Tag Archives: Disaster Relief

The List

A fellow blogger once said to me that Lists are a great tool to use in blogging. You know – the 10 best ways to scramble eggs or 10 things I’ve learned while mowing the grass. Since I am sufficiently behind on my blogging, this seemed like a good time to employ that List Technique. Here goes – 10 Not Terribly Related Things.

  1. Our work here at Gulf Shores is going well.  We started out sorting clothes (mostly leftover from the massive amounts of clothing that was donated just after the hurricane hit) and boxing it to be sent to Puerto Rico (or other areas of need).Untitled
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    We’ve also done some post-shelter clean-up and organizing of stuff left behind, and of course, we’ve done some painting.
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  2. The guys have been busy too – though totally in a different area than we are, so I have some very limited pictures.
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    Mostly he and Jeff have been working over at the parsonage, hanging drywall, repairing plumbing and basically getting it closer to being able to be lived in! Meanwhile, the pastor and his wife are in a fifth wheel in the driveway.
  3. Remember those nine guys who drove down from Montana to help out? They were amazing – and even though we didn’t actually work with them, we were able to share devotions with them and some meals. IMG_5854
    They helped out in many different areas, and did excellent work where ever they went!  This is a new floor they put in the rec hall.
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    These men were just an small (and wonderful) example of the folks that have responded to the great need that remains here in the Houston-Galveston area.
  4. The disaster here is almost invisible. Unlike most hurricane damaged areas, there are no (or few) blue tarps on roofs, no trees down, and hardly any visible damage at all. Once the piles of trash are picked up from the street, the houses here look like they’re in pretty good shape. What you can’t see is that there are no walls inside those houses – or at least none for the first 4 feet or so. Foundations are cracked, mold is growing, and all kinds of other interior damage needs to be repaired so these homes are once again livable.The need is still great in this area.KenLongHitchcock
    (Photo by last month’s SOWER worker, Ken Long)
  5. I finally got my “Year 13” photobook finished! Since the year officially ended on July 31st, it’s about time, right? Let’s face it – having the coupon about to expire is the motivation needed to sort through the 7436 photos I took over that 13th year, choose the ones that represent our different stops and then organize them into a photobook!
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    If you’d like to take a look at the inside of  book, you can check it out HERE!
  6. Oh – we checked out Galveston Island over the weekend, and took advantage of the free ferry over to Bolivar Peninsula.
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    We just walked on, rode to the peninsula, rode back and then went out for lunch, but it was a fun little excursion. We spotted some porpoises, saw lots of birds, and a fair variety of boats and ships!
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    A little windswept, but having a grand time!
  7. Back in the day (a couple of lifetimes ago when I was in high school) one of my best friends was Janet Cruise. We were ‘church friends’ (and in fact she went to a rival high school), but she and her brother Dave (a good buddy of Gary’s) were a big part of those high school years. We always thought her folks were pretty cool (and very accommodating to our youth group antics), but I didn’t realize until years later how inspirational her dad actually was. This video is a short documentary about Les Cruise – one of the last living paratroopers who jumped on D-Day. Thank you to ALL our veterans!
    All American from 7 Wonders Cinema on Vimeo.
  8. Since this has taken me two days to put this all together, I thought you’d like to see the progress on our painting project –
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    I think a final coat tomorrow should wrap up this painting job. =)
  9. Since we’re all about The List on this blog post – have you ever read the book “The List” by C.D. Baker? It’s an historical novel about a family in Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War.  I really enjoyed it – perhaps because I’m familiar with the area and perhaps because I know the author, but I have to say it made me see the Revolutionary War in a whole new light. Check it out!
  10. On a final note – the Birthday month is going quite well! I’ve had some nice long conversations with the kids and my sisters, some mushy cards, and enough meals out to call the entire month celebratory.  Here’s a nice fuzzy photo of the Marysville Seven singing Happy Birthday to me –
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    I love my crazy family

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