Condolences to all our friends and family suffering the icy blast of Old Man Winter in Connecticut.  Today was a lovely day in Biloxi.  At the worksite, scaffolding went up under Steve’s direction, so exterior painting could continue.  Inside, crews were measuring, cutting and installing baseboards, framing windows and doors, and painting. First-timers and veterans alike were picking up new skills under the direction of more experienced team members.  Jim, as crew leader, quickly figured out how to deploy everyone, and kept up a brisk pace.

               

Our youngest, Pat, has become an ace at the saw, with John lending expert advice. 

A highlight at the house today was meeting homeowner Zanetta and four of her five children, all thrilled with the work being done and anxious to move into their home after waiting four years.  

Karen and Lee did a morning shift at the Micah Center, BBM’s day facility where homeless people can collect their mail, do laundry, and use the internet to apply for jobs. Ron and his crew spent a long day finishing off the cleanup at Homeport, a job that turned out to be much bigger than originally expected.

We’ve developed a warm relationship with the Newtown folks, two twenty-something women (Jen and Kate), two young men in their twenties (Matt and Andy), and their surrogate dads, Jerry and Larry (not a comedy team, but sometimes it seems as though they are). Jerry and Larry bring different groups to Biloxi three times a year, and all of these people have done extensive mission work here and elsewhere. They have a deep commitment to mission, for sure.

At the end of the workday we assembled at the mission house for a meeting with Dr. Alice Graham, the new Executive Director (as of yesterday), replacing Rev. Sherry Prestemon, who left in fall 2013. Kenny, director of development, reminded us that “Every day we have an opportunity to be somebody to somebody.” A fitting description of the work we do here.

Karen, John and Melissa took kitchen duty tonight, preparing a knockout chili accompanied by corn pudding à la Joyce Young. We’re celebrating four birthdays this week: Lori, Earl, Hal and Jerry, so they blew out the candles on Rita’s chocolate cake.

These photos were taken by a few of our number during a sunset stroll on the beach….