.003-05:00

We have a winner on the person holding the Pomeranians... Pat! Her daughter, Kara, is concerned that its getting pretty close to cats!

So, tonight, who is sitting on the porcelain throne?

Thursday night in Naw'lins...

2009-02-26T21:35:00.004-05:00

..and we are realizing how fast our week has gone by. You all just missed a wonderful impromptu concert of gospel songs ---including Mansion Over the Hilltop and If That Isn't Love---by our 22 year and 24 year old crew leaders , Curt and Neil and their wives, Kathryn and Hilda. They've been as far as Mexico singing for the Lord Jesus. It has been great fun working and playing with these couples as well as the other longtermers.
Painting, drywalling, grouting tile, spackling and a little sightseeing filled our day today. At two sites, men stopped by and asked if they could help us work on the houses. When they were told we were working for free, they walked away uninterested.
We've been enjoying experiencing New Orleans culture.....
At the Reau house on Jackson St, Jeff, Mitzi, Susan and Pat were treated today to a short parade of jazz players. Across from the house is a combination life insurance office and funeral home.?? We watched 2 funeral processions in 2 days. In New Orleans, front doors are very important as a good first impression, so folks will spare nothing on that purchase. Cars drive by with OUTSIDE speakers blaring... and you see many SUVs far too expensive to be bought by a legal job considering the age of the driver.
Our Canadian cooks have done an awesome job all week... tonite hush puppies were on the table!
The job johnnies have been hassling Susan often this week as one day a salamander visited and then today she screamed upon entry into the port-a-pot as a person stared at her. (It was a mirror!)
Tomorrow a short day and then cleanup..

Hi everyone!

2009-02-26T14:22:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful day in New Orleans! Today Connie, Barb and I are getting to try our hand at mudding at Virgie's house. Virgie is quite the lady - she has the help of the Holy Spirit in designing her house! She so appreciates the "Midianites" coming to work on her house. Tomorrow she hopes to make lunch for us. Well, back to work. Joy

Wednesday Guess Who

2009-02-25T22:17:00.003-05:00

OK. We've got a couple winners. Cassondra and Kara guessed correctly on the slippers being on the feet of Joy, and Cassondra and Betty guessed correctly the gloved hand belonged to Connie (keeping it in the family!) That leaves the person wearing the cockroach killing shoe unidentified.

Tonight, the Guess Who is the person holding the two Pomeranians at the house dedication this evening.

email your guess to hopemds@gmail.com

Singing at House Dedication

2009-02-25T21:53:00.003-05:00

All the long-termers and short-termers here this week met at the Jarrold House for a dedication service this evening. There was a short program of readings, prayer and gifts from two churches that had sent groups that worked on the house including a prayer shawl and a wall hanging. Here's a video of the hymn we sang.

More Wed Pics

2009-02-25T19:57:00.000-05:00

Insulating a shotgun house and interior architecture.

Wednesday work report

2009-02-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

Busy day today at four houses. Here are some pics... of teams getting their gear ready and loaded in trucks, and grouting a kitchen floor.

Tonight, we've got a special treat. We're going to a house dedication for a house that was just completed.

Update on Guess Who will come later!

Wednesday Breakfast

2009-02-25T08:01:00.000-05:00

New assignments on the board. Connie, Barb, and Joy go to the Halloway house to hang drywall with three guys to help them. Mark and Arlen go back to the Jefferson house to finish laying tile. Pat, Jeff, Mitzi, and Susan go to the Reault house to paint trim. Lunches are carefully packed and in the right coolers. We thank God every morning and sing a hymn or two before heading out. .

Home owners visit

2009-02-24T21:13:00.003-05:00

A couple pics of home owners visiting work sites today. Tomorrow, the work site teams gets shuffled up.

Guess Who - Tuesday

2009-02-24T20:38:00.003-05:00

So far, despite numerous responses, we're zero for two. No one has correctly guessed Sunday's Guess Who. The slippers are not being worn by Mitzi (highest number of votes), Connie, or Pat. And, Rosene, the two feet do belong to the same person. The cockroach did not die at the foot of Mark as several people guessed. So, let's try a third. Who was relieving stress by karate chopping wood today? email your response to hopemds@gmail.com

Jefferson house

2009-02-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

Beautiful day at the Jefferson house. Tiled a bathroom and laundry, another bath and kitchen to go. Note the "shotgun" house nextdoor. No hallway. You enter the frontroom, walk thru the bedrooms and kitchen to go out the backdoor.

Tuesday breakfast

2009-02-24T08:29:00.000-05:00

A new house on the assignment board today. Mark and Arlen will be laying tile at the Jefferson house. Here the team waits for breakfast. And discusses how we slept ("like a rock" to "not so good") and how we feel ("like a rock" to "not so good").

Guess Who - Monday

2009-02-23T21:36:00.001-05:00

Guess the owner of the shoe. Death of a super-sized cockroach was not sanctioned by Jeff. Email your answer to hopemds@gmail.com.

Results from yesterday's Guess Who... no winner yet. It's not Mitzi. Not Connie. And, no, it isn't two different women's feet.

We Are Tired.

2009-02-23T21:10:00.007-05:00

The Bloggers (Arlen) hands are tired from a day of over-enthusiastic destruction and mayhem. You've seen pictures from Talbert house where Jeff & Mitzi, Arlen & Barb, Connie, and Pat worked at destruction. Mark and Joy worked at a new construction. The house will be on 6 foot tall pylons. they spread sand around the foundation, and started the construction of the floor. Susan was at another house painting.

Tomorrow, crews return to the same sites as well as another house to lay some tile. Dinner was excellent, like a thanksgiving meal.

There is another post coming for the Guess Who of the day.

Lunch in the sun...

2009-02-23T14:22:00.000-05:00

... and it feels good! Working hard at our site. Filled the 1st dumpster. The other group is starting new construction - on 6 foot tall pilings! We'll get their report tonight.