They stood  there on the porch leaning into each other.  Ricky and Clarice.  They were definitely pleased that we had come to help them with repairs to their home.  They had expected the new dry wall but had gotten a solid floor, new sink cabinet and counter and a patched ceiling as well.  We had little gifts of pretty kitchen towels, oven mitt, dish cloths, slice rug, hanging flowers and a welcome mat for their front door which we had just presented to them.  They stood there together as people took  their picture, truly grateful but somewhat unsettled.  I doubt they much liked having their photos taken, obviously uncomfortable as flash after flash of our paparazzi popped in their faces.

I've been thinking lots about them and the whole mission trip and what I have learned and am taking away from it all. I've been on a few of these work-type trips and always come away feeling as if we could have done so much more, that there is so much need and we aren't doing enough.  But this trip has really thrown me a curve.  

Appalachia.  We've all heard stories about how some of the poorest people in the U.S. live there and until recent history, because of their isolation, greatly fell through the cracks in our system for helping them.  

We did see much poverty, horrible living conditions and bad health.  What I did not see was need.  When I say that I mean that they are satisfied with their lives, accepting of their condition and happy.  They help each other.  Their homes weren't much but I have never seen such fine gardens!  That is why I am feeling ambivalent.  

It made me uneasy to see our group taking photos of this sweet, loving couple whom we obviously pitied.  They knew it, too.  I could see it in Ricky's eyes.  I think we were self-righteous and judgmental of thei

r lifestyle.  Yes, we definitely improved their living conditions but I wonder if we really improved their lives.  Did we make them feel small? Were we condescending?    I pray that we were not.

Ricky had no teeth at all and his clothes were filthy. He had moved all the kitchen cabinets and appliances into the middle of the room out of the way, in anticipation of our arrival.  He was there almost always as we worked, not underfoot but ready to answer questions, eager to help in any way he could.  He got us a broom to sweep up, he found us a hammer when we needed an extra for pulling out all those nails.  "Grampa's crow bar" was indispensible.  He found us the phone number for the lumber yard when we unexpectedly needed plywood to repair the rotten floor beneath the sink and freezer areas.  

On our second work day we arrived at the house to find a hole in the corner of the  kitchen floor.  Ricky was moving the refrigerator more out of the way the night before and had actually gone through the floor!  Worried, I asked him how far he had gone through.  He replied "About half way.  But it was my bad leg."  Oh no!  But he said that was a good thing.  He was totally sincere.  He'd been hurt but it was on his already damaged leg and not his good leg, so no biggie.  The man has an attitude of gratitude that I can only dream of.  He looks for the good in life and he finds it.  Oh, how I need to learn from that man!

On day 3, an old woman called because her electricity and gone out the night before and she called Ricky.  He went over and figured out the problem for her.  He is also the church caretaker. The Settlement would have come and gotten the huge pile of old sheet rock, paneling and debris we'd hauled out of his house but Ricky's brother showed up with his pickup to haul it off.

Clarice was overweight with the dirtiest feet I have ever seen.  She has a gaping hole in her quick smile and gorgeous blue eyes surrounded by long dark lashes.  You notice their beauty in spite of her teeth. Her health is poor and there were several oxygen tanks in their living room for her.  She teaches a Bible Study for the teenagers that go to her church.  The day she went to the doctor she wore a pretty dress that I commented on.  I wish I'd taken of picture of her that day.  I wish I'd taken a picture of those eyes.  She has quick smile and a joie de vivre

 about her that can't be missed.  Do I value life that much?  

On the final day, we wouldn't let Clarice in the kitchen while we worked.  We wanted to surprise her.  We made Ricky promise to keep her out while we went back for lunch.  We painted all day and put in the new cabinet and counter.  I painted a quick border of vines and flowers.  Someone found an old wooden heart laying in their yard, cleaned it up and painted it white.  They brought it to me to "do something with" so I painted the same viney flowers and the words "God bless this happy home".  We hung it above the sink.

When we had finished it all, we led Vicki in for her surprise.  She was delighted with the border and gave me a big ol' hug.  She was thrilled with her "new" kitchen.  We gave them the gifts and a new broom which she handed right off to Ricky "I cook, you clean."  We got a good laugh out of that.  We blessed their home, gave hugs (Ricky got a little teary) and headed back to the Settlement.

