Hello All!
The mission team has returned to our homes but as I reflect on last week, I did want to tell you about our Work Day 5.
We received Friday morning breakfast at the usual time, 7am, then another motivating devotion from Marie. What a wonderful way to begin our day.
Eric's team and Bob's team were returning to the sister camp to finish the firewall in the attic. Harry's team was finishing the work at their homeowners house (Betty).
As we were doing our daily chores at the camp Paula indicated that a framed picture of our Salem church was sent with us on our trip and it was decided to give it to the homeowner our team worked with on Monday and Tuesday (John). Bob made a phone call to see if John was home and that we wanted to stop by for a brief moment to give him something. John was home and welcomed our visit. When we arrived, Bob presented the beautiful picture of Salem Church to John. It was a very special moment. One that I will never forget. John was very receiving. Paula told John a little history of our church and inspired him to hang our church picture as it would remind him that God was wonderful and that He would help John through this difficult time of rebuilding his home and life. John was very grateful and we all appreciated this beautiful picture of our church that had been sent with us on our mission trip. It truly was another blessing!
The mission team from Georgia had been working at John's house since the Salem team had left. John gave us a tour so we could see the progress. They had sanded the walls that we had taped and mudded and were in the process of priming. It looked wonderful. I could see the house taking shape again. We said our good-bye's to John, but my soul tells me that John is close.
From here we returned to the sister camp to finish the firewall. Eric's team made a pit stop at another home to fix a skylight problem. Brian's no fear of ladders or heights blessed this homeowner. Both teams were soon at the sister camp and we got to work. Bob was sure we could finish our task before we departed. The remaining final layer (3rd) of drywall was measured, cut and drilled into place. The brackets were drilled in place and then drywall tape & mud were applied to seal and smooth. Lastly, Eric & Brian applied the Fire Caulk to the seams that were not taped. A lot of hard work, but with some sweat and team work, it was Done! Amen!
I couldn’t go without mentioning that for a portion of our day, we were joined by a senior citizen group of 7 from Wyoming. They had worked at various sites throughout the week, but were assigned to help us with our final steps to complete our task on Friday. In talking with one member, Don, who was in his 80’s, he indicated that a mission team from Indiana was staying at their camp. 16 youth, 8 adults. He told me the youth had been very courteous this week a pleasure to be with. God Bless our youth, huh?!!!!
We returned to Camp Home for our final dinner. Sam from Kentucky presented a wonderful devotion. Oh, and I can’t forget, Charlie serenaded Sally one last time with his ukulele. Then, in case we had not eaten enough, they had an ice cream social to end the week.
Paula asked if I wanted to see the Sanctuary, and of course I did. So Paula, Donna and myself ventured to the Sanctuary, which is attached to the social hall. We found only a light in a room leading to the Sanctuary, so the light in the sanctuary was dim. It was beautiful. Not very big, in fact, Salem may have more pews than Vancleave. In the dim light, I sat in the front pew, I silenced my heart, prayed, and felt His presence. God spoke to me in a wonderful way. Many happy tears came and my heart was filled with His love. Needless to say, this time was a very special part of my journey with Him. Thank you Paula for inviting me to see the Sanctuary!
The evening games took place in social hall, “What were you thinking” which is always a bundle of laughter and Yuker. Then, I decided it would be an awesome conclusion to our week if we went to the beach. Growing up in Maine, on the Atlantic, spending time on the beach at night under the moon was one of my all time favorite past times. So, off we went. Myself, Margaret, Charlie, Brian, Caitlin and Christa. Yes, it was late, but who sleeps anyway? Lol.
We googled the beach, Charlie got Bettty (Charlie’s name for the GPS, named after the homeowner he worked with), we loaded up the van and off we went. First Betty took us to the intersection of Beach Blvd and Beach Street. But this turned out to not beach material. : )
So we reversed our direction and went to Biloxi. We knew there would be a beach there. Found a beach right away, met the Harbor Master and explained our intent, and sand was soon between the toes. When we reached the salt water, it was warm!! As we looked in the sky, we could see black rain clouds all around us, but no rain fell on us! As we walked, we met a man in the water with a light and a device that looked like a spear. We of course asked what he was fishing for and he indicated Flounder. “He’d done it all his life”, he replied. I think it was obvious that were not locals, so he gave us some advice and told us to drag our feet in the water so we didn’t step on a sting ray. So we proceed to walk the sandy beach, talked, reflected, and laughed. It was a great time.
