Henderson Ky Methodists on Mission

Work photos

2008-02-10T09:47:00.001-08:00

Scenes from Dulac

2008-02-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Safe home again

2008-02-10T09:30:00.000-08:00

After one last work day in which many worked at a feverish pace to complete projects, the team packed up to head home. Some left Friday night after a community karaoke led by Steve and Leslie Hoskins was well attended by the community in general. Many of the homeowners that became new friends last week attended.

The team members arrived home safe and sound at various times on Saturday, tired but feeling very blessed. To come will be a complete accounting of what the group — including everyone who supplied the team with food, prayers, donations and many other types of support — was able to accomplish in just 5 short work days.

Praise God for good working conditions and safe travel.

All work and no play …

2008-02-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

Top: A card game (and some magic tricks) breaks out in the dormitory common room. Bottom left: Lester LaBruyere shucks some oysters he found in the Community Center refrigerator. Bottom right: Pastor Kirby Verret had a holiday from school (he is a counselor for at-risk Houma Indian students) to get in a little fishing. It was a success.

Donna S. writes:

It’s not all work. Sure, there’s a lot of work, but there’s also a fair amount of fellowship.

Fellowship with homeowners and neighbors. Fellowship with people in local establishments. Fellowship with the people of Clanton Chapel and Dulac Community Center. With Pastor Kirby and his family.

And, above all, fellowship with each other. We’ve made new friends from different Henderson County churches. We’ve had devotional time. We’ve broken bread together, and we’ve snored together. We’ve cooked together and washed dishes. We’ve gone in search of alligators, and eaten at Schmoopy’s, a local seafood restaurant with a killer shrimp, crab and corn bisque. There’s even been a game or two of euchre now and then.

Dulac has been a special place to bond as fellow Christians and to spread God’s love.

More words from the team:

From Bud Hill: We have been able to help more families on this trip than all the other Henderson County Methodists trips combined. That’s one advantage of bringing such as big group.

From Gene Crowley: There are lots of people in this world that are worse off than we are. Through God’s grace, we can come down here and work and make someone’s life better. I enjoy coming down. I enjoy taking what time I have left to try to help people.

From Jan Siedelmann: It’s really been a good experience. It’s devastating to see the poverty. That part is as bad as the storm.

From Julie McDonald (a naturalist in her real life who would like to set the record that she is not the Pied Piper of mice in Dulac): I enjoyed trying to identify the wildlife that we did see down here (including a Roseate Spoonbill.) I guess I was the Spider Queen. People kept asking me: “Is this spider OK?” I think I was the sacrificial blood donor for the Louisiana state bird: the mosquito. I have a dozen bites even with all the bug spray. Yes, I attract mosquitoes. We also had adventures with fire ants. I have enjoyed having an opportunity to have the fellowship, which is as rewarding to me as helping people rebuild their lives.

From Maria Raleigh: Mark Herron and Maria went out after regular work hours to finish the grout at a home where the owners hadn’t been home earlier in the day. “It was neat tonight when we went to do the tile. The people were making crawfish and corn for dinner.” They invited Mark and Maria to eat with them. “Just to the see the different culture was an awesome experience.”

From Rodger Swatzell: We had been prompted as a group to make an effort to speak the native language (French) if possible, or at least to make an effort. Today at Rodger’s site, a relative showed up to visit. “Bon Matin,” Rodger said, using his newly learned phrase for “good morning.” “I don’t speak French,” the relative replied.
Stay tuned for more from the team members as we wind down the week …

More Wednesday photos

2008-02-06T20:05:00.001-08:00

Top: Mark Herron "high-fives" a little boy during a pick-up basketball game at his job site. Middle: Tim Lutz and Chuck Harris work on installing windows. Bottom: The sight in the dormitory hallway at the end of a long work day.

Ash Wednesday

2008-02-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

Top: Susan Harris and Kristie Kerr move supplies at their work site. Middle: One of our "cleaning angels," Lori Woodburn, mops the women's dormitory. Bottom: Maria Raleigh blesses the team with morning devotionals.

Donna S. writes:

Thunder and downpour in the night. A bright, beautiful day in the morning.

Lots more progress made at all the job sites. Back at the ranch, a wonderful thing happened. Some angelic volunteers cleaned our dormitory within an inch of its life.

In the evening, we attended Ash Wednesday service at Clanton Chapel, and we were almost the entire congregation. Pastor Kirby Verret, a native Houma, conducted the service, drafting Mark Herron and Kevin Stevenson to play music on their guitars (and asking us to pray God to deliver them a piano player for regular services.)

We sat in a sanctuary that had its roof peeled back by Hurricane Katrina and that had taken on a couple of feet of water during Hurricane Rita. The water stayed for three days before it subsided, and Pastor Kirby said the forecast for the storm to go farther west caught them off guard and left them little time to get to Houma, which was just barely higher ground. They didn’t even have time to lift the chairs in the sanctuary up out of the water.

After that, the recovery process was slow to start, he said. “It wasn’t the government who came in to help,” he said. “If it had not been for the church to come in, things would have been so much worse. Prayers went out and people responded. They set aside what they were doing and responded.”

Pastor Kirby had a prayer for Ash Wednesday.

“There’s so much to be done. The days don’t seem long enough,” he said. “You take distance, you shorten it and you bring people together.”

More personal experiences from the team about how they’re connecting with the community (which, incidentally, is an extremely friendly community):

From Lori Woodburn: On Mardi Gras afternoon, the couple they’re working with spent part of the time in their kitchen slow-dancing to Cajun music. “It was so sweet,” she said. Their work team stood in the living room and applauded.

From Tim and Vickie Wright: When the ice cream truck came through their neighborhood, they bought treats for the little boy at the home they were working at, which brought a smile to his face. They also discovered that the little girls down the street collected aluminum cans for recycling. The next trip back to the work site, they took a bag of cans to them.

From Mark Herron: On Day 1 when the site bosses went out scouting the work, Mark had an impromptu basketball game on a dirt court at the house his crew ended up working at. “I was just trying to relate to him, to break the ice.” Mark shot once and missed. He fed the ball to the little boy, who proceeded to make eight shots in a row.

From Mary Lee: The homeowner at her house is very concerned about how she’s going to find the money to get her home elevated, which is what has happened to many of the houses in this area as the wetlands shrink and the land vanishes. (Pastor Kirby said the original Clanton Chapel church building was located five miles farther south. That area is now water.) Other homes adjacent to the homeowner have not been raised, but this homeowner has been told that she just. “I’m not sure how that gets all sorted out,” Mary said.

From Daryl Siedelmann: The thing that amazes me is how people live in so much water. They’re wonderful people, trusting, even grateful. Not all people are grateful. At the same time, he said, there seems to be a lack of regard for the surroundings. “These folks are really sub-poverty,” he said, adding that there seems to be a lack of coordinated effort to help them, the local recovery center excluded. “The Center here is very coordinated,” he said. They support the volunteers.”

Stay tuned…

More Tuesday photos

2008-02-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Top: Tony Weisman and Rob Kerr work on one of several replacement windows they installed. Middle: A crew consisting of Mark Herron, Vickie Wright, Maria Raleigh and Tim Wright prepare materials for installing flooring. Later they will be setting cabinets. Bottom: A homeowner gives a baby a bath in the kitchen sink at one of the job sites. They were getting ready to go to a Mardi Gras parade in Houma.

Travail dur et bonnes périodes

2008-02-06T06:34:00.000-08:00

Top: A crew consisting of Denny Howard, John Eblen and Charles Lander works on drywall. They'll be setting cabinets later in the week. Middle: On another site, Dick Ward, Greg Fisher and John Tom Utley work on one of the toughest assignments: Hand-mixing 30 bags of concrete in a wheelbarrow to use for installing a handicapped ramp. Bottom: One of the two King Cakes given to the Mission Team for Mardi Gras.

Donna S. writes:

Today's title says "hard work and good times" (we were told that we would be blessed if we try out the local lingo!)

Even though it was a holiday here in the bayou, work continued in a big way on our job sites. Foreman Bud Hill says we are currently working at about eight of the 15 sites on our list. The punch lists are getting close to being completed at some of the sites.

And now, enough from me and time to hear from some of the other 44 Mission Team members and their experiences of the past few days…. Here are some of their paraphrased remarks:

From John Eblen: “What’s better than Super Bowl parties and the day after Super Bowl? What’s better than Super Tuesday? What’s better than Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, Louisiana? It’s the sight of a homeowner and the smile on their face when someone comes to their front door to repair their home that’s been ruined by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.”

From Tony Weisman: A guy today who didn’t know who we were came across the yard where we were working (where they were doing replacement windows). He said he and his wife had boiled a bunch of crabs and wanted to offer them to the workers.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The work crew brought them back to the dormitory at lunch time and shared with the rest of the Mission Team. They were declared to be delicious by all who tried them.

From Chuck and Susan Harris (who are on Tony’s crew): That was very neighborly (bringing over the boiled crabs to share). They weren’t really doing any work for that couple, Susan said, but they still felt compelled to express their appreciation. Their gesture gave Susan an opportunity to go over after lunch and share her cross with them. “They just thanked us, thanked us, thanked us,” she said.

From Max Whelan (our team member from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada): There’s so much to be done. There are other people even worse off than the homeowners we are working for and nothing is being done at their homes. The people are friendly and appreciative of help, both on the team and in the town.

From Karen Hill: A man walked by the front of Clanton Chapel United Methodist Church with two big dogs. He stopped to chat to find out where the group was from and asked which house we were working on in Dulac. I told him we were working all over Dulac, that we had 45 workers. He got a big grin on his face and said “Good.” That was the first contact I had with local people.

From Rob Kerr: I don’t believe I’ll ever complain again about what I have (or don’t have).

From Dan Odom: On Monday evening he and a group were eating dinner out a restaurant in Houma (since we ran out of food at the center) and he struck up a conversation with a Baptist minister and his family from Houma. Dan and others in the group found an opportunity to give away their crosses. In the course of the conversation, they started talking about King Cake and its tradition during the pre-Mardi Gras season. In a bit, Dan noticed that the minister had disappeared from his table. In a while, he came back with a King cake to give his new Henderson friends.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An anonymous donor also left two King Cakes for the Mission Team at the Dulac Center for the team to have for dessert on Tuesday evening after our dinner at the Boudreau & Thibodeaux restaurant. Rob Kerr got the baby from the first cake that was cut, so he’s apparently hosting the Mission Team for a King Cake party next year on Epiphany!