We'd had a good week of hard work and tons of sweat.  There was lots of kidding and fun.  Lots of jokes about no teeth and Mountain  Dew and how the mountain folks just "make due".  There had been lots of comments about the incredulity of the living conditions.  Smug?  

I came away thinking I had learned SO much.  If we had never come along I don't think they'd be much worse off.  They seemed satisfied with the life they live.  Yes, they accepted the things we gave them gratefully.  They were glad to have it all but did they need it?  Not really.  They were happy.  They were in love.  They appreciate the smallest things and look for the good in life, in people.  And they find it.

We were there to work, to get as much done in our 4 days as possible.  There were 17 of us and they started us off with two projects.  If we finished those they'd find something more.  There's always more to be repaired, replaced, renewed in these Appalachian communities in southeastern Kentucky and Northeastern Tennessee.

Our jobs were to sheetrock and a kitchen and put skirting and a porch roof on the house next door.  We all kind of gravitated to a job and set to work.  Ted was a retired sheet rock man who had owned his own business for many years.  We could not have done it without his expertise.  He was flat out amazing.  Seriously we hardly had to sand at all due to his incredible mudding skills!

But I've gotten ahead of myself.  We went on in to tear out the old paneling (a kind of cardboard) and sheet rock, discovering a horrible mess of mold and rot in one corner.  Ricky, the homeowner told us the creek had flooded the house in '93. 

The floor was squishy in several places so we had to be careful where we placed our feet.  There was already a patched area near the door, a piece of vinyl nailed over the hole.  We were able to tear out all the sheet rock and pull out the dozens of nails as well as vacuum up a lot of the debris.  Everything was crumbly.

 The skirting crew was making slow but steady progress.  Who knew it was such a tedious job?  The porch crew did more discussin' than workin' but that's what happens when you have too many chiefs.   They were working well together and enjoying themselves!  

                                                                                             The heat and humidity were barely tolerable for us but no one was complaining.

 
When we arrived at the house the next day to work on the house we found a big hole in the floor.  Ricky had gone right through the floor while trying to move the refrigerator!  

Fortunately, he was not badly injured but now we had floor boards to replace.  As they tore out the rotted floor boards they found more and more rot.  

A 2 foot (ish... nothing is square or level or uniform) piece of floor along the wall and the old hole by the door, as well.

The day ended with most of the insulation installed (There'd been none before!) most of the sheet rock was hung and most of the flooring in place.  

The following day was to be our day off, our site-seeing day, but we spent all morning working on getting needed items for our projects.  We traveling to a Lowe's where we could purchase a replacement sink cabinet, a counter top, some more quick-dry sheet rock mud and some odds and ends.  

Next door was a WalMart and we decided to stop in there to pick up a new broom for Ricky and Clarice. Their's was shot!


We all separated and wandered to the check out with little items to dress up their kitchen.  Towels and towel hangers, a kitchen rug, hanging flower baskets for the porches and a welcome mat for the front door.  

I picked up some paints and brushes thinking, that if there was time, I'd throw up a quick little vining   border to add a little cheer to the plain white walls.

Thursday was crunch day.  Everything had to be finished enough to get the painting done. The carpenters and mudders and skirters went back to the work site and several others of us stayed behind to work at the Settlement.

We were given the job to paint the inside of the big barn "nude Tan" (a pinky white").  The barn will soon be used for a Farmer's Market and the ladies who'll run it were thrilled to get rid of the drab gray cinderblock walls.

We worked and sweated and joked and laughed all day.  Some teens worked outside the barn hauling a huge pile of gravel to the playground area so we had their music and laughter as background in our efforts.

Friday, our final day! All work needed to be completed or left for another group to finish.  We were determined to get it all done.  Several of the most dedicated and talented had skipped lunch on Thursday to finish the mudding.  

We did some light sanding, cleaned up the dust and began a coat of primer before lunch.  The "Nude Tan" paint (again) went on easily with the many hands working while the new cabinet, sink and plumbing were installed.   The skirting was finished, complete with a "gate" so Michael (the coal miner whose family lives in the trailer) could continue to use the space underneath for storage.  The railing was completed for the porch and the flower baskets hung.

We ended with prayers and blessings for the families we had come to know.

