Final Worship on the Beach

We got to spend some time on the beach today!  A few went before dinner, but the jellyfish ran them off!  Then, we returned to the beach for closing worship.  This was a major highlight of the trip!  There's nothing like sitting on the beach, listening to the waves crash, the moon glowing over the water, singing songs, discussing the week, and of course, a hug circle to end.

Kenny using his iPhone flashlight app to help Cheryl read scripture
Singing (and dancing to) Kumbaya...it was Tom's idea...
Our group at the beach before worship

Enjoying God's magnificent creation...
We're thinking about our church family!!  Now, anyone who passes this spot on the beach in Galveston will know too!
The Powder Blue got to do some off-roading tonight!  We drove right onto the beach for worship! 
Lucy, Tom, Amanda & Amy singing songs for worship.
Chaz (from Odessa), Laurie (from Albuquerque), Dustin and Carol
Someone left a wakeboard on the beach, so Amy took advantage before worship got started.
Chaz, Brad, Laurie, Dustin & Carol before worship got started.
Amanda rejoicing in the beauty of the beach.
Jacqueline (Odessa), Tom and Lucy...we were so lucky to have such wonderful people to share this trip with!  We love our Texas City family!
Amy, Cheryl & Amanda cheesin' before the beach worship
Dustin, Carol, Judy, Lucy (behind Tom), Tom, Amanda, 1/2 of Amy
Blake, Elise, Kenny, Cheryl, Andrew singing on the beach
Cheryl, Andrew, Chaz, Laurie, & Dustin

Last Day of Work

I think if you talk to any one of our missionaries, they'd tell you that the last day of work, was by far the best day of work.  We felt like we accomplished a lot and had fun doing it!  Even with all the frustrations we encountered through the week (missing supplies, etc...), we ended strong.  

The outside the church group finished putting up plywood and the tar paper on one side of the church.  This also included putting TWO windows in!  The interns were skeptical that it could be done on time, but it got done!  The inside group got most of the sheetrock in the classrooms/offices!  Again, this was not all supposed to get done, but it did!  

The group working at Matt & Sharon's house got the siding up on one whole side of the house!  This is extra wonderful since they didn't get the siding delivered until last night!!  They worked lights out and had fun doing it!  Sharon couldn't be happier!

The plumbing group (or the "Special Teams Unit" as they came to be known) did a lot.  They finished replacing outlets and switches in the Love House, took out a sink and urinal in the men's bathroom in the church and put the sink back when the sheetrock was up.  However, the urinal turned out to be a bit of a problem and broke before it got replaced.  But the sink is back in AND doesn't leak!  woohoo!!

We are looking forward to coming home to Baton Rouge and sharing our stories with all of you!  But tomorrow is Schlitterbahn day!!  

Good Night!

Amy putting up siding on the house with a nail gun!!
FCCs own Charlie's Angels...perhaps they are Andrew's Angels?  Michael's angles?  
Kenny with a nail gun!  Whose idea was that?
Blake making sure the siding is level
Intern #4, Rindi, using her first power tool of the week (she's been on kitchen duty...)

Water breaks were Brad and Amanda's favorite time of day!
Amanda and Lucy are ready to put that window in!!
Carl inspecting, Cheryl supervising, Tom hooking up the sewer pipes...just the way it ought to be.
Carol and Lucy were very proud of their tar paper!
Elise can sheetrock with the best of them!
Brad unhooking the urinal...I think this was a first.
Cheryl unhooking the sink so the sheetrock can be replaced...she put it back in too and it doesn't leak or anything!
Carl explaining something to Lucy...Carl (who is in charge of the whole worksite) likes to explain things...

Poop-a-palooza

Strange title...yes.  

Strange day...yes.

Pictures to back it up...oops.

There was some plumbing that needed to be done, so of course George got to oversee it.  The plumbing team was so proud to finish their job this morning...however this afternoon it was discovered that someone flushed something they shouldn't have and things kind of went downhill from there so to speak.  Needless to say, George ended up "dealing" with the worst of the problem.  While the whole team pitched in to correct the problem, George ended up being the one who needed a shower later...ask him about it.  :o)

The team working at Central Christian Church put in a window, tar paper up and got a good portion of the inside drywall up!  The plumbing team (after the mishap) turned into the electrical team and got to work changing out plugs and switches in a house that has been gutted and ready to be rebuilt.  The crew at Matt & Sharon's finally supplies and are ready to put up Hardy Board tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our last day of work!  

Kenny and Dustin look really busy!
Don't worry, Andrew may be doing some work this week, but he's not working TOO hard!
Mother-Daughter teamwork!
Dusting the builder...looking professional
Tom replacing the outlets in the "Love House"
Brad...a proud member of the plumbing crew cutting a hole for the dryer vent...notice Cheryl's expertly cut hole in the board...
Cheryl's new favorite power tool = jigsaw 
Okay, what about this hat?
Did you know that today Sonic was giving away FREE root beer floats?  They may have cried when two church vans pulled in!  But we enjoyed them!

Pictures Galore for Day 2!!

Good evening from Texas City, TX!  Today was day 2 on the job site.  Again we split into our work groups to get productive!  We can't properly tell you what all we accomplished today, so we decided to just SHOW you!  Enjoy!