I guess I’ll conclude here. Even these words written in this blog cannot express the past 7 days. How wonderful our Father is. Friends made, bonded relationships, team work refined, skills learned, personal and spiritual growth, and the list goes on and on. I personally encourage each of you to reach out and help others and share His Love. Your heart will be filled in more ways than words can describe.
Eric, Tina, Brian, Margaret, Donna, Paula, Bob, Harry, Jacob, Charlie, Christa, and Caitlin. Thank You! Thank you for being you! Thank you for your sacrifices to be part of Salem’s mission trip team! I Love You All!
God Bless,
Tracy
We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
~ 1 Thessalonians 1:3
P.S.
More photos will be added in a few days. Check back later to see them!!!
Monday, June 16, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Work Day 4
Hello to All!
Today was our 4th work day in Mississippi! What a great day!!! We still have a good safety report card - well, except for the 32 ounce Diet Coke that jumped off my food tray and on to Brian's back today at Wendy's. Sorry Brian!
The highlight according to Charlie - Harry's team helped a big turtle across the road today in Moss Point. Yeah! They also installed a washer, dryer and a kitchen sink for a grateful homeowner. Charlie is happy now that he no longer has to haul the kitchen sink around in his car trunk anymore. The other highlight is that Jacob eat Jambalaya (with Okra) for dinner! : )
Eric and Bob's team had a productive day. We have 90% of the three layers on the firewall and I started the mudding of the brackets that were drilled into the drywall. We should finish this assignment tomorrow. We got a nice rain shower early in the day - even lost our electricity for a while, but our team kept on truck'n. The electricity came back on before the drill batteries died! Lots of work got accomplished, and even some fun. By end of day today, we decided we were going to sign Margaret up for the next Survivor show! Margaret, how does Gabon, Africa sound?
Tina and Eric did a terrific devotion after dinner tonight - one topic that was focused on was team work. I think the Salem team has done an awesome job at team work!
Lastly, a good game of "What were you thinking" after dinner in the social hall provided some good laughs.
Well, I must close for the night. Please check out the new pictures I added from my camera. One more work day to go. Our bodies are slowing down, you can tell it's getting close to Friday. We all feel good about the contributions we have made to the residents of Mississippi and I think we will all go home with some personal growth as well.
God Bless,
~ Tracy
Today was our 4th work day in Mississippi! What a great day!!! We still have a good safety report card - well, except for the 32 ounce Diet Coke that jumped off my food tray and on to Brian's back today at Wendy's. Sorry Brian!
The highlight according to Charlie - Harry's team helped a big turtle across the road today in Moss Point. Yeah! They also installed a washer, dryer and a kitchen sink for a grateful homeowner. Charlie is happy now that he no longer has to haul the kitchen sink around in his car trunk anymore. The other highlight is that Jacob eat Jambalaya (with Okra) for dinner! : )
Eric and Bob's team had a productive day. We have 90% of the three layers on the firewall and I started the mudding of the brackets that were drilled into the drywall. We should finish this assignment tomorrow. We got a nice rain shower early in the day - even lost our electricity for a while, but our team kept on truck'n. The electricity came back on before the drill batteries died! Lots of work got accomplished, and even some fun. By end of day today, we decided we were going to sign Margaret up for the next Survivor show! Margaret, how does Gabon, Africa sound?
Tina and Eric did a terrific devotion after dinner tonight - one topic that was focused on was team work. I think the Salem team has done an awesome job at team work!
Lastly, a good game of "What were you thinking" after dinner in the social hall provided some good laughs.
Well, I must close for the night. Please check out the new pictures I added from my camera. One more work day to go. Our bodies are slowing down, you can tell it's getting close to Friday. We all feel good about the contributions we have made to the residents of Mississippi and I think we will all go home with some personal growth as well.
God Bless,
~ Tracy
Work Day 3
Hello to All!
