Lagniappe Particularized!

As you may or may not know Lagniappe 'church' has been a mission church of the Presbyterian Church in America since it's inception. Last night, December 5, 2009 Lagniappe was 'particularized' into it's own individual congregation. Elders from Grace Presbytery came and installed Curt and myself as pastors and ordained John Sabin and Andrew Thompson as our charter elders. It was a great service of celebration and remembering God's goodness to us in Christ. In true Lagniappe fashion we had the reception at the Mockingbird Cafe. Sorry for the infrequency of the blog entries, but we are finding that the people side of this ministry is more time consuming than the home construction...imagine that...thanks all of you who helped to make this a reality.

"What is the Church Doing?!"

That's a question we get a lot around here, especially because our church USED to host thousands of volunteers, repair hundreds of homes, and offer lots of benevolence money to those hurting from Katrina. What are we doing now? Well...I thought I would share with some of the front page article from our local news paper, the "Sea Coast Echo." VIOLENT CRIME SOARS "In the four years since Hurricane Katrina, there have been hundreds of inspirational stories of compassion, recovery, and rebuilding in Hancock County, Bay St. Louis, and Waveland. Katrina took away many of our homes, our businesses and government buildings, and for the most part our way of life, but a courageous community has persevered to bring most of it back. Four years later, homes have been rebuilt, businesses have reopened, and the local governments have recovered, but police officials say the same way of life may never return since a dramatic spike in drug use, suicide, murder, and other violent crime since Aug. 29, 2005, has has turned our sleepy little community into a volatile and dangerous place.[....] 'We have never had so many drug cases,' [Hancock County Sheriff Steve Garber] said. 'The explosion of meth has really created a lot of extra work for our people. [One reason for the dramatic spike] is that some people are turning to drugs as a way to escape their dire financial and emotional situations,' Garber said. The national economic situation along with the pressure of rebuilding their lives has driven some people over the edge, officials said. 'Each individual is different,' [Larry Smith, former psychology professor at Pearl River Community College] said, 'but generally, when people loose their support base, some will turn to drugs.' Since Hurricane Katrina, there have been nearly 48 suicides or intentional overdoses in Hancock County, and more than 250 attempts or threats. Records show there have been four suicides in Waveland, nine in Bay St. Louis, and 35 in the unincorporated area of the county. 'Prior to the storm, we had three or four suicides a year,' Garber said. 'In the past two weeks we have had three.' Another side effect of the emotional stress being felt in the community is domestic violence. Garber said that domestic violence has increased dramatically and it has played a part in seven of the nine murders in the county since Katrina. In the five years prior to Katrina, there were only five murders and only one involved domestic violence. Murder, meth, and domestic violence are not the only concerns of the law enforcement however. In the past four years, there have been two bank robberies, at least a dozen armed and strong armed robberies, home evasions, and hundreds of burglaries and break-ins." Dwayne Bremer, Staff Writer for the Sea Coast Echo. Drug use, domestic violence, violent crime, burglaries, and suicides....all of which have substantially increased since August 29, 2009. This article does not even touch on the hundreds of children displaced into an already overloaded foster care system by domestic violence, drug use, etc. Just last week, an individual known to many in our community committed suicide. A reputable relief organization in the area had recently rebuilt their home, but a home was clearly not enough. What do we do for those whose despair is greater than a new home, a new car, free clothes, or free lunch can relieve? The article was a sobering reminder that the psychological, emotional, and dare I say spiritual effects of Hurricane Katrina are as real as the physical. Lagniappe has set our course directly into this whirlwind of pain, fear, anxiety, anger, and depression. It is not easy. We have an active enemy-anxious to offer the residents of this community ANYTHING besides Jesus to fill their souls and fix their problems. Then we have to worry about us. I am almost as dangerous as Satan when I offer MYSELF to fix someone, rather than offering Jesus. Fortunately, God has been at work in this place long before we came, and he welcomes us into the already raging battle for the hearts and lives of Hancock County.