From Steve Raleigh: I’m amazed by the logistics of working out the details of working with 45 people and not having short tempers.

From Rodger Swatzell: There’s a lot of poverty down here. These people are sadly used to it. A lot of the poor people here don’t have a means of making a living unless it’s the shrimping business.

Heard at the breakfast table: One of the good things about being down here … We haven’t had to hear about all that politics.

More from other Mission Team members as we go forward …

The work begins

2008-02-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

At left: Steve Raleigh works on a project for his homeowner that involved finishing Tyvek on the under side of a home that had been jacked up about 4 feet from its original elevation. Above: A flurry of activity Monday morning takes place in front of the Dulac Community Center as the crews unload and reorganize tools and supplies. In the background you can see Clanton Chapel United Methodist Church.

Donna S. writes:

After a morning spent getting organized, scouting the houses and dividing up workers into smaller work crews in order to make the most efficient use of our time, the teams fanned out after lunchtime to tackle projects at 15 different homes.

That's 15 different homes with work to do and most of them with multiple things to do.

Most of them are not far at all from the Dulac Community Center. Work ranged from hanging drywall, installing cabinets and counters, laying laminate flooring, building a deck, framing, measuring for siding, removed bathroom flooring, hanging paneling, roofing, cleaning vinyl siding, and so on. There's a lot of work to do, but once we got going we got a great start at building relationships with the 15 homeowners, not to mention making some improvements in their lives (we hope).

All the talk today is about tomorrow. Tomorrow is a holiday here... Mardi Gras! The kids are out of school. There are parades all day in Houma. They're excited and the atmosphere is festive. The talk among them is about going up to Houma to spend the day .

We will be spending the day trying to cross off items on the long list of things to do!

Maybe somebody will bring us some beads from Houma.

A couple more Sunday photos

2008-02-04T06:47:00.000-08:00

Top: Those hoagie sandwiches made for the Super Bowl by the Chapel Hill Youth Group came in very handy for our lunch stop on Sunday. Paul Herron passes them out to anyone who was hungry.

Bottom: John Paul McGuire gives an overview of what happened when the small town of Dulac was impacted by both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita in 2005.

Down in the bayou

2008-02-04T06:34:00.000-08:00

Above: A portion of the Dulac Team poses for a group photo before pulling out from Chapel Hill Church on Saturday around 2 p.m.

Donna S. writes:

First, the big news. We made it.

After two pretty challenging days of travel (have you ever tried to simultaneously move 13 vehicles — 3 with cargo trailers and 1 with a camper — and 40-plus people and keep them together?) we made it to Dulac, Louisiana, on the Bayou Grand Caillou at around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday

That was after being halted for several minutes in the small town of Des Allemands south of New Orleans by a Mardi Gras parade. Beads literally covered the stretch of U.S. 90 that was the parade route.

Our home away from home for the next few days looks pretty good. The area still very much looks storm-battered, notably with many shrimp boats that are partially sunk or in great disrepair visible along the bayou. Shrimping remains this town’s biggest source of commerce.

After a welcome and orientation by the Dulac Station Manager, John Paul McGuire, everyone settled in to get clean (high priority item), snack on something courtesy of the many people who sent food with us — bless you all! or watch a little bit of the Super Bowl.

John Paul capped off our orientation by teaching us a new beatitude: Blessed are those who are flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

Some of us could have used that earlier in the day.

Speaking of earlier in the day (much earlier), somebody needs to be thinking about recruiting Denny Howard for the Chapel Hill Praise Team. There’s nothing like hearing him sing “Oh, What A Beautiful Morning” at the top of his lungs when you’re still snuggled up in your sleeping bag.

But back to John Paul.

In his very detailed orientation that included information about everything from alligators to black widow spiders to the history of our host community, he helped us fully realize that we are needed here.

We are here to be in conversation and be in connection with the people in this very small, very close-knit community.

We are here to rebuild confidence, rebuild hearts, rebuild love.

We are ready to go to work.

Time to pack

2008-01-31T17:36:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

The team met tonight for the final time before departure. Most of the vehicles are leaving Saturday around 2 p.m. from Chapel Hill headed for our stopover in Oxford, Miss.

Here are some things about Dulac, Louisiana, the town we're going to serve:

— It's in the bayou in the southern reaches of Terrebonne Parish. Water and swamp outnumber dry land in square miles.

— Around Dulac, the population is around 90 percent Houma Indian. The parish is 51 percent Houma and 49 percent Cajun.

— The word "Houma" means "red" in Choctaw. After several migrations in the Louisiana, the bulk of the Houma people settled in an area they called "Dulac" — "the land of the lake" — referring to nearby Lake Boudreaux.

— Life in the bayou is centered around fishing, trapping and farming.

— The Methodist Church came to the area in 1882. In the 1930s, Miss Ella and Miss Wilhelmina Hooper brought educational opportunity to the children of Houma. Public education was not open to Native Americans at that time. When that changed, the focus of the Methodist Church shifted to social outreach to the community.

With this visit, we are in for an educational experience ourselves.

Where credit is due

2008-01-28T06:17:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

A couple of more successful fundraisers took place over the weekend, and it's time for the Blog to express gratitude for all who have supported this Mission Trip project by buying pizzas, attending chili suppers, flipping (and purchasing!) pancakes, listening to coffeehouse songs, taking time after church for a bowl of soup, doing legwork, attending meetings, organizing, delivering things .... and the endless number of jobs it takes to pull off such a big project.

The team thanks all of the many supporters for your generous hearts. Those hearts are critical for the success of the mission. No doubt about it: We are all a team.

That earthly acknowledgement given, here is a word from Team Leader Paul 3:
GOD has blessed this Mission Team and Trip. HE has provided the talent to make a difference in Dulac. HE has provided the Fund$$$$$ for this trip. HE has provided the leadership for this team. HE has provided the transportation for this team.

To God goes the glory.

The countdown has begun ...

2008-01-25T10:28:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

In a week, Henderson County Methodists on Mission will start packing tools, personal belongings and all the things needed for a week of hurricane relief work, this time in the deep bayou of Louisiana. Departure is Saturday, Feb. 2, and the return is Saturday, Feb. 9.

A 46-member team representing Belleview UMC, Bennett Memorial UMC, Cairo UMC, Chapel Hill UMC, First UMC, Holy Name Catholic Church and Wesleyan Heights UMC (Owensboro) will be working out of the Dulac Station, which is part of the Abbeville Disaster Recovery Station operated by UMCOR's Louisiana United Methodist Disaster Recovery Ministry.

This remote area's population largely consists of Native Americans and Cajuns, and its residents were impacted by major hurricane and major flooding from both Katrina and Rita.

This will be the sixth mission trip for the combined Henderson County Methodists on Mission. The first was to New Orleans in October 2006; three teams traveled to Gulfport, Miss., on consecutive weeks last winter and "the cabinet crew" returned to New Orleans in May 2007 to install kitchen cabinets in the home of Silas Dillion.

Dillion (shown at upper right in his kitchen with the staff of Westbank Station) was able to return to his home later in 2007 and the Westbank Station in New Orleans reported the joyous news to those who had worked on Dillion's behalf. They sent a photo and wrote: "Without your skills, hard work and love, this wouldn't have been possible. To put it simply, you changed his life. From our center here in New Orleans, we want to say thank you for being the hands and feet of God....."

2007-05-24T12:44:00.000-07:00

TA DA!

Silas has complete kitchen cabinets and ceramic tile counter tops.

We completed the task, Praise the Lord, around 1:30 this afternoon.

He has some minor things that have to be completed, but should be in soon.

We are having dinner with Silas tonight at the Picadilly.

We have off loaded all the items that we used belonging to the Westbank Recovery Center, bought our T-shirts and given the final report to Kathy Powers, Assistant Coordinator.

Except for packing our luggage, we are ready to head North in the morning. The time we will leave New Orleans is largely determined by the time the Algiers Ferry opens, which is 6:30. So we will be heading out of New Orleans by 7:00 tomorrow.

Of course, that's assuming we get home from the French Quarter by that time tomorrow. Bye Bye, P3

Now Steve # 1

This completes my third mission trip to the Katrina ravaged area, and it is still overwhelming!
I cannot keep the tears from my eyes and cheeks, or my heart, as I recall the things I have seen, compared to the minsicule things I have been a part of accomplishing.

I know it is a trick of satan (I refuse to capitalize the name) but that dad-blamed elephant seems to be growing. Sure, it must be eaten one bite at a time, but you get that one bite swallowed, look around and WOW! So much more to be done. I know, to take more bites, we need more mouths!

Aurora UMC has just recieved some copies of "Meeting GOD in the ruins". , devotions for disaster relief volunteers. I shall sign off with a couple of prayers from that booklet, hoping it inspires others to come.

Send me patience, the fruit of your Spirit, Lord. I can do small things and over time see large things come to fruition. You have led us to this task; you will help us finish it. Amen.

God, I want to be a blessing and came away having been blessed more than I know. Be with those who continue to recover and those who continue to help. Grant all of us your shalom. Amen.

Steve Hoskins

2007-05-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

Paul really getting into his work!

Steve, Paul and Bud deciding on how to change a tire.

Where'd those cabinets come from?

Bud places the last tile on the counter tops,
only grout and trim left. We are moving on!

GOD is so good, ALL THE TIME! With all the obstacles thrown in front of us, without the Master's help, we could not have accomplished what we have. Some have been alluded to in previous blogs, and we had another this morning.

We got up and off very early, determined to get back on schedule. When we arrived at Silas's house, got our tools out and were ready to begin. NO POWER! Paul immediately left to return to AuroraUMC to obtain a generator, and don't forget, it includes a ferry trip both ways. While he was gone, we found a notice on a neighboriong house, informing residetns that the area was subjecta to power outages of 3-4 hours, at intemittent intervals for the next 2-3 weeks while some transmissin/distribution upgrades and repairs were being made.

We got the generator, produced some power and really got after it. Then the normal power came on, for about 90 minutes, went off again and we reverted to generator power. Today, we built the counter tops, got all the 4"x4" tile set and glued and Ron made the finish trim pieces. Tomorrow, God willing, we will grout and clean the tile, install the trim after another coat of stain and basically be finished with our purpose in this trip.

As always, we have all grown closer to one another and to God, we've had a lot of fun, given away our crosses (thanks Rick) and hopefully planted some seeds for others to harvest in the future. We feel good about what we have accomplished and as usual, wish we could do more; but it is a really big elephant, and has to be eaten one bite at a time.

