Crisfield1 Epilogue

First-  let me say to the people whose emails addresses, welcome!  I added you because you donated to our crowdfunding campaign.  It's pretty easy to not get these emails if you want off, just ask and I'll take you off the distribution list.  And a quick update, this is the last email from the Crisfield trip you donated to.  If you want to read the rest of them, you can go back and look at the blog.  All the emails are sent there, too.  The link will be towards the bottom of this email.  Welcome to the show.  You've been a part of the team.  Now you'll get the club newsletter so to speak.  It only happens a little when there isn't a trip going on, and when there is a trip, it's about once a day.  

Ok-  Now-  a few more housekeeping things:  To the people that donated to our crowdfunding campaign, I realized that a lot of people didn't pay any attention to the rewards for donating at different levels.  Well, we take it seriously so your reward is on it's way.  Kind of.  If you donated at least $20, we said we would write your name on a piece of building material going into the house.  But we didn't work on rebuilding a house....  We tore one down...  Which left us with a conundrum.  Do we write your name on a piece of landfill and call it a day?  Nope.  Not us.  Dale from Louisiana took a few pieces of lumber from the house and knows someone that is going to make it into something nice for the house, like an address sign.  We will put your names on the back of that.  For people that donated over $50, we tried to call.  In some cases, I didn't have your phone number.  In some cases, we only got voicemail or talked to a confused spouse.  If that was you, shoot me an email with your phone number, I'll call you and talk to you about the trip.  We did get most of the people and it was really fun to do!  For those who donated over $100, your t-shirts are just waiting to jump into the envelopes I bought at Target today.  UNLESS, you donated over $200 to the crowd funding, and then we have to wait until we get the picture book printed up also.  Mostly, THANK YOU for being a part of this team and joining us to help get someone closer to getting back in her home.  

Also-  I want to give a big THANK YOU to the Philos Sunday School Class and the Tuesday night small group at St. Mark's UMC in Findlay, OH.  The pulled food and sloppy joes and salads and desserts, and breakfast bakes and fruit salads and muffins were wonderful!  You really made our trip easier by not having to worry about those meals at the end of long driving days, and started us out right by not having to worry about stopping for breakfast right away.  

We got back into MN around 6:30pm on Sunday night.  It was a long and very good trip.  

The feedback I got from the team so far has been mostly good, but a little mixed.    One team member wondered why, when the equipment exists, did we spend a week tearing down a house by hand (and truck), when it could have been done a lot faster and more efficiently with heavy machinery.  I asked how much money we saved the long term recovery agency by tearing it down by hand and they said it was about $6000.  Would it have been better to have another couple bake sales and just sent down the money?  I guess I don't think so because it's not just about the end product.  

As a team, we do struggle with a balance of a few different things revolving around productivity.  Productivity vs. taking time to see the area we are working in.  Productivity vs. relationships with people.  Productivity vs. what the home owner or agency asks for.  Boiled down, I guess it's productivity vs. community.  

As a team, if we believe we are called by God to participate in this trip, then do we trust God to make sure we have the right work assignments?  Do we trust God that we are working with the right agency?  Do we trust God that we are working for the right home owner?  Earlier in the week, I talked about the struggle with being asked to do something we thought was a bad idea vs. just answering the call.  Which do we trust?  The common sense and reasoning skills God gave us, or the authority we have placed ourselves under when we work for another agency.  

So if we trust that God has called us.  And we trust that God has our best interest in mind, is it possible that God's design for our trips isn't completely about the work we do there?  I tend to think that God uses our willing hearts and hands, and that willingness yields results we will never see.  