I Miss the Volunteers

Just a thought as I scanned through the pictures on this blog. Looking at familiar faces and realizing we don't have the week to week rotation of great conversations around the table, on the deck, or passing the hallways. What an encouragement these men and women have been for almost four years. We'll have to run in to each other at PCA events or random encounters throughout the US. We might just have a reunion courtesy of another storm.

The Re-Creation of Helene's House

I must say that of all the houses LPC has worked on, Helene Johnson's has sold me on the idea of 'Restoration'. This was one of those projects that I stood outside of - gazing up - thinking to myself, "Lord have mercy - please don't let this be it!" Well, in this case, this WAS it - rotten siding, stomach-turning colors; a structure obviously badly damaged by Katrina and VERY obviously lacking in TLC. As it turns out, Helene has had very little help since Katrina. A single, hardworking mom, and owner of the Bay's Fit First, she has had her hands full just staying afloat, and if that meant continuing to live in a house that made people RUN by, then so be it. LPC first met Helene when the Salvation Army called requesting that LPC act as construction partner for a grant recently approved for this house, and after a visit to the site by Jordan, LPC agreed to sign on. The pictures tell the rest of the story. I honestly almost drove off the road and into the ditch when I saw it the other day - it is beautiful! Andrew Thompson, LPC teams - congrats all of ya'll and THANK YOU for helping make The Bay beautiful one disaster at a time!!!

Bobbii and Troy

HEAR YE ALL 2008 RUF BLITZ BUILDERS - Bobbii & Troy Lane (and all the rest of the family (including goat?)) are moving in!! Bobbii and Troy gave a shout-out to all of you who worked so hard in December to frame and dry-in the house. THANK YOU!! (check out Lagniappe Church Blog post 12-20-08 for pictures of the blitz.) Jordan, Andrew, Annette, and Troy complete a walk-through of the kitchen and livingroom. Annette works for Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, LPC's local partner organization, which completed the interior. (No, that is not a road down the middle of the room - thank you - it's a paper walkway to keep our mud-caked shoes off the new floors. For all of ya'll who've been down here during one of those "wash-out" thunderstorms we get around here - yeah, we had one yesterday, complete with tornados. (No one was hurt, thank goodness, but I did get frostbite after temporarily relocating my office inside the walk-in refridgerator, where i figured if nothing else, at least the roof wouldn't fall on my head...)) Here Andrew, Jordan, and Bobbii discuss the roof-line, weather-stripping, and the inherent evils of BirdBoxes...

Wayland to Waveland is BACK!!

Peter and Crew are back in the Bay, this time helping to fund, frame, wire and plumb a home for Michelle Williams-Terry, her three children and two grandchildren! Michelle is a long-time resident of Waveland, a Katrina survivor, and one of LPC's most delightful friends. This house is a dream come true for Michelle; she looks forward to once again living in her own home, enjoying her garden, and living life with her kids. Please keep Michelle in your prayers - she is a hard-working single mom and grandma who fights hard every day to care for her family.

Participating in the Restoration - A Visual

"Where there was once destruction, now there is beauty." Angelia Clark's new home.

Another Home is Finished!

Lagniappe Church, Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, and Joining Hands celebrate the completion of Lynda Rich's home. Lynda lost her home and all her belongings in Hurricane Katrina; she lived in a FEMA trialer on her property until summer '08 when she obtained a temporary MEMA cottage. The cottage was removed from her property after it was badly damaged in Hurricane Gustav, and she and her daughter have been living in a camper trailer without water or electricity ever since. Construction on the home began in January 2009, and despite her own physical disability, Lynda has worked tirelessly alongside the volunteers on the construction; after three-and-a-half long years, Lynda is finally home again.

Veteran Volunteers!

This week Lagniappe is full to the brim with, what we term, "veteran volunteers." The Cross (a campus ministry at the University of Tennessee) began coming to the coast before Lagniappe existed, and has a continued ministry of excellent service punctuated by a deep love for each other that spills out into all their interactions. They are a dynamic and hard-working group, and we love having them! Our second crew is from Pennsylvania, and are what we might term an "older, active" crowd. They have been given a very difficult task this week, and are working hard with great attitudes. So far, the students from the Cross have painted the Mockingbird, begun a foundation, framed up a house, and done a number of projects in the local high school. Our friends from Pennsylvania have installed windows and siding on a particularly difficult rehab project. (For more pictures, see the photo-album on the left side of the web-page.)