It's Thursday morning - early, and since I didn't get a chance to write last night I thought I would take a minute and jot down my thoughts from yesterday. What another blessed day! My heart is full from the people here. They are amazing.
Yesterday Eric's team and Bob's team merged. (That kinda sounds like Survivor). lol.
UMCOR is building a sister camp near Biloxi, just like Camp Hope and the construction of the building is 8 months behind schedule. So off we went to our sister camp. Our job was to work on the fire wall in the attic of the pole building. I don't think I explain the construction aspect of this firewall, but I know they are important. The firewall in this building requires 3 layers of drywall, which the team prior to us had the first layer up. The wall is knee high, kinda like a bench. So Bob was our foreman, assessed the job, explained what needed to be done and we all got in our grove. Margaret, Paula and I cut the drywall per Bob's measurements. We took pieces of what will be the bunk beds when assembled and stacked them 7 high to make us a makeshift table. It was a perfect fit for a sheet of drywall. We measured, scored, and snapped the drywall and then Eric, Bob and Tina would drill the screws into place. They kept us hopping for a while, then Margaret, with her slate of drywall in hand (the size of a clipboard) got a list of measurements and quantity and we became a factory. : )
We measured, measured, measured, cut, cut, cut, snapped, snapped, snapped, and before you knew it were ahead. We got ahead and just kept them in piles by their size.
Brian, Christa and Caitlin, (by the way, Charlie's daughters are twins in case I haven't mentioned that), spent the day drilling screws into a metal track thing that had to be installed along this 'bench' firewall. I think the girls were happy just passing Brian screws from their nail aprons.
Our day was awesome. It doesn't seem like a very gratifying job, but it was. After almost 3 years since Katrina, homeowners are still living in unfit FEMA trailers and volunteers are still needed. And they are still coming. This new camp will allow the future volunteers the experience I am having this week. That is worth building a 100 new camps!!!!
Harry, Charlie, Jacob and Donna continued to work on the same home. They spent a portion of their day going through a huge pile of trash that had been accumulated during the construction. Some of the other teams have had this chore as well and Margaret says by far, this is the hardest job. Bags of trash that have been sitting out in the sun for weeks - and to break them open and sort out the trash, recyclables, and construction materials was awful. We are not sure why this was not managed better at the time of the construction - but we are sorting AS WE GO at the sister camp so no one has to come in behind us and do the same task.
I am running out of time, so before I do, I want to tell you about our dinner last night. We all hurried back to camp after our hot day in the attic, to shower and change, then we drove to Biloxi for dinner. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was on the waterfront. Sally and Curt the camp coordinators met us there, as well as a few wonderful volunteers from Georgia/Kentucky. The menu was primarily seafood, everyone was in heaven!!!! There were crab fingers passed on the table for an appetizer - and Jacob even tried them and liked them!!! : )
All the food was great - Fish, Shrimp, Oysters, Scallops. When it was time for the check, the wonderful polite southern staff announced that the manager of the restaurant, would be taken care of our bill as a token of appreciation for all of our efforts in helping the people of Mississippi in such a time of need. This was an emotional moment for all of us. The gratitude I felt was enormous. Charlie jumped up and gave her a big hug!!
Yes, it has been hot this week, our bodies are beginning to feel the pain, and we have sweat a lot, but it is nothing compared to what the people here have been through and they are so thankful. The manager came in our room and talked with us for a moment and shared some of her thoughts and stories she has listened to from customers, friends and family. Then she had to leave as she was also waiting tables and table 2 was waiting for their check. : )
Well, I must go now. Time for our daily breakfast and devotion which Marie and Marie spend each morning preparing and giving. They are truly God sent.
Have a heavenly day and please pray for not only us but the all of those affected from so many disasters that going through our country these days. I have more photos that I will try to upload tonight. Check back again.
Love and God Bless,
Tracy
It's Thursday morning - early, and since I didn't get a chance to write last night I thought I would take a minute and jot down my thoughts from yesterday. What another blessed day! My heart is full from the people here. They are amazing.
Yesterday Eric's team and Bob's team merged. (That kinda sounds like Survivor). lol.