So when I was talking to my Aunt (the same one that pointed out that the pictures link was not a good one) about crowd funding, and the frustrations that went along with that, she suggested that maybe crowdfunding isnt' just about raising money, it's raising awareness and being able to tell your story more widely.  So in the same way, maybe working on a house isn't just about getting someone closer to moving into their home.  I think it's about building community.  The community we create when 22 volunteers travel from several different states to come join people they have never met and live in cramped quarters near people who snore and have different expectations and different backgrounds and different abilities, but come together in the name of Jesus to do (hard) work for someone they have never met and may never see again.  Really, the whole thing doesn't make sense.  So would it be easier to send more money?  Maybe.  Would it be better for the economy of the area to send money to create more jobs?  Maybe.  But would it create the community?  Not the same way.  

We don't always get to see what God does with the time we are in Crisfield or New Orleans or Minot.  Working on a house is just a part of it.  Giving hope, sharing stories, and being the evidence of a loving God are a few of the likely myriad of facets involved.  I don't think we see all of them.  And I don't think we are supposed to.  We just trust God, when we answer the call, that His plan means something, and that we are honored to be a part of that plan.  I think about how some helped by donating.  Some through encouragement.  Some through supplying meals, some by praying for us, and some by thinking more about service and what it means to help others.  Everyone played an important part in this community.  

So whether it's tearing down a house so another can be built in it's space, or putting the last touches on a house before someone moves in, we will continue to answer the call.  And we are grateful and joyful about your part and presence on this team, and the call that you answer by reading this, and supporting us through words, deeds, or gifts.  

Amen.  

Pictures-  I put more pictures on the Picasa website.  And I added captions to a bunch that were there.  And I tried to put them in mostly chronological order.  The link to that is:  click here for the photo album on a Picasa website.  If it doesn't work, (we struggled with it earlier in the week), some people sent me requests to view the album and that worked, but I think it should all be public now.  

The blog-  Click here for the blog site

And finally-  Facebook-  search for River Bend Mission Team or,  I think if you click here, it will take you to our FB page.

You prayed for us for several things.  Please keep praying for these things:

Continued thanks for the opportunity we have serve Him in this awesome way

Lewis's leg-  that the docs figure out what's wrong and are able to treat it.  

Gary's dad-  health issues

The next trip

Ok-  next trip is April 26th- May 4th.  Going to New Orleans (Slidell), LA.  If you want to be a part of the team that goes to the Gulf, the sooner you let me know the better.  It is already shaping up to be a team with a lot of new faces.  Pray about being one of them.  

Get on the bus!

Rod

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Crisfield 1 photo link

Thank you to everyone that sent feedback about the photo link.  I think that it has something to do with Google changing the way they do photos lately, And our photos have just been posted on a picasa site.  -  

Try this link:  photos for Crisfield Mission trip.  Let me know if that doesn't work.  I tested the link and it appears to go to the right place.  

We all are home now.  the MN team arrived in MN around 6:30pm.  

Soon to put more pictures on line, and sum up the trip.  

Thanks, all!

R

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Re: Crisfield1- the last day and some travel towards home

Good morning Rod!  The National Park where you saw the ponies is Assateague Island.  You passed through the barrier island of Chincoteague and crossed Chincoteague Bay to get to the National Park of Assateague.  Each year in July there is something called the Chincoteague Pony Penning where a certain number of the ponies are auctioned and sold.  There is a wonderfully charming book that came out in the 1940's or 1950's called "Misty of Chincoteague".  I believe it was made into a movie.

I hope you arrived home safely and thanks again for all the help.  Joe Pinto

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Crisfield1- the last day and some travel towards home

Keven and Joe made it home on Thursday night.

Friday morning, Dale and Milton took off for home in Louisiana at 4:30am.  

Gary and Doug left around 9:00am for Kentucky

Roma and Ray left right after that for Michigan

The rest of us went to see what Crisfield is all about.  We went to the local museum, a local United Methodist Church, a confectionary where they mix the syrup with the soda for your pop, and then we went to Ocean City where we hung out at the ocean for a little while.  Rob fell in .  Ginger almost fell in.  