Kentucky.  Tennessee.  Angus had two weeks vacation and we would spend the first week of it working on homes in Appalachia  with a group from Missouri, then head on for some camping and hiking in the Smoky Mountains.  We were excited and we were on our way!  The rented van held 8 and Angus and I were in our car heading to Evansville, Indiana where we would meet up with folks from Nixa, Missouri who were also going to the Henderson Settlement.  We stayed the night, sleeping on the gym floor of a church there and then caravanned on, heading east.  We were silly with our walkie-talkies and having fun along the way.  

We stopped for lunch in Somerset, Kentucky.  That's when I discovered it.  My purse was missing... my purse with pretty much all of our cash for the trip.  I remembered putting up on the towel holder in a gas station restroom at our last stop.  We had the receipt and called information to get the phone number.  The rest of the group went on in to order at Smokey's BBQ.  We called and they looked.  No purse.  A hundred thoughts were running through my head.  We don't use credit cards anymore so the loss of the cash was big.  Angus had his debit card but mine was in my purse, so was our check book, of course.  If we canceled mine would he still be able to get money with his card or did it put a hold on the account?  It was Sunday,the bank was closed.   

We live in a small town and so we know our banker and we called him at home.  He told us to call the bank first thing in the morning, any charges would be covered.  Not very comforted by that information, we went back to the table.  We discussed it all.  I told them that for me, the worst of it was knowing people do stuff like that.  I kind of shakes your faith in humanity.  That sounds dumb, I know, but I want to believe, I do believe that most folks do the right thing when they can.  Jenita told us that when her purse was stolen, they had grabbed all the cash out of it and tossed it in the nearest dumpster.  Perhaps we could call the police in that town and they could find the purse, maybe the debit card and check book would still be within.  

That sounded promising so we went back outside to make the call.  Angus had his new early Father's Day gift, a Garmin, and it gave us the local Police number for Morgantown, Kentucky.  The officer who answered was efficient and polite with his deep southern drawl.  He  didn't make me feel like an idiot (okay, not any more of an idiot than I already did).  He took our phone number and said would send someone out to check on it.

My head was still spinning.  I kept thinking of more and more things that had been in that bag.  My digital camera. My school keys.  Angus was quiet and calm, he's used to me doing dumb stuff.  We headed back in and sat down with the rest of the crew.  There, laying on the table between us was a stack of bills.  I didn't know what to say when I saw it.  I looked searchingly at Angus who hadn't  seen it yet.  They'd taken up a little collection for us, these people... most of whom we barely knew.  They had collected $300 in those few minutes we were out.  Tears welled in my eyes.  I had been pretty careful about how I was feeling, nothing seemed real until then.  Their generosity moved me back to my faith in humanity again.  Yes, I know there are bad people, lots of them.  But I still think that they are outnumbered by normal people who do the right thing.  It just doesn't get the attention.

As we were finishing up our meal Angus got the call back.  The purse had been found.  It appeared that everything was intact he said.  We decided to go back the 88 miles to retrieve it.  The rest of the group would go on and we'd, hopefully, meet them at the Henderson Settlement before dark.

In all the excitement we almost forgot to pay for our meal but when we went back to check on it one of the people from Nixa had paid already paid for it.

We called the police when we got into the tiny town and he met us in the parking lot of the local Dollar Store.  He was a big ol' boy and pulled up in his big black SUV.  He didn't even get out of the vehicle, just reached his arm out and handed it out the window, telling me again, he thought it hadn't been messed with but he didn't know what it had looked like before.  Sure enough, everything was there.  Everything.  I was thrilled.  He told us there are two of that gas station in town and we'd probably been given the phone number of the wrong one.  I said I'd sure like to give him a big hug.  He laughed and told us that "Oh, no.  This is a small town and everyone'll hear about it."  Laughed again and was on his way.  

That's it.  We returned all the money given us but we kept the love that had come with it.  Our hearts were filled with such gratitude that every one of those 15 people felt like kin.  The couple who'd bought  our meal refused to be reimbursed.  We missed the evening devotions but arrived at our destination just as it was growing dark.  Heard our names called out from a porch swing as we drove slowly through the peaceful Settlement in the foggy dusk of the surrounding hills.  We were greeted and hugged and settled in quickly. It was peace And we felt ready for whatever adventures lay ahead.

The college kids are back from their Mission Trip to Abbeville, Louisiana. Twelve of them went as well as a handful of adults.

