The week is over. We have celebrated a job well done. Our flight doesn't depart until 2:30pm, so we had a bit of down time this morning. I was the only one who took advantage of the pool. Nothing beats a quiet time, 85 degrees, sunny sky, water fountain in the background. It was nice...but I was getting really excited to see my family. I think everyone was eager to get home.
Sam was the only one not flying home with us. His family made arrangements to have him fly to Texas to spend some time with his cousins. He made it there fine. The rest of us had a relatively easy go of it.
Pastor Dave and Judy Brown met us in Burlington. Gerd, Laura and Greta also were there. They were picking up Karl. We decided to end the trip at Al's French Fries. It was the only place I could think of that served ice cream at 10pm.
We had our ice cream and then joined hands for a final prayer.
God: May this all be for our growth, others good and your glory!!!
Relief Team Day #7
Our day off! The only person out of bed before 8am was John Vautier. It turns out he went to the Waffle House for breakfast. I'm not sure what that is like, because I have only been to the Waffle House between 12am - 2am.
We had decided to make the kitchen, living room and dining room of the girls condo the main gathering place since the living room of the guys condo was a bedroom. So that met all the food was in their kitchen.
I decided to be a good guy and start breakfast for everyone (except John). I started whipping up some scrabbled eggs and frying a pound of bacon. I turned the radio on and started to sing along to Chicago's "Hard to say I'm sorry"
I'm still laughing just thinking about this. I kind of woke everyone up singing really loud. Hey, that's better than banging garbage cans together like John "Master Chief" Vautier. Anyway, (I'm still laughing) breakfast was good and then we hit the pool. Marco Polo anyone?
We had heard about Ship Island Excursions and decided that it was a good way to spend a few hours. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone and headed out. The dock was only abour 8 miles away and we were going to catch the 12 noon boat.
Ship Island is owned by the National Park Service and family owned business has the rights to ferry people out to the park. It's about a 45 minute ride out there. The folks found out we were a volunteer group and gave us $60 worth of umbrella and chair rentals. That turned out so nice.
The island is maybe 2 miles all the way around and there are no trees. It was all sand with some long grassy parts in the middle. IT WAS HOT! I'm so glad we had beach umbrellas to get relief. Sam, Ahmin, and Ben never left the water. I'm pretty sure they were swimming from 1pm to 4pm. I'm glad they were having so much fun. They were catching hermit crabs and letting them crawl around their hands.
The highlight was when the dolphins came. Probably about 6-8 dolphins kept swimming back and forth, parallel to the beach. Ben and I swam out and got with 40 feet of them. Amazing!!!
We all left a bit more red then when we got there. But it was still a very good time. We got back around 6pm...time for a Barbeque. John was on the grill and Ally made the hamburger patties. It was more food then we could eat. Even for "Hoover"!
That night some went to the beach, others went to the pool/hottub and some watched TV???? I couldn't believe it...but it was their day off. Around 12:30am Ben, Josiah, Sarah, Ally, Sean and I drove to the Waffle House. It was may too busy so we stopped by McDonalds. I think we finally called it a morning at 2am.
We had decided to make the kitchen, living room and dining room of the girls condo the main gathering place since the living room of the guys condo was a bedroom. So that met all the food was in their kitchen.
I decided to be a good guy and start breakfast for everyone (except John). I started whipping up some scrabbled eggs and frying a pound of bacon. I turned the radio on and started to sing along to Chicago's "Hard to say I'm sorry"
Everybody needs a little time away...I've heard her say...From each other. Even lovers need a holiday...Far away from each other...Hold me now...It's hard for me to say I'm sorry...I just want you to stay...And after all that you've been through...I will make it up to you...I promise you. And after all thats been said and done...You're
just the part of me I can't let go
I'm still laughing just thinking about this. I kind of woke everyone up singing really loud. Hey, that's better than banging garbage cans together like John "Master Chief" Vautier. Anyway, (I'm still laughing) breakfast was good and then we hit the pool. Marco Polo anyone?
We had heard about Ship Island Excursions and decided that it was a good way to spend a few hours. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for everyone and headed out. The dock was only abour 8 miles away and we were going to catch the 12 noon boat.
Ship Island is owned by the National Park Service and family owned business has the rights to ferry people out to the park. It's about a 45 minute ride out there. The folks found out we were a volunteer group and gave us $60 worth of umbrella and chair rentals. That turned out so nice.
The island is maybe 2 miles all the way around and there are no trees. It was all sand with some long grassy parts in the middle. IT WAS HOT! I'm so glad we had beach umbrellas to get relief. Sam, Ahmin, and Ben never left the water. I'm pretty sure they were swimming from 1pm to 4pm. I'm glad they were having so much fun. They were catching hermit crabs and letting them crawl around their hands.
The highlight was when the dolphins came. Probably about 6-8 dolphins kept swimming back and forth, parallel to the beach. Ben and I swam out and got with 40 feet of them. Amazing!!!
We all left a bit more red then when we got there. But it was still a very good time. We got back around 6pm...time for a Barbeque. John was on the grill and Ally made the hamburger patties. It was more food then we could eat. Even for "Hoover"!
That night some went to the beach, others went to the pool/hottub and some watched TV???? I couldn't believe it...but it was their day off. Around 12:30am Ben, Josiah, Sarah, Ally, Sean and I drove to the Waffle House. It was may too busy so we stopped by McDonalds. I think we finally called it a morning at 2am.
Relief Team Day #6
Since we knew the shale and mulch arrived at the school, we wanted an early start to the day. The only unknown was whether the Tuff's rental would let us have the skidsteer again.
Everyone was up and going for a 6am. After a 6:30am - 7am quiet time, we called the rental shop and they said we could have one. Awesome! Slidell is about a 30 minute drive, so we were on the job site about 7:45am. John had dropped Josiah off to pick up the machine while the rest of us grabbed our shovels and rakes.
