kate says hi and wants you all to keep praying for the bay! she's excited to be a part of things but we all still need your daily prayers.

Work On The Sign Moves On

Lagniappe has been working on taking down the hydrated fun sign and putting up the new Lagniappe sign. We now have the Lagniappe sign up and will be working on taking down the down hydrated fun sign. Soli Deo Gloria!

The BIG 300

Right now Lagniappe is full with over 300 volunteers. We have to thank for this Team Group Work Camps. They have come down to help and we are thankful for them. Team Group Work Camps are an organization that aims to make an impact in young people’s lives for God. They will be with for about one month with new teams very week. Thanks again for coming down. Soli Deo Gloria. Full house

Lagniappe gets a lagniappe

We had a team at the Howell work site putting up the floor beams, when two men came and gave us a ladder and a level. They said that they were general contractors from Dallas and flew down to work on houses. They said they bought the ladder and level and couldn’t take it on the plane. So we got the ladder and level. Thank you to our contractor friends in Dallas. Soli Deo Gloria. Our contractor friends from Dallas.

I truss can't believe it

After lunch on Wednesday Jordan, Ben, T Jean, Shelby and went out on an excursion to deliver trusses to our friends at St. Roses. We then continued on to Camp Coastal out in the Kiln to pick up more trusses. Knowing Jordan's excited nature- he had large ambitions as to truss quantity on the goose neck. the CC staff told us that the most trusses they have put on a gooseneck trailer were 17. Jordan wanted a whole lot more than that on there. We loaded 11 trusses onto the trailer by hand and on the ground laid a stack of 17 more- weighing 2500 pounds cumulatively. The question of the day was: How do we get all 17 onto the trailer at once while still bound together? Answer: A very large bobcat arm and lift machine operated by Andrea. One would imagine that this large contraption lacks in the micro skills. However- the bobcat was able to perfectly align the trusses with the already existing trusses on the trailer like so... and like so...and now for the final product: With 28 trusses on board we were ready to head back to the Bay and over to Pass Christian to deliver the trusses. Good thing we had a TRUSSworthy trailer.

Beams start to go up on Howell

Today the Howell House started to have added the cross beams. Soli Deo Gloria Today at Howell Up on top Its hammer time! But we can't touch this. These two are “M” bracing each other.

Ground breaks at another Lagniappe House

Lagniappe has started another house from the ground up. This makes the second totally Lagniappe house. We are building the house for the Rousso Family. Soli Deo Gloria The blue-prints for the Rousso House. Which in point of fact are not very blue.

Before any of the ground has been broken This machine digs all of our holes for us. The BUSINESS end After the hole were drilled team work camp came in to dig the trenches. All by hand :(

Interns asked to pose in J. Crew

A cloudy day turns into a photo shoot..... Sunday at the beach.... [L-R: me(erin), Ruth Ann, Thomas, Michael and Beka]...... A big thanks to all of the people who are sending financial support and your prayers!

Pouring at the Howell House

Today at the Howell house had concrete poured into all of its pillars and trenches. They were some rain clouds in the sky but they all went away and the all the concrete was poured. Soli Deo Gloria! Filling in the trench Happy workers

A pillar before Being fulled After This tall machine pumped all the concrete up, over, and into all the pillars and trenches. The Howell Work Site.

Marble Columns

I woke up this morning, and the marble column fairy had visited. Elegant, sturdy, and bursting with class. Nothing says we've got class like marble columns. The Romans had them and they didn't do too bad, right? Hey, take a good look at the White House. Notice anything classy on the porch? COLUMNS! You gotta get yourself some marble columns!!!

The Howell House Update

The Howell House is continuing to be built a good pace, despite the afternoon rainstorms. Right now the pillars for the house are being placed. The pillars will place the house 7 feet above ground level. We hope here at Lagniappe to have the pillars done by the end of the week.

One row of pillars Its just like legos

Really big legos

Dueling Elvis' at the PCA General Assembly

Two of my friends (imagine that) Scott Walker and Rob Thompson, both from Memphis, put on a little sketch for the Women in the Church luncheon at the General Assembly of the PCA last week- the video speaks for itself. Get ready to laugh!

Lagniappe’s very own!

Lagniappe has started its first house that will be completely done by Lagniappe. Before Lagniappe would do a partnership with another organization to build new house but Lagniappe has broke ground on its first very own house for a Mrs. Howell. The project is being head up by Doug Dalrymple. Doug Dalrymple "Where's gym class?"

Hours before there was a grass and trees on the site, but they had to go This goes a bit quicker Getting ready for the concrete

Hard Working Ladies!

These ladies are from Lakemont PCA in Augusta, Georgia, and let me tell you, they are real peaches! They did the amazing job of totally breaking down, sweeping, mopping and setting back up the big room in the main building at Lagniappe, no small task! Not only that, but they did it with amazing precision and very happy faces! Some seemed to "dance the day away" as they worked. Thank you, Erin Champlin (Lagniappe Intern, talented supervisor), Gabrielle Juras, Kristy Lyon, Karen Stavale, Trish Yount, Janet Mackert, Sarah Feero, Emily Mackert, Kathryn Juras and Krystal Lyon. You may come back every Friday forever.

