Second Baptist Church in Suffield members Becki & Linda unpack a "House In a Box "

Eleven members of Second Baptist Church, led by their pastor, the Rev. David Reed-Brown, worked with others from across the country at a "build"—one of a number of construction projects in Gautier sponsored by National Ministries and Habitat for Humanity's Operation Home Delivery. National Ministries has committed to fully fund the building of seven homes in Gautier. The group was commissioned for service in January by National Ministries' executive director Dr. Aidsand F. Wright-Riggins III during a speaking engagement at the church.

Greeting each day with joy, good humor and hard work, Second Baptist team members lifted heavy framing, installed insulation, and poured foundations. They worked through driving rain, dirt, and for those working on the roof, extreme heat. But their daily entries in a "blog" (Web-based journal) expressed gratitude for being part of the long recovery process.

"It's unbelievable how fast relationships and camaraderie form when everyone's hearts and spirits are aligned to achieve a common goal," wrote volunteer Valerie Mercey, who worked long after cleanup time to pound the last nail into the roof of a new home. Mercey described seeing a damaged cemetery and other devastation—where homes, apartments, and businesses used to be—as "humbling and shocking."  Others on the team noted the many stores and malls that are still empty, and saw palm trees uprooted or snapped in half, few road signs or traffic lights, and trash everywhere.

Work crews meet and dine at Bolixi's Yankie Stadium, offered for the relief effort by the Salvation Army.

The Second Baptist volunteers stayed at Biloxi's Yankie Stadium, an old football stadium purchased by the Salvation Army for use as a neighborhood center just days before the hurricane hit. Team member Linda Isham wrote that volunteer groups were there from Canada, Maryland, and New Jersey, along with RVers from all over the country. For part of the week, Isham and others worked behind the scenes, cleaning up the bunkhouses and organizing a storage shed. They also helped out at God's Katrina Kitchen, a ministry in nearby Gulfport, and worked to salvage useable items from an abandoned apartment complex.

In the midst of all this, volunteers wrote, local residents still took Mardi Gras seriously. On "Fat Tuesday," volunteers said, many people had the day off from work, and parades sprang up all around, closing dozens of local roads. Some team members took time to drive into New Orleans, where they sampled "family friendly" parades and local cuisine such as gumbo and jambalaya. They also met and talked with New Orleanians who had lived through the hurricane's devastation.

Eager to celebrate, New Orleanians kept their spirits up at this "family friendly" Mardi Gras parade on Canal Street.

"Mardi Gras is becoming a celebration of God's mercy lifting people out of despair and enabling them to recover," wrote Reed-Brown. "I believe an incredible spiritual and cultural revival is beginning on the Gulf Coast." Reed-Brown noted that Mardi Gras colors of purple, green, and gold symbolize justice, faith, and power respectively. "This is precisely the divine hope needed at this time," he said.

By week's end, team members said they had a new appreciation for the "theology of the hammer," and felt they were making a satisfying contribution. "It is a great privilege to be here," wrote one team member, "helping people rebuild their lives, one nail and one board at a time."

"It's an amazing thing to see people (so) energized and passionate about what they are doing," commented Habitat's Operation Home Delivery construction supervisor Bryce McKee, "even more so when it is simply to help out another person." McKee encouraged the team to reflect in the coming days and weeks about their experiences—and what a difference they made in the lives of people they may never meet.

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