Before the mulch could be put down we still had a bunch of digging to do. The grass down here is very tough. It took a lot of effort to drive a spade shovel down in to dig it out. I estimated 10-12 wheel barrel loads removed.
Regulations require 8 inches of mulch around the play structures and because of that we knew we still didn't have enough mulch. We had enough to cover the ground and make it look good, but Cheryl will need more brought in to bring up the height.
Once we got the mulch moved over, Josiah started hauling the shale. While everyone was spreading that, Karl and I finished nailing down the timbers. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough shale either. Bummer! They leveled what e had and then Karl and I closed in those timbers too.
The skidsteer had tore up the lawn pretty good, so we put a small crew on grass repare. I purchased some grass seed as well. That should do it. Nancy put another coat of paint on the stairs of the corner structure, but beyond that...we were done. We took some photos, said bye to Miss Cheryl and then loaded up. (Playground at Abney Elementary...CHECK)
John Thornhill called me last night and asked if we would like some jambalaya for lunch today. I accepted that offer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambalaya" When we got to Miss Patricia's house, John had a bench laid out with a big tub of jambalaya, salad and soda. Yum Yum.
Once everyone had their fill and were lathered with sunblock...it was off to painting. I had made a quick run to the hardware store up the road to buy as many plastic paint buckets as I could get. We learned yesterday that the students were taking too much paint in the buckets they had. When they dipped there brushes in the 6 inches of paint in their buckets, the entire brush was cover...right up to the handles. A couple of things happened:paint got everywhere, the paint at the top of the brushes dried out, the brushes became very heavy and that all made painting difficult. So, my theory, was to give them each a plastic bucket with about 2 inches (max) of paint. I became the "paint nazi" NO PAINT FER YU!!!
I also forgot to tell you about something yesterday. You know we had a shortage of ladders...well, I was on the look out for another. We needed an extension ladder really bad. I asked the folks at the hardware store but they didn't know of one I could borrow. On my way back to the job site I noticed a house with and extension ladder leaning up against the garage. I pulled in and it happened that the guy was in his garage working.
I said " Hi, my name's Todd, I'm with a church group down here doing some painting. Just down the road here. We're trying to finish up today and could really use an extension ladder for about an hour. Do you think I could borrow yours?' He said "sure, that'll be alright". Thank you, God, for getting us a ladder. On our way home we stopped by to return the ladder. I gave him a tin of maple syrup. He was quite surprised and we all were appreciatative.
We needed an extension ladder today too. On my way back from getting the buckets I pulled into the guys yard again. It was a bit awkward, because he was pulling in right before me. As he was getting our of his car, I was pulling in. It must have looked like I was waiting for him to get home. He gave us premission to use it again. Alright! Here we go!
John Vautier was on peak, Josiah and Sam were on 10-13 foot range, Sarah and Ben were at 8-10, Karl was on the porch, Ahmin was standing on a shed roof painting above that and Ally and Sean were on ground level. After about 10 minutes work we knew that the whole house was doable this afternoon. No problem.
John Thornhill was so thankful for our work. His project partner was having bi-pass surgery this morning. That met if we had not come down to do this, John was going to be doing the whole thing by himself. It was a daunting task in his eyes. Knowing this made the work so rewarding for us.
We stayed at, stayed hydrated and got it done! We said good bye to John and Miss Patricia, returned the ladder and headed back to the church. Everyone was pretty much packed up, so all we had to do was shower and go. Wait! Before we could go anywhere, we needed another trip to Baskin Robbins. Mainly, because Josiah made friends with a young lady there. I think he was looking for her phone number...all she gave him was a free ice cream. (still, not bad)Gulfort, Misssissippi here we come.
The students had worked so hard, and I knew they would, so I had made arrangements to rent two condos in a gated community one block from the Gulf of Mexico. Not too shabby. The girls had a two bedroom condo (nancy in the king and Ally and Sarah each got a twin bed). The guys were in a three bedroom. With the pullout couch, we had 4 "bedrooms". Well, I'm not sure if I made that completely clear.
As were headed (running) in to our condo I said "pick your bed". Josiah ran past the room with two twin beds and picked the room with a double bed. He came out of the room on top of the world, huge smile...until I reminded them all that there will be wo guys per bedroom. HA! That was funny.
After we got settled, we ran out for a quick bite to eat. On the way I passed a black Lamborghini...with a minivan!!!! (I don't think he knew we were in a race) After dinner, we dropped everyone off at the condo to go swimming. Then John and I went to the grocery store. The night ended with a walk on the beach.
Everyone was up and going for a 6am. After a 6:30am - 7am quiet time, we called the rental shop and they said we could have one. Awesome! Slidell is about a 30 minute drive, so we were on the job site about 7:45am. John had dropped Josiah off to pick up the machine while the rest of us grabbed our shovels and rakes.
Before the mulch could be put down we still had a bunch of digging to do. The grass down here is very tough. It took a lot of effort to drive a spade shovel down in to dig it out. I estimated 10-12 wheel barrel loads removed.
Regulations require 8 inches of mulch around the play structures and because of that we knew we still didn't have enough mulch. We had enough to cover the ground and make it look good, but Cheryl will need more brought in to bring up the height.
Once we got the mulch moved over, Josiah started hauling the shale. While everyone was spreading that, Karl and I finished nailing down the timbers. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough shale either. Bummer! They leveled what e had and then Karl and I closed in those timbers too.
The skidsteer had tore up the lawn pretty good, so we put a small crew on grass repare. I purchased some grass seed as well. That should do it. Nancy put another coat of paint on the stairs of the corner structure, but beyond that...we were done. We took some photos, said bye to Miss Cheryl and then loaded up. (Playground at Abney Elementary...CHECK)
John Thornhill called me last night and asked if we would like some jambalaya for lunch today. I accepted that offer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jambalaya" When we got to Miss Patricia's house, John had a bench laid out with a big tub of jambalaya, salad and soda. Yum Yum.
