Be The Tool in Marquette again

We're calling it, "Marquette 4."  

We have a small ish team in Marquette doing a couple of things on the same house we worked on last year.  

We noticed last year, that the chimney needed to dealt with.  The bricks are getting loose due to disintegrating mortar from the weather.  Eventually, this chimney would fall down, we think.  So we are going to take it down before it falls down.  There is a question about how we are going to vent the hot water heater, but Howard and Bob have been working on solutions for a little while.  

We are also going to make the living room match the dining room and kitchen that we textured and painted last year.  

It's going to be a short trip-  only three work days, but we think a good set of projects and good team.  

We already have had some great time with Don and Dort, our hosts.  

Our team is Bob from Indianapolis, Howard, Ron, Erin, Leanne and Rod Sc.  Rod Erin and Leanne got in yesterday.  Took a little time doing some research at Menards and other places, and maybe waded in the water at Wemore's landing.  There really aren't any pictures yet, -  of team stuff anyway (just sunsets and people on the rocks)-  But we'll be sure to post some tomorrow.  

If you are getting this for the first time and want off this support team list, let me know and I'll take you off.  

OUR WEBSITE SHOULD BE LIVE ON TUESDAY!!!!  www.bethetool.org should go live sometime on Tuesday after long last!  

Ok-  and lastly-  Thank you for being with us!  Thank you for praying for us now and this week.  Safety, unity, finances, and efficiency I would say are what we need.  

Ok-  pictures tomorrow!  

Oh one more thing!!::::::::  We are going to try using MailChimp again soon.  I'm not sure how it works or how to fix what work last time we tried to use it.  

Ok-  that's really it.

Thanks for your prayer and support-

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Re: The last work day

Continued prayers for a safe return! Congrats on your many accomplishments.

In Christ,

Pastor Paul

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 30, 2016, at 12:51 AM, Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org> wrote:

We made a fantastic showing.  Awesome diligence and hard work.  

But it's the relationships that I'm most excited about.  Sure we finished the floor and put the aluminum siding back on.  And we drywalled and taped and mudded.  And we installed some bathroom fixtures, but really what we did was represent Christ to three homes.  We can serve because we have the ability to serve.  

There's a verse in the Bible that says, 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

(Matthew 5:15-16)  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  

-  Got all the work we could get done.  Not as far as we were hoping but a darn good showing.  

-  The agency we work for wants their tools back halfway through the day, on Friday so they can get them ready for the next teams, so we take the other half of the day to see or learn more about the community we are serving.  -  Today we went on a cemetery tour.  It was pretty interesting.  

-  Looked at the French Quarter for a few minutes.  

-  Ate out.  

-  Came back and have an ambitious plan for getting out of here early tomorrow.  

So I'm going to keep this short.  Reflections on the trip and the stories will come in a few days.  In the mean time, I usually can't post on Saturday night because I don't know how to use the wifi signal at the church we're staying in tomorrow night.  -  We can rough it for a little while.  :-)  So I'll see you back in a few days.  Fresh with insights and reflections.  

It was a great team.  A good week.  God showed up.  We are grateful.  

I DID post more pictures on FB.  Here is the link:  click here to go to FB photos of this trip

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

The last work day

We made a fantastic showing.  Awesome diligence and hard work.  

But it's the relationships that I'm most excited about.  Sure we finished the floor and put the aluminum siding back on.  And we drywalled and taped and mudded.  And we installed some bathroom fixtures, but really what we did was represent Christ to three homes.  We can serve because we have the ability to serve.  

There's a verse in the Bible that says, 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

(Matthew 5:15-16)  

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  

-  Got all the work we could get done.  Not as far as we were hoping but a darn good showing.  

-  The agency we work for wants their tools back halfway through the day, on Friday so they can get them ready for the next teams, so we take the other half of the day to see or learn more about the community we are serving.  -  Today we went on a cemetery tour.  It was pretty interesting.  

-  Looked at the French Quarter for a few minutes.  

-  Ate out.  

-  Came back and have an ambitious plan for getting out of here early tomorrow.  

So I'm going to keep this short.  Reflections on the trip and the stories will come in a few days.  In the mean time, I usually can't post on Saturday night because I don't know how to use the wifi signal at the church we're staying in tomorrow night.  -  We can rough it for a little while.  :-)  So I'll see you back in a few days.  Fresh with insights and reflections.  

It was a great team.  A good week.  God showed up.  We are grateful.  

I DID post more pictures on FB.  Here is the link:  click here to go to FB photos of this trip

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Re: NOLA10 - Thursday work day

Continued prayers!

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 28, 2016, at 11:38 PM, Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org> wrote:

Everything was going fine and then I got a phone call from an unknown number.  In fact, the number looked like it was coming from a foreign country.  

