Took Friday off and set out with friend Pete DeWorken for a drive up to New Jersey. Pete has been in the mission field doing similar work (restoring homes damaged by Hurricane Ike) in Galveston, Tx. He has a 16 stall shower trailer that he used there at his volunteer camp and it had been sitting idle out at Y's Acres. Friends of mine up in NJ are preparing for the Millard Fuller Legacy Build in April of this year and Pete agreed to let them use the trailer, so we hauled it up there, pulling it with his Ford Econovan(10 cyl). We left Friday at 5:00 am, drove until midnite and made it as far as Fredericksburg, Va. Stayed the nite at Econolodge and after toast and coffee for our free breakfast (the cook pulled a no-call and no-show) went out to start Pete's van and ooops, no va. It would crank but wouldn't start. Tried jumping it with two cars, but felt that since it is such a large engine, maybe they were'nt strong enough, so schlepped it down the road to the Auto Zone and tested it- twas dead and bought a new one.   Took it back, installed it. Still cranked (very well now) butg still wouldn catch and start. Pete (better man than I) pulls out his bag of wrenches and dives under the van and pulls out the starter.   Schleps that to the Autozone. Tests it. It's fine. Puts it back in. Four hours have passed. We call the mobile fix-it guy that Pete has found on his smart phone. He comes, taps on the fuel pump (which is located above the fuel tank) which frees something in the fuel line that was blocked and VROOOM up it starts. On the road again. We drives another 5 or so hours and arrive at Tabernacle, NJ around five pm. It was a funny feeling being stranded there for a bit. Kind of helpless. So we arrive at the home of Neil and Merle Brown who are the head of the Something Pines Fuller Center of NJ. Gathered there are bunches of good friends from projects past. Bart Tucker, Brenda Barton, Pete Berlowitz, Carl and Jeanine Santillo. We all went out for a fine dinner at a local restaurant. The only person missing was Craig Snow of Hope Force, who was in Atlantic City already and who is working for the long-term recovery group, working to do the case work with the families whose homes and lives were affected by Hurricane Sandy last October. Neil is hosting the Legacy Build which will be from April 28- May 4th of this year. He is hoping to have 50 repair project ready for that week. As of this past week, they have secured volunteer housing for 100 people, and have 15 projects already booked. Between now and then, all of the projects will have to be identified, scopes of work written up and tools and materials arranged for. Lot's of preparation work for blitz builds. Bart Tucker, who is also a good Talker, appplied for a grant of $250 K through the Robin Hood Foundation (they put together a big benefit rock concedrt that netted 50 million $. They gave Bart (Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders) $400 K instead. I believe that there are still volunteer slots available for that week. If you want to meet me there, check the Fuller Center for Housing website and click on the Millard Fuller Legacy Build.   So, we all camped out at Neil's house on cots and sleeping bags and they dropped me at the airport in Philly on Sunday morning. I felt a little bad that I would miss a Sunday service. I usually attend Capstone Church in Tuscaloosa. The flight backt o T-Town was full and next to me was sitting a man named Rob Baffick. He is a huge guy that like to lift weights and it shows. But more than the external, this man loves God and Jesus and his fellow man. He is self employed and does autopsies for hospitals and police and gets paid very well. But his passion is going into Camden NJ (one of the highest crime cities in US) and talk with homeless, druggies and prostitues and shares with them how much our Heavenly Father loves them. He tells them- others may look at you and see a drunk or a drug user but looking from God's point of view, he sees the beauty in each individual. Tough guy. So, I told Rob that listening to him was like a sunday service. I've invited him for the build in April and he say he may join us there too.
      Back at work today, Monday morning to meet a group from Florida and some boomerangers from Lancaster Pa who worked with me out in Holt and also on the former Keith and Amy's house . About half of that team is either Jim or John.
     Our Care-A-Vanners continue to roll in and work with us for two weeks at a time. Lavern and Sue are starting week 6 however. Their next project keeps not being ready, which is fine.
      My cat, Habicat, was out galavanting around and didn't come to say welcome back until around 9:00 on Sunday night. Watched Masterpiece Theatre with Lorna (from England) and her husband Roy, two of the Care-a-vanners. Had'nt seen it before, but I think they got me hooked on it.
     That's all for this week. Our schedule here is looking a little thin from May through the summer- Hope everyone reading this will consider another visit with us here in Tuscaloosa. I've committed to working here for three years and I know there is always the "new baby syndrome"-   Oooh- a new disaster (like Sandy) -let's go over there. In the mean time, the old babies still need attention. 5000 homes destroyed here in April 2011. We're only on number 25. Still a way to go down here. Come on back (and bring a friend)   Love you all. Peter.