Once everyone had their fill and were lathered with sunblock...it was off to painting. I had made a quick run to the hardware store up the road to buy as many plastic paint buckets as I could get. We learned yesterday that the students were taking too much paint in the buckets they had. When they dipped there brushes in the 6 inches of paint in their buckets, the entire brush was cover...right up to the handles. A couple of things happened:paint got everywhere, the paint at the top of the brushes dried out, the brushes became very heavy and that all made painting difficult. So, my theory, was to give them each a plastic bucket with about 2 inches (max) of paint. I became the "paint nazi" NO PAINT FER YU!!!
I also forgot to tell you about something yesterday. You know we had a shortage of ladders...well, I was on the look out for another. We needed an extension ladder really bad. I asked the folks at the hardware store but they didn't know of one I could borrow. On my way back to the job site I noticed a house with and extension ladder leaning up against the garage. I pulled in and it happened that the guy was in his garage working.
I said " Hi, my name's Todd, I'm with a church group down here doing some painting. Just down the road here. We're trying to finish up today and could really use an extension ladder for about an hour. Do you think I could borrow yours?' He said "sure, that'll be alright". Thank you, God, for getting us a ladder. On our way home we stopped by to return the ladder. I gave him a tin of maple syrup. He was quite surprised and we all were appreciatative.
We needed an extension ladder today too. On my way back from getting the buckets I pulled into the guys yard again. It was a bit awkward, because he was pulling in right before me. As he was getting our of his car, I was pulling in. It must have looked like I was waiting for him to get home. He gave us premission to use it again. Alright! Here we go!
John Vautier was on peak, Josiah and Sam were on 10-13 foot range, Sarah and Ben were at 8-10, Karl was on the porch, Ahmin was standing on a shed roof painting above that and Ally and Sean were on ground level. After about 10 minutes work we knew that the whole house was doable this afternoon. No problem.
John Thornhill was so thankful for our work. His project partner was having bi-pass surgery this morning. That met if we had not come down to do this, John was going to be doing the whole thing by himself. It was a daunting task in his eyes. Knowing this made the work so rewarding for us.
We stayed at, stayed hydrated and got it done! We said good bye to John and Miss Patricia, returned the ladder and headed back to the church. Everyone was pretty much packed up, so all we had to do was shower and go. Wait! Before we could go anywhere, we needed another trip to Baskin Robbins. Mainly, because Josiah made friends with a young lady there. I think he was looking for her phone number...all she gave him was a free ice cream. (still, not bad)Gulfort, Misssissippi here we come.
The students had worked so hard, and I knew they would, so I had made arrangements to rent two condos in a gated community one block from the Gulf of Mexico. Not too shabby. The girls had a two bedroom condo (nancy in the king and Ally and Sarah each got a twin bed). The guys were in a three bedroom. With the pullout couch, we had 4 "bedrooms". Well, I'm not sure if I made that completely clear.
As were headed (running) in to our condo I said "pick your bed". Josiah ran past the room with two twin beds and picked the room with a double bed. He came out of the room on top of the world, huge smile...until I reminded them all that there will be wo guys per bedroom. HA! That was funny.
After we got settled, we ran out for a quick bite to eat. On the way I passed a black Lamborghini...with a minivan!!!! (I don't think he knew we were in a race) After dinner, we dropped everyone off at the condo to go swimming. Then John and I went to the grocery store. The night ended with a walk on the beach.
Relief Team Day #5
Hopefully you've enjoyed the blogs so far. I can tell you that it's been way more fun being here then reading about it.
The boys were pleasently awoken by Ahmin this morning at 6am. I say pleasently because that is compared to John Vautier's "First day at boot camp " style of wake - up. "GET OUT OF BED LITTLE GIRLS!!!!"
We drove to Lacombe, LA. Patricia is the lady who our November group work with. They worked on taking a gutted house and making it liveable. Electrical, sheetrock and flooring.
John Thornhill from Baton Rouge Baptist Church met us there. He has worked on her house since Katrina hit. It has become his project and his church committed nearly $80,000 to her and another person's house. He was pretty glad to see us.
Our job today was to powerwash, scrape, sand and prime her house. It was pretty hot, even at 8am, so we made sure we brought plenty of water and used sunblock. John V. drove to a guys house named Melvin to do some electrical work. I took over the powerwashing job and got wet real fast. I had paint chips all over my head and body. But given the temperture, it wasn't too bad.
Everyone else grabbed a scraper and went to work. Ally took over the porch and owned it. She is a very diligent worker. However, after three hours or so, we knew we had a problem. The pace was slowed a bit because we had more workers than we had equipment. The lack of ladders was the biggest slow down. The team did not have a real foreman on this job, so there was many temptations to be distracted. (Not that killing wasps is not a good and fun distraction)
Note: The wasps were everywhere. Josiah was stung twice and everyone else were taking evasive actions while painting. We did go to the hardware store and bought spray.
John Vautier came back just before we broke for lunch and we all drove to Subway. We had a pow-wow after lunch and we all recommitted ourselves to finishing the job today. Actually, the pledge was: No dinner until it's done.
Josiah, Sam and Ahmin went high on the ladders. Sarah, Karl, and Ben took the mid-sections and Ally and Sean stayed low. I acted as the foreman and water boy. That meant I directed the teams to where they needed to be, got them paint, and kept them hydrated.
Guess what? By 4pm we had the whole house done!!! It was a moment to celebrate. After cleaning up and eating some of of Patricia's cake, we headed home. On the way home we had an amazing experience.
