All good things must come to an end!

Be sure to take a look at my previous posts over the last few days I have added some of the pictures and video I could not get uploaded while in New Orleans. I have also posted the complete list of work completed by Lutheran's CARE on this trip.  This trip like others I have been on was incredibly rewarding. It's just simply amazing to see God's love in action. To all of those people who have been following the blog I'd like to say ......well I guess I'll just let the kids from St. John's say it for me.

God bless,

Jessy

Why we do it!

These videos speak for them selves.

Many hands make light work.

I apologize I tried to post this last night but the Internet here at St. Johns refused to let me connect. I think it hates me.

Every night after dinner the entire group has a meeting during which Pastor Derrick shares with everyone the work which was accomplished for that day and then gives everyone their assignments for the next day. As I sat listening during the meeting this evening it struck me just how much work is accomplished by this group in just 4 days and I'm simply amazed.

Can you imagine 3 years waiting for your insurance company to settle your claim or waiting to receive your road home money mean while you are living in a half restored home or better yet a FEMA trailer. At first you save what ever extra money you have and make a repair here and a repair there a little at a time. Eventually the stress or shear magnitude of the task ahead of you begins to become overwhelming or there is just not enough money to fix the big things that are left. Either way progress stops. That is the story for many of the families we have worked with.

Now imagine that when there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel a green van pulls up and out of that van comes a group of people ready to help. These people come not only with the tools and expertise to do the job but the willingness to do what ever it takes to get that job done. Pastor Derrik said it best when he said "We don't only tape the sheet rock, hang the siding and fix the walls...we bring hope." That hope gives the people who receive the help of Lutheran's C.A.R.E the will to continue to move forward and eventually to move back into their homes.

I am truly blessed to be in the company of the many amazing people who donate their time and skill to the people who need help the most.

Below is a list of jobs that Lutheran's C.A.R.E was able to complete this week by house:

St. John Lutheran Church and School

• Removed temporary  storage area (built it above)

• Moved Library for school expansion

• Built platforms for walkway between buildings

• Changed lights in stairwell

• Light in bathroom

Lorraine & James Williams

• Electric service turned on!!!

• Gas service turned on !!!

• Rehung 2 doors

• Installed base molding

• Finished tile around tub

• Regrouted floor

• Taped utility room

• Painted utility room

• Installed 2 access panels under tub

• Fabricated door for Heating and AC unit

Troy Fourtunia

• Pulled out old nails and set nails in floor

• Grouted tile in laundry room and bathroom

• Sanded (x3) all floors (720’)

• Polyeurathaned floors

• Installed used cabinets (needed to make fit because to big)

• Installed countertop (donated LCARE)

• Installed kitchen sink

• Installed garbage disposal

• Installed feed lines and drain lines (final connectioms)

Bethany Gonski 

• Insulated ¾ of attic 

Robert Welch 

• Installed cement board siding to window (60 x12’ lengths)

• Reinstalled rear entry door

• Finish securing sheetrock

• Sheetrocked an arch

• Taped and sanded to finish 3 rooms

Eddie Gonzales 

• Secured plywood sheeting for entire exterior

• Problem solved plumbing and electrical exterior sites 

• Sheeted same sites

• Sheeted 2nd floor around windows on rear of house

• Started installing radiant barrier

• Installed venting for microwave range hood

• Repaired and properly installed cabinets

• Aligned all door fronts

• Installed nobs and pulls on all doors and drawers

• Uncovered and relocated electrical box for microwave  

Lavarn Jackson 

• Installed 23 homeruns which had been cut out and stolen

• Installed a few additional as needed

• Made terminal connections in breaker box

• Insulated all exterior walls

• Insulated all 4 bathrooms

• Sheetrocked 5 room s ~60 sheets

• 1st coated 3 rooms  

Lilly Jackson 

• Upgraded 3” to 4” drain line (twice)

• Sheetrocked  inspection areas of house

• Finish coated sheetrock

• Hooked up sinks

• Sheetrocked ½ of hot water heater closet

Gayle Butler, Andrea, Gary 

• Removed and replace  termite damaged framing

• This included 3 interioir walls and the entire rear wall of house

• Also several areas in their brothers house across the street.

• Replaced several ceiling joist and reinforced roof support

We serve an amazing God!

God Bless,

Jessy

After a hard days work!

