Friday, April 20, 2007
The Last Day
Today is friday and it is our last night here. They had told us that friday would be our worst day of all. And they were right having to say goodbye to everyone we have been given a chance to meet was the hardest part of the week.I have been truly blessed to have been able to meet these new people from San Diego and Mississippi. I hope to keep in contact with them all, they have truly made an impact on my life. They will have a place in my heart forever. Especially the home owner of the house I've been working on this past week, Lilly and her family. For me to go on for the rest of my life knowing that I helped build a home for her is truly the greatest gift of all. I am so grateful to have been able to come on this trip it has been an experience of a life time. The friendships that were made here will last a life time. Especially with my sister Stephanie *Jeanine*, cousin Nate *Ted*. While being here it has changed my whole perspective on life. I am so thankful to God and to the congregation at HUMC for contributng to make this trip possably for me and ten others.
More Reflections from Mississippi...
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Another beautiful sunrise today over the Gulf of Mexico... as I sat and watched the sun come up and the waves quietly lapping at the shoreline, I tried to envision what it must have been like that day in late August, 2005, when Katrina struck this beautiful resort area. it was hard to imagine -- with winds reaching gusts of 130 - 170 miles per hour, sending water not only into low-lying areas nearby, but several miles inland, carrying houses, roofs, piers, treasured possessions, trees, lawn furniture -- actually anything in its path -- and depositing them in very unusual locations. Since the waves exceeded 30 feet in height (equivalent to a 3-story building), it was not a surprise to see a mattress lodged high up in a pine tree or parts of houses located on the roofs of other houses. The devastation, some 20 months later, remains obvious... but that is merely the physical destruction. As we have had an opportunity to interact with the local survivors, we have gained insight into the emotional trauma that these people suffered. Not surprisingly, we learned that the divorce rate, the depression rate, the crime rate, and the suicide rate have increased significantly. Yet everyone we have met has been so positive, so thankful, so appreciative. Time after time -- whether shopping for groceries at Super Wal Mart or eating dinner at Rickey's Sea Food Grill in near-by Bay Saint Louis -- strangers have stopped us to say, "Thank you for coming to help us... we could not have made it without you." "You will never know how much your presence has meant to us." "Early on, the media and the celebrities came and stood amidst the devastation, but they soon left and the churches came." Indeed, we began to "put faces" on this diaster, to realize the toll it took on the survivors, each with their own story to share. Yes, Katrina came -- and, over the past 1 1/2 years plus, more than 40,000 United Methodists from 27 states in the U.S.A. have volunteered for the relief effort, primarily in Mississiplpi and Louisiana -- at one of the five Disaster Reflief Centers established by UMCOR. I realize that it is one thing to donate to UMCOR following a disaster in some part of the world -- near or far -- or to contribute to One Great Hour of Sharing -- but these experiences are amplified when we have a chance to give of ourselves -- our time, our skills, our presence -- to those in need. As Kahlil Gibran, in this book, "The Prophet," wrote, "You give but little when you give of your possessions... it is when you give of yourself that you truly give." This week, we have definitely given but we have also received so much in return -- in blessings, in thank you's, in hugs of gratitude, in tears, in smiling faces and laughing eyes of those whose homes are being rebuilt and whose lives are being restored.
Another beautiful sunrise today over the Gulf of Mexico... as I sat and watched the sun come up and the waves quietly lapping at the shoreline, I tried to envision what it must have been like that day in late August, 2005, when Katrina struck this beautiful resort area. it was hard to imagine -- with winds reaching gusts of 130 - 170 miles per hour, sending water not only into low-lying areas nearby, but several miles inland, carrying houses, roofs, piers, treasured possessions, trees, lawn furniture -- actually anything in its path -- and depositing them in very unusual locations. Since the waves exceeded 30 feet in height (equivalent to a 3-story building), it was not a surprise to see a mattress lodged high up in a pine tree or parts of houses located on the roofs of other houses. The devastation, some 20 months later, remains obvious... but that is merely the physical destruction. As we have had an opportunity to interact with the local survivors, we have gained insight into the emotional trauma that these people suffered. Not surprisingly, we learned that the divorce rate, the depression rate, the crime rate, and the suicide rate have increased significantly. Yet everyone we have met has been so positive, so thankful, so appreciative. Time after time -- whether shopping for groceries at Super Wal Mart or eating dinner at Rickey's Sea Food Grill in near-by Bay Saint Louis -- strangers have stopped us to say, "Thank you for coming to help us... we could not have made it without you." "You will never know how much your presence has meant to us." "Early on, the media and the celebrities came and stood amidst the devastation, but they soon left and the churches came." Indeed, we began to "put faces" on this diaster, to realize the toll it took on the survivors, each with their own story to share. Yes, Katrina came -- and, over the past 1 1/2 years plus, more than 40,000 United Methodists from 27 states in the U.S.A. have volunteered for the relief effort, primarily in Mississiplpi and Louisiana -- at one of the five Disaster Reflief Centers established by UMCOR. I realize that it is one thing to donate to UMCOR following a disaster in some part of the world -- near or far -- or to contribute to One Great Hour of Sharing -- but these experiences are amplified when we have a chance to give of ourselves -- our time, our skills, our presence -- to those in need. As Kahlil Gibran, in this book, "The Prophet," wrote, "You give but little when you give of your possessions... it is when you give of yourself that you truly give." This week, we have definitely given but we have also received so much in return -- in blessings, in thank you's, in hugs of gratitude, in tears, in smiling faces and laughing eyes of those whose homes are being rebuilt and whose lives are being restored.
TG -- and IF, too
Yes, it's Friday... and during most work weeks we're grateful for the coming weekend. I guess this weekend isn't much different in that respect, We're grateful this week, too, but our feelings are very mixed. There's just so much more work to be done.
27,000 FEMA trailers in Mississippi are still "home sweet home" for tens of thousands of people who'd love to be somewhere else. And though we'd all love to be in Los Angeles with our loved ones, we want to stay right here, too.
Our crew, the framers, have made such great progress on Dena's house that we're filled with new energy. As we're sitting in here having our early morning breakfast (a delicious cheese-and-spinach strada"!), the crew has been brainstorming on how to finish her porch and roof before we have to pack it all away this afternoon.
Yesterday was especially rewarding, because we wrapped the house in a moisture barrier and installed the windows. Between that and the almost-completed shingling, the house looks very different from when we arrived.
No time for more blogging... You all have our love... See you soon.... There's so much to be done!
27,000 FEMA trailers in Mississippi are still "home sweet home" for tens of thousands of people who'd love to be somewhere else. And though we'd all love to be in Los Angeles with our loved ones, we want to stay right here, too.
Our crew, the framers, have made such great progress on Dena's house that we're filled with new energy. As we're sitting in here having our early morning breakfast (a delicious cheese-and-spinach strada"!), the crew has been brainstorming on how to finish her porch and roof before we have to pack it all away this afternoon.
Yesterday was especially rewarding, because we wrapped the house in a moisture barrier and installed the windows. Between that and the almost-completed shingling, the house looks very different from when we arrived.
No time for more blogging... You all have our love... See you soon.... There's so much to be done!
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