Zeke, Kevin and I went last year to Gautier, Mississippi on a similar trip. We did mostly roofs and some sheetrock and painting. It was hot and heartbreaking work. We worked hard and fast but felt so inadequate to the task. We could stand on a roof and look around, seeing blue-tarped roofs in every direction, silently waiting for their turn to be repaired.

We knew we were barely making a dent. But Marcia, the woman in charge of volunteers said they look at it as “helping one family at a time”. There was no doubt that the people we helped were very, very grateful. In fact, the whole community was respectful of the train of strangers that came to help them, leaving and being replaced by the next crew. Piece by piece they were gaining hope, the commodity most needed in the face of the devastation. (More on the remarkable photos & stories of the people of Gautier, Pascagoula & Biloxi here)

Kevin said it was different this year with this college group, but still gratifying. He didn’t see many roofs that were in need of repair but there were still many people still living in the FEMA trailers because their homes are still uninhabitable! He was surprised that 2 years had gone by and people were still waiting for help.

His crew worked on a home that was spared from Katrina. The homeowners took in two other families whose homes were ruined. Then Hurricane Rita hit. The water surged to above the windows ruining everything in and out. But everyone was safe and the house was still structurally sound.

They gutted it and had it raised on stilts. Kev’s group did work on the soffets and put up siding. Their goal was to finish it before they had to leave… they even turned down an afternoon sightseeing trip into New Orleans because they felt the need to keep at it. Unfortunately, even with all their determined work, they were still unable to complete the job and were disappointed. But the homeowners, who worked side by side with them when they could, were still so pleased and grateful for the almost-finished job.

Another crew painted the inside of a home and another put up sheetrock in a home whose roof had been completely ripped off in the hurricane. After working hard all day, those kids still had energy to play volleyball! They also got to experience real Cajun cooking when a lady from the community came in and cooked for them one evening. Someone from our church donated funds for them all to go out to dinner while they were down there. Another great thing about folks coming down to help them out is that they put money back into the community with their commerce, so I guess they helped out that way, as well!

Anyway, they are safely home now, weary but feeling somewhat gratified. They came back with hearts for serving and are intent on making sure this kind of trip happens annually. They also developed a new bond with one another and the joy that comes from doing God’s work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world says, "The more you take, the more you have." Christ says, "The more you give, the more you are." ~ Frederick Buechner

The 30 Hour Famine is over. Everyone survived it and I heard no complaining this time! The kids were focused and very, very busy. We kept our minds off of our empty bellies. Our kids live in an affluent community where the kids seldom go longer than 2 or 3 hours without a snack, a stop at Sonic or the Quik Mart. 30 hours seemed like an eternity to many of them. They were encouraged, when they were feeling hungry to say aloud "God is good" as a reminder that God has given them soooo much. Those nearby are to respond with "All the time" to let them feel a little moral support. They understood that this is about awareness and learning and raising funds for World Vision's hunger relief programs. They raised over $4,000.

The fundraising was kicked off Saturday night by a Rally at the local park. Free popcorn and music. They pulled together a band that played wonderfully and did two skits as well as a very moving clip from the World Vision promo DVD.

Thursday morning the "famine" began. Around 40 kids from ages 11 to 18 were divided up into tribes for the many activities. Some of them were also given a "disability" that one might have when suffering from hunger. Some wore heavy backpacks to signify the extra burden when one is weak from true hunger and malnourishment. They spent several hours building shelters from mud huts and thatch huts to carboard boxes, to shelters made from plastic and scrap wood scavenged from dumpsters and work sites. They collected canned goods door to door for the Food Pantry and there were many other opportunities for serving. There was a Bible study and lots of games that focused on understanding what those living in Africa might be going through. They had time to journal after each activity.

One group went to Hillside Ministries which provides housing and budget counseling for 90 days for homeless people that have jobs, while they get back on their feet. They did odd jobs such as rake leaves, weeding, trimming and setting up a new swing set.

A group went to the Harvesters warehouse and helped there. They were amazed by the volume of food provided to the hungry right in Kansas City. Another group went to Feed the Need and sorted though mountains of used clothing. Several kids went to the Good Samaritan Center and painted their basement.

