Customarily the Sheil community has given us its blessing before he headed down each year. One year I was not present at the Mass where that happened and I asked Fr. Kevin when I went to one of the later masses. He was happy to oblige and said to the visiting priest who had just said Mass, “This is one of our missionaries.” I had not thought of it in those terms, but that is what we are. On another occasion, Fr. Kevin observed that we had been heading down for years and had become part of the Tutwiler community, and that they in turn had become part of the Sheil community. Or as J.D. put it as we were about to head home, “Y’all are family.”
We look forward to coming down every year, we keep in touch with the people who live here, and we share their joys and sorrows. This is Shannon. We worked on his house a few years back and got to meet him and his family at the potluck that year. He was excited to be moving into his home and to be able to provide a home for his grandmother and daughter as well. About two months after the family moved in, Shannon’s grandmother was killed when someone shot into the home, right through the recently installed windows. No one has been apprehended.
We (mostly me) have sent thousands of books and DVDs to the library. The Tallahatchie County Library had two branches, and one of them was in Tutwiler since it had a sturdy building. Along with my cousin, we discussed trying to set up some programs for the library to encourage parents and young people to read to kids. But the library closed. It has closed in the past, so perhaps it will reopen again.
After three years, Dana should be able to move into her house some time this summer. Construction started before the Covid outbreak, then stopped for a year. We were the first group to head down after the pandemic, and one of only a few that year. We put up siding but had to stop just around the windows because several of them had been damaged and new ones had not arrived yet. About a week after we left, the whole area flooded.
Here is a link to the video.
All of these are houses we have worked on at one time or another. Dana’s house is the one in the background with siding halfway up the wall. Fortunately, the water did not reach that far. The water came right up to the front step of Sarah’s house, but no further. Other homeowners were not so fortunate.
But there are good things happening as well.
High Cotton ART Studio
This is High Cotton ART Gallery and Café run by Jay and Stephanie Kasem.
But there are good things happening as well. This is High Cotton ART Gallery and Café run by Jay and Stephanie Kassem. They recently opened the High Cotton ART Studio and Cafe.
Before they purchased the building in a tax sale, it was the scary bar on the corner across the street from the community center that none of us ever had the courage to enter. Despite the dangerous wiring and the fact that it was prone to flooding, the place was rocking at night. But they still couldn’t pay their taxes.
Today it serves lunch and Stephanie teaches art classes to kids from the area, some of whom travel some distance to get there. And they all get fed lunch. All of this is free, paid for by the proceeds of the café and donations. Here is a video of the studio in action.
Recently they have started a community garden to teach kids and adults gardening skills and provide fresh produce for the café.
So feel free to purchase stuff or send a donation if you are so inclined.
Lorenzo and Dino
I first met Lorenzo the first year I came down. He is a relative of J.D.’s and had worked on one of the earlier and got to know some of the team. Since then, he has worked on every house we have and sometimes brought his friends. His name is on many of those plaques we put up on the wall. Lorenzo looks forward to our arrival and when we leave on Saturday morning, he tells us to call when we get home so he doesn’t worry.
Lorenzo gets to know all of us, but he has always had a special relationship with Dino. When Dino does not make the trip, Lorenzo finds someone else to focus his attention on. When Casey first started this blog years ago, she interviewed Lorenzo. He was thrilled. But Dino is his special friend.
Sarah’s House
We worked on Sarah’s house a few years back. As a matter of fact, we worked on it two years in a row. The first year, things were pretty bare. Homeowners have to put in a certain number of hours on either their house or someone else’s, so Sarah dropped by to work on her house. We were putting up drywall, so she could not afford to get plaster in her hair before going to work.
The following year, we returned with a big crew. We spent most of our time early in the week framing one house, but owing to the fact that we had such a big crew (and the fact that Bob the Builder would not let anyone else play,) some of us started drifting to the houses still being finished, including Sarah’s.
The group that preceded us did a less than admirable job. In fact, they were terrible. They left a pile of unwashed paint brushes behind, which made them useless by the time we arrived. But worse, they had done a terrible job on Sarah’s house. The front door was a mass of drip marks. Some of us (primarily Natalie) spent hours sanding down the front door (and convincing me to never come down again without a sander or two.)
Meanwhile, the kitchen cabinets were terrible. I took them all down, sanded them down, and refinished them.
The following year, Sarah met me in front of the next house an gave me a hug, saying, “You’re the one who fixed my door!” I did not bother to clarify that is was Natalie who did the door. I did the cabinets. But they both looked pretty good.
Sarah gave us a tour of her house today. It is immaculate, and tastefully decorated. (And the kitchen cabinets look great. Sarah loves them.
When we first met Sarah, she was quiet and shy around us. I can safely say that Sarah is not quiet and shy. Having a home is a great confidence booster. At the end of the dinner, she was networking with Charlotte. I do not know what that was about, but it was important to Charlotte. Perhaps she will provide us with the details.
Sherri
Sherri took over as the program manger when her daughter left to take another job. She took over “temporarily.” She is still here years later and does not seem to be in a hurry to leave. When we first met Sherri, she had just had a leg amputated as a result of diabetes. She was getting around on a walker. Now she gets around just fine. She says that the Habitat program and people like us is what keeps her going.
The Marquette Connection
As it happens, three of us are proud alumni of Marquette University. This includes Mike, who with his wife Nicole started this trip, Kristin who has made every one, and me, the relative newcomer who has been on the last eleven. Of course, many of us have reason to be proud of our alma mater, but it is no coincidence that those of us trained in the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis are dedicated to our careers, families, and service of others. AMDG.
There is a lovely prayer on the subject.
In any moment, may I choose to care as I have been cared for. What I have received abundantly, I can only honor by sharing. With You as my God who holds me dearly, who forms me affectionately, who loves me fully, I myself can take part in the healing and strengthening of others. Amen.
Earlier in the week, Mike in his morning devotion spoke about building the Kingdom of God. Things go up and down n Tutwiler, but we keep coming back and making what changes we can, and in the meantime have built so many meaningful relationships. Of such things are the kingdom made.
hammerininthedelta.blog 
Leave a comment