Sam and Megan are a constant on the Biloxi trip, they lead it with their hard work and our mentors to the whole group. It is hard to believe, but they were not on the first two trips. It seems like they were always here, same with Craig Steenkamp. I loved Rev. Don Morgan and how he would have us practice spirituals in the middle of the week, but Craig and I hit it off right away. Sam has always been Mom to Craig. But let's be real clear, all of us from St. Louis come down here and do some great work...but then we spend 51 weeks doing something else. I believe to be the best you can be your feet have to be in the right location. Craig has had his feet in the right place for the last 11 years. He could be doing work for a lot more money and being living a much different life, but he has chosen to place his feet directly in the homes of the marginalized.
Working within a budget to help people that are lined up two years in advance is a demanding, stressful time. And he does not spend much time celebrating over the successes in the Construction Rehab program, because he is already gearing up for the next home and more importantly the next family. Craig remembers all of the stories in all of the projects. We come back a year later, and I immediately ask him about the homes we worked on a year ago, he knows all of their stories, some great stories about how people gain back their dignity and their pride. But there are also plenty of stories about real people whose burdens have increased and whose luck still has not gotten any better.
"For no amount of screaming at the powers to be to change things will change them... The powers bent on waging war against the poor and the young and the "other" will only be moved to kinship when they observe it. Only when we can see a community where the outcast is valued and appreciated will we abandon the values that seek to exclude." Father Boyle's words jump of the page after midnight in Biloxi. Maggie, Gretchen, Kylee, and Caroline are living the community in front of my eyes, and all of them in these first three days have reached out to listen to and give dignity to the outcast. Craig gives all of the work campers that vision. There are 15 new people down here have seen those on the outside through the eyes of people that love them, they see much more commonality and community in these strangers then they ever thought they could.
As that community and that kinship of week long work campers grows, it is Craig once again whose feet stay in this community and give each new client that outstretched arm to pull them into the bigger circle, and each act of reaching out helps wipe away just a bit of those margins between us and them.
My good friend, Craig and I had breakfast this morning. Now that my board term has ended, I see him for just one week a year, but we bond like old college chums. How can this happen so fast? Maggie and Kylee and Gretchen are working on a puzzle, they have not seen each other in a year, but they are laughing like besties. Each day in Biloxi, they practice their compassion, their caring and their kindness. All the qualities that make good friends.
I think about the homeless, homeless veterans, great people with medical bills, single mothers and all the others we have built, tore down, painted and caulked for. It is a joy to see them again and to see that sometimes a freshly painted house can be the right help at the right time. It brings a smile to me, that all those people have one common treasure -- they have Craig as their friend.
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