Our trip to Gulfport, Mississippi, concluded on Thursday (May Day) as the crew made great progress on covering the walls and ceilings with drywall and insulating the home.
The day started as each day in Gulfport had - with breakfast and a sermon at 6 am. On this day the sermon was very practical (regarding John 13) and had no obvious theological flaws though the preacher did say “You know how I know he said it? 'Cause the words are written in red in my Bible.) I did not even get a step by step account of Jesus’ walk to the cross. Is it sinful that this disappointed me?
The morning sermons have inspired me to create a short film of the speaker’s interpretation of Jesus on the way to the cross with words written in red spewing from his mouth like in a children's instructional video. If and when it is done, I will post it on the blog and YouTube.
Before the work day began, we took several group photos. Kevin told Don to fix his hair. Get it? (Note: This anecdote was primarily an excuse to use the photo of Don and his extraordinary beard.)
I was given the responsibility of cutting several times on the day. This is amazing after I butchered my first attempt. Kevin asked me to cut an intricate piece so delicate that we had nine men raise it to prevent it from breaking. That is the only time of the trip that this many men were needed. Though I had limited experience, he left me unsupervised. I should have said what Owen Wilson said to Jackie Chan in Shanghai Knights - “what in our history makes you think that I'm capable of something like that?"
As Bob Uecker might say, my cut was "just a bit outside." Naturally, my big mistake came on a piece of sheetrock everyone worked on and as such witnessed by all. As the think tank was discussing how to remedy the situation - Kevin’s response was priceless - “Lord have mercy! You can’t doctor that sucker!”) For the record, the piece was reusable and my other cuts on the day were less dramatic. I appreciated the opportunity after the mistake. I suppose the rationale was that I was only going to get better...
Mine wasn’t the funniest gaffe all day. While installing insulation, a senior citizen named Bill stomped on the floor and knocked out a piece of the ceiling. His error was far easier to correct than mine and seen by far fewer people.
The homeowners again provided lunch. The owner’s young looking 64-year old wife, affectionately known as “Mama San”, cooked the crew shrimp fried rice. Though I ate little on this trip as the dirt I ingested filled my stomach, this dish was so good I ate three full bowls.
We also met the owner Trang for the first time. As he inspected the house, he seemed pleased. Presently, his family still lives in a FEMA trailer. He made plans to took Kevin out on his forty-foot boat to fish over the weekend.
Jerry and his wife (who were completing a two-week volunteer stint) noted that the day marked their 32nd anniversary. An unfortunate, way too descriptive conversation of Viagra ensued. Fortunately, I had little to add.
JW asked our group (himself, JCI, HEM, MLM, and myself) to work overtime as one room needed a ceiling and without our team's presence the next day, the process would have taken far longer. We had grown to love JW so quickly that had he asked to stay all night, we probably would have done so. He was quite the answer to prayer as he provided Kevin with the skilled worked he was looking for and the friend I had asked several to pray for en route to Gulport.
After working all day under Kevin's direction, it seemed fitting to end the work week with the same crew we began with. A lot was done in three days work. The pictures you are seeing are from the house's interior. None of the walls or ceilings were in place when we arrived. It was amazing to watch. Clearly (at least to us), God was involved in the process.
It had been a long day. JCI was so exhausted he did not make it back to the church without sleeping! JCI entertained me throughout the trip. He incorporates more puns than anyine I have ever met. (“If anybody walks on the celing, take your shoes off because it is holy Ground.”) There were also a lot of Biblical references. A Biblical punny man is my kind of man. (As I left, I told him how much I loved his puns to which he responded, “Thanks...some people don’t.”) When he erred, he would exclaim “Christian expletive!” which was especially humorous considering one of his co-workers who shall remain nameless (other than to say he was not named “Chan”) was cussing lie a sailor. On Thursday, JCI encountered another North Carolina State University alum. They did this greeting whcih called for JCI to howl like a wolf (the school mascot is the “Wolfpack.”) I might have gone on the trip just to see that.
As we returned to the church, I got the bright idea to return Knoxville right then and there as there was no intention of working a shift the following day. I had my reasons, not the least of which was not wanting to waste a perfectly good Friday on the road. I thought of my family on the way home as I passed Keesler Air Force Base (where my grandfather had been stationed in WW2) and cranked a Simon and Garfunkel CD in homage to my uncle ECD. I finally pulled in my driveway at 3:32 am.
The trip was a good experience. I liked everyone I met there and almost all of the crew we sent. I loved my foreman (Kevin, pictured on left with barn builder Terry) as not only was he understanding of my obvious ignorance, he took the time to teach me carpenter skills. I can now say that I ahve "Average carpentry skills." (Note: Pro wrestling reference - see 9/1/1997 edition of "Monday Nitro.") The weather could not have been more obliging. The week before Gulfport had consistently had temperatures in the 90s. On this week, it was almost always in the 70s with a breeze to temper the heat.
I’d like to think I helped. I gave my best effort. Being younger than most volunteers, I could at least carry a lot of supplies. If nothing else, my excessively pale, almost leprous skin attracted bugs away from my co-workers. So, at the very least I was good bug bait. I am almost positive that I was better than the empty seat that would have been in my place otherwise. Almost...
There are two aspects of construction I especially enjoyed. The noise inherent in the endeavor often necessitates yelling on the part of workers. Yelling random numbers and words is always fun. I also really loved throwing the remains of sheet rock out the window towards the dumpster. If you ever are asked to do this, throw them like a frisbee to greatly increase your trajectory. Perhaps people who litter get the same thrill I got...
While there MLM scheduled the church’s next stops in Gulfport. He will be taking college students and anyone else willing to brave the summer heat during the last week of July (the week after youth camp). Thus far, we are the only church signed up for that week. Other trips planned are leaving the Sunday after Labor Day, in mid-October and in mid-November (two weeks before Thanksgiving). The Tennessee Baptist Convention’s contract with Robinson Road Baptist Church expires in January of 2009 after three years of cooperation. Our crew on this mission was our smallest to date at five. If you would like to attend, please contact MLM here. If you feel inadequate, I assure you that you will not be more ignorant than I. This is where the old adage that God wants your availability, not ability, applies.
Whether you volunteer or not, please keep the mission teams and the families affected by the disaster in your thoughts and prayers. Especially pray that Kevin and company are able to complete Trang’s house on time. I will keep you abreast of the situation as I get details.
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