"We're just kids building a house!"

Today was our first full day here in Bay St. Louis! We were all well rested and awoke at 7:30 to start our work day.  After eating breakfast and packing our lunches, we laced up our boots and piled into our 12-passenger vans and headed to the work site on Union Street.
When we first arrived, we were unsure of what to expect. Much to our surprise, the Habitat contractors let us handle everything on our own!  They were very patient and showed us how to use all the equipment safely. At first, we split up into groups and were assigned different jobs: siding, painting and hammering until it was time for lunch.
On our lunch break, we went to the beach and ate together under a pavilion.  There, we listened to a Habitat for Humanity contractor for a brief orientation.  He told us about the devastation from Katrina, and discussed their efforts to rebuild the city. The progress they have made here is tremendous and we feel honored to be a part of it!
After lunch, we got back to work until about 5:00.  We ate dinner together, a delicious meal prepared by two women from Bay St. Louis.  We learned that one of the women lives in a home built by Habitat and she told us how happy and blessed she feels to live there. 
To conclude our day, we went back to the beach and reflected on the events of today. As a whole, we are having a great time already and so far the trip has exceeded our expectations. Mississippi coast is beautiful, we can't wait to tell y'all about it!
More to come tomorrow!!!
Love, Julia Casey and Aileen Brier

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