St. Matthew Lutheran Church
Thursday, July 29, 2010
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Final Update ~ Friday, January 22
It is Friday afternoon and the team has finished its last day of work. After a pizza lunch back at Camp Restore, we had our final Bible study and closing meeting. The Lord truly blessed this team with a great week of opportunities. Here are the quantifiable things that were accomplished by the team:
But not everything that occurred on our trip can be quantified. We pray that everyone we encountered saw the light of Jesus shining through us. We truly enjoyed our fellowship as brothers and sisters in Christ and pray that God continues to watch over the people of New Orleans.Thanks to everyone back home for your prayers and support on our behalf. While we've enjoyed our time in New Orleans, there is no feeling like returning home to our loved ones. Please pray that the team may have safe travels on Saturday. To God be the Glory!! Be sure to check out our final video! Day Six Update - Thursday, January 21
We just finished our fourth day at the work sites and what a day it was! A couple of teams completed their jobs and others are nearing completion. We can see the end in site and the motivation is still strong.
Here's a look at our final three work crews:
Site: 5234 Claiborne Avenue, New Orleans (Trinity Lutheran Church)
Team Leader: Tony Mariano This team has had the pleasure of being the first work crew dispatched by Camp Restore to this site in the Lower Ninth Ward. We kicked off our week with a candlelight service at Trinity on Sunday. Camp Restore has recently purchased this church and has big plans for its future, since it's in an area of the Ninth Ward that is seeing revitalization. Tony Mariano's team has spent the week cleaning the upper level, firming up the most pressing structural issues, repairing a large portion of the roof that has been open since 2005 and installing recessed lighting and new plywood in the covered walkway. We are excited about the future of this project and exploring a long term partnership with the folks at Camp Restore. Sites: 7524 Primrose, New Orleans and 4621 Chrysler, New Orleans Team Leader: John Kelly Our three-man carpentry team has knocked out several finishing projects at two different sites this week. At last count, they had installed 14 doors and lots of baseboard and other framing. After finishing their work at Primrose, they moved to the Chrysler home after Bill Jansen's crew finished tiling. Spiritual Outreach Team Team Leader: Linda Burmeister This was a new crew in our lineup for 2010 spearheaded by the hard work of Linda Burmeister. On Monday, the team attended the dedication of the new Apex Center, which is an after-school program targetted at teens and young adults. It is housed at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. The team had projects designed for the young people and welcomed them each day after school for fun games, crafts, snacks, tutoring and even dinner! This team also spent its' time going on Prayer Walks throughout the city. Tomorrow is our last full day at Camp Restore. We plan to head out to our work sites and finish our final half day working. From there, Friday afternoon and evening is a time of relaxation and packing. The driving caravan will depart early Saturday (by 5 am) and intends to drive straight thru to Chicago. We'll send out one more update tomorrow.
Day Five Update - Wednesday, January 20
It's Wednesday. Wednesday is always one of the toughest days of a weeklong mission trip. The aches and pains of the first two days really settle in and the day can be a real grind. The end isn't quite in sight and there's still a lot of work to be done. We had a typical "mission trip Wednesday" today.
Rain threatened all morning and we endured a few sprinkles in the morning. Our foreman/general contractor Steve Simpson visited many of the work sites in the morning and shared a brief on-site devotion. He related the story of Patton's Prayer ... a prayer that the army chaplain of the Third Army prayed during the Battle of the Bulge in the winter of 1944. To view Patton's Prayer, click here.
Here are the updates from a few more work sites:
Site: 4428 Werner, New Orleans
Team Leader: Jen Youngsteadt This crew has been working in the home of Malcolm Schmidt. They have completed a slew of projects, including attic stair installation, drywall patching and sanding, texturing and application of primer. Today's humidity slowed down the crew as they were unable to move to the first coat of paint (primer wouldn't dry). In the afternoon, this crew joined forces with Pastor Baerwolf's crew by helping unload a delivery of 250 sheets of drywall. They also helped hang drywall with Pastor Baerwolf's team and a few other helpers. This crew also has a great sense of humor as evidenced by the slew of photos of their team leader, Jen, in various reclining poses.
Site: 4621 Chrysler, New Orleans Team Leader: Bill Jansen Our ceramic tile crew spent a couple days tiling the home of Ollie Money. Ollie likes tile! The living room, laundry room and bedroom all were tiled. After knocking out two days of tiling, this all-star crew also joined Pastor Baerwolf's team to unload drywall and start hanging it at the home of Mary Johnson. This team will stay on the drywall project the rest of the week.
Site: 4558 Hickerson, New Orleans Team Leader: David Vollrath This crew has done a little bit of everything -- demo, insulation and drywall. We call this the "rotating" team as team members have come and gone from this crew throughout the week. The duo of Rocky Hoffman and Dennis Schlaffer (aka Rocky and Bullwinkle) have kept this team on their toes with quick wit and endless movie quotes. This home is owned by Mary Gauchichaux and is located three blocks from Camp Restore.
That's it for today, be sure to check out the videos and stay tuned to www.gulfcoastmissiontrip.com! Day Four Update - Tuesday, January 19
We were once again blessed with wonderful weather today (sunny, low 70s) and the hard work continued at our 10 job sites. As with each day, we'll take a closer look at a couple of the sites.
