The mission trip continued on Wednesday but our work moved indoors as we worked with drywall.
The morning started again at 6 am. When the local preacher bellowed his morning greeting, I took it as my cue to work on my hygiene in the bathroom. I returned in time to hear much of his sermon. The combination of shouting and a theological debacle functions like a train wreck of the ears. It is unpleasant, but I just have to listen. The man was consistent as his message mirrored his previous effort, including sayinging “Amen?” as punctuation to end every other sentence. I will say that, before coming to Gulfport, I never knew that Jesus approached his crucifixion with a “bring it on” attitude.
At 6:45 our crew (the same crew as the day before) journeyed to the same house. On the way, we could not help but notice the resiliency of the trees. Some of the trees have withstood not only Katrina but 1969's Camille as well. I believe there is a sermon in there on good roots...
We arrived to the site before the foreman. All this meant was that we had the opportuntiy to park the van in the shade. Actually, weather has not been a problem at all. On this day the heat was not too bad and a cool breeze circulated throughout the day.
I have learned much about construction. Yesterday I l discovered that construction is not an exact science. I also have experienced why many people are standing around aimlessly on construction sites. It is not due to sloth but because some tasks cannot be begun until others have been completed. Today I learned far more.
Kevin, our foreman, took me under his wing. He made it his aim to make me into a preaching carpenter. I used all sorts of tools such as hammers, saws (electric and hand), screw guns, etc. I even was given an opportunity to be the “cut man,” Though I am much better now than when the day began, I am not considering quitting my day job (of being unemployed) just yet.
Though I experimented with many jobs, I spent most of the day hanging drywall. The most difficult part of this chore is cutting the pieces. Kevin did this so the team was left only to hang it. MLM and JW handled much of the placing while the rest of the crew, myself included, stablized their efforts with countless screwing. We dubbed ourselves the screw crew. KLTW, you would be so proud.
I was substantially helped by a nipple Kevin applied to our guns. This meant that we could drill as hard and fast as we wished without having to worry about the screw going to far. I have always said that nipples were a great invention...
Kevin told me a bit of his testimony which I will relay as it bears repeating. April 30th marked his two-year anniversary as a Christian and his second week in Gulfport. He will be serving 4½ weeks total and his goal is to complete the house we are working on in that time. Our arrival meant he was equipped with a full crew for his entire tour. In the past sixteen months, he has made nine mission trips to Gulfport and one to Jamaica. He can do so because he is self-employed and the Lord has provided. For instance, just before he left, a woman whom he had never met donated $1500 to his cause. He wept as he relayed his love of God.
In less dramatic news, his use of “Git-R-Done” on the job validates my comparison to Larry the Cable Guy.
The highlight of the day came when we went to Goodwill Missionary Baptist Church (located at 322 Davis Avenue in Pass Christian) for lunch. They are a predominantly African-American church that suffered flood damage from Katrina. The church was founded in 1893 and has survived both Katrina and Camille.
They had significant damage to their facility as water rose uo to eight feet off the floor. Their church was one of the first places rebuilt by relief teams. In response, they offer a free meal each Wednesday from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. The meal is open to anyone who might want to come though they recently stopped filling takeout orders as some abused the hospitality. We were served chicken with a vegetable plate, rice smothered in gravy, a salad, and banana pudding. The meal was great though I abstained from banana pudding due to dietary concerns and the salad because...well, I did not want it.
I perused their sanctuary and is beautiful. It is furnished with stained glass windows. One thing that amused me was that the church offers fans to its parishioners. This is not uncommon nor are the sponsorships from local funeral homes. What struck me was whose pictures graced the fans - Martin Luther King, Jr. and Barack Obama!
While at lunch we met two Canadians named Bruce and Harold. They were the last remnant of a once large relief crew from Ontario. I was able to make conversation not only due to my collegiate church appeal to sing “O, Canada” but also through my professional wrestling knowledge. Not only were they aware of the vast talent pool of Canadian wrestlers but I learned that JCI, the retired nuclear engineer, was once a fan as well. It is amazing how often my wrestling fandom comes in handy.
We worked past 5 pm for the second day in a row. Late in the day, MLM left with his parents. They made the trip from their home in Hammond, Lousiana (less than an hour away). This forced JLH into driving duty as he is the only other driver licensed for the van. His snail’s pace made me miss MLM’s excessive lane changes!
I am holding up alright. I have incurred several bug bites, ingested a trendous amount of dust (despite my mask) and my heels are sore. I have checked with reliable internet sources and it seems the probability of my feet falling off is slim, so I am feeling good about things.
Tomorrow we plan on completing the ceiling, continuing to plaster walls, and beginning insulating. We have no set goals as no one crew can complete a house. We simply work as long and hard as we can. Please keep the mission in your prayers.
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