Jennings, LA – Feb. 11-17, 2024

This week we had 13 youth from East Earl, PA, whose fearless leader Wesley Nolt got sick and couldn’t come.

The highlight this week was a true Louisiana Mardi Gras, which in our area began with the Jennings parade on Saturday before the boys arrived, and ended on Fat Tuesday with the Iowa parade, right past where they were working. The work crews all gathered at Beau Landerman’s house to watch and collect beads and candy. We got some priceless photographs of them with all the necklaces on!

On Wednesday the church youth put on a Bingo game, which we and the RV crew were invited to join. It was lots of fun and hilarious competition, with the Bingo squares being religious attributes, the chips being Smarties candies, and the prizes being dollar store candy tubes.

The crew at Wilford Miller’s house started hanging doors on Monday and putting in trim and baseboard. The electrical work is now done, and the trim and doors are painted.

Joyce Prudhomme’s home has all the drywall hung now, with the mudding well underway. The ramp is nearly done as well.

At Beau Landerman’s house the porch and stairs are done, and the ramp is underway. Beau reveled in the chance to host the Mardi Gras parade experience at his house! He got his brother to join in, and they provided Boudin (a sausage) and King Cake, a delicious, filled coffee ring that is a staple of the Mardi Gras experience and not cheap, especially for a low-income homeowner. Plying us with food, often home-cooked, is a popular form of the love they like to shower on us in return for our volunteer efforts. While Beau was there, Steve and Doug helped him pick out the right color for his house.

Christa Barth,

Office Manager

on behalf of our crew