I had planned on talking about one of our sites tonight but sometimes plans change.

Tonight some of our friends at St. John's had a dinner in our honer it was a New Orleans Crayfish boil. As I watched everyone eating talking and genuinely enjoying each others company it struck me what a blessing it was. 37 people living, working, eating and spending every waking moment together and they are happy to do it. There is no conflict, no squabbling and no strife just 37 people who have a common goal and who truly wish to lend a helping hand to those in need.

So after a hard days work I too am enjoying the company of some really amazing people. I am so thankful that God has blessed me with the opportunity to work with each and everyone of them.

I will upload some video of the dinner as soon as the Internet decides to cooperate the videos and be sure to check in tomorrow to see what happens next.

Jessy

Lessons Learned

Today the work began 37 people 7 sites and a huge amount of work to be done. The day started bright and early at 6:30 am. Breakfast by 7:00  and in the van and on our way by 8:00. Here is a list of the sites and the work that was done at each the sites are identified by the name of the owner:

Lilly - The team at this site was Rich B., Kerri Lyn, Tara, Lyn and Steve. They were able to replace the main drain for the house. This means crawling into a small space under the house (houses in New Orleans do not have basements) and re-piping all the drains that connect to the main drain a major job and dirty work but they got it done. They also were able to get some sheet rock put up a very productive day.

Troy - The team at this site was Bob Dowen, Dan Tomik, Ryan, Dot, Mira and Joan. They hung cabinets, Prepared floors to be sanded, grouted tile and fixed some issues with the texture that was sprayed on the wall. This is a house that we have worked on in the past and it is almost ready to be moved into. 

Lavorn - This team at this site was Kenton, Maryann, Carol, Pat  and Bob Jeram. This team ran almost 1000 feet of electrical wire. This team was repairing damage that was caused when thieves broke in to the house and cut a large amount of the newly install copper wire from the house.

Robert - The team at this site was Bob Strune, Ray, Pat Healy, Lyn H., Pam D., Brittney, Heather, Chelsea and Debbie. This team worked on sheet rock and were able to get siding on three sides of the house. The siding on this house was cement board which is very heavy so this was no easy task.

Ama (not a name a place) - The team at this site was Nathan, Jim K, Jim R., Sue and Dick. This team did a lot of different finish work including rehanging doors finishing window surrounds and most important of all getting the electricity turned on! Could you image this house has not had power for almost 4 years.

Eddie - The team at this site was Ralph, Fred, Rich, Roger and Me. Outside we worked on re-attaching the plywood sheathing of this house and we also moved some drain pipes to allow for the rest of the plywood to be attached. Inside we corrected some issues with cabinets that were hung by a contractor. This job was very frustrating because we spent the entire day repairing work that had been previously done by paid "proffessionals". 

OK now to the lessons learned:

1. Patience and flexibility are the most important tools that you carry in your tool belt! After working on Eddies house and seeing and hearing how they had been taken advantage of by some of the contractors they hired I was angry. I really wanted to help them fixes some of the things that had not been completed but we soon found that some of the materials we needed were unusable. This made it impossible to do one of the jobs that we had hoped to do. Very frustrating but we moved on and found some other things to do. Thank God I remembered to pack my patience and flexibility.
2. The things that we consider small or inconsequential mean more than we can imagine when given freely and with the love of Christ. This came to me after seeing a picture of the owner of the house in Ama hugging her power meter(I don't have the picture but I'll get it and added it to this post soon). How often do we flick on the light with out thinking about it? Now imagine not having power in your house for almost 4 years. While it only took a small amount of work on our part the rewards for this home owner were tremendous.
   

I've posted pictures and video from some of the sites  and will add more as I get them. Tomorrow I'll try to focus on one site and give you a little bit of back story on the home owners and what they have been through since the storm.

Jessy

Fun time is over! It's time to get to work!

Today was a lot of fun we started the day with a big breakfast and then off to Church at St. John's.   The children who attend the school here played hand bells it was very cute. Unfortunately I didn't have the camera.  Never thought I would need it during church.

After lunch we went to a real New Orleans parade in celebration of St. Joseph's day.  There were lots of colorful floats and of course music.  The people on the floats threw beads and produce into the crowd.  Yes I said produce potatoes, carrots, oranges, lemons, cabbages (wearing underwear???), beans, onions and garlic.  I even survived a potato to the head (no one told me to wear a helmet).  We were told by one of our friends from St. Johns that the tradition is to take all the produce you gather home and make a stew.  I'm not sure about the stew but the parade was sure exciting.  

