Charlie pushed the door open, allowing the women to enter in front of him. He followed them into the sitting area. They could hear Joshua and Alton and Jim upstairs, but the sound was muffled. The emergency shelters were surprisingly well insulated.
“These are nothing like the trailers I’ve stayed in before,” Nancy said.
“You’ve worked with FEMA in other areas?”
“Ya. Many times.”
“Our mayor was very insistent that he did not want the old-style trailers brought here.” Charlie glanced around. The structure looked exactly like his, only a little larger. He was in a one bedroom. This particular model had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and dining area, and a living room. “With the old trailers, there were many reports of formaldehyde problems, and although those court cases have yet to be settled, our mayor didn’t want to risk it.”
“There were health hazards?” Becca asked.
“They say. Mayor Sapp had done some research in case such a thing as Orion happened. He felt very strongly that the old FEMA trailers should not be brought here while there was even a possibility that they posed a health risk, and Governor Benton put her weight behind the request. These models are actually Urban Disaster Trailers. They were designed for use in densely populated areas and tested in New York City.”
“And yet you have them here, on an island.”
“True. Life is full of irony.”
“There are bedrooms?” Becca asked.
“Down the hall. Two of them as well as a shared bathroom. From here you can see the kitchen and dining room.”
“We can go out on the patio?”
“Yes. Let me show you how to unfasten the lock.” He did so, and then he pushed the sliding glass door open.
Both girls stepped out into the night. The boys must have done the same, for Charlie heard a call from above and then the girls were shouting back.
“They’re young, but they will be gut workers,” Nancy said.
“I’m sure they will. You can’t know how much this means to the folks of Port A. Everyone who lost their home put their name on a list. The folks on the list are then ranked by the most severe need to least. The Red Cross sends teams as well as many charity organizations like yours.”
Nancy nodded sympathetically, or it seemed so to Charlie. She said, “The destruction was quite widespread.”
“It was. And to be fair, Corpus Christi is the more important site due to shipping and health care facilities.”
“So you’ve had to wait.”
Charlie shrugged. “In God’s time,” he murmured.
When the girls stepped back into the room a few moments later, Charlie gestured in the direction of the kitchen. “There are some supplies in the refrigerator and pantry. Nothing fancy, but enough to get you through dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow. In the morning one of us will take you to the grocery store for shopping.”
“Is the store another trailer?” Becca asked.
“Yes. Several trailers were combined to make a retail space.”
Though Nancy was doing her best to be polite, her face appeared quite drawn and she blinked rapidly. In other words, she looked ready to drop in her tracks. No doubt they had been up since sunrise and traveling could be exhausting. A twinge in Charlie’s shoulder reminded him that it was late and he should be heading home himself. The doctor had warned him that old bones mend, but they don’t often heal quite like they were before the injury. Charlie considered his shoulder to be a daily reminder that God wasn’t done with him yet.
Quitz had sat quietly by the door through their entire exchange, but now she whined softly.
“I’d best be taking her home. I wish you all a good evening, and thank you again for coming.”
He stepped out into the night and walked over to his truck. It wasn’t his pre-Orion pickup, but it was similar. It was approximately the same age, and he’d been lucky that his friend, Bill Rogers, had been able to locate it for him. Vehicles, along with practically everything else, were difficult to acquire in the weeks and months following Orion.
Bill and Ann had provided a home for Alice and the kids until they could find an apartment in Rockport. Charlie had remained in the Corpus area, not wanting to leave Moose while he was in the hospital. When his friend took a turn for the worse and died, Charlie had stayed even longer to take care of the funeral arrangements. It was a dark, difficult time, and knowing that Alice and her grandchildren were taken care of was probably the only thing that made it bearable. Bill and Ann were what Charlie thought of as good people—ready to lend a hand whenever one was needed.
Quitz waited when he opened the passenger door of the truck, and Charlie stooped to help her up. Coming out of the vehicle was no problem for the dog, but jumping in was difficult, especially in the evenings. It seemed that Orion had taken its toll on Quitz. Charlie knew it had taken a toll on him as well, but he hoped that with time and God’s mercy they both would heal. And he prayed that the new home he sat in front of would ease the burdens Alice carried.
It was with Alice and the kids on his mind that he turned and made his way back across town to his own urban disaster trailer.
CHAPTER 27
Joshua woke well before daybreak, and why wouldn’t he? All of his life he had risen before the sun was properly over the horizon. He was a farmer at heart, and his sleeping patterns reminded him of that. He left his room and made his way into the kitchen, thinking of the work ahead of them.
Over the years he had helped with several barn raisings and even lent a hand in the building of houses. Those houses had been farmhouses, though. They had been rambling structures that were added on to as needed or else large, two-story boxes in the typical Amish style. From what he’d seen last night, they would be building small houses, probably two-stories high, on small lots. He couldn’t imagine living that close to another family. Neighbors could practically reach out the window and shake hands with one another.
