The End of Our Week in New Orleans

- by Ron N.

Friday was our last day on the job site. We knew we were scheduled to stop working at noon, so we made good use of every minute. We did stop for a few minutes to take a group photo with Verna Mae (she's wearing a red shirt). After we ate lunch, packed our tools, and began to drive away, I felt a combination of peace and frustration at the same time.

The peace comes from knowing that we had made good progress on Verna Mae's home; with the exception of a few pieces, every one of the main rooms was sheetrocked. Verna Mae's daughter told me that new windows would be installed this next week and she was delighted at the prospect that they would be able to move in someday.

I feel frustrated because there is still so much work to be done in this city and the entire Gulf region. Thousands of homes are still abandoned, many of them destroyed beyond repairable condition. FEMA trailers are still the primary residence of many people. Trash piles overwhelm some of the streets. Schools and small stores are still closed and they will never reopen. The inequalities of living conditions are impossible to miss. I feel angry at my country for letting its own people suffer needlessly. Without going on a political or moral rant, I'll just say I think our priorities are a little off.

I am just beginning to get a sense of the many ways that this trip has touched me. I have reflected on my own attitudes and beliefs and learned again about the dangers of judgment of others. When I think about all the work left to do and the frustration that comes with it, I remember the Starfish story. (Read one version of it here) I know we can't do everything at once, but we can do something at once. And I recognize that we all have the ability to do something because there is one way we are all equal - we all have time.

Service to others

- by Robin M.

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

SO where to begin, especially when it is the end; end of the week; end of the work; end of the fellowship? I think not. Many people this week, although diverse, came together for the betterment of another, Verna Mae Martin. Turns out it was also for the betterment of all of us.

Verna Mae’s home grew inside, formed rooms, living spaces, and places to stay warm, and comfortable. What I saw was some of us grew inside too. We struggled with, but worked through differences in work styles and living conditions. We raced to the shower, jockeyed for position to be first (there was one shower for the guys and one for the gals)…but all in good fun.


This morning we (Ron and I)…were treated to one of the best gifts; we were serenaded by Haati, Loisi, Teualoi, and Uinisa. They sang Rock of Ages in Tongan; what a marvelous gift that I will always cherish…

It has been a great adventure, one of the BEST, most rewarding and memorable vacations. I personally was touched by several kind, God loving people, including Verna Mae.

WORKDAY #5

- by Carolynn

It is a bittersweet day. We ended our work on Miss Verna Mae’s house. We celebrated tonight with her and daughter Gwen at a fellowship dinner at St. Paul’s. Afterwards, we all watched a slide presentation of our time here and our work on Miss Verna Mae’s home.


I wandered the house throughout the day, trying to absorb memories to take home. I didn’t want this to be over, and I’m certain I was not alone in my thoughts. I wanted to stay; to finish Miss Verna Mae’s home. As one of the group observed, I wanted to stay and make it pretty.

I did things I’ve never done before – hung sheetrock FOR REAL! Bought and used a dimple bit, and magnetic extender on my cordless drill. I DO love this work – and it makes me wonder why I worked a desk job all my life, rather than being out and dirty! Oh, the rewards of being grimy and tired and soooo happy at the end of the day. Oh, the rewards of sharing this experience with like-minded people. Oh, the joy of being here, helping, making the smallest difference in someone’s life.

I’m filled up again this year, and in some respects, will miss New Orleans even more than last.

God willing, I’ll be back next year.

Workday #4

- by Carolynn

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

I’m a little “off” today, and I don’t think I’m alone! Perhaps we’re all a little down that our time here is almost over, and we haven’t accomplished as much as we would have hoped to. Never mind that what we have accomplished is incredible. And, OH, have we had fun.

There was such a buzz throughout the house today. Until noon-ish, the center wall of the double shotgun was open, and we could hear all the noisiness of drills, saws, cordless drills, ladders scraping across the floors as workers repositioned, sheets of rock moving from room to room, being secured first to the ceilings and then the outside walls. Insulation was hung in the center wall before sheetrock began to cover it. Suddenly, we were DIVIDED teams – bummer! As one of our group observed tonight, we could no longer communicate, no longer step across and borrow a tool or help a neighbor, just as the walls go up in our everyday lives. But, it was a real home, coming back to life…


Miss Verna Mae came over today, along with her daughter Gwen and Great Granddaughter Rory. Miss Rory was three years old last Thursday, and very shy. It took several minutes and hundreds of pictures before she gave us a smile… lovely pictures of three generations of strong, proud, gentle New Orleans women… Grace Under Pressure, at least to the outside world.