One final note to leave you smiling: Ron Crowley made an error today, and Paul had to smack him with a banana peel. (It didn't leave too bad a mark.)

God willing, we will finish tomorrow and be able to leave early Friday morning. It will be great to see our loved ones and friends again, and we are truly thankful for your prayers and support.
The year is not half over yet, so there is still time for some of us (read you) to make another trip or? yet this year. If interested, see Paul Herron or John Evans.

See you all in church, Sunday.

Gratefully,

THE FAB FOUR (Bud said "it's been a hard days night".)

Bud
Paul
Ron
Steve

2007-05-22T18:39:00.001-07:00

LOOK AT HIM & HE WAS DRIVING!
KITCHEN BEFORE & AFTER TODAY

aLL THE CABINETS INSTALLED

A few photos!

2007-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Those who have been on a trip such as this are familiar with the first full day of work. Arriving at the site, unloading tools, situation assesment, obtaining materials and supplies. Well, surprise, surprise-we knew where the job site was and the situation had already been assessed and the cabinets were in Silas' house; ALL OVER his house. The one thing which was not present was a lay-out sheet.

Thank the good Lord, Bud and Ron have the expertise to ascertain what has to go where. We would have gotten much more accomplished had we not had to measure here, look there, move this base cabinet there, then back to where it was originally. We called for a cabinet plan, which was delivered about the time we did get it figured out. That is to say, Bud and Ron figured it out; Paul and I simply moved cabinetes where they directed, nodded sagely and said "Yea, that is where that one should go."

Well, by golly, we did get all the cabinets set and hung. They are all attached and affixed in a fine manner and ready for the counter top.

We had already been informed that it was not to be a laminate top-no, no. It is going to be a ceramic tile top. And we were ready for that and we were told that yes, all supplies for the counter top were at the house. We could not find it; we called. Yep, sure enough, it is there, but it is supposed to be the remainder of the 12"x12" ceramic floor tile! Yep, ceramic floor tile. For which they do not manufacture finish/trim pieces to make a counter top look as it should. (Shhhhhhhh, we tricked 'em; we found just enough "counter top" ceramic tile in the unclaimed supply trailer to finish the job. Please do not rat us out to the fine folks here at Aurora, but we do want to get home this week.)

All in all, a successful and truly rewarding day, as all trips are on mission. And, true to form, we are all beat and ready for a well deserved night of zzzzzzzzzzzz's. Yes, we all snore and we are all in the same room.

We do feel the power of your prayers and your love, but please, don't stop now.

I know, you were teased a bit about possible photos, but I am too tired to figure it out. That is another thing I miss about my lovely bride; she would have had this all done long before now.

2007-05-21T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Fab Four have arrived! We met our goal of being southbound exactly, as we pulled onto US 41 south at precisely 6 a.m. after congregating at Paul's house, then traveling a short distance to pick up Bud. Pastor Ted and John Evans met with us and we had our leaving blessing in the middle of the street at about 5:50 this morning. Karen Hill was also present and sent us off with a big container of her marvelous chess bars and brownies. When we arrived at Aurora UMC, there were still a few left.

For those of you who keep notations of such things as miles traveled and road time, be advised we are not entering any contests this year as we had an unscheduled pit stop as some tiny, gravel-covered drive, one-pump gas station in western Mississippi to change a tire on our new trailer. The little jewel had had enough, and came apart at the seams. Of course, Brother Paul HAD secured a new spare tire and the bolt pattern was an exact match; however, the wheel itself was just a bit too fat to freely turn upon the axle once it was lug-nutted tightly to the hub.

No problem! We did have a new tire and we did have a wheel that fit, they simply needed to be joined into one workable piece of equipment. And, yes, you are absolutely correct, such needed conjoining could not be accomplished at the aforementioned establishment. But the Lord intervened and we were informed of one establishment where this needed service could be obtained, about 12 miles further down the road. Long story short, after only about one hour down time, we got back on the journey to NOLA.

So, with all that, and a short wait at the Chalmette Ferry, we arrived safely, thank you very much dear Lord, we have eaten, made up our beds and obtained food for tomorrow. So, since no one had to be chastised more than once (other than yours truly) on the trip down here and Bud didn't whine all that much, it has to be noted as a good trip. But it has been a long one, so I shall shower, pray and go to bed. Or maybe shower, go to bed and pray.

Stay tuned to this blogspot for daily updates of the FAB FOUR. Tomorrow, we may even post some photos! Keep a smile on your face, a song in your heart and us in your prayers.

On the Road Again

2007-05-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

Here we go again.

Last October 11 of us mixed up Methodists worked on Mr. Silas Dillon's home in New Orleans.

To date, Silas continues to live in his FEMA trailer.

Jake, the Westbank Recovery Center, Coordinator told me that his facility is booked up during the next three months.

Silas only needs to have his kitchen and bath cabinets installed.

Ah ha, I know a cabinet maker, his name is Bud................Bud Hill and I know a carpenter, his name is Ron Crowley.............both self-employed, which means they can set their own schedules, of course with their wives permission.

Jake, says, he can provide the beds until June 1, then he is full.

It took several months to come up with the money to purchase the cabinets for Silas' home.

Steve Hoskins is self-employed, I'm self-employed, I got a big red truck and Chapel Hill UMC just purchased a big trailer for use by the Henderson County, Ky. UMC, Disaster Recovery and Mission Teams.

Jake says, I'll call you when the cabinets are ordered.

The 4 of us, Bud, Ron, Steve and I will leave for New Orleans tomorrow, (Monday, 05/21/2007), arrive in New Orleans late that afternoon and hopefully(prayerfully) be able to install the cabinets in his kitchen and baths by Friday.

After watching several documentaries on New Orleans, it still hurts your heart to see all the suffering people, but they are survivors who continue to have hope that help will come.

Well, we are doing a small part to help out. We have to eat that elephant, one bite at a time.

Lord, God we thank you for your mercy and grace that has been shown in New Orleans and all along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast. Continue to bring volunteers to these areas to help your people, in the name of Jesus, Amen!

Keep watching this blog! We will update you daily, if possible. Also, we plan more mission trips in October/November and again in January/February 2008.

P3

Fruits of the Spirit

2007-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

Praise the Lord for His traveling mercies and the wonderful, clear skies as we made the long trip home. Of course, we couldn't see the clear skies when we left Gateway at 5:00 a.m., but some of us did see the sunrise. We arrived at Chapel Hill at 3:30 p.m., so, we had very quick stops.

We were heavy hearted to be leaving Mississippi with so much more, years worth, work to be done, but we were anxious to get home to our loved ones. We had a wonderful team and have been blessed too many times to count. We served, we were served and we had a wonderful time. Many, many heartfelt thanks to those who made my job so easy: Bud and Karen Hill, Debbie Sides, Jim Walters, Allen and Stacey Singer, Brad Higginson, Maria and Emily Raleigh and Brandon Long. And of course, my bride, Leslie.

God teaches one so many, many things on a mission trip; that may be the greatest benefit each missioner receives. And I think it to be no coincidence that, in my mind, they are all related to the fruits of the Spirit, named by Paul in his letter to the Church at Galatia, chapter 5 verse 22; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Love: a deeper, more meaningful Christian love for those we serve with on mission and those we are serving. One truly learns of the worth of fellow missioners, more so each day, as one toils side by side and learns of others trials, victories and hidden talents.

Joy: in seeing hope rekindled in the forlorn eyes of one who has lost every needed earthly thing with formerly little hope of regaining a portion. Or in seeing a partially demolished house nearing the stage of habitation or even better, one now being occupied as a safe, comfortable refuge; and knowing that you had a hand in its renovation.

Peace: at night, in bed, physically and often emotionally drained, knowing that this day, you have been a messenger of God's love and a tool He has used.

Patience: because you know you didn't accomplish all you wanted to today, but by God's grace, the sun will rise and there will be more to do. And even when this trip must end, there still remains more to do and perhaps another trip can be made in a few months. Realizing that one cannot do it all, each and every house, but there will be something one can do, when one heeds the call.

Kindness: because often that is all you can offer one you pass by on the street or in a store. Many of these people have not been directly affected by Katrina, in a monetary or possession manner but their lives have been changed just the same. While making a late night purchase at a store on the last night in Gulfport, one of our missioners happened to be sharing with the cashier and mentioned "you have lovely region". The person behind in line, obviously an area resident, replied sadly "It used to be." Then he smiled and said, "Maybe, with more people like you, it will be again."

Goodness: it is nearly impossible to spend a week, helping rebuild a house, and hopefully lives, without coming away with a GOOD feeling.

Faithfulness: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

Gentleness: gently sharing with others of your love for your Saviour and His love for you. Or, on a more earthly plane, sharing your knowledge and expertise with team mates to make the job better, easier and more fulfilling. (Bud Hill personified.)

Self-control: because a short cut is not good enough, and again you did not accomplish all you wanted, there is so much yet to be done here and other places, so many more could surely find a week to invest in not only others, but themselves, and nothing is going perfectly well the way it is envisioned, and on and on. (Katrina missioners call this "fruit", flexibility.)

Volumes could be "blogged" about what all one learns on a mission trip. Trust those of us who have been when we say "It was one of the best weeks of my life. And I want to go back."

AND WE WILL!

Joy, peace, and love,

Henderson County UMC's Team 3
Steve Hoskins

P.S. Look for a special "Bloopers, Bleeps and Blunders", coming soon to this blogspot.

Pennsylvania Team as Guest Blogger

2007-02-10T14:36:00.000-08:00

We received the most gracious Thank You card from our new friends on the team from Pennsylvania. Many of the sentiments expressed in this card are the comments received and praises given during our daily devotionals. We thought it was very fitting to include these comments in our blog.

To our Kentucky Brothers and Sisters!

Katrina may have been created to allow humans to stop for a moment and realize that its GOD and only GOD that matters, and for us to band together as strangers to help strangers. If her winds and waters that created so much destruction could realize how much she has truly rebuilt, and how many of us have found new hope for life, friendships made and real life beginnings, then perhaps she was created for us.

God Bless you and may you continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you for all you've done.

The Pennsylvania Four: Carlos, Bob, Mike and Leslie

PS. The two older gentlemen joined us on Thursday and are retired engineers. Their names are Joe and Glenn, they will be at Gateway for a month. Keep them and all the teams in your prayers as they tackle the still monumental task of rebuilding people's homes and lives.