I'm not kidding.  I got a phone call this morning from a friend who is currently living in Africa.  He told me that he and his family are praying for us.  It is awe inspiring to know about people who are praying for this team and the homeowners we are serving.  This stuff is real.  The stories are real.  This friend living in Africa has been on a couple trips with us.  He knows the stories.  I love that he is part of our team.  

So there weren't very many pictures today because everyone was BUSY getting work done.  

Jon's team finished their house projects.  He was installing a shower and a vanity in a bathroom, painted some rooms, and installed some blinds.  DONE and DONE!

Leanne's team was working on installing drywall.  They have also taken on some window repair.  This job is ALMOST done.  They just have to put on one short little coat of mud and just a little bit of sanding.  Then they will clean up and bring the trailer over to Howard's site.  Almost DONE and DONE!

Howard's team accomplished a HUGE amount today.  The floor is almost completely replaced.  Howard worked on starting to frame up some walls in the house.  Dhoods worked with us today and he helped put the aluminum siding skirting back on, as well as helping replace the floor.  Because this team was in such a groove, they stayed an extra hour to get things done.  

Tomorrow is our last day at the job sites.  We only work a partial day.  Howard's team has a lot to try to get done still.  Just about everyone will be coming to this site.  We intend to get some electrical situations figured out, install two doors, finish laying down the floor, and do a lot of clean up.  Then we take our tools back to the Epworth project, have lunch and go see a few things in New Orleans, including the Lower 9th Ward and the levee.  

One of the cool things about doing these projects is meeting and interacting with the homeowners.  This year has been no different.  They all have stories and have been involved in some ways in helping work on their houses.  

Tomorrow is a long day and a late night.  I probably won't get a chance to write or post any more pictures until we get back.  

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Prayers for us to get a miraculous amount of work done before we have to head back.  For safety.  For our own families who are taking care of business back home.  For the next teams that come, that they also experience the joy of serving in a way that only God can give.  

More forthcoming.  Including pictures-  

It's going to be a mad dash for the finish tomorrow.  Onward!

Rod

Oh-  here's the link to our FB page:  Click here for Facebook!

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

NOLA10 - Thursday work day

Everything was going fine and then I got a phone call from an unknown number.  In fact, the number looked like it was coming from a foreign country.  

I'm not kidding.  I got a phone call this morning from a friend who is currently living in Africa.  He told me that he and his family are praying for us.  It is awe inspiring to know about people who are praying for this team and the homeowners we are serving.  This stuff is real.  The stories are real.  This friend living in Africa has been on a couple trips with us.  He knows the stories.  I love that he is part of our team.  

So there weren't very many pictures today because everyone was BUSY getting work done.  

Jon's team finished their house projects.  He was installing a shower and a vanity in a bathroom, painted some rooms, and installed some blinds.  DONE and DONE!

Leanne's team was working on installing drywall.  They have also taken on some window repair.  This job is ALMOST done.  They just have to put on one short little coat of mud and just a little bit of sanding.  Then they will clean up and bring the trailer over to Howard's site.  Almost DONE and DONE!

Howard's team accomplished a HUGE amount today.  The floor is almost completely replaced.  Howard worked on starting to frame up some walls in the house.  Dhoods worked with us today and he helped put the aluminum siding skirting back on, as well as helping replace the floor.  Because this team was in such a groove, they stayed an extra hour to get things done.  

Tomorrow is our last day at the job sites.  We only work a partial day.  Howard's team has a lot to try to get done still.  Just about everyone will be coming to this site.  We intend to get some electrical situations figured out, install two doors, finish laying down the floor, and do a lot of clean up.  Then we take our tools back to the Epworth project, have lunch and go see a few things in New Orleans, including the Lower 9th Ward and the levee.  

One of the cool things about doing these projects is meeting and interacting with the homeowners.  This year has been no different.  They all have stories and have been involved in some ways in helping work on their houses.  

Tomorrow is a long day and a late night.  I probably won't get a chance to write or post any more pictures until we get back.  

Please continue to keep us in your prayers.  Prayers for us to get a miraculous amount of work done before we have to head back.  For safety.  For our own families who are taking care of business back home.  For the next teams that come, that they also experience the joy of serving in a way that only God can give.  

More forthcoming.  Including pictures-  

It's going to be a mad dash for the finish tomorrow.  Onward!

Rod

Oh-  here's the link to our FB page:  Click here for Facebook!

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

NOLA10- the 2nd and 3rd days

It was all going fine until Cindy called.  

Just kidding.  I started the other updates with a phone call, and thought it would be cool to start this one like that, too.  But really, everything has been going fairly smoothly the past couple days.  Mostly.  Cindy didn't really call.  I just thought it would be funny.  And now you just spent five seconds reading that and you'll never get that back.  Sorry.  