Then we went to a National Park (sorry, can't remember what it's called) where there are wild ponies living.  Saw some wild ponies.  stood on the beach again.  Watched a wild pony steal something off someone's picnic table at their camp site.  Watched the sunset.  

Ate dinner in Ocean City and then headed back to Crisfield.  We didn't get back in until after quiet hours, and so we couldn't do any preemptive packing and cleaning.  

Mark left for Arlington

Got textes from everyone that had left earlier saying they had arrived home.  

This morning we wanted to leave at 7:00, but got out around 7:45.   

We stopped at the memorial for Flight 93 that crashed on 9/11 in Pennsylvania.  It was pretty interesting.  Made me think about what I would have done in the same situation on that plane.  But mostly made me hope i would never be in that situation.  

We got to Findlay, OH about 8:30pm.  Sandi H. had dinner waiting for us.  Oh-  and a surprise birthday cake for Lewis, whose birthday is Monday.  (chocolate sheet cake-  holy buckets.)  

Lewis did devotions.  It was a very compelling message about how we see others, and the importance of looking at them through the eyes of Christ's love.  It was timely and stuck some of us in places we didn't want to be stuck.  I thought we should have heard this message on Monday, but then, maybe we weren't ready to hear it, then.  

Getting ready to leave in the morning.  Early.  I want to get home and see my family.  I think we all do.  

More reflections on the week at the next and last update.  I didn't post any new pictures, but you can see the ones we have posted on www.picasaweb.com/rodscofield/crisfield1  (my Aunt says she couldn't see those pictures-  does anyone else have problems?  I am thinking that Picasa might not meet the needs for this anymore.  Feedback?)

Thank you for your continued prayers as we make the final run tomorrow.  

Cheers!

R

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Re: Crisfield1- the 4th Work day

Good morning Rod-I do hope you enjoy seeing Crisfield other than tearing down a house.  In terms of the oyster and clam shells under the house, back in the 19th century much of what is the lower part of the town was then water.  Oysters and clams were so plentiful, after processing them, the shells were used to build up the land and extend out into the water.  Low lying properties, such as the one where you tore down the house, were raised by filling in the area with oyster shells.

Have a great day!  Joe Pinto

Crisfield1- the 4th Work day

Today was mighty good.  

We finished the demo job around noon today.  There is now no house standing where there was a house where we started.  And if anyone knows why there were thousands of clam and oyster shells under the house, I would like to know why.  

Bob took a small team to work on a lady's fence.  They cut down a lot of brush around the fence so the next team can work on repairing it.  It is a much bigger job than anyone thought when the agencies agreed to do it.  

Gary also started the demo on the next house.  They tore out about 3/4 of the interior walls.  

This morning, Kevin and Joe left for New York.  They sent me a text around 5:30pm that they had made it home.  They sure added a great dynamic to our team.  We look forward to working alongside them again in the future.  They take a team down to New Orleans in the summer.  I'm thinking if anyone wants to go with a great team, let me know and I can hook you up with them.  You should search and "like"  Missions of Helping Hands on Facebook.  

Tomorrow, we have the day off to see what the town of Crisfield is all about.  We believe it is important to see and get to know the town and the people we are working for.  Tomorrow we get to see the town that isn't just on the way to our job sites.  A couple people are lobbying for going to Delaware to say we've been there.  It's about an hour away.  

I posted more pictures on our picture site www.picasaweb.com/rodscofield/crisfield1

There isn't anything different in the blog, than what is in this email, but for future reference, if you want the link to our blog, it is, www.rodscof.blogspot.com

Search Facebook for Riverbend Mission Team and "like" us.  (there are things we do on FB that we don't do in these emails.-  more pictures, etc.)  

I can't say enough about how cool it was to do this trip with the support and love of all of you.  I read your emails that you sent back to us to the team and it has given us a lot of joy to share this trip with you.  It is unlikely I will be able to post tomorrow night, but will get to it again before it's all done.  Thank you for your love and prayers.  