UMCOR is building a sister camp near Biloxi, just like Camp Hope and the construction of the building is 8 months behind schedule. So off we went to our sister camp. Our job was to work on the fire wall in the attic of the pole building. I don't think I explain the construction aspect of this firewall, but I know they are important. The firewall in this building requires 3 layers of drywall, which the team prior to us had the first layer up. The wall is knee high, kinda like a bench. So Bob was our foreman, assessed the job, explained what needed to be done and we all got in our grove. Margaret, Paula and I cut the drywall per Bob's measurements. We took pieces of what will be the bunk beds when assembled and stacked them 7 high to make us a makeshift table. It was a perfect fit for a sheet of drywall. We measured, scored, and snapped the drywall and then Eric, Bob and Tina would drill the screws into place. They kept us hopping for a while, then Margaret, with her slate of drywall in hand (the size of a clipboard) got a list of measurements and quantity and we became a factory. : )
We measured, measured, measured, cut, cut, cut, snapped, snapped, snapped, and before you knew it were ahead. We got ahead and just kept them in piles by their size.
Brian, Christa and Caitlin, (by the way, Charlie's daughters are twins in case I haven't mentioned that), spent the day drilling screws into a metal track thing that had to be installed along this 'bench' firewall. I think the girls were happy just passing Brian screws from their nail aprons.
Our day was awesome. It doesn't seem like a very gratifying job, but it was. After almost 3 years since Katrina, homeowners are still living in unfit FEMA trailers and volunteers are still needed. And they are still coming. This new camp will allow the future volunteers the experience I am having this week. That is worth building a 100 new camps!!!!
Harry, Charlie, Jacob and Donna continued to work on the same home. They spent a portion of their day going through a huge pile of trash that had been accumulated during the construction. Some of the other teams have had this chore as well and Margaret says by far, this is the hardest job. Bags of trash that have been sitting out in the sun for weeks - and to break them open and sort out the trash, recyclables, and construction materials was awful. We are not sure why this was not managed better at the time of the construction - but we are sorting AS WE GO at the sister camp so no one has to come in behind us and do the same task.
I am running out of time, so before I do, I want to tell you about our dinner last night. We all hurried back to camp after our hot day in the attic, to shower and change, then we drove to Biloxi for dinner. I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but it was on the waterfront. Sally and Curt the camp coordinators met us there, as well as a few wonderful volunteers from Georgia/Kentucky. The menu was primarily seafood, everyone was in heaven!!!! There were crab fingers passed on the table for an appetizer - and Jacob even tried them and liked them!!! : )
All the food was great - Fish, Shrimp, Oysters, Scallops. When it was time for the check, the wonderful polite southern staff announced that the manager of the restaurant, would be taken care of our bill as a token of appreciation for all of our efforts in helping the people of Mississippi in such a time of need. This was an emotional moment for all of us. The gratitude I felt was enormous. Charlie jumped up and gave her a big hug!!
Yes, it has been hot this week, our bodies are beginning to feel the pain, and we have sweat a lot, but it is nothing compared to what the people here have been through and they are so thankful. The manager came in our room and talked with us for a moment and shared some of her thoughts and stories she has listened to from customers, friends and family. Then she had to leave as she was also waiting tables and table 2 was waiting for their check. : )
Well, I must go now. Time for our daily breakfast and devotion which Marie and Marie spend each morning preparing and giving. They are truly God sent.
Have a heavenly day and please pray for not only us but the all of those affected from so many disasters that going through our country these days. I have more photos that I will try to upload tonight. Check back again.
Love and God Bless,
Tracy
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Work Day 2
Hi Everyone!
Another AWESOME day! I am way behind tonight with my blog - it's already past lights out. LOL.
You will notice I have added some pictures from my camera to the blog. Everyone has been taking pictures so we will have to consolidate at some point, but I added some from mine.
Bob's team returned today to the same home where we continued to mud the drywall. We mainly applied the second coat in a bedroom, hallway and living room. I branched out and even did some corners. The homeowner was very appreciate of our help. He worked along with us and Christa continued to help and also make a friend in the homeowners daughter Kesley. They did some scraping, and mudded nail heads. They did clean up - and swept up the drywall dust. They definitely were a great help today. We signed their bible before we left today in case we do not return to their home tomorrow. God definitely was working through us with this family!
