Back at Seminary

Wow! We only thought that coming home required some readustment - starting classes again has really been hard. We have now been in classes for a week, and going from working 7 days a week to sitting in classes every day has been quite an adjustment.

Instead of trying to get chainsaws working for a crew to take out, now I am trying to figure out how to read 300 plus pages every week. Between the class schedule, homework, and trying to get back into working in the computer lab on campus, I have been as tired this week as I was the first week in Ocean Springs.

This has also been a very busy week. We have been to classes, back to our field church, celebrated Ruth Ann's birthday, and re-stocked the pantry. This weekend, our dog is coming home and on Sunday, my mother is coming to visit. Hopefully, by next week, we'll be a bit more adjusted to being home and back into the swing of classes and homework.

Back to the grind...

Well, we are back and classes started today. Don't know why, but we just can't seem to get over being tired. We only changed time by one hour (I used to change time zones like changing shoes) and we can't seem to get caught up. Yesterday, we slept late, went to the late service at church, bought groceries, and then took a nap. Today, staying awake through two classes was very difficult.


On our last day in Ocean Springs, we went to a seafood restaurant called Port of Call. It is certainly not a fancy place, but they had some of the best fried catfish I have ever had (or was it just from eating at the church for 3 weeks?). Across the street from the restaurant was this storage business. As you can see, the building (and contents) were heavily damaged by Katrina. Also, you can see in the second picture, another boat that just does not seem to be where it is supposed to be. Seems that we saw many boats - some were stored and washed off their trailers but we also saw several that appeared to be washed from some other place and deposited.

The sign in the foreground is just one of many, advertising roofing, remodeling, or other types of home repairs. The creator of the Presbyterian blog that I gave a link to earlier described it best when he wrote about going to Florida to finish the settlement on his burned motorhome - you are driving along (as we did coming home) and suddenly realize that things don't look right - there are no blue tarps on the roofs, no broken trees, and no signs like this one advertising for home repairs. It was actually a bit unsettling as we drove home and into our neighborhood - it looks so different than what we had been seeing the last 4 weeks.

We are glad to be home, and eventually, we'll get back into the swing of things here and be able to stay awake for classes. Most of all, we need to get used to things looking "normal". Stay tuned - we'll be posting updates as the semester progresses.

Home Sweet Home

We got a late start from Montgomery, Alabama this morning since neither of us are morning people. We drove much of the day in light rain and arrived home around 5:00 pm. We had time to unload the Jeep before dark and between rainshowers, but we discovered some sure signs you have been away from home too long:

1) Neither of you know where you put your house keys (mine were in my purse and quickly located - I'm not sure where he found his!)
2) You don't remember where to put away some of the stuff you packed!
3) The unopened mail covers the kitchen table!
4) The house just looks different than you remember.

In spite of those moments of confusion, we are glad to be home. We have opened and read our mail, gotten mostly unpacked, found enough food to cook some supper, and started washing the mound of laundry. Tomorrow we will be going to church and the grocery store and continuing the chores here. Monday will be a day for buying books and running other errands on campus before we go to our first class of the semester.

Thanks to all of you who have helped us on this journey with your prayers and support, especially Rusty for bringing in the mail and keeping my houseplants alive and Rhonda for caring for our beloved mutt Smokey. The house is very quiet without him! We are eagerly awaiting his homecoming in a few days.

Those who remain on the Gulf coast - residents and relief workers - will remain in our thoughts and prayers for some time to come, as the rebuilding process begins in earnest. We are already considering a return trip...

On the way home...

We are about a third of the way home. Leaving, as usually, was more complicated than we had planned on. A couple of people had mentioned a restaurant which had great seafood, so we went out for our last lunch (I expect we won't be having hotdogs at our house for a while). Then, when we went back to our hosts home to pack, I noticed that a tire was low. One of the wonderful things about driving around in neighborhoods where many of the homes have had all of the drywall pulled out is the number of nails laying in the road - and one of them found it's way into our tire. So, after packing, we sat for an hour getting the one tire fixed and the other three checked.

Our last stop at the church for goodbyes took a little while, but we had expected that. Some of the people there had been our constant companions for the last 24 days. We finally got on the road and arrived at the hotel about 8:00 p.m. - just in time for a nice, long soak in the hot tub! After that, and a good nights sleep without alarm clocks, we are ready for the final leg of the journey home.

Short timer

It is time for the distribution center to open, yet here I sit at my computer. What an odd feeling. My replacement seemed to be learning quickly, so after spending a day and a half training her, I decided the best thing I could do was to hand over all the keys and notes and let her take over. This morning when the van full of volunteers left for the distribution center, I stayed behind. I'm trying to give them time to get there and get opened up. I will stop by later this morning, to see if I can answer any last lingering - or suddenly occurring - questions before we head for home later today.

