Energizer Bunny Day

Our devotional this morning was from Romans 3:10-18. We were challenged to look at our lives in light of the truth of the Gospel which declares, "There is no one righteous, not even one." It is a great start to a day of serving those who were affected by Hurricane Katrina. It helps us focus on the fact that we are also broken and in desperate need of a Savior - no better than those we serve, only touched by the One "by whose stripes we are healed."




It was an extremely busy day here at Lagniappe (like the Energizer bunny, it just keeps going and going...). The main focus of all three of the Calvary teams today was the fifth bunkhouse currently under construction. The shed team and the drywall team worked all day and into the night to build bunk beds and trusses for the bunkhouse. The electrical team worked in the morning prepping the structure for electrical work to be done as soon as the roof is on. Although the schedule calls for work to stop around 5 PM, many on the shed and drywall teams started again after dinner, helping to put the trusses in place for the roof. This is quite a job and as this entry is written the crew is still working on placing the trusses. The folks here at Lagniappe desperately want the bunkhouse available for new volunteers arriving tomorrow night. It would take quite a miracle for that to occur. Will you pray for that miracle?

Just to give you an idea, here is the remaining work to be able to occupy the building: complete the truss assembly and installation; install plywood on the roof and then shingle it; run electrical wiring in the whole building, including lights, A/C, smoke alarms; insulate; install doors and windows; install all bunk beds. All this work needs to occur within 24 hours - sort of 'Extreme Makeover Home Edition' on steroids. Bill T. has been leading the charge on this work and has successfully trained both teams in all aspects of bunkhouse construction!

We've had a few people that haven't felt well and needed to take a break from work to recuperate. Fortunately, a good nap or rest seemed to take care of most of that. Continue to pray for good sleep and proper hydration, both very important here.



The electrical team spent the afternoon at the mobile home mentioned on Monday. We thought we could finish the job in a couple of hours, but it took a lot longer than expected. By 6:30 PM we were just finishing for the day with several more hours needed to complete the job on Wednesday or Thursday (depending on what happens with the bunkhouse construction). Mr. H shared more with us about his experience with Katrina (including aftermath pictures) and we were eager to hear about his life. Jay left Mr. and Mrs. H. some literature about Lagniappe Church and invited them to check it out. They are very appreciative of the help and are eager to occupy a larger space, as they currently live in a FEMA trailer right beside the mobile home they are restoring.

Tommorow promises to be an even busier day than today, so continue to pray for stamina both in physical strength and in attitudes.