The highlights:  

Jon's site has finished the paint project.  After a day with some frustration, Jon recruited Bob to come give some expertise.  They think that with another day like today, they could possibly be done with our part of this project tomorrow (Thursday)  

Leanne's site-  This team says they are one of the most cohesive teams in the history of BTT.  They might be right.  They have accomplished a herculean amount of drywall mudding and taping and sanding.  They have also installed drywall in spaces that others before them left blank.  

Howard's site-  Tuesday went ok.  Wednesday went better.  Sometimes it takes a little adversity to get you moving.  Howard got some people to one job and others to work with him on something different.  This team is making a mobile home "structurally sound."  Replacing floor joists and the the floor and the perimeter and the outside wall supports.  It's a mobile home we are rehabbing.  This is the team that is not going to finish everything they were tasked with this week.  

On Tuesday night, a group of people went to the Cafe DuMond in the French Quarter.  It was a nice time to hang out, people watch, and drink coffee.  Oh, I guess some people had beignets, too.  

Then tonight, Deb F. and Jon took us out to DairyQueen after supper.  Fun.  

This team is cohesive.  Fun to be around.  Responsible and respectful.  They/we are certainly keeping service a priority.  Thank you for your prayers for us.  

Like us and follow us on Facebook, if you would like:  Click here for Facebook.  More of the pictures here have captions.  

You can see pictures from our traveling at our Picasa site:  Click here for pictures of NOLA10   I tried to put them in chronological order, but it is hard to do for some reason and this way, you can think of it like a puzzle.   AND- This is a Picasa site-  Google is phasing Picasa out-  Anybody have any great ideas where I should move our photos to?  Flickr is probably the next option?  Thoughts anyone?

Amazingly, we are in the homestretch.  Thursday is the last full work day.  Time to pull out all the stops for getting as much done as we can.  

God is doing good things on this team.  We are glad you are here for the ride.  

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

RE: NOLA10- the first work day

Hi all,  

I replied to your first e-mail but put it in a draft and couldn't find it again.  In short it was about being thankful for your safe travel and getting the whole team together.  

Next was a picture of Molly and I watching a Wild game.  She's a sweet, happy girl and makes,sure the squirrels and neighbor cats don't come too close to my patio door.  She barks at them and I tell her to get'm and what a good girl she is. 😄😇😊.  Blessings to all of you and your recipients.   Molly and Kathy

PS I think Molly is a bit lonesome for her family as she really likes to cuddle😍

Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone

-------- Original message --------

From: Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org>

Date: 4/25/16 11:48 PM (GMT-06:00)

To: Of Course it Quacks <rodscof.ofcourseitquacks@blogger.com>

Cc: Carl Belz <belz@frontiernet.net>, Carolyn 'The Colonel' Newton <celesalee@sbcglobal.net>, Christine Milam <christinem@nowmicro.com>, Cindy Belz <cindy@dmadentistry.com>, Cindy Madison <maddie1098@aol.com>, Corinne Dahl <kcdadahl@charter.net>, Corrine Mahoney <cmahoney@lifeworks.org>, Dale Kimball <Missionmonser58@gmail.com>, Debbie Fors <Deb4sgm@gmail.com>, Deborah Schneider <deb8schneider@gmail.com>, Dhoods Guiwan <dhoodsguiwan_09@yahoo.com>, Diane Drager <ddrager@tds.net>, Ginger Stemme <vstemme@usfamily.net>, Howard Newton <hbnewton@comcast.net>, Jon Fors <heloves2sail@yahoo.com>, Krissy Keckhafer <krissymariek@gmail.com>, Leanne Clouse <dlclouse5@msn.com>, Lewis and Theresa Whitehead <angeltheresa10@gmail.com>, Linda Brausen <lindabrausen@ymail.com>, Milton Lizana <patriot1970@yahoo.com>, Rob Warmboe <rwarmboe@gmail.com>, Robert Newton <rgbobnewton@yahoo.com>, Rod Scofield <rodscofield@gmail.com>, Rod Stemme <stemme@usfamily.net>, Ron Clayton <ronclayton1@gmail.com>, Tim Clouse <clouse9900@gmail.com>

Subject: NOLA10- the first work day

So everything was going fine.  And then Bob called.  It was around midnight:30 and he was down the road, but couldn't find us.  He was about a mile away.  5 minutes later he was unpacking his trunk and getting ready for bed.  Our team is complete.  

The start of the work day:

We have three teams working.  

Jon's team-  Working on a trailer house.  Replacing bathroom fixtures and painting.  There are issues and drama putting in a new shower.  The one provided didn't fit (too big).  The one they brought to replace it would fit in the spot, but it's 36" by 48" and the doorway is 28"  We talked about it as a team and after our team meeting, some people started taking up a collection to buy the right size.  So far, without making a group announcement, we have raised $180 out of about $425.  