I am asked by many pastors and volunteers what items are needed most by the distribution center. The simple answer to that question is FOOD (or money to buy food). We had to order groceries last week - nearly $10,000 worth! Six full pallets of food arrived yesterday but I suspect that they won't really last very long. Items that we continually run out of are soups, juices, spaghetti sauce, cookies and crackers, and packaged meals like macaroni & cheese.

We had a special project yesterday at the distribution center. We assembled 75 food kits for a new FEMA trailer park in a nearby community. Seems that a small church nearby has adopted this new neighborhood - they have obtained dishes, pots and pans, bed linens, and towels to furnish all of the trailers for the new residents. They asked us to provide a food kit for each trailer so the families moving in would have everything they need for the first few days. We assembled the food kits, stacked them on pallets, shrink-wrapped the pallets, and loaded them on a truck. I was really glad we had received all the new groceries so we could help!

We also filled 160 orders from the front line and 20 casework vouchers for furniture, linens, and other household items. It was very a busy day, with supplies and donations coming in and kits and furniture going out!

Today we begin our trip home. I'm looking forward to being home, but will miss this place as well. We have worked hard, but we have also made new friends from all over the US. For example, I worked with a pastor from Nebraska yesterday who assured me that he would be glad to help us if we want to intern or serve in his synod!

Almost done

Our replacements are doing so well, we have decided to leave here Friday afternoon and drive part of the way home. Driving 9 1/2 hours on the way down was not too bad, especially since we were fairly well rested, but going home, I think we are still going to be tired so breaking up the drive will be good. Besides, a night in hotel with a hot tub sounds really good - especially as sore as I am tonight.

Today turned out to be moving day. There were several generators still in boxes that needed to be moved around, including a couple that were taking up space in the tool trailer. We have about 12 generators available as volunteers need them to run lights or power tools on job sites; these are extras that have not been uncrated yet. They need to be handy in case of a storm, but not in the tool trailer. Now that LEDR has the distribution warehouse, there is room there for storage, so we put them on pallets to be moved. Lifting is not really what I needed to be doing today.

A few new people arrived today; a big group left tonight on their way back to Nebraska. I spoke to a group leader in the Chicago area that is coming down in a couple of weeks - with about a dozen skilled people! Word is out - we are starting to do rebuilds and skilled labor is needed. It has really been great to begin to see some people almost ready to move back into their homes - especially as there are many people who are still waiting for FEMA trailers. As some move out of their trailers, they can then become available for others.

Volunteering here has been interesting, educational, and challenging. If you can get time, come down for a few days and use some of those tools that have just been sitting in the tool box. Or come and cook for a few days - volunteers are always hungry. Look for a group from your area that is coming down and support them - help with gas money or help them collect items to bring down. Blankets, towels, food - any item that you use everyday is an item that someone here could use as well.

This will probably be our last post from Ocean Springs. Hopefully, we can take some more pictures tomorrow and as we leave and we'll try to post some of them after we get home. First, there is the Jeep to unload, a month's mail to sort through, groceries to buy, textbooks to buy - all sorts of things. Thank all of you for your prayers and support while we have been here - it has meant a lot. Hopefully, after a safe journey home, we can get a little rest this weekend and be ready for classes next week.

Remember, we do hope to continue posting to the blog after classes start. We will continue to send out occasional emails about our progress but will be posting some information here as well. Please feel free to leave comments - know that comments have to be approved (by me) before they appear as a post, so if you want to leave private information, leave it and ask me to not post it. If you are not on our email update list and would like to be, please leave your email address in a comment and I will add you to the list (and no, I won't post it for the world to see).

Job Posting Closed!

I found a new tool man today! Actually, Paul and Gwen found him. Now that I have a replacement, it really is time to go home. Ken spent most of the morning helping me repair wheelbarrow tires - 6 flats - a new record. A little more time with me tomorrow, then he is on his own.

Our host have been wonderful. Knowing that we will be leaving soon, they presented us with a book this evening of pictures of the Ocean Springs/Biloxi area both before and after Katrina. They signed it and everything! We really have been blessed, both this January and last in that the families that have hosted us have been wonderful people.

We attended our last long-term volunteer coordinators meeting today. Everyone seemed to be happy that we had found replacements and were training them, but they still threatened to slash our tires so we couldn't leave. They even offered to write notes to our professors at seminary, explaining that we would miss a few weeks of class! We have really enjoyed our time here, and have learned a lot about what disaster relief looks like, but we are also ready to go home. Part of the pastoral care for volunteers is knowing when they need to rest. We may come back, but for now, it is time to wrap up this trip and go home. Classes start next Monday and we will arrive home where there are no groceries, a pile of mail to sort, and most likely, a bit of dusting and vacuuming that needs to done.