Scott Necaise Home Dedication

A beautiful Friday afternoon in Waveland, MS, marks a great day for Scott Necaise - his house is completed, the dedication is underway; he has a new home! "I don't have any words except 'thank you' to everyone who's worked on my house," he says. Scott's house is the first built through collaboration between Lagniappe Church and Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, with Lagniappe completing all major framing and exterior work and the Fuller Center providing additional funding, construction leadership, and teams to finish out the interior. Thank you everyone who has participated in the building of this house. Please keep Scott in your prayers as he begins life in a new home. (photo: Scott (far right front) with family and Bartow Tucker of Fuller Center (front left))

Important Announcement...

Please follow the link below to the Lagniappe Church homepage for an announcement from Lagniappe about our upcoming transition out of re-building toward development in the Bay-Waveland community. Click here to be taken to the LPC homepage

Learning to Pray

When Lagniappe began, we had no idea what to do or where to begin...and our prayers were born out of deep need and desperation rather than piety. Today, having become more "self-sufficient" and organized, we often forget to pray. We forget the one who brings every volunteer, who sends every penny, who holds this place in the palm of His hand and directs the winds and waves. Well, He is reminding us, and drawing us back to Himself. Please pray for our staff today. Many difficult decisions are being made in the next few days that will greatly affect our next few months. We need money for houses, and the anticipated grants are coming later than we expected. Please pray 1) that God would teach us to trust. 2) That God would make it clear what our next steps should be. 3) That God would comfort those who are still without homes (many of whom are our clients). 4) That God would provide the money to build these houses-and provide it quickly. 5) PRAISE Him for His provision, and His promise that "He knows the plans He has for us...plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give us a future and a hope."

Go, Send, or Disobey

This is a famous quote by John Piper regarding missions. It sounds harsh, but Biblically, Piper argues that the Christian is either called to GO to the mission field, or help SEND others to the field...neither is more spiritual than the other, but to do neither is disobedience to God's call. Many who read this blog are "senders." You support LPC financially; you support us in your prayers. You encourage us from far away in the ministry that God has called us to in Bay Saint Louis. FYI: Just because you send, does NOT mean you are not doing (or called to do) missionary and ministry work in your own community either! All that being said, we are thankful for the senders. We could not be here without your investment in the Kingdom. God uses you mightily in ways you cannot even imagine. However, it is exciting for us when senders become "Goers." (I know it's not a word, just give it to me). This week we have members of Lynne and John Sabin's church, Westminster Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, MS. This church has supported and encouraged John and Lynne--both financially and through prayer. But this week they CAME! They are here-doing the work that they have heard so much about these last 2 years. We are thankful for their partnership, thankful for their service, and thankful that some can go, some can send, and some have the privilege of doing both!

Therefore ENCOURAGE one another and build one another up, just as you are doing...

Some days in Bay St. Louis, no matter how beautiful the weather or how "productive" the day may seem...we become weary. The task is too big. We do not have enough to give. Yesterday was one of those days. I walked through the main building thinking "I hate this town that takes so long to recover. I hate the systems that do not work; I hate the corruption that has harmed so many. I am weary, and what is worse, I do not feel the love for Bay St. Louis or her people that I am called to feel." I decided to go for a drive and deliver popsicles-get out of the office, bring some encouragement to the volunteers, and maybe remind myself of what we are doing. Instead, I was the one encouraged. God brought me a 5th time volunteer--a faithful friend and encourager of Lagniappe. He began, out of the blue, to tell me about God's work in His church back home. God is raising up missionaries. He is using Lagniappe as a spring board for His church to consider acts of mercy in their neighborhoods across the United States. "You cannot even know the way God is using this church to draw others into His mission of redemption and restoration," he said. "Please know that our church prays faithfully for you all in the trenches...it is all we can do." There is a Biblical mandate for encouragement because God designed us to need Him, and to need each other. Yesterday I was reminded of God's faithfulness, of His sovereign work throughout this country (and the world), and of His graciousness in using Lagniappe. I was pointed back to the cross, and drew encouragement from the words and prayers of my brother in Christ. I went to encourage the volunteers with popsicles, and I left encouraged myself by the prayers and words of those I went to serve.