Howard's team-  Also working on a mobile home.  Tearing up flooring, replacing joists and subfloor.  And studs.  They have asked Bob to draw out a cabinet layout that would be good in this house.  

Leanne's team-  Doing a LOT of drywall and drywall mudding/taping/sanding.  Did I mention the drywall?  

We had a really good team meeting after dinner.  Awesome prayer time.  Just a good day.  

Thank you to everyone who has emailed, texted or Facebook messaged us support and encouragement.  It is awesome having you as part of our team.  You are integral.  You play a role meant just for you.  Thank you!

You can see pictures from our traveling at our Picasa site:  Click here for pictures of NOLA10  (I changed the album from private to public)-  AND- This is a Picasa site-  Google is phasing Picasa out-  Anybody have any great ideas where I should move our photos to?  Flickr is probably the next option?  Thoughts anyone?

Like us and follow us on Facebook, if you would like:  Click here for Facebook

More tomorrow!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Re: NOLA10- the first work day

Continued prayers! Keep up the great work.

In Christ,

Pastor Paul Marzahn

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 25, 2016, at 11:48 PM, Rod Scofield <rod@bethetool.org> wrote:

So everything was going fine.  And then Bob called.  It was around midnight:30 and he was down the road, but couldn't find us.  He was about a mile away.  5 minutes later he was unpacking his trunk and getting ready for bed.  Our team is complete.  

The start of the work day:

We have three teams working.  

Jon's team-  Working on a trailer house.  Replacing bathroom fixtures and painting.  There are issues and drama putting in a new shower.  The one provided didn't fit (too big).  The one they brought to replace it would fit in the spot, but it's 36" by 48" and the doorway is 28"  We talked about it as a team and after our team meeting, some people started taking up a collection to buy the right size.  So far, without making a group announcement, we have raised $180 out of about $425.  

Howard's team-  Also working on a mobile home.  Tearing up flooring, replacing joists and subfloor.  And studs.  They have asked Bob to draw out a cabinet layout that would be good in this house.  

Leanne's team-  Doing a LOT of drywall and drywall mudding/taping/sanding.  Did I mention the drywall?  

We had a really good team meeting after dinner.  Awesome prayer time.  Just a good day.  

Thank you to everyone who has emailed, texted or Facebook messaged us support and encouragement.  It is awesome having you as part of our team.  You are integral.  You play a role meant just for you.  Thank you!

You can see pictures from our traveling at our Picasa site:  Click here for pictures of NOLA10  (I changed the album from private to public)-  AND- This is a Picasa site-  Google is phasing Picasa out-  Anybody have any great ideas where I should move our photos to?  Flickr is probably the next option?  Thoughts anyone?

Like us and follow us on Facebook, if you would like:  Click here for Facebook

More tomorrow!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

NOLA10- the first work day

So everything was going fine.  And then Bob called.  It was around midnight:30 and he was down the road, but couldn't find us.  He was about a mile away.  5 minutes later he was unpacking his trunk and getting ready for bed.  Our team is complete.  

The start of the work day:

We have three teams working.  

Jon's team-  Working on a trailer house.  Replacing bathroom fixtures and painting.  There are issues and drama putting in a new shower.  The one provided didn't fit (too big).  The one they brought to replace it would fit in the spot, but it's 36" by 48" and the doorway is 28"  We talked about it as a team and after our team meeting, some people started taking up a collection to buy the right size.  So far, without making a group announcement, we have raised $180 out of about $425.  

Howard's team-  Also working on a mobile home.  Tearing up flooring, replacing joists and subfloor.  And studs.  They have asked Bob to draw out a cabinet layout that would be good in this house.  

Leanne's team-  Doing a LOT of drywall and drywall mudding/taping/sanding.  Did I mention the drywall?  

We had a really good team meeting after dinner.  Awesome prayer time.  Just a good day.  

Thank you to everyone who has emailed, texted or Facebook messaged us support and encouragement.  It is awesome having you as part of our team.  You are integral.  You play a role meant just for you.  Thank you!

You can see pictures from our traveling at our Picasa site:  Click here for pictures of NOLA10  (I changed the album from private to public)-  AND- This is a Picasa site-  Google is phasing Picasa out-  Anybody have any great ideas where I should move our photos to?  Flickr is probably the next option?  Thoughts anyone?

Like us and follow us on Facebook, if you would like:  Click here for Facebook

More tomorrow!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

NOLA10- traveling to New Orleans

Everything was going smoothly until I got a call from Howard.  

Let me back up.  

And I'll start by saying that there was no emergency- no accidents, no big drama.  Don't worry, but keep reading.  :-)

We got out of town on time.  Drove through Minnesota and Iowa and into Missouri.  No problems.  Nice and smooth.  

