Two of the best weeks of my life

I just came back from my second trip to Biloxi, and I have to say that it was just as enriching and uplifting as the first. I want to say a huge thank you to Mr. Magee, my mom (Joan Patton), all of the other adults who were with us (especially the ones in my group, Mrs. Gaffney, Mr. Luzecky, and Mrs. Witte), to all of my fellow class of 2008 veterans (Terese, you are an honorary member of this group), and most of all to the class of 2009. I know I've already said this, but I had the most fantastic time with you guys this week- with all of the kindness, generosity, good humor and love I saw in a third of your class, I know you're going to have an awesome Senior year.
Once again in Bilox, I was humbled and overwhelmed by the hospitality, graciousness, and generosity of the people I had a chance to meet. I loved getting to interact more with the people I was serving this year... we met Donna and her niece Michaela, Becky and her kids Katie and Patrick, and the owner of the house on Bohn who was a huge Cowboys fan. I was struck by the positivity and optimism of each of these people; none of them complained about the difficulties they'd encountered, and all of them were friendly and helpful. I was lucky to be able to work on three different houses this year, and to see the little touches we added to each one to make it more like a home (a new basketball net, new address plates and numbers, a newly painted mailbox, and a fixed lazy susan to name just a few). I was so proud of our group, and I'm so grateful to have had the chance to go on the Biloxi trip again. It was a fantastic experience and the best start to my summer I could imagine!
~Jill Patton
(The Shadow)