As much, as well, as long...

2007-02-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a week. It seems like we just got to Gulfport yesterday. There are just a few things left to do and Miss Stella will be in her house. It's so pretty! Brandon, Stephanie, and Karen from Gateway visited the site today and were very complimentary. Stephanie said there had been teams from eight states involved in rebuilding Miss Stella's home. While we're dissappointed that we didn't get Miss Stella in her house, we leave knowing that there is less work for the next team to do to reach that goal. One of the blessings missioners receive is the knowledge that a positive difference is being made in another person's life, as well as their own.

God truly uses all things to his glory! As ugly as Katrina was, it provided a way to show God's love to many, many people. Sometimes when people talk about "those poor people on the gulf coast" I wonder if they have it backwards. Maybe the lesson is to push us out of our comfort zone to serve people. Just a thought......

It has been a lot of fun. Many friendships have been forged and we know from the last trip, that it is a bond like no other. We've had to bond with our team members and other teams. It helps us appreciate each others' strengths. To be continued......

Guest blogger: Stacey Singer

It's Coming Together

2007-02-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

The comment today, from more than one team member, has been " It really came together today." The flooring is finished, the baseboards and quarter round fareinished, some light fixtures are in place and are working, the sink is set and will be hooked up tomorrow, cabinet tops were set and just about all the electical dilemas have been rectified. (Thank you for the troubleshooting, Rick!)

Our "young uns" headed home and we miss them already. Maria, Emily and Brandon were surely a blessing to our team. Their positive outlooks, willingness to learn and do anything, (always with a smile) their fun loving attitude and devotion to God were lighthouses for all of us. Please pray for their safe return and for God's traveling mercies as they come back to Kentucky. We laughed at Brandon yesterday as he was inundated with sea gulls after feeding just one. He was snapping pictures and he got the last laugh by catching some amazing photos.

We are bonding with the team from Pennsylvania, and two gentlemen from Missouri and Kansas, both engineers and both down for a month. Leslie and Stacy make the messes in the kitchen and Leslie from Pennsylvania and her team, clean them up. Believe me, its a great trade for us. Tonight we had spaghetti, salad and apple pie a la mode for dinner. The most amazing thing we had for dinner was garlic bread made with Denny "dough" bread. Wow! If Denny ever makes bread for you, try it in French toast, garlic bread, or on a sandwich. All teams have enjoyed it very much. Thank you Denny!

We hope to get the tub surround in, the stove set, the rest of the light fixtures up and set up whatever other appliances we can get delivered. Other projects that we are working on is getting a cover on the furnace closet, hang the medicine cabinet, caulk the little holes, do some touch up painting, trim and rehang all the doors, and put some wood putty in to completely finish the floors. Bud says we have to empty the house so we can really see what else might need to be done, so we will be moving everything, lumber and all, out.

We are pretty tired and plan to turn in early. We will give you our last update tomorrow and head on home Saturday. We will work hard tomorrow to get Stella that much closer to moving in to her home.

Destruction to Resurrection

2007-02-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

Arriving at the house this morning we all had to get right to work! Knowing that there was a lot to be done and only half of a day to complete what we could, we worked feverishly to...trim and install baseboards and quarter round, solve an electrical dilema, finish l.aying floor, and install an air vent for the attic. The line for the mitre saw got long at times! Working at such a fast pace made the work day fly by in a hurry!

Since we could not have lunch at Mr. Joe's, we had lunch at the beach. Brandon decided to feed the birds and he, Emily and Maria splashed in the water.

Karen, Bud and Debbie were our guides as we faced a somber moment in New Orleans. Going to Lower 9th ward (the area right behind the levee break) was something that no one can be prepared for. The silence and lack of people was a hard concept to swallow. We all agreed that no matter what stories we tell or what pictures we show, justice cannot be given without seeing that for your own eyes. Driving back to Mississippi, we all had heavy hearts and again faced an eerie silence. Yet driving across the bridge, God showed us a beautiful sunset to remind us of His ever present protection.

After that trip, we needed a reason to smile, and boy did we find it when we arrived at Shanna's house! She not only has a completed house..it is definitely a home. Being able to see it in its completeness was a blessing, even to those that were not able to play a part in the previous work on the house.

To see so much destruction and then to be able to see the final fruit of a previous mission was God's reassurance to all of us that we are doing HIS work with our hands. To know that we are "eating that elephant one bite at a time" helps us to better understand our purpose for this mission.

Todays experiences have not only touched our hearts in a way to make us feel like we have done something good, it has encouraged us to want to do so much more. Each team member has been challenged to bring one new person on the next mission. We do not want to bring three groups next time, we want to bring six! Can you step up to this commitment? Simply imagine the impact that can be made in this area if we double our teams every time we come! We need to continue to do God's work as much as we can, as well as we can, for as long as we can.

Guest blogger Maria Raleigh

Sunburned Faces and Fried Chicken

2007-02-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah- it was 68 degrees today. Our ladies that painted the quarter round and baseboards are sunburnt. They spent the day in the sun and got all 520 feet painted, and repainted. That second coat of paint really covered the tire tracks well.

Debbie Sides says she just cannot understand what the big fuss is about the laminate flooring. She had some left over bananas from breakfast and taught a monkey how to finish the room. "It was so simple, I don't know what was wrong with those men!" This was after Jim and Leslie finally came out of the closet.

We got the cabinets set, we no longer have to visit the FEMA trailer for personal use, thanks to Brad Higginson's plumbing mastery, and Bud taught Maria and Emily to use the stud finder and Maria said they were few and far between.

Team leader Hoskins has this comment: "There must be four Bud Hills here, because every time I look somewhere, he is there." Bud has really been a blessing, as those who have been on a mission trip with him well know. Brandon has blessed us with two wonderful devotions today and has been voted most enthusiastic missioner.

Please keep "Miss" Stella in your prayers. She is going through some trying times right now and we need all of you to remember her daily. She was our special dinner guest tonight. We had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, cornbread, and baked sweet potatoes. MMMMMM good!

We are very tired, very full and very ready to go to bed. We will try to update early in the morning, when we are not so punchy.

Genesis--The Beginning

2007-02-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Today was a day to organize, categorize, energize and sympathize. We organized the work yet to be done, we categorized our skills, we were energized by the beautiful "Miss" Stella and we sympathized with Team B about the laminate flooring installation. Our skilled people made needs lists, shopped and instructed the unskilled. It was a very busy day for Bud, Brad and Allen! We cleaned up left over drywall mud, vacuumed out the tub, moved cabinets in, measured twice, cut once, and installed flooring in two closets and one bedroom.

We now hope we have all supplies needed to finish our job. Multiple trips were made by the men and the Raleigh girls seem to have inherited their father's love for travel.

We finally met "Miss" Stella and what a beautiful lady she is. She surprised us by looking at us and calling some of us by name, before we were even introduced to her. We had great advance PR teams! Thanks! She is indeed a gracious lady and we hope to finally get her moved into her home by the end of the week.

We feel like tomorrow will be a productive day and foreman Bud has already given us our assignments. We will be painting baseboards and quarter round, installing more flooring, and setting the kitchen cabinets. Some of us will be frying chicken in the afternoon.

Our sleeping arrangements have been somewhat altered due to the rhythmic sounds of certain bodies at rest. No names will be given, but some of our team now have private sleeping quarters. Some others have decided to jump ship and seek their accomodations elsewhere, just a room or two down the hall.

We have discovered that Lookout 49 has something better than wasabi. Next team down will have to have the sweet potato bread pudding. OH MY! MMMMMMMMM! We hope to bring a recipe home and you all will be very glad if we get one.

Genesis??? Why did we call this post Genesis??? Well, it is our beginning day. We were also introduced to "Miss" Stella's seven year old grandson, whose name is Genesis. He is temporarily staying with "Miss" Stella, and he is a joyful child.

Team 3 touches down!

2007-02-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we certainly had a huge change in the weather. When we left Henderson it was about 10 degrees, and when we pulled into the Gateway parking lot, 8 hours and 52 minutes later( road time) it was a balmy 50 degrees! We came through some snow in the Hopkinsville- Clarksville area and pretty much stayed to the cleared lane of traffic through to Nashville. It was smooth driving after that.

Thank you, Henderson, for the wonderful send off. We have enough brownies, chess bars and goodies to last us for the entire week. Thank you, especially, Denny, for the wonderful bread. I don't know about the other cars, but the Hoskins/Singer car took care of one of the loaves on the way!

Many commented on our safety green shirts at the Cracker Barrel just outside Birmingham. We really brightened their day, and not only with our shirts! Everyone was very interested in our trip, where we were going and what we were planning to do. Our enthusiasm about hopefully getting "Miss" Estellea into her home was contagious.

We actually arrived in Gulfport at 5:35, just five minutes later than our goal of arriving in time for the Super Bowl kickoff. We decided to find a place with television reception so our sports fans could watch the game and we chose Logan's Steakhouse. When we walked in, the manager could not believe we were from Henderson because he was from Bowling Green. Small world! We had a leisurely dinner, have shopped for groceries tonight and are getting ready to have our evening devotional, as soon as the game is over.

We feel as if we have the entire place to ourselves as there are only4 other missioners here. We have met part of the other team from Pennsylvania, and have really spread our sleeping spaces out. Perhaps we will not have to worry about who snores the most!

Our cross ministry is up and running and we could have given away some shirts had we had extras!

We thank the Lord for His traveling mercies and the absolutely beautiful sunset He sent this evening. He always seems to remind us of His wondrous works, just when we need it the most. The work begins tomorrow and we are anxious to meet "Miss" Estella. We are excited about the work we are doing here and about the seeds of mission we hope we are planting in others.

Team B At home

2007-02-04T10:13:00.000-08:00

Team B began preparation for departure from Gateway UMC after finishing at Stella's home on Friday.

A tired group of guys packed and packed some more for an early morning departure on Saturday.

A couple of guys thought the getting up at 3:30 a.m. was a good idea, 9 others didn't think so highly of it.

We left the church at 5:45 a.m. had a beautiful and cold days travel home. Arrived at Chapel Hill UMC at around 4:00 p.m. Hopefully I will finally be able to add some photos of last week's
mission team B. to this blog. Below - right is Bill Preston having measured the house for floor covering.

Rodney Thomas installing popcorn texture to the ceiling. Did a great job.

