Notes from Rev Ellen
Monday evening July 12, 2010
This is the first chance I have had to set down and send an update on our mission trip adventures. Ken, Allison, and Ben Kersey, Neysa Downs, Laura Sperry and Rev. Ellen left from Blue Mound on Saturday morning and we had a group of family and friends gather to send us off. We had an uneventful morning and met up with Mike, Gretchen, Andrea and Luke Kirby at the Arkansas Welcome Center. Once on the road again we had to stop just north of Memphis as the van over heated. After a short stop we got back on the road and stopped a little while later at a rest stop. As Neysa and I were walking past the van we heard what sounded like air escaping a tire and sure enough the valve stem on the back passenger side of the van was leaking air. It was a group effort but we changed the tire and headed on to our evening destination of the Hampton Inn in Jackson, Mississippi. After a late supper and a long day we were happy to lay our heads on our pillows.
On Sunday morning we awoke to the news that the train Becky Hale was riding on had a fire and they were delayed. After adjusting rail cars they were up and going once again but we knew Becky would be a couple hours later than scheduled arriving in New Orleans. We had church pool side at our hotel led by Ken and Allison Kersey. Back on the road again we stopped for gasoline and saw a Wal-Mart. We were able to get the valve stem on the tire fixed and we were back on the road in no time. We traveled for a while longer and stopped in the quaint town of Pontchatoula, Louisiana for a picnic lunch. We finished lunch and as we were getting back on the road again the folks in the Kirby car noticed that the back tire on the driver’s side was low. Thanks to our GPS we were able to locate another Wal-Mart and get that tire fixed. On this stop Andrea and Allison purchased some window paint and decorated the church van and the Kirby car. Now as we travel down the road people are “honking twice for Jesus” and thanking us for traveling 782 miles for Jesus to do mission. We arrived at the Westside Christian Church Mission Center at around 3:45 pm and unpacked the vehicles, settled in and part of the group left to go to the Amtrak station to get Becky. Brother Vance Moore came in later and oriented us to our home away from home for the next few days and told us about the people who live in the homes we are working on. Later that evening a group of young people from Longview, Texas joined us at the mission center. We are a great mix of people!
On Monday morning we had a wholesome breakfast of sausage and pancakes prepared by head cook Laura Sperry. Becky Hale brought us our devotional. We packed coolers of lunch fixin’s and drinks to take to the job site. It is very hot and the humidity is high. We are drinking lots of water and taking breaks when needed. The devastation here is still hard to believe. As we drive through neighborhoods we see new homes, homes in the midst of renovation and homes that have been abandoned. We are working on two homes – The Yellow House and the Blue House. The Yellow House is owned by a 78 year old woman who is living 150 miles from here. She will return once her home is finished. The goal is to have her back in her home by August 1. The Blue House is a two story duplex. An older woman, Ms. Rose lives in the first floor duplex and her daughter and children reside in the upstairs. During the hurricane they had 8 feet of water in their home. We are putting up drywall, scraping wrought iron banisters and building a handrail. We met Ms. Rose and two of her daughters this morning. Today was a long day and it seemed as if we spent most of the day looking for the right tools to complete our jobs. Every one is of great humor and being very flexible. Tonight we had a great supper of chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans, homemade rolls, and lemon dessert. We are tired but feeling good about our day. It will be an early night and we will up at 6 am in the morning.
Webmaster note ~ The quality of the pictures is poor, but we hope to get better as the week goes on :)
Getting ready to leave
Our Group
Group Meeting
The Blue House
The Yellow House
Tuesday evening July 13, 2010
Most of us slept very well last evening and we were up and ready to go at 6:15 am. Ken Kersey is our early riser getting up at 5:30 am every morning. Laura and Becky made french toast from the homemade sour dough bread I baked. Gretchen and Luke led us in our devotional before we left for the worksite.
We really felt like we got a lot more accomplished today. Mike and Neysa worked at the Yellow House painting cabinets, hanging a door, installing door frames, security bars and other miscellaneous chores. The rest of us were at the Blue House and we finished scraping wrought iron railings and applying the primer. Some of us continued our work on the drywall fininishing out the window frames, sanding and applying a second coat of drywall mud.
We have had a great day and are humbled by the people who come up to us and thank us for being in New Orleans to help with the rebuilding. There is evidence all around the community of the rebuilding. The roads are still a little rough in some spots and the city is working to repair the damage caused by the water that flooded the city.
I had the privilege of spending some time with Ms. Rose this morning and she told me her story as it relates to the hurricane and to her neighborhood. They have been through other hurricanes but the one in 2005 was the most devastating with water from both canals that surround her neighborhood breaching the levy's. They had to leave their dog when they abandoned their home but secured him in the upstairs bedroom. They informed officials that the dog was in the home and it was rescued and cared for until they could get back in their home. Ms. Rose lived upstairs with her daughter until earlier this year when they had to leave in order for renovations to take place on the entire house. She is a woman of great faith and is concerned for those who have less than she does and will never return to New Orleans.
We take a cooler, a lunch box and lots of water to the work site each day. We have a good time at lunch gathering around the food and our make shift table. Tonight for supper Laura Jane has prepared a ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, leftover rolls and strawberry jam (compliments of Nelda Dalluge). Laura has stayed behind each day to prepare our evening meal and to tidy up. She spends her free time reading, napping and crocheting. Tomorrow she is going to the job site with us as the Westside Christian Church members are preparing our supper tomorrow night.