As it turned out, Harry's Team who made 4 trips to Lowe's yesterday to install the ceiling fan paid off. Today they were assigned a new assignment - to install 4 ceiling fans!!! They are doing great and should complete this assignment tomorrow.
Eric's team returned to the same house today to complete the 'punch list' (installed some faucets, some electrical work) for a home that is almost complete. They finished the insulation in the attic, and finished sorting two dumpsters of trash that had been left by construction crews. Oh, and they even washed the windows. The puppy on the property has definitely made some new friends, and even got Brian's lunch leftovers. Margaret says the puppy is campaigning for a new home in Indiana! Brian got bit by a fire ant. This must be a Mississippi bug. Harry said you dance when you get bit, so you definitely know it's a fire ant!
Aside from the work, all of the teams met and eat lunch at a local fish market/deli called Bozo's. The place was hopping! Most everyone eat seafood. Shrimp, catfish, oysters. I eat a hamburger. (I know). Christa was able to invite Kesley for lunch and her dad allowed her to come with us. She got to meet everyone in our group, which was great! Even Camp Hope coordinators, Curt and Sally met us. It was a good time.
Our meals here at the Camp are unbelievable! They feed you well! We have planned dinner out tomorrow night to give the kitchen volunteers a night off. The other church that is here from Georgia is going to join us at another local eatery in Ocean Springs. This will be a good social time.
Devotions have been great! Today we were reminded that God loves us no matter what.
Another AWESOME day! I am way behind tonight with my blog - it's already past lights out. LOL.
You will notice I have added some pictures from my camera to the blog. Everyone has been taking pictures so we will have to consolidate at some point, but I added some from mine.
Bob's team returned today to the same home where we continued to mud the drywall. We mainly applied the second coat in a bedroom, hallway and living room. I branched out and even did some corners. The homeowner was very appreciate of our help. He worked along with us and Christa continued to help and also make a friend in the homeowners daughter Kesley. They did some scraping, and mudded nail heads. They did clean up - and swept up the drywall dust. They definitely were a great help today. We signed their bible before we left today in case we do not return to their home tomorrow. God definitely was working through us with this family!
As it turned out, Harry's Team who made 4 trips to Lowe's yesterday to install the ceiling fan paid off. Today they were assigned a new assignment - to install 4 ceiling fans!!! They are doing great and should complete this assignment tomorrow.
Eric's team returned to the same house today to complete the 'punch list' (installed some faucets, some electrical work) for a home that is almost complete. They finished the insulation in the attic, and finished sorting two dumpsters of trash that had been left by construction crews. Oh, and they even washed the windows. The puppy on the property has definitely made some new friends, and even got Brian's lunch leftovers. Margaret says the puppy is campaigning for a new home in Indiana! Brian got bit by a fire ant. This must be a Mississippi bug. Harry said you dance when you get bit, so you definitely know it's a fire ant!
Aside from the work, all of the teams met and eat lunch at a local fish market/deli called Bozo's. The place was hopping! Most everyone eat seafood. Shrimp, catfish, oysters. I eat a hamburger. (I know). Christa was able to invite Kesley for lunch and her dad allowed her to come with us. She got to meet everyone in our group, which was great! Even Camp Hope coordinators, Curt and Sally met us. It was a good time.
Our meals here at the Camp are unbelievable! They feed you well! We have planned dinner out tomorrow night to give the kitchen volunteers a night off. The other church that is here from Georgia is going to join us at another local eatery in Ocean Springs. This will be a good social time.
Devotions have been great! Today we were reminded that God loves us no matter what.
After dinner a case worker for Camp Hope talked to us and explained the process the clients go through to get accepted by the church and where and how the funds are presented. What a insight.
Well, I will close for tonight. I am so grateful to be here. I can see how people keep coming back after almost 3 years. God's presence is alive here!
Good night and God Bless!
~ Tracy
Monday, June 9, 2008
Work Day 1
Hi Everyone!!!
Well, we all survived Day 1 in Vancleave!! I can't say it enough - what a Blessing it is to be here! Our day started out with breakfast - the church volunteers, Marie and Marie (really) prepared bacon, sausage, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, to die for home made biscuits, gravy, blueberry pancakes, grits, oatmeal, fruit - and I'm sure I'm missing some items, but needless to say, the meal was awesome.
