Put your money where your ART is!

Our local high school, Bay High, has approached Lagniappe because of some serious funding needs in their art department. As you can imagine the sports teams and other clubs have received lots of national funding for various needs, but the art department was totally destroyed and needs some serious help. The teacher was a bit skeptical of even asking- he said, "I've made this list twenty times and no one has come through yet..." Okay, so here's the challenge- please consider giving a gift for the total amount of their needs. The PDF file of their exact needs is available by clicking here. All gifts through Lagniappe are tax deductible. We'd love to bulk order the supplies listed, have them delivered here and then have you join us for the delivery at the local school. Help us show a little (alot) of lagniappe to the local public school! (Approx. total cost $6,000)

God's Amazing Glory and/or ThankfulnessThat We Weren't All Killed (or Mauled by Bears!)

God's Amazing Creation in what Becky would say is God's Country, Tennessee!

"Getting Ready for the Big Weekend" or "Novices Putting Together a Tent"

Sarah hanging around.

Even Old Dogs can learn new tricks!

Spider Woman Keri

Our lives were literally held in his hands! Our trusty guide, Rusty. (We really work hard at Lagniappe the rest of the year, we promise, we do.)

A Good Time Was Had By ALL?

As sports fans worldwide know, Mississippi State University recently DEFEATED Auburn University in what was surely a surprise for many. Above you will see MSU fan John Sabin surveying the crowd to see if it is safe to enter the stadium.

Here we see Lynne Sabin having a laugh with Thomas, even before the game was over!

The sign says it all!

And lookey who is wearing the hat NOW! Thank you, Interns, for showing us a good time. You were good sports.

Barb Warner and Nathan

Barb with grandson, Nathan Christopher Barrick. Born September 15, 20077 lbs. 11 ozs.21 inches long Richmond, VA to parents Chris and Tammy Barrick. Though we have missed Barb she is where she needs to be, with family. What a great mom. What a great grandmother. You are a great grandmother just not a great-grandmother. We miss you.

Singing the Bay back to life

Mississippi public broadcasting aired a piece on two local artists who are working to rebuild their lives and studios in Bay Saint Louis- It is a profound reminder that God is at work in all of the venues of life- art, music, culture AND construction. Kat Fitzpatrick (one of the two featured in the article) can be seen on any given day getting coffee at the Mockingbird cafe and changing some of the pieces she has on display there. She is also about to begin singing with Ellis Anderson (I think) doing some local venues- as you will hear Kat has a great voice and a very rich soul. I couldn't help but think as I listened to her sing of that great imagery in C.S. Lewis of Aslan singing Narnia into existence- perhaps as people made in his image part of the restoration of that creation is to sing as well. NOTE: the slide show during the audio is of some of Kat's work that I could find on the web as well as a photo of her smiling face!

Reprieve

From the valley, there is vision. From the depths of woe, God teaches me. I am writing you to thank you so much for your prayers. I had a consult with a physical therapist today, and he said my knee was doing so well that he didn't even want me to do therapy-he wanted me to go home! And tell my doctor that I was better! How amazing, to go from an ER visit, crutches, to walking in 10 days. I truly believe it's because of the prayer I received. I have no pain, and I am walking freely. Thanks be to God! My strep throat seems to be on the mend, after a second visit to the doctor, and I am hoping to continue to be improving there as well. I have several more doctor visits this week and the next, so please pray with me that those will go well, and that my health will be restored through God's providence. I am also trusting Him to provide funding to pay for my medicine/dr visits since I have not met my insurance deductible yet. Please pray for that with me. Kate is doing much, much better. She is finishing a round of steroids and antibiotics, and is doing a nightly breathing treatment for the bronchitis, and she is so sweet while she is doing it. I think she is feeling better and she is a happier little girl. Andy is working very hard, hasn't been to the doctor yet for his cough, so we are praying that he can heal, too. Thank you so much for praying. My health has improved in the past week, and I am so thankful to you all, thankful that God holds me in His hand and protects me, guides me, and loves me. Continue your prayers for Lagniappe-we are still recruiting teams for fall, and if you would like to bring some volunteers to us, do not hesitate to call me and ask how you can help. Soli Deo Gloria. Cammie

"Thank You Lord," Mo Leverett, New Orleans, September, '06

Thank you for the sun against the cloud, piercing every darkness in the shroud, broken down by love, gentle shove, thank you Lord. You surprise the wounded boy with joy, You rebuild what others would destroy, here I am that child reconciled, thank you Lord. You repair what other’s set aside, You restore what others would divide, healing hands arrive, I’m alive, thank you Lord. My Lord is like a shelter from the rain, and potent medication for my pain, calm that stormy sea, inside of me, thank you Lord. When a soul is lonely you embrace, you will crown what others would disgrace, what was once a frown, turned around, thank you Lord. There is an infection in the skin, there is pain and pestilence within, you can be the knife, to save my life, thank you Lord. Thank you for the woman I behold, children are the father’s pot of gold, but when my skies turn gray, let me say, thank you Lord. (From the album, Of Orphans and Kings)

Why no picture I do not know?