But he also couldn’t imagine the destruction and violence of Orion. They had seen a little of the devastation as they had driven from the ferry to the job site yesterday, but he suspected that was only the tip of the iceberg. He made coffee and foraged in the pantry, coming away with a box of Pop-Tarts. While he waited for the coffee to drip through the machine, he prayed that God would bring success to their work, that no one would get hurt in the process, and that his brother would grow up.
That last item seemed a large request for a single day, so instead he prayed that God would care for and direct his brother’s path. Then he remembered something their minister had said about thanking God, not just asking for things as if their Creator were a modern-day genie in a bottle.
So Joshua took his coffee to the small patio, watched the sun come up, and thanked God for the things in his life at that moment. The slabs awaiting work across the street. The sound of the ocean waves in the distance. The tangy smell of saltwater.
He slowly became aware of Becca and Sarah and Nancy moving about downstairs, probably rummaging for food as he had. He could hear doors softly opening and closing, and the melody of their voices quietly calling out to one another.
He thanked God for this opportunity. He had never wanted to leave the farm in Oklahoma. He was content working in the fields and barn. But he had to admit that this was an interesting experience. Perhaps one day he would tell his grandchildren about his mission work at the Texas coast.
That thought brought a smile to his face. He would need children before grandchildren, and a wife before children. His thoughts turned to Becca, and then she was calling up to him. “Joshua, we have no sugar. Do you have enough to share?”
“I’ll be right down.”
He stopped in his brother’s room, turned on the light—which still seemed a curious thing to do—and clanged his spoon against his coffee cup. Alton raised up long enough to throw a pillow at him before he huddled back beneath the covers. The bedrooms had no windows, and the darkness would be reason enough
for Alton to sleep all day.
“We’re to be at the job site by seven thirty.”
“It’s across the street,” Alton muttered.
“Indeed. I suppose I’ll have to go downstairs alone to enjoy the girl’s company as I eat my wunderbaar Englisch breakfast.”
The word breakfast seemed to capture Alton’s attention. He popped up and made more of an effort to open his eyes. “I’m starving. What did you find to eat?”
“Looks like bread and sugar.” Joshua held up the box of Pop-Tarts. “It’s better than nothing.”
“Coffee?”
“Already made.”
“Shower?”
“If you want one, but you’re just going to get sweaty. There is work to do, you know.”
For his answer, Alton sank back onto the mattress and pulled the covers over his head. It occurred to Joshua that his brother could probably sleep through anything. He started to correct him, to remind him of the forty hours a week he had promised to spend on the job site. But Alton wasn’t listening and his words would be wasted, so he saved his energy. Walking to the kitchen, he picked up the container of sugar and made his way out of their trailer and down the stairs.
He knocked lightly on the women’s door, which was quickly opened by Sarah. She looked perky and ready for the day. He’d wondered during the bus ride if she might be sick, the way she had dashed for the bathroom, her face pale with a sheen of sweat across her brow. But today she looked as if she felt fine.
“Come in. Becca is cooking oatmeal.”
“Oatmeal?” Joshua’s stomach grumbled on cue. “All I found was a box of Pop-Tarts.”
“We have plenty, Joshua. Come and join us.” Becca had changed into a different set of clothes. The dress she wore was a pale blue and covered with a white apron. He assumed it was her work clothes because the fabric was a bit faded, but it had been freshly laundered and to Joshua she looked as beautiful as she had the day before. That thought embarrassed him, and he busied himself refilling his coffee cup with the brew Sarah pointed to.
“Breakfast sounds gut, and I can always drink more coffee.”
“Oatmeal will stick with you better than those little sugary pastries,” Becca said.
“I can eat both.”
“I’m sure you can, Joshua.” Nancy walked into the room and surveyed the group. “I see we’re all here except Alton.”
At that moment, they could hear the sound of water rushing through the pipes.
“He decided to shower first.”
“Before working?” Sarah asked.
“I believe he was looking forward to only sharing a bathroom with one person. Lots of hot water.”
That led to a conversation of how many siblings were at home and the things they had tried in order to ensure there was enough hot water when they took their baths or showers. All of the Amish in Cody’s Creek had indoor plumbing, but water without an electric pump ran gently from the tap. Hot water, heated by either a gas heater or an outdoor firebox, was always in short supply.
They had finished their meal, and Joshua was helping to clean up when Alton popped into the room.
“Breakfast?” he asked hopefully.
“I left you a bowl in the microwave,” Becca said.
Sarah joined him at the contraption to show him which buttons to push.
“Rather like glue.” Alton frowned at the bowl and then took another bite.
“You’ll find that freshly cooked food is often better than something heated in the microwave,” Nancy said. “Though I’ll admit it is nice to be able to warm up a cup of coffee.”
Alton stood up, pretending to wash out his bowl—a task he never did at home—and used the opportunity to whisper something to Sarah. Whatever it was, he caused her eyes to widen as she shot him a look akin to what his mother might have done.
Joshua wondered whether he needed to worry about Alton flirting with Sarah. Was he already acting inappropriately?
