FINISHING UP

 The weekend brought rainy weather. Cheryl and Bill arrived on Saturday and then John and Sue arrived on Sunday afternoon. We had some heavy rain on Sunday  night with some sharp lightning, and a tornado warning, but all was safe. Nashville,Arkansas did have a tornado and a couple was killed.

 The goal for this week was to get the house mudded and ready to paint. David working on the corner.

 John put on the corner bead around the windows and Sue did the mudding around them.

The electric company showed up on Tuesday.

 The main service was connected to the house. Larry installed 2 temporary GFI receptacles, so we would have electric service.

 Cheryl putting on another coat of mud on the seams.

 Bill and David discussing where to sand or mud next.

 Bill putting another coat of mud along the ceiling seams in the kitchen.

 Scott sanded and mudded the ceilings all week.

 Scott, Sue and Rose mudding the bedroom closet.

 Rose ended up mudding the linen closet.

 Sue is smiling because this is her last closet.

 This joint compound came in a plastic bag so Cheryl and Scott squeezed it into a bucket.

 By Wednesday afternoon we thought the living/ dining room and kitchen would be ready to prime on Thursday. Larry and I were leaving Thursday morning for we had an appointment at Red Bay on Friday, Thanks to Bill and Cheryl agreeing to take over as leaders a day early.

Larry and John worked at this gentleman's property on Wednesday. We were asked to build a shed for him.

John working on building the wooden floor.

We stopped by Danial's home and left him the Bible. He did have the walls textured and painted.

On Wednesday evening we went to Mrs. Carter's house and presented her and her son the Bible.

We had a nice presentation. David, Ruth, Sue and John knew Bishop Mueller from when he was a pastor at their church, so they invited him to come and join us in the blessing of the  house. The Carters are waiting for closing so they can move in.

  

The team enjoyed seeing a finished home, it sure helps to see what the home you are working on will eventually look like. Our team picture Scott and Pat, David and Ruth, John and Sue, Cheryl and Bill, Dottie and Larry.

DRYWALL UP

 On Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed some of the activities the town has during their famous Toad Suck Daze.

 Yes, they do have toad races. Lots of fun for everyone.

 This week the whole team worked at the house on Otto Road.

 Larry gave a mudding 101 lesson and we started to work on this room that was finished dry walled last week.

 The team from Pine Bluff,  NC finished installing all the ceilings before they headed home on Friday. We were so thankful, so the guys could start installing the walls.

 Pat mudded all the ceiling seams with help from Janice. What a neck breaking job. I taped the corners and edges.

 Pat and Janice were so dedicated they worked right through break.

 I worked with Jeanne showing her how to install drywall in the closets and then she and Annette installed the drywall in the bedroom closets.

 Closets were all dry walled and then Larry showed them how to finish the drywall around the windows. They were so excited with their new accomplishment.

 Billie and Marvin worked together hanging drywall.

 The closet for the water heater was a tight fit for both of them to be working in.

 The bathroom was larger but gave them other challenges. One drill even got baptised in the tub of water.

 Danny and Dave dry walled the master bathroom.

 Those linen closets are small spaces to work in.

 Ruth mudded all the screw holes and then worked on mudding the seams in the closets.

 Scott helped hang drywall and then started putting on the corner bead around the windows.

 How many NOMADS can work in a bedroom at one time? This was the last room to finish hanging the dry wall in and over half the team was working in the room at one time.  All the drywall has been installed this week and many of the seams taped and mudded. It was a good week, thanks to a lot of hard work.

Thursday evening we had a farewell dinner at the Almost Famous Steakhouse and Grill.  The first time we had for a group picture. Pat and Scott, Jeanne and Billie, Janice and Marvin, Ruth and David, Annette and Danny, and Dottie and Larry. Janice and Marvin left this morning headed back to Texas, and Danny and Annette headed to Oklahoma City. Billie and Jeanne head to another project in Clinton, Arkansas tomorrow.  Keep them all in your prayers for they are going to be traveling in areas where the weather may be severe.

FINISHING UP AND BEGINING ANOTHER

 Severe storm warnings were issued for the weekend but luckily we only had some rain and all our team arrived safely. After church on Sunday we gathered at Russo's for lunch. Our team for this week is  Larry and Dottie, Danny and Annette, Bob and Paige, Charlotte, John and Lu, Ruth and David.

 Monday most of the women went back to Daniel's home and continue to mud and sand. Paige mudding a ceiling.

 Annette sanded the master bedroom and bathroom.

 Charlotte sanded another bedroom.

 Daniel, the home owner, stopped by a few times. He had lots of stories to tell and share with us. His goal is to be in this home by the end of May, but hiring contractors that are available is difficult. He did get his electricity hooked up on Tuesday afternoon and he came by to put in one outlet so we had power. We needed light to see in the one bathroom.

Charlotte held the light so Paige could see where to mud and sand in this bathroom. I think it was the worse room in the house.

 Everyday at lunch time we took a five mile ride to Anderson's.

 They very kindly let us use their one bathroom.

 We cleaned up and declared the house ready to be painted on Wednesday afternoon. We are hoping he has it textured, but Daniel wasn't sure he could afford to and was waiting for a painter to come and give him an estimate.

 The rest of the team had been working at this newly built home on Otto Road.

 What a beautiful view from the front porch.

 David and Bob started putting the dry wall on the ceiling.

 John and Lu worked at the Carter's home on Monday and got all the leaks fixed and the house is now finished. They then came to this house and installed all the insulation.

 The ceiling was up and now the walls. David cuts out the window.

 On to the hallway.

 Larry fixed some of the wiring in the kitchen before the drywall was put on.

 By  the end of the day Thursday the drywall was on in the kitchen

 and the living/dining room. Even some mudding had begun.

 Some volunteers from the Methodist church in Pinebluff, NC came on Thursday afternoon to help with hanging dry wall on the ceilings. We spread the word about NOMADS to them.

 Paige and Bob had to leave Thursday morning so we went to the Market place on Wednesday night. John and Lu, and Charlotte will also be leaving on Friday.

 A Chocolate Mess was the celebration dessert of the night for most of us.

 On Friday the team members that were left went out for breakfast and then into Little Rock.  We had a very informative tour of the William J Clinton Presidential Library.

There were lots of interesting displays about his presidency. It was nice seeing school children interacting with the exhibits.

 This is a full size replica of the Oval office exactly as it was when  he was President.

 Close to the library is the Heifer Village.

The exhibits here told how Heifer International helps countries improve living conditions for many poor around the world. It was very interesting.