Wednesday, June 28, 2006Wednesday, and it was hard to get going this morning. We are definitely feeling our sore muscles and the heat! We found out when we got back to the church last night that yesterday, the town where we are working had the hottest temperature in the state for the day. Today we were inside more, and with the windows back in place, we were able to run the window unit air conditioner. Still not cool, but better than out in the sun!
Part of the group finished the windows
– more screws and caulk, and part of the group finished all of the insulation in the ceiling. Then we were finally able to start measuring and cutting drywall. This is an older double-wide trailer home, plus there has been all the damage to the wood, so that some is new, some is kind of new, and some is very old, so it’s walls, windows, doors aren’t exactly straight. "Measure twice, cut once" became "measure about 3 or 4 times, draw the lines, measure it again, then cut, then fix what still isn’t quite in place."
We ate our lunch in what will soon be a living room again, and then got a few more boards into place. We left the worksite at 3:30 today, so that we could be at the Baptist Church at 5:30. We arrived late and covered in construction debris yesterday, so we thought we’d better get showers beforehand tonight, and we made it in plenty of time.
Everybody is working hard, and most of the group is learning new skills as we begin working with the drywall. Only Kim and John have much previous experience with hanging drywall, so everyone else is learning new skills. And tomorrow we’ll be working with mud, too!
Kaitlyn remarked today that she was so glad she’d learned about insulation last year, as it made it possible for she and Megan to take the lead on that part of the project this year. They did a great job, but definitely missed Todd and Dave as insulation cutters!
Thanks for your continued prayers.
Kim Trimboli and the HPC Mission Team
 Rafter work |  Showers |
 Shanise & Sheetrock |  Jim & Sheetrock |
The remainder of the group spent the day measuring, cutting, re-measuring and re-cutting, then hanging drywall. It takes a lot of people to hold up a sheet of drywall and get it screwed into a ceiling that is at least a 30 degree angle. We have most of one room completely done (one small piece tomorrow!), and the other room is about half done. There was a torrential rainfall tonight, so we will be able to see if there are any more leaks. Tonight we ate dinner at the Presbyterian Church with Pastor Angel Ramos and his family, as well as a couple of the leaders from CREW. The lasagna was delicious, and we had the opportunity to hear more about the local issues with dealing with the people who need help, with FEMA, with finances and with the lack of volunteers since every one is going to Louisiana & Mississippi. Tomorrow we go back for one more morning at Yeshika’s house. We then will load up the truck and van, head to the beach for the afternoon, then get a couple hours up the road, giving ourselves a head start on the trip home. We’ll see you on Sunday! We can’t wait to tell you more about our experiences. Watch this space for information about the stockholder’s dinner. In Christ,
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Ah, Thursday. The week is almost through. We had a disappointment this morning when we arrived at the worksite to find that more water had found it’s way into the house we are working on, and some of the drywall we put up yesterday was wet. So John and Jim put a new tarp over the roof, as the previous one was not doing the job. Beth and Brad made sure the windows were thoroughly caulked and protected. 
Kim Trimboli & the Mission Team
Final Photos from Friday, June 30, 2006
