Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Biloxi 4- Home again Home again, jiggity jig

We made really good time on Sunday coming home.  Only one or two duct tape stops.  We left Kirkwood just before 8:00am.  We got into Salem at 6:00pm.  Thanks to the many people that came to help clean out the van and help us put things away and etc. 
 
I have to say thank you's to Jim P., Harold M., and Taffy St. for calling and checking up on us several times during the trip.  It was nice to hear the love and support and "how ya doin's?"
 
Monday am I took the trailer back, the van, and the stuff from the party rental, made an 11:30am meeting and was to work by noon. 
 
I am still trying to catch up some.  I anticipate Thursday to be a good day I will post more pictures and sum it all up.  If anyone from the team wants to add anything, let me know. 
 
For now...
 
 

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Biloxi 4- on the way home

We are on the way back.

It isn't that we started that much later than we intended, but we had
to stop a lot. The duct tape that was holding our
weatherstipping/molding around the windshield kept coming loose and we
had to keep applying more. I am afraid the rental company is going to
hate us...

Got into St. Louis around 10:00pm.

Not much really going on today besides duct tape.

We are leaving Sunday morning about 8:00ish. I am hoping we will be
arriving in Salem UMC around 7:00pmish. Anyone wanting to come help
us clean out the van would be welcomed.

Picture 1- the inpector looked at that and said, "Yup, that'll pass code."

Picture 2- This used to be a bridge going from Biloxi to Ocean
Springs. They are building a new one.

Picture 3- Still.

Picture 4- Pastor Rod

Picture 5- Fixing the window

Friday, October 19, 2007

More pictures Biloxi 4

Pastor Carolyn and Erin bought the shoes so Pastor Carolyn wouldn't
have to climb ladders (she's pregnant). I think it would be harder to
fall off the ladder than to walk in those things. Darold gave it a
shot...

Linda responding to something smart somebody said, (who me?)

Troll "helping out."

This is how far Howard got on putting the roof on the back porch

It was pretty rainy yesterday.

Biloxi 4- Friday

On the last work day, we took a lot of pictures. I will try to make
up for not sending any yesterday.

Troll and Kristen helped work this morning. What a joy! Bob worked
on the front porch until he had to go to the airport to catch his
plane. He and Elbert and occasionally Rod put some finishing touches
on the porch, then Rod painted some of the trim and touched up other
blue spots.

Howard and Lewis tried to get a back porch built. they got it
partially done. Next team needs to put on the roof of it and the
railings.

Corrine and Barbara and Ginger and Rod St. and Erin tried very hard to
get all the painting done in the house. Didn't make it. We gave a
list to Pastor Eddie (from St. James where we are working through) of
what we didn't get.

We took some of the new people and a couple returners around to see
some of the destruction in the daylight. It is an odd balance to
find: Understanding the situation we are in, seeing it so we can
empathise and talk about intelligently vs. getting the work done.
Maybe we would have gotten all the painting done if those that went
around would have worked on painting instead. I think it's important
to get a feel for the area, though.

Great dinner tonight - bbq ribs. wow.

Harold did devotions by phone tonight. Several people had tears
because of his prayer and message for us.

Pastor Eddie took us into the sanctuary and thanked us and prayed for
us and gave us t-shirts. There was another group there with us from
Colorado. (HUGE group!)

I am pretty tired. I am glad to have helped and to have made a good
experience for the participants, but I will be glad to turn the van
north again. I promised to go to New Orleans in April, but honestly,
I don't know if I'll do it. Something to pray about, I guess. And
now, I just got an email from a friend in Colorado who says her
fiance, who is from Africa, wants to come with us next time. I am
feeling better than yesterday. Thanks, Leslie for the Vernors and
chicken soup reminders. I think the remedy is just sleep. So let's
attach these pics and call it a day.

Rod and Ida Mae at the root beer float party
Barbara- how many pics of her do I have like this?
This is Emma's finished kitchen (More pics of her finished house on
the web later)
Pastor Rod at the rootbeer float party
Darold finishing up some task at Emma's

biloxi 4- Thursday

Sorry no pictures tonight. It is late and I am sickly and have to
just send a couple quick notes.

