Having returned from last week's mission trip to the Gulf Coast a few days ago, I still find myself staggered and haunted by the devastation we witnessed there. Our work crew of 5 worked on building a home for Mary Brooks, a sweet woman in her sixties whose octogenarian mother lives next door to her, and whose home was totally destroyed in the August 2005 storm. (Hurricane Katrina) We worked on installing drywall ... when I told one of my work colleagues about this after returning, he grinned and asked, "So you're a carpenter now, eh?" And I typed back to him quickly, "No ... but a darned good carpenter's helper!" It was very enjoyable, and now I'm pondering whether to go on the next such trip, in November. (They project that these rebuilding efforts will need to continue for 4-6 more years yet.)