Moving Camp Supplies and More...

This week was very busy again. While Susan and Monty stayed in Camp Houston doing intake assessments with people who are very close to beginning their rebuild, I left to assist at the Kenner Camp. The trip over to the camp is becoming quite familiar, this is the third trip and as you may have noticed in the pictures we were able to empty the containers of all the supplies, sort them into three groups, stay at the Vineyard,pack them onto three trailers or if they were unusable, then it was trashed. One of the containers was built between two others so it needed to be demolished. It did not take long for Phil to get the bobcat moving to knock it down.

One would think and believe me we were hoping for a day of good weather but.....God definitely has a sense of humor!! Snow in New Orleans area!!! No Joke! You may have heard it on the news, it was for real! We couldn't let it stop us and thank goodness that all but one of us that were working on that day were from states that were not unfamiliar with working in the cold, wet, unpleasant conditions. If it hadn't been for the fact that we needed to work in it, it was quite beautiful and a wonderful surprise for many people in the south who have only seen snow in books and on television. Not only the kids were enjoying it, the adults were having a great time getting out into it.

By noon we were wet through to the bone but when there is only a small window of time to complete a task, you just keep trudging ahead.

Friday morning we finished up what began on Weds and hooked up all the vehicles to the trailers and began the small convoy west. Phil took the lead, his son Phil Jr. followed and I took up the rear. We left Kenner at 10:15 only made 2 quick stops to gas up and grab a burger and we rolled into the Houston Camp at 5:00. The weather was great, the traffic was not too bad aside from a couple of slow areas and we all made it safely back. Praise God for that!

Over the weekend the trailers will be unloaded and organized in the warehouse. Pastor Nathan and his assistant Edward have rallied the church members to lend a hand. It is Sunday morning as I am posting this and guess what... today is the day that the trailers will be emptied...It's raining...imagine that! There goes that great sense of humor again!

We are very blessed to have all the tools that we have so believe me I am not complaining.

Within the next few weeks Susan and Monty will be continuing to move the Kenner Camp to the completion of teardown and to make additional assessments with some people to move them closer to the beginning of their new beginning. Permits will need to be acquired, plumbing and electrical work will need to get contracted and then we will be ready to put teams in the homes to get insulation, drywall and so for! Hope is in the air!

As this preparation is being done and the Christmas season is here, I will be going home for a visit with the plan to return after the Holidays to get the scheduled teams out and into these homes to deliver more hope!

I wish all of you a very Blessed Christmas Season... please remember the this is the season of Christ's birth ...Rejoice in it! Go out and bring joy to someone in a way that will be pleasing to Him!

Blessings to you all!
Diane

Mable Could Be Home For Christmas!!!

If you remember just a few weeks ago I along with Gregg and Pam from SD were asked to come to the New Orleans area to help finish the drywall and trim out a couple of homes. By the way... Gregg.... the tile floors at Mable's look incredible! You work along with Pam's were very much appreciated... I miss you both! We did all we could at that time but had to leave for the Houston Camp because we had a large number of volunteers coming in during the week before Thanksgiving. Gregg and Pam are back in SD now and we (Susan, Monty and I) were asked to help with these homes once again. The goal is to get them finished within the next few days. Mable's needs the bathroom fixtures, a few lights, some electrical plugs, the kitchen sink, the hvac, and two bedrooms carpet laid. It may sound light a lot to some people but if everything would come together it could be done in a day or two. It would be awesome if her Christmas would be celebrated in her newly finished home.

On Friday we went over to another home where Susan was finishing up the trim and there were a few rooms under the house, which is partly the garage, that needed to have the fire-coat of drywall finishing done. By one o'clock we had completed the jobs and headed back to camp to load up the shower trailer that needed to be pulled over to Texas. With a few delays in loading and getting the lights to work on the trailer we set out at about 3:30. As we traveled it wasn't often that the speed was above 55. We pulled in at 11:15 so the normal 5 1/2 hour trip did take a bit longer but the great thing is that it is here and we made it without incident.

Yesterday we loaded some water to take to the people in Galveston and again, within 15 minutes it was gone. I truly believe if we had a semi load of water it would be gone in less than 2 hours. There is such a great need for good water and vitamin water...it is just amazing to see how people express their gratitude with just water. We take so much fro granted!

Our plan to take a few more loads this week before we head over to New Orleans again to get more supplies from the Kenner Camp.

After we distributed the water we traveled on to the city square known as The Strand where the city was holding the first festival since Ike. It was called "Dickens on the Strand" the theme was Victorian and there were thousands of people from all over the country dressed in all the attire of the era. There was a parade with carolers, bag pipe bands, horses and carriages, military troops, entertainment on several stages and even the Queen. There were endless places to indulge in food and as many stands serving food and beverages. Some of the pictures I added to the sight will give a glimpse of the event.

The great thing is that it brought so much back to Galveston. This section of the city had also been devastated by Ike. Some of the shops had not been open until Friday, the first day of the festival. For this weekend this 3 by 5 block square of the city brought smiles and as it appeared, a great deal back into the local economy. What a blessing for everyone.

