How Ali responded to something I said:

Here's what I said:

Every house in the neighborhood we worked in today was badly damaged. Some people are waiting to see what the City and the engineers decide about rebuilding. It's possible that the house we worked on today will be razed anyway, and the home owners bought out and not allowed to rebuild there. The people are hearing a lot of different reports and rumors about what is going to happen to their property. They are also saying that 2012 is supposed to be a pretty wet year also. Which begs the question, "Why are we gutting this house when it's possible they are going to tear it down anyway, or if it's going to flood again?" And I guess the answer is, "What if they don't tear it down? And what if it doesn't flood?" Nobody knows for sure what is going to happen. There aren't answers today. But we have hope. And we know that God is still God. And we believe that God directed us to come to Minot. And the agency that was still working was Lutheran Disaster Response, so we are working for them and are under their authority. And if they say, "Gut this house," then we will gut this house. 

Ali highlighted the text above and responded like this: 

Amen! I often feel like the answer to these "questions" you have about the process that is in place on these mission trips is kind of "worldy".
God called you. You went, You worked, You brought a glimpse of the kingdom and if you remembered to bring your "eyes open to see" saw a glimpse of it as well. If mucking out a basement isn't the perfect "solution" to get your homeowners back in their home, you didn't lose much. In fact - you gained fellowship, followship, a little more Christ and an avenue to put those hands and feet work. As someone who doesn't like to gamble, that is a pretty safe bet.

Why Not Minot? Work Day 2-

It was a rough day.  Our 2nd house was a tough one.  When we first walked in, I walked around and said, "piece of cake."  But once we got going on it, it was more than we thought.

The basement was brutal.  They had a kitchen down there with a freezer overturned, shelves with canned goods and all sorts of yummy goodies.  For people that do this all the time, or compared to doing it in the middle of the hot humid sweltering summer, this probably would have been a piece of cake.  Parts of the basement had dried out some.  This one had a lot more mold in it than the one yesterday.  You could almost taste it when you went downstairs.  

But we worked hard and at the end of the day, we got everything done we were supposed to do and more.  And we met three new friends.  -  Partway through the day (Howard and I were working on unhooking the furnace-  I'll tell about the air conditioning in a minute)-  three people that were originally working for the Baptist agency in town came over.  I don't understand the circumstances exactly.  Something about a subfloor and being sent to the Lutherans, who sent them to our team.  But Mike from Delaware, Bob from Pennsylvania, and Varina from Pennsylvania joined us and helped with this project.  They were all hard workers and helped a lot.  I am told they will be joining us again tomorrow, and we are happy about that!

We are all a little (a lot) tired and ready for some sleep.  We are working hard.  Tomorrow they are giving us another "muck and gut."  We think it would be awesome to be able to knock out 5 houses while we are here.  1 each day.  

Oh yeah, the air conditioner.  Apparently, you have to be able to drain the coolant from them before you take them apart.  We did not have the means to do this, so we had to hang it from the ceiling when we took the furnace out from underneath it.  You'll have to ask Howard for more info if you want it.  But I thought it was amusing....  

We are a pretty cohesive group.  

Lewis is starting to feel better.  Thanks for your prayers.  

I posted pictures on our picasa website today.  You can find them here:  click here for picasa site

Kristen also posted to the blog today -  besides what is on here from this entry.  click here for the blog

I put a bunch of pictures on our Facebook page also (Search for River Bend Mission Team- friend or fan or follow or whatever they call it these days)

Pray for our continued health and safety as we wrestle with this mold and nails and other such hazards.  

Thanks to everyone that wrote to us and letting us know you are following our adventure in Minot.  

R

Minot1 Work Day #3

Another "muck and gut today."  This one was a little easier.  We were done by about 3:30 pm.  

The same story as yesterday.  -  Arrived at the house.  Some worked in the basement, some mostly upstairs.  We were joined by our friends from yesterday, too.  They are HARD workers!  We got done a little early, went and cleaned up before dinner, and were served dinner at a Lutheran church in town.  French toast and sausage! 

Then Rod St., Erin, Kristen, Matt, and Shirley went to the Geographic Center of North America.  (Rod has some pictures).  On our way back to the church, the rest of us stopped at the grocery store and bought a few things like vegetables and eggs to hard boil for breakfast.  We have been so blessed by the hospitality of Lutheran Disaster Response, and the people at the church we are staying at.  When we got back to the church, some of the ladies were there and dug into our groceries and started boiling our eggs and cutting up our vegetables for us.  They take their hospitality very seriously.  

