UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The return trip began with our departure from the Haviland UMC at a little before 6AM. Just before leaving, I warned all the drivers that the highway patrol is out and about at that hour. When the vehicle towing the tool trailer got to Pratt, the city police decided to introduce themselves with flashing lights. After checking driver's license and registration, the policeman asked the driver back to the rear of the trailer where the big double doors were wide open! Luckily, the road between Haviland and Pratt was smooth and nothing fell out.
We discovered that the road home is just as long and tiring as the trip out. It was a long two days of riding, but the UMC in Effingham, IL made Saturday evening very enjoyable. We arrived in time to attend their 5:45 PM service followed by an excellent meal and a chance to get acquainted.
The team had a good night of rest and continued their journey home today. All vehicles got back to the Altoona area before dark, but then two of them had to continue on to the Williamsport region. It is great to be home!
The Greensburg VIM trip was very successful in terms of work completed for the tornado victims and in the experiences treasured by each of the VIM team members. Many have indicated that we should go back again in the spring so we'll be looking at March (or April) to set up another trip. Let me know if you or anyone you know is interested in getting their hands dirty while warming someone's heart.
The last day of a VIM team trip always brings mixed emotions. Invariably there are more tasks at each job site that members would like to do if they had more time, but they are also anxious to get home.
This was a special day in Greensburg because the school had a home coming parade and our vehicles were included. The parade enabled us to see a lot of residents who cheered for all the volunteers we represented. Later we visited the John Deere dealer to check out some of the large equipment that was in their shop, and everyone got a new appreciation for high tech farming. Team members also had the opportunity to visit the "big well", the environmental / green exhibits and tour the town at their own pace.
Later in the afternoon, we had a picnic at the Greensburg park, and we were blessed with attendance of some of the families supported and families of some of the project coordinators. Good food and great people make for a successful event every time. Special thanks from the team go out to my brother and sister who joined our work force for the week and for provided the picnic groceries.
Friday evening we spent packing up and partially loading the tool and luggage trailers plus a special team meeting with devotions and music.
Tomorrow morning will bring an early departure for our return trip. We will travel to Effingham, IL for an overnight stop at the UMC there. We have found out that they are preparing a meal for us. Don't you just love how UMC hospitality so often includes good food?
There may not be a report tomorrow night, but I'll send out another to cover the trip home.
The VIM team got a lot accomplished today. Work crews are getting into a productive routine and complements for caring enough to come all the way from Pennsylvania continue. Our problem now is we only have Friday morning to get everything accomplished before we have to pack up the tool trailer.
Friday afternoon team members get an opportunity to check out the local area and then we will grill some meat and have a picnic at the Greensburg park. We have invited the families who own the houses we have been working on to come join in on the picnic. It also happens to be homecoming weekend for the Greensburg High School and there will be a parade down Main Street at 2PM that should be interesting for the team members.
Thanks again for all the support on the home front. We appreciate it very much.
Recognition of the skill levels that we have on our team has increased significantly. We have been able to provide some of the finish work talent that was holding up progress on their phase 1 block of homes. Let me explain.
People who have applied and been accepted under the program that results in a construction project managed by the Mennonite housing organization are grouped in phases. Phases 1 & 2 include 10 houses each, and phase 3 is expected to have 5 houses. The current situation of fewer volunteers, particularly skilled volunteers, has the phase 2 homes catching up with the completion percentage of the phase 1 homes. As a result, some of the phase 1 home owners are becoming frustrated due to lack of progress. Some of our personnel have renewed hopes of the owners to be in their new homes in the near future, and the home owners were expressing their pleasure today. What a warm feeling that gives to the team.
That's really what it's all about, isn't it? Answering the call to become a volunteer to help a neighbor, and then witnessing the difference it makes from the victim's viewpoint.
We are optimistic that tomorrow will go as well as today. It's a great team, and part of the feedback received today indicated that Pennsylvania has provided more volunteer teams to assist in Greensburg than any other state outsight the immediate area.
Tuesday, our second work day, was very productive. Project assignments were refined to improve use of the special skills and interest of our team members. All were busy and becoming more familiar with Greensburg and some of the residents they have the opportunity to meet. Feedback from the project coordinators indicates they are very pleased with the quality of work our team is doing.
I'm going to keep this report short tonight, but I thought some of our supporter back in Pennsylvania might be interested in our daily schedule. Our team is settling into a routine now which goes something like this:
• 6:00 AM (or earlier) wake up, prepare your own breakfast and pack your lunch
• 7:00 AM morning devotions and team meeting
• 7:15 AM depart Haviland and go to Greensburg
• 7:45 AM check in with the project coordinators
• 8:00 AM head to work site for the day
• 5:00 PM go to Volunteer Village for socializing and our evening meal
• 6:30 PM return to Haviland UMC for showers
• 8:00 PM evening devotions, team meeting and music
• 9:00 PM free time
We appreciate very much the support that makes it possible for volunteers to participate in this and other VIM trips. Please keep it up!
Our team was eager to get started this morning, and that feeling is intensified when you drive the streets of Greensburg. The piles of rubble are gone, but evidence of the destruction resulting from the tornado is all around. When we reached the Volunteer Village for an initial group meeting, we delivered a substantial food donation arranged by George Showers. He personally donated half of it, and his company matched his generosity. The Volunteer Village kitchen manager was most appreciative.
Our team was assigned projects at six locations today involving:
• Assisting the Mennonite lumber yard staff deliver materials to project sites and organize materials to support the construction of new homes
• Installing siding on two houses
• Installing hurricane strips
• Exterior caulking and painting
• Preparing new home floors for linoleum flooring
There were a few delays in getting up to speed, but the team accomplished a great deal by the end of the day. I'm sure each day will be even better than the previous.
After evening devotions led by John Best, we were treated again to a bit of musical entertainment by Chris Connelly. The team is blessed with a wide range of special talents that provide positive influence on the VIM experience.
To fully understand these blessings, you need to participate in one of the VIM trips, so don't miss out. Join us for the next Katrina VIM trip to Mississippi next month. I think all of our VIM alumni agree that volunteers get so much more from a VIM experience than they could ever imagine.
Saturday the 20th of September was a long day, but successful with no problems as our 5 vehicles with 22 PA VIM team members made the 700+ mile trip to Wentzville, MO. The United Methodist Church there let us camp out fin their class rooms again (as on two previous trips). We certainly appreciate their hospitality, and all team members had a good night of rest.
Day 2 By Sunday the team members are becoming more familiar with each other and the 2nd leg of the trip covered fewer travel miles (500+). The day did include an interesting event that you might enjoy. George Showers and Charlie Ulrich were in the tow vehicle pulling our tool trailer. George had close friends living just off I-70 near Kansas City so they stopped to say "Hi". The friends convinced them to come to church with them so they parked the trailer with our Altoona District UMC signs which always draw a lot of attention right in front of the Baptist Church where they attended church service and met more friends. All enjoyed a few cross-denominational chuckles.
Eventually, the entire team met up at the UMC in Pratt, KS. Ron Hoover's sister-in-law, Katie, and three other women from the church prepared a meal for us. It also gave us a chance to stretch and socialize before moving into our home-away-from-home in Haviland, KS. We've already been blessed with support of people along the way when they find out we are going to help Greensburg.