Be-building Ahead! A Call For Skilled Teams

With the majority of the tear-outs completed it's time to shift gears. It's time to re-build. As we spend the next week moving the remaining equipment, tools and other items from the Kenner, LA Camp here to the Houston Camp the excitement of beginning of re-building the homes in Galveston is all around us. We have a list of people who Susan will need to visit while evaluating the validity of need. As blunt as that sounds it is important that we continue to help those who are in the greatest of need yet have some funds to purchase materials. It would be an incredible blessing if we as an organization were in position to supply it all but where we stand now is to supply the labor through volunteers.

This call for skilled volunteers doesn't mean that we can't use the unskilled. The perfect team of volunteers at this point is a mix of both. Their are many teachable steps to rebuilding a home. Believe me I was one of the unskilled. It didn't take long for me to realize that when there is a need...learn how to fill it! According to Texas laws electrical and plumbing work needs to be licensed within the state. That doesn't mean we wouldn't welcome a willing worker. Almost anyone can insulate a home, hanging drywall can be taught, finishing drywall happens to be what I knew very little about but I have been able to teach many teams how it is done. Most anyone can also be shown how to paint on the primer and color. Then comes the need for skilled. Trimming out a home, hanging doors and installing cabinets is definitely an art. Assistance is again a great thing.

With over 60,000 homes in need of repair volunteers will surely be kept busy. Susan is attending a meeting today that will give us a better picture of all the organizations who have come to the area to help. We know that UMCOR, Salvation Army, Americor, Lutheran Aid and Help4Galveston are active along with Mercy Response. It will be helpful to see who else there are in the area.

As the new year approaches and you are planning your vacations, please open your hearts to include a week of serving. It would be great if you formed a team of like minded willing workers to head south and lend a hand.

Contact www.mercyresponse.com

Ever Thankful

I am thankful beyond words for all that God has given me. This Thanksgiving Day was filled with many emotions with joy being at the top of the list. As you view the images on this entry you will see work being done on a trailer which happened a couple of days before Thanksgiving. My thankfulness is for the people who are doing the work... Susan has the drill in her hand replacing the bolts on the shower trailer. She has become like family to me over the years. she and her husband Monty and I have spent over two years together since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Now that another storm has brought us together we intend on serving our call from God in the every way we can.

Another couple in a photo who are dear to my heart are Gregg and Pam from South Dakota who have been here for a month. While they were here they helped with many projects and were able to be here while the team from my home church were here. they had worked with 3 of them on a Speed Build (building a house in 6 days) in Mississippi last October. Gregg and Pam were suppose to leave on Weds to spend Thanksgiving with her two brothers in Dallas but when we did an outreach on Tuesday to the people in Galveston and saw the need for people to have meals they opened their hearts and said they wanted to be part of another food outreach on Thanksgiving Day.

The planning began..... On Weds we went to Sam's Club and bought all the things we needed to feed 350 meals. There was ham and buns for 700 sandwiches, pasta for 350 salads, 17 spice cakes for 350 pieces and chips for each plate. The picture shown is a sample of what we served. We planned to pack it all very neatly in brown bags so it would be easily served to anyone who stopped by. The day was spent cooking pasta to make the salad, building sandwiched, filling the bags, and creatively packing the slices of cake. It took about 7 hours once we returned to the church to prepare what we could and on the morning of Thanksgiving we finished filling the bags and packed the van and trailer.

As we drove to Galveston and parked at the selected spot it was only seconds and people were there for meals. In fact, some of the men there began helping us set up and stayed to the end handing out food and water to anyone who stopped. For a while we thought that we were working the drive-thru at a fast food place. All the people needed to do was drive up and the men that were helping us ran to there cars to bless the families. It was amazing. What a great way to reach out on Thanksgiving Day! We loved it! In less than one and one half hours all the meals were given out and as we were leaving Galveston we stopped at the police station to drop off a tray of pasta salad and several sandwiches. They need the blessing as well!

It was about 1:15 when Gregg and Pam pulled away to head back to SD. There is a very large whole in the parking lot now with their camper gone but it does not compare to missing them. They are such awesome friends that I am so thankful for.

The other emptiness was when I spoke to all of my girls, their special friends and my grandchildren. I miss them all so much and hope that I will be able to get home for a bit for Christmas. I am thankful that God helped me through the feeling of loneliness.

One last thing... once again I am thankful that my mother has successfully gone through another lung tap. She went in the day following Thanksgiving and breezed through the procedure. She is back home, resting well!

I am ever thankful to god for all that I am blessed with!

A Picture is Worth More Than Words

This is just a glimpse of what this past week was like... The 44 Relief Workers from all over the country moved mountains of trash. We worked at 24 different sites and were able to complete all but two of them. One still has a bathroom to be gutted and dear Marie has to be helped to sift through her belonging before we can get to the home structure needs.