However, we were supposed to pick up Howard N. and Carolyn "The Colonel" at the airport in St. Louis as they were attending a wedding in NYC earlier that day.  Bob was supposed to pick up Howard and The Colonel at the airport and then meet with one of our trucks in Kirkwood, MO.   

I should probably introduce Bob, Howard, and The Colonel.  They are all brothers and sister.  Bob lives in Indianapolis and usually meets us in St. Louis, parks his car and continues south with us.  The Colonel (Carolyn) lives in Dayton and usually flies to Minneapolis and rides down with us.  Howard lives in St. Paul and usually drives his truck in the caravan.  -  Ok-  got the players?  

And then Howard called.  Apparently, Bob was not in St. Louis yet.  Bob hadn't even left Indianapolis.  He thought we were leaving the next weekend.  Not the complete end of the world, we would just have our truck swing into the airport and pick up Howard and The Colonel, then continue down to Cape Girardeau to meet up with the rest of the team.  But Bob is one of the construction leaders and his not being there is going to cause some issues in the projects.  

The team continued on, spent the night at an awesomely hospitable church in Cape Girardeau, MO.  The church is La Croix church.  It's pretty huge.  And they are very kind to us.  

This morning, we got up, headed out, drove through Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, and got to Slidell, LA around 6:00pm.  

The travel was almost seamless.  Easy roads.  Easy traffic.  Easy weather.  Easy people.  Easy.  

We have different people do devotions with our team - once in the morning and once at night.  So far, we've heard from Krissy (who isn't with us, but came to see us off), Debbie F., Lewis, and Rob.  They have all tied together really well.  And we don't necessarily plan that.  Seems to happen all the time.  

Big long team meeting-  introductions and all, procedures, etc.  

And Bob pulled in about midnight.  All is well.  

You can see pictures from our traveling at our Picasa site:  Click here for pictures of NOLA10

Like us and follow us on Facebook, if you would like:  Click here for Facebook

Prayer requests: 

Safe worksites.

Thanksgiving for safe travel and Bob's arrival.  

That we can Do what is right, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.  

Thank you for following along!  I might try to send this via MailChimp sometime this week. if you stop getting this part way through the week, check your junk mail folders or your "promotions" tab if you use Gmail.  (With Mailchimp, I can put pictures right in the email-  )  

Ok-  Peace and Joy and thanks for being a part of our team!

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Re: Getting ready to leave for New Orleans- NOLA10!

Prayers for the team. May God bless you and watch over you.

In Christ,

Pastor Paul

Sent from my iPhone

Getting ready to leave for New Orleans- NOLA10!

Hi all! 

We are getting ready to motor on back down to New Orleans for another week of rebuilding and sharing community and hearing stories and serving.  

This is our 10th team to New Orleans.  And it was 10 years ago the (almost to the DAY!) that we first went to the Gulf after Katrina.  

The team is 22 strong.  People from Minnesota, Ohio, and  Indiana.  Our buddy Milt from Louisiana said he wants to help us out this week, too.  We are excited to see him again.  

Pray for us for safe travel and good community.  Pray for our home owners.  We have gotten our work assignments and they look challenging and rewarding.  

As always-  if you want off this mailing list, please let me know.  (If you are one of the four people I added without asking today, - there are no hard feelings if you would rather not get these daily emails from this team- just let me know and I'll take you back off.)  

Thank you for going on this trip with us!  You are an integral part of our team and we are honored to have you.  

Rod (and team)

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield 3- The end

We've been back almost a week now and I thought I better send out the last reports about the trip.  First, though, a mighty big Thank you!!!! to everyone that was praying for us and supporting us financially and socially and everything.  You are a huge part of the story and we wouldn't do it without you.  

In the last email, I said that Bob wanted to do a debriefing, and that I would talk about that in this email.  Sometimes things don't go the way we want them to.  When you put your guts out on social media or the internet for all to see, it's easier to sugar coat everything and try to avoid offending people or making them feel uncomfortable.  But it isn't the truth and I think it's worth it to be transparent.  

Our team is mostly from the Upper Midwest, where things are done a certain way.  We dig basements.  We put ice guard on our roofs.  etc.  The agency we worked for asked us to do something that some people on our team felt would be ineffective and not achieve the best results.  Which led to some fundamental questions about what we do and how and why.  

A few years ago, we worked on a house in New Orleans that I had a hard time reconciling the "why" question.  This house was half of a duplex that the owner was living in the other half.  So this was going to be rental property.  And the guy was a plumber.  He knew how to do things.  Seemed like a bad use of our time. I reconciled it in my mind by remembering that we volunteered to serve the agency we were working through.  And if they thought that was needed, then I had to trust those whose authority I was under.  And the same applies here.  