Rod and team

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Crisfield 1- 3rd work day

The house we are knocking down is on the ground.  All we have to do now is pick up the pieces and put them in the dumpster.  Learning how that happens was pretty fascinating.  

I think when we do this, and all we write about is the good and happy joy joy smiles and sunshine, then it's telling the wrong story because in real life, things happen that stretch you.  Here's what happened:

We were asked to send half of our group to another house to start demo-ing it.  After a little group discussion, we decided that we preferred to stay on one house and assure we would finish.  Afterwards, I was called out on it, and I am grateful for the feedback from the concerned team member.  Really, our response should have been "whatever you want us to do.  We are here for you.  Whatever you think is best."  That's something we pride ourselves on.  But when it came down to it, I was more interested in being (more) assured we would finish a project.  (which is also important to us, but should be secondary)  Maybe a pride thing.  Maybe a team-unity thing.  I'm not sure.  But we stayed at the first house.  

We DID send Bob and Ron to a house on the next block to fix a fence.  It's one of those jobs that at first glance seemed easy squeezy.  But when it came to doing it, on closer look, there was more to it.  They started by cutting down some trees that were encroaching.  Tomorrow they will work more on propping up the lagging parts.  

Oh we had medical drama today.  Matthew stepped on a nail and punctured skin. We took him in to get a tetanus, but they didn't update it since it had been done eight years ago.  (I thought it was three years?)  He's fine.  His foot hurts a little, but they didn't have to cut it off.  

So back to the first house-  we started with half the roof on the house and all the walls, etc.  First we got the rest of the roof off.  Then we started knocking down the walls-  pulling them down, really.  Kevin from New York hooked up a chain and pulled a lot of them down with his wife's Chevy Truck.  He hopes she doesn't see this or the pictures.  

Met with the Pennsylvania team for dinner tonight.  Pretty delectable.  You would think it would be easy to find seafood on the Chesapeake Bay, but this town is pretty small and most of the restaurants are closed for the winter already.  We went to a place called "Little Ditty's"  which had decent food and a big enough room we could all eat in.  

We think that tomorrow we should be able to load up everything in the dumpsters and get the foundation out.  

Corrine and Krissy had to return to the Twin Cities today since they couldn't get the whole week off.  We miss them already.  They added a lot to our team.  In the morning, Kevin and Joe from New York have to head back to New York.  They have been great assets to our team and we are going to miss them AND look forward to working alongside them again sometime.  

If you want to see pictures, you can go to click here to see pictures

If you want to go our blog, or share it with people, you can click here for the blog

We also think it would be dang cool if you liked us on Facebook.  Search for "Riverbend Mission Team" And then encourage your friends to like us.  

As always, we are grateful for your partnership with us.  We think it is great that you are part of our team.  Don't be a silent partner.  Let us know you're there.  (I read your emails to the team at our devotions time a couple times each week.)  

God is good and we are amazed at what He is doing on our team this week.  

Prayer requests:

We are getting tired.  Prayers for energy to get us finished strong.  

Thanksgiving prayers for Matthew not being seriously injured, and safe arrival back in the Twin Cities for Krissy and Corrine.  

Prayers for safe travel for Kevin and Joe returning to New York.  

Prayers of thanksgiving for a really good trip.  We are a strong team with a lot of talent and a lot of unity and we are having fun together.  

Amen.

R

 

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Re: Crisfield Mission trip- the 2nd day

Rod you and your team are amazing!!! Keep up God's good work!!!!

Sent from my iPhone

Crisfield Mission trip- the 2nd day

Hi all!

Another good day.  A lot of waiting, though.  

Kevin hooked up his truck to the back addition of the house with a chain and pulled it's legs out from under it.  Then we spent time breaking it down and putting it in the dumpster.  

Dale and Milton worked with various people throughout the day on taking off the roof.  