RUF Blitz Build Photos

Please click on the photo above and you will be taken to an online web album. From there you may download any of the pictures for personal or professional use. You may sell them or give them away. They make great stocking stuffers.

Day 5: 2:30 pm

Thank you for your prayers...5 days, lots of rain, no injuries, and two houses later...the week is over! Both houses look incredible. Check out the slideshow on the website for more pictures of the week; I will be uploading them over the next few days. These college students did an incredible job-working through rain and mud, learning new skills, and encouraging each other and the staff! I have been amazed by their enthusiasm and rejoice that, 3 years after Hurricane Katrina, there are mission minded students interested in bringing restoration to a hurting area. Thanks to them for their time, their hard work, and their great attitudes!! Thanks to Bobby and Troy Lane (2nd house pictured) for frying up some delicious turkey for the crews this afternoon! Thank you to the staff (both of Lagniappe and Habitat) for the hard work and many hours they put into these projects. And finally, we thank the Father for all of the above along with safety, energy, and even the desire to serve.

8am-12pm, Day 1 of the College Blitz

These photos were taken between 9-11:00 am this morning. Check out the website tonight to see pictures of the afternoon! The volunteers and construction staff are cruising and both houses are moving incredibly fast. So far the rain is holding but you can see the ominous clouds in the back-ground.

College Blitz Build Underway!

As I sit at my computer, 6 students from the University of North Carolina are cleaning the kitchen, and 30 more college students have driven off in green vans and Honda accords to the Lagniappe work site! This week Lagniappe is partnering with Habitat for Humanity, and 2 houses will be dried in (that means framed, sheeted, sided, painted, and roofed) by Friday. The students come from North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Florida, South Carolina, and Alabama. Many just finished their finals on Saturday and drove down on Sunday. It is a tremendous sacrifice of time and money on their part, and we are thankful for their participation in the ongoing work! Please keep them and the staff of both Lagniappe and Habitat in your prayers this week. We will be updating the blog daily and hopefully will have some pictures of the progress by this afternoon!