Which kind of brings me to something I was thinking about.  

This morning, Bob's devotion was about "What is a Christian?"  (It was an assignment I gave him on the last trip which he took seriously)  He talked about an aspect of Christians being able to follow the "Golden Rule" and also the reciprocal of that-  Being able to receive from others as we want others to be able to receive from us.  And this evening, it was a little hard to do that.  The people in this church we are staying at are very giving and loving.  This is their ministry.  They open their church to groups from all over, and are glad to do it.  They seemed a little bit disappointed that we felt like we had to buy anything.  On the flip side of that, I try to not be a burden on anyone.  So I was sitting there telling them everything was fine and good and what was already here was great and more than enough, etc.  And they are looking at me with my bags of vegetables like I'm crazy.  I guess I have something to work on.  

I don't like mucking out houses.  But experiencing the People of God doing what He has called them to do makes it all worth it.  Whether that person is called to  making sandwiches for volunteers or joining a group of strangers to serve with, or carrying pails of muck up the stairs out to the junk pile, we are the People of God doing what God has called us to do.  And it's good.  

There are some more pictures posted on our Picasa website.  (click here)

And to see our blog or send it to a friend-  (www.rodscof.blogspot.com)

Or search us on Facebook, search for River Bend Mission Team.  

Lewis didn't say anything about his cold to me today.  No news is good news, right?

Thank you for praying for us-  our safety, and health (team vs. black mold spores), and that God would reveal to us what He wants us to see, the wisdom to understand it, and the courage to respond in a way the brings the Kingdom closer.  

Peace!

R

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

Thoughts from the worksite...

Yesterday we were given a house to finish up tearing out drywall and wet moldy insulation whatnot. We knocked that out rather quickly and were given another house today that is so much worse. There is the obvious concern of black mold, so we are wearing masks as we work,  bit the basement seems to also have raw sewage that Shirley was hauling out in buckets. As it's been stated, "she's a better man than I! " 

Those of you praying for us can be mindful of the mold, petitioning for our health and safety. These people are in the stage of grief of disillusionment where they are hearing all the bad and the problems are compounding... it is disparaging and these people need hope.

A comment on the cell service: I wrote this post at 9:30am and there wasn't enough coverage for my data to work. Only now am I able simply because of the wireless network here at the church ... as an end of the day perspective,  we did twice the work we were assigned and the house looks more like a construction project than a disaster zone. How fulfilling!

-Kristen

Why Not Minot? Work Day 1

Today we got up and the church we are staying at provided breakfast.  (Thank you!)  Lewis did devotions this morning about always sharing your faith.  Always being ready to share it.  It was a very good way to start the week.  

We drove from the church we are staying at, which is about 30 mins north of Minot, to the church where they are basing Lutheran Disaster Response.  We were a few minutes late, but the people there didn't even bat an eye.  They gave us our work assignment.  That's right.  Just one.  All ten of us went to work on gutting a house on the northeast side of Minot.  It was right by the river.  There was some junk in the basement, but we hauled it out and started tearing out drywall and insulation, etc.  With Bob's leadership, we got into a pretty good rhythm and flow with people carrying stuff outside while nobody was blocking the door.  Then Howard showed us that we could fill a bucket and just push it out the window in the basement.  Matt and Erin and I took turns emptying the buckets into a pile on the curb.  Shirley is like the energizer bunny. She just keeps going and going and going...  They told us this job would take about 2-3 days.  We finished it by 4:45.  

Ok-  I want to back up just a little bit.  -  The weather.  We are absolutely not in New Orleans!  There was frost on our windshields this morning when we went to leave.  And when we were getting supplies at the base church, I thought I didn't have enough warm clothes.  It was COLD!  But once we got out of the wind, and started working, we warmed up.  

A few years ago, Howard and Ali and three other people and I went to Mason City, IA to muck out a basement for a friend from Mount Bethel UMC, (one of the original River Bend Churches) when Mason City and surrounding cities flooded. The difference between that house and this one is that on this one, it wasn't so much mucking as it was just demo-ing.  There wasn't much down in the basement that was soaking wet, and there wasn't that swampy, hot humid jungle damp smell.  But after a shower, I still feel like I smell like mold.  