This week has been filled with amazing stories about people and their ability to survive, their struggles, and how volunteer’s hearts are touched so that they go the extra mile to finish their home, or help them buy groceries, or something. I would imagine that everyone who has been here has at least one such story to tell. Some of us have several. It is truly amazing what we, as the body of Christ, can do, will do, and have done. Praise be to God!

Three more days

One of the members of Christus Victor who is involved with their relief efforts asked me tonight how many days we had left. I had to ask him what day it was before I could answer his question! The days are starting to blur, especially today, with all the rain and the problems it created. Most of our crews could not work because most of the work was either outside or was in a house where the roof leaked. We had a lot of make-work jobs today, including putting up more drywall in the sanctuary at Christus Victor.

As we move more and more into construction, there are tools that we need but don't have, so I was sent on a shopping expedition today to outfit a couple of roofing crews and a couple of drywall crews. When the weather clears tomorrow, we'll have the tools to send people out to do construction type projects.

It is not that all of the houses in Ocean Springs and surrounding towns are all cleaned out; it is that we are about out of cleanout jobs where the homeowner has returned, has a FEMA trailer or somewhere else to live, and has had the insurance adjuster come do their thing so that they can clean out the debris. Some people simply have not returned (yet) or have not requested help. One of the things volunteers were doing today is going to areas where help was obviously needed and passing out flyers and offering help. Much, much more needs to be done, but only with the homeowners permission (and usually with them present).

While it looks like Ruth Ann has a replacement, I don't. There are a couple of people who could take over for a week, but by the end of the month when we are gone and Paul and Gwen leave, there will be no one with knowledge and history of any of the tools that are available or the maintenance that has been done or is needed. Hopefully, a long-term volunteer will show up in the next couple of days or Paul has to go back to doing 2 jobs.

From our blog hit counter, it looks like a lot of you are checking in on us. Hopefully, you are learning some of what it is like to be here, but I assure you, it is only a glimpse that you are seeing. The stories that the volunteers share each evening wrench your heart while at the same time assure you that God work is being done here; that His hand in everything that we do. My stories of tools and supplies appearing just when we need them the most continue. By Sunday, we had 3 crews trying to rebuild or repair fencing and only had one post-hole digger. By Sunday afternoon, a group from Pennsylvania had arrived with blankets and other much needed supplies for distribution and 6 post-hole diggers for the tool shed. I can't tell you how many times this has happened during our 21 days here. Prayers are answered, sometimes even before we ask.

Rain, rain go away...

It rained outside all day today - and inside the distribution center, as well. The volunteer schedulers wanted to send me extra people to work in the center, which seemed logical, since we would be inside and many of the work projects are outside. But in reality, I needed only about half as many people as usual to work. We were not able to put clothes outside or to do any sorting of clothes or other items inside. Everything, including our big work table, needed to stay under plastic for protection.

So the twelve or fifteen of us there unloaded a couple of trucks, packed some food kits, swept floors, emptied buckets of rainwater from under some large drips, and helped the 80 or so clients that came by. (That's only about half as many as usual.)

We made sure the tarps were in place when we left, but the weather forecast is for clear weather tomorrow, so hopefully the drips will slow down and we will be back to business as usual.

The good news is that another long term volunteer (also from Charlotte NC!) has arrived and is scheduled to take charge of the distribution center when I leave. Now my challenge is to pass along all the information I can to help her out.

Monday, Monday

I have to agree with Garfield (the comic strip cat) - I'm not much of a Monday person. Monday's here tend to mean lots of new volunteers so there are lots of questions and lot of work, since I tend to not do much maintenance work on Sunday afternoons. Needless to say, by the end of Monday, I am exhausted.

Ruth Ann seemed to have one of those days as well. With rain in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow, everything at the distribution center had to be tarped this afternoon. That takes a lot of time and energy!

The best part of this Monday is that it will be our last one here as part of this trip. Next Monday, we'll be home and back in classes. As the days count down, we have mixed feelings - ready to go home, but knowing that we could stay and help and be able to do some good. One of the volunteers here, Jim, has been here for something like 3 months. He is leaving tomorrow to take 3 weeks off, then he is coming back. He is young and single, which makes this more possible, but it is still pretty amazing that he has been able to be here for so long. The continuity that Jim has brought to the volunteer coordination here is one of the reasons that Christus Victor Lutheran Church has had such success with volunteers. We talked to him in October and he was still here when we arrived in December.

Seems that several of the long term volunteers that we have gotten to know are either taking time off or winding up their stays. Of the dozen or so long term volunteers that we met our first couple of days, over half have gone home or taken extended time off. Only a couple are local and only 3 or 4 will be left by the time we leave. It is kind of like spending your summer working at camp or something where many of the people change each week, but a few core staff people are there all summer and at the end of the summer, you all hate to part company. The big difference here, is that "camp" won't be over when we leave; it will be going on for the next few years, in some form or other.