After our breakfast, we have a devotion and then Curt, the resident coordinator met with our group and gave out the assignments. We broke up into three teams.
1. Eric's team. [Eric, Tina, & Brian Hand, Margaret Yde, and Caitlin Noble].
2. Harry's team. [Harry & Jacob Moore, Charlie Noble, and Donna Davis].
3. Bob's team. [Bob & Paula Overman, Tracy Puiia and Christa Noble].
Eric's team was assigned to a home that is 99% complete but the attic needed insulation blown in it, and some misc tasks like electrical outlets etc.
Harry's team was assigned to a home to remove a toilet and vanity to lay a linoleum floor and then reinstall the toilet and vanity.
Bob's team was assigned to a home to mud and finish drywall.
After loading the vehicles with the tools needed for their job, everyone departed for their assignments.
My day was awesome! We arrived at the site where the homeowner (John) is still living in a FEMA trailer (almost 3 years now) with 3 children, all girls. The home was brick construction, so the shell was original, but the inside was gutted due to the damage from Katrina and is starting to show some signs of progress. We worked all day mudding, different stages, some the first coat, some with tape, some second coats, some corners, some horizontal lines. We started in a back bedroom and worked our way down the hall. Bob was gracious in guiding me & Christa. I pretended that I was frosting a big cake! Bob was the glazing. He made sure our work was A+. lol.
Paula was the taper - she knew exactly where to be and how much we needed!
The homeowners worked in the house all day with us. He grew up in the house devastated by Katrina, then bought it from his parents about 12 years ago. He has spent much of his life in this home. I asked him if he was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In his response, what he did tell me is that his motivation has been renewed recently with the volunteers. It's been such a long process. I know God's work this week is helping John and his girls in so many ways!
We went through almost a whole 5 gallon bucket of mud, so we definitely made some progress.
The special part of the day was after we returned from lunch, John's teenage daughter, Kesley was at the home. Beautiful young lady with long ringlets of curls. We could sense John was looking for her to contribute to the work that needed to be done but she was unsure how to quite do that. I could feel the tension. Christa took Kelsey under her wings, lifted her spirits and made her part of our team. They spent the afternoon together talking and found they had a lot in common. I can not begin to imagine what Kelsey has been through in the past 3 years but to see her enjoying time with Christa was evidence of God's work. Praise the Lord for our youth!
When we returned to Camp Hope - we arrived for dinner. Once again, the volunteers really went over and above. Ham, homemade cheesy potatoes, toss salad, broccoli salad, garlic bread, and desert. Chocolate or Lemon Cake. Oh, and the "guess what it is" dish. We all guessed it was sweet potato casserole, and I even stepped out of my comfort zone and tried it. We later found out that it was a carrot casserole! Dinner gave us a chance to catch up with the other teams and how their day was. Everyone had a great day!
Eric's team blew lots of insulation in the attic. They used a machine - Tina and Caitlin fed the machine which shredded the bales of insulation, then Margaret and Brian maneuvered the nozzle of the machine to blow the insulation. Margaret said "Thanks Gary for the goggles".
Even with 90 degree temps, in the attic, dealing with insulation, Margaret also said Eric got the worst job. He went through garbage that was left outside at the job site that had to be sorted. He said he has not found any 'dead' varmets yet. The homeowner did have a puppy on site, I guess he was the mascot - and supervisor. : )
Everyone said he was adorable. I might have to stop by their job site to see for myself.
The homeowner here advised our crew that she should be able to move back in to the home in 2-3 weeks. Her adult son and granddaughter will also be living with her. Her son had a job related injury involving Mercury so he is restricted to a wheelchair. The home was built accessible for him. She pointed out to the team the two books on her bookshelf that were the only two items she salvaged from the devastation. I can't imagine. It makes me appreciate all of what I have more and makes me want less.
