September 2007 District Mission Trip to Gulf Coast
Please remember to keep our team and the homeowners
they are working with in your prayers.
This is a consolidated report for Thursday through Sunday (13-16 Sep).
Greetings,
Sorry for the late report but by Thursday our projects were in full swing and our crews had developed a special relationship with each of the supported families. The Ms Duckworth project was completed on Thursday and that crew joined other projects for the remainder of the week. In addition to the renovation efforts assigned by Gateway UMCOR coordinators, we identified some special things that the entire team wanted to do.
At the “Jake” project the refrigerator and range that the family planned to use in their house had been under water in the flood so we bought new ones for them. They were surprised and extremely appreciative.
The Hester family is struggling because the husband had been severely injured on a construction job. While working in their home, our crew found out that they did not have a bed but had been sleeping on an air mattress. The Altoona team decided to get a full sized bed for the parents and a twin bed for their youngest child. Friday night was the first night that the couple had slept in a real bed since Katrina two years ago.
The Taconi family in Biloxi was living in a FEMA trailer next to their new house. Our assigned tasks on this project involved sorting out the wiring which had been strung but not hooked up or labeled. During the week we were there, the house was transformed from a dry walled shell to a house with wall outlets, light/fan fixtures, light switches, kitchen cabinets (that a team from West Virginia installed), washer & dryer, and most of all a renewed sense of hope. The analogy used when we arrived was that the family was on the 45 yard line heading for the goal line (moving into their home). When we left the project on Friday, they were on the 5 yard line.
We also obtained authority to return to the “Jordan” project on Highway 53 that we worked in April 2007. This time we replaced the old galvanized pipe coming into the house, provided them a functional bathroom, and laid most of the tile needed between the front door and the kitchen.
Since our host, Christ UMC, provided meals for us on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday evening was the first opportunity to invite some of the families we had supported on previous trips. The fellowship was great, but there was no time to prepare the normal daily report.
Friday was another good day, but equally busy. Our crews had to finish their work, repack their tools, and clean up work sites by mid-day. In the afternoon our team members finally got to survey the gulf coastal areas to observe the magnitude of the damage from Katrina that still exists. We closed out our paperwork with the Gateway UMCOR coordinators and took the families we supported on this trip out to eat dinner at Sicily’s buffet. Again the interaction with “our” families was great. It was an emotional evening, and I have to admit this team is loud!
After our meal the team returned to Christ UMC where several members of the host church joined us for devotions and a communion service. Then it was pack up, clean up and grab a little sleep before departure on Saturday morning. The only things we did not mind leaving in Mississippi were the love bugs which were swarming.
Our enroute stop on the way home was at the 1st Farragut UMC in Knoxville, a grand, big and beautiful facility. On the way to Knoxville, Steve Evans had a serious bout with kidney stones. We got him to the hospital for examination and medication, but kidney stones are very painful.
During our meeting the team decided to hold our reunion meeting at noon on Sat, 29 Sep, at the Greenwood Church in Altoona. The majority of the team is also interested in going on a spring 08 Katrina trip when a leader and dates are identified. There was also interest in forming a mission trip to Greensburg, KS to help the tornado victims rebuild. More details will be provided as they become available.
The entire team was pleased with the results of this Katrina VIM trip, but they certainly were happy to arrive back in Altoona. It’s always good to be home.
God Bless
Wednesday, Septemer 13, 2007
Hello to all of our supporting friends and family,
We all had another full day here in Long Beach on Wednesday. All projects are coming along just great. The Helen Ducksworth project will be completed tomorrow and the crew will be moving on to another project.
Devotions for our meeting tonight started with slides on Katrina damages and VIM teams assisting victim families. Chuck Frank discussed the film with us and explained some of the pictures.
Pam Bishop has graciously agreed to collect all of our pictures on her computer. Tonight she showed us those that team members have submitted so far. What a great bunch of people on our team. We are all excited to be doing God’s work and also enjoying each other.
A special project will be done tomorrow. Sandy, who is a member of the host church has been waiting for two years for a electrician to come to her home and hook up her stove. She had been helping to cook meals here at the church cooking for us and others. She has always said no to our offers of help because she feels others need the help more. We’ve learned that someone is finally scheduled to get her stove in working order this week.
We had the sad news this morning when we found out Fay’s mother passed away. Fay left here around 5:00 am for her flight back home. Our prayers went with her. She called us this evening to let us know that she arrived home safely.
God Bless
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
GREETINGS FROM LONG BEACH
It is our second workday here, and we have already experienced many blessings.
The Jake project is coming along very well. Jake was not very friendly at first and was concerned about the quality of work that we would do. Today he seemed a different person. He and his son Jake (4) had lunch with us, and they participated in the blessing.
Jake and his sons all seem very pleased with the work and were excited to finally be picking out paint colors. Jake’s comment was “I never thought I would be excited about picking out paint chips. I thought we would never get to that point.”
The Helen Duckworth project is nearly completed. It will need some painting and the crew will move on to another project. Today there was an unexpected water break with no shutoff available in the house. It was necessary for the crew to shut it off at the street connection, and then they were able to fix the problem. They felt it was a good thing that it happened when our team was there to fix it for her.