Every house in the neighborhood we worked in today was badly damaged.  Some people are waiting to see what the City and the engineers decide about rebuilding.   It's possible that the house we worked on today will be razed anyway, and the home owners bought out and not allowed to rebuild there.  The people are hearing a lot of different reports and rumors about what is going to happen to their property.  They are also saying that 2012 is supposed to be a pretty wet year also.  Which begs the question, "Why are we gutting this house when it's possible they are going to tear it down anyway, or if it's going to flood again?"  And I guess the answer is, "What if they don't tear it down?  And what if it doesn't flood?"  Nobody knows for sure what is going to happen.    There aren't answers today.  But we have hope.  And we know that God is still God.  And we believe that God directed us to come to Minot.  And the agency that was still working was Lutheran Disaster Response, so we are working for them and are under their authority.  And if they say, "Gut this house," then we will gut this house.  

Tomorrow we have a new house to gut.  

Please pray for Lewis.  He has a pretty bad cold.  He is trying to make sure none of the rest of us get it.  Also please pray for our health as we work in these moldy houses.  

Thank you to the people that wrote a little note.  It's encouraging to know you are cheering us on from afar or "anear"

I haven't posted any pictures on our picasa site yet.  But Matthew took a bunch of pictures today with my camera.  I think Kristen has posted on our blog (www.rodscof.blogspot.com).  And you can see a few pictures on Facebook of you're on there.  (Search for River Bend Mission team-  and "like" us or be a fan or whatever the latest thing is.)

Peace and joy to you!

R

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

Re: Why Not Minot? Day one on a new mission adventure

Paul and I are holding all in prayer! Thank you fo doing the Lord's work in a much needed way. We pray for safety, productivity, the spreading lf the gospel and changed lives!

Please also hold us in prayer as today we continue to meet,  fellowship and feed homeless folks in the Washington DC area. We will be working with 2 different food shelves/soup kitchens located in the heart of the city. Weather has been unusually warm here and DC law does not prohibit the homeless from sleeping in public areas so there are lots of folks in need and in plain site.

Peace and blessings to all!
Pastor Deb

Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

D.C. - New York - Day one on a new mission adventure

Dear Rod,

Greetings in Christ!  Thanks for the Missions update.  Our group and staff will continue to keep you in our prayers.  Mission Immersion DC-NewYork left Friday night.  We had one person cancel last minute so we drove by Eko-New Market and picked up an intern Jeremy Morris to take her place.  He has been a real God send with his guitar and worship leading skills. Thus, Pastor Paul can preach, bus drive and not have to play guitar as well.  The 24 hour bus drive went well and we are staying at a Lutheran Church in downtown DC. We worshiped today at “Luther Place” and enjoyed the music and message.  We spent the day touring the Capital on foot and were blessed to see the Martin Luther King Memorial dedicated today.  We enjoyed the music of Steve Wonder, Cheryl Crowe, James Taylor and others.  For supper we ate Pizza in the park and fed homeless persons nearby.  An interesting side note is the DC revolt taking place similar to the one on Wall Street. We ate lunch with the protesters and listened to a variety of speakers discuss anti-war and other  issues.  At 8:00 tonight we went to the women’s shelter nearby and played BINGO with them.  Our kids learned that homeless persons come from a variety of backgrounds.  One was a teacher who lost her job and another one was homeless because of a divorce and her husband did not pay support like he promised.  Tomorrow we spend the day making food for the homeless and learning more about why systemic poverty exists.  Pray for us in DC as we pray for those serving in Minot.

In Christ’s Love and Service,

Pastor’s Paul and Deb Marzahn

Why Not Minot? Day one on a new mission adventure

Hi all!

First let me start the same way I always do.  If you are new to getting this, I added you because I thought you might be interested or at least willing to pray for us.  If anyone, new or old, would like off this email distribution list, let me know and I will do so.  

Today, the River Bend Mission team started out for Minot, ND to help with flood relief.   

Why Minot?  -  Last Spring, over 11,000 people had to evacuate as water topped the levies on the Souris River in Minot, ND.  This wasn't as sensational as the hurricanes of the past six years, but devastating to the people directly affected.  Last Spring, when we were in New Orleans, we felt like we have done a lot of good things there, but that it was time to move on.  This was hard because there is still a lot to be done in New Orleans.  When the tornados his Joplin and Tuscaloosa, we wondered if that's where we were supposed to go next.  The more I prayed about it over the course of the summer, the more I got "Minot."  

So here we are.  There are ten of us on this trip:  Me, Howard N., Lewis W., Bob N., Matt S., Erin C., Kristen B., Rod St., Shirley S., and Ron C.  