Harry's team had a great day at their homeowners home. As it turns out - today was her birthday! They removed all of the items in a bathroom and layed some linoleum flooring, then resealed the toilet and installed the vanity. Jacob was a huge help. When he would finish a task, he was always looking for another. From what I understand, this team can find Lowe's with their eyes closed and without Charlie's GPS. lol! They decided to put in a ceiling fan in addition to the bathroom work, and that only took 4 trips to Lowe's to complete. : )
After dinner we had a great devotion. Tina was our piano player, Charlie was our ukulele player, we sang and then Sally, Curt's wife inspired us with a reading.
The entire Salem team had clean up duty, then some went to shower, some played games, and some blogged. : )
I wish everyone at Salem was here!
Thank you Rev Patton! Thank you for planting this seed!
I have so much more I can write, but I must close for now. Lights out at 10pm. We are busy here, but I will write more tomorrow night and maybe attempt to post some pictures!
I am so blessed to be here. Gary, I love you, and miss you!
Keep us all in your prayers!
~ Tracy
P.S. Mom, thanks for pointing out my spelling errors in last nights blog. : )
I corrected them and hopefully did a better job tonight. lol.
P.S.S. For those wondering, temps were 90 degrees at 4pm. This was the only time I looked. But we all survived!
Well, we all survived Day 1 in Vancleave!! I can't say it enough - what a Blessing it is to be here! Our day started out with breakfast - the church volunteers, Marie and Marie (really) prepared bacon, sausage, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, to die for home made biscuits, gravy, blueberry pancakes, grits, oatmeal, fruit - and I'm sure I'm missing some items, but needless to say, the meal was awesome.
After our breakfast, we have a devotion and then Curt, the resident coordinator met with our group and gave out the assignments. We broke up into three teams.
1. Eric's team. [Eric, Tina, & Brian Hand, Margaret Yde, and Caitlin Noble].
2. Harry's team. [Harry & Jacob Moore, Charlie Noble, and Donna Davis].
3. Bob's team. [Bob & Paula Overman, Tracy Puiia and Christa Noble].
Eric's team was assigned to a home that is 99% complete but the attic needed insulation blown in it, and some misc tasks like electrical outlets etc.
Harry's team was assigned to a home to remove a toilet and vanity to lay a linoleum floor and then reinstall the toilet and vanity.
Bob's team was assigned to a home to mud and finish drywall.
After loading the vehicles with the tools needed for their job, everyone departed for their assignments.
My day was awesome! We arrived at the site where the homeowner (John) is still living in a FEMA trailer (almost 3 years now) with 3 children, all girls. The home was brick construction, so the shell was original, but the inside was gutted due to the damage from Katrina and is starting to show some signs of progress. We worked all day mudding, different stages, some the first coat, some with tape, some second coats, some corners, some horizontal lines. We started in a back bedroom and worked our way down the hall. Bob was gracious in guiding me & Christa. I pretended that I was frosting a big cake! Bob was the glazing. He made sure our work was A+. lol.
Paula was the taper - she knew exactly where to be and how much we needed!
The homeowners worked in the house all day with us. He grew up in the house devastated by Katrina, then bought it from his parents about 12 years ago. He has spent much of his life in this home. I asked him if he was beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In his response, what he did tell me is that his motivation has been renewed recently with the volunteers. It's been such a long process. I know God's work this week is helping John and his girls in so many ways!
We went through almost a whole 5 gallon bucket of mud, so we definitely made some progress.
The special part of the day was after we returned from lunch, John's teenage daughter, Kesley was at the home. Beautiful young lady with long ringlets of curls. We could sense John was looking for her to contribute to the work that needed to be done but she was unsure how to quite do that. I could feel the tension. Christa took Kelsey under her wings, lifted her spirits and made her part of our team. They spent the afternoon together talking and found they had a lot in common. I can not begin to imagine what Kelsey has been through in the past 3 years but to see her enjoying time with Christa was evidence of God's work. Praise the Lord for our youth!
When we returned to Camp Hope - we arrived for dinner. Once again, the volunteers really went over and above. Ham, homemade cheesy potatoes, toss salad, broccoli salad, garlic bread, and desert. Chocolate or Lemon Cake. Oh, and the "guess what it is" dish. We all guessed it was sweet potato casserole, and I even stepped out of my comfort zone and tried it. We later found out that it was a carrot casserole! Dinner gave us a chance to catch up with the other teams and how their day was. Everyone had a great day!