After our workday our Texas friends treated us to "Sno Balls" which are a favorite in New Orleans. It's similar to our snow cones only with shaved ice and lots of delicious flavoring. Right now as I write this several young people are playing games or taking showers and the adults are working on supper and watching the news. Each day we have teams and responsibilities. Everyone will do a devotional for the group this week and teams of two or three are responsible for meal set up and clean up. Our days run very smoothly with a little organization.
We are thankful for your continued prayers especially in this heat and humidity. Today there was a nice breeze coming in from the gulf. We are hoping to do some sight seeing on Thursday afternoon. Some of us are curious to see the oil spill in the gulf as well as the French Quarter.
Supper is ready and we are gathering to pray. I am having difficulty sending pictures from my computer but we are going to put our heads together tonight and see if we can get some on the web-site. Blessings to you and we love you all. Rev. Ellen
Wednesday evening, July 14, 2010
Our feet hurt! We have had a very productive day and feel really good about the work we are doing. Once again we were up at 6 am. It was a little harder crawling out of bed this morning and we had a few more aches and pains. Gretchen and Laura started our day with bacon, eggs, toast and off course Nelda's delicious strawberry jam. Neysa led us in a very good thought provoking devotional based on the tragedy the hit New Orleans five years ago. We said good bye to our new friends from Texas as they started on their 6 hour journey home with a stop at a water park.
Today we all worked at the Blue House and it was great having Mike and Neysa with us the whole day. We got a lot done. A group headed up by Ken and Gretchen including Allison, Ben, Andrea and Luke finished priming the wrought iron railings, steps and bannisters. Mike, Neysa and Becky worked on putting drywall corner bead on the windows on the second floor. I worked on sanding the second coat of drywall mud on the first floor in the room that will be Ms. Rose's living room. It was hot and humid here today but we understand it was hotter and more humid in Blue Mound. Gretchen, Neysa, Allison and I went to Lowe's and picked up supplies. Gretchen picked out the new counter top for the Yellow House. Our friend Pastor Washington who comes by each day to check on us came again this morning and spent some time answering our questions about the people and culture of New Orleans. Tomorrow morning we are all going to see his church that the Westside Christian Church Mission Center rebuilt.
This evening we welcomed the second group of volunteers from the First Christian Church in Longview, Texas. Their Senior Pastor, an Associate Pastor, another adult and 4 youth came in with great energy. Several members of Westside Christian Church prepared a delicious meal for us of jambalaya, green beans, potatoes, salad, deviled eggs, bread, cake and bread pudding. Each evening the pastor from Westside Christian Church gathers us together for a time in which we answer the question, "Where did you see God?" It is a nice opportunity to reflect on our day. We have met and discussed our plans for tomorrow and we are going to rise a little earlier, eat a quick breakfast, go visit with Pastor Washington, and head to the Blue House. Laura is going with us and we will stop at noon. We will return to the Mission Center for showers, lunch and then an afternoon of sight seeing. We are eating supper out.
Once again we are thankful for the opportunity to be here and live out the good news of Jesus' love for us and others.
Thursday Evening July 15, 2010
We have had an eventful day. We were up earlier than usual and had a quick breakfast of cereal and toast. Laura Jane led us in our devotional and then we were off to visit the Historic Ninth Ward and our new friend Pastor Howard Washington. His church and home were destroyed when the levy broke. Ken Kersey worked on his church several years earlier and was so pleased to see the finished product. The church is beautiful and Pastor Washington is very proud of the building. He invited us to his home and it is very nice as well. While he rebuilt in the same neighborhood many people did not. He tells us that the media says 80% of the people have returned but he says that only about 50% have come home. We were humbled by the devastation we saw. Entire communities or neighborhoods were washed away. A few houses dot the streets of what use to be busy neighborhoods. Pastor Washington told us that it took five months for the water to recede and a year before they were allowed d to return to their homes. After spending some time with him we returned to our work site at the Blue House while Mike and Andrea joined the Texas folks at the Yellow House. Laura Jane went with us this morning so when we finished up at noon we took her to the Yellow House to see what Mike and crew had worked on during the week. We returned to the Mission Center, ate a quick lunch and headed to the French Quarter. While it was extremely hot we enjoyed the uniqueness of New Orleans. Some folks went over to Bourbon Street and others walked down Decatur Street. We met up at the IMAX Theatre to watch a movie on the Hurricane and the impact it had on the wetlands and New Orleans. After the movie we rode on a ferry across the mighty Mississippi River and back and then had supper at the Crazy Lobster restaurant. We caught a trolley and rode back down to the Cafe Du Monde and had beignets (square donuts). Walking back to the van we saw "living statues", freelance artists, musical groups and shopped for souvenirs.
We are glad to be back at the mission center and are looking forward to completing our work tomorrow at noon. We will return to the mission center, eat lunch, clean up and start our journey home. Our goal is to get to Memphis by tomorrow evening and head on in to Blue Mound by Saturday afternoon.
Pray for us as we start our journey home. We are all tired - it is a good tired but we are ready to come home. We have all decided that dry-walling is not something we would want to do as a living and have a great appreciaton for those who do!!!! We hope that you will join us when we present our pictures and the story of this mission trip to the congregation on September 26 following worship.
We will look forward to seeing you back in Blue Mound and at worship on Sunday!
Blessings, Rev. Ellen