Seems that this week in particular, we are getting more into construction mode. Several people have had their houses cleaned out and gotten their building permits and either have insurance money or FEMA money to buy materials, so we are providing labor to hang sheet rock or shingle roofs. While we have plenty of tools for tearing things down, we are finding that we could use more construction type tools - especially power tools such as screw guns for drywall and roofing nail guns. If you still would like to help, send a tool or a Lowe's or HomeDepot gift card (see www.christusvictor.com) so these items are available for volunteers to use. I will probably be shopping for an air compressor tomorrow to run the one roofing nail gun that we have. Hopefully, we can come up with the funds to buy a complete second set (nail gun and compressor) so we can have two crews roofing this week. If you are experienced in hanging sheet rock, finishing sheet rock (tape and mud) or in roofing, bring your favorite tools and come help out for a week! There is plenty of work to go around.

Drive thru Service! Cars enter the parking lot from the left, a volunteer talks with them and takes their order, and then they exit to the right. 

When it rains, it pours! This is how Ruth Ann finds things under the many blue FEMA tarps that cover everything in the warehouse.  

This is the big work table that Ruth Ann wrote about being cleared. In the background there are volunteers assembling food kits for distribution. 

Our last week!

Today is the beginning of our last 7 days here in Ocean Springs. Next Saturday, we will be heading for home. Today, being Sunday, was a pretty lite day. Ruth Ann and I took our friends from Michigan and a couple from Wisconsin for a little tour around the area. At first, there was a lot of talk about needing to take pictures; then after awhile, mostly silence. Seeing houses blocks from the Gulf that have clothes strung in trees 15 feet in the air makes you realize that pictures just will not capture the enormity of the destruction.

I even took a little extra time at dinner this evening to watch the end of the Panthers and Bears game. I was, of course, the only Panthers fan in the room. Most of the Midwesterners were pulling for the Bears. Still, it was very relaxing to just sit and watch the end of the game.

I am also improving my small engine repair skills. One of the chainsaws that I had previously worked on developed a leak in the fuel line. After finding some fuel line tubing, I managed to get the saw apart, remove the old fuel line, cut a new piece, get in installed and it worked! A few weeks ago, I would probably have just taken it to the shop. Now, I have both the time and the need to get it done quickly and cheaply.

New volunteers continue to pour in. About 30 new people have arrived this weekend and twice that many left on Friday or Saturday. There are always new faces at meal time. Believe it or not, after 19 days, we are considered old-timers, as there are just a few of us who have been here more than a week. This afternoon I was giving tours of the church like I was a life-long member. It is always interesting to see the reactions we get when people ask how we were able to be here for most of a month and we tell them we are seminary students. I have, in the past two weeks, talked with at least five volunteers who have been considering seminary for themselves.

Shortly, there will be some pictures posted of the distribution center where Ruth Ann works. I went over yesterday to join her for lunch at the BBQ place two doors down from the distribution center and took some pictures. If you come to Ocean Springs to volunteer and you like good BBQ, try Pleasants BBQ. I don't think you will be disappointed.

We cleaned off the work table!

While lots of volunteers have been available the past couple of weeks, we have been trying to help clean up the warehouse and sort out many of the mysterious pallets of assorted "stuff" which has been in storage for weeks or months. This meant that for several days, our big central work table was covered with boxes of clothes, hangers, toys, linens, and household items. The clutter seemed completely out of control.

The good news is that with the patient steady work of several folks, we managed to sort through the pallets of clothes and toys, arrange the linens (including about 300 blankets and bedspreads that arrived today), relocate most of the household items, and even clean off the table!

Next week's major task will be to finish sorting the household items, which probably means that the table will be covered again for a few days, but I think we can get those under control as well. Or at least that is my goal for my last week here.

Keep in mind that while all that sorting is going on inside, we are also filling about 150 orders a day in our drive-through line outside - which means that volunteer workers must also be assembling kits of food, cleaning supplies, hygiene items, baby food, and paper goods. Plus there are people who keep the pallets of goods moving out to the front line, and others who spend most of their day collecting trash and flattening boxes. All in all, it takes about 30 people to run the distribution center and sort supplies on a busy day.

It is hard to believe the week is over. It has been a very busy - I even took a turn leading the morning chapel service yesterday morning. I'm glad that today was a bit quieter in the distribution center, and we will be closed tomorrow. I plan to take some time to rest and do laundry.

TGIF (again)

Another Friday has rolled by. As with last week, there were several groups leaving today - some left this morning, others packed up after lunch, and yet another packed up and left after supper. It is wonderful to hear the stories some of these groups tell about their interactions with the homeowners they have been helping.