Eric's team blew lots of insulation in the attic. They used a machine - Tina and Caitlin fed the machine which shredded the bales of insulation, then Margaret and Brian maneuvered the nozzle of the machine to blow the insulation. Margaret said "Thanks Gary for the goggles".
Even with 90 degree temps, in the attic, dealing with insulation, Margaret also said Eric got the worst job. He went through garbage that was left outside at the job site that had to be sorted. He said he has not found any 'dead' varmets yet. The homeowner did have a puppy on site, I guess he was the mascot - and supervisor. : )
Everyone said he was adorable. I might have to stop by their job site to see for myself.
The homeowner here advised our crew that she should be able to move back in to the home in 2-3 weeks. Her adult son and granddaughter will also be living with her. Her son had a job related injury involving Mercury so he is restricted to a wheelchair. The home was built accessible for him. She pointed out to the team the two books on her bookshelf that were the only two items she salvaged from the devastation. I can't imagine. It makes me appreciate all of what I have more and makes me want less.
Harry's team had a great day at their homeowners home. As it turns out - today was her birthday! They removed all of the items in a bathroom and layed some linoleum flooring, then resealed the toilet and installed the vanity. Jacob was a huge help. When he would finish a task, he was always looking for another. From what I understand, this team can find Lowe's with their eyes closed and without Charlie's GPS. lol! They decided to put in a ceiling fan in addition to the bathroom work, and that only took 4 trips to Lowe's to complete. : )
After dinner we had a great devotion. Tina was our piano player, Charlie was our ukulele player, we sang and then Sally, Curt's wife inspired us with a reading.
The entire Salem team had clean up duty, then some went to shower, some played games, and some blogged. : )
I wish everyone at Salem was here!
Thank you Rev Patton! Thank you for planting this seed!
I have so much more I can write, but I must close for now. Lights out at 10pm. We are busy here, but I will write more tomorrow night and maybe attempt to post some pictures!
I am so blessed to be here. Gary, I love you, and miss you!
Keep us all in your prayers!
~ Tracy
P.S. Mom, thanks for pointing out my spelling errors in last nights blog. : )
I corrected them and hopefully did a better job tonight. lol.
P.S.S. For those wondering, temps were 90 degrees at 4pm. This was the only time I looked. But we all survived!
Sunday, June 8, 2008
We Arrive Safe at Camp Hope [Sunday]
Hello Everyone!
I have to keep this brief because it's almost lights out time (10pm), but the Salem United Methodist Mission Team arrived at Camp Hope today (Sunday) safely! We met the folks from Georgia that will be also sharing the mission experience with us this week. Everyone is so nice here. I feel so blessed. The 'dorms' were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting much more on the primitive side. The bunks are sturdy beds made of pine. The bathrooms are big, bright and clean. Lots of 'space' for everyone. And the camp has Wi-Fi! lol!
We eat great barb-q food at 'The Shed' - where they have the Katrina water line marked on the wall - eye level for me. This place was busy with locals - blues music - and no two chairs matched! My kind of hole in the wall!
We had our orientation where we met the camp hosts Sally & Kurt. They gave us a run down of all the logistics and rules for the week. Again, awesome people that were God sent from Ohio. Check back again soon, I have to close for tonight. Good night to all!
~ Tracy
P.S. Yes, it's hot here!
I have to keep this brief because it's almost lights out time (10pm), but the Salem United Methodist Mission Team arrived at Camp Hope today (Sunday) safely! We met the folks from Georgia that will be also sharing the mission experience with us this week. Everyone is so nice here. I feel so blessed. The 'dorms' were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting much more on the primitive side. The bunks are sturdy beds made of pine. The bathrooms are big, bright and clean. Lots of 'space' for everyone. And the camp has Wi-Fi! lol!
We eat great barb-q food at 'The Shed' - where they have the Katrina water line marked on the wall - eye level for me. This place was busy with locals - blues music - and no two chairs matched! My kind of hole in the wall!
We had our orientation where we met the camp hosts Sally & Kurt. They gave us a run down of all the logistics and rules for the week. Again, awesome people that were God sent from Ohio. Check back again soon, I have to close for tonight. Good night to all!
~ Tracy
P.S. Yes, it's hot here!
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