As we were headed up Highway 190, a truck was turning out into our lane. It was towing a trailer full of watermelons. It seemed like he was turning too quickly and that there was a chance that a melon might roll off. I whispered a small prayer. Then, before our very eyes, one melon rolled off. We all let out a collective cheer and I swerved off the road. The melon was ours.
It was such a moment of great excitement. That was until we ran into the watermelon man again. You'll have to ask one of the students what happened next.
It was another Papa Johns night and a bit of free time. Ahmin offered the devotions tonight and did a great job. He talked about trust and how many times today we needed to trust each other during our work. Especially when up on ladders.
After a trip to Baskin Robbins, a bit of ping pong, a movie on Katrina and a dance marathon DJ'd by Karl and participents Todd, Sarah and Sean...we all went to bed. Early morning tomorrow. Our plan is to finish at the school and get back to put on the first coat at Patricia's.
The boys were pleasently awoken by Ahmin this morning at 6am. I say pleasently because that is compared to John Vautier's "First day at boot camp " style of wake - up. "GET OUT OF BED LITTLE GIRLS!!!!"
We drove to Lacombe, LA. Patricia is the lady who our November group work with. They worked on taking a gutted house and making it liveable. Electrical, sheetrock and flooring.
John Thornhill from Baton Rouge Baptist Church met us there. He has worked on her house since Katrina hit. It has become his project and his church committed nearly $80,000 to her and another person's house. He was pretty glad to see us.
Our job today was to powerwash, scrape, sand and prime her house. It was pretty hot, even at 8am, so we made sure we brought plenty of water and used sunblock. John V. drove to a guys house named Melvin to do some electrical work. I took over the powerwashing job and got wet real fast. I had paint chips all over my head and body. But given the temperture, it wasn't too bad.
Everyone else grabbed a scraper and went to work. Ally took over the porch and owned it. She is a very diligent worker. However, after three hours or so, we knew we had a problem. The pace was slowed a bit because we had more workers than we had equipment. The lack of ladders was the biggest slow down. The team did not have a real foreman on this job, so there was many temptations to be distracted. (Not that killing wasps is not a good and fun distraction)
Note: The wasps were everywhere. Josiah was stung twice and everyone else were taking evasive actions while painting. We did go to the hardware store and bought spray.
John Vautier came back just before we broke for lunch and we all drove to Subway. We had a pow-wow after lunch and we all recommitted ourselves to finishing the job today. Actually, the pledge was: No dinner until it's done.
Josiah, Sam and Ahmin went high on the ladders. Sarah, Karl, and Ben took the mid-sections and Ally and Sean stayed low. I acted as the foreman and water boy. That meant I directed the teams to where they needed to be, got them paint, and kept them hydrated.
Guess what? By 4pm we had the whole house done!!! It was a moment to celebrate. After cleaning up and eating some of of Patricia's cake, we headed home. On the way home we had an amazing experience.
As we were headed up Highway 190, a truck was turning out into our lane. It was towing a trailer full of watermelons. It seemed like he was turning too quickly and that there was a chance that a melon might roll off. I whispered a small prayer. Then, before our very eyes, one melon rolled off. We all let out a collective cheer and I swerved off the road. The melon was ours.
It was such a moment of great excitement. That was until we ran into the watermelon man again. You'll have to ask one of the students what happened next.
It was another Papa Johns night and a bit of free time. Ahmin offered the devotions tonight and did a great job. He talked about trust and how many times today we needed to trust each other during our work. Especially when up on ladders.
After a trip to Baskin Robbins, a bit of ping pong, a movie on Katrina and a dance marathon DJ'd by Karl and participents Todd, Sarah and Sean...we all went to bed. Early morning tomorrow. Our plan is to finish at the school and get back to put on the first coat at Patricia's.
Relief Team Day #4
This will be shorter then yesterdays. :)
Karl (hoover) woke up last night with a belly ache. Hmmm, I wonder why? I forgot to tell you, we started a ping pong tournament. I am presently champion and have everyone joining forces to beat me. Their efforts are in vain.
OK, after breakfast and quiet time, it was off to work. We jumped right in. We knew what needed to be done and we wanted to finish today. Well, all of our supples were locked in the shed and Cheryl was not there yet. Bummer. Day 2 starting out slow.
I went to the harware store again. 26 more timbers needed and another 100 rerods. We were ready to mulch!!! Unfortunatly, the shale and mulch we were expecting did not get delivered. Hmmm. But we did have more pickets for our fence.
Sarah and Ally were on fence duty. They had a great system for lining them up, spacing them and screwing them in place. I am very proud of there work (and they are too) Oh, funny story. After lunch, Josiah and John started to do the pickets where the girls got done. Oh man, they were talking and off in their own world. Every single picket was lower than the one before it. I called in the girls to get back on the job. John was good enough to remove the 12 or so that had been put on poorly. It was a good moment for girls around the world.
Ahmin took over on the skidsteer and delivered the mulch we did have. He got pretty good on it too. So good that he decided to teach Nancy Stevens drive it. Wait til you see this footage. Awesome.
When Ally wasn't working on the fence, she finished her shed. After Ben and Sean drilled and delivered the 26 timbers, Karl and I laid them out and nailed them. The playground is looking sooo nice!!!
We finished the painting, the fence, the timbers, the track, the fence, the weeding, and everything else. We will have to come back on Thursday to spread the shale and mulch (pray that they deliver it, please)
Cheryl treated us for lunch today..PAPA JOHNS pizza. The world's most awesome pizza (in my opinion) She is very thankful to us for the work we've done and for the supplies we've purchased. ($500.00 to date)
Some cool news is: Reid Doster from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Response, has reimbursed us for all those supplies. What an awesome supplies!! ( I mean surprise!) Reid also put us in contact with a guy who is getting us work tomorrow. I think we are painting a women's house. Oh man, here we come... loaded with paint. It could get messy.