Tomorrow will be our last work day. We’d like to stay and finish this house, but know that we can’t. Maybe that is why many of us felt “off” today…

Determination

- by Ron C.

It has been eye opening to see the devastation still visible. It is apparent that many homes and neighborhoods were in less than perfect condition prior to Katrina.

On the positive side, many of the local people I met are upbeat. Families and neighbors are very close. New Orleans is their home. They have or are going to rebuild and they are not going to back off from that. There were many other teams working this week. It was overwhelming to hear the appreciation from EVERYONE we met. I see the willing workers and that expression of thanks are a sign of God’s love and an answer to prayers.

Hitting our stride

- by Ron N.

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

Today we re-arranged our teams and I had the pleasure of working with four wonderful (and very energetic) women. We tackled the sheetrock installation on the walls of the dining room. The ceilings are 10' high in all the rooms, so we knew we were in for some heavy duty work. It didn't take long for us to get a good rhythm going, and in less than 30 minutes we had our first wall done.

(Ron N, Laura M, Teualoi L, Carolynn R, and Carol M.)

We all took turns measuring and cutting drywall, hoisting it, snapping chalk lines, making custom cuts and drilling in the mounting screws. The drywall sheets are 12' long, so they were pretty heavy. Fortunately, most of the walls are also very close to 12' long, so the sheets went up in full pieces. When we were ready to install the last piece of drywall in our first room, we each wrote an inscription on the back of the board - even though it will be covered up, we'll all know it's there.

I also had the pleasure of visiting with the home owner, Verna Mae Martin. She is a spry woman and she lives in a FEMA trailer on the property next door to her home (our project house). She spoke about her children (of which she is very proud), her younger years, her strong faith, the loss of her son, and the plans for her new home when it is ready for her to move in.

The amount of undone work in this area is unbelievable. Most people in the country speak about "Katrina" as if it were an event that had a beginning and an end. For the thousands of people who are still dealing with the outcomes of the hurricane and flooding, the disaster continues each day. Last night, in our group, we talked about the frustration of not being able to do more, or realizing that there is no guarantee that our unfinished work will be completed by someone else. We have to take comfort in the knowledge that we do this work because we must do it, and without the expectation that it will be acknowledged or noticed or even continued.

Tomorrow is our last full day of work here - the time has gone so quickly.

New Orleans Experience

- by Robin M.

The New Orleans experience touched my heart these last few days…it beckons me to remember that two years ago this city stood toe to toe with Katrina and unfortunately the old city got the worst of the fight.
I am amazed to see many areas still show the wear from the fight, and the wounds STILL run deep. As we drive to work through the neighborhood I see blocks with one house renovated and several empty broken homes next door. A few of the homes have FEMA trailers in their tiny yards and I imagine their occupants hoping some day to move back into the family home of 80 years.

Verna Mae told us that her home was her family's for many years…you can tell she wants to return home.

So, I am sad that in a day and half I will stop work, prepare to go home, say goodbye to many new friends, and there is still a lot of work to be done. Yet I smile knowing that even though we worked on only one house this week, it is something, a step closer to returning people to their beloved homes and revitalizing the once great American city, New Orleans.

A Full Day of Work

- by Carolynn

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

Most everyone was already up and about by six this morning (raring to go!). Our kitchen crew spoiled us with scrambled eggs and cheese, bacon, fried potatoes and fruit salad. No one wanted to leave.

After devotions and our morning meeting, we all headed out to the worksite. The morning was a little disjointed, as we ran out of R13 insulation for the walls, and knew we’d run short of R19 for the ceilings.

A lot of progress was made yesterday, and so I went over and asked Miss Verna Mae if she’d seen her house. She hadn’t, so we walked over together. She was quite surprised at how much had been accomplished in just one day. She is genuinely grateful to God for the work being done.
She told me today that her mother had lived two doors down, and passed away last year at 102 years of age. She and all her siblings had married in that house. She told me that all the girls had worn white dresses when they married, but she was proud that she had worn her cheerleader outfit! She’s a treasure…

She and her grandson will each occupy one side of her double shotgun, and “THAT is why extra insulation is necessary, in the center walls,” she said. “He’s young, and VERY noisy!” She’s quite funny.

