Work Notes and Reflection

The home that we were assigned was one where multiple family members had lost there homes and had been forced to share the surviving home of their parents/grand-parents. What had started as 3 families in a 2 bedroom home and Camp Victor had just finished adding 2 more bedrooms on to the home a couple months ago. This home had received damage from to the storm to part of it’s roof and in turn water damage to the living and 2 original bedrooms. With the new roof in place, our job was to make the 2 original bedrooms more livable and finish the bathroom.

During the restoration process, we replaced a section the ceiling and insulation in the one bedroom and a section of floor in the other bedroom. One thing that we could have done without was the fleas and thousands of small Cockroaches (and a few large) that we encountered while performing repairs and cleanup. 2 and a half cans of Cockroach spray later made the area bearable for the team to work. I was proud of Alysse and Kristine as they didn’t like the bugs, but they did what needed to be done anyway.After completing the repairs and cleanup (dead Cockroaches included), we repainted the ceiling, installed new carpet, and installed new doors in both bedrooms. Many thanks to Trent, Bob Cook and Don Conkle for “pop-corning ” the ceiling and the carpet work. We also were able to get a water heater closet in the bathroom dry-walled and ready for paint. The owner and her family were very happy with the carpet and the other work that we had done for them.

Charles Hornaday and crew

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Reflections of the trip

It has been two weeks since returning from Ocean Springs, which has given me time to reflect on the experiences that we had during the trip. This trip was much different for me than the trip a year ago, last January.
It was a time of sadness due to seeing the devastation that still remains and the living conditions that some of the remaining residents endure. But even through all of this devastation and you can see hope in the lives of many that we encountered and helped.
All 3 families that were living in the home that my crew worked on were living at the poverty level prior to the storm. 2 of the families lost everything and were forced to move in with their mother/grandmother. Even though it is a crowded living situation, they happy and content, because they have each other and their God. They said that they felt blessed that they have their lives and by the sharing of the gifts that volunteers have bestowed on them. One of the passages I saw in the home was written by Paul in Philippians (4:11), “Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am”. This family, as were many others that we encountered, are living testimony to Paul’s words. For me personally, I feel that they have given me more than I gave to them.

Charles