Good-Bye to Laurel

Hi everyone. Today is the last of our work in Laurel. We worked hard and got a lot of work done! We had a very good group, and the managers were great. We are planning on starting for Michigan in the morning. Hope and pray the roads are good. Please also pray for Bill Adams and his family; Bill is the director of CRWRC Disaster Response Service. His brother Charley and sister-in-law Pam were in a very serious accident in South Dakota. They remain in critical condition but are showing signs of improvement. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. We both get a lot of strength from it... See you soon. Love~ Dan and Gerda

Last Day in Belle Glade

We are on our last day of our three weeks in Belle Glade. Somehow the time always go by so quickly. We have completed 13 trailer or modular homes. Some were major repairs and some were minor. We had a last nail ceremony for the Beltron family yesterday and they were very happy to have their home finished. They speak very little English so it had to be translated into Spanish but the ceremony is always so moving.

The weather here has been fantastic! We've had some rain and that's good because it's been quite dry here. The temps have been in the high 70's or low 80's- much better than snow and ice that you're having at home. I'm not sure if I'm ready for all of that white and slippery stuff anymore.

I'm sending two pictures along of Doug before and after his broken leg. He's actually doing quite well. He tries to do some work, but when it swells then he knows he has to stop and put it up for a while. He has been helping the head of the local group in Clewiston and they have had some really good talks together. Maybe even broken legs have a purpose and God uses that for His will.

We will be leaving for home Sat. morning and we'll take our time driving back. Doug can't sit with his leg in one position for long so we won't hurry. I was supposed to have jury duty next week but that has been postponed for one week so we'll take a few days. Thank you for your prayers for us and for the work that CRWRC is doing. Bringing hope to people who are affected by disasters is something that is very close to our hearts. We feel very blessed to be able to do this work. Love, Doug & Mary

Hi from Laurel

Hi, everyone. We are doing great! We feel guilty because of the weather you have been having since we left. We did have frost of the trucks the other morning. We were also under a tornado warning on Tuesday-- we all had to come back to the house. We are still working on the same 3 houses; Dan is doing more floors in the same place, and the group I work with are doing ceilings. I was thinking it was impossible for me to mud and tape, but the team and I did a pretty good job, much to my surprise! It is hard to believe that by this time next week we head home. Have a great week and God Bless you all. Love~ Dan and Gerda

Broken Leg

We've had a new wrinkle come about on our worksite. After working a whole week putting a roof on a trailer, Doug slipped in the mud while jumping a mud puddle and broke the fibula bone down by his ankle. We had an inch of rain on Saturday and the soil gets real slimy when it rains. Now he's on crutches and he is running errands for anyone around. I'm still in the kitchen cooking and baking up a storm for 24 people every day.

We watched sugar cane being harvested on Saturday and that was interesting. There is a lot of muck fields around here. It reminds us a lot of home.

Last week we finished 7 homes. Some were a little work to some extensive work done. The clients have been so happy to have their homes back. It is such a blessing to see their faces while the work is being done, but especially when it is complete. Even when they can't speak English, the look on their faces says it all! Will write more later~ Doug & Mary

Port Arthur-- Week 6

It is hard to believe we are begining our last week here. We have finished 2 homes and have 10 more on the files to work on. Today we were treated to a dinner at the Church of God, an African American church. They even sing "Victory in Jesus" faster that East Martin!! We had a lady pull up next to us at the stop light today and yell out the window, "Thanks for working here, you did my house last year." Things like that make our day! We will be having a changeover this week with the management team. Our project managers have been here 4 months, so a complete new team will be taking over on Saturday. We will have a little vacation and then be off to work in Florida. I don't think I had better tell you about the weather here.

Love~ Rich & Phyl

Laurel, Mississippi

Hi, everyone. We got to Laurel on Saturday afternoon. We were ahead of the storm. It was raining most of Thursday, but the rest of the way went well. We have been having a busy week! Dan is working on a house replacing the floors and I have been taping and mudding, which is a new experience for me . The Pine Belt Reconstruction group we work for is starting to run out of money, so they are only doing the necessary things so people can continue to live in their homes. We are here with 19 people. We love you all and thank you for your prayers.

Love~ Dan and Gerda

We made it to Belle Glade

Hello everyone, and especially Dustin! We arrived here safely on Saturday afternoon and have 80 degree weather. We left before the snow arrived and were ahead of the bad weather all of the way down. We have 24 in our group, so it makes for a big group around the table. Doug will be working in the town of Clewiston, which is about 20 miles away and I will be the head cook in the kitchen. So far, the work is all on trailers and double wides and this is leftover yet from Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Trailers don't last real good when they've been wet that long, but these people are still living in their homes and many are getting sick from the moldy conditions. This is a very poor area and a lot of migrant workers live here. The crops we've seen so far are sweet corn and lots of sugar cane. We'll write more as the week progresses and the work gets started. Enjoy the snow and we'll enjoy the sun and humidity.

Love to all! Doug & Mary