Weekly Report for Cameron

"This Little Light of Mine" was written in approximately 1920 by Harry Dixon Loes, who wrote several other gospel songs. The song spread and was then collected by John Lomax in 1939, mistakenly attributed to be a traditional Negro spiritual. It has been sung at all kinds of settings, from civil rights marches to folk music gatherings, church Sunday Schools, and children’s camps. The message comes from Mathew 5:16, "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your fine works and give glory to your Father who is in the heaven:"

As the assortment of short-term volunteers gathered in Cameron Parish for our first breakfast together, someone started singing this song. She said the atmosphere reminded her of camp days and this song sprang into her head. It was the start of another fine week in Cameron Parish. The short-term volunteers came from Ontario and Pennsylvania, with ages spanning from 18 to 78 and occupations spanning from students to nursing, farming, and engineering, plus retirees from various careers. The new long-term volunteers included two first-timers and a returning veteran of MDS in Cameron. Church affiliations ranged across the spectrum, with Catholic, Anglican, Baptist, United, Mennonite and non-denominational believers coming together to form God’s family for the week.

During the work at the three new houses, the volunteers all strived to let their light shine. The two houses down in the lower part of the Parish were getting their interior wall mudding completed and smoothly sanded so painting could begin. The new concrete slabs under those houses provided nice work spaces for painting of interior doors and trim, plus a staging area for cabinets in anticipation of the next steps in the house building process. At Hackberry, the final electrical inspection was completed. Wall receptacles and lights were powered-up to let their lights shine on the newly completed flooring. With the plumbing fixtures being installed, we can anticipate completion in time for the scheduled dedication. The only hold ups on all three jobs are some back-ordered bi-fold doors and the under-house insulation.

Since the new houses are nearing completion, we branched out into other work. The new job this week is a house in Cameron that received just a couple of inches of water during Hurricane Ike. It was enough to require removal of the lower drywall and insulation, plus some extensive mold remediation. The crew managed to complete the main removal and apply the required mold treatment in anticipation of insulation and drywall installation next week.

This week’s volunteers, like many before them, were thrilled to see marvelous colors in the wide expanse of sky as the sun set or rose. The patterns of illumination seen in Cameron Parish must be especially brilliant, since people from almost everywhere exclaim at their beauty. I’ve written about sunsets in Cameron before, but just like God’s love and grace, it is an amazing thing to behold each day. At our Wednesday sharing time, each volunteer got to share about how they had seen God working and what stories they planned to take home to friends and family. Just as each sunset is unique, each volunteer had observed God working in a unique way. By the time we finished going around the room, it was obvious that God had let His light shine in our spiritual lives as much as He had in the glorious skies.

So, now it remains for us to make sure “This Little Light of Mine” will shine, whether it is those who remain to continue the work, or those who’ve returned home to tell the story.

From Cameron Parish, Louisiana

Shirley, Lowell, Verla, Melford, Ren, Martha, Laura and Carl