A Letter of Thanks

A letter of thanks to all of the volunteers who have come to the Gulf Coast and to the churches that have supported what we are doing.

I started out in Moss Point, MS, January 15, 2006, working with Larry Baldauf as co-volunteer co-coordinators at Moss Point First Christian Church. The next day, before we had even found the Lowe’s lumber store, volunteers started showing up.

Because of people like you, MS Mary got a new roof, new trim, new outside paint, and got her telephone fixed. Willie Smith, the older gentleman that took us around to all of the work sites, had his house repaired so he could live there again. Margaret, over 80 years old and living by herself, bought 2 bundles of shingles to repair a 35 year old roof. Her house was in bad shape. She asked us for help. You dug deep into your pockets, and Margaret got a whole new roof, rotted boards replaced, house scraped and painted white with blue trim, hurricane garbage removed from her yard, and a new flower bed.

Marie and Willie got a new roof and new dry wall throughout their house that had been flooded. They had to live in one room while we repaired another. Then they had to move to another while we fixed that room. They also got a new floor, as the old one was ruined from the rising waters.

We repaired the home of Lester Brooks, pastor of FCC in Moss Point. Stacy, living with her children in “the village”, got to move into her home after you gave her a new roof, walls, and flooring. Because of people like you, we helped many more people get back into their homes in Moss Point.

Larry and I moved to Gulfport FCC in June of 2006. The church had been flooded, and many members had moved elsewhere after losing their homes. The electrical wiring, drywall, wood and carpeted floors, hymn books, kitchen appliances, choir gowns, Sunday School books, bibles, and everything else on the first floor were ruined. They were ready to close.

Because people like you showed up, cleaned out the church, replaced floors, drywall, electrical wiring, floors, painted the church inside, built shower stalls, bought a refrigerator, and much more, they decided to stay open and be a mission station. You know God was smiling about this.

Katherine got her dog back when you built her a new fence. The Andersons were flooded in Biloxi and needed help. You showed up and replaced the floor girders and joists, jacking the house up to do it. You also replaced the floors, drywall, and outside siding that had been destroyed. You repaired many other houses in Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, and Long Beach. You put 29 new roofs on hurricane damaged houses, working often in 95 degree heat.

We also had a hurricane in Louisiana and Texas called Rita. I went to Lake Charles in October to work on two Habitat houses. You showed up there, too. For two weeks you worked, and we presented the keys to the new houses to two families who had lost theirs to Rita. This was because of you.

In November of 2006 my wife Barbara retired and joined me in Beaumont/Port Arthur, Texas. You came there, also. Working with S.E. Texas Interfaith Organization, you repaired many homes in Beaumont and Port Arthur.

Remember Robert and Sheila Turner? Their house was completely destroyed when three trees fell on it - they lost everything. Two California churches felt the call to help; they built all the walls for a new house, packed them in a truck and sent it to Beaumont. They supplied money for doors, windows, siding, and a roof. You came, and soon there was a brand new house standing where the old one was. You even worked on Sunday, and Horace, their Minister from Temple of Praise Christian Church, brought us communion. Rob and Sheila have moved into their new home and are very grateful for the hundreds of volunteers who made this happen.

You built (all Disciple volunteers) four new houses in Beaumont for Habitat. Because of people like you, seven families who lost their homes to Rita are living in seven brand new houses built and paid for by Disciples. You also worked on many other Habitat houses with other volunteers.

January 20 to 25 you showed up again. Close to 50 Disciples women came - young, old, experienced and not. You even brought our President, Sharon Watkins. You only got to work two days because of the heavy Texas rain, but the walls for a new house, inside and out, were standing when you left. Other women will come and another homeless family will have a place to call home, because of you.

During my two year vacation on the Gulf Coast, you gave more than a week’s work. You bought a 16 foot trailer to haul shingles and materials in, a 12 x 6 x 6 enclosed trailer to keep our tools in, a chain saw, a 12” Dewalt miter saw, a Dewalt job site table saw, a pressure washer, two refrigerators, an air compressor, hundreds of squares of shingles, gallons of paint, hundreds of boards and sheets of dry wall, and so many hand tools, I can’t begin to count. Because of you, we had what it took to build and repair thousands of houses damaged and destroyed by disasters.

I have met and worked with The Best of The Best – you gave up your vacations, bought plane tickets, rented vehicles, bought tools and materials, traveled thousands of miles, slept on church floors, cooked your own meals after putting in nine hours of hard work in Mississippi and Texas heat, and some of you came back again and again. And all for someone you have never met and will probably never see again.

Barbara and I did our last work with you January 25, 2008. We are taking the trip around the country that I had promised her we would take when she retired. We hope to be in your church the Sunday we show up in your town. When a new hurricane comes, we will definitely see you again.

Because of people like you, Barbara and I are proud to be Disciples.

Barbara and Mike Lee