I Didn't Vote

This was writtten by a friend of Jean, Grant Scarborough, who works at an inner city medical clinic that he co-founded in Augusta, GA. It is profound. Occasionally I get inspired to write and this happens to be one of those days. I woke up early to vote for our next president. This is important. Four years of leadership that has the capability of changing our cities, neighborhoods, and even our very lives. Today was the day I made a difference. Standing in line with my diet coke can and granola bar in hand, I waited. One hour I waited. Then my time came, I thought. But they could not find my name. They found my wife's name. I informed them that I lived with my wife. I even told them she was pregnant, I thought that gave me credibility. Still, no name. They called downtown and I was not listed there either. I walked away dejected. I couldn't even get an "I voted" sticker. I asked for the sticker and the sweet lady said, "did you vote?" well – you know – I just kept walking. What a wasted hour, well not completely wasted. For over an hour I talked with a lady who was trying to start an inner city medical clinic in a nearby community. Her eyes lit up as we talked, "I've heard about you," she said. We exchanged phone numbers all the while talking with the next guy about his desire to start a once monthly dinner for the homeless. Then my two new Methodist friends used my wifes favorite word "providential." They smiled as they used this word while I stared in disbelief – or maybe old fashion confusion. Yes, by the time I reached the clinic I was a providentially dejected voter without even a sticker or an opportunity to change the world. I would even say that this is the curse of my mother, but she might read this one day. All I can do now is pout and see patients. I am good at one of those and not so good at the other and I will let the reader decide. My first patient was a middle aged man from rural South Carolina. He showed up with his CAT scan report in his hand. I read the results before I even saw him – "a destructive invasive neoplastic lesion" obvious cancer that even a good "pouter" can interpret. The CAT scan was performed over a month ago (the words destructive and invasive came back to mind). Where have you been? Seemed like an obvious question. In unbelief I heard a story of rejection. He has been to four different hospitals that refused to help since he had no medical insurance, 2 were even state hospitals. No one was willing to give him chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. I yelled quietly, "What in the heck is wrong with this place?" This guy created in God's image can die and no one cared. Breathe, exhale and keep going. Patient 2 – A kind inner city man with just your basic medical problems of high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. He says everything is fine except…then he points to his head. "I don't trust nobody doctor." He tells a tale of sitting in his chair all night long and looking out his blinds every time he hears a noise. He stands alone at the bus stop. He walks alone and turns around if anyone is behind him to make sure he is not being followed. He is big and intimidating but has become imprisoned mentally. His wife passed away over 20 years ago and his son is in Iraq. "I don't trust nobody doctor," he repeats again and again. We pray for his tormented paranoid mind that has imprisoned him. After prayer, the man gets ready to leave and then nervously speaks "Doctor…. one more thing…" I don't have time for 'one more thing.' "There was an old lady out front who couldn't pay her co-pay. What's going to happen to her?" I inform him that people have to pay a little bit to be seen. It teaches them responsibility or something. "Well she said she could pay in a couple of weeks, but I don't know how she will be able to – Do you mind….. I mean …..Can I pay her co-pay?" I have never seen a borderline paranoid schizophrenic reach out and care for a stranger like this man. I walked back in a closed exam room and wept. Is a president really going to change the world or will it be you and me and my paranoid friend. Has Christ not called us to this time and place to build His Kingdom and love His people? Are we going to change the world in the ballot box and then go home and wait for it to happen? We are his ambassadors, to build his kingdom, love a neighbor, serve the poor, and die to self. That sounds great, but now what? My nurse is having a yard sale, why don't you come? In fact, she has gathered a couple of friends to help, because economics tells you the more stuff at a yard sale, the more you make. And she wants to make lots of money. The yard sale is for Calvin – a quadriplegic, that comes to our clinic. He was recently hospitalized because Medicaid does not give him enough gauzes and supplies for all his wounds and his bed is not ideal for his thin quadriplegic body. My nurse was thinking about writing Calvin's name in for the presidential election, because if he became president he would have better supplies. Instead, she decided to raise the money through a yard sale. She is "wasting" one entire day so a new friend can have gauzes, wraps, and lotion to stay a few more days out of the hospital. Talk about changing the world! She has started with loving her new friend through a yard sale, more than I have done in a long time. It is Election Day and I did not vote; but if I could, I would vote for you, the reader. We need you to walk outside and love those around you for the sake of Christ. Go, serve, build, and die unto the glory of Christ. Have a yard sale, pay for someone who cannot afford his bill, care for someone dying of cancer - - can you see the world beginning to change?

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, or the Top Ten Reasons To Be Thankful