Mercy Response Outreach has made a huge connection with the city of Galveston this week. If it were not for my home church out reach of OAKS this connection may not have knitted us together in the same way. God certainly had his plan and is remaining to work in us and many other churches and organizations.

I remain thankful for the call that He has placed on me to be able to come along side the less fortunate and lift them up in hope of a better day!

I am thankful for the team from my home church to have made the trip and to close the gap that is is my heart. I miss my family so when church family comes it is such a huge blessing to feel the closeness.

Thank you to the other teams from IN, CO, SD, NY, and FL you are now all family as well... Be Blessed in all that is ahead of you and know that you are in our prayers.

Emotions Take Over

Twenty eight people were sent out to two jobs today. Nineteen went into Miss Ninfa's home to continue where the team from Sturday left off. There were a couple of layers of sheet rock over boards that needed to also be taken off. As I mentioned yesterday, this homes' history covered 5 generations. When Miss Ninfa stopped by at about 11a.m., stepped into her home, saw through her studded walss and immediately was overwhelmed with emotion. She stepped out and I tried to comfort her with love after a very short while she walked to her car, I thought to get tissues to wipe her tears, she got in and drove away sobbing. It was very hard watching her and knowing that her grieving came to the surface. I prayed for her as she turned the corner, asked God to take away her pain. I knew he would answer. I moved on to another job to check on the progress. It was about an hour later when that team called for more supplies and I asked if Miss Ninfa happened to come back. She had and was helping the team pull nails... God is so good. I am sure that it will take a long time for her to end the grieving, but God helped her take a giant step today! Thanks to the teams from SD, WI, CO, IN and TX.

There will a team spending a few more hours there tomorrow to finish up but that does not end our connection with her. We hope to assist her with moving forward to rebuild.

The other job today was done by another team from CO. They were assisting the Pastor of the Vineyard Church Plant in Galveston complete the tile stipping, panelling removal and some sheet rock removal in the fellowship hall of the church. They worked non-stop doing very hard work. They came back to dinner knowing that they made a difference for not only the Pastor but for all the members of his church.

We all shared dinner and fellowship. we also had a birthday in the group. Tiffany from IN said that it was one of her most memorable birthdays. What a great way to spend a special day....serving the Lord!

A Very Busy Day & Night

The teams from GA and TX went out today on a mission! The GA team was split in three ways, I took one of them to a home on the water where the home was damaged to the point that the owner is looking at a long rebuild. His yard was covered with not only his things but the path of the storm brought in most of his neighbor's things as well. We focused on the twisted cyclone fence and removing a washing machine that was wedged in a hole near his house. The plan was to send an additional team to clean up the rest of the yard next week but as it turned out one of the projects was completed early so the entire GA Team went back to the property in the afternoon and blessed the owner and included most of the neighbor's yard as well. this couple both work for UTMB and it was announced that 3500 jobs at this medical complex will be losing their jobs due to the damage that occurred to the complex. Most of the people who work there have also lost their homes. Imagine that!

The other homes that GA helped with went very well. They were able to finish gutting out the apartment that they worked on yesterday and help a grandmother pull up some carpet, some insulation, some wet walls. Miss Susan had been given full custody of her 14 and 9 year old grandchildren. They have been helping her gut out the house but it just got to be very overwhelming she simply needed to be blessed with helping hands.

The 5 people form TX and 3 others from another GA team went to Miss Ninfa's home to find out that nearly everything needed to come out of her home. The water level was 7 feet in her 5th generation family home. The pile on the street was already incredible but the team kept adding more. Within an hour one of the contracted removal teams drove up and began loading it up in their trash trucks. This hose has so many drawers still filled with water, the appliances needed to come out and if you have ever done removal of a refrigerator that has not been opened for weeks without the electricity running to it and it was full of food... look out! It gets duck taped shut so there is not a chance for it to open but the stench is still unbearable even for the strongest of stomachs. Many people have lost lunch over this. The walls in this home were painted over drywall, the next layer was wallpaper over another layer of drywall and not it's down to a layer of tongue and groove and who knows... on Monday we may find another layer of drywall before we get to the insulation and finally the studs. This was just one room but time ran out for the day.

Even with all of that going on each and every member of all the teams were moved in such a way that they were brought to tears. What a great God we serve!

The three men from GA pulled out at about 3:00 to get to their flight. As dinner was being prepared I needed to pick up a couple people from the airport, friends from my home church. it is always good to see home church people!!!! The rest of the home church team who were driving had reached Arkansas by this time so they expected to arrive at about 2a.m. The other GA teams' plan was to leave at about 4a.m. so needless to say I was in for a busy night. CTR Team from home made it in at about 3:15a.m. so with the GA team leaving within an hour... I have been up since. It is now about 5:30 so it's time to start the day. Sunday mornings, there are no cooking staff so I will be getting breakfast prepared for 8:00.

I know that I will be blessed with another great day so I am giving praise to God for all that has happened and will happen.
The 3 Men