Emma Washington's house was given the ok from the city inspector.
She can move in! (Howard has to fix the AC drain or something
tomorrow, and they are going to install closet rods and selves or
soemthing like that.)

She can move in!

Troll and Kristen showed up. Troll did magic tricks for the kids at
the block party. Not a great turnout. The weather was horrible.
Rained a lot today. We gave it a shot anyway. There is another team
in MS from MN and they brought their bus and we talked to them for a
bit. Erin commented on how it is ironic that we had to go to
Mississippi to meet other Minnesota missionaries.

Got some things done at Thomas's house. I had a really really
frustrating day, not understanding what they (Bob and Howard) wanted
done on the porch, and then not knowing how to do it. Elbert and I
got something done on it, but it's just a start and I don't know how
to finish it before we go.

Bob is leaving tomorrow- flying out at noonish.

Short and sweet tonight. Again, sorry, no pics. I'll try to make up
for it tomorrow.

Prayer requests:

Rod Sc's health
Team Unity- Friday might get dicey with starting new projects or not
starting
Safe flight for Bob
Thanksgiving for Troll and Kristen's safe arrival and safe travel
home tomorrow.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Biloxi 4 Wednesday

We started the work day early today to try to get a few more things
done and to leave a little earlier.

We are starting early tomorrow, too.

We are anticpiating Troll and Kristen's arrival tomorrow (friends that
have been on this trip with us before)

We got a lot done. Emma's house passed electrical inspection. Howard
and Darold and Lewis continue to try to get a lot of "Little things"
done so Emma can move in. I guess it's like de-bugging a system.
They are de-bugging her house. Emma wants to have us over for lunch
tomorrow. Howard thinks the last thing that has to happen is for the
gas company to "set the meter." I don't know what it means, but it
sounds like a good thing.

At Thomas's house, Elbert and I got the facia done - just have to
make the corners look good. I think it looks pretty good, but Elbert
isn't pleased with it yet. I really enjoy working with him because we
laugh a lot and because we seem to compliment each other well.

Rod St. and others were working on doors.

Ginger and others got locked into a back bedroom while they were
taping. I don't understand it, but it's funny....

Passed out a lot of flyers for the rootbeer float party. (Judy R.
will be surprised to know we are still using the same flyer she wrote
two trips ago with just minor tweaks.)

We had dinner tonight at a local restaraunt. We tried alligator
sausage. I had an alligator po'boy. (tastes like chicken...)

We are looking forward to the rootbeer float party tomorrow night.
There is another team working down here from Minnesota. They are
coming over to hang out with us. There are a lot of people in the
neighborhood we are working in. Linda called a church a few blocks
between Emma's and Thomas's house and they said we could use their
parking lot. I'm a little nervous about this. Could be LOTS of
people.

Pictures are:
Bob looks like he is surprised
The team eating alligator sausage
Thomas's house from the street
Corrine
Corrine and Barbara- Wonder twin powers, Activate!

Prayer requests
Howard's daughter works with a school system that had one of their
students attempt suicide. He is in very serious condition
Team unity
The rootbeer float party
That Emma can move into her house this week

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Biloxi 4 the 2nd Work day

Thank you everyone for your prayers and love and support.

We got a lot done today. Howard and Lewis and Darold worked mostly on
Emma's house and are very close to having it ready for her to move in.
The electrical inspector is coming on Wed. afternoon to give the
"ok." Then they will hook up the gas, run a dryer vent and a couple
other little miscellaneous joblets. Corrine took a bunch of pictures
and we'll try to get some of those out this week.

Bob led everyone else in working at Thomas's house. The doors are
hung and almost done. The ceilings are painted, the walls are getting
there, the soffit is "done" and the facia is started.

We found out that the cabinet maker that was supposed to do CeCe's
cabinets a year ago has not followed up on his promise and has skipped
town with some of her money. The cabinets are mostly done, they just
need crown molding. Bob and Howard went over there tonight to see
what they could do for her.