AND-  

Yes, it's done differently here.  We are not in the Upper Midwest.  We are in the Mid Atlantic.  We voiced our concerns, offered suggestions, and they were heard and rejected.  We are not the ones who live here and it would be arrogant and disrespectful to tell them they are doing it wrong.  They are doing it differently than we would.  Again, we are under their authority.  We are in their sandbox, we'll play by their rules. I think we struggle with this because we put so much of ourselves into it.  Our way was rejected, so we were rejected.  After the last round of emails from Marquette, I was talking with a friend who doesn't live in the US anymore and he said, "I remember everything in the States was about being accepted... (is it still?)  and if one gives any kind of criticism, then that is seen as rejection. It's actually quite shallow. " 

And since then, I have tried to cognitively separate criticism from rejection.  I'm seldom successful, but at least I know.  So I guess the roundabout point here is that rejection of someone's idea is not rejection of that person.  

And finally, we talked about the whole thing not really making sense.  If you want to have the best return on your money, then maybe we should take up a collection and send it to the areas where disaster hits.  Let the professional builders make some money and put it into the local economy that way.  But I think that God's economy is not our economy.  And what we do isn't just about rebuilding a home.  It's about sharing hope.  And community.  And faith.  And Love.  It's becoming friends and sharing connections with the people in the van on the way out.  It's demonstrating God's outrageous love for us by driving halfway across the country (paying over $200 in tolls alone) to dig out oyster shells and pour cement.  Financially, what we do doesn't make sense.  But maybe it doesn't have to.  

I don't know if what we did to the house helped it in the long run.  The floor feels better when you walk on it.  And maybe the insulation we put up around the foundation will help keep wind and water out.  And maybe the reason we went to Crisfield was bigger than that.  

The drive back was pretty uneventful.  It did snow while we were in the Allegany Mountains.  But nothing that made driving unsafe.  We were very well taken care of in Maumee, Ohio again.  The people that hosted us came in gave us breakfast.  We got home on Sunday night around 6:15pm.Central Time.  

I didn't finish my paper, but I turned in what I had.  The next installment is due next weekend.  (It's a cumulative project)

Next trip that is currently scheduled is New Orleans on April 23-May 1st, 2016.  If you want to come, we'd love to have  you.  There are five people signed up already and three or four more assumed going.  That's a big start!  For more info, See our event on our Facebook page:  (click here for info about the next trip)  Or you can call Rod or email.  

I did put up more pictures of the trip.  You can see them here:  (click here to go to our Facebook page) or here:  (click here to go to our Picasa Page)

If you would like a photo book from this trip, or one of those awesome green team t-shirts, let me know and I'll tell you  how much they cost.  

Thanks for joining this story.  Hope to see you in New Orleans!

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield3- the last work day.

What a day!  

First I'll apologize for not getting any pictures up today.  It is late and I have to pack because we're leaving first thing in the morning.  And truthfully, it probably won't be until Monday.  But I'll get them going.  

Today we got as much done as we could with skirting the foundation of the house with styrofoam insulation and then hearty board.  It's kind of like a cement board.  The hard part was putting it up under the house along the perimeter of the deck.  I know I won't explain it well, but suffice it to say that Howard and Jon and I were under the house on our bellies in a crawl space putting a wooden framework to hang the insulation, and then putting in said insulation.  I only got claustrophobic once.   Just as we were getting ready to clean up and pick up the tools, the guy in charge came by and asked us to get one part under the next porch done, so we did.  

We left the job site around 1:00pm, went back, had lunch, and cleaned up.  Bob wanted to spend some time debriefing the job, which is something he hasn't asked for before.  When I write up the final piece, I'll talk about the issues we brought up and how we have left them.  (Stay tuned!)

We went to the local museum and gift shop.  Looked around.  Bought a few things.  Then drove around town for a few minutes.  (It's not a big town.)  Had some ice cream.  And then went and parked by the dock and waited until 6:00pm when the homeowners we were working for joined us for dinner at a nearby restaurant.  It was nice to spend time with them and get to know them a little better.  

Then we were invited to the home of a local guy name Joe Pinto who offered beverages and snacks and talked with us about Crisfield history and some guesses about the future of Crisfield.  It was really interesting.  Joe is a fascinating guy and a fantastic host.  

We just got back to where we stay and are cleaning up, packing up some, and heading to bed.  We are going to get up early and try to leave here by 7:00am- which is an hour earlier than we usually do, but it's a long haul.  

Pray for safe travel with tired drivers.  Team unity with tired and worn out (physically and emotionally) people.  Pray for our home owners, Mary and Monte and the next team that will come and work on their house.  

Thank you for being with us and taking this trip with us.  You are an invaluable part of our team.  

Talk to you again in a couple days!

