UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
I’m sorry I did not get a report out Friday night, but when we moved to different cabins at Camp Tecumseh, I encountered connectivity problems.
Friday Chris, Beth and Kayla returned home due to other commitments, and the rest of us worked ourselves out of a job by noon. Team members did get a chance to explore the grounds at Camp Tecumseh more thoroughly than on previous days.
The evening meal out with Wilcox and Tedlock families was very enjoyable. This is when we got to socialize and present these very appreciative families with bibles and the quilts provided by the HUB. The Wilcox family also gave each team member a special picture of Christ with a bi-lingual thank you message on the back. If you have the opportunity, ask any team member to share it with you. It’s very touching.
By chance the mayor of Delphi and his wife (Randy and Joyce), came into the Stone House restaurant and, we got to renew our friendship established on our last mission trip.
Saturday we made a safe return trip to Altoona. It was a small but mighty VIM team, and I’m proud of each and every one of them. Thanks to all our supporters, and if any of you want to join in on our next VIM journey, it will be to West Virginia from 4 through 10 October to assist victims of the May 2009 floods.
It’s good to be home!
Ron
Thursday has come and gone already. We had a productive day at all three sites today, we have almost worked ourselves out of a job. The foreman, Jess, will try to get another inspection scheduled early at the Wilcox project so that we can help him when the new cement floor is poured tomorrow because all the blocks were laid and preparation made for the “big” pour.
Our crew finished cleaning the basement and removed damaged carpeting at the project outside of Buffalo which by the way had a herd of Buffalo in the adjacent pasture.
The other project of cleaning up the remains of an old garage was also completed today. If four doors that they have ordered come in we may be able to help hang them, but other than that we’ll be helping with cement work at the Wilcox site.
Our perfect weather continues. Nice and cool in the AM with highs in the mid-70’s.
We enjoyed another nice meal at Camp Tecumseh, and after breakfast in the morning we have to move to different cabins for one night, but the hospitality has been great.
Tomorrow evening we will do our traditional evening meal out with families we have supported and the director of DANI joining us. The team has chosen to return to the Stone House restaurant in Delphi because it was so good on our last mission trip.
Thanks to all our supporters back in PA.
Ron
PS - Our cell phones do not work at Camp Tecumseh, but if you haven’t figured that out by now, you probably don’t want to talk to us anyway. See you Saturday evening back in Altoona.
Wednesday always seems to come so quickly on these mission trips. We just get going and all of a sudden, the week is almost over. The floor repair and a good deal of cleaning got done at Carl?s house, and since we hauled away a trailer loaded with trash from his house, he let us use it to do the same at the Wilcox project.
The inspection took place and the footers were poured pretty much as planned at the Wilcox house. Thank goodness we didn?t have to dig anymore ditches or break anymore concrete. Tomorrow the block laying begins.
We will also clean out the basement of a house near Buffalo, IN that had 2 ? 3 feet of water in the basement, and we picked up another project to clean up the remains of an old garage. That project location is within a mile or two of Camp Tecumseh.
We had another great weather day. Same temperatures that we have enjoyed with just a little breeze.
Thanks to all our supporters back in PA.
Ron
PS - Just another reminder that our cell phones do not work at Camp Tecumseh, but you should be able to reach us during the daytime when we are in Monticello.
Work continued on our two project sites on Tuesday although the floor repair efforts on Carl?s house were stalled because we needed more laminated flooring which should arrive on Wednesday.
The Wilcox project was again a physical workout digging footers 3 feet deep. Other team members did a lot of yard work and Kayla used her skills to give the grandmother a hair cut in the front yard. All of the old concrete was also loaded up and hauled away so that the inspector can do his thing at 9AM Wednesday before the cement truck arrives at 10AM to pour the footers. (That?s the plan anyway.)
Tomorrow we have a few other tasks at the Wilcox house, and we are hoping that another project will open up to prep and apply a protective coating on the exterior of a house. Then on Thursday we will clean out a basement of a house near Buffalo, IN that had 2 ? 3 feet of water in the basement.
Tuesday evening we had another good meal in the Camp Tecumseh dining facility. We also moved our evening meeting / devotions into a social room of the dining facility. Marty and Pinky arranged for an apple pie and ice cream treat after devotions so we were all comfy and ready for bed a short time later.
Thanks to all our supporters back in PA.
.
Ron
PS - Just another reminder that our cell phones do not work at Camp Tecumseh, but you should be able to reach us during the daytime when we are in Monticello.
Today we got started on two project sites. One is a return to the Carl Reid?s home. We worked on his new house in May, and there are a couple of things that DANI needed us to fix. The other project provided a physical workout for several of us breaking out an existing concrete pad which was about 12 ft by 20 ft because it frequently floods during heavy rains. Rob used his heavy equipment skills to make the job easier, but the whole gang labored with removing the large chunks of cement. Chris and Sonny also dealt with roof work and replaced the front door of the house.
This evening we ate our first meal in the Camp Tecumseh dining facility. The food was very good, and we were very hungry. We followed camp rules along with a group of 20 school kids. Each of 5 tables had a variety of duties so that only one person from each table had to be up to get family style servings or drinks or desserts or the equal divisions of clean up duties. Not only was it quick and efficient, but everyone had fun, too.
Once again the weather today has been fantastic here, and this morning we had a couple of deer right outside our cabins. I think that once we have devotions and our team meeting this evening that we will all sleep well tonight.
Thanks to all our supporters back in PA.
Ron
PS - Just another reminder that our cell phones do not work at Camp Tecumseh, but you should be able to reach us during the daytime when we are in Monticello.
We had a very pleasant trip out to Indiana and all team members are now settled into their quarters at Camp Tecumseh although we miss Bev Kelly who had to drop out at the last moment. We miss you and hope you are feeling better.
The weather was great for the drive out, and life at Camp Tecumseh will be a new adventure in our VIM travels. We may all come back when we can just hang out at the camp.
Alan Welch, the Director of DANI (Disaster Assistance for Northern Indiana) and his wife came be to greet us, and then took us out and treated us with a meal at a restaurant located at the reservoir with the motto "Best Catfish by a Dam Site". Team members agree that the catfish was very tasty and our view included the spill way. Thanks Alan from all the VIM Team.
Tomorrow morning we will get our work projects which will again be in the Monticello area helping flood victims from storms early in 2009.
Thanks to all our supporters back in PA.
Ron
PS- Our cell phones do not work at Camp Tecumseh, but you should be able to reach us during the daytime when we are in Monticello.
