Good Morning! How's everyone doing this morning? Great! This mornings lesson with be from the book of Acts. If you've got your Bible with you, please turn with me to Chapter 29. What's that? Not there?   That's right, because it was being written last week in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
     Merle and Michelle Waldron are the leaders of a group from Lord of Life Lutheran Church in Maple Grove, Minnesota called Acts 29 . They have been leading groups on mission trips for at least eight years. The reason I know this is that I first met them while I was working in Biloxi, after hurricane Katrina in 2006. Their group made multiple trips to Biloxi and also joined us in Port Sulphur, Louisiana
     This past week, the group showed up our volunteer camp in the woods just outside Tuscaloosa and I got quite a surprise when I laid eyes on Merle. Since I saw him last in Port Sulphur, he has dropped 90 pounds! (Weight watchers and walking 6 miles a day). They caravanned from their home in Minnesota. One new member of the group, Lisa Trainor, showed up a day early in order to take part in an 18 mile run. She came back to the camp after coming in 2nd and asked permission to clean all of the windows in the Lion's Den. Kind of caught me by surprise, so I said OK. Lisa was like the energizer bunny all week.   Picking up trash along the highway near the camp and at the worksite.
     There were a number of people in the group that had come to Biloxi and Port Sulphur . It is such a joyful part of my job - the reunion of friends from all around the country who come to serve and act as the hands and feet of God. Kermit, the two Gary's, the two Toms, and Sharon. Took me a while to connect faces with names again. Jared, our volunteer coordinator, who keeps track of these things, tells me that we have worked with over 14,000 volunteers in the three years that Ive been here. Faces are easy to remember when you walk up to them on Monday morning. Names, well, that's what our pink duct tape and sharpies are for.
      I was off the Monday the group started to work on Juanita drive. Merle and Michelle normally work on different sites but this time were able to work together. They said they had wanted to work with me, but the schedule had them with our other site leader, Joey Crimmins. They are an exemplary group in that they are all flexible in what is asked of them. We loaded up on Jennifer Miles new home at 115 Juanita. and a smaller part of the group worked on completing the exterior at 46 Juanita .
     Gary Modlin, a veteran of the Vietnam war, had a common base with Jennifer in that she too is a veteran (Iraq). At the end of the week, Gary just barely held it together in the presentation of gifts to Jennifer. It was quite moving.
      When the groups are of manageable size (or even when they are not) I usually like to have them over to my place (the Lion's Den- so named for the Lion's Club that sponsored the initial building that I have rebuilt and claimed as my own even though its not- the YMCA still owns the whole camp) for desert. The week, as they usually do, was speeding by and Thursday came. the group was stopping early Friday and heading back and Thursday night would be the only chance to get together for fellowship and desert. Unfortunately, I had committed to doing some billable hours side work with new friend Bill Fields and would be back late.   So, how rude a host am I? I asked Michelle if she wouldn't mind making the browines for me. I saw an idear on FB where you put brownie mix in muffin pan and then push another one on top of it so it makes like little brownie cups . Michelle was gracious enough to help out and they were a big hit. Put a scoop of ice cream and them toppings and whipped cream. Mmmmm.   Merle's favorite food btw, anything with whipped cream on it. And he still lost 90 lbs. No fair!
      We had a "builders blessing" of Jennifers home on Friday at 11 am to honor Acts 29 and let Jennifer speak her heart of thanks to the volunteers. She received a prayer shawl, as did Brandon and Joey (I got mine back in Biloxi days). It was a great week for all.
      Saturday, I worked with a two new groups, one local and one from Florida. The local is a group from the McClellan company in Birmingham that works as a subcontractor for the Mercedes plant here. They do industrial cleaning whenever the assembly line shuts down which is not often and for not that long so they do well and quick. We had a massive major cleanup at both houses, both storage building and both tool container connexae. Cleaning and orgainizing is always something that I want to do but building something is much easier to go to.
       The other group is here from Bradenton, Florida and is here for a week. They were here last year. Father and son plus 3 strong young men.   Filled up the saferoom foundation for 110 with sand and got the rebar ready to pour the 4 cubic yards of concrete (12,000 lbs) into the foundation of the saferoom itself.
       That's all for this week. Off Monday.   This Saturday marks my third year anniversary of arriving in Tuscaloosa. We will be standing up walls on a new home over in the West end on that day. Special dispensation of Mennonites working on a Saturday with us on that day.