We are still working as a team to find our roles here. There is a
balance in the "work on the houses" verses "be in the community." We
haven't found it yet.

Devotions tonight were phoned in by Bruce. He talked about service
verses helping or fixing. Fixing implies that something is broken,
helping implies inferiority. The goal is serving.

I am sitting at Burger King with Rod St. tonight. He and I were
talking about how much is still left to be done. It is scary to think
about it being more than two years after the storm and people losing
interest in helping. There is still much to do. Who will do it? So
many of us come from such a fast food, attention-deficit, instant
gratification, entitlement mentality that the "fad" of volunteering
fades away and is not longer "in." There are better ways to put
points in the karma bank. Something to think about.

Before we came, a woman from my church asked why we were going to
Mississippi instead of helping out in southeastern Minnesota with the
flood victims. The answer I gave her was that God has called me to
come here, and to lead a trip here. He will and is calling others to
help in Winona and etc. There is still much to do. But it's a valid
question that should be asked. The other response is that the call
from the people in southeastern Minnesota was for experts. The
mucking out and etc. was done pretty quick.

We are starting earlier tomorrow, so I better get off my soap box and
get back to the church and get to bed.

The pictures are:
Erin and Lewis
Bob taking a rest- he's not dead
Rod St. and Linda fighting with hammers in the closet?
Howard working at Emma's house
The man in the middle is Thomas, the home owner

Prayer requests:
Electrical Inspection passes for Emma's house
Joblets at Emmas get done
Safe travel for Troll and Kristen on Thursday
Our block party- gonna be in a rough neighborhood
Team unity
Rest for the weary on the team. (yes, already)

Monday, October 15, 2007

Biloxi 4 the first work day

Our first home owner we are working for is Emma Washington again.
Howard and Lewis got some electrical issues worked out for her. We
are still trying to get her back in to her house this week. Corrine
and Barbara pointed out some things that were done shoddy by other
groups.

Our second home owner is Mr. Thomas Payton. Mrs. Payton went Home a
few months ago, before getting back into their house. We worked on
buying and hanging doors, installing baseboard molding, window sills,
and some soffit work. We are talking about more doors and starting to
paint tomorrow.

We are sharing St. James with another group from Colorado at dinner
time. Crowded, but neat to hear what others are doing.

Devotions by Lewis in the morning, and Linda at the Ocean in the evening.

Elbert G. is fitting in very well, although he only was at one
planning meeting. The man seems to always be singing and filled with
joy. What a joy!

As a team, we struggle a little bit with work vs. being in the
community hearing others stories and seeing the destruction. We
talked about it some more at the ocean tonight. I think we are at
least understanding the differing opinions. ("We are here to work!"
and, "We are here to connect with the people.") It's not an either
or, but a balance we are trying to find.

Prayer requests:
For a past team member, Harold.
Team unity
Vision to see what God wants us to do.
Courage to do it.
The rootbeer float party coming up
Safe travel for Troll and Kristen coming on Thursday to be with us for a day
The other groups working everywhere
People still not back in their homes.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Biloxi 4- The trip down

Long, good drive.

Picnic lunch in Iowa colder than it was in Minneapolis.

Judy and Pastor Bruce passed us on the road. They were on their way
to Wartburg to see their son play. That was a surreal experience.
Driving down the highway in Iowa, and here comes a car with Judy R.
halfway out the backseat window, waving like crazy. I told Bruce I
hoped it was a secret plot to come with us again. He laughed at me.
How often do you see your friends hanging out car windows in other
states?

Spent the night in St. Louis.

Lewis is no saint. This morning he turned on the light in our room at
6:00am. I asked what he was thinking and other mean things. We laugh
about it now (at least out loud)

Stopped in Arkansas for lunch at a rest stop. When we left, we heard
a flapping sound on the roof of the van. We pulled over, didn't see
anything, pulled back out, heard the noise, and pulled over again.
This time, Linda noticed that the weather stripping around the
windshield was coming loose. 45 minutes and a small roll of duct tape
(wanna buy a duck?) we were on the road again.

