| Blitz Build in Biloxi |
|
Posted: Monday, June 30, 2008 3:49 pm
|
June 2008. In Biloxi, Mississippi massive white clouds lumber north across a sunlit azure sky, carrying the gift of heat and humidity from the Gulf of Mexico. Beach Boulevard stretches east and west like a banded ribbon and ties the small city of Biloxi to Ocean Springs and Gulfport, Mississippi. Before August 2005, this city was crowded with commerce and comfortable Southern homes where families went about living graciously.
After Katrina’s winds and devastating thirty-foot storm surge, Biloxi changed dramatically. Most everything that existed before was destroyed. To a stranger in town, the City resembles a large beachfront park or golf course. There are a few original buildings and some have been rebuilt -- predominantly government structures and gaudy casinos, but green space abounds in every direction. Three years after the storm, the secrets of what Biloxi “was” are not easily uncovered. The storm debris and broken buildings are long gone. Old brick porch stairs emerge from the earth and climb up to nowhere in particular, standing like monuments of lost civilizations. Concrete driveways wander through Bermuda grass and join with barren concrete slab foundations. Idyllic, live oak-lined drives delineate vacant spaces that only whisper of thriving neighborhoods and families laid waste. Yet, in 2008, life goes on and God still smiles on Biloxi!
Monday, June 16th through Thursday, June 26th, 2008, Craig Snow and his team of Hope Force reservists, in conjunction with Katrina Relief, Operation Rebuild, and other big-hearted volunteer groups worked to complete another “Blitz Build” of a single-family home in Biloxi.
Monday morning, the 16th, wrapped us in summer sun and humidity. A diverse team of approximately fifty volunteers began construction on a new home for Iesha Grimage and her family of four. Old Order Mennonites, Hope Force interns and volunteers, joined to meet the challenge of building Iesha’s quality constructed house in the shortest time possible. Christ-followers with a wide variety of traditions gathered to meet the contest.
 The morning sunlight found Iesha standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the workers, hammer in hand, and big, gleaming smile on her beautiful face. “God bless you,” or “Thank you,” she’d say to every helper within earshot.
Craig Snow and his Construction Superintendent, Jimmy Trevino, expertly orchestrated disparate teams of strangers, together making this building symphony look like child’s play. Strong backs, sharp minds, blistered palms, and loving hearts united to become the hands and feet of Jesus to Iesha and her family.
In an atmosphere of accommodated chaos, teams concurrently painted HardieBoard siding, hammered together stud walls, cut headers, snapped chalk lines, pulled Romex, and roughed-in plumbing with such complementary expertise that by the end of the day, Iesha’s house was ready for exterior siding and sheetrock.
Finally, Craig stated, “We’re at least a day ahead of schedule!” Miraculously, everyone left with body parts intact and no bloodshed. God protected all of us neophytes in the midst of whirring blades and 22 oz. waffle-faced bludgeons!
On Tuesday, roof sheeting and felt were installed. The staccato hammer blows on the plywood decking drawing the curiosity of neighbors, local print and TV media, and civic leaders. Behind the scenes, Hope Force staff members, Dee Lynch and Carol Witt, worked with local Salvation Army Command members to ensure healthy hydration and feeding for all of the Blitz Build volunteers. As easy as that sounds, the tropical environment and the feverish work pace of the Blitz created a feeding frenzy of impressive proportions. The mass of volunteers, wrapped snugly in the ever-present blanket of the hot Mississippi damp, raised a gustatory and hydration challenge that Dee and Carol easily matched. These women had been here before. True professionals with robust and golden servant’s hearts saved our lives those days!
To celebrate, Iesha held a party in her new home, where smiles, joy, pride, and appreciation abounded. Biloxi’s best showed up that day, dressed to the “nines!” Local strangers, unprompted, lavished overflowing hearts of gratitude on the volunteers, “God bless you! Thank you for all that you’ve done! We love you!” Spontaneous and sweaty hugs were commonplace.
On Thursday, June 25, 2008 we dedicated Iesha’s beautiful new home to the God who energizes us; Who saves us; and Who shows us how to love by saying, “…through love serve one another.” Galatians 5:13b
As you read this report, do you ever wish that you could serve God with your whole heart in a meaningful way? You can, you know. Contact Hope Force International for a way to help those who need you the most. If you do, you will never be the same!
info@hopeforce.org or 615-371-1271
|
|
Printer-friendly format
|
|
|
|
