Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My grandmother had a habit of always saying "thank you" three times. I imagine she did it to be sure that people got just how thankful she was. She did this especially in her later years, as she got into her late 80's and early 90's, and was able to do less for herself and depended more on others. I know this wasn't easy for her as she was always an independent and "can do" type of person. Somehow, and I believe it was through her faith, she found a way to live thankfully, even when she became dependent on others.

We encountered this same spirit of thankfulness on our recent mission trip to Biloxi, Mississippi. Everywhere we went, people stopped us to thank us for our presence and for the work we were doing. We were overwhelmed by people's gratitude. Perhaps most thankful were the owners of the two homes that were the main focus of our work there. One home, where our skilled laborers worked, was owned by Darrell Johnson. The other, where our unskilled laborers worked, was owned by June and Don Humphries. On Friday, when we were finishing up our week of work, we gave one of our Gilead Church Mission Trip t-shirts to each of them. We stood in a circle in the back of Darrell's home and prayed with him and asked for God's blessing to be in his house and with his family. When we stopped by June and Don's to give them the t-shirts, as the painting at their house had been completed mid-week, they invited us in and gave us pieces of friendship bread which June was baking. She also gave us some crocheted doilies which she had made.

It amazes me that the people of the Gulf Coast, who experienced such tremendous devastation and loss, live with such grateful hearts. One would think it would be easy for them to be hardened and bitter. Their gratefulness, and the gratefulness of all those we encountered, is a witness and an inspiration. It is easy for us to think we are independent and self-sufficient, but none of us are independent. We are all dependent on others, and most importantly, dependent on God.

I also want to share a word of gratitude for Joan Aldridge who led us on this trip. Everything went so smoothly due to her thoughtful and careful planning. There were 18 of us who were dependent on her that week and we say, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"