The group that most came back with the most stories was the one that went to reStart downtown. It was a daytime homeless shelter. People were coming and going...homeless people. Lots of men but some women and children and families. Some of the kids were a bit afraid, some were uncomfortable, they had never seen homeless people in real life. Someone asked them if they had any socks. It was enlightening indeed.

All of the groups had their eyes opened. They are not often exposed to people who are truly in deep need. It was good for all of us. It made us more compassionate. It made us truly count our own blessings. It made us recognize the responsibility that comes with our many gifts.

As the end grew near they participated in a beautiful Praise Worship service. They laid their "burdens" (disability) at the foot of the cross. The heavy backpacks and blindfolds and leg slplints were piled there as each child recognized what God can do and what we can do through God. The service ended with communion.

A feast was provided by church members for the kids to break the fast. Food never tasted so good. Part of that feeling was, well, we were hungry, but we were also gratefully aware of the fact that we were feasting while others are starving.

Hipolito was living alone in the FEMA trailer parked next to his home. There was a wheel chair ramp going up to it for his wife but she had had to leave since she could not find the kind of care she needed there after Hurricane Katrina had drown their neighborhood. Hipolito was a sad, elderly man. They had left for higher ground but their home had been destroyed. His wife's doctor had stayed... and died. Hipolito told us that he had been a kind man.

He asked us what had happened to his hardwood oak floors that had been there. The oak had been pulled up and thrown out by a group before us. They'd been swollen and warped and ruined in the flood. You could literally see the ground beneath his home between the boards and in the empty nail holes. The group before us had put up insulation (there had never been any before), hung sheetrock and painted. A volunteer electrician was working on it. I think the group before that had given him a roof. It was finally falling into place for him.

The group before us did the sheetrock and it is the worst sheetrocking I've ever seen. The walls in the livingroom looked as if they had not even been sanded but they had already had a coat of paint so there was little we could do. We have had to change our thinking a bit in regard to remodeling. Having to cut corners because one doesn't have the money or the equipment and especially the time to do things "right". They want to be living in their homes. Hurricane season is upon them again and they want to start living normally in their own finished homes. We all did the best we could..

Hipolito had paid two different contractors ($1800 each) to do plumbing so he could get back into his home. Both had taken his money and run. It's hard to understand that someone would pay up front for a job to be done... especially twice. But he was desperate to get his home in order, to have a home, to get his wife back with him. Desparate people grasp at straws. Desparate people attract unscrupulous contractors and apparently they are plentiful around these parts.

We painted the trim in the livingroom and all of the dining room and set his kitchen cabinets and sanded some sheetrock and scraped up sheetrock mud off the livingroom floor and painted a bedroom floor... and they set his toilet and got it working!

We had worked on Hipolito's house all morning and then had to leave for home that afternoon. We left him, so grateful to have more of his home ready and yet,so sad at all that he had lost.

(More Mission Trip memories: our own little flood, Katrina Flood, First United Methodist Church of Kearney, Gautier United Methodist Church, Ander's house, Miss Martha & Miss Ruby roofs, "Mississippi Manicures", Flood damage, Gautier, Mississippi, Biloxi hurricane destruction, coming home, Mississippi Hurricane Relief Mission Trip)

The third house was Ander's. Carol and Andy were going to paint there while the rest of us went on to roof at Miss Ruby's. Carol was a bit worried, unsure about being left there so we decided we'd all go on in and check it all out; see what needed to be done, how many workers to leave behind.

We were pulling up to the house in a nice little neighborhood near the shore in Pascagoula, Mississippi. There was a FEMA trailer in the front yard and a big black man came bursting out. He paced outside the bus as we parked, opened the doors and all tumbled out. He grabbed each one of us and hugged us... a big ol' heartfelt bear hug. His wife was inside and showed us around to all that needed done. Groups before us had gotten it to the stage of painting. Everything in their house had had to be replaced.

Carol and Andy painted there and later more of us joined the effort. Ander (real name was Andrew but he said his mama called him Ander and we should, too.) was a reall chatty guy. He had a deep accent that we had some trouble understanding but he was patient about it and repeated at will. He and his family had been at home when the hurricane hit. They had ridden out hurricanes before but Katrina's number popped up as it hit the shores and it hit harder than predicted. His home flooded instantly with the wall of water. The local lagoon also flooded with it so that was in the water, too. He said he was not afraid for himself but for his wife and his grandson. The water came up to Ander's neck and he had to hold his Grandson above his head. They could not escape their house until the waters receded. They survived... but their house was in shambles.