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield3- Wednesday and Thursday

A good couple days with progress on the house and other cool things.

On the house, we got the piers to brace up the house done and the holes in the floor covered back up.  Now we are working on putting styrofoam insulation around the outside of the foundation of the house.  I guess it is to keep the wind from blowing up and in.  After the insulation, we are putting on something they call hearty board, which looks to me like some kind of cement board.  Putting it around the outside of the house isn't a big deal.  But where the porches are, they want us to go under the porches and install it there.  The success prediction for this project is a little dubious.  When Bob and Howard are both skeptical, it pays to pay attention.  But that is what we have been told to do and have clarified that we understand correctly.  So we will give it a shot.  Might end up being easier than we thought.  

Tonight we went to one of the home owners we worked for last year.  It was a house that Howard and Lewis and Ron and Dale and I (Rod Sc.) worked on.  When we were there, we started from the foundation and laid the plate, the floor joists, the floor, framed up and covered the exterior walls and framed up the interior walls.  We made the skeleton of the house.  Tonight we went in and saw it completed.  It was a little surreal.  The house is done and furnished very nicely and they have put their unique touches on it.  You can see a few pictures of it.  on our FB page or our Picasa page-  links below.  They they told us the story of how they weathered Hurricane Sandy and the ripple effects their actions had in saving three other lives.  It was inspirational.  I have a typed copy and will try to post it once I get back to MN and can scan it in.  

OH!  And they bought us a Smith Island Cake.  Google it if you don't know what it is.  It was delicious!  

ANDDD-  a local guy donated a big box of blue crabs for us for dinner.  They are pretty work intensive, so some people had an alternative, but I thought they were pretty good.  It was a good cultural experience.  

There are so many nice people in this town.  The locksmith that came and opened the van when Debbie had the keys in her pocket for hours and the rest of us couldn't find them.  He refused to take any money.  And then the plumber who gave us a big box of crabs for our supper.  And the homeowner who gave us Smith Island Cake and let us gawk at her house.  (she was actually happy to share it with us.  They are proud of it and grateful.-  And I like they way they said, "Come Aboard!" when they were inviting us in.)  

Last work day is tomorrow.  We will work about a half day and get as much done as we can.  Ben and Gordy (from UMCOR, the agency we are working through) both said to just do what we can and that they have 60 volunteers coming next week.  So we will do what we can.  

That's all you can do, right?  

The homeowner we worked for last year that invited us over tonight said something I thought was a good image.  She said, "When you go through the water, you leave a wake.  We don't always look back to see how those ripples affect things, but you know they do."   Be the Boat.  Be the Ripples.  Be the Wake.  Be the Tool. 

R

(OH yeah-  links:  Click here for the Picasa site

Click here for our Facebook page )

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield3- the 2nd work day

Business as usual.  Dug out some more clam holes.  Cut another hole in the floor, Poured cement.  Bent some rebar.  The inspector likes it.  He will be by in the morning to see about the cement pillars we are going to pour.  There was question about how to do it.  

Tomorrow I think we are going to pour some cement pillars in a round form about a foot in diameter.  Then once that dries, we are going to put a couple 2x8's across pairs of pillars and use them to shore up the floor joists.  I'll know more when it happens.  

In an odd change of scenery, I (Rod Sc.) stayed back to work on a paper that I have due for my class on Saturday.  I am about a third done with it.  I may have to stay back tomorrow, too.  I feel odd not helping on the work site.  They did just fine without me today, though, so they will probably do just fine without me again tomorrow.  But It sure feels funny.  

Prayers for continued team unity and safety.  

Prayers for our home owners M and M.  

Prayers for our families left behind. 

Prayers for me to get this paper done.  

There are pictures from today on our Facebook Page ((click here for Facebook)-  Like us if you have not.

The same pictures are here (Click here for our Picsasa site) on our Picasa site, but there are no captions.  

Thank you for being part of this story with us.  It is good to have you with us!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield3- the first work day

We started working today.  We are working on a house close to downtown.  The goal for us for the week is to shore up the house-  help make it level/raised a little and brace the flooring that was damaged in Hurricane Sandy.  

The process is:

Take out everything in the rooms we are working in.  

Take up the carpet and padding and old linoleum.  

Cut 4x8 holes in the floor in three rooms. 

Dig a hole 2'x2'x26"(deep).  - MORE ON THIS

pour cement footings.  

And then I don't know how to explain-  so more tomorrow.  

Everything was pretty straight forward until it was time to dig the holes.  The ground is made up of old clam shells.  So you can't really use a shovel much.  So it's really digging by hand.  And the hole is pretty big.  So it takes a lot.  After about 8 inches down, we hit water.  Makes it a lot of fun.  Wet clammy fun.  Took about two and a half hours to get about half done.  