After work, (we showered of course) but then we went to mexican place and had some good food. I hid Ally's leftovers from Hoover. That boy can eat!!! (But I didn't want him eating any more refined beans)
We then treated the group to a movie. Evan Almighty...we thought it was appropriate. Ping Pong, Rummy, Devotions, and bed.
Please continue to pray for us. We celebrated some close calls tonight. I almost hit Nancy's finger with a spade shovel (it would have been real bad), Josiah almost lowered the skidsteer bucket on my arm and head, Nancy almost got hit in the head with a 3lbs. sledge hammer, John almost rear ended our van with his and I almost backed into a white mustang. Come to think about it...I was involved in each one of those. Hmmm. Not good-maybe I should get some sleep. Keep praying for us (me) :)
For our growth, others good and God's glory!
Karl (hoover) woke up last night with a belly ache. Hmmm, I wonder why? I forgot to tell you, we started a ping pong tournament. I am presently champion and have everyone joining forces to beat me. Their efforts are in vain.
OK, after breakfast and quiet time, it was off to work. We jumped right in. We knew what needed to be done and we wanted to finish today. Well, all of our supples were locked in the shed and Cheryl was not there yet. Bummer. Day 2 starting out slow.
I went to the harware store again. 26 more timbers needed and another 100 rerods. We were ready to mulch!!! Unfortunatly, the shale and mulch we were expecting did not get delivered. Hmmm. But we did have more pickets for our fence.
Sarah and Ally were on fence duty. They had a great system for lining them up, spacing them and screwing them in place. I am very proud of there work (and they are too) Oh, funny story. After lunch, Josiah and John started to do the pickets where the girls got done. Oh man, they were talking and off in their own world. Every single picket was lower than the one before it. I called in the girls to get back on the job. John was good enough to remove the 12 or so that had been put on poorly. It was a good moment for girls around the world.
Ahmin took over on the skidsteer and delivered the mulch we did have. He got pretty good on it too. So good that he decided to teach Nancy Stevens drive it. Wait til you see this footage. Awesome.
When Ally wasn't working on the fence, she finished her shed. After Ben and Sean drilled and delivered the 26 timbers, Karl and I laid them out and nailed them. The playground is looking sooo nice!!!
We finished the painting, the fence, the timbers, the track, the fence, the weeding, and everything else. We will have to come back on Thursday to spread the shale and mulch (pray that they deliver it, please)
Cheryl treated us for lunch today..PAPA JOHNS pizza. The world's most awesome pizza (in my opinion) She is very thankful to us for the work we've done and for the supplies we've purchased. ($500.00 to date)
Some cool news is: Reid Doster from Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Response, has reimbursed us for all those supplies. What an awesome supplies!! ( I mean surprise!) Reid also put us in contact with a guy who is getting us work tomorrow. I think we are painting a women's house. Oh man, here we come... loaded with paint. It could get messy.
After work, (we showered of course) but then we went to mexican place and had some good food. I hid Ally's leftovers from Hoover. That boy can eat!!! (But I didn't want him eating any more refined beans)
We then treated the group to a movie. Evan Almighty...we thought it was appropriate. Ping Pong, Rummy, Devotions, and bed.
Please continue to pray for us. We celebrated some close calls tonight. I almost hit Nancy's finger with a spade shovel (it would have been real bad), Josiah almost lowered the skidsteer bucket on my arm and head, Nancy almost got hit in the head with a 3lbs. sledge hammer, John almost rear ended our van with his and I almost backed into a white mustang. Come to think about it...I was involved in each one of those. Hmmm. Not good-maybe I should get some sleep. Keep praying for us (me) :)
For our growth, others good and God's glory!
Relief Team Day #3 (it's a long one)
WORK!!! We are ready. For the next four days we will be on a consistant schedule. 6:15am Breakfast. 7am Quiet Time (students work in their journals, read the bible, pray...by themselves. It's a good way to start the day) 7:30am head to work.
The church we are staying at has a full kitchen and we have full access. We had made a trip to the grocery store to purchase cereal, fruit, bagels, juice and other breakfast items. Each day two students have the responsibility of getting everything out (buffet style) and cleaning up.
It was a little hard to get up this morning, at least for the guys. We stayed up quite late talking about our experience on Sunday. There is nothing like Bourbon Street to get a good talk going about how women are treated in our culture. We concluded that we need to use the same system that God uses to value girls (people in general). That conclusion is a shot in the face of our culture. I pray that these young men continue to grow in integrity and character.
We drove to the Abney Elementary School this morning. The school is in a mixed race community...always has been. After the storm, three feet of water, it needed a major cleaning. Groups came in and threw away everything. Even books and supplies that could have been salvaged. Teachers lost everything in their rooms. But appartently this school was not as bad as some because it's enrollment jumped high. Suddenly teachers, who had little resources, were dealing with much bigger classes.
Note: This county has had a jump of 75,000 - 100,000 in population since Katrina. Many left New Orleans and came north of Lake Ponchartrain. The stress of life in this county can be seen in a recent newspaper. They listed the divources that were filed in the past 5 weeks. 148 couples have ended their marriages in the last 35 days.
So that's the area we are working in. The pre-school program that operates in this school has been left to cope on their own. They have 80 pre-schoolers and only recently have they been given an area large enough for them to have a playground.
Enter: Gulf Coast Relief Team. Our contact is one of the pre-school teachers, Cheryl. She has spent much of her own money to get stuff ready for us.
The pictures we bring back will tell the story so much better, but here we go. The grass had been mowed for, must be a month. So that looked bad. The tires that kids play on looked like they were last painted in the 1990's. There are play structures scattered around but none have mulch under them. The toys that are around are...well, just around. There are no areas that look like a playground.
The to-do list included: Mowing, weed whacking, painting the tires, racking the entire area, building an 8x8 sand box, building a 150' foot bike path out of shale rock, oulining all the play structures with landscaping timbers, building a picket 50' fence to inclose a kiddy kitchen play area, paint a shed, spread mulch around trees, and weed some stuff.