So leaving the Bay one almost always runs into Lagniappe volunteers that have come through this place. From Michigan at my cousins wedding, to Chattanooga at my sister's graduation it seems the volunteers have come from far and wide. Vacation took me to Chattanooga, Chicago, and Boston and by far the craziest run in with a Lagniappe volunteer may have been at Fenway park watching a Red Sox game. John Maudlin and Caleb Tingle from Redeemer Church in Athens, Georgia had come up for some games and we ran into each other in the stands. Did I mention the game was a no hitter, only the 11th in Fenway history, wanna talk about it. Crazy. The reaches of the Lagniappe volunteer are far and wide.

2nd anniversary of Katrina

and our amazing God sent a beautiful rainbow to bless the day. The day was so clear, the skies were bright, clouds puffy, and around 530 pm, after all the press conferences with President Bush in Bay St Louis, after all the excitement of the afternoon was winding down, a fabulous rainbow appeared in the East sky, starting in the Bay of St Louis, over the Bay Bridge, and ending in the Gulf. I took this from my driveway, in awe and amazement of the God that sits on His throne in Heaven, directing the weather just as He desires. Katrina or rainbow, rain or shine.

President Bush speaks in Bay St. Louis on Katrina’s 2 year anniversary

On Hurricane Katrina’s second anniversary President George W. Bush came to our city of Bay St. Louis. President Bush spoke on the rebuilding efforts along the gulf coast. The President mentioned the new Bay Bridge in his speech calling it “And it's a beautiful-looking bridge. And it's working.” and the new railroad bridge that have been built since the time of the storm. “Remember when we first choppered over here, Governor, the bridge was -- there might have been a few pylons showing. You could see the planks underwater of that bridge.” –President G. W. Bush “There's still obstacles, and there's still work to be done. But there's been a lot of progress made, and that's what people have got to understand. And I have come to this site, what we call Ground Zero -- this is where the worst of the worst of the storm hit -- to be able to show the American people that through their generosity, this infrastructure has been rebuilt.” –President G. W. Bush “It's that community spirit that has been very impressive to me and Laura. It's that can-do attitude. It's the attitude that said, okay, a storm came; we understand it, we don't like it, but we're going to deal with it. That's the Mississippi spirit.” –President G. W. Bush The President also took the time to thank all of the volunteers and works that have brought this city back to life. We here at Lagniappe Presbyterian Church would like to do the same for all the volunteers that we have come down. THANK YOU!!! Because of you volunteers we are able to rebuild. We would also like to thank President Bush for coming down and visiting our city. You can read all of the President’s speech at http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/08/20070829-9.html Soli Deo Gloria; To God Alone Be The Glory President George W. Bush in Bay St. Louis, MS

Redeemer New Orleans

I would like to personally recommend to you the ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New Orleans, LA. It is a PCA work and doing 'Lagniappe' type ministry in the city. The video above is compelling and their need is tremendous. Call us or call them- we can help you connect with New Orleans for restoration ministry. God is at work, please contact Ray Cannata for more information. www.redeemerneworleans.com -Jean F. Larroux, III

Lagniappe Time off...

Just FYI- Lagniappe staff is taking two weeks of R&R at the end of August...they are scattered to the four corners of the U.S. so watch your local area for a staff spotting...

Lagniappe gets a Race horse....SERIOUSLY!

Many thanks to Mr. Jake Morreale (one of the owners of the Lagniappe building) who recently named one of his thoroughbred race horses 'Lagniappe in BSL'. Jordan got the opportunity to pick out the colt when he visited with Jake. Let us know if you ever see him in a race. Just some trivia for you race fans- the colts parents were 'Dove Hunt' and 'Seven from Heaven'- Give me 'Lagniappe in BSL' to Win in the third!!!!

a final night with some interns

Click here to see a fun night with the interns, staff at a local coffee shop/eatery.

Howell Passes Inspection

Today the Howell house passes inspection and we can now start to put in the drywall. Soli Deo Gloria Howell as of August the 9th It has never been so nice to have a covered deck Master bedroom Putting in the tub All the plumbing is now in

musings from Cammie

I was reading a book called "Traveling Mercies" by Anne Lamott tonight and I wanted to share something from what i read. "But the way I see things, God loves you the same whether you're being elegant or not. It feels much better when you are, but even when you can't fake it, God still listens to your prayers. Again and again I tell God I need help, and God says, 'Well, isn't that fabulous? Because I need some help too. So you go get that old woman over there some water, and I'll figure out what we're going to do about your stuff.' Maybe on that day, when my friend asked God for energy that morning, God said, 'Well great, because your friend's kid needs a ride to school. Could you do that for me? And I'll be getting you some strength'."

