TUESDAY

         Today started off as dreary and drizzly.  6:30 breakfast found many still asleep, yet that did not stop us from arriving at our worksite by 8:00AM, ready for a hard day of work. Since the crew on Dewey expertly finished their flooring assignment on Monday, they joined the Hollywood crew. The rain subsided and we had the chance to tackle painting the exterior of Sam Taylor’s house. Sam is a charismatic 67-year-old with many stories to share. Having spent his whole life in Mississippi and watching his surroundings evolve around him, his opinions are clear and his convictions, deep. His house abuts the Keesler Airforce Base; a staple in the Biloxi community since opening in 1941, and his house was once part of Keesler, along with many others in the surrounding neighborhood.

         Since we had completed scraping and power washing on Monday, we got straight to work painting; the house was to be repainted white with what some describe as orange, others as peach, some say salmon trim.  Despite discrepancies concerning the color of the trim, we had almost completed the work by the time the day was done.  Rotted wood had been replaced around the windows in hopes of lowering Sam’s energy bill and we finally got the extension ladders necessary to paint the highest parts of the house.  Hard Hat Hal consulted a very cheerful Tim about what to do with the oversized hole through which some wires run into the wall and where, as we were told by Sam, “the squirrels come in and try to eat my house.”  Despite knowing he had an allergy to latex, Denis thought using the latex paint would be a great idea.  He was surpsied when he broke out in hives and needed to leave the work site early to take a shower and some benedryl.   Miraculously he was good as new when he walked to McDonalds for a quick snack hoping to make it back before the Cutler Mobile returned. Sounds planned huh?  Meanwhile, Jen and Kevin were instructed to begin construction in the bathroom, but both escaped when they found a cockroach that then a multitude, and could not be return to the scene of the crime.  As a result, Dave, Jack, and Bob stocily braved the insect infested bathroom disassembled the bathroom’s fixtures and carried them out to be delivered to the dumpster, dropping debris everywhere they went.  Having sawed a rusty bathtub in half to get it out of the door, Jack noted that the tub was now for “half-assed people.”

             At 10:00AM, Lynn, Mary, Kate, and Olivia went over to Loaves and Fishes, (the local soup kitchen,) to contribute their expertise in using can-openers, mopping, washing dishes, assembling care packages, and serving food.  Kate was dismayed to learn halfway through serving lunch that she was supposed to keep track of how many she had served. The severe language barrier between Massachusetts and Mississippi was made evident as everybody had difficulty understanding Snake, the dishwasher, and others. Not only do Bostonians not know how to follow direction, they also have trouble following through with mediocre chores. It’s no wonder we’ve made it this far; Olivia learned that she does not know how to use a broom, while Lynn and Mary struggled with the world’s most non-automatic, automatic can-opener.  Lynn and Olivia also spent some time filling bags with necessities for the homeless with Sandi and Joie who work at the kitchen. They quickly learned not to mess with Sandi, who smoked at least two cigarettes while they were gathering items and shouted at the people awaiting their goods.  Joie was nice, telling us how she hoped to open her own shelter and drug rehab program.  Lynn got her email address and hopefully MCC may be able to contribute to help her cause in the future.

            Following the end of the work day, the tired volunteers met at Back Bay to listen to Shari Prestemon, the executive director of the Back Bay Mission.  She supplied us with more information about the different ways BBM works to help those in Biloxi and the surrounding towns and cities. During the middle of her introduction Abbie, Lynn, Dave and Mary walked in Starbucks in hand. The awkward stares were worth the caffeine infusion, especially for Abbie and Mary who usually visit Starbucks daily. When everyone was settled, Shari shared that 1/3 of their operating budget is the money raised by churches around the country.  The volunteers that come down to the mission equal $1 million dollars of labor each year.  We were all amazed by this figure and it really proved how important the work camp volunteers are for the Mission.  Back Bay Mission works on 50 homes a year in the area and is expanding in different areas as well.  One of the many projects they were starting was building affordable housing in the surrounding communities.

          Once the meeting ended the crew raced back to the dorms for showers before dinner. Abbie was covered head to toe with paint, a true testament to her hard work!? When 5:30 arrived everyone headed to the cafeteria for a hearty meatloaf dinner. Upon return Dave played guitar as many sang ‘Here I am Lord’ and many walked on the beach, skateboarded and caught up on e-mail, while Abbie and Lynn were confined to slaving away on this blog, for your reading pleasure- hope you enjoyed!

Good night!

And 'god be with you till we meet again'

Respectfully Submitted-

Abigail Laura and Lynn Elizabeth