Here in Hebron

We are finally here in Hebron--no not the famous Judean city 20 miles south of Jerusalem, but a small town in rurual Indiana about an hour south of Chicago. Previously unknown to us, it turns out that ironically it suffered flooding from the aftermath of Hurrican Ike. Ironic in that this disaster relief team I'm on, worked the past few years in Port Arthur,Texas--cleaning up houses after the very same hurricane. I had no idea its effects could reach so far north.
Here in the heartland of America, the Calumet River flooded on this flat plain, and just like the situation in Pt. Arthur, two and a half years later, there are still 300 houses that are waiting for remodeling so that families can move back in. We are working on one of them.
The organization here is called LARRI, Lakeshore Area Regional Recovery of Indiana and is well-organized. On this first morning on the job, one half of the roof has been scraped of shingles, the floor mucked out for carpet and painting done in the first bedroom. W!e have tools and a foreman as well! That isn't always a given on these mission trips.
The sun is shining, trees blooming and we are getting used to letting our eyes follow to the horizon in all directions. More to follow...