VERY EXCITING!-  Sometime during the night, the chimney collapsed.  All that was left was what was above the roofline, so Milton and Tom (from the Long term Recover Agency) got up on the roof and took it apart brick by brick.  We all had to wait outside the house incase it fell in.  It went just as planned.  

We started calling the people that supported us on our crowdfunding campaign today.  realized that most people that donated didn't care about the rewards had no idea we promised to call from the job sites.  It was fun connecting with people and including them in the team today.  

Ginger and Barbara brought us ice cream sandwiches today.  The little things mean a lot.  

There is a peacock that roams around the block we are working on.  I've heard that the Mayor gave them immunity.  Word on the street (at McDonalds) say he may be named, "Fred." 

Mark and Krissy and Matt and Rob and Gary and I went to McDonalds to send the email where there is a wifi.  While there (here right now) we talked to a couple girls from town who told us about the town.  They said they thought Crisfield had "recovered."  But then talked about another house they knew of that needed demo.  (which was a house Gary went to look at to see if he thought we could finish this week.

We were offered another job site so we could split up a little bit, but we think we are going to turn it down because we want to finish the house we are working on now.  

Excited for tomorrow.  

Prayer requests-

Continued safety on the job site.

Continued team unity.

Safe travel for Krissy and Corrine who have to return to the Twin Cities on Wed.  

Thank you again and again for being part of our team.  We are grateful for you!

R

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Crisfield1 First Work day (no photos)

For those of you getting this twice, I apologize-  I tried to attach photos, and the email got blocked from too many places, and didn't post to our own blog....  So here is the version without photos.  

Traveling from Findlay, OH to Crisfield was a beautiful drive.  Connecting with Ray and Roma and Bob and "The Colonel" was good.  It was neat leaving with another vehicle.  Then we met Keven and Joe from New York not far past the Pennsylvania line.  Took the wrong turn a time or two and got in to Crisfield about 8:00pm.  Gary and Doug got in about an hour later.  Dale and Milton got in just before 11:30pm.  Mark pulled in this morning about 8:00am.  Our team of 22 is complete.  And what a team it is!

This is a very powerful team.  We have a lot of people with construction experience.  And a lot of people that like work.  More on this.

The project they have given us is much different than what we have done for hurricane relief in the past.  They have asked us to completely demo a house.  

The house was damaged by the flood in Hurricane Sandy.  The home owner is Patsy and we got to meet here.  She is currently living in a relative's house right across the street.  The house is two-story, building built a long time ago.  

We started by taking out all the stuff.  And there was a lot of stuff.  The home-owner told us not to save any of it.  Then we broke down the walls, and ceilings.  Ripped out all the kitchen cabinets and plumbing.  Filled four roll-off dumpsters.  

When they told us we would be demo-ing, there was some talk about how that was not a good idea, not the best use of our skills, too many people in one space, unsafe, etc.  And Ray told us all to remember that we are here for them.  We just do what they ask us to do.  And do it gladly.  And we DID!!!  

We worked VERY well as a team today.  We got a LOT done.  There are a lot of skilled workers on this team.  Each one kind of took a section of the house and people just jumped in and helped.  It was realllllly neat to see the Body at work.  

Tomorrow we start taking off the roof and chimney.  

There are so many good stories still Stay tuned.  

Prayer requests:  

--  Safety on the job site

-- Glory to God for an AWESOME day.  

-- Our friends on the Crossroads Church mission trip in New Jersey/York

--  Continued team unity.  

-- Lewis's leg is bothering him.  

Here are some pictures:  Some shots of the house we worked on.  And us working on them.  To see more pictures, you can go to Click here for pictures of Crisfield1

You can go to our blog (which is right now just a copy of this email, but some other members of our team can post to it.-  and they might without me knowing it.)  Click here to go to our blog

You can also search Facebook for River Bend Mission Team and "Like" us.  

I mentioned how we have an awesome team.  You are part of that team!  We are grateful for your participation with us.  Thanks to those that sent us notes.  I have shared them with the team.  This team is one of the best we've had.  And you are part of it.  Thank you!