Mr. Joe, Estella, Lester and Nathan White discuss Po Boy sandwiches.

This my friend is a "Shrimp Po Boy" with hot sauce. Ummm Scrumptious!

All 11 guys on their knees..........................
installing laminate floor covering in the kitchen/living room.

A tired team with Estella on the front porch and steps of her home.

This is Shania's home in Pass Christian that the first team from Chapel Hill UMC worked on in April 06.

to be continue by Team B...........................

Tired and so weary

2007-02-02T17:37:00.000-08:00

Tired? Yes

Weary? Yes

Happy to have accomplished what we did? Yes

Estella Happy? Elated

Short week, many things accomplished, still more to do.

Plenty for Team C to do.

Good weather all week except for a little rain.

Laminate floor covering in all but 2 small rooms and a hallway.

Almost lost our religion over installing laminate. Whew! It's a chore when you have no experience.

No major injuries, just minor scratches, a few bruises and lots of sore muscles.

But, we FEEL GOOD!

Looking forward to getting home tomorrow.

to be continued by Team C........................Peace

On Our Knees

2007-02-01T17:33:00.000-08:00

Small crew to start the day at job site, 4 of our men had KP this morning which included sweeping, mopping, busing tables after breakfast. I'll let them tell you who they are.

All of us had KP tonight after dinner, we excuse me all but one, someone had to write this blog!

Georgous day in Gulfport, 52 degress to begin day, raining cats and dogs, had to hang tarps on front porch in order to hookup saws.

Started installing laminated floors. Instructions say, simple, no experience necessary, easy to install.

Well for about 2 full tiring hours it stumped at least 6 men, then we got the hang of it and it stumped 10 of 11 of us. Ron had another project going in another room.

But thanks to Brothers R & R with the help of C. H., we installed about 90% of the 12' X 40' kitchen/living room with beautiful wood grain oak laminated floor covering. Hopefully, tomorrow will see us install another huge chunk.

I am happy to say that I brought 10 guys with me and today I had all of them on their knees.

A forty foot long section of laminate flooring requires a person about every 4 feet to help snap the sections together.

A beautiful site all 11 on our knees.....................doing the Lord's work and as Rodney said tonight, "Yeah, some of the time we were really praying that these boards would snap together like they were supposed to."

Most of us have not worked this hard in years and never remember having as much fun, laughing and yes, shedding a tear once in a while. Yeah..........we've laughed so hard we've cried.

We know who has the best hands of the crew..................we know who has the lowest pain threshold.....................we know who talks on the phone the most...............yes, don't forget we know who snores the loudest! The last one is a tie by the way.

We will finish tomorrow after 5 days of helping another person who can not help herself.
Feeling the gratification and knowing that we have made a difference in someones life.

Stella is beside herself, hugging all of us over and over and raving about the beauty of the floor and how warm it's going to be in her new home.

We have met other mission teams for Minnesota, New Jersey and North Carolina and have made friends with many of them. Brothers and Sisters in Christ.............Thank You Lord!

All to say, the splinters, blisters, cramps, sore muscles, early morning wakeup calls, eating while sitting atop your cooler or on the front porch steps..................they are all worth it..................

WOW we can hardly believe we've been here this long and have accomplished so much. .........
Thank You Lord for this opportunity.

to be continued..............................Peace

Guest Blogger #2

2007-01-31T18:49:00.000-08:00

More greetings and good news from Gulfport!

My name is Rich Rawson and I am also a part of the group from New Jersey (that's jurzee, not joizy). We flew down to New Orleans last Saturday, spent a little time there, and then drove here to Gulfport. We're the second group to come from our church, and we surely will not be the last. In fact, my wife Lois and I and all of our crew are so inspired by our Kentucky friends on their seventeenth or so work visit. The commandment may be "thou shalt not steal" but when it comes to a good idea in the service of our neighbors, sometimes it makes sense to steal shamelessly. I love the fact that your commitment to the Katrina victims is district wide, and we've already talked about taking that idea back to our district in N.J. and inviting/challenging our other area churches to join us at Bridgewater UMC in an ongoing relationship here. So thanks!

The cameraderie among the groups from Minnesota, North Carolina, Kentucky and New Jersey is wonderful to see and to experience. Our stories all blend together into a narrative that we'll take home as we encourage others to remember and to act. Faith and works!

We replaced a roof this week for a women and her family who live about 25 miles north of the coast where Katrina came ashore. This is the area to which people were evacuating in the thought that they'd be far enough away to be safe, but she and her family were forced to huddle together in their living room as a tornado spawned by the hurricane passed within about 100 yards of her house and tore the roof right off. What a great feeling it was to complete the job and know that she'll be dry from now on. But what a great disappointment that too many people around our great country have lost sight of the continuing needs here. Thank you for all that you and your teams are doing in Christ's name to love and serve and house those in need on the Gulf Coast!

God bless you all.

Guest Blogger

2007-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

Greetings Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am Rev. Christina Zito from Bridgewater UMC in New Jersey -- one of those rare female type-team leaders. What joy it has been to be here with our 9 women and 6 men -- a mix of saddness when we see the devestation and elation when we realize that we can indeed have an inpact on rebuilding lives and offer hope all in the name of Christ! There is so much to share - the laughter and the tears! Today the Mother-in-Law of one homeowner who has been displaced since Katrina brought us a homemade pound cake -- straight from the oven -- ice tea, cups and plates --and with amazing hugs -- yes, there we were, all 14 of us hugging, crying, laughing and drinking ice tea. Strangers no more -- bound together in a moment by the heart of Christ. My life is forever changed by a slice of pound cake. -please continue to pray for these special children of God on the Gulf Coast.

Blessings 'n joy,
Christina

Appliances, furniture, cabinets

2007-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

Just in case some of you are wondering:

Stephanie(Brandon's wife) and Stella picked out all of her appliances today, washer/dryer; range oven, refrigerator.

Gift money will pay for this.

She has central heat and air so doesn't need ac.

Gift money will also purchase:

All new kitchen cabinets, countertops and sink. Stella and Stephanie will be picking out the cabinets and countertop tomorrow at Lowe's.

Gift money will also purchase: three bedrooms, kitchen and living room furniture including TV.

This gift money I mention has been left by another team that worked on her home several weeks ago.

We may be able to purchase some light fixtures, ceiling fans, etc., but nothing major. She has it all.

If we do buy her a gift, then the money would need to be sent with Team C next week.

NEWS BULLETIN: Mr. Joe says when Stella's home is complete that he is going to invite everyone who has worked on her home back down to Gulfport and he is going to feed all of us.

I checked with Stephanie, when the home is finished it will be over 150 people who have worked on Stella's home.

But you know...................his heart is in the right place.

According to staff here, approximately only 22 people will be here next week, you may want to eat out every night.............can you say Micky D.............or I'll have it my way............or order pizza.

Let's paint the town!

2007-01-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

Eight men who are members of our eleven member team have toured several miles of the Gulf Coast highway this afternoon. Miles and miles of wind beaten buildings, 2 foot to 12 foot long concrete piers jutting toward the sky, foundations of buildings of the past, no longer trackable or traceable, disappeared, evaporated, gone.................

We have been working several blocks inland in an area that was just hit by water and in the case of Ms. Stella's home, fire.

Today they saw first hand what they all saw on the TV, but now they feel it. They have talked with the people, dined with the people, felt the pain of the people, seen the strength of the hearts of these Gulf Coast People.

Now they know why some of the former mission team members are working so hard to convince others to come here and help out, just lend a hand.

We are all tired, but we know that someway, somehow, soon, we will be back home in our own beds, in our own homes, in a few days.

Many of these people on the Gulf Coast are still living in small, compact, crowded camping trailers. Campers so small that you can sit in the kitchen and brush your teeth in the bathroom without moving.

Today, Ms. Stella's home received its final coat of paint and other than some touching up, painting has ceased. Thursday some of us will begin installing the laminated floor covering throughout her home. Some will replace a door that has given us fits for 2 weeks. Some will finish installing the ceramic tile in the bath and the fixtures will be installed.

Ms. Stella took us to Mr. Joe's today and we had oyster and shrimp and crab Po boys, and meat loaf and fried chicken and red beans and rice and catfish and baked chicken and and and and. We were stuffed.

Was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Wayne, the volunteer coordinator last April while the Chapel Hill team was at Gateway. He and his wife are here for 2 weeks at another center in the area to help out again.

Short afternoon, giving much needed rest for team members.

Thursday we have kitchen cleanup duty and a long day at Ms. Stella's.

to be continued....................................Peace

Light at the end of the tunnel?

2007-01-30T15:35:00.000-08:00

Wonderful, restful night of sleep. Some guys moved to secret private rooms.

Everyone got a good nights rest. Ready to go this morning, finally had some eggs and meat(sausage gravy), biscuits. Good Stuff!

Traffic is much heavier now in Gulfport on the main drag (Hwy. 49).

Time to and from work site takes considerable time, so early start is very important.

Had to get Brandon (Disaster Coordinator) out of his cozy camper trailer this morning. All the teams were ready to go, needed materials.

Arriving at the work site, within 10 to 15 minutes, Everyone was working, painting, cutting and nailing down under layment .............. no instructions necessary, just git-er-done................

Ms. Stella is under the weather today, didn't see her very much, but thrilled when she made her final visit before we left to return to Gateway.

The camaraderie is fantastic, 11 guys from age 44 to 78 laughing, joking, working. Wonderful!

Joking about our aches and pains, some of our habits that we don't think about, learning more about each other ................... priceless!

Today we finished the underlayment, finished the popcorn texture of ceilings, finished the first coat of paint, sealed ceiling above the furnace, cleaned the windows.

Tomorrow we should get the final coat of paint throughout the home, start working on installing the laminated floor covering in the entire home except for the bath. Ceramic tile will be installed tomorrow.

Hopefully we can finish that by Friday afternoon and then there isn't a great deal of other things to be completed before Ms. Stella will be able to move back into her home.

Other groups are roofing houses, 20 miles north of Gulfport ................... making a difference, as we are, in the lives of people of Gulfport, MS.

Tylenol anyone?

Building relationships with each other, with the people of Gulfport, with God.

To be continued ....................... Peace

Popcorn Anyone?

2007-01-29T15:10:00.000-08:00

Monday morning, slow start, some complaints, all about snoring, that is, others snoring.

2:30 wake up call, thought someone with a chainsaw was coming through the door. One slept in the hallway to avoid the noise. Didn't work he moved too close to the other room of sleepers(snorers).

