Hey everyone just checking in really enjoying the experience here in NJ as it is truly eye opening on what has occurred here.  Even 6 months after the storm there is so much work that has to be done and be cleaned up.  I have been painting doing yard work and cleaning up garbage as well as digging up stumps in the yard with Pete.  According to Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Dobesh I have changed the way the game pitch is played and I am enjoying the glory!! Missing the parents and my always fun to be around little bro! Thanks for everyone who made it possible to get me here including my sponsors, Mrs. Casey and my Family.

Thanks Again God Bless

Austin Olson

The trip is going really well except for getting sick last night (I begin to think the boys are trying to poison me LOL). 

It’s interesting how God works. Each day we have been focusing on different aspects of missionary work like service, humility, God’s grace. Yesterday we were asked to focus on absence/weakness/God providing. We were told some people will bring us lunch to our the worksite. For the last two days the boys wanted to do some demolition work. Well… the food was delivered to a wrong address which was just one street off where we had been working all morning. When we went to pick it up from there (we got a call from the young guy who lived there), we found out that he needed some desperate help to tear down his deck for a crew would be coming to raise his home or something like. It was around 3 PM and it would take him at least a couple days to do it. It took us less than an hour to get the work done and we saved him probably close to $1,000. The guy just bought this house a month before the hurricane. From deck to water was close to 8 feet and during the story there had been 4 feet of water in his living room. Pretty crazy!

God yet again provided. 

Fr. Marcin

P.S. To Father Kerry: I sure hope you washed the cat on Saturday :) 

Today is Sunday, a day of much needed rest. The team has been working long hours and accomplishing much. Our work is not only providing great monetary savings to the families, but also giving hope to families that have been displaced for 6 months.  Father Scott and Catherine are taking great care of us and we are hoping to go to the beach for a break today. Our kids are amazing and always looking for more projects!  Tonight some will join in the choir at 5PM Mass with the youth group from St. Joe's and then we will be spending time with them throughout the evening. Team Skiff, (Barb, Karrie, Anthony, Joe, Holly, Sabine and Father Marcin spent yesterday painting the inside of an entire house for a family of 5. They have only been living together the last 3 weeks and are hoping to be in their home within a month or so.  While we were painting, a crew from Pennsylvania rolled in to put floors down. Although we didn't get completely finished, the house was taking on a new look when we left. What a privilege to be part of this and bring joy to others!