Do you even know what is involved in gutting a house? Let me share for those of you who have never experienced this. Take the S.O.A.R. [Standing On A Rock] virtual tour by closing your eyes and having a friend read this for you. Or just read and experience for yourself.

You've just arrived at your destination. You open the door to the mini van that is transporting your crew. You step out, and the smell hits you. You feel sick and instantaneously begin to gag. You want to take a breath of fresh air after traveling in the van that you have been working in for the past week, but there is no fresh air to be found. You make it a habit to only breathe through your mouth.

You look across the street. Some of the neighbors have already been working on their houses as you notice piles of garbage cascading from the sidewalks in front of their houses into the street. You look down the street in both directions and the view is the same. Empty houses. Dead trees. Abandoned cars. Mountains of garbage. By garbage, I mean the DVD player a mother bought just last Christmas. The daughter's bike she just learned how to ride this past summer. The family picture that was taken three years ago—the last time that they were together in one place. A favorite book. A mountain, a family's mountain of memories.

As far as you can tell this house, unlike thousands of others, appears to be in normal condition. As you look closer you notice a ring about six feet high that encircles the entire house which looks rather similar to the ring that is found in an old bathtub. This is the mark that the floodwaters left. But it wasn't all that they left.

The first plan of action is to enter the house and open as many windows as possible to provide some form of air flow. You don't know what you'll find inside; but what you do know is that whatever it is, it has been rotting and molding for the past ten weeks. You go to the front door only to discover that it is locked. You walk around, checking the roof and the sides of the building to make sure that the house isn't compromised in any way. Safety first. You've reached the back where their patio was. (Very little remains an "is." It has become a was.)

At the back door you contemplate how you should enter but eventually conclude that smashing/kicking it in is the best solution. The doors won't stay anyway; the mold got to them as well. Once inside you split up. Two begin opening every window in the house; two more attempt to pry the front and side door off to create as many exits as possible. The others gather the tools needed for the job and then do a walk through to get a concept of what you will be working with. Several rooms are so full you can't even take a step inside. The water lifted most everything and deposited it randomly.

You want to remove the large appliances and furniture first and then everything else via wheelbarrow or bucket, by whatever means possible. This house has many rooms and at least two have no windows, which means you will eventually have to knock down an inside wall just to see what you are working with. You take inventory: one large fridge, a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, several beds, cabinets, a large oak dresser. . . the list goes on and on. You split up again. One pair takes the dolly and begins to remove the fridge. Another begins removing chairs and tables, another the small appliances. It all has to go.

Several hours fly by and you break for lunch, the most anticipated time of the day. It feels good to be making progress. As you tear into your MRE (meal ready-to-eat), you look at your garbage pile and compare it to the neighbors'. Another mountain. After lunch you finish clearing out the remaining items and remove the carpet. A few begin working in the bathrooms removing the sinks and tubs and toilets. Hopefully this time the water will be turned off. Another takes an axe to the kitchen cabinets; everything must go.

After the house has been completely cleared, you can begin tearing down the walls. The dry wall comes down rather easily, especially where it was saturated. After the dry wall comes the insulation. The ceiling stays, which everyone is thankful for because not even Tom can reach it. Soon all that is left is the frame of the house. You send a crew around removing any loose nails and another crew to sweep up all the loose pieces in the house. The final task is to spray all the studs with a water/bleach mixture. You take one last look as you walk out the front door. The house isn't even recognizable any more. You take a mental picture and climb into the van

As you drive back to your house you discuss the events of the day, swapping stories and joking about who smells like what. Replaying the day in your mind, you pray that God be with the family whose house you just finished. You thank God for giving you this opportunity to serve. You pray that God keeps everyone safe so that they all may come back tomorrow and work again. You close your eyes and file this day into your memory bank—into your own mountain of memories.

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