Up at 5:30 a. m., light breakfast, not to our liking..............MEN need meat and aigs, and biskit.......... not beagels .... bagals ...... begals ...... gaggels ....... cereal .......... muffins? Cream cheese? Decaf?

You have got to be kidding...........Oh well it's all for the Lord, we shall survive.

Greeted by Stella when we arrived on Henderson and 19th.

At first the guys were hesitant to grab tools and begin working at something they were comfortable with, but then a few had to do things they had no familiarity with.

R & R brothers, Rodney Thomas and Roger Swatzell began to popcorn texture the ceilings, never having laid eyes or hands on the apparatus before today.

Start slow then sped up as the day went on. Starting in back bedroom, through the bath, utility, bedroom, bedroom, kitchen.

Will finish popcorn texture of living room tomorrow.

Painting begins in earnest tomorrow. 2 guys to each room, 2 laying the underlayment for the laminated floor.

All cabinets and range out of house in the junk heap to be hauled off.

Ms. Stella checks on us regularly, about every 2 hours. Seems that everything is to her liking.

We will paint entire house with 2 coats by Wednesday afternoon.

Hey team C, how about installing cabinets, countertops, small land final items before Ms. Stella moves in?

Praise the Lord, We Can Do This...................................WE WILL DO THIS. (PERIOD)

To be continued ...

Peace

Trailer news

2007-01-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Inspired by the shelving in the Chapel Hill UMC Boy Scouts trailer (aka, the Tool Trailer), Chuck S. and David P. constructed a set of shelves today for one side of the new First UMC trailer. It will be installed and ready for Team C folks when they load up on Saturday. The trailer will be parked at the First UMC parking lot later this week.

Henderson Ky Methodists on Mission

2007-01-28T17:25:00.000-08:00

We Have Arrived, hopefully leaving the cold weather behind.

10 grueling hours, a couple of pit stops and a quick lunch and we arrived at 4:00 p.m. at Gateway UMC.

Tired, but happy to be here, store our gear and visit Ms. Stella's home.

One team arrived early and prepared chili, a salad and Denny Howard's infamous home baked bread.

Meetings tonight getting ready for tomorrow. Looks like painting, plumbing and a little wood working. May have to re-hang a door that's upside down, wonder who did that?

Seriously, the group is ready and looking forward to helping finish Ms. Stella's home. The streets and homes we were able to see before dusk clearly show much more work is needed on the Gulf Coast. Much support, thanks and prayers, has been given to group members from all over the United States after learning of this mission trip. Much more help is needed after this trip from individuals like you and extordinary things can happen. Giving your time to help rebuild on future trips is invaluable and much needed. God Bless!

Team B: They're off!

2007-01-28T10:39:00.000-08:00

The second group left on time Sunday morning (approximately 6 a.m.) from Chapel Hill. Mention was made that they were hoping for warmer temperatures going south! It was 21 here and very windy when they left, but they were in high spirits as a group from several different churches and including missionaries that returned home last evening gathered to see them off.

We are praying for safe travels and for them to be able to continue work started last week by Team A.

We'll be looking forward to their reports and hope they will be able to keep us updated from Gateway UMC.

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Imagine your church

2007-01-27T03:52:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

Imagine your church.

Imagine dozens of people living in the Sunday school area of your church, day in and day out, while you're still trying to conduct church business.

Imagine bathrooms that weren't really built for daily habitation.

Imagine everything labeled to help people find things and giving weekly orientations to help the crowds organize cooking operations, cleaning operations, group time.

Imagine the challenges for churches in the Katrina zone as they've turned their ministries in a different direction.

Can you imagine your church like that?

Imagine people visiting from all over the country, eager to help but needy in terms of everyday creature comforts just the same.

An all-team journal in the Gateway fellowship hall records the experiences of some of the groups who have passed through since last February.

Methodist churches from such places as: Virginia Beach; Isle of Palms, S.C.; Centreville, Ga.; New Albany, N.Y.; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Littleton, Colo.; Dayton, Va.; Minneapolis; Richmond, Va.; Orland, Calif.; Birmingham, Ala.; Queensbury, N.Y.; Clear Lake, S.D.; Canton, Ga.; Philadelphia; Lakeland, Fla. and, on and on and on.

Why do they come? Written by one of the volunteers a few months ago: "Finally God whispered, I need you my child to help everyone."

And that's what it's all about.

Getting ready for the hand off

2007-01-26T20:38:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

We worked as long as we could today, leaving just enough time to reorganize the tool trailer while we still had light. Indeed, as has been the case every day this week, we were the last group to straggle back to Gateway in our filthy (and getting filthier by the day) work clothes.

Even though there are places we are not happy with (such as spots in a couple of rooms that a group prior to us primed before they sanded ... we did attack some of them today with a power sander), we are pleased with the progress made at Stella's this week. Stella is too. Doors are hung. Some rooms are primed and ready for paint or ceiling texturing. Most of the trim has been primed and painted once. John 3 has a list of where we were when we had to stop so Team B can pick up the relay torch. Thank goodness for fresh recruits and God bless you for deciding to continue this mission.

Stella said today that she always has mixed feelings when the people who have worked on her house leave. She gets attached and feels sad to think about them leaving. Sometimes she stays away from the work site so she does not get too attached. That was not the case this week. She said she often forms a bond with one of the women in the group, and we advised her that next week she'll have an all-male team!

Just before we picked up carry-out lunch at Joe's, Stella took as few of us by Morning Star Baptist Church, the church she attends about two blocks from her home. We had stopped at this church on our first morning as we searched for her address, never considering we were on Stella's home turf.

The church sanctuary is in shambles and they're now having services in the former fellowship hall. Stella's pastor took us on a tour. The pastor had to move some things out of the way to let us in to look. He said he was afraid someone might get hurt in there if given access.We stood in what had been the baptistry and surveyed the ruined sanctuary. Some of us noticed that Stella had a funny look on her face and a little while later she was observed wiping away tears.

She said it was the first time she had seen the inside of the sanctuary since the storm, and it made her very, very sad.

We picked up lunch and picnicked on Miss Willie Merrill's vacant lot next door (Where her FEMA trailer had been before her house was restored). Shrimp Po Boys and Red Beans & Rice were a popular lunch choice. Stella ate with us, and afterward spent about 20 minutes telling us about her family. It was a moving account of hardships she's faced beyond Katrina and the electrical fire she experienced shortly afterward. Perhaps the emotion of seeing her church sanctuary brought it all out. But her faith remains strong and she's eager to share.

The hour grows late as we pack clothes and the second trailer to come home. There's much more to say... We'll have to get back at it on the road.

Teams B & C, we're thinking about you and praying for you to be as blessed on your trips to Gulfport as we have been.

Tool talk

2007-01-26T05:16:00.000-08:00

Chuck S. writes:

A suggestion from an A Team member to teams B & C: Encourage each member to equip themself with some basic tools and carry team each day. Everyone can and will use a utility knife. Multiple team members should have a tape measure, hammer and screwdrivers when carpentry work begins. Levels, squares and a T-square or two will also be useful. Many of these tools (esp. hammers), and perhaps some tool belts, can be found in the tool shed upstairs at Gateway UMC. Or bring your own and mark them as such (with initials, paint, color tape or whatever).

Oh, and bring a couple of good wood chisels.

Meanwhile, we will pack the red Chapel Hill Boy Scout tool trailer tonight. Bud's power tools, power supplies, air compressor and numerous ladders will be inside, with as much stuff pushed toward the front as possible to make room for your tools. There will be shelves for your personal tools. Five-gallon buckets make lightweight but strong tool buckets, and will fit easily on the shelves. So will traditional metal tool boxes.

Finally, a coup was accomplished this morning as a five-person room in the warm part of the church was secured for you fragile sorts. We'll try to secure a second room as well, and equip them with air mattresses, and put signs on the door. We'll provide an update on this later.

84 Lumber, Pass Christian, Five Doors and Chloe

2007-01-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

Chuck S. writes:

There are three major sources of lumber along U.S. 49 (the major north-south corridor in Gulfport). There's Home Depot up near Interstate 10. There's Lowe's a bit closer to the Gulf. But for my money, the most convenient place for lumber is 84 Lumber, next to Lowe's. Lowe's is always crowded, and the lumber pickup is self-service that you have to cart out to your vehicle. But at 84 -- where the contractors go -- you walk up to the service desk, tell the man what lumber you need, then drive around back and pull inside, right next to the stacks of lumber, where the nice 84 man helps you load up. You can get in and out in a fraction of the time of finding your way around one of the big home improvement warehouses. 84 here is pretty much limited to wood (plus a few small hardware items such as nails and screws and small tools). But if wood is what you want -- and we've had to fetch everything from trim molding to 1x6 boards to sheets of plywood -- 84 is the quickest stop. Tell 'em Alvin sent ya.

We took a couple of hours before work today to tour the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast from Gulfport to Pass Christian via U.S. 90. Most of the rubble is long gone. But so are virtually all of the buildings that stood within a half-mile of the Gulf of Mexico. The winds and storm surge wiped everything -- except the live oaks -- away. The live oaks -- so named because they are evergreens and thus keep their foliage even in winter (including now) while other trees look dead -- can live for hundreds of years. Along long stretches of U.S. 90 here, near where the eye of Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the only thing standing are the live oaks, giving the appearance that they are the lone inhabitants of a coastal picnic. They witnessed and withstood and horror -- and today, they live.

Back at Stella's, we undertook our fourth day of labors: Painting, hanging closet doors, installing trim and so forth. This afternoon, our site coordinator delivered five interior doors we ordered. Alas, Stella's house was constructed before an 84-inch height for an interior door became the industry standard. A couple of her doorways are too short for such doors. And so, alas, some of our workers are spending time trimming the pre-made doors to fit.

A story about this mission trip appeared in The Gleaner today. Ronnie Eblen joked that everyone on the trip was quoted except his wife, Chloe.

"That," Chloe said defiantly, "is because I was working!"

Indeed she was.

What can women do anyway?

2007-01-24T19:48:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

Overheard today from a man living down the hall: "Why are there women on these Mission Trips? What can we really do?"

Well, mister, come to our work site and we'll show you how we help unload and load tools required for the day, how we sand drywall, prime walls, clean up, patch holes, repair mistakes... and that's not even mentioning our Queen of Caulk Mary Lee. Her caulk jobs are professional grade!

