End of Week 3

This has been accomplished in 2 and 1/2 weeks.

Week 3

Here it is at the end of our work session; the time has gone so fast. I just want to post a picture of the house I had posted when we first started so that you can see the accomplishment that was made. Thank you for your prayers and we will see you soon. I have another 350 pictures I could share! Love, Rich & Phyl

Week 2 Slidell

Here we are at the end of week 2 already. We have had a Last Nail on one of the homes that was very special to us because Ms. Frances made us lunch every day as well as made lunch for weeks for every group that has worked on her house. All this was made out of a little tiny kitchen in a Fema trailer. At the Last Nail there was another big feast after the ceremony, and everyone in the neighborhood was invited. We have another home that will be 95% finished when we leave, and one that will be 80%-- so the next group will have 2 Last Nails. We are starting a new job on Monday and also are picking one up that is 40% completed. To date the Last Nail we had was house #480 that was completed. We had to give one back until the case worker could straighted some things up. It is so hard to give them back after you hear the peoples story. There is so much to do and so little time. We have been blessed with good weather most of the time and good workers. Thank you for your prayers. I will try to send the picture of the lady from the red house and also the progress of the red house. The last one is Ms. Frances. Love, Rich & Phyl

Slidell

I'm not to sure about this blogging stuff, by the time I get on the internet I have spent a half hr on the computer. I have a long way to go. We have had a great week and a half. It took a drywall sanding blitz with all hands that we could use to get Doug and Mary's shotgun house ready for paint. Today we have the whole house with one coat of paint and some rooms starting on the second coat. The house that I sent a picture of we have it leveled ,all the plywood on the floors the windows out and the room arrangement set up so we can put up the studs on the inside to make things a bit more stable. My first reaction to the house was what a dump that was before I met the owner . Now the house has a face of a elderly little lady who told us she has waited for 2 years to get back home. Now it is the red house and a very special challenge, right up Rich's idea of a fun job. The group of people we have working with us give 110% they also have a good time doing it. I have never worked with such a funny group. It starts around the breakfast table already and goes on until bed. I guess we have to work them harder. It makes for a great time. We have a Last Nail on Fri and I hear even the Mayor is coming, Ms. Frances knows every one in this town. She also feeds us at noon and half of the neighborhood. Things are going well. I will try pictures later when time permits. Thank you for your prayers we could not do without them. Rich & Phyl

Hi Again from Port Arthur

Hi-- Well our 3 weeks are just about over. Tomorrow is our last day. We didn't finish any of the houses we worked on. They had so much damage, we found more everytime we looked around. The next group should be able to finish 2 of them, so the families can move back home after 2 years. I have been painting ceilings for the past couple of days and Dan is helping hang drywall. We have had a wonderful 3 weeks. We worked hard but had lots of fun too. We celebrated Thanksgiving day with the Canada friend last Monday. Tuesday the cooks went to a garage sale and got us all a fun gift and put up a Christmas tree. Tonight we celebrated Christmas. We sang Christmas songs and opened our gifts. Saturday morning we will be heading home. We should be home Sunday late or Monday. Thanks for all the prayers and support you have given us. I have enjoyed blogging. Thank you Kathy. Love Dan and Gerda

Last day in Slidell

These three weeks went really fast! We worked hard but we had a lot of fun, too! I'm sending along a group picture so you can see who we worked with. But now it's time to head north and go home. I mudded today at the shotgun house so I was tired again tonight. We almost got the house done one coat. Doug & the guys put in plywood subfloor so that house is coming right along. Miss Frances' house has the laminate floor laid in two rooms and another gal & I put down vinyl tile squares in two rooms. It really looks nice. The third house has the siding on and the painting is done so it is ready for trim work. There are 2 "new" houses that the next crew will work on that will be quite a challenge. They will also finish these three houses. I think Rich & Phyl will be able to handle all of that. We want to thank you for the comments sent to us on the blog; they meant a lot to us. We also want to thank you for your prayers. See you at home. Love, Doug & Mary

Slidell/R-P

This is our first house that we will be starting! We will need your prayers. No need to say more!
Love Rich and Phyl

We made it to Slidell.

Nice to have a welcome here from someone we knew. Mary is giving me lessons on sending notes on the blog . I hope I can do as well with pictures as she has. It is as hot as we expected. We have a few days on orientation before we start work on Oct 6. Pray for us as we begin a new job. Rich and Phyl

Humpday.It is down hill from here

We are half done. We have done a lot of work. I with the group I was with tore all the walls and ceiling out of a house. Today I started to paint in the house I started at. When the painting is done the floor can be laid and the owner can think of moving into her home after 2 years. The is a lot of work on the outside the next group will do. Dan is working in the house I was out and they have to raise the roof tomorrow because it is fall down. Then they can put the walls up and ceiling up so it too will look like home to this family in a couple of week. We will start in the fourth house tomorrow. It is always exciting to see what has to be done and start doing it. We are here with a great group. Laugh alot. We will say good bye for now and will write again soon. Love you all. Dan and Gerda

Our 3rd week in Slidell

Hello again! We are winding down and are trying to finish the houses that we are working on. Doug started on a different house and this one is really crooked. They are just doing enough to get it ready for the next group. Rich & Phyl will be the Construction Supervisors for that group so he will have some work ahead of him.
I have a message from Anthony for our Youth Group. We visited him the other day and he has moved into his home about a month ago. He said to tell everyone hello and to say that Anthony is doing A-OK! He laid the ceramic tile himself and put down the carpet himself. He did a good job. We had a nice prayer with him and a nice visit.
I'll have more in a couple of days to finish out our report and have a few more pictures. Until then- Love, Doug & Mary