Why My Job Is Fun...Along With Getting too Meet all ya'll Volunteers

At Lowe's, as always and I run into Roy. Roy is the son of Barbara Crochett, one of the home owners we are working with. Roy is pretty handy so it is a fun job because he is able to run much of the job and the project moves quickly when the homeonwer is working on the project. Not to mention it is just a lighter load when all of the work does not depend on us. Due to waiting on a grant Roy has picked up an HVAC unit for cheap to keep his mother's house moving. Get back to Lagniappe and talking to Ruth as always. She informs me that one of our teams is bringing a HVAC contractor. Would have never known Roy had gotten this unit, especially not today which is when we are assigning out the work if I hadn't ran into Roy at Lowe's. This means we can put the HVAC in and get to insulation and sheetrock probably up to a month earlier due to not having to wait on that grant. That and the cost to Lagniappe and the homeowner will be minimal. Not to many HVAC guys come through here and we have only done one of these jobs in the past, otherwise it has all been contracted out. To fun, call it what you will but I will thank the Lord for this for the simple joy of putting a perfect fit between a team and a homeonwer's need together. I love this stuff, and love my job on days like this.

Howell

Work at the Howell House is still moving along. Right now at Howell the siding, putting in the water lines and the air ducts. Soli Deo Gloria Howell as of August the 2nd The covered deck The living / dining room The air ducts going in Putting in the hot and cold water lines

To Blog or to be Blogged...?

Simple answer: blog Jordan!

Here's the man himself pre-gaming for a Saturday morning material run:

As we Move Along...

Its Friday afternoon and I have spent the whole morning for the most part sitting here in the office. I checked on one job to make sure the teams knew what they were up to and thanks Michael, one of our three dedicated drywall intern guru's that have made this summer possible and us extremely productive the problematic cieling looked smooth and good it was an easy stop. Ruth is typing up our work orders for Monday morning. That right there is a profound statement and testament to how far this place has come. All of last summer and not to mention probably just a few weeks ago that would have been a Sunday night activity. We would have spent all of Saturday scrambling to see where we are on projects and what new projects we need to get into in order to keep everyone busy and productive Monday morning. This Friday is also sweet in that we have just finished with Group, an organization that sent us 300, yes 300 kids to work for four weeks straight. That adds up to around 1200 high school kids that worked and stayed busy working on projects. The amazing thing is that they didn't just do clean up or painting they framed houses, roughed in electrical and plumbing, drywalled, built porches and plenty of other skilled skilled labor. We often had down to the job and amount of teams that we had to keep busy just enough supervision to work on the houses we needed to. Given, it wasn't a well oiled machine of knocking out jobs left and right but it was amazingly smooth and productive with very few hic ups considering the task of keeping 1200 high schoolers busy on construction, real construction projects. Writing this amazes me with what has been accomplished and dealt with especially considering where we have come from and are now capable of. We would not have been capable of that task any sooner that when they showed up on that Sunday in June. Last summer it was only me scheduling work and Conrad making sure teams knew what they were doing on job sights with our interns treading water as furiously as they could to keep this place afloat. Much of the change is thanks to Ruth organizing the chaos of running 20 to 30 projects a week, Andrew, Doug, and Clyde being extremely capable and flexible with running our unskilled labor to build houses, Group sending us skilled site coaches and being good at what they do, and our interns actually being able to run teams and teach how to do skilled work. 1200 high schoolers stayed busy and did productive correct work. Talk about one of the largest answers to prayer Lagniappe has seen. Again it is one of the many answers to prayer from support to concrete, from staff to passed inspections, from trucks and trailers, from the right job dropping in the front door to community members being involved in the church, plugging into the church, and tasting grace for the first time. And the list can go on and on so much so that it is hard not to be one of the nine lepers that didn't come back and thank Jesus for healing. This is simply because the answered prayer has been so much and often. As Curt always says, that is the magic that makes Lagniappe, we pray for rain and pack an umbrella because we have seen Him answer prayer so often. It is not that we have great faith but because God has been that faithful. We thank Him continually but it is hard to keep up. So it is Friday and I will probably have tomorrow off, a full day off for the first time in a month and a half. Please keep us in your prayers because God is faithful and has been answering prayers more than we even know or can keep up with. Lagniappe continues to be a place where God is at work in very obvious ways and straight blows are struck every day with crooked sticks. High schoolers finishing drywall is just the surface of that type of amazing work that God is using to advance His kingdom down here in the Bay but no small answer to pray. So on this Friday as Group gets ready to be done with there 2007 run with Lagniappe and the most ominious weeks of our calendar pass the whole purpose of this blog is just to be thankful, thankful that again the Lord has used us beyond what we are capable of so keep us in your prayers but also include prayers of Thanksgiving because all your prayers have been answered for this place over and over again.