it's a small world...after all.

last night, the first team arrived...they consisted of about 20 youth (younger high schoolers) and they were from southern alabama. today, i spent the day with the alabama group at a couple's house who had lost their home to katrina. this couple had built a beautiful new home for themselves, but they had used chinese drywall inside the house. this type of drywall is made with sulfur, which is emitted into the air. over a period of time, the drywall can cause health problems as well as problems to home appliances, etc inside the house. it is not safe to live in, so these people were forced to have it removed...so we spent the day tearing apart the inside of a home that had just been completed after being destroyed in the storm. it is such a sad story and the man came to tears as he explained the situation they were in. it was heartbreaking. he had lost a home, then he had spent time and money into a new home, only to have to tear it apart again. the hits just keep coming for him and his wife. im just glad we were able to help the couple in some small way. the team completely removed all the drywall from the house and also helped with some odd jobs around the house.

the house is a beautiful, 22-sided polygon (basically a circle)...it had a complete wrap-around porch and sat on very high stilts. the house overlooked a beautiful golf course and was located in a richer part of town. the couple obviously had money, but they were still hurting and had experienced loss...they still needed help and we gladly gave it to them.

the couple's neighbors were helping them out tremendously by allowing them to stay with them. the neighbors also allowed us to use their restrooms while we worked and then they graciously invited us over for lunch. it was so kind of them! they went out and bought food for over 20 people, not to mention they invited us back over for lunch the next day too.

later in the day, it stormed a bit, which was a blessing to a lot of people around here because they've been experiencing a bad drought for a while now. it hasnt rained barely at all in the past couple of months...any fire that starts is extremely difficult to stop so a burn ban has been put into effect also.

another team was coming in tonight, but i hadnt learned of where they were from yet. i overheard jamie telling someone they were from georgia, which caught my attention. i immediately asked where in georgia and she replied, locust grove...which is the town right next to mine! i was so surprised and excited. then, i wondered if it was first baptist church of locust grove, which is where one of my good friends goes to church. ive actually been to lock-ins and such at her church during high school and i kno several other people who attend that church. well, jamie confirmed that it was in fact, her church. it was so bizarre! i mean what are the odds of that happening...for real! like, one in a million. plus, her sister is down here too with the group and who knows who else i might see that i kno. there are 40 plus people in this group...im bound to kno or recognize at least someone...guess we'll find out in the morning.