We left Inver Grove Heights this morning right after church, just before noon.  We are driving a rental van and Howard's truck.  Rod St., and Shirley left from Pipestone around the same time.  (If a little white van with two people leave Pipestone, MN around 12:30pm, and a big white van with five people accompanied by a small blue pick up with three people leaves Inver Grove Heights at noon, what time will they get to Fargo?)  

We read on the United Methodist website for North Dakota that they wanted donations of blankets and quilts.  One of the churches in Pipestone donated 13.  And Rob W.'s (has been on three previous trips) church from Bemidji donated 14.  Rob met us in Sauk Centre to hand them off.  (Thanks, Rob!)  Plus there were a few donations from our church in Inver Grove Heights.  We have 30 quilts to deliver to the United Methodist Church this week.  

Now having said that we are giving quilts the the UMC, we are actually working for Lutheran Disaster Response.  They are housing and feeding us and giving us work assignments.  We are being hosted by Trinity Lutheran Church in a small town just north of Minot.  The church is very inviting and seems very open.  

So we get our work assignments tomorrow morning.  We'll tell you more about who we're working for and what we're doing.  

Please pray for our health and safety while we're here.  And for our finances.  It isn't a very expensive trip, but we didn't do any fundraising, just relying on donations that come in and the cost each person is paying to come, and the reserves we had in the bank.  Also pray for the homeowners we will be working for.  

If you would like to follow us on Face Book, search for "River Bend Mission Team."  Tell your friends!  Also-  We will put pictures on our picture website when we get some.  And Erin and Kristen and anyone else I can get to contribute will be writing for our blog- which I'll give you the link to when we've put something on there from this trip.  -  

Again, if you don't want this email each evening, let me know and I'll take you off the list.  

And thanks a bunch for those of you that are going to go along for the ride with us.  Let us know you're following along and praying for us.  We are glad to know!

Peace!

Rod

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

Hello Glenburn! (Where?!!!)

Today seemed like a VERY short trip in comparison to our 2 day trips to New Orleans in the past (and we're staying North of Minot in this tiiiiiiiiiny little town called Glenburn, where most of us don't have cell reception).

All this week I have been thinking about our departure and many things have run through my mind.  I kept coming back to a song by mewithoutYou (talking about us without G-d) and the lyrics, "I do not exist, only YOU exist..." kept floating through my mind.




**Disclaimer-- this music isn't for everyone, but the message that he is proclaiming is very powerful... 



As we step out this week, L-rd... remind us that we do not exist without you... only You exist and these people who have experienced disaster need your hope.

--Kristen

Two Mission to Minot Options

Hi again all!

Ok, we have two options.  

#1-  as previously emailed, we have been invited to participate in helping to gut Faith United Methodist Church in Minot.  We would be joining a team from Washington.  It would be leaving here on Tues, Sept. 20 and returning on Sat Sept. 24th.  

#2-  I found an agency that is not pulling out until November.  We would leave on Saturday October 15th, work Monday through Friday on houses-  gutting, getting some ready for winter, etc.  and come back on Saturday the 22nd.  So instead of NOLA7, we have MINOT1.  There are a lot of unknowns at this very moment.  But it sounds like there is a church for us to stay in and use for our cooking, etc, and showers available at the local Y for free for volunteers or soemthing like that.  I'll check into it.  

Cost shouldn't be much.  Not as far to go, cheaper to stay, etc.  

Let me know if you'll be getting on the bus.  

Rod

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

Re: Mission to Minot

Hi Rod and Everyone
Thanks so much for considering a trip to Minot, ND. This is the town Vern and I call HOME. We already have our "I helped rebuild Minot" T-shirts after a 2 week stint of flood work in July.
I am sure you have all heard of the devastation the town felt. About 1/5 of the population was evacuated. 4000 homes had flood water problems, over 800 of them had at least 6 feet of swamp water on the main floor. 5 schools are totally wasted and many churches were affected.
The bad thing in the Minot area is that they need to get as much done as possible before the winter sets in. Unlike some of the southern areas, once November hits they are pretty much done until late March / early April. I'm sure that if the dates set don't work the area would accept help whenever you are able to go. There is a site that will coordinate people / churches that NEED help with people that are able to help.  You will also find that those directly involved will be there busting their buns to help.  One of the FEMA reps when we were there commented that he had done disaster work in 40 states and that Minot had gotten more done in 2 weeks than some places got done in 6 months.

