What a fantastic week! Wednesday morning Paul and I finished the trim work around the baptistery
and pulpit. While the 'Ron Paul' team finished the trim, other teams began installing insulation and
ceiling tiles in the bathrooms, foyer, kitchen, and Pastor Jones' office. Sometime before lunch I began
installing insulation and ceiling tiles in the sanctuary. By Wednesday evening my leather nail pouch was
wet with sweat from the many, many trips up the ladder. The church began to look and feel different as
we steadily transformed the dark wooden structure to a nice clean white ceiling.

Many hands make the work fun and give us the means to be a blessing to our friends in the Lower 9th
Ward. Pastor Jones and the congregation truly show their gratitude for our work with tears, hugs, food,
and lots of laughs. Wednesday evening Pastor Jones treated us to a great New Orleans meal, including
gumbo, fried everything (catfish, okra, etc.), salad, bread pudding, chocolate brownies, and more.

Dale Metzler's skill with suspended ceiling design and Sam Petersheim's skill at project management
make the work manageable for the rest of us. I wish I knew how many times Sam had to run someplace
for something for us. Sometimes I think he went to enjoy the A/C at Lowes! Well, not really. Sam's
hard work makes a project like this possible. In addition, his ability to roll with the flow fits quite well
with New Orleans culture. I certainly enjoyed observing Pastor Jones and Sam kid each other.