The house was unairconditioned and so hot and stuffy! We were all soaked with sweat. Ander never lifted a hand to help but kept us entertained the whole while. His wife wanted us to paint her laundry room and her garage but we moved on to those in more need at that point. Ander climbed onto the bus to thank us one more time and mad John write down each of our names so he could "put it in the newspaper".

"Helping one family at a time" that's what they are trying to do in the face of the daunting need left by the hurricanes last fall. I've been thinking about the people waiting for new roofs and interior repairs; people who have been on a list for months and months patiently living in homes wearing weathered blue tarp scarves, or among the bits and pieces of remodeling being done or nesting in their FEMA trailers.

We first met Miss Martha. (She really wasn't a "miss" but we soon learned that everyone down South is "Miss" or "Mr", even with first names.) She was thrilled and surprised, having been bumped up the list due to the discovery that the guy above her was actually a landlord wanting his rental property fixed for free. We started at her house while she was still at work. (She works for a doctor) We were novices at roofing with a little experience among us but we kicked right in. The first part of the job took no brains or skill...just a lot of tedious, back-bending effort. We tore off her old roof.

It was apparent immediately that the building codes were crazy-off from what we are used to here in Missouri. We were told later that some of the houses were built before there really were many codes. Anyway, her roof was made of 1/4" plywood on 24" centers and old. It was wavy as could be between the rafters and so weak that we didn't dare let Andy up on the roof. He'd have dropped right through to her kitchen! Johh insisted on going up but was pretty careful to keep his feet on the rafter boards. The rest of us walked at will but every now and then you'd hear a "WHooooaa..." as someone stepped into a soft spot and dipped precariously low.

There was one place that a tree had gone through and we replaced it with 2 sheets of solid plywood. The whole roof really needed it but we were there to get things fixed a.s.a.p and we had to remember that they don't have the snow on their roofs that makes it neccessary for ours to be so sturdy.

The roofing was so weak and old that it tore off in small pieces and strips leaving the nails behind. The tarpaper below was in the same condition and was stuck to the plywood below. It came off in tiny pieces mostly that had to be picked off by hand and then swept off. The nails had to be pulled out with a hammer or popped off by brute force with a shovel. We tried to send all the debris to the front of the house where our ground crew of 3 moved it all to within 3' of the curb where it would be picked up by the city.

We did end up throwing some of it off the back because it was just too much effort to drag it up and over the peak of the roof. The back yard was secured by a tall chain link fence with a locked gate. Miss Martha's house butts up to the housing project in the area. Her airconditioner was chained to the ground. We think she probably had good reason to have her backyard locked up but Tom figured out that he could just remove the pins in the hinge of the gate and we got right in for clean up. We had a giant magnet on a pole for retrieving the jillions of nails that went over the side with the rest of the debris.

We had only worked for the afternoon since we had been on the bus all morning getting to Gautier, Mississippi. At the end of the day we were very hot and very tired. It had been in the upper 80°s on that roof and we had really felt it. My back was aching from all the bending and effort with the nails/shovel. Everyone had worked well together and worked hard!

Day 2~ We started earlier so we could bet a jump before the heat. Miss Martha was leaving for work and was so glad to meet us. The first thing she said was how grateful she was and then she asked if there were any black people in our group. We told her there were not. (we didn't tell her that there are only 2 black (1/2 black) members of our whole church and not many more than that in our whole community) She told us she was disappointed...that all the people they had seen coming to volunteer...there were no blacks among them. We didn't know what to say. I don't understand that myself. But she was still, oh so grateful. She wanted to know each of our names. She left a note inside stating her gratitude. (she left her house open for us to use the bathroom) I left her a note telling her we were just trying to do what God expects us to do; welcomed the opportunity. The next day Miss Martha called the church to thank them for sending her angels.

We finished her house and cleaned up as best we could. I am afraid her lawn mower will find a few of the nails that we surely missed picking up. We spread a tarp on the grass below for the roof debris at the next house. It worked so much better... although we almost always filled it way too full before dragging to the curb.