What church are you looking at helping? I know that Christ Lutheran / Augistana Lutheran / and Faith Methodist all had at least 3 feet of water in the sanctuary. Several other churches had the basements full.
The housing issue is bad. Housing was in short supply BEFORE the flood with the influx of oil workers...now with 4000 homes unable to be lived in, it is even worse. In many cases, the pastors of the churches lost not only the church, but their own homes as well and many of the parishioners that would ordinarily open their homes to mission groups no longer have a home.
That said- if you are interested in going to the area, I may be able to help with some logistics.  We have made 4 trips to ND already this summer, so don't know if we would be able to do it again now.   I do have 3 sisters in town that all know lots of people and have a relationship with all three churches that were totaled.
*Christ Lutheran - my sister Verla is president of the church. She said they would be spending $250,000 just for cleanup - they didn't have a $$ for the rebuilding phase of it.
*Augistana Lutheran - my mom's pastor had her office there.  My Mom and sister Marlys's church, Faith Lutheran in Surrey ND, had been housing mission groups there. They have cots, bath-rooms, kitchen.  They had an agreement for the workers to shower in the school locker rooms.  Also the YMCA was offering free showers to workers.  Surrey is just a few miles from Minot.   Augistana is also currently partnering with my sister Jen's church.
*Faith Methodist was the church Vern and I attended when we lived in Minot.  They are currently partnering with the church my Father-in-law attends.

Let me know if you would like me to pursue more information or call on my sisters for their thoughts.
God Bless you all
Linda and Vern Emerson

Mission to Minot

Hi all-

I was contacted by an agency in Minot who heard we were trying to bring a team.  The timing is not the most ideal.  

They want us to bring a team on Sept. 21, 22, and 23 (this is a Wed, Thurs, Fri) to help gut out a church that was pretty much destroyed by the flooding last Spring.  We would have to be pretty much self-contained, meaning there aren't accommodations, etc.  We would have to pretty much bring our own tools, etc.  We would be joining a skilled but smaller team from Washington.  

I would not be able to go.  I've spoken to Howard about it, and he says that he will check his calendar, and barring any conflicts, he's in.  

Cost is TBD.  I have to figure out lodging and food and transport and all that good stuff.  We really wouldn't need to buy much in terms of materials, so that cost is low.  I will try to keep it under $200 again.  

Who is interested?  

Rod
--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

Boiled Peanuts...

One of the things I love about the south is Boiled Peanuts.  Since there were people on our trip who hadn't yet experienced them, we stopped at this great little family store that had boiled peanuts advertized on their board out front.  We stopped to find the neatest little market complete with all sorts of fruits and canned goods (made by the lady in the photos).   She was cooking the most delicious smelling food when we were there, some sort of italian sauce that she was going to be canning that involved a whole lot of eggplant.  You'll see in the photos, the colonel was asking her all about it and she invited the colonel right into her kitchen to see what she was cooking!  Great little mom and pop store, complete with a little tyke running around.  I got the feeling that this was their home and they lived upstairs, though I'm not sure about that.

The trip was an amazing experience, and meeting people along the way is what it is all about.  I wish this were a corner store in my own hometown so I could shop there on a regular basis to support this woman's family, but I guess for now a bag of boiled peanuts and the memories must suffice.  I am looking forward to the next trip, hoping for just as many great experiences and new friends.

Until we meet again,
Kristen

Boiled Peanuts

RE: NOLA 6- Epilogue

Thank you all for serving God in this manner.

Blessings on your day.

Jodelle Ista

RE: NOLA 6- Epilogue

Hello Rod,

Thank you for always sharing with us…it often feels like we are with you in person…we are however, with you in spirit!  God’s many blessings on all those that served, serve and will be serving. 

And to finish your salutation:  Onward Christian soldiers!

 

God’s blessings

Trish

 

From: Rod Scofield [mailto:rodscofield@gmail.com]
Sent: Monday, May 23, 2011 11:47 PM
To: rodscof.ofcourseitquacks@blogger.com
Cc: Ali Stemme; Barb Adams; Corrine Mahoney; Ginger Stemme; Howard Newton; Jeff Shaw; Judy Miller; Krissy k; Kristen Butler; Leanne Clouse; Lewis Whitehead; Linda Greene; Matthew Sanderson; Pastor Rod Stemme; Rob Warmboe; Robert Newton; Rod Stemme; Sue Letourneau
Subject: NOLA 6- Epilogue

 

We left Slidell around 8:30am on Saturday morning and drove to Kirkwood, MO.  It took almost 11 hours.  

We left Kirkwood, MO just before 8:00am and arrived in Inver Grove Hts. just before 8:00pm.  Almost 12 hours.  

