Getting In To It

We arrived at the Mennonite Disaster Service site in Homosassa FL on Saturday, and got set-up for our four week stay here.
Our group photo after enjoying a Sunday lunch and time to get acquainted.

On Monday we  started the week with devotions, sharing and work instructions for the day at 7:30 a.m. Our first assignment is for Ms Tomika -  a single mom with two children.

Let us tell you a small part of her story that she told us. She lived in this small old house trailer which was paid for. It got flooded during the hurricane two years ago. She was offered $1500.00 by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to leave and go and rent elsewhere. She told us her lot and trailer were paid for and she was not about to leave and could not afford to rent elsewhere.

Her dad found her another trailer for $2000.00 that MDS is repairing so she can live  there.

Robert, her dad has been installing new metal roofing this past week and had earlier put up new siding.

 The guys installed the counter tops in the kitchen.

The ladies have painted the ceilings and walls in the master bedroom, ensuite bathroom and the 2nd bedroom.

 Jim installed vinyl flooring in the master bedroom, ensuite bathroom, laundry and kitchen.

This narrow sandy road is the one we take to Ms Tomika's house everyday.
As we ponder the road ahead  may God give us wisdom and courage to follow his Way - the road of life.

On Saturday our team enjoyed the day at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park located only a half mile from our campground. This Florida park features Manatee and other native wildlife.
Homosassa comes from the Seminole language and means "Place where the wild peppers grow".

 The visitors are shuttled via boat into the park.

The Homosassa River begins here in the park, fed by a large spring, originating in waters  50 ft deep, flowing at 6 million gallons per hour. It flows nine miles till the Gulf of Mexico.
This park and other spring fed rivers attract the Manatee each winter due to the 72 degree F. water temperatures which is warmer than the Gulf of Mexico, which is what they need for survival.The Manatee are aquatic, vegetarian mammals which are very docile and weigh 1000-1200 lbs and have no natural predators.

These colorful Flamingos are only one variety of birds of the many we saw. Some had been injured and rehabilitated, others free to come and go.

After the hot week we had, Saturday was a cool cloudy day ideal for a visit to the park.

Long Drive and Safe Arrival

The weather systems are big as we found out. It took us 5 days of driving to get out of the wet and cold weather system. As we neared Columbus, Mississippi where the MDS Warehouse is situated the weather kept improving and we finally got clear skies and warm temps of 25-27C.

We had planned our night stop at the MDS warehouse and Len and Nettie Hiebert welcomed us and invited us to join them for supper. This new shelter has hook ups for 4 RV's and is wonderful relief from the hot sun.

This new storage building provides protection from sun and storms for trucks and trailers.

Len and Nettie showed us the warehouse and the facilities. It had changed a lot in four years since we were there last.

After supper they took us to see a cotton gin plant near Macon MS. We included a website below for those of you interested to learn more about a cotton gin.

A truck picks up the 1000 pound bales from the yard and feeds them into the conveyor below.

The plastic wrap is removed as the bales proceed into the gin. Visibility through the spider web and dust covered windows made for poor pictures.

This year a third gin was added to the equipment to speed the process.

A 500 pound bale of cotton fiber gets bagged and loaded on a truck every two minutes.
www.cottonfarming.com/cover-story/bogue-chitto-gin/

Enjoyed two days at Gulf State Park in Alabama and did some shopping at a nearby outlet mall.

The Gulf water is still nice and warm.

This park is a busy place with a wonderful fine sand beach and large campground. The board walk passes over top of a busy street to the campground.

A return visit to Blackwater River State Park (Florida) was a real treat. Well maintained with full hook up and only $22.40 per night.

Some people walk their dogs and others their birds.

A great river for kayaking, canoeing, and river tubing. But we did not do any of them.

Reflections on a cypress swamp pond.

Heading further south and east along the I-10 we saw lots of broken and downed trees in a 40 mile stretch between Mariana FL to Tallahassee FL from hurricane Micheal. In this stretch all the wayside rest stops were closed due to tree damage.

We arrived at our MDS location in Homosassa FL Saturday and received a warm welcome. Our directors have been here for the past 3 weeks working in 30C temps and high humidity with the help of only one other couple. There is room for 12 people in total at this site.

From a recent devotional we were encouraged by the following: We may not always feel adequate for the task at hand; often we become paralyzed by thinking we don't have the skills, experience, resources, or time to help others. In such instances, we're quick to sideline ourselves, discounting what we do have that might be of assistance to someone else.
Lord, all that I have is from You. Help me to always use what You've given me to help others.

Reflections on Our Summer Activities . . .

Blessings from this summer were plentiful.

We learnt to know our new community neighbors with several pot-luck suppers and boccee tournaments.

We enjoyed our north facing deck this summer with a pleasant place to enjoy mosquito free dinners and colorful sunsets.

Several family activities were highlights. Seeing our youngest family member learning to pick ripe strawberries and also sample the yummy berries.

Family dinners, checking out attractions in nearby communities and a sleepover brought us great joy.

A day outing exploring the Tyrell Dinosaur Musuem in Morden with Julie.

A couple of days together at a lakeside cottage included lots of good food, beach walks, playing games, creating bubbles outdoors with Matthew's help, and SomeMores toasted in the fire pit on the dock.

Fall included an afternoon discovering our lack of directions in a Corn Maze.

Reflecting on the summer activities reminds us to be thankful even though with some sadness we said good-bye to my mom, knowing she was looking forward to her heavenly home. We are thankful for her well-lived 95 years and the example she was to us.

. . . and Beginning Our Fall Adventures

Our departure was delayed by a day because of the early Colorado low bringing snow and making the roads treacherous.

Heading out Thursday morning the roads were wet and a bit slushy. The border crossing was different than any time before. We were required to go inside for what we expected would be the normal finger printing and eye photos. However we were questioned about our border crossing letter not having an original signature and the purpose of our service in Homosassa. He said he should not let us in but he would anyway. That's it. No RV check. We were through in half an hour.

The roads were better than we expected. Grand Forks area having the most snow.

We had planned to make our first night stop at Dakota Magic (North Dakota/South Dakota border), however their camping area was under construction and so we were offered to park and plug in on the employee parking lot. And it was free at that, and included Wifi.

The light layer of snow continued till Watertown SD after which we had some snow showers.

Iowa received lots of rain recently which showed in fields that still required harvesting.

A selfie shot at our Friday lunch stop in Sioux City, Iowa

Only a bit of color showing on Saturdays drive.

A new to us campground at Long Branch State Park near Macon, Missouri came complete with a gorgeous sunset.