This weekend will be a bit of a challenge - there are still about 150 volunteers here, many of them staying at the church, and there is a wedding tomorrow afternoon at the church and an Eagle ceremony Sunday afternoon. Christus Victor is trying to regain some normalcy to their schedule, which is great, but how normal can things be with 150 extra people floating around???

We begin the countdown on our last week. By this time next week, we should be home and climbing into our own bed - what a wonderful thought! In the meantime, we are wondering who our replacements will be and how much time (if any) we will get to have with them before we leave. Hopefully, these replacements will be identified by mid-week so we can pass on what we know and have learned. It seems that several key people will be changing over the next two or three weeks, so it will be a big challange for everyone.

Thursday, Jan 12

You probably noticed that we did not post anything yesterday-we were sooooooo tired last night that we were in bed by 9:30. Yesterday just seemed to be one of those days where many, many things went wrong, we were both extra busy, and by the time we finished dinner, we were too tired to do anything except climb into bed.

Today was a better day - for both of us. Still busy, but things seemed to go better. Several of the large groups finished up today and will head for home tomorrow. We'll be sorry to see them go, but getting the number of volunteers back to under 200 will also be a relief. Have had almost 300 volunteers for the past 8 or 9 days has certainly pointed out weak points in the plans. There were tools I did not have; there was not enough room to get everyone loaded in the mornings; we pretty much had to eat in shifts (more than usual); housing was an issue; parking was an issue; keeping everyone busy was an issue; showers were a MAJOR issue for some. These are some of the issue that I am aware of - I am sure there are others. Since LDR is hopping for 1000 college students to come to this area for Spring Break (see www.ldr.org), this was a good test of the system to see what flaws need to be addressed before spring break.

Today is day 16 of our stay here in Ocean Springs and we are beginning to count down the days till we can head for home. Hard to believe that I used to be gone for two, three, even four weeks at a time and now, a week away from home seems like a long time. I think I miss sleeping in my own bed.

Quiet day

From the tool side of things, this was a pretty quiet day. Most every group seemed to leave this morning with what they needed and many of the groups seemed to finish a bit early today, so most of the tools were back and put away before supper! Most days don't go that smoothly.

A couple of new groups arrived today, and 2 or 3 groups finished up today and are leaving in the morning. Our numbers will stay up for most of the week, then next week should be a little more normal - about 150 volunteers.

Thursday night will be my first turn at leading chapel. We had a lot of pastors here last week, so there was never a problem getting someone to lead chapel; this week, we have lots of college students, but only a couple of pastors so Ruth Ann and I are both being pressed into service. I picked the evening service because things are so hectic in the morning for me trying to get tools out and all of the work teams on their way, but evenings are pretty quiet.

This is day 14 - we have been here a full two weeks. Time has flown - it seems like we just got here, but also like we have been here for ever. I don't even get lost as often!!! Being able to get from Ocean Springs to Gautier or Biloxi, or Moss Point is pretty easy - I even know a couple of short cuts. I can also tell you an awful lot about wheelbarrow maintenance (which you probably really don't want to know).

The spirit of the volunteers is unbelievable. There are some here now who have returned - three times. There is a young man who came with a college group, but is in the midst of thinking he wants to go to seminary - and had an encounter today with a client that seemed to reinforce his sense of call. There are so many opportunities here and so little time in each day.

Distribution "Blues"

We filled orders for about 190 families today, which is a pretty average day. Most of those orders include a box of food which is designed to feed a family of four for three to four days, some cleaning supplies or hygiene items. Plus, we are now able to provide towels, pillows and blankets, some dishes, pots and pans, and even furniture. So my day was spent directing traffic, locating special items inside the warehouse, and helping locate and move furniture!

Unfortunately, I don't get time to talk with many of our clients. But I do get to talk with many volunteers. It is great to hear the stories about their congregations, their trips to Mississippi, and their experiences here. I found a large tub of bubble gum which was donated, so each afternoon, I circulate among the volunteers, offering them bubble gum and checking to see how the day is going.

I'm alway glad when someone comes in to work in the distribution center who is willing to take charge of an area to sort and organize. Some wonderful folks have spent days (and days and days) sorting clothing, toys, and miscellaneous household items.

In case of any future emergency, I have one piece of advice to share: Do NOT send used clothing!! We are now spending hours and hours sorting out clothing that was sent to this area. It is an incredibly labor intensive process. We place warm clothing or new clothing, outside in boxes for people to look through. (Imagine a very large rummage sale with no price tags.) If it is worn or stained, it is unfortunately ending up in a dumpster. At the end of the day, we bring in the boxes, and will refill them and put them back out again tomorrow.