 

Somewhere just north of Waterloo, IA, I followed a sign for Highway 20 instead of the normal highway I usually take.  It added about 15 minutes or so to my trip.  Jeff was driving my car, and Rod St. was driving his van.  They took the normal way and ended up in a hail storm.  And when they stopped for gas, they noticed a tire on my car that was wearing pretty thin.  So they found someone on a Sunday in Iowa that had a used tire that would fit, and had it changed.   Howard had been driving his truck and had fallen a little behind.  We all caught up in Albert Lea, MN where we did our final devotions and prayed together and said goodbye for now. 

 

About the time we were arriving in Albert Lea, we started to hear reports of some pretty bad weather in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.  As it turns out, there was extensive damage.  It was the kind you can't believe is true when you see it in person, even though your own eyes are telling you it IS true.  For the most part, the only weather we ran into was when Jeff and Rod St. were in the hail in Iowa.  

 

Corrine said that this trip was the best one yet.  There was a lot of work accomplished, and we connected strongly with our homeowners.  For those that have been following, you might remember that after the last trip, (NOLA 5) I was skeptical about the projects we were getting from Disaster Relief agency we were working with.  I had a careful eye on this trip, to see if these houses fit the criteria of "least, last, lost" that we were trying to serve.  People that wouldn't be able to do it any other way.  And I think all three projects we worked on-  or to put it more humanely, all three homeowners we served, were divine appointments from God.  

 

Courtney and Kevin, Bob and Evalynn, and Chanel have changed our lives, and I hope we have touched them, too.  God is good.  

 

There were 22 people on this trip.  About half were from the original "River Bend" Churches, and the other half from other places.  There were 5 or 6 people in their 20's, and 6 people that got the Senior discount at the Golden Corral.  7 people joined us for the first time.  It was a good team that gelled together.  

 

I challenged everyone on the team to read Phillippians a few times before the trip, paying special attention to Chapter 2.  It talks about unity and serving God and each other.  And that's what we did.  

 

What's next?  I have been saying for a few months that this was our last New Orleans trip (for now).  Roma (a previous team member) wants us to go to Tuscaloosa.  Obviously there are floods and tornados all over the country.  And they are predicting a heavy hurricane season again.  We will have to wait and see where God directs us to next.  Wherever it is, we'll get on the bus.  

 

There are more pictures uploaded to the Picasa site (www.picasaweb.com/rodscofield/nola6#)  Or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/River-Bend-Mission-Team/197364267016).  

 

Thank you for riding the bus with us in the way you have.  Your prayers and letters of encouragement are very important and appreciated.  

 

Onward!

Rod

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

NOLA 6- Epilogue

We left Slidell around 8:30am on Saturday morning and drove to Kirkwood, MO.  It took almost 11 hours.  

We left Kirkwood, MO just before 8:00am and arrived in Inver Grove Hts. just before 8:00pm.  Almost 12 hours.  

Somewhere just north of Waterloo, IA, I followed a sign for Highway 20 instead of the normal highway I usually take.  It added about 15 minutes or so to my trip.  Jeff was driving my car, and Rod St. was driving his van.  They took the normal way and ended up in a hail storm.  And when they stopped for gas, they noticed a tire on my car that was wearing pretty thin.  So they found someone on a Sunday in Iowa that had a used tire that would fit, and had it changed.   Howard had been driving his truck and had fallen a little behind.  We all caught up in Albert Lea, MN where we did our final devotions and prayed together and said goodbye for now. 

About the time we were arriving in Albert Lea, we started to hear reports of some pretty bad weather in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis.  As it turns out, there was extensive damage.  It was the kind you can't believe is true when you see it in person, even though your own eyes are telling you it IS true.  For the most part, the only weather we ran into was when Jeff and Rod St. were in the hail in Iowa.  

Corrine said that this trip was the best one yet.  There was a lot of work accomplished, and we connected strongly with our homeowners.  For those that have been following, you might remember that after the last trip, (NOLA 5) I was skeptical about the projects we were getting from Disaster Relief agency we were working with.  I had a careful eye on this trip, to see if these houses fit the criteria of "least, last, lost" that we were trying to serve.  People that wouldn't be able to do it any other way.  And I think all three projects we worked on-  or to put it more humanely, all three homeowners we served, were divine appointments from God.  

Courtney and Kevin, Bob and Evalynn, and Chanel have changed our lives, and I hope we have touched them, too.  God is good.  

