Construction is just an amazing thing!  We started with a clean, flat surface (the floor!) on Monday.  By noon Friday, that clean, flat surface is a framed house with walls, windows, doors and a roof!  Who would have ever thought this rag-tag group of vounteers could accomplish so much in one week.  " Hallelujah" and "Praise the Lord" are the only things Miss Leona could say!!  Her house was started 2 months ago -- just a floor.  Untikl this week no other work had been done.

On Thursday, while roofing work was being done, a few members of our team were pulled to another work site just a few miles away.  There was a team from the IMPACT group there, too.  Our jobs were to begin the siding on the house.  After assessing the job and waiting for supplies, work began.  Everyone tried their had at the nail gun.  Folks were perched on ladders, and precision measurements and cuts were made.  The siding job was well underway.

Thursday evening was a special treat for everyone.  During a previous trip to Port Sulphur, we made friends with Paul & Carol.  We stay in touch with them, and catch up with them each time we visit.  They live with their 2 kids on the bayou, and offered to take our entire team on a shrimp boat!  They showed us how shrimp are caught.  Unfortunately, it wasn't the right time of the day, so when they dumped the nets on the deck there were little fishes and crabs flopping all over the place.  (We were in our own episode of "Deadliest Catch"!!)  We were taking pictures and learning all kinds of new things about this culture that's so different from our own.

Friday night was our excursion into New Orleans.  We experienced this city with our eyes and our taste buds!!  The French architecture is always perfect for taking photos, and the restaurants offer wonderful seafood dishes. 

The team has returned home to share their stories and experiences with you.  Our photos will soon be available at www.hrbcrichmond.org.  Check them out!

You notice this entry is titled "The Rest of This Story" and not "The End of the Story".  Our work in Port Sulphur is far from finished.  We encourage you to participate in this partnership.  There are lives to touch, people to meet and work to be done.  You will be changed forever.