Running, late- we arrived in Gulfport around 8:15ish. Ate dinner at
the Waffle House!

The setup at the church is a little different, but I'll tell about that later.

Howard has been here for a few days and has scoped out the jobs. It
looks like we will be able to get Emma Washington into her house this
week.

If anyone doesn't want this email each day, let me know. I'll take
you off the list.

Prayer requests:

Energy
Pray for a team member that was with us last time: Harold. -
especially Monday
Team unity
Vision to see what we should see this week.

Sorry- no pictures tonight. Apparently, I forgot to bring my camera
with me to do this email. (I drive down to a Burger King where there
is a free WiFi connection.)

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Biloxi 4 A week before we leave

Hello to Many!

We are almost ready to go on our next Biloxi Trip!  We leave in a little under a week.  Amazing.  This trip seemed to come up fast.  It seems like just last July I was talking to Barbara S. about maybe trying to push this trip out a little farther to see if we could regroup a little more after the summer.  Then our new pastor, Pastor Carolyn said she was all ready to go and had been planning on it and Erin C. said she had already requested the time off, so Barbara and I looked at each other and said, "Ok, here we go, then!"  It has been a quick couple months planning.  Since we have done it three times already, some of the planning I have taken for granted, and some of the things that Pastor Bruce used to do, I am now finding out about because they have yet to be done... 

I am getting ahead of myself-  Let me first welcome and invite the new people to this prayer team. 

Some of you have been praying for us from the beginning of our Biloxi trips, and some are just getting a group email frpm me.  For those that don't know, you are a part of a team of people that I send an email to each day telling how things are going on our trip and how you can pray for us.  I have in the past, sent a couple photos, but I think this time, I am going to try to set up a link so you can look at pictures in an online photo album each day if you would like.  Also, this email will be posted on a blog. 

I don't want to intrude on your email boxes uninvited, so I am asking those that would rather not get these emails to please let me know, and I'll take your name off the list.  I imagine that since this list is going to 164 people (plus the team!) That it will find it's way into many people's junk mail.  I am trying to find a way to avoid that.  So if you could do me ONE favor at first, and if you are willing to receive this email each day we are on the trip, then let me know and I will make sure you stay on the prayer list.  If you don't want to get it, let me know that, too, and I'll take you off.  If you would rather get an email at the end with a link to the blog and pictures, let me know that, and I'll make that happen. 

One of the ideas I have about staying out of people's junk email boxes is to send this to about 10 people who will send it to about 10 others.  If you are willing to forward this to some of the other people this group, tell me and I'll get you the email addies of some folks to send it to. 

Back to business....

Planning has been going ok.   At the beginning, Corrine and Barbara and I met at Barbara's house and talked about the challenges we saw were recruiting and fund raising.  Over the next two months, we raised almost the same amount that we have in the past.  Barbara's church was doing a fundraiser through the Outback Steakhouse.  They donated 100% of the cost of a steak dinner if we sold tickets for it.  We sold almost 100 tickets at $15 bucks each.  We raised over $1100.  Jim P. sent some letters to some businesses and we got a $300 check.  Pastor Rod S. (The Other Rod) suggested we talk to the South Robert Street business association.  They gave us $500.  We didn't raise as much at our 4th semi-annual Half-Baked Variety Show, but it was a fun turnout.  Went a little long, but fun.  I think the show stopper for this one was the Lego demonstration by Pastor Carolyn's son. 

Team members this trip are:
Rod Sc. (me)
Barbara S.
Corrine M.
Linda B-H
Erin C.
Howard N.
Bob N.
Lewis W.
Pastor Carolyn
Pastor Rod St.
Ginger St.
Darold S.

Lewis has a friend that is possibly coming, too, but I haven't met him yet. 

Pray that we get everything ready in the next couple days.  That we see anything we missed.  That we raise enough money to do the project we are called to do.  Team unity. 

More later. 

Again, let me know how/if you would like to receive this. 

Peace and Joy!
Rod