More insulation arrived this afternoon, and so we resumed our work. Hanging the ceiling sheetrock continued, and a contest ensued between the two sides – all in good fun. There were extra workers there, installing new front doors on both sides, and other things as well. Well, THOSE boys taught us how REAL sheetrockers do it! Watching someone who really knows what they’re doing always makes it look so easy…

Speaking of which, Jim Scott once again took care of a myriad of issues on our behalf, always, ALWAYS simplifying our work, and removing the obstacles from our paths. He is the point on our heads that snags the troublesome worries from our day.

It was a good day, and we are all blessed by the grace of God.

First Day of Work ... and lots of rain!

- by Ron N.

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

We woke up this morning to thunder, lightning and lots of rain. While traveling across town, the traffic was quite a challenge. Sometimes the rain was falling so hard, the windshield wipers could not keep up. In several places the water backed up into the roadways and stopped traffic. It rained hard all day, with only an occasional break. We drove to the Uptown Station for our work assignment orientation and picked up supplies and tools.

Our assignment is a duplex with three rooms on each side. The interior walls and ceilings are stripped down to the studs, so our job is to insulate the ceiling and walls, and install drywall. Our group is split into two teams, one on each side of the duplex. We got right to work and people quickly figured out what to do, how to do it and how to help each other along. As our work rhythm picked up, the energy in the house picked up, too. Before coming on this trip, we were advised to bring our "cheerfully flexible" mindsets - we are doing this well.

It rained outside while we worked inside. Pretty soon the streets outside were filled with several inches of standing water. Many of the houses in this neighborhood are still unoccupied. Several streets are lined with huge mounds of garbage, much of it rubble from the houses being gutted. It is amazing to me that so much work is still left to do in New Orleans - it seems that our country has forgotten about the extent of the damage. I think most people would assume that the city has been restored.

At the end of our first work day, we had installed most of the insulation. There are even a couple of pieces of drywall installed on the ceiling of one room. We drove through the rain back to St Paul's church to find some excellent hot homemade chicken and vegetable soup waiting for us. We lined up for our shower shifts. (One shower for the men and one shower for the women.)

As I sit at the dining tables and look around, several of the group members are writing in journals, reading books and visiting. It has been a good day.

Work Day #1

- by Carolynn

I’ve just read Ron’s entry above, and it seems to cover it all. However, I’ll add my own thoughts and hope I don’t put anyone to sleep.

After breakfast and devotions, we headed out on the flooded streets towards Uptown Station. After getting our assignments, tools, safety equipment, etc., we headed on over to Verna Mae Martin’s. Verna Mae is a lovely, petite woman in her 80’s who has lived in her home most of her life. She now resides in a FEMA trailer at the back of her property. There is some rebuilding going on in the neighborhood, but many homes (as in other areas) remain untouched.



Verna Mae’s daughter Gwen lives next door – and to our surprise and delight, provided a delicious lunch of sandwiches, southern fried chicken, chips, iced sodas, bottled water and a truckload of hospitality!

As Ron mentioned, the home we’re working on is a double shotgun, with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bath, bedroom and laundry room laid out front to back. I think we were all surprised by the progress we’d made at the end of workday #1. Much of the ceiling and exterior wall insulation has been installed, and the first two pieces of ceiling sheetrock are up, with the help of a sheetrock jack. However, as simple as that sounds, it looked like no easy task!

We have six vehicles filled with incredibly giving hearts and strong work ethics. We have a homeowner and her loving family who are SO appreciative of our being there. It doesn’t get much better.

At the end of the day, we had only one minor injury (a stapled thumb, but we were able to amputate without much trouble), but many are suffering sore muscles, aches and pains – yet there is joyful noise in the room.

We can smell dinner cooking. We’re tired… and joyful in God’s work.

A message from Mike:

- by Mike

Sunday morning, a day off to charge batteries that had been run-down by a day of flying, most of us having answered alarm clocks on Saturday at 3 a.m. The only ones who worked were Jim and Pat, who spent half a day at Sam’s Club stocking our larder.

The rest of us took paddle-wheeler rides down the Mighty Mississippi, or had delicious coffees and beignets at Café Du Monde, or strolled up and down Bourbon Street.