I then had the privilege of driving a part of the group around New Orleans on a tour guided by a member of St. Johns congregation Nolan Simmons.  Sorry no video I was driving and I've always been told you should keep both hands on the wheel.  We toured a good portion of the city including the ninth ward and learned about the events before and after the flood.  We also got a bit of New Orleans history.  We ended the day with a great meal and a little free time all in all it was a great day. 

Unfortunately Pastor Derrick and Bob Dowen couldn't join in the fun.  They had the daunting task of visiting all of our 9 job sites.  They survey the sites determine the supplies which will be needed and then draw up the teams who will work at each site.  They need to make sure that there is at least one skilled person at each site to work with the willing but unskilled workers like me.   This is no easy job and it usually takes them all day but it also means that we will be able to hit the ground running tomorrow. 

We have a big day tomorrow so it’s early to bed tonight.  Enjoy the videos and be sure to check in tomorrow to see what's new.

Jessy

Ironic

I found it very ironic that on the first morning that the Lutherans CARE group woke up in NOLA, when I logged on to CNN.com that first story that was on the news page was about the Lower 9th Ward and the situation there.

I can't wait to hear first hand from our crew in NOLA about the conditions there and how they compare to the conditions that the media is reporting.

Safe and Sound in New Orleans

Well we arrived safe and sound in New Orleans at about 7:45 central time last night and we all feel blessed to finally be here. I never thought I would be excited about a night sleeping on an air mattress but after two nights twisted like a pretzel in the van the air mattress felt like a feather bed.

Other than a flat tire and a chicken under the van in Tennessee the trip went very smoothly.I took a lot of video on the trip but we are having some internet difficulty and I hope to get them online sometime today.

Here is a video of the chicken:


Today we get one day of rest! Church this morning and maybe a real New Orleans parade this afternoon. Tomorrow the work begins we will be splitting up 8 groups and doing a variety of projects all over New Orleans. There are 37 people on this trip and we are hoping to get a lot of good done while we are here.

The weather here is great it is sunny and should be in the 80's today beats the New York cold.

Over the next few days I hope to post videos of the work we are doing and also the stories of some of the people we are helping so be sure to keep checking in and pray that I can fix my internet issues.

Jessy

Prayer

As the group prepares to depart we bid them the fondest farewell and God's blessing as they head for New Orleans. We wish them a very successful and wonderful time as they reach out with God's love and blessing to an area hard hit by devastation several years ago.

Gracious God, Heavenly Father. You went with Abraham and Sarah as they journeyed to the land that You had promised them. Guide and be with the Lutheran's CARE group as they leave this evening for New Orleans, a land that You have redeemed and promised to love. Guide them in their time away from home. Give them the skills and talents necessary to do the work which is laid before them. Allow them to have a wonderful time and bring them back to us safely at the end of their trip. In Christ we pray. AMEN!

Preparing

As I gather the things I will need in New Orleans and begin to pack them into the two plastic tubs I’ll be living out of for the week, I recall the wise words of my friend Pastor Derek Lecakes. “The most important things for you to pack are your patience and flexibility!” Things in New Orleans do not always run according to our plans but I have found that despite the bumps, delays and yes sometimes confusion, God has a way of pulling things together.

I can’t begin to tell you what a blessing these trips have been in my life. This will be my third mission trip to New Orleans. My first was about a year after Katrina hit (about 6 months after accepting Christ into my life). In my opinion there is no better way to grow in Christ then to spend a week eating, sleeping and working beside a group of people who are really living their faith.

That first trip also opened my eyes to how much the people of New Orleans had lost in the storm and subsequent flooding. I had seen the pictures on TV, and read the news, but I couldn't truly appreciate how severe and wide spread the damage was until I witnessed it firsthand. I can remember working in a neighborhood where the water had been between 7- 8 feet deep. There were only a few houses being worked on and many were marked with a red “X”, which meant they had been abandoned and were scheduled to be demolished.