Everyone jumped right in. Ahmin, Sam and Josiah took care of the mowing and trimming. Ally started on the shed. Ben, Sean and Sarah started painting the tires. Karl and Nancy raked. John and I set to work to figure out materials. I drove to the hardware store 3 times by the end of the day.
We were told that a skid steer was available to us to move sand, mulch and shale. Josiah answered the call and spent, I'm guessing, 4 hours on it. The sand was to cover exposed tree roots, level the ground in places but mostly to put a base down for the 10' wide 150' long bike path. We used landscaping timbers to outine the track and hold in the shale. Each timber had to be pre-drilled three times and 12" re-rod (rebar) driven in to hold them in place.
John and Sam started on the play fence. They had a posthole digger and made fast work of the first side of the fence. Each 6' picket had to be cut in two and have decorative cuts made before they could be put on.
Ally decided to paint the shed with an animal background. Two horses are now looking out of the shed doors and little flowers are growing on either side. Very cute!!!
Karl, Ben and Sean worked out a system to carry the timbers to the power supply (200 feet away) drill the three holes and carry them back to Ahmin and I as we laid them out and hammered them place.
Sarah kept painting the tires. (She is so done painting the tires) By the end of the day we put a power drill in her hand and she smiled very big.
The track was ready for shale so Josiah started hauling it. He is getting really good at operating it. We ended up running out of shale half way through. There will be more delivered tomorrow.
We ended the day at 4pm and desparetly needed showers...man are we dirty. The church has a shower trailor in the parking lot. It is very nice and clean...and most importantly the water is wet.
I was trying to find a mexican restaurant for dinner but had no luck. I was sick of driving around so I decided to change our plans. (I was planning to surprise the students on Wednesday night...but they worked so hard today) I pulled into OSAKA, Japanese Hibachi Steak House. These are the kinds where the chef stands at your table and entertains you while he cooks your meal. I love to be with students when they experience first. Ally, Sarah, Ben, Josiah and John V. had never been to this type of restaurant. Holy Cow! Did we ever have a good time. Our chef was the most entertaining I've ever had and the food was amazing. Good times.
Before bed each night we have devotions. It's a good time for us to come together and discuss our day and have some time to pray. Time for bed!
The church we are staying at has a full kitchen and we have full access. We had made a trip to the grocery store to purchase cereal, fruit, bagels, juice and other breakfast items. Each day two students have the responsibility of getting everything out (buffet style) and cleaning up.
It was a little hard to get up this morning, at least for the guys. We stayed up quite late talking about our experience on Sunday. There is nothing like Bourbon Street to get a good talk going about how women are treated in our culture. We concluded that we need to use the same system that God uses to value girls (people in general). That conclusion is a shot in the face of our culture. I pray that these young men continue to grow in integrity and character.
We drove to the Abney Elementary School this morning. The school is in a mixed race community...always has been. After the storm, three feet of water, it needed a major cleaning. Groups came in and threw away everything. Even books and supplies that could have been salvaged. Teachers lost everything in their rooms. But appartently this school was not as bad as some because it's enrollment jumped high. Suddenly teachers, who had little resources, were dealing with much bigger classes.
Note: This county has had a jump of 75,000 - 100,000 in population since Katrina. Many left New Orleans and came north of Lake Ponchartrain. The stress of life in this county can be seen in a recent newspaper. They listed the divources that were filed in the past 5 weeks. 148 couples have ended their marriages in the last 35 days.
So that's the area we are working in. The pre-school program that operates in this school has been left to cope on their own. They have 80 pre-schoolers and only recently have they been given an area large enough for them to have a playground.
Enter: Gulf Coast Relief Team. Our contact is one of the pre-school teachers, Cheryl. She has spent much of her own money to get stuff ready for us.
The pictures we bring back will tell the story so much better, but here we go. The grass had been mowed for, must be a month. So that looked bad. The tires that kids play on looked like they were last painted in the 1990's. There are play structures scattered around but none have mulch under them. The toys that are around are...well, just around. There are no areas that look like a playground.
The to-do list included: Mowing, weed whacking, painting the tires, racking the entire area, building an 8x8 sand box, building a 150' foot bike path out of shale rock, oulining all the play structures with landscaping timbers, building a picket 50' fence to inclose a kiddy kitchen play area, paint a shed, spread mulch around trees, and weed some stuff.
Everyone jumped right in. Ahmin, Sam and Josiah took care of the mowing and trimming. Ally started on the shed. Ben, Sean and Sarah started painting the tires. Karl and Nancy raked. John and I set to work to figure out materials. I drove to the hardware store 3 times by the end of the day.
We were told that a skid steer was available to us to move sand, mulch and shale. Josiah answered the call and spent, I'm guessing, 4 hours on it. The sand was to cover exposed tree roots, level the ground in places but mostly to put a base down for the 10' wide 150' long bike path. We used landscaping timbers to outine the track and hold in the shale. Each timber had to be pre-drilled three times and 12" re-rod (rebar) driven in to hold them in place.
John and Sam started on the play fence. They had a posthole digger and made fast work of the first side of the fence. Each 6' picket had to be cut in two and have decorative cuts made before they could be put on.
Ally decided to paint the shed with an animal background. Two horses are now looking out of the shed doors and little flowers are growing on either side. Very cute!!!
Karl, Ben and Sean worked out a system to carry the timbers to the power supply (200 feet away) drill the three holes and carry them back to Ahmin and I as we laid them out and hammered them place.
Sarah kept painting the tires. (She is so done painting the tires) By the end of the day we put a power drill in her hand and she smiled very big.
The track was ready for shale so Josiah started hauling it. He is getting really good at operating it. We ended up running out of shale half way through. There will be more delivered tomorrow.