She said it's because of all those birthday cakes she decorated for her now-grown kids. Pastry bag, caulk gun. There are other cross-skills used by women: Cut a pattern, cut with a jigsaw.

If you want to go on a Mission Trip here, there's a job for you no matter what kinds of skills you have. Some are master carpenters and plumbers. Others are skilled at finding supplies.

And the women of our group did, after all, prepare that gentleman's dinner for him the night he wondered what women can really do on a Mission Trip.

We did more than eat today

2007-01-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

Yes, we ate at Joe's, but we also made a lot of progress today in Stella's house. We finished trimming out the windows, started hanging interior doors, used a world of caulk, finished priming windows, solved a ceiling problem in the kitchen/living room, primed the bathroom walls, painted the laundry room and started painting the kitchen/living room.

Stella was all smiles as she came in to inspect our work. She could see the prospect of actually being able to move back into her house. Teams 2 & 3, we think Henderson County can make this happen for her. Brandon, the site coordinator here, said we can stay on Stella's house the next two trips for as long as there is work to do. Next week will require some plumbing work.

Today Stella got a call from Pastor Bob at UMC in Buffalo, New York. His group had done the electrical work on her house just after Christmas, and he was wondering what kind of progress was being made in the house they'd claimed ownership in. Some of talked to him on Stella's cell.

All of us who have been on previous Mission Trips know that feeling of wondering what's going on, what's being done.

Pastor Bob sent his blessings and prayers that we can finish a project that many hands have worked on.

This is paying it forward and paying it backward at the same time.

Workin' at Stella's house, eatin' at Mr. Joe's

2007-01-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

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Chuck S. writes:

Today, Stella (as Estella pronounces her name) promised to take us out to lunch as we continued working on her house on 19th Street. "We've got to leave here at quarter 'til 11," she advised us more than once. "That's when his lunch is ready."

Who "he" was, or where he cooked, we had not a clue until a minute before we drove off in a caravan of three vehicles. "We're going to the BP station, on Pass (Road)," a street a few blocks north of her house, she said.

Stella is so loving, and so doting on us, that we didn't question her choice of lunch spots. Indeed, when we saw the big sign outside the convenience store/filling station -- "Crab po' boys are back" -- we were energized, remembering the delicious shrimp po' boys we ate on our last work day in New Orleans one year earlier.

Stella ushered us inside the BP, where two women were setting out today's lunch: Roast beef or meat loaf or red beans and rice for an entree, plus greens, green beans, corn and mashed potatoes, with rolls or cornbread. She had us there right on time, just when the food was at its peak. And from the kitchen, "he" emerged: Mr. Joe, a smiling and distinguished looking gentleman of about 60 who came out to meet Stella's new friends. He repeated our names as we shook hands: "Mr. Dick ... Miss Mary ... Mr. Phillip ... Mr. John ... Miss Donna," and so forth.

"Pick out anything you want, darlin's," Stella said maternally, though she clearly wanted us to dig into a plateful of Mr. Joe's entree and steaming hot veggies. "We do this for all the teams that come help me," she said.

"We?" Are Mr. Joe and Miss Stella a couple?

As we sat down at one of the several booths to tuck into our delicious lunch, Mr. Joe strolled over. He had been a cook at one of the Gulf Coast casinos and the money was good, he said. But he grew weary of the stress of being told to do one thing by a chef and another thing by a sous chef.

He quit several years ago, and began "working at places like this, where I'm my own boss, where I set my hours" -- 4:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. presently -- "and cook what I want."

We remarked how warm and loving Stella had been to us, and he nodded. "She's a church lady," he said. "I go to church with her every other week. The other weeks, I spend with my family. My wife passed" awhile back, he said, but he loves to go his his oldest daughter's house, where he cooks for his sons and daughters, his whole family. "Family," he said firmly, "is important."

We were starting to like Mr. Joe as well as we like Stella.

But perhaps not quite as much as they like one another.

Textured ceilings, or How to Get Really Messy Before You Cook for 62

2007-01-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

First of all, THANK YOU to those of you who sent cards of encouragement to us. They've been passed out the last two mornings (with more to come, we're told), and there were like getting Christmas presents in January. Bless you all.

Today we were back at Estella's house, which is, incidentally and appropriately, near the corner of 19th and Henderson streets.

But first, some news. Team leaders John and Augusta Evans traveled to Pass Christian today to visit the homeowner that the Chapel Hill crew worked for during their trip last spring. They were gratified to find the home restored and pieces of a shattered life being slowly but surely restored. At our combined devotional session during our red beans and rice dinner tonight, Augusta shared the story of their friend's plight and the happy ending to the story. As she gave first-time Katrina mission trippers a sneak preview as to what they might expect on a future mission, she told them in closing: "One family at a time." And that's so true.

John took some great "after" pictures, so hopefully they can be shared in this space when we figure out how to get them out of his camera and sent to this laptop.

And now, back to the current work. Bud and Augusta leave us tomorrow, so we got our final "marching orders" from our construction guru. He also taught us some new skills and passed along some useful tips, such as the proper way to repair some drywall boo-boos that we inherited from previous crews. He taught us how to texture ceilings and and showed the carpenters-in-training how to straighten a window that had been put in crooked by some unknown carpenters-in-training pre-Henderson Methodists era. That unexpected project took some time, but it made the homeowner very happy that we attempted to make it look better. Bud made it plumb better!

Some helpful tips for the next two teams:

-- Bring warm bedding or PJs just in case your sleeping room at Gateway is in the "unfinished" portion of the upstairs. It's cold in there at night. The daytime high today was only in the low 50s. Be prepared for colder weather ... and by warning you maybe this will cause it to warm up! Think layers: T-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt and a work jacket.

-- In connection with housing, as soon as you get here take charge of claiming rooms for yourself ASAP. It's a little bit of a free for all.

-- Bring three-way adapters or power strips for electrical outlets. Outlets are at a premium at Gateway UMC, and if you have several things to charge not even counting power tools (such as cell phones, camera batteries, walkie talkies laptops, etc. — which is what this blogger is trying to manage) you'll be happy to have the extra slots.

-- You might want to scope out a recipe for large quantity cooking. We cooked for 62 tonight. Check out www.razzledazzle.com for ideas if you don't already have one. On the menu this week: Monday, Taco Salad bar; Tuesday, Red beans and rice; Wednesday, Spaghetti; Thursday, Soup and sandwiches. There's a stockpile of "community" food you can draw from and no doubt the current groups will leave things behind.

-- Tools that are here in the supply room: Paint rollers, paint brushes, many hammers, caulking, caulking adhesive, nails, power brad gun, power miter saw, several electric drills, several extension poles, drywall pads and sandpaper, several wheelbarrows and (in a shed in the parking lot) sheetrock, mudding supplies and paint. There are some battery-powered tools. If you use them, be sure to locate their battery chargers and charge them the night before.

-- Tools belonging to Bud Hill that we're leaving here in the work trailer for you to use: Generator, air compressor with two nail guns, power miter saw, circular saw, four saw horses, ladders (2 foot to 6 foot), 1/2-inch drill, small hammer drill, Milwaukee Sawzall, 18-volt drill/reciprocating saw/circular saw with two batteries, drywall tools, heavy extension cords, four-foot level, framing square and more. We made particular use of the generator (to power circular and mitre saws) and the air compressor to power nail guns.

Gee ... is it 9:30 p.m. already? It's time for bed!

Working on Estella's house

2007-01-22T16:02:00.000-08:00

Donna S. writes:

We hit the ground running today (oh, okay, there were a couple of false starts) but we met our first homeowner, talked and prayed with her, then started on a list of things still needed to be done on her house before she can move out of the cramped FEMA trailer in the backyard and into her real home about 10 blocks away from the ocean.

We spent the day sanding drywall, taping and re-mudding places needing extra attention, framing in windows and putting on interior window trim and other small jobs as they came up. We tried our best to make use of Bud's guidance and expertise before he has to head back north on Wednesday morning, and we ended up with some carpenters in training plus some grunts who can sand and mud!

Tonight Bud and John 3 are scouting out the next house on the list to see if it would be best to to split into two work crews tomorrow. Soon we will know!

A note about Gateway UMC, our host church: There are 62 people staying here this week and competing for 4 showers and prime sleeping space. Gets a little tricky from time to time. But we're preparing our meals communally and Mission Teams from Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina have been in high spirits and cooperative. A group of breakfast-lovers from all the groups gathered at 5 a.m. today to make pancakes and sausage. It sent us off in a good mood for a drizzly Monday morning! Tomorrow night our Team will prepare Red Beans & Rice W.C. Handy Blues & Barbecue Festival style for all.

Team 1 is on the ground

2007-01-21T19:57:00.000-08:00

Just over 12 hours after leaving Henderson, the first week's team is at Gateway UMC, our home away from home in North Gulfport, Miss. We drove through driving rain most of the way, but at least we were spared the ice and snow that was forecast for Henderson and Nashville this morning.

We were road warriors, leaving Chapel Hill UMC at 6:05 a.m. with 14 volunteers in four vehicles with two trailers. We didn't stop for breakfast; instead, we ate delicious homemade bread baked by Chapel Hill's Denny Howard and cookies baked by a variety of folks at the churches. Thanks!

We had some challenges getting our sleeping arrangements lined up here, but our inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags are on the floor, and soon (very soon, I hope, because we are all exhausted), we will be, too.

Notes to the next two teams: Get here as quickly as possible to find sleeping quarters at the church. There is wireless Internet service in the fellowship hall.

We originally planned to veer west at Birmingham to drive part of the way through Mississippi, but that would have required driving 55 miles of two-lane road in the rain. Instead, we took I-65 all the way to Mobile, Ala., then caught I-10 to Gulfport. Very satisfactory.

Here we goooooo....

2007-01-20T19:55:00.000-08:00

The ice cometh, man

2007-01-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

Our bags are packed and tucked inside our trailers parked at Chapel Hill UMC. Departure time: 6 a.m. Sunday.

The concern: A snow/sleet/ice storm is on its way.

Prayers will be accepted, in commodious quantities.

Thanks.

We've got work!

2007-01-20T07:35:00.000-08:00

Week One team leader John Evans III has news:

Good morning TEAM!!!

