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