Mealtime is a joyous time...

This is our tool trailer...this is where we get our power tools!  (and our non-power tools...sometimes you just need to get a "feel for the pipe.")

Meet the Interns Day 2:  This is BETH!  Beth always has a smile on her face!  She's a great motivator for the workers and always has something for us to do...even if it's playing a rousing game of Pterodactyl during down time!
The plumbing crew (George, Tom, Brad & Cheryl) fixed a leaky sink drain by replacing the drain.  This is one of the many plumbing tasks that they've been working on (note:  the mess at the wall was NOT our handywork...that was already there)

The crew from FCCBRLA decided to get their hands dirty and wash the dinner dishes after tonight's dinner!  We even sang "I'll Fly Away" while we worked.  It was a hit!  

Brad screwing the new utility sink to the floor!  
The crew at the Matt and Sharon house. Laurie, Jacqueline, Amy, Andrew, Kenny, Dustin, Blake, Judy, Andrew and Blake spent the day nailing up plywood and Tyvek.  (Notice that Andrew has tried to make his grandma's hat look cooler...the jury is still out...

Elise, Carol, Lucy, Amanda, Kate and Chaz hung drywall at FCC. 
So suave...
Go Amanda, go!
Oh, how we LOVE water breaks!
Dustin, our caulking king!
and our queen :)
See, told you Michael...this was not photoshopped!

We're having a great time and getting a lot done!!  Keep checking back!  And keep the comments coming!  We love to hear from you!

Peace, 

The Galveston Mission Team

getting started

Today we got up early, loaded up the vans and headed toward Galveston.  We picked up supplies at Lowe's on our way into Galveston and were ready to work!  We shared breakfast with the other 3 groups we are working with, got a quick orientation and got to it!  

We got the chance to work with many of the different groups on different worksites.  One group went to deconstruct, insulate then reside the house of a church member.  Another group headed inside the church to clear all the nails from

 the studs so we can start putting up sheetrock later in the week.  Yet another group began tearing the siding off the church to be replaced.  And of course, it wouldn't be an FCCBRLA mission trip if George Rabb wasn't called upon to do some plumbing!  

After a delicious dinner of fried turkey, we shared a hilarious game of Pterodactyl...ask a missionary about the game...it's hilarious!  We worshiped, we sang, we shared communion, then we hit the road back to Texas City.  We are VERY sleepy tonight!  After much needed showers, and a quick devotion (hear that A-Pack...QUICK) we'll hit the hay to start again tomorrow morning!  

Keep on checkin' in on us!  Who knows what tomorrow will bring...

See Michael, Andrew did do some work today...he even got a battle wound to show for it!

Is that George doing the plumbing or the wicked witch of the east?...

Amy tearing siding off a house...or wielding her battle sword?

Meet the interns, Day 2:  Joel

Joel is from Indiana (hooray, a fellow Hoosier!), however, he will be a senior at TCU in the fall (Go Horned Frogs).  We have discovered many of Joel's hidden talents, but the most impressive is his ability to sing (while accompanying himself on air guitar) obscure Nickelodeon TV show theme songs...Hey Dude!  :o)

Last but NOT least...HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY BLAKE!!  No pinata this year...however, clad with his cape, crown and scepter, he was dubbed king for a day!

Packman's Ready for Bed...

We have arrived!!  Our group arrived in Texas City, TX about 4:00 this evening, met the interns, toured the mission station and settled in.  We are sharing the mission station with a wonderful group from Albuquerque, NM and Odessa, TX!  We are excited to get to know them and work along side them!  Since today was all orientation, and there's not much to report, we'll give you a little history of Galveston...

Galveston, TX is an island.  Most of their economy comes from tourism.  Around the 1900s, a hurricane devastated the island, wiping out almost everything and killing thousands.  Lesson learned, they build a seawall.  Fast forward a century, Hurricane Ike descended on Galveston.  While the seawall held, the back end of the island (the part not protected by the seawall) got hit pretty hard and much of the island was flooded.  There was anywhere from 2-10 feet of water covering the island.  

Starting tomorrow, we will be putting up sheet rock and replacing siding at the Central Christian Church in Galveston and helping to replace siding for members of the church.  

This evening we are getting ready to have a quick devotion and head to bed.  It's going to be an early morning!  

Stay tuned, work starts tomorrow... 

(1)  Our group, clad in red for Pentecost, outside the Disciples Mission Station in Texas City, TX...this will be our home for the week.

(2) Meet the DHM interns #1:  Will hails from Minnesota, and is a student at Cheryl's alma mater, Eureka College in Illinois.  (yay!)  

 Andrew isn't the only one is ready for bed!

Galveston...here we come!

It's that time of year again!  It's mission trip time!  We have a gret group from First Christian Church (DOC) in Baton Rouge, LA heading out to Galveston, TX on May 31.  We will be helping in the clean up/rebuilding effort from Hurricane Ike.  We'll do our best to keep our blog updated while we're gone again so you can keep tabs on us!  We will be commissioned on Sunday, May 31 at the 8:30am service at First Christian Church before we hit the road.  Join us for worship and to wish us farewell!  :o)