Only 24 hrs until BLAST OFF

Assignments:

1st homeowner Estella Hibbler
Finish drywall, taping, and sanding
Plumbing fixtures

2nd homeowner--Ruth & Eddie Calhoun
Finish drywall
Paint and prime
Shower and sink installed
Flooring and door installed

3rd homeowner--Dot Morris Gateway church member
Mold in ceiling
Rehang ceiling
Drywall

4th homeowner--Elsie Faulkner
Door and windows to hang
Framing a closet in
Hot water heater installed
Furnace vents

John 3

Three teams, seven churches, 38 Christians, one mission

2007-01-19T15:33:00.000-08:00

What began as volunteers from one Methodist church in Henderson, then another, has grown into a multi-church effort to bring continued aid, hope and Christian love to the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast some 17 months after Katrina struck.

Our vision with these latest trips -- three teams on three consecutive weeks -- was to bring to bear a concentrated effort on a single home and make it ready to occupy.

But is that possible? We don't know. The situation on the Gulf Coast remains, it seems, chaotic. What will our assignment be? What type of work will we do? We don't know.

So we put our trust in the Lord. In the meantime, some of the veterans of these trips are becoming accustomed to clearing their minds of expectations, because they've learned that whatever we're told, or whatever we've come to expect, will change.

The Mississippi Annual Conference of the UMC Disaster Relief folks seem to grasp this as they advise: “Blessed are those who are flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.”

Besides the Lord, we trust our construction superintendent, Bud Hill, to guide us wisely.

So, who is going?

Volunteers from Belleview, Bennett Memorial, Cairo, Chapel Hill and First United Methodist Churches in Henderson County; Wesleyan Heights UMC from Owensboro; and Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church in Henderson.

Here are the schedule, rosters and church affiliations:

Week one (Jan. 21-27)
John and Augusta Evans, Chapel Hill (leaders)
John and Charlene Eblen, Cairo
Ron and Chloe Eblen, Cairo
Chuck and Donna Stinnett, First
Dick and Mary Lee, First
Lee Obenchain, First
Dick Ward, Cairo
Bud Hill, Bennett
Phil Blanford, Cairo

Week two (Jan. 28-Feb. 3)
Paul Herron, Chapel Hill (leader)
Greg Fisher, Belleview
Rodney Thomas, Chapel Hill
Lester LaBruyerre, Chapel Hill
C.H. Alexander, Belleview
John Tom Utley, Belleview
Bill Preston, Belleview
Gene Crowley, Belleview
Ron Crowley, Wesleyan Heights
Rodger Swatzell, Holy Name
Nathan White, Chapel Hill

Week three (Feb 4-10)
Steve and Leslie Hoskins, Chapel Hill (leaders)
Allen and Stacey Singer, Chapel Hill
Bud and Karen Hill, Bennett
Debbie Sides, Bennett
Jim Walters, Chapel Hill
Brandon Long, Chapel Hill
Maria Raleigh, Chapel Hill
Emily Raleigh, Chapel Hill
Brad Higginson, Chapel Hill

Prayers for our mission are eagerly accepted. We thank, for example, the prayers, cookies and financial contributions made by the Steel Magnolias, a women's small group at First UMC. Bless you!

We're heading back!

2007-01-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

Three teams of Methodists from churches around Henderson County, Ky. (and some Christian friends from nearby churches) are packing their bags, ready to return, this time to Gulfport, Miss., for three weeks of reconstruction work.

Watch here for news!

2007 Mission Trips

2006-11-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

The Henderson County United Methodist Churches are planning to have three mission trip to Gulfport, Mississippi in late January and early February.

The dates are: Trip # 1 - leaving Sunday, 01/21/07 returning Saturday, 01/27/07; Trip # 2 - leaving Sunday, 01/28/07 returning Saturday, 02/03/07; Trip # 3 - leaving Sunday, 02/04/07 returning Saturday, 02/10/07.

A variety of carpentry skills are needed: Basic Skills: Holding a Hammer;
Experienced Skills: Finishing Drywall

If your skill level fits between those two levels then you are needed on these trips.

Fund raising is on going for these trips with the Owensboro District Office recently making a contribution of $500.00.

If you are interested in going on any of these weeks, please contact John or Augusta Evans (270-827-3045 - jbevans@bellsouth.net); Paul Herron (270-860-5334 - paul3@citi-center.com); Steve or Leslie Hoskins (270-826-3705 - hoskins7984@bellsouth.net).

Or you can contact your Pastor at your local church.

Bennett Memorial UMC, Cairo UMC, Chapel Hill UMC, First UMC thus far, have representatives going in either January or February.

Please pray about the possibility of joining us during one of these weeks.

God Bless You and Yours,

Paul Herron 3

We were blessed!

2006-10-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Has it really been a week since we left Henderson?

It only seems like yesterday.

Eleven individuals, representing three United Methodists Churches from Henderson County.

We just wanted to make a difference in someone's life.

Did we ever?

Beginning with all eleven of us.

We developed relationships with Christian brothers and sisters that we had never known before.

We worked together, laughed together, cried together, built together, hung drywall together.

We were blessed with uneventful travel to and from New Orleans. Praise God, we traveled over 1,450 miles and didn't get involved with or even see a fender bender.

We were blessed by the visitation of three homes that the FUMC team B worked on in January. Mary Lee & Lee Obenchain took us to these homes where we met a lady that had recently moved back in to her home. When Mary and Lee knocked on her door, she screamed with joy to see them and thank them.

We were blessed by the fact that some team in recent weeks had built bunk beds for future teams. We were able to leave our air mattresses in their boxes and sleep on foam mattresses.

All the guys know who snores and who doesn't............WE ALL DO! Not a blessing!

We were blessed with beautiful, warm (not hot) temperatures, low humidity and just a little rain to cool us down.

We were blessed with the presence of Bud Hill, hereinafter referred to as "The Bud". His knowledge and skill in carpentry and remodeling are remarkable an his patience to teach and ability to teach each of us to measure, cut, break, nail, screw, hang, tape, and apply mud is astounding.

We were blessed by the people whose homes we helped reconstruct.

Ms. Ida Perry and her daughter, Kathryn with their contagious laughter, their enthusiasm for life, their faith in God all blessed us that Monday that we worked on their home.

We hung drywall in 2 bedrooms and 2 closets, installed insulation in those same rooms.

Here we learned a little of what was to come the rest of the week as we worked on Silas Dillon's home.

We were blessed by Silas Dillon and his story of survival during the storm and ensuing flood. He was asleep when the waters began to surround his bed. When the water touched his hand he was awaken and, he waded to the safety of the flood wall behind his home where he was rescued by helicopter.

And we were blessed by the many jokes, stories and events of the week.

The team: Barry Denton, Karen and Bud Hill, Beryl and Lester LaBruyere, Charles Lander, Mary Lee, Lee Obenchain, Debbie Sides, Kevin Stevenson and me (Paul Herron), have been blessed to have spent time together in New Orlean, Louisiana serving God through his people.

What happens in New Orleans, stays in New Orleans? Don't believe it. We brought a lot of it home with us. Thank You Lord for the Blessings.

They're home!

2006-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

The mission team arrived home safely around 6 p.m. Saturday. They'll tell us more soon here, but from what we heard in the parking lot as they unpacked the trailer and put luggage and tools into their personal vehicles, it was evident they had been blessed.

They worked hard (bringing home drywall dust in their clothes). They met homeowners such as Silas and Miss Ida with whom they bonded while helping them rebuild. They formed friendships with fellow Methodists and fellow Hendersonians they hadn't known before. They came back with sore muscles but with smiles about funny incidents. "What happens in New Orleans," one of them said, "stays in New Orleans!"

Particularly touching was how, as they prepared to drive to their respective homes from the First Methodist parking lot, they said their goodbyes. People from Chapel Hill United Methodist Church hugged people from Bennett Memorial UMC, and people from Bennett hugged people from First UMC.

They had not only help rebuild homes. They had built new Christian relationships with people from back home.

Amen.

Now, if we can just get them to spill the beans about some of what happened in New Orleans!

Great news

2006-10-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

Those of us back in Henderson this week received gratifying news after some of the mission team members who had been in New Orleans on earlier trips drove out to New Orleans East on Sunday afternoon to see if there had been any progress on homes we worked on in January.

Understand, we have learned not to expect quick gratification. We have worked for hours, days, to remove the wretched, molded contents and walls of houses, then returned months later to find nothing else had been done. Nothing is certain in New Orleans. All we can do is provide a little hope and demonstrate our Christian love and compassion.

But praise God, some mission team members returned Sunday to Gloria's house in N.O. East -- and found it had been salvaged and Gloria was living there again! We understand that Gloria, a widow, was delighted to see the mission team workers again and invited them inside for a visit. What a blessing.

We are still awaiting blog updates from the combined church mission team in New Orleans. It isn't easy. In a city where more than half of the population has vanished, luxuries such as high-speed wireless Internet service are tough to find. But we remain hopeful.

In the meantime, friends, kindly pray for the team and their safety.

They are in New Orleans

2006-10-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Chuck Stinnett reports:

We have a cell phone report that the NOLA mission team arrived in New Orleans around 6 p.m. Saturday. We saw them off at 6 a.m. today. Spirits were good, and a nice turnout of folks from previous mission trips from First and Chapel Hill Methodist churches were present.

Here's a group photo after church services at Aurora United Methodist Church on the West Bank in New Orleans on Sunday, Oct. 8, 2006:

We look forward to reports from the team itself. Links have been made from the First Methodist and Chapel Hill UMC web sites to this blog.

NOLA Mission Team gearing up from trip.

2006-09-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

The NOLA (New Orleans, Louisiana) Mission Team is gearing up for its work in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans, LA. during the week of Oct. 7 through Oct. 14.

The team consist of ten members of United Methodist congregations in Henderson. Four members of Bennett Memorial UMC, and three each from Chapel Hill UMC and Henderson First UMC.

The teams intention is to be involved in the beginning stages of construction, repairing and renovating homes in suburban areas of New Orleans.

Demolition and cleanup has been taking place until this month in these areas, now the rebuilding begins.

Your prayers and financial support are appreciated.

2006-09-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

We have endured a number of severe storms in Henderson in recent weeks and over the past year. Two of these storms have been described, in terms of rainfall, as the two greatest (or worst) in our community's recorded history.
But we know that what New Orleans and the Gulf Coast endured were far worse.

2006-09-27T18:16:00.000-07:00

The Methodist churches of Henderson and Henderson County have joined together in Christian love and service to return to the Gulf Coast to help with the rebuilding of communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
Our latest mission trip takes us to New Orleans from Oct. 7 to 14, 2006, where we endeavor to do God's work.