Site: 4919 Eunice Drive, New Orleans
Team Leader: Pastor Phil Baerwolf This group has been insulating the home of Mary Johnson. Her son-in-law, a member of the New Orleans Fire Department, has been active in stopping by the site and visiting with our team members. An accomplished chef, he has promised the team a special lunch later this week. He tells us that his mother-in-law is very happy that the progress continues on her home and she may even make a special visit from Atlanta, where she currently resides. By the end of the week, we hope to have drywall hung on most, if not all, of the walls. This team is led by Pastor Phil Baerwolf, who over the years has become known as the "Cajun Cutman" for his precise skill and unmatched enthusiasm for slicing insulation!
Site: 3116 Arts Street, New Orleans Team Leader: Jon Bartelt Drywall. Drywall. Drywall. Jon and his team have been hanging drywall the last couple days and is ready to move to taping and mud. The homeowner, Emelda Dabney, currently resides in Baton Rouge with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. Her son-in-law, Darren, was at the job site today. Darren had been a member of the New Orleans Fire Department several years ago, but an on-duty injury left him with injuries that prevented him from continuing to serve. He recently lost his eligibility to receive disability payments and has been struggling to find work. While we were at the job site, a friend of a friend met Darren and offered him employment as a delivery driver. His new boss also advanced him $400 to help pay for some of the drywall that our team was hanging.
Site: 4455 Shalimar Drive, New Orleans Team Leader: Dan Fuhs This is a duplex home that is familiar to our team. One year ago, we sent a team of 25 people to insulate both sides of the duplex and begin drywalling. One year later, homeowner Marcus McClain is very close to being able to move in to one of the units. This team was very busy today in both units. Work included kitchen cabinet installation (including countertop and sink), door installation, floor prep for tile, drywall patchwork and sanding. Marcus is so excited to see the end of the tunnel getting closer. He visits the site often.
The Lord continues to bless our team in so many ways ... more than we could ever put into words. We look forward to our work tomorrow and getting past the halfway point.
Editor's Note: To update a previous post, we have resolved the situation with our one vehicle that broke down during the last leg of the journey Sunday. Let's just say .... we hope that someone's wife will not be TOO surprised when her husband pulls up in a new vehicle when he returns! (Actually, she is fully aware.) Day Three Update ~ Monday, January 18
Today was an exciting day as we sent 10 construction teams and a Spiritual Outreach team into the field. Our projects are wide ranging and mostly throughout eastern New Orleans. Each day in this update we'll go into detail about 2-3 specific work sites. Be sure to check out the video link above!
Site: 2701 Metropolitan, New Orleans
Team Leader: Larry Marks Initially we sent a three-person team to this location to re-install wiring which was recently stolen. Upon inspection of the home, the team decided that some structural work needed to be done and that will be our task tomorrow. We hope to shore up the structure, reinstall the electrical, secure the house and move to insulation and drywall by the end of the week. This home is located in a neighborhood that has seen very little in the way of recovery.
Site: 2837 Livaudais, New Orleans
Team Leader: Gerald Schalk This is a cleanup/demolition project of large proportions. The yard area surrounding this house appears to have not been touched since Katrina hit in 2005. Cleaning up debris and overgrown vegetation was this crew's first task. They have already nearly filled a dumpster. Tomorrow, the team plans to begin demolition of a portion of the home that caved in. They will salvage the main structure. Homeowner Allen lives in a trailer on the premises. This home is located just south of the Garden District and is the furthest work site from Camp Restore.
In the evening, we came together for song and Bible study. Paul and Nick from the Minnesota team led us in song. In addition to our 61-person, we are joined in camp by teams from Madison, Wisconsin and St. Cloud, Minnesota bringing the total at Camp Restore to about 90 people. We have enjoyed getting to know one another as we share this Spirit-filled experience!
Day Two Update ~ Sunday, January 17
This morning started with a great breakfast served by the members of United Methodist Church in Hernando, MS. The driving caravan departed at 7am in a steady rain. During the drive, the rain stopped and the sun started to come out. We arrvied at Camp Restore in the early afternoon ... with only one casualty. One of the vehicles in our caravan broke down about 10 miles from Camp Restore. That vehicle was towed for repairs, a mini-van rented and our full team of 61 people were safely at our new home for the week.
Sunday evening, the team met at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church near downtown New Orleans for worship. This church has been re-vitalized and expanding with a community outreach program aimed at teens. In addition to our team, we were joined by members of Gloria Dei, Camp Restore staff and two other teams that are staying at Camp Restore this week. Pastor Schalk led the worship service and encouraged the team to let the light of Jesus shine through us throughout the week. Immediately following worship, we enjoyed a true New Orleans meal of jambalaya and shrimp gumbo.
From there, the group headed across town to Trinity Lutheran Church in the Lower Ninth Ward. This church was gutted after the hurricane, but hasn't been touched in the four years since. We held an inspiring candelight communion service at Trinity and look forward to sending a work crew there all week.
The team is looking forward to hitting the ground running tomorrow with eight work crews and one spiritual outreach team. Please keep us in your prayers and check back tomorrow for more updates!
Day One Diary ~ Saturday, January 16
HERNANDO, MISSISSIPPI -- The 2010 Gulf Coast Mission Team gathered early this morning (5:30 am) at Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee, IL. We were served a great breakfast by the men's group from Immanuel, before hitting the road at 6 am. The driving caravan included 12 vehicles and 44 members of the 61-person mission team. The other members will be joining us in New Orleans.
Our destination for Day One was the United Methodist Church in Hernando, Mississippi. The day of driving