Curiosity got the better of me and I decided peek into one of the abandoned houses. I pushed the front door open as far as I could. The lock had been broken by the rescue workers who had searched the house after the storm. What I saw inside brought me to tears. Imagine everything you own (your furniture, books, photo albums, cloths, food and family heirlooms) left in a wet, smelly, mold covered heap mixed with what used to be your ceiling and walls. Strangely enough, right on the top of this heap were what appeared to be some family pictures.It struck me that a family had left everything they had in life behind, and I had no idea whether they made it away safely, or had lost their lives.

In comparison to this my problems suddenly felt very small and I gained a new appreciation for the blessings God has granted me in life.

I have witnessed God’s power and Grace first hand on these trips and as I prepare for a third I thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to be part of something that is so amazing, life changing and rewarding.

If ever you have the opportunity to take a trip like this I urge you to take it. I think you will find that you’ll get more out of it then you could ever imagine.

Devotion

Like I said, I do this ALMOST every day. I would like to think I would get to everyday, but like yesterday, I got tied up working on other projects. I know, pastors (including me) always tell people that they need to make time and prioritize personal devotions. I need to take my own advice I think. That being said, here is what I am reading today:

Numbers 3-4
Often people get bogged down trying to read Numbers (more so even then Leviticus). All the names and assignments and details that don't seem to matter make people not want to read, skip ahead or think, "Really God, why do I need to know this?" Having graduated with a degree in History, I can tell you that all this detail serves a purpose, it shows that what was being talked about was 1) important at the time, 2) vital for the people that read it, and 3) historically accurate. The third one is probably the most important to us. If Moses would have just recorded, "God commanded a census and told the Levites to take down and set up the tabernacle," we would all say, "Ok...but how, and what, and when, and who did what? Is this really reliable? There does not seem to be enough detail here. I think this is all made up." The detail confirms to us that what is written here is true and historical. And therefore important in poinitng us to the one that truely redeems, not with gold, silver or sheckles, but by His precious body and blood!

Psalm 80
I love how readings connect sometimes without me even trying! Verse one makes reference to the Ark of Covenant where God "dwells between the Cherubim." In Numbers we saw God instructing the Levites on how to handle this Ark because it is where God dwells.

Acts 21-22
I hear people tell me all the time, "We no longer live in a Christian nation." This may be true to a certain extent, but Paul certainly lived in a culture that was hostile to Christians. We do not see that today. Paul was willing to preach Christ and Him crucified in the face of what would be certain death. Why are we so affraid to speak the Name that is above every name when we might just be ridiculed or laughed at, but rarely killed for it?

Welcome

Now that he has accepted the invitation, I am pleased to welcome the other administrator and contributor to our blog, Jessy Wilson. As most of you know, Jessy is a newer Christian (over a year now) but has a heart for God and a love for his Lord that is amazing. It is a joy to share this blog with someone like Jessy that I can call my friend and brother. Please make Jessy feel at home and give him a very big and warm welcome!

Daily Devotion

Every day (or at least most days) I take time to read the Bible (I know...shocking, right?). I have been able to read through the Bible cover to cover this way. It is a great way to spend time with God and in His word. I read some from the Old Testament, New Testament and Psalms. I know that there are people who want to have guidance on what to read, so for those of you that want to read along with me, I will post my daily readings here, and if I have any thoughts or any verses that jump out at me I will let you know! Happy Reading!

Numbers 2
That had to be mighty impressive to see all those people surrounding the Tabernacle! How cool it will be on the last day when we see all the people surrounding God as he Tabernacles with us!

Psalm 79
Verse 9 strikes me as the meat of this psalm, "Help us, O God of our salvation". May this be our prayer ever day.

Acts 19-20
I am amazed at how the Holy Spirit lead Paul all over to preach and teach. I wonder sometimes where The Spirit is leading me. I take comfort however that, even though Paul was a great preacher, people feel asleep during his sermons too!

To Start....

Well, you have to start somewhere right? So here I go!

This blog is being started to track the 8th Lutheran's C.A.R.E. trip to New Orleans, LA. But it will be more then that. Though it is starting with this trip I am hoping, and praying, that this will develop to so much more. I pray that is becomes a place that we can share our faith and experiences with God. I pray that it becomes a place where we can talk openly and honestly about our joys and struggles, our understandings and misunderstandings about God, Jesus, religion, faith and many other things. All in all, I pray this is a place where we can grow and and come to kneel at the manger of the Christ child, knowing that we leave the manger to serve and work in the Kingdom.

Welcome to the journey!