There were 22 people on this trip.  About half were from the original "River Bend" Churches, and the other half from other places.  There were 5 or 6 people in their 20's, and 6 people that got the Senior discount at the Golden Corral.  7 people joined us for the first time.  It was a good team that gelled together.  

I challenged everyone on the team to read Phillippians a few times before the trip, paying special attention to Chapter 2.  It talks about unity and serving God and each other.  And that's what we did.  

What's next?  I have been saying for a few months that this was our last New Orleans trip (for now).  Roma (a previous team member) wants us to go to Tuscaloosa.  Obviously there are floods and tornados all over the country.  And they are predicting a heavy hurricane season again.  We will have to wait and see where God directs us to next.  Wherever it is, we'll get on the bus.  

There are more pictures uploaded to the Picasa site (www.picasaweb.com/rodscofield/nola6#)  Or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/pages/River-Bend-Mission-Team/197364267016).  

Thank you for riding the bus with us in the way you have.  Your prayers and letters of encouragement are very important and appreciated.  

Onward!

Rod

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

NOLA 6 The last day

Friday was a big day.  We were asked  by the Director of the Epworth Project (our  hosting agency) if we would be willing to appear on a local TV news program in a series called, "Rhythm and News."  They wanted to show a large group of volunteers as a kickoff to their volunteerism season.  There was a concert by a local musician, Tab Benoit (If you have seen the iMax video on Hurricane Katrina and the wetlands, you have seen this guy before) and they interspersed the news throughout.  They interviewed the Director of the Epworth Project, me, the Director of the local Catholic Charities, and a volunteer from that group also.  The asked why we came down, and I just started listing the homeowners we have worked for in the past.  I told them that if we didn't work on their houses, they might still be waiting, or at least would have had to wait longer.  The music was fun, and the Epworth Project was happy to get the exposure.  Sometimes mission work isn't hard.  

From there, we went to our work assignments.  Kristen's group had completely finished everything they could do for their house.  Primed, two coats of paint, and painting trim.  Son on Friday, they went to join Bob's team, who needed more help, especially with painting.  There was some nervousness about having 13 people on one job site being a little much, but they got into a groove and finished strong.  Bob was very satisfied with the work they accomplished.  And from Bob, that is huge!  Howard's team got most of the eight interior doors they had to set, baseboard cut and set (not nailed in because of the door trim not installed on all the doors yet).  The transformation at this house was also very visible.  In our debriefing, each team described a similar transformation.  

The Epworth Project asks us to have tools back by 3:00pm, so we finished early on Friday.  From there, we drove down through the Lower 9th and tried not to act like tourists gawking.  It was meaningful for the people that hadn't been there before, and satisfying for the people that had.  Each time we follow the route they suggest, there is more development and rebuilding.  

For dinner (because some people want to know everything!) we went to "Parkway" which is a restaurant that serves Po Boys.  President Obama ate there when he was in town some time ago.  My friend from college, Joann and her husband Terry, choose it and met us there.  It has quite an atmosphere.  

We left Slidell this morning and have arrived in St. Louis.   We will get back into town tomorrow.  I get frustrated on the road because I think everything takes too long.  Ali has been great at giving me a look that says, "Check yourself!" when she sees me getting frustrated.  It is just hard to get a group this size moving all at the same time.  It's not bad, it just requires more orchestration.  I have to figure out how to balance letting adults be adults vs. urging and pushing and trying to stay on "schedule."  

As we were planning this trip, we said this would be the last trip to New Orleans (for now.)  It is hard to see the work needed to be done still, and to hear the stories and talk to the people at Epworth and not want to just sign up for another trip.  But there is need all over the country.  We will have to spend some time praying where to go next.  I don't think anyone is done serving yet.  It just is a matter of where.  And when.  

I'll send out another email to summarize some things in a couple days.  There will be some more pictures (Krissy is emailing pics off her phone to me, and Kristen's camera has some weird computer chip that won't allow me to copy her pictures, so she'll email hers to me later, also).  

As always-  Facebook (search for River Bend Mission Team) or Picasa (www.picasaweb.com/rodscofield/nola6#) and our blog (www.rodscof.blogspot.com).  I don't think anyone has added anything to the blog that I haven't emailed out, but Kristen and Ali have access to post on it and they probably will at some time.  

Onward!

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey

NOLA 6 Thursday

I think I figured out why I can't send pictures in here-  Didn't gmail used to have an "insert picture" button or something?  I'm guessing that because I have blind copied everyone except the team, if I attach a couple files, it looks more like spam.  -  So to see pictures, you'll have to click over to our Our Picasa website with pictures or our Facebook Page.  I think that Kristen has also posted some pictures on our blog www.rodscof.blogspot.com.  

