I won't be writing much tonight and, unfortunately, my part of the trip is going to be cut short because I learned tonight that my grandfather passed away today. I'm flying home tomorrow night to go to the funeral.
The weather has been superb and, though we're all sore, tired, and itching because of the bugs that keep after us, I think all will agree it has been well worth the trip. I spent some of the day on the roof, putting shingles up and also part of the day putting a new lattice around the foundation of Miss Ethel's home.
I've realized that it will take decades for this area to fully recover. So much to do. We drove down to the gulf (if you look at Hwy 90 along the Miss. southern border, you'll see where we drove) and parts are like a ghost town. You can see slats where houses where, swimming pools, torn down trees, but nothing else. Some homes have rebuilt, but those are nicer homes with folks who could probably afford to do so.
I've also been struck by how nice everyone is. You hear about southern hospitality, but I've been experiencing it first-hand. Today I had to call the electric company to ask them to shut off Miss Ethel's power so we could work on the roof (the line was in our way) and even the customer service rep was nice.
It's hard for me to collect my thoughts right now. So much to take in and now thinking about my grandfather and preparing the eulogy for his funeral Saturday. God is good, though, and I have been blessed.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Monday, March 05, 2007
Mission to Mississippi--Day One
Today was our first full day on our Mississippi Mission Trip and we couldn've have asked for a better day weather-wise (probably near 70 degrees). Breakfast was at 6:30, so we were up pretty early.
An aside: They say that cats have a sense that tells them which humans don't like cats. Of course, they then proceed to go jump in that person's lap. I think I have the same kind of attraction to snorers. My apologies to those of you who snore, but, it's almost impossible for me to sleep when a snorer is near. Of course, there's a man right across from me in our bunk beds with a snore that's a bout a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Yes, I have earplugs and they help, but they're not soundproof. OK, I'm done complaining about snorers.
Anyway, we got up and ate breakfast. We're staying on the grounds of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs, MS. The church didn't get hit too severely by Katrina (at least I don't think it did), but it's obviously close to a lot of things that were destroyed. On the grounds of the church is a former Navy SEALS barracks which was purchased from the government by a local benefactor and that's where we're sleeping. Accommodations are pretty good and we eat our meals in the church.
I'm in a work group of about 9 or so and that includes fellow CUMC members Jay Geerdes and Joe Hmieleski (Sue Howard and Gerrie Geerdes are on the kitchen crew for the first couple of days). The work group also includes folks from LaSalle, Naperville, and Rockford. We're working on the house of a woman named Esther, who's 81, in the town of Moss Hill. I'm still not sure how or if the house was affected by Katrina, but she needs a new roof and her carport is/was pretty rickety. I say "was" because we demolished it while also getting a pretty good start on the roof.
I've talked about this issue before, but maybe I can finally resign myself to the fact that my brain just doesn't grasp carpentry. That's a hard thing to admit because it's such a guy kind of thing, but, when it comes to this kind of work, I'm definitely a follower. Most of my work was doing some demolishing (my crowbar got a workout today) and lifting up old shingles. I let others do the planning. I'll simply follow. That's actually a good thing for me to experience.
Esther's daughter's church is providing lunch for our group tomorrow, which should be a treat.
We came back around 5 today, waited in line for showers, and then ate meat loaf and cheesy potato casserole for dinner. Joe and I made a quick run to Wal-Mart (I needed Chap Stik and shampoo) and I called home, recieivng a boost when I heard my wife's voice.
We went down to the Gulf yesterday to get some perspective on the damage and I'll write about that tomorrow. I won't complain about snorers any more. I promise.
One more quick thing--I have to say that, so far, this has been a more enjoyabale experience than when I went on the Appalachia Service Project in 2001. Various reason for this (one major one is that the ASP trip was about a month after our daughter was born), but one is that it's such a joy to serve with Joe, Sue, Gerrie and Jay. Keep us in your prayers!
An aside: They say that cats have a sense that tells them which humans don't like cats. Of course, they then proceed to go jump in that person's lap. I think I have the same kind of attraction to snorers. My apologies to those of you who snore, but, it's almost impossible for me to sleep when a snorer is near. Of course, there's a man right across from me in our bunk beds with a snore that's a bout a 6 on a scale of 1-10. Yes, I have earplugs and they help, but they're not soundproof. OK, I'm done complaining about snorers.
Anyway, we got up and ate breakfast. We're staying on the grounds of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Ocean Springs, MS. The church didn't get hit too severely by Katrina (at least I don't think it did), but it's obviously close to a lot of things that were destroyed. On the grounds of the church is a former Navy SEALS barracks which was purchased from the government by a local benefactor and that's where we're sleeping. Accommodations are pretty good and we eat our meals in the church.
I'm in a work group of about 9 or so and that includes fellow CUMC members Jay Geerdes and Joe Hmieleski (Sue Howard and Gerrie Geerdes are on the kitchen crew for the first couple of days). The work group also includes folks from LaSalle, Naperville, and Rockford. We're working on the house of a woman named Esther, who's 81, in the town of Moss Hill. I'm still not sure how or if the house was affected by Katrina, but she needs a new roof and her carport is/was pretty rickety. I say "was" because we demolished it while also getting a pretty good start on the roof.
I've talked about this issue before, but maybe I can finally resign myself to the fact that my brain just doesn't grasp carpentry. That's a hard thing to admit because it's such a guy kind of thing, but, when it comes to this kind of work, I'm definitely a follower. Most of my work was doing some demolishing (my crowbar got a workout today) and lifting up old shingles. I let others do the planning. I'll simply follow. That's actually a good thing for me to experience.
Esther's daughter's church is providing lunch for our group tomorrow, which should be a treat.
We came back around 5 today, waited in line for showers, and then ate meat loaf and cheesy potato casserole for dinner. Joe and I made a quick run to Wal-Mart (I needed Chap Stik and shampoo) and I called home, recieivng a boost when I heard my wife's voice.
We went down to the Gulf yesterday to get some perspective on the damage and I'll write about that tomorrow. I won't complain about snorers any more. I promise.
One more quick thing--I have to say that, so far, this has been a more enjoyabale experience than when I went on the Appalachia Service Project in 2001. Various reason for this (one major one is that the ASP trip was about a month after our daughter was born), but one is that it's such a joy to serve with Joe, Sue, Gerrie and Jay. Keep us in your prayers!
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