We ended the day at 4pm and desparetly needed showers...man are we dirty. The church has a shower trailor in the parking lot. It is very nice and clean...and most importantly the water is wet.
I was trying to find a mexican restaurant for dinner but had no luck. I was sick of driving around so I decided to change our plans. (I was planning to surprise the students on Wednesday night...but they worked so hard today) I pulled into OSAKA, Japanese Hibachi Steak House. These are the kinds where the chef stands at your table and entertains you while he cooks your meal. I love to be with students when they experience first. Ally, Sarah, Ben, Josiah and John V. had never been to this type of restaurant. Holy Cow! Did we ever have a good time. Our chef was the most entertaining I've ever had and the food was amazing. Good times.
Before bed each night we have devotions. It's a good time for us to come together and discuss our day and have some time to pray. Time for bed!
Relief Team Day 2
We woke up this morning and had to pack up everything and move it into storage. Our bedroom doubles as a sunday school room and they don't appreciate sleeping bags and dirty clothes left in their room. Go figure.
John Vautier decided we needed to start the day out right...and took us to IHOP. Unfortunatly, Ilene was not our server. That would have been real funny. It was a great breakfast and was also a learning experience for our Lincoln youth. "You mean people actually use this garbage" speaking about the "maple syrup" on our table. There was only one thing to do...I ran out to our van and grab a can of the pure Vermont Maple Syrup we brought to give as gifts. (Chuck, I owe you money for one log cabin because we used it for our own consumption)
We drove over to Jim and Nancy's to pick up Ally and Sarah. They too had an amazing breakfast. (And a good sleep...in real beds) The boys caught a wild duck and Josiah hit a turtle with a rock. We spent a little more time chatting with the Thompson's before we left for church.
We hit the road and headed for downtown New Orleans. And it was downtown. The church was in a poor area that had been hit hard by Katrina. New St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church, welcomed us very warmly. We were escorted toward the front of the church by the ushers. We were their guest of honor. The church had three feet of water in it after Katrina and needed to be completly gutted. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Relief group was key to getting the church back. New St. Marks has two other church congregations using the building for worship.
It was a small congregation today, about 30. BUT they were loud and lively-vocal in their praise to God! There was a lot of music (provided by the band) and alot of "AMEN's" and "preach it pastor"
Pastor Ike Mayfield invited me to sit with him on the platform. I was honored, but a bit uncomfortable. (Forgetting my razor and showing up with stubble didn't help...but it was great because the provide water and orange juice on the platform....Dave, take note!)
Ike was gracious. He had the group stand up and the folks applauded. He wanted to make sure we knew how thankful they were. "Sometimes people around here don't show thankfulness...but we are very thankful" he said.
Pastor Ike is now my hero...he has a monogrammed preaching rag. "Pastor Ike Mayfield, Jr" Very cool!
After worship, we drove to pick up Nancy Stevens. She took a shuttle to the French Quarter and we met her there. We took Mary Lou Hardings advice and went to "Mother's" for lunch. It was certainly a local favorite and had many local options on the menu. Ally, Ahmin, and Ben opted for salad. Josiah and I were brave and went with seafood. Karl Krahn "Hoover" cleaned everyones plates.
After lunch we took a self-guided walking tour of downtown. It was fun, but kind of sad too. We saw a lot of drug, sex and alcohol abuse. I came away feeling that Katrina was only one of there problems. There was, however, a street jazz band playing that was fun to watch.
Then we drove through the lower 9th ward. The houses looked very much like they did when we all watched the TV coverage. The spray painted symbols left by groups clearing the houses days after the storm, were still very visable. FEMA trailors seemed to be on every other driveway. Locals say it will take 10 years to get back to "normal".
The day was really an emotional roller coaster. But one we felt was preparation for the work we are getting ready to do. "For our growth, others good and God's glory!"
John Vautier decided we needed to start the day out right...and took us to IHOP. Unfortunatly, Ilene was not our server. That would have been real funny. It was a great breakfast and was also a learning experience for our Lincoln youth. "You mean people actually use this garbage" speaking about the "maple syrup" on our table. There was only one thing to do...I ran out to our van and grab a can of the pure Vermont Maple Syrup we brought to give as gifts. (Chuck, I owe you money for one log cabin because we used it for our own consumption)
We drove over to Jim and Nancy's to pick up Ally and Sarah. They too had an amazing breakfast. (And a good sleep...in real beds) The boys caught a wild duck and Josiah hit a turtle with a rock. We spent a little more time chatting with the Thompson's before we left for church.
We hit the road and headed for downtown New Orleans. And it was downtown. The church was in a poor area that had been hit hard by Katrina. New St. Marks Missionary Baptist Church, welcomed us very warmly. We were escorted toward the front of the church by the ushers. We were their guest of honor. The church had three feet of water in it after Katrina and needed to be completly gutted. Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Disaster Relief group was key to getting the church back. New St. Marks has two other church congregations using the building for worship.
It was a small congregation today, about 30. BUT they were loud and lively-vocal in their praise to God! There was a lot of music (provided by the band) and alot of "AMEN's" and "preach it pastor"
Pastor Ike Mayfield invited me to sit with him on the platform. I was honored, but a bit uncomfortable. (Forgetting my razor and showing up with stubble didn't help...but it was great because the provide water and orange juice on the platform....Dave, take note!)
Ike was gracious. He had the group stand up and the folks applauded. He wanted to make sure we knew how thankful they were. "Sometimes people around here don't show thankfulness...but we are very thankful" he said.
Pastor Ike is now my hero...he has a monogrammed preaching rag. "Pastor Ike Mayfield, Jr" Very cool!
After worship, we drove to pick up Nancy Stevens. She took a shuttle to the French Quarter and we met her there. We took Mary Lou Hardings advice and went to "Mother's" for lunch. It was certainly a local favorite and had many local options on the menu. Ally, Ahmin, and Ben opted for salad. Josiah and I were brave and went with seafood. Karl Krahn "Hoover" cleaned everyones plates.
After lunch we took a self-guided walking tour of downtown. It was fun, but kind of sad too. We saw a lot of drug, sex and alcohol abuse. I came away feeling that Katrina was only one of there problems. There was, however, a street jazz band playing that was fun to watch.
Then we drove through the lower 9th ward. The houses looked very much like they did when we all watched the TV coverage. The spray painted symbols left by groups clearing the houses days after the storm, were still very visable. FEMA trailors seemed to be on every other driveway. Locals say it will take 10 years to get back to "normal".
The day was really an emotional roller coaster. But one we felt was preparation for the work we are getting ready to do. "For our growth, others good and God's glory!"
Relief Team Update #1 part B
Thank you all for praying for our trip and safety. The flight down was problem free. The planes were on time and all the luggage arrived. We picked up our rental vans and headed to lunch. For a little taste of New Orleans we ate at a unique restaurant...McDonalds. We did stop at Sam's Cafe first, but the young lady behind the counter was also the cook and told us we were welcome to stay, but it would probably be a long experience. We appreciated her honesty and went up the road.
We got to our host church and unpacked. We're really spoiled here. Ping Pong, XBOX, Pool Table, and a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop across the street. We crashed for four hours and then drove 2 miles over to Jim and Nancy Thompson's house. Jim is Linda Norton, Bruce Goodyear, Lorraine Patterson, Lisa Prescott's and David Thompson's cousin. (that makes him the first cousin "once removed" of Josiah and I) He spent many summers in Lincoln growing up.
Jim and Nancy were very gracious host. They made us a big spaghetti dinner and provided a great place to spend our first evening in Louisiana. With a big pond off their back yard and a air conditioned house...we were once again feeling spoiled. They also allowed Sarah and Ally to sleep there our first night because Nancy Stevens does not arrive until Sunday.
In devotions we talked about the many things we can be thankful.
11pm to bed
We got to our host church and unpacked. We're really spoiled here. Ping Pong, XBOX, Pool Table, and a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop across the street. We crashed for four hours and then drove 2 miles over to Jim and Nancy Thompson's house. Jim is Linda Norton, Bruce Goodyear, Lorraine Patterson, Lisa Prescott's and David Thompson's cousin. (that makes him the first cousin "once removed" of Josiah and I) He spent many summers in Lincoln growing up.
Jim and Nancy were very gracious host. They made us a big spaghetti dinner and provided a great place to spend our first evening in Louisiana. With a big pond off their back yard and a air conditioned house...we were once again feeling spoiled. They also allowed Sarah and Ally to sleep there our first night because Nancy Stevens does not arrive until Sunday.
In devotions we talked about the many things we can be thankful.
11pm to bed
Relief Team Day #1
It's almost 4am...(yawn!!!)
We're headed up to BTV. We should be in New Orleans by lunch time. I think we have everything. So we kissed our family goodbye and are getting ready to jump into whatever God has for us.
God, I don't understand why you continue to use us; we are so flawed. We give you all our uselessness and pray that you change it. Please, help us to remember that we are serving YOU. Amen.
We're headed up to BTV. We should be in New Orleans by lunch time. I think we have everything. So we kissed our family goodbye and are getting ready to jump into whatever God has for us.
God, I don't understand why you continue to use us; we are so flawed. We give you all our uselessness and pray that you change it. Please, help us to remember that we are serving YOU. Amen.
Glory Day
It's not too late to sign up!!!!! Please email me or call me to reserve a spot ASAP!
Glory Day June 30th
8am Leave the church in Lincoln
10am Arrive at the park
7pm Leave the park
***Dinner at a drive-thru type restaurant
9:30pm Arrive at the church in Lincoln
$25.00 includes transportation and admission to Six Flags (Great Escape)
NOTE: MEAL OPTION (you can bring your own lunch or....)
For $10.00 you can go with us to the NORTH WOODS PICNIC GROVE. It's right on the grounds of the park and Glory Day has reserved the space for an "ALL YOU CAN EAT" picnic buffet lunch. Burgers, hotdogs, fruit salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, potatoe chips, assorted beverages and ice cream desserts. I would recommend this option. You can make your check of $35.00 payable to USM.
Also, remember that Great Escape has Splashwater Kingdom...so bring a towel and a bathing suit. Lockers can be rented for $5.00 (the money is refundable if you return the key)
Glory Day June 30th
8am Leave the church in Lincoln
10am Arrive at the park
7pm Leave the park
***Dinner at a drive-thru type restaurant
9:30pm Arrive at the church in Lincoln
$25.00 includes transportation and admission to Six Flags (Great Escape)
NOTE: MEAL OPTION (you can bring your own lunch or....)
For $10.00 you can go with us to the NORTH WOODS PICNIC GROVE. It's right on the grounds of the park and Glory Day has reserved the space for an "ALL YOU CAN EAT" picnic buffet lunch. Burgers, hotdogs, fruit salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, potatoe chips, assorted beverages and ice cream desserts. I would recommend this option. You can make your check of $35.00 payable to USM.
Also, remember that Great Escape has Splashwater Kingdom...so bring a towel and a bathing suit. Lockers can be rented for $5.00 (the money is refundable if you return the key)
Whiffle Ball
Matt and Todd constructed a whiffle ball field behind the church that is open to all. You can read about the field here: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070610/COLUMNISTS03/706100301/1053
We've also been using it on Sunday nights. "Take me out to the ball game..."
We've also been using it on Sunday nights. "Take me out to the ball game..."
CongraTulations!
Sarah Luke, Ryan L'Heureux, Trent Roleau, Lynn Sipsey, Josiah Thompson, Kayla Jimmo. Mt. Abe Class of 2007
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