At that point, Joshua realized he could easily spend the entire trip worrying over his brother. He supposed that was why he’d come, but now that they were in Port Aransas he realized he did not relish the task at all. At home his parents and sisters could also keep an eye out for Alton’s antics. Here, Joshua alone would be responsible for dealing with any trouble Alton managed to find.
Fortunately, he didn’t have much time to dwell on that worrisome thought. Nancy was herding them out the door, and Joshua looked out to see that a small group had gathered across the street at the job site.
There were close to a dozen people by the time they joined the other volunteers—Jim, Charlie, their Amish group of five, and another four workers who didn’t look Amish. It was MDS leading the work, so Joshua assumed that the others would be from a Plain community. The three additional men and one woman looked to be Mennonite. Their dress was conservative, but the woman wore only a sheer head covering with no strings—almost like a kerchief. The men didn’t have beards, though two of them sported wedding rings. They were plain gold bands. Joshua had read that some Mennonite couples wore them while others didn’t. Like the Amish communities, the Mennonites changed their traditions, albeit slowly.
All of those thoughts swept through Joshua’s mind as they formed a circle and Jim led them in a short devotional. Appropriately, he’d picked Colossians three, the twenty-third and twenty-fourth verses. “ ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord… ’ ” Joshua cast a look at his brother, who was staring off in the direction of the ocean. “ ‘Not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.’ ”
Becca glanced up and met Joshua’s gaze.
“ ‘It is the Lord Christ you are serving.’ ”
There were several murmurs of agreement and then they were singing, which surprised Joshua. This was looking more and more like a barn raising back home. After the devotional time was finished, those thoughts quickly faded as Frank, a Mennonite man of around forty, asked him if he’d ever used an electrical power saw.
And then Joshua was focused on the job site, looking forward to learning how to use new tools. Though there was a slight breeze, already he was sweating in the coastal sun. He had no time to worry about Alton or to doubt whether this trip would work to settle his brother’s wandering ways. Instead, Joshua’s mind and heart and all of his energy was focused on rebuilding homes.
CHAPTER 28
Becca enjoyed the morning devotional. The Scriptures helped her to focus, and the singing calmed the nerves of excitement in her stomach. Once the devotional time was over, Jim launched straight into discussion of their work.
“Obviously, these are complete rebuilds we will be working on.” He made introductions, though Becca wasn’t sure she could keep the men’s names straight. Frank Bear was the older, larger man. That she could remember. But Brady Denning and Simon Cottrell—or was it Brady Cottrell and Simon Denning? She was already forgetting.
The Mennonite woman was the only female in the group she didn’t know, so she should be able to recall her name easily enough. It was Eva Holsteiner, and she looked to be the age of Becca’s mother.
“I’ll go into more detail about the job site in a few minutes,” Jim continued. “But just to remind you, we currently have three different teams working in the area—two here on the island and one across the bay.”
“Will the other island team be here on our street?” Joshua asked.
“They won’t. They’re working downtown, but we typically get together for Friday night dinners. You should be able to meet everyone this evening. We’re having a simple get-together on the beach, which will include a cookout.” He nodded toward Becca’s group. “Something for you to look forward to after your first day of house building. Also, I want to remind everyone that MDS provides your housing, meals, and work materials. Any exploration you do on the weekends will be on your own dime.”
Alton nudged Sarah.
Becca wondered if that
was what they had been talking about earlier. Had Alton asked her to go on some sort of sightseeing trip?
And then Jim was handing out assignments to Frank, Brady, Simon, and Eva. Finally, he turned back to Becca’s group. “This is our normal schedule. You’ll eat breakfast on your own, and we’ll meet here by seven thirty for a short devotional. Then I hand out assignments. This morning I want to spend a few minutes walking you through each house and answering any questions you have about MDS.”
He led them into the first house, which from the outside looked to Becca to be nearly finished.
“This house belongs to Alice Givens. She’s the legal guardian for her two grandchildren, so she chose a floor plan with three bedrooms. That makes the upstairs rooms smaller, but it’s an efficient design and Alice is very pleased with it.”
“The home owners choose the floor plan?” Joshua asked.
“They do. We have a few basic plans, but we will adjust them according to the owner’s wishes as long as it’s practical and can be done at no extra cost. As I’m sure you noticed, these lots are small, so many residents are going with the two-story plan. However, we have an older couple next door and a handicapped woman in the third house. Both have opted for the single-story plan.”
“Most Amish houses are built with the same floor plan,” Alton said. “How do you adjust the layout design? What sorts of things can you change?”
Jim tapped a finger against the clipboard he was holding. “Well, for instance, our standard two-story, fifteen-hundred-square-foot house has a parka closet… ”
Becca started to raise her hand, but Jim anticipated her questions.
“Coat closet. It’s something that’s appreciated in northern homes, but here in Texas most residents don’t want it. By taking that out, we’re able to give them a slightly larger living room.”
As they walked from the living room to the kitchen, Becca realized the house wasn’t nearly as complete as she had thought. The outside was practically finished, but the inside still needed paint, flooring, fixtures—it needed basically everything. Would they be able to finish it in two weeks and still be able to work on the other houses?
Joshua's Mission Page 15