The Deonna Hester project is going well, but there are several phases to this project that will keep the team busy most of the week. Today Brianna, who is four years old, got a new puppy and announced that she would name it Ron, after Ron Yoder, who is on the crew.
The Kathy Taconi project is also progressing. The crew bought and installed several lighting fixtures and many of the interior wiring puzzles sorted out. She also had a countertop installed today. She was just happy to have a place in her kitchen where she could cut things without a paper plate.
Our host church family here has again outdone themselves and prepared a delicious fish fry with all the fixings. It is so nice to come back here to our “home away from home”, sit down to a delicious meal and wonderful conversation with caring people.
We had news tonight that saddened all of us. Fay Yingling had news that her mother is in her last hours. She will be flying home tomorrow morning. A couple from the church has helped her with travel arrangements to make her departure as smooth as possible. What a thoughtful thing for them to do.
The team also prayed on this anniversary of the 911 terrorist attack, that people of the world will learn to live in harmony.
God Bless,
Sep07 Altoona Katrina Team
Monday, September 10, 2007
Greetings!
On Sunday the piece of furniture for Mrs. Anderson (which belonged to her mother) was delivered by the group from last year who worked on her home. She was very pleased to see everybody and was so pleased with the furniture; she even saved a place for it. Roger Lindsey can do no wrong in her eyes.
We have four main projects and one stove delivery which was made on Monday with no problems.
Project “Jake”: Jake has two sons who live with him at this time. Their home was under water up to the roof. Needless to say he lost just about everything and his home is in need of repair. Jake and his sons are presently living in two FEMA trailers.
Project “Helen Ducksworth”: Helen had a roof fan that was not installed correctly causing extensive water damage to the ceiling and walls of her home. She is presently living with her daughter and granddaughter.
Project “Deonna Hester”: Deonna had wind damage with trees falling on her trailer. She is also in need of plumbing and skirting around her trailer.
Project “Kathy Taconi”: Kathy paid an electrical contractor to wire her home. He did a partial job and demanded more money before he would finish the job. Since she could not pay the additional money, he never returned leaving her home with no electricity. She is presently living in a FEMA trailer.
Each team started today with enthusiasm, and we were all excited to meet our new friends and start our projects. After returning to “our home away from home, we had a delicious meal left from Sundays Pot Luck give by our church family here in Long Beach.
God Bless,
Altoona Katrina VIM Team
Report – Via phone Monday 9-10
Ron Hoover called the office this morning to report that every one made it safely to Long Beach. The host church had a terrific pot luck supper for them last night. The met with Gateway this morning and are getting started on five different projects. This will be a day of getting everyone up to speed. Ron will try and send a recap email this evening that I’ll send out to everyone tomorrow.
Reports from the Advance Team
Report #1
Greetings,
The advance team (John & Sue Best plus Ron & Carol Yoder) departed this morning and have made their way to Georgia. As they were monitoring the outdoor temperature, they said it topped 100 degrees in Tennessee. I'm sure glad we aren't going to be working there in that heat. My check on weather next week in Gulfport shows highs in the 80's with a possibility of some rain.
Carol has been in contact with our project coordinator (Brandon) in Mississippi and the advance team plans to meet with him tomorrow afternoon.
That's it for daily report #1.
Stay tuned.
God Bless,
Ron Hoover
Report #2
Hello again folks,
Today the advance team completed the journey to Mississippi, and checked in with Gateway to talk with the project coordinators. Do you all remember how often we've been told to be flexible because thing do not always go as planned? Well, the folks at Gateway are swimming in a problem pit of their own plus two flat tires during their coordination travels today. Bottom line, our hope to have our projects assigned this afternoon has been delayed until tomorrow morning. We will still be in a better position by having our advance team in place to visit each site.
By the way, after the 100+ degree report yesterday, the advance team said it was a cool 91 when they called.
I will share any further updates when we load up our trailer at Jaggard UMC tomorrow at 5PM.
God is Good!
Third Mission report – Friday evening
Today our advance team was able to meet with the Gateway coordinators, received several (6) project assignments and were in the process of setting up visits to each when I last spoke with Carol Yoder. Gateway did not send an email summary of the projects to me as they did last time so info is still somewhat sketchy.
We do have a new construction electrical job because some contractor left before finishing the job.
Another seems to be simply picking up a new stove, delivering and connecting it.
A third involves a roof vent problem that will involve repairing the roof and damage that resulted from roof leaks.
We will get a full run down when we meet with the advance team on Sunday.
The rest of the team met at Jaggard UMC to load tools and baggage that they will not need until Mississippi into the trailer. Vehicle drivers received their maps, gas funds, and communications sheets. The passengers in each vehicle got to meet each other and organize their load and departure for 6AM tomorrow.
David Norris led the team in prayer, and the entire team is anxious to get underway. Our next report will be from Chattanooga if we have connectivity. Otherwise, I'll send a 2-day report when we arrive in Long Beach, MS on Sunday.
God Bless
