Fridays are always such a great day. You look forward to the day ending and starting your weekend. I actually felt the opposite. I have enjoyed every aspect of the build and being with the work teams. I have had the advantage of seeing and being on all the jobs but the disadvantage of not being a member of any one team but more a small piece of al of them. We have adccomplished a lot during this week.

I was supposed to be out all day finishing projects but decided to help Jim Current tarp his rv before heading out. The winds are up and the rain is starting again with severe weather passing through and flooding parts of New Orleans. I started out with Jim and we ended up off the correct roads and out in the sticks. Jim was good natured and it actually was pretty funny to both of us. First we were not getting wet and second we were seeing more parts of Biloxi. I was taught by me father to be fearful and respectful of all pastors, reverends, ministers, fathers and clergy. It was a rather difficult way to grow up. This trip if nothing else has let me see the human, normal side of all of the pastors here on the trip. They all are characters and are all really funny. It was a great way to spend the morning. To bad I always pay for these starts with scrambling to make the deadlines.

I went to see how the ramp was going and spent the rest of the day with the ramp team. We cut the posts and installed the handrails while receiving a reminder of the Mississippi weather I have come to hate. It was humid and raining. We just made our deadline and I gave the wheelchair ramp a test ( I could not have the owner getting hurt )It worked great and the owners were so thankful. I still cannot tell if it was that we were finally done after taking over their house for two weeks or because the ramp was done. hard to say maybe a little of both.

We loaded up and headed back to camp. The other crews were all in and unloading.

It is always hard to leave a party and I am glad I was one of the first to leave rather than one of the last. It was hard to stop the progress we had started and leave. Maybe we will go back, maybe we will go somewhere else. If I have a vote it will have better weather as there are people in need everywhere including home, but if I have a vote maybe Tahiti of Fiji need some love.

If anyone is bored and needs to get out of the house on a saturday may i suggest habitat for humanity? Chrisine can always use the help.

Brian Garrison