We arrived in Mississippi on Sunday without incident — for once — and were able to settle in, do the big grocery shopping and meet with Wanda and Paul, our volunteer coordinators for the week.

We learned we have a new responsibility for the week. Last summer, Loaves and Fishes, the soup kitchen that has been serving meals for many years, closed its doors. BBM is picking up the slack, with volunteers prepping lunch in the Mission House and serving it at the Micah Center. We also need to select from their suggested menus, shop for the ingredients, and cook for 50 people! Coordination was a little tricky, but we figured it out.

Meanwhile, we have two worksites, one about five minutes away that involves reconstructing a deck, and a new build in Gulfport. Here are some images of the deck crew.

The other job may only take a couple of days.

Tonight we settled into our usual routine. Ally led us in a thoughtful devotion about the ripple effect of what we do here, and after dinner a frenzied game of Setback ensued. The photo doesn’t reflect the energy and noise level involved.