To prepare for our week of work, we began Sunday with a short meditation on our discipleship as followers of Christ. One group playing the role of tourists was approached by a spaced-out, impoverished bicyclist who seemed intoxicated and asked for money to buy some food. He was offered, instead half of a delicious muffaletta (Italian cold cut sandwich with cheese & olives). He stopped and thought about the proffered sandwich, then reached out to take it with a broad smile that revealed spaces where about half of his teeth used to be. We know the answer to “what would Christ do?”

The ham dinner prepared by the Scotts was delicious. Everyone retired early with a full belly.

Monday, the first day of work:

A breakfast of cereal, toast & fruit was fast, leaving us time for each to make his own lunch sandwiches and snacks. Before beginning our work we focused on the parable of the Good Samaritan and we prayed to be moved with compassion at some sight today. We went to the area work station maintained by the United Methodists Volunteers in Mission, where tools and supplies were stored. We waited our turn to be briefed on where we were to work and what were the procedures for us to follow; three other volunteer-groups were ahead of us, one of them from Rochester, NY.

Our work site is a duplex. Team #1 worked on one side, Team #2 on the other. Today’s work was to put up insulation and prepare the walls for sheet-rocking, all in the midst of a heavy rainstorm. The radio said that 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in this area. There was a tornado watch broadcast, as well. We saw some of the piles of debris at curbside actually floated downhill, but the rain abated before the piles moved too far. Tomorrow is expected to bring an even heavier rainfall in some of the metropolitan area.

The owner of one of the duplexes is an 80 year old lady who has spent much of her retirement funds to prepare her unit. Many of our volunteers spent time visiting with her, and she captured their compassion. Not to be outdone, the owner, who lives on her lot in a government-supplied trailer with limited cooking facilities, ordered fast food to feed the 20 team members, not knowing that they had brought their own lunches.

After dinner of chicken and vegetables, a safety award was given to the first person to staple his own hand. He will remain anonymous, thankful that he did not require hospitalization or even medical attention. The safety award is a padded hand-puppet that will encourage his spirited voluntarism.

Day of rest

- by Ron N.

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.

Sunday started with breakfast and a meeting. We planned out the day's activities and then hit the road. Several of us attended a Catholic mass at the Church of the Holy Ghost in the city of New Orleans. It was a very soulful celebration and the mass ended with an energetic Dixieland jazz musical performance. I can tell you the Catholics in New Orleans know how to keep you awake during mass.

We all traveled to the French Quarter for a day of sight-seeing. We started with coffee and beignets at the Cafe Du Monde. Very tasty and very messy to eat. We strolled the streets of the French Quarter, shopping, eating, and enjoying the lively entertainment.

There were plenty of street musicians, mimes, and everyday people - great for people-watching. The French Quarter area is along the Mississippi River and there is a nice riverwalk area as well.

The day ended with dinner back at St. Paul's - we were also entertained with a couple of songs performed by Loisi and Haati's family. We had a planning meeting to prepare for our week of work - the reason we came to New Orleans.

Greetings from New Orleans

- by Jim S.

Dear Families and Friends,
As we begin our first day of our mission, we feel very grateful and blessed. Blessed because we are representing you on this mission to help God's people here in New Orleans. We are thankful for your prayers and support that are making it possible for us to be in this in God's service. Please continue to hold us in your prayers. We too will be praying for you while we are away. We will be attending worship this morning and site seeing in the French Quarter this afternoon. We hope all of you experience a meaningful and inspirational worship this morning and a restful Sabbath.
Thanks and God Bless,
Jim

Travel Day

- by Ron N.

Note: you can view many of the photos from today at Robin's website and Ron's Flickr page.
Today we left for New Orleans. The flights were smooth and uneventful, just like they are supposed to be.

We changed planes in Chicago. The landing in Chicago was a little bumpy - probably something to do with it being the Windy City and all.

At the New Orleans airport we met our other groups members under the mural of historical jazz musicians. We loaded our gear into the rental vehicles and headed out for our destination - St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Harahan, LA.

After we unpacked, we headed out across town to R & O Pizza Restaurant, famous for its fine seafood.

I ordered the simple fish plate. As you can see, the portions were gynormous. Hmmm, everything here is deep-fat-fried. Sounds like a cholesterol field day.

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.
- Ron