Miss Ruby was the next homeowner we worked for. She was home while we worked on the first day and glad to see us but somewhat reserved. Her roof had four layers that had to be removed! We invited her to dinner with us and she accepted. It was taco salad night and it was good. We ate the delicious Taco Mountains and tried to make conversation with Miss Ruby. She works at the shipyard in the Maintenance Dept....lucky to be in that department since many others have been laid off. We made small talk. I asked her where she worshipped and she opened up. I think her reservations toward us came from maybe thinking that we would be condescending toward her, maybe even toward all those down there. You know, "Oh, how we came to help you poor needy people. Oh, aren't we wonderful." BUt when we got to talking about our churches, about our worship, suddenly we weren't black or white, we weren't rich or poor, we weren't Northern or Southern...we were just God's children. Christians one and all... just doing what we are called to do.

(More Mission Trip memories: our own little flood, Katrina Flood, First United Methodist Church of Kearney, Gautier United Methodist Church, Ander's house, Miss Martha & Miss Ruby roofs, "Mississippi Manicures", Flood damage, Gautier, Mississippi, Biloxi hurricane destruction, coming home, Mississippi Hurricane Relief Mission Trip)

I expected to feel all goody- goody after my return from work with the hurricane relief down South but... well, there have been so many feelings, thoughts, ideas, prayers and images banging around in my brain! It's taking me awhile to process it all. Especially when I get back home and am expected to, you know, take up the same place where I left off before I went. I don't feel good either, nor bad... just different... challenged... changed.

I sent out an email to practically everyone I know letting them know about the great need for volunteers since it is clear that is the only way the non-business,

non-wealthy folks are going to get help. The responses I got were diasappointing and disheartening to me. I'm hating all this "Oh, you did such a great thing." "Oh, it's so wonderful that you gave up so much to go do that." "Oh, I want to do something like that but I just don't have time." It makes me want to sccreeeeaam! I do understand how they are feeling and know that they are sincere. It is exactly how I felt before when I would hear about other mission trips our church has organized. But I don't want kudos; I want other people to step up and pick up where we left off!

I didn't do a great thing, I didn't give up anything, it wasn't wonderful, you CAN do something like that, you DO have the time.... I want to say that but I don't. I've been in their shoes. Maybe by going myself I did plant a few seeds among my peers. They can do it, too. Afterall, Lou is the one that showed me that it can be done. She went to Nicaragua!

I do feel good that 2 of my sons gave up their time to come with us. They were both hard workers, and Casey's friend, Chris, was, too. It would have been a much less productive group without the 3 young men that followed me down there. I feel good about that. I worked hard, too. I can feel good about that as well. The folks whose homes we worked on were sincerely grateful that it was finally their turn. We did a good thing for them. There is no doubt of that.

We worked together so well! The combination of young people and adults, male and female was perfect. Among us were those with strength and the vitality, those with knowledge and skill and experience, those with enthusiasm and a willingness to do anything. There was kindness and an honest effort to value everyone; find a meaningful job for everyone that wasn't just busy-work. I feel good about the group. I made many new friends. I learned a lot, too.

There were no slackers among us. We saw the almost unfathomable amount of work that still needs to be done and we just wanted to work, work, work in the samll amount of time tha we would be there. We did all we could, more than most groups that go, but it didn't seem enough. We didn't go shopping or eat out or take in the scenery. We just worked.

It was a good trip. A good group. Good work was done. And yet...

The feelings are still bouncing around. I'm still working on them. I'm letting God work on me.

Biloxi, Mississippi ~ May 25, 2006
Ocean front property... it used-to-be a tourist area, filled with luxurious homes (which were ripped apart)... and quaint old homes (nothing left but foundations)...
FEMA trailers next to bare slabs of foundations and piles of bricks; all that is left of those homes...

There were Casinos (now mostly rubble)...One Casino was partially up & running. It was the ONLY business we saw going on in this area with the exception of construction and demolition. People gotta have their gambling...

Hotels and restaurants and shops (blasted and uninhabited)... Actually, it was difficult to tell what buildings were originally.

A Mission for pre-Katrina homeless men (nothing left but the sign)...24 drown there...

The big bridge across the bay (dominoed down to pilings)... the shrimp boats (mostly gone, some being repaired, some giving tours), the beach (debris- strewn) the ocean (still contaminated) ... Signs warning of the danger in walking the beach and swimming in the water. A few people swimming in it anyway.