Howard's team ran into a very "jenky" floor when trying to lay laminate flooring.  It took us twice as long to do the kitchen as it did to do any other room in the house.  We had to get pretty creative about it.  Roma B., who was on a few of our trips and with whom I have worked on a couple of these floors before, would maybe not have enjoyed this one.  We also worked on an exterior door and some interior doors.  We are really enjoying the homeowners.  They cooked lunch for us today.  

Kristen's team finished everything they can do for their homeowner.  They said they also enjoyed their homeowner, Bob.  Their project was priming and painting his entire house.  They got it done (garage included!) in four days.  They will be going to Bob's site to help him tomorrow.

Bob's team has been working on a myriad of projects at their house.  They have been glad to have Laban on their team because Laban has set tile for a living before, and there was a mighty big tile job to do.  They have also been painting and installing trim and baseboards and doors.  They have also spoken  highly of their homeowners.  

The weather has been great.  No too hot.  Well, today was more humid and warmer.  

Tomorrow we are going to be on TV.  There is a local news station that is having a concert with a local musician that writes songs about Katrina recovery.  They want to interview a volunteer team to help kick off their summer volunteer season.  I don't know much more than that, but I know we have to get up early for it.  We are also going to see the Lower 9th Ward and some other places that were hit damaged and still affected by Katrina.  

Thank you to everyone who is praying for us and supporting us.  Prayer requests for tonight and tomorrow would just be that we get as much done in quality that we can on Friday.  It's a shorter workday and there is still much to do.  

Peace!

Rod

-- 

The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed. 

--  Howard Macey

A few phone pics...Day 2 on site

Today started with devotions at the Epworth Center (which is a building in the Aldersgate UMC complex).  Lewis talked about having hope in the Lord for all situations.

On our way to the work site yesterday, Ken took us by this little paint shop.  It's a family owned store and the kids from the family all work there.  They were all super friendly and helpful today when we stopped back to pick up a couple of paintbrushes.

This is Bob, digging right in and painting with us.  When they redid the house the first time, he basically did most of the work himself.  I was painting on this side of the studs there and he was talking all about their experience with the storm and the various crews that have come through.  His comment was that they saw more quality work from the volunteers than from any of the crews they hired to do jobs in the house.

Leanne and Ali, painting away!

Here Ali was telling stories about being on worksites with Carolyn's (who is on the left) brothers (Howard and Bob).  She gave total permission for retaliation to any "flack" received from either of them on a worksite.  :)

That's all I have for today folks!!  We'll see what tomorrow brings!

Peace!

Kristen

NOLA 6 day two

I don't have any new pictures on the Picasa site-   But I did add a couple captions.

The weather has been mild.  Not too hot or cold with lower humidity.  Supposedly this is going to change soon.  

Kristen's team got a lot done with their painting project.  They expect to be done by noon tomorrow.  We will find out if they get another assignment or get shunted over to help Bob's team.  The lower humidity has helped the paint drying time.  Their homeowner's name is Bob.  He is retired Air Force.  After Katrina hit, they had 6 feet of water in the house.  They spent the first year after Katrina in a FEMA trailer while he used his own money fixing up their house.  They found out a few months ago that the drywall that had been used was the Chinese drywall and it was corroding his home.  They had to tear it out and start all over again.  Leanne and Ali  Tell me that Bob is a really nice guy.  He is easy going and quick to laugh.  He has jumped right in with them in both working and socializing.  He has been seen painting and cleaning out brushes and paint pans.  They said that he is just as fast to tease and joke around with the team as they are with each other.  His thankfulness comes through in his involvement with the team.  

There was talk about going on a swamp tour tomorrow night, but we didn't want to leave our worksites early.  Instead, we are going to go down to Cafe DuMond tomorrow night after dinner.  Depending on how late we get back, I might not get to post anything tomorrow.  -  

Some people have sent notes of encouragement.  I shared those with the team tonight.  Thanks, everyone!

If you use Facebook, you can "like" us and follow those posts.  You'll see a note that one of the homeowners we are working for posted on our "wall."  

We have been sharing our living space with another team from North Carolina.  They are a group of mostly college aged kids and they are leaving tomorrow.  They have been fun to hang around and we will miss them.  -  

More to come!

R

--
The spiritual life cannot be made suburban.  It is always frontier, and we who live in it must accept and even rejoice that it remains untamed.
--  Howard Macey