Hello from Ocean Springs!
What a week it has been. We have spent the week at the Collins’ Residence on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Their house was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina 5 years ago and the couple has been restoring it since. The couple has faced many challenges in the rebuilding process, Mr. Collins has opted to take on the project himself. The week has been full of hard work including dry-walling, landscaping and an assortment of other jobs involving lots of labor. We encountered moments of excitement and progress in our work but also faced discouragement. Today, though, on our last day of work, we truly felt as though we made a positive impact on the Collins family and their residence.
At the beginning of the week, a few of us were assigned to begin dry-walling a room that had no walls, this room was to eventually be the Collins’ master bedroom. Despite the lack of walls, the Collins often chose to sleep in this room as it was more comfortable than the small FEMA trailer they had been living in for an extended period. After Mr. Collins taught the crew Dry-walling 101, we got to work. At first the work was slow, but overtime we became more efficient and our skills developed. We were often unsure of our work but Mr. Collins continued to guide and encourage us.
This morning as we arrived at the site for our final day of work, Mrs. Collins cheerfully greeted us as she had every other morning. This morning though, she gratefully thanked us for the wonderful evening she had – it was the first time she was able to lean against a flat wall while working on her laptop before bed. She told us the slanted walls in the FEMA trailer were quite an uncomfortable working environment and she was so thankful for the walls we had put in. With so much work to be done at the Collins’ residence, we often felt that our tasks were menial compared to the larger picture. However, her compliments provided assurance that our work had really made a difference.
Though we worked hard throughout the week we definitely had fun as well. We saw alligators, dolphins, crabs and lizards! Additionally we spent time throughout the week getting to know Mr. and Mrs. Collins. They told of their experience after Hurricane Katrina but we also learned about their travels across the world and heard many other interesting stories. Today Mr. Collins grilled shrimp and sausage for us all, the two shared their talents of dance by teaching us Greek and Bulgarian dances and we also polka danced to Mr. Collins’ bagpipes.
We were all truly blessed to spend a week with the Collins family. We look forward to keeping in contact with them and to seeing progress on their house. Beyond construction of the house we are very thankful for the relationships we built this week with this amazing couple and with each other. Mr. and Mrs. Collins will continue to be in our thoughts and prayers.
It’s hard to believe the week is coming to an end and that we will have to wave good-bye back to the coast. We’re off to dinner and the beach for one last hurrah. We can’t wait to share our stories and experiences with our family and friends.
Peace,
Anna, Mario & Nick