More People

Lagniappe has about 200 volunteers this week in Bay St. Louis. They come different of the country and some are from different denominations, but they are all here to help in the restoration of the Gulf Coast. Even though it is a bit packed we are glad that they are here. Getting Food Long Lunch Line

Rain, Rain Go Away

This last Saturday a sudden rain storm came up and caused Lagniappe to call in its work crew early. At about 3 o’clock with skies looking dark the call was giving to bring everyone back in for safety. Thankfully the storm only dropped large amounts of rain with heavy lighting and thunder. There were no high winds to cause any damage to any of the worksites. And most importantly all the Lagniappe teams made it back safely. About a minute or two before the rain.

Lagniappe Church on the Weather Channel

Pear Orchard Kicks Some TRUSS

Sitting at breakfast with Clyde this morning as always we were discussing his project. As always Clyde and I are jockeying for how many volunteers to send out with him to work on setting trusses, I want him to keep more busy he only needs so many, we meet in the middle and Clyde leaves planning to take the next day and a half to finish setting the trusses. On with my day I go which right before lunch ends with dropping off the rest of the supplies for the roof that Clyde is leading. It has been about three hours since the team started work and here is Pear Orchard's youth group with Clyde and Thomas, one of our interns, finishing the trusses. These guys put up 27 trusses in 3 hours, finished setting all the trusses on a 54 foot long house in a morning. Now I have to figure out and scramble work for the afternoon but that is a great reason for stress. Pear Orchard, thansk for coming and ya'll that was fast.

Canadians come to the Coast last week in May

After a long day of traveling from Toronto, Canada, with various stops in between, three Canadians gals arrived at Lagniappe Church. They were here to participate with Habitat for Humanity. Chris, Diana and Tammy have developed a close relationship through the common denominator of their nine year old children and their school.On the Habitat job site Getting the job done (Power Tool Mama’s)

Chris, Diana and Tammy left a little bit of themselves here in the Bay and hope to return in the future. If you are considering a trip to the coast don’t let distance stand in the way. Thanks, girls, and “ya’ll come back now, ya hear!”

Inadequate...still

A phrase around here that has been used in many sermons, Bible studies, blogs, orientations, excuses, praises, and prayers is "He is striking straight blows with crooked sticks". God is using us to carry out His will. So that seems to play out in every day life for me as a 25 year old kid with no prior construction experience who is trying to run the construction side of Lagniappe. This is just the practical side of that statement. There is also the whole completely depraved side and yet still we are able to make an impact on people's lives down here. Of course I am so completely depraved I am able to overlook that aspect and be discouraged in the practical, the "what am I worth?", the "what can I accomplish?" side of being a crooked stick. For those reading this blog, please do not pass this on to your construction coordinatoors and skilled guys who have to come to LPC and take their marching orders from me. We have 100 or so folks here, 7 good jobs going and houses going up and being worked on. No one is sitting and we are making progress. Andrew, Clyde, and Ryan are working their teams, and we were able to order the material for our first two LPC houses cleared with credit, clear property deeds, mortgages in place, and grants ready to go. Yet still it is 5:20 and I am discouraged. I got the truck stuck, we have a few houses at a stand still due to a failed inspection over one nit-picky problem and some incomplete plumbing and electrical problems that I do not know how to address. Not to mention I feel like I should or could have done more to push things along, and why am I done at 5:00 with work? Apparently 10 hours isn't a long enough day. Here even in writing this I am attempting to justify my value, my worth by listing off what I did do. I am sitting here in my office talking to Ruth who is walking right with me relating to all of this. We are discussing Andrew who is one of the most talented and knowledgable guys -incredible at leading teams through construction- that I have seen and he is feeling the same way - discouraged that he "just" does on-site work and doesn't deal with the logistics and the stress of juggling teams and jobs. And yet, my lack of skill in the job that he performs is what discourages me while working this job. The unfortunate and yet absolutely beautiful thing about all of this that I just dumped into writing is that this is how it is suppose to be as a Christian. "When you are weak, I am strong," and all those many other verses that fit into this thought - to live in that tension of being weak, to do something that you are not capable of... but yet here we still are. It is unfortunate that it is not easy, nor always fun, but the beautiful thing is that we are able, not capable, but able to do this- to live in that tension, to do what we are incapable of because He is capable. And with that comes all the insecurities and self doubt when I do not find my rest and worth in Christ... but talk about feeling alive and pushed to have to find your rest and worth in an absolute rather than something temporal. In closing -in that I have no more and that this blog is long enough (hopefully long enough so that not too many of those who have to depend on my construction knowledge when they come down here read this) -pray for us and also get in too deep. God is never so big or real as when you are in over your head.

Water Fun

This week, we have some members from Edom UMC in Edom, Texas, AIM Blacksburg from Blacksburg, VA, Northland Church from Longwood, FL, and Pear Orchard Presbyterian in Jackson, MS. It is so great to see all of the kids from the different churches mingling with each other. We are currently in the process of getting a new sign for the front of the building. The NCCC kids have been slaving away in the hot heat to get rid of our predecessor sign featuring Water Fun. While Lagniappe is fun, and at times is hydrated, it’s not really hydrated fun, thus we are all looking forward to the new sign.

Concrete

On Saturday the 2nd Lagniappe poured a concrete foundation for a house in Pass Christian, MS. Lagniappe had workers from its own staff and help from AmeriCorps NCCC to complete the work. The project was lead by one of Lagniappe’s fearless leaders, Andrew Thompson. At times it was frustrating, it was hot, and the concrete dried too fast and other issues. However, in the end the final product turned out well and it showed that everyone's hard work really paid off. Pouring in the concrete Lagniappe's fearless leader, Andrew Thompson Slave labor? Making everything smooth