Last thing-  there is no wifi at the place we are staying.  I had to go to McDonalds to use their wifi.  I might not be able to do it every night.  Thank you for praying for us again!

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

Crisfield 1- the first travel day

What a good day.  We left town only about 15 minutes later than we planned.  That's pretty good.  The trip was uneventful, although amusing watching Rod St. drive through downtown Chicago.  

We got into Findlay, OH a little bit before 8:00pm.  Sandi H. from Findlay coordinated a meal for us.  This church is very much a blessing to us!  

Ray B. and Roma B. from Hale, MI met us here.  It is exciting to have them on our team again.  Bob N. from Indianapolis and Carolyn N. from Dayton, OH also met us here and will travel with us the rest of the way.  Also good to have them with us again.  

This is a great team which seems to be cohesive and looking out for each other.  

Tomorrow Kevin and Joe from New York, Gary and Doug from Kentucky, Mark from Michigan, and Dale and Milton from Louisiana will meet up with us in Crisfield.  We are praying for them as they travel.  

We are also praying for the mission team from Crossroads Church in Lakeville, MN as they are also serving on the East Coast this week.  Safe travel.  Effective ministry.  Growth.  

Someone asked about our blog site-  The only thing that is on it so far is just a copy of the same email I have sent out.  But the address for it is:  www.rodscof.blogspot.com.  Soon, we will have pictures to share also.  Rob took some from the van as we went through DT Chicago.  Not sure if anyone else has or not.  Our picture site will be up and ready soon.  (when I put some new pictures in.)  -  

Thank you to those who wrote to us today.  I will share those emails with the team in the morning at devotions.  It means a lot to know we are surrounded and supported by an amazing cloud of witnesses.  We are honored that you have come alongside us for this trip!

Onward!

r

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.

RE: Crisfield 1- The night before

MUMC looks forward to seeing you in Crisfield!!!!  Safe travels.  I’m sure we’ll see you Monday morning at the orientation. 

Crisfield 1- The night before

Helloooo!

I can't believe it's already time to hit the road again.  First let us say thank you a billion times over for supporting our team on our crowd funding campaign!  We met our goal and have enough money to get out out and back.  It was an interesting learning experience to try a crowd funding campaign.  

Our next trip leaves in the morning.  We had our Commissioning service by Kim O., who has been on one of our trips and a long time supporter of the River Bend Mission Team.  Her message was one of Hope.  I will remember the phrase, "Hope is not a strategy," meaning we have to put action and prayer toward what we hope for.  

This trip is different than our previous trips in that half of the team is from MN and half is from other states.  We are representing Minnesota, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, and Louisiana.  This powerhouse team will accomplish a lot and create a really neat society of missionaries in Maryland.  

I spoke with the work coordinator from Maryland today.  He said he may put our whole team on a house demolition.  We'll see what happens when we get there.  

We leave in the morning and head to Findlay, OH, where we will be staying at the United Methodist Church.  They are providing us meals while we are there.  And my godmother makes AMAZING brownies...

We are grateful for your participation as we head out again.  Please pray for us.  Let us know you are alongside this week.  We look forward to meeting and serving the homeowner(s) we will be working for.  We look forward to sharing Jesus in tangible, practical ways.  

How can you pray for us?  Pray that we will be be able to accomplish the work God wants us to accomplish.  Pray for safe travel.  Pray for the people that have come alongside us through our crowd funding campaign.  Pray for the home owners we will be working for.  We are grateful for your participation.  

I'll post pictures once we get going.  There is no wifi at the church in MD we are staying at, so I might not get to send out each night.  

Like Riverbend Mission Team on Facebook for more updates about our trip.  Let us know you're along for the ride.  

The photo is of the logo that is on our shirts this trip.  

Here we go!!!

Rod

--
True faith is never found alone; it is accompanied by expectation.  --C.S. Lewis.