The Soap Lady and Other Adventures

She wasn’t supposed to be in that room, but there she was going through things. She decided on a pack of bar soap that hadn’t been opened … about 20 bars. I came in and suggested that I could give her 5 or 6 bars, and that would be plenty. “But I need these,” she said. I assured her that six bars of soap would be a good many, but she insisted. So, in a self-assured voice I said, “I would like for you to put those down, and I’ll help you with what you need.” She just looked at me, turned around and waddled out with her 20 bars of soap in hand. One of my friends called me a ‘soap nazi’ for that one. We do have plenty of bar soap and in the grand scheme of things, who really cares that she took too much soap? But it was the principle of the thing. I’ve had two more encounters with the soap lady. We have boxes and boxes of ‘reading glasses’ … the kind you buy at the drug store. Soap lady got a whole box of them, without even looking inside them to see what strength they were or what they looked like. I was successful in getting her to let me help her find several pair the strength she wanted. Then there was today. I was standing inside the building talking to Chris Lockhart on the phone when she drove up. I watched her walk around the building. In a few minutes she and her friend came back around with backpacks - four of them. They are loaded with school supplies and have been promised to a school for their students. The thing is, they are on a pallet, underneath a tarp, with pallets leaning against them. I don’t know how she knew they were there … or how many she’s taken when no one was paying attention. I made her put them back, of course. Then I went back into the building in time to look through the window and see her making a face at me. That’s just one little adventure that started off my day, and Chris heard it all live, as it went down. Well, it’s no episode of C.O.P.S., but it was entertaining I guess. Donna arrived yesterday with coats and heaters and other supplies. There was an older lady in the church building who had found a coat the day before, but forgot to take it out with her. Of course it was gone when she came back the next day to get it. She walked on a cane and was not very mobile. Someone had taken Donna’s donated coats and placed them on hangers on a rack. They brought her out a beautiful purple coat, and this lady just went crazy over the coat. She told us she had never owned a new coat before, that she always shopped in thrift stores. The picture below is a picture of her and Donna together with the coat.

This weekend we have about 50 volunteers who will be coming in to help. That is awesome! In an exciting, and unexpected, development we have been given a warehouse in which to store all of our materials. So we will use the non-skilled labor to sweep and clean out the warehouse, and move appliances, building materials, and other supplies into the warehouse. We will soon be taking down the tent that was so generously loaned to us by Brentwood Hills church. Our church building will begin to look more like a church, but the mission will continue on … stronger than ever. We will still be getting supplies to the community, rebuilding homes, and helping people as we can from our building. We will still need many volunteer helpers to come and help us bless this broken community. Things will just have evolved a bit. Thanks to Sara Jo, Donna, and Cecelia for the coffee and chocolate…I think I’m good to go for a while!

On a personal note, Jay Thomas and Mark from Virginia are working in my house putting the recepticles in with plates. Jay is a native Mississippian (Columbus) and knows where Ruleville is, and that's saying something. This is his second trip to the Coast. They also replaced all of our light switches so that they would all be the same color, replaced a range plug, and patched a hole where a light kit will be installed in the back bathroom. They are placing other light kits also. Still left to do at my house is some painting, floor placement, replacing heating/ac units, power washing exterior, replacing all vents (after the ducts have been cleaned next week), replacing some doors, and some windows need a bit of work. There are still a few electrical things that Mark and Jay couldn't get to. We feel very close to being able to be back into the house.

I haven’t published a ‘needs’ list lately, so I should update! CURRENT NEEDS:

*Padded Chairs ... we are going to have an overflow crowd Sunday and not enough chairs for them to sit in!

*Money is always a vital need. Our ability to purchase needed supplies as available is always a blessing. Also, we will need to purchase sheetrock, nails, mud, and tape supplies for repairing homes. These needs are ongoing, and will be for at least two years, as we see it now. *Manpower is always a vital need. Volunteers are keeping this operation running. Keep up with times when we need extra help by looking at the Hurricane Relief Work Crew Calendar, linked in the left hand column of this blog. Volunteer workers, both skilled and unskilled. Carpenters, plumbers, roofers, electricians, sheet-rock hangers, and painters can all be kept very busy! We can use ladies and those who are older to sort clothes, load the bus for bus runs, and go with us on the bus runs. *Ministers who can give up several days to come and pray with the community members, conduct Bible studies as available, and fill in on work as needed. *Youth ministers who can bring their teen groups (mature teens willing to serve, please) for one or two days on the weekends. *Small electric heaters *Towels, Sheets, Pillows, Blankets *Deodorant (mens and womens) *Laundry Detergent in boxes or bottles we can give away easily. (Note: The big 5 gallon buckets of detergent are nice, but we would rather have smaller quantities to spread it further!) *Plastic tableware (forks, knives, spoons) and napkins. The FEMA trailers come with no items such as these. *Snacks, drinks, and other foods that can be kept in our Dining Hall for workers as they labor here on a volunteer basis. *Cleaning supplies (pine sol, dishwashing detergent, disinfectant wipes, mops, brooms, buckets, etc.) – small sizes of cleaning liquids are better / easier to handle and distribute. We haven’t had mops in a while. *We currently do not need diapers or pull ups, clothes, personal hygiene supplies, or food. *Don’t know what to send? Send Wal-Mart or Lowes gift cards. They can be used to purchase a wide variety of items as needed - and can be passed on to needy people on occasion. All of my contact information is to be found at http://www.123jesus.com My picture page is located at: http://community.webshots.com/user/jedobber