Some pictures of our weekend in Stockton and Minnesota City -- We left work for you!

Mud and mud and more mud

We had an amazing weekend in Stockton and Minnesota City in spite of the recent rain, which left us with some really muddy conditions. We removed dead trees, pulled carpets, hauled sheetrock, cleaned debris out of yards and from the edge of the brook, cleaned and sanitized Roger's machine shop, hauled Bonnie's wood for their stove back from the debris pile where it had ended up in the flood, installed insulation in Roger's shop and got it ready for new sheetrock, cleared a dam that was created by debris in Garvin Brook, took several loads of downed wood to a chipping area, burned brush (always helps to have a fire warden with you!), made meals for volunteers and homeowers, and brought lunches to crews in Minnesota City, where they were installing electrical wiring, roofing a house, and sheetrocking another.

Whew! And between that, we talked, prayed and laughed, sometimes until our sides ached. (Sorry, Miriam, for that little tire spinning episode that resulted in your mudbath...) What a blessing to watch as adults and youth ministered to others through hugs, and prayers, quiet conversation, shared meals, laughter, a found photo album, and back-breaking, leg-aching, bicep-building work!

It was a very, very good weekend!