As I was pondering my life during the wee hours of the night last night, I was amazed at what God has done in my life since God moved John and I to Lagniappe, and I began to review the good, the bad and the ugly. The GOOD involves the amazing journey beginning in April of 2006 when God arranged (for years) a divine appointment at the RUF Mississippi State University Crawfish Boil with Andy and Cammie Chapman, and our lives as we then knew them were over. That day began an eight month journey of experiencing God literally moving our hearts and spirits in another direction, a direction that was unexpected and even shocking. I still sometimes experience the shock of what God did, but I know as sure as I'm typing this that God did it. How odd of God to take a crooked stick like John, who said for years, "I'm not a missionary and I'm not going anywhere", and a crooked stick like me, the chief of sinners, to plop us down in the middle of what I am convinced is the most incredible picture of God's restoration of creation - the restoration of US! Which brings me to the BAD........we have learned so much of our own brokeness...........and the UGLY..........that we are much more sinful than we ever dared believe.........which brings me back to the GOOD..........that we are much more loved than we can even imagine, to the point that when God looks at us, He rejoices over us with singing! The blood of Jesus hides the BAD and the UGLY so that when God looks at us, He ONLY sees the GOOD! How amazing is THAT? Can you even picture God in Heaven rejoicing over US? With SINGING? It is incredible. Top ten Reasons to be Thankful 1. That Jesus' blood covers the bad and the ugly and God only sees the good, which isn't even ours, but is Jesus'. 2. That the same God who makes things broken then proceeds to restore them. 3. That God can use ANYONE to accomplish His will, even broken people like us. 4. That God is in control of all things, even the Kings, Presidents, Pastors, the details of my life and the number of hairs on my head! 5. That God established marriage as the perfect picture of Jesus' love for His church. Christ loved his Bride enough to DIE for her! 6. That God is still on the throne and history cannot and will not be changed. The Alpha and Omega has established it from beginning to end. 7. For the fellowship of the saints, the most fulfilling fellowship and communion we can ever experience on earth. 8. For the Beauty of the Earth 9. For Music 10. For the promise of Heaven and getting to see Jesus face to face. That's it! The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, ending with the GOOD, or as they say in the Bay, "It's All Good!" Have a Blessed Thanksgiving week.

Thank you Cammie!

As you may or may not know one of our staff members is moving to another part of the coast to continue the restoration work in a different capacity. Cammie Chapman and her daughter, Kate will be moving to Gulfport, Mississippi and she will be working with R.S.V.P., a program that allows local senior citizens to serve their 'own' communities. Many of you know Cammie as the friendly voice behind our reservation hotline. She has helped provide 'air traffic control' for over 10,000 volunteers who have served at Lagniappe. She has done an amazing job and will be a great assett to Harrison County. We are sad to be losing her, but she is only moving her 'vocational' work. She is still part of the Lagniappe family, an active member of the church and deeply loved in this community. Cammie, thanks for all you have done. We know that the work of restoration will be furthered by your participation through the Harrison County Chamber and R.S.V.P. P.S. Lynne Sabin will be picking up the torch on reservations, so please call or email her with any reservation needs!

Mockingbailout....

If you have not yet read Sarah Denton's blog about the Mockingbird Cafe' please read it. It describes well the community attachment to the cafe'. If you have been to Bay St. Louis as a volunteer then there is a good chance that you have spent the better part of one or many evenings enjoying the porch and the culture that surrounds the Mockingbird. I recounted to Martin (one of the owners) how I hoped that one day Lagniappe would be as beloved as the cafe'. It may be hard to get your mind around, but as Jean IV recounted to me, "Dad, there were hundreds of people there Thursday night- everyone was there. (NOTE: Jean had gone home early and we live about 1 block from the cafe'. At present I am out of the country so this story was recounted to me via Skype on the internet) He continued, "about midnight I heard this roar and cheering. It was louder that anything I'd ever heard in Old Town, then I got a text from Connor. It said, "They're not closing!" As the city contemplated the closing of this beloved establishment I had one resident say to me, "We might as well just move!" Funny isn't it? Katrina galvinized the city, but when faced with the thought of losing community, residents would rather move than be isolated from each other. All that to say that I'd like to encourage you to give. Not give to get. Not give to have a tax deduction, but give to help. We have had hundreds of thousands of dollars given to help individual families, but this is a place that helps all of us cope; all of us gather and all of us have community. The Mockingbird is trying to raise $10,000. I'd love to see them raise $100,000. Please consider sending a check to them. As is popular to say these days, "We bailed out Wall Street, but what about Main Street?" Here's your chance. Their contact information is as follows: Mockingbird Cafe', 110 South Second Street, Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520, Attn: Mockingbailout. 228.467.8383. Here's a link to the Sun-Herald story about the bailout.

Blocks and Brooms

The Arden Presbyterian (SC) team brought this 1927 Singer sewing machine that runs like a dream. The tag attached to the machine reads -- To: Sewing Women @ Laginappe Presbyterian Fm: Jay Migeras @ Arden Pres. The machine will be given to Donna Skinner, one of Lagniappe's home owners. Block and foundation work was the focus of the Arden volunteers this week in the community. They also entertained us as they danced with and pushed brooms cleaning in the main building here at Lagniappe.

The Mockingbird Phoenix

For over 2 years, the Mockingbird has been the local coffee shop, burger joint, music venue, and living room for Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. You could not go without seeing a familiar face, and no matter where you were from, walking through the front door was like walking into your own home. Kat Fitzpatrick (a local artist) was quoted by the Sun Herald saying, "When many of us were living in trailers, it was our living room." For a lot of people, it still is. People who don't have an office do business there, and students study there. It's like the best part of a City Hall and a rural post office." It is where Lagniappe held our weekly staff Bible study, and where we went to meet about business, or escape business. Nicknamed "the Bird," the coffee shop / restaurant was the eclectic haven for folk music, art, Lazy Magnolia, and the best burgers in town. Any given day you could find the punk rockers, the prep-school students, the soccer moms, and of course someone on the Lagniappe staff sitting by a window. Monday morning, October 27th, patrons were shocked by a sign that read, "The Mockingbird will be closing its doors Friday, October 31st. Thank you for letting us be part of your lives." It was a blow no one anticipated-a sobering warning that this town's economy is fragile. No one could imagine downtown Bay St. Louis without the Mockingbird. So we prayed. Lagniappe spent the last week, corporately and individually praying for this coffee shop and their owners, Martin and Allicin Chambers. Why does a coffee shop matter so much? It matters because people matter, because culture matters, because art matters...because God cares about conversations over coffee or burgers and loves folk music! It matters because it served as a community center-a catalyst for relationships, and a place of beauty in the midst of chaos. The garden at the Mockingbird has, at times, been one of the few places in this city with green landscaping cascading over handrails and around foot paths...in a town under construction, green things become increasingly valuable. Thursday night was their final goodbye, the last night of music and food before they closed their doors. "Full cyrcle" band played, and the Bird ran out of food and beer by 8pm!! Allicin stepped the mic and the several hundred patrons quieted down, expecting a farewell speech...but through some tears and smiles Allicein managed a quiet "we aren't closing!" Little was heard after that. People's bank had come through to refinance them-recognizing the incredible importance of this cultural hub. The Phoenix came; the Mockingbird is staying open! It was a sobering reminder to all of us that Bay St. Louis is far from recovered. Small businesses are still in desperate need, and without them this town cannot hope to recover. But God is faithful, and we still have good coffee, great beer, and a living room on Second and Main. For more information check out http://www.sunherald.com/living/story/921029.html and http://www.sunherald.com/business/story/917288.html

Popsicles!

Popsicle season is almost over, and we are moving into the hot chocolate deliveries, but here is one of the last popsicle crews. These students are from Grace Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, LA. Grace also has a private school through the church, and the school sends anyone from the senior class interested in a missions trip! So the students get a week off of school and the opportunity to volunteer and learn many new skills. These students hung all of the insulation in Donna Skinner's house; thanks to their work all of the sheet rock is now hung and waiting to be finished!

Training YOU!

This week Lagniappe has been privileged to partner with a group called Training You in Mississippi. The program is a 6 week course in construction skills-including 3 weeks of classroom training and 3 weeks of on the job training. Training you teaches adults Hancock County valuable job skills, and even trains them for specific jobs that companies in the Gulf Region specifically requested. One of the greatest needs in Hancock County is job skill training. Training You has recognized that need and seeks to fill it in a unique way. Volunteers have come from all over the country to help rebuild the coast; Training You is equipping the people who live HERE to be able to give back to their own community. It is an incredible program that gives adults in this community an opportunity to give back while simultaneously equipping them for gainful employment. Oh, and the training is FREE!! Lagniappe has a lot of projects; Training You has a lot of skilled and semi-skilled people...one might call it Providence! The instructors will tailor their classes and education based upon our needs-meaning that we can ask them to do almost anything and they will take on the challenge as an educational opportunity for their students! They are currently hanging sheet-rock in Mr. Moore's house.