We got to meet the homeowners.  They are great people and we talked about their story about what they did during Sandy.  (they were going to wait it out, but then called the National Guard for a rescue, but ended up driving their truck out because the Guard wasn't coming that close to the ocean anymore.  When they came back, there was water damage in the house, but they were able to get back in and worked on cleaning up.  

Today was a good day.  

And then I thought I lost the key to the van.  We looked for a couple hours after devotions.  Turns out Debbie had it.  But that was after I called a lock smith.  He opened the van for us, but wouldn't take any money.  He was grateful for our help in the community and said it was what he could do to support us.  We asked if there was anything we could do for him, and he said, "Just pray for me."  So we ask you to pray for Paul.  He came out in the late evening to help out.  

There are more pictures on Facebook.  Click here to go to our Facebook site

And on our Picasa site.  Click here for our Picasa photo site

Thank you for being with us.  This is a great story!

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Crisfield3- Getting there

We arrived in Crisfield tonight after one easy day and one harder day of driving.  Saturday morning we left the church at 6:20 am-  a few minutes ahead of schedule.  (a first?!?)  Half hour down the road, somebody I won't name called for a bathroom stop.  (It was Debbie).  We gave her a hard time for it, but EVERYONE used the bathroom and Lewis went so far as to call her a hero.  The rest of the day seemed to go by quickly.  

We spent the night at a church in Maumee, OH.  Great hospitality!  

Up and on the road by 8:15 am.  (used up the time we were early on yesterday?)  We spent the same amount of time on the road today, but it seemed to go by slower or something.  Great scenery going through the Allegheny Mountains and crossing the Chesapeake Bay.  Had dinner at some hole in the wall Chinese restaurant (same place as last year!) and then to the base we are staying at.

There is another group staying here working from here this week also.  And here is where you can see my attitude not be completely golden.  I talked to their team leader last week and told them we had some older people and needed a few bottom bunks.  Anyway, when we got here, we didn't find what we expected in terms of what they left for us.  Would it be petty for me to explain what happened?  Probably.  So the point is that God did not call us to be comfortable or have everything our way.  And as the great Polly Brantner once said, "YOU choose joy!"      And so I am.  It is good to be here in Crisfield again and getting ready to serve a homeowner with a great group of people that I love and love to be around.  THAT is the point.  

I have a few pictures that I took on the road with my phone, but not very many.  I'll post them on Facebook so check us out there if you haven't already.  -  

Click here to go to our Facebook page

Prayers for our team for safety as we get started on our work project tomorrow.  

Prayers for our relationship with the team we are sharing the space with.  May we all give glory to God and further His kingdom.  

Prayers for our friend, Sandy Helms who is having a pretty major surgery on Monday morning.  Sandy hosted us at her church in Findlay, OH the other times we came to Crisfield.  

We are so glad you are part of this story with us!

Rod

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

RE: Be The Tool on the road again! Crisfield3

Praying! Praying! Praying! Holding all of you and those you are serving close in our hearts and prayers. D&d

 

From: Rod Scofield [mailto:rod@bethetool.org]
Sent: Friday, October 09, 2015 10:42 PM
To: Of Course it Quacks <rodscof.ofcourseitquacks@blogger.com>
Cc: Debbie Fors <Deb4sgm@gmail.com>; Dort Schlientz <dort@dondort.com>; Ginger Stemme <vstemme@usfamily.net>; Jon Fors <heloves2sail@yahoo.com>; Rod Stemme <stemme@usfamily.net>; Ron Clayton <ronclayton1@gmail.com>; Howard Newton <hbnewton@comcast.net>; Robert Newton <rgbobnewton@yahoo.com>; Carolyn The Colonel Newton <celesalee@sbcglobal.net>; Theresa Whitehead <angeltheresa10@gmail.com>
Subject: Be The Tool on the road again! Crisfield3

 

Here we go again!  Leaving in the morning for Crisfield, MD.  The van and trailer are packed.  Seems like half the team is staying at my (Rod Sc.'s) house tonight.  (in reality, it is 4 out of 11)  We will be heading out bright and early at 0'dark:30.  

 

Pray for us for safe travel and good weather.  

 

R

 

--

Are you a tool?

 

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)

Be The Tool on the road again! Crisfield3

Here we go again!  Leaving in the morning for Crisfield, MD.  The van and trailer are packed.  Seems like half the team is staying at my (Rod Sc.'s) house tonight.  (in reality, it is 4 out of 11)  We will be heading out bright and early at 0'dark:30.  

Pray for us for safe travel and good weather.  

R

--

Are you a tool?

Christ has no body on earth but yours,

no hands but yours,

no feet but yours.

Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion for the world is to look out;

yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;

and yours are the hands with which He is to bless us now.  

(St. Teresa of Avila)