The weather, which has been great most of the time we have been here, continues to present the biggest challenge. The roof of the warehouse was damaged by Katrina, and leaks in MANY places. With rain forecast for last night and tonight, we must get all boxes up off the floor onto pallets and then cover everything in the building with big blue tarps. As some of you know, blue has never been my favorite color. Now I have discovered that I really am not fond of "FEMA Tarp Blue"! When we walk back into the building tomorrow, we will have to pull back and roll up all of the tarps before we can begin our usual day. Plus, if it rains outside tonight, it will 'rain' inside all day tomorrow, as the water finds its way through the roof!

What a day!

Trying to keep 280+ volunteers supplied and busy is quite a task. A couple of groups are traveling by bus or large van and had to be split into separate work groups today - which meant running around mid-day to move some of them from one jobsite to another. I put a lot of miles on the church van. I also pretty much ran out of tools. We want each group that is working in a moldy house to wear respirators, but we ran out. We only have enough to supply about 125 volunteers, and we needed almost twice that many.

Tomorrow will be better - one of the large groups is taking their bus out to a camp that is being built for volunteers and will be working outside all day tomorrow - that means I can re-assign their respirators and tools to someone else. We also had a couple of good sized groups finish up today and they are leaving tomorrow. By the end of this week, we will have had 250+ volunteers every day for about 10 days - and while they are getting a lot of work done, it will be nice to see the numbers back down to about 150 for next week.

Today was one of those days where there seemed to be several problems crop up - probably more noticeable because we were all a bit stressed trying to deal with so many work crews. Most of the problems seem to get resolved, but the stress is showing.

We had some great news tonight - our host from Ishpeming (last January) called and he and a buddy are coming down this weekend to spend a couple of weeks volunteering. Peter - we certainly look forward to seeing you again. We have met a lot of wonderful people down here - most from church groups (Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian) who are doing great work. The best part is when they come down, work for a week, then go home and either send another group or they collect money and other items and send them down. Once here, they see how real the need is and go home and do something about it. Most are amazed at how much damage there is and few believe that it really will take 7 years to rebuild - until they see it for themselves. As I said in an earlier post, pictures just don't do it justice.

Presbyterian Churches of Oregon - Disaster Assistance: Salem Katrina Team Report - January 7

Presbyterian Churches of Oregon - Disaster Assistance: Salem Katrina Team Report - January 7


This is a link to another group that we have spent time with. The motor home that they brought down caught fire the other night - see the picutre on their blog.

Great story

Saturday we were able to be a part of a great story. A middle aged African American man, who lived in a tent with his 11 year old son for almost 4 months and then in a motel room for another month, moved into a FEMA trailer. Better yet, he also got a job on the same day! Ruth Ann and I and another volunteer went to help him move in. He was so overjoyed at having a key to his new home. This has probably been the high spot of the week.

As Ruth Ann has already said, today we rested, we drove around some, and took some pictures. I have been to many areas around Ocean Springs, but have not always had the camera with me.

We have 282 volunteers, as of this morning! Of course, after many of the college students leave to go back to school, the numbers will drop dramatically. We have had families, church groups, college groups, and even one school that made this trip eligible for J-term class credit! Several of the college students are already talking about coming back for spring break. Not to worry - there will be work to be done for some time.

Sabbath

Yes, for those who have asked, we are getting some rest while we are here. We slept in a bit this morning, then attended worship at Christus Victor. Afterwards, went out to lunch - just the two of us - instead of eating in the parish hall with the other 280 or so volunteers who are here this week.

Ray also took me for a drive, so that I could see some of the places he has been this week. It was a beautiful day - clear, sunny, about 65 degrees, and breezy - it felt like spring had already arrived. Looking out across the white sand and the water of the Gulf, I could almost forget the reason we are here, but when we turned around, we saw again the devastation left behind by Katrina's storm surge.

We returned to the house to do laundry and spend some time on the computer. While Ray was posting photos to the blog, I was making a lengthy 'To Do' list for the distribution center tomorrow. I hope I have lots of energetic volunteers! Finally, we went back to the church to put away tools for today's work crews, copy some fliers for the distribution center, and eat dinner.

All in all, a pretty quiet day for us here in Ocean Springs!

Here is a crew of Presbyterian volunteers from Canada re-roofing a house in Biloxi. While they worked on the roof, Ruth Ann, Lorraine, and I sprayed bleach on the inside of the house. Once bleached and with a new roof, this house is ready for new drywall. 

This is all that remains of what was probably a pretty nice house a couple of blocks from the waterfront. 

This sign is similar to many others we have seen. It identifies the property address for the insurance company and tells anyone who might be looking for them that they are OK. This house was about 100 yards from the Gulf shore in Ocean Springs. 

Who needs a truck? This volunteer is a college student who drove down with some friends and then stayed after they left. Since he was experienced, he would usually get a crew of newbies and take them out on job sites. His favorite was doing a "full gut", where every piece of drywall and ceiling and insulation had to be removed. Since he only had his car, he would load all the tools for a crew in (or on) his car. I kidded him about trading the car in for a nice red pickup truck, but he seems to like his car just fine - even with the wheelbarrow hanging out the back. 

This is the inside of my tool trailer. As you can see, I have lots of tools to keep up with and not a lot of space to work in. Shop vacs are the worst - when they are not out in the field, they have to fit in here and the shelves are not tall enough for them to slide all the way under. Much of my time that is not spent doing repairs is spent sorting things out that have not been put away in the right place. This is certainly enough to keep me busy. 

Lester loading food. Lester and his wife were our only fellow South Carolinians here at Christus Victor. Les spent much of his time at the area warehouse, unloading trucks of incoming supplies and then loading it again to send it to various distribution centers, like the one that Ruth Ann is running. Lester also kept an eye out for tools that I might need and would either bring them to me at dinner time or tell me to come see him the next morning. Lester and Amy left Friday to go home, after being here for several weeks. 

Goodbye, Lorraine! This picture was taken as Lorraine left Christus Victor to work her way home. Her plans were to stop in the New Orleans area for a week or so on her way to meet her sister in Arizona. Lorraine spent several weeks at Christus Victor, working on crews with others and breaking in new volunteers like us. She took us out on our second day to bleach houses that had already had all the sheetrock removed. Safe travels! 

TGIF

Not that it being Friday means a lot, except that more volunteer groups are coming in and some are leaving. Weekends seem to have more transitions, but work still goes on. Since Christus Victor has a Saturday evening service, some groups elect to worship Saturday night and work most of Sunday. Since most groups are only here for 4-8 days, they want to get as much done as they can.

We are actually getting into more rebuilding. There are still houses to be mucked out, but there are others that have been cleaned, bleached, and are ready for drywall to go in and several groups have been working on that. It is really good to see some houses getting to the point where people can live in them again.

On the other had, I had to deliver tools to a work team in Biloxi today and I drove down Howard Ave. In the downtown area, things don't look too bad; a couple more blocks and there are houses with damage, but they are recognizable as houses; then suddenly there are about 3 blocks where nothing is left, just piles of rubble, then you come to one house - the one our group was working on and trying to salvage. Another 4,000 plus homes were condemned in Biloxi earlier this week, on top of the thousands already destroyed or condemned.

Thanks for the comments - remember, if you don't want me to publish them, tell me; otherwise, I will usually publish them for the whole world to see.

Format Change

You will have noticed (at least I think you would have) that we do have an advertisement on our blog. This is by choice - google's adsense program is supposed to pay you if you have one of their advertisements and someone actually clicks on it. I just added a Google Search bar as well.

The advertisements are supposed to match the context of the blog - if they get obnoxious, we'll take them off, but in the meantime - click away and earn us some gas money for the drive home in a few weeks. I don't see that we will get rich off the ad, but if we can earn a few dollars and they aren't offensive to anyone, we'll leave them. Please comment if you have an opinion.

Today in the Distribution Center

Unlike Ray, I'm not seeing much of either the scenery or destruction around Ocean Springs first hand. I am driving one of Christus Victor's vans loaded with volunteers from the church to the distribution center in the morning, back again for lunch, and return once more at the end of the work day. This trip is about one mile each way, so the scenery doesn't vary much! Between times, I spend my day in the warehouse or in the driveway, checking on the crews inside and out - and answering a wide variety of questions.

I have quickly become the resident expert on the location of special items and the proper procedure for handling special situations. I have certainly been calling on some of my business experience in customer service and materials management for this assignment.

Clients drive up, give us their requests for food, water, personal hygiene items, baby food, diapers, towels, blankets, etc. Then a member of our team retrieves the items for them and places it in their vehicle, and off they go. We have ample opportunities, too, to talk with people and listen to their stories about Katrina and the affects of the storm on their homes and families.

Today, I was privileged to talk with some people who were donating goods for others. One elderly couple was bringing in things for others, but also told us how grateful they are to volunteers who have helped clean out, repair, and refurnish their home. It seems that one congregation from Georgia has adopted this couple and are really developing a relationship with them. In fact the couple went to Georgia to visit the congregation over the Thanksgiving holiday! Their story seemed to me to be a perfect model for ministry. Imagine the impact if every family in need was adopted by a congregation...

It is definitely not too late to get involved. Most recent estimates are that it will take up to eight years for this area to recover from Katrina. Enormous needs for supplies and for volunteer labor will continue for a long time to come.

Wednesday, Jan 3

Now we are old-timers - we attended our second volunteer coordinators meeting today ( we arrived just before the meeting last week). While at times it appears that this whole thing is just barely organized chaos, it is really pretty well coordinated. Considering that we have groups arrived every day this week, with other groups beginning to leave by Friday, it is amazing that we can get them in, find them a bed, feed them, and find them jobs every single day, but we do - and with very few hitches in the system.

I went to visit another job site today, and while getting slightly lost, I took a drive along 90 to Pascagoula and then up to I-10 - and was again amazed at how widespread the destruction is. I did not take any pictures because after a while, it becomes apparent that no picture really just justice to what has happened here. In some areas, house after house is destroyed and gone; the next neighborhood is a sea of blue tarps on roofs. One resident that I talked to today told me of riding the storm out in her house, and fearing the cars that were floating around her house more than the water.

Tuesday - been here for a week

We arrived last Wednesday, so this is our 7th day. The last large group from last week left after lunch today; two more large groups arrived this evening. We should be back up to 100+ workers for tomorrow.

I ran out of flat tires (at least for now). Today was chain saw day. We have 3 crews going out tomorrow - one of them to a house where there are 15 trees down. All the saws now have nice, sharp blades and are ready to go. I am constantly amazed at the volunteers that come here, and what they are willing to do. Two families traveled down together in a camper, bringing many of their own tools and saws. When they heard about my problems getting chain saws sharpened, they volunteered their electric chain saw grinder and helped me sharpen saws tonight (after a full days work). Not only that, but after seeing the condition of our saws and what I had to work with, told me that they would donate the grinder when they left! Almost every group that has been here in the last 7 days brought something with them that they have left here for us to use - power tools, hand tools, ladders, wheelbarrows, and now a chain saw sharpener.

I went to Biloxi today, checking job sites for crews later this week. I stopped at one house only to be told that she already had most of the work done, but still was so thankful that we were here and helping. She has lived in this area for more than 30 years, and is still in shock over the damage to this place she calls home - historic landmarks gone, friend's houses gone, friends gone who won't come back.

I drove through another area today where the destruction was so complete, that it was hard to believe that it was once a plush golf community. One house was completely gone, except for the concrete steps that probably led to the front porch; and then there was the large boat sitting in what would have been the back yard - and I'm pretty sure the boat does not belong to anyone in that neighborhood - it looks like it rolled and tumbled its way there from one of the marinas, a couple of miles away.

Several people wondered, before we came, what kind of things were needed here. Christus Victor has many things listed on their web site but food, blankets, and money are the main things. There are very few food distribution centers still running in this area. As the temperature has been dropping this week, the need for blankets and sleeping bags has increased. Money to help buy food to feed the volunteers is a big expense. The folks at Christus Victor are feeding anywhere from 50 to 200 people per day - volunteers, people from the community, people from the church who don't have a place to cook for themselves. Some volunteers bring food; others donate to the kitchen fund, but all want and need to be fed.

Time to go for now. Pray for us - all of us - as we try to help these people regain some sense of peace in their lives.

Jan 2, 2006

Wow! First time I have written (or typed) 2006. Happy New Year!

This weekend brought a lot of changes here in Ocean Springs. Several crews that had come down the day after Christmas have all left and new crews are arriving. Today, we only had 3 crews out working, but two new groups checked in about supper time and more are coming. By Wednesday, we'll have 150 people to keep busy. While today was sort of a holiday, we certainly kept busy. After breakfast and sending out work crews, Ruth Ann and I went out to the warehouse with a truck (about the size of a Hertz truck) and helped load 6 skids of food and supplies and delivered them to the distribution center. Since they were not distributing food on Sunday or Monday because of the holiday, it looks like they will be very busy tomorrow.

Five more flat wheelbarrow tires to fix today. It is interesting that most of the skills that I am using so far are the ones I learned in high school - things from shop class, from working at a gas station (fixing flat tires), and working at the grocery store (using pallet jacks to move food around). There are a couple of college students here who are doing most of the computer database work, and the kitchen has been pretty well staffed, so just call me Ray the Tool Man!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Yes, it is finally me, adding something to the blog! Ray has been doing such a good job of keeping new information added that I haven't taken time (or figured out how) to add anything myself until now. It has been a busy week, but we are taking Sunday as a day of sabbath rest. After seeing the new year in - very quietly - we slept in this morning, rising just in time to go to worship at Christus Victor. What a lively, hopeful, and spirit-filled congregation after all they have been through! The members of the congregation are welcoming and grateful to the volunteers, and the volunteers have so much to learn from these people who are faithful in spite of the difficulties they have experienced. This combination creates an amazing worshipping community! After church, we went to lunch with our gracious hosts, then came back to the house. I will spend the afternoon doing some laundry and reading, while Ray plans to go back to the church for a short time and check in tools that some work crews used today. The weather is warm enough that I hope we will be able to visit the beach before dark. All in all, a quiet day of rest before another busy week begins. Many new volunteers will arrive today and tomorrow, so there will be many crews working in local homes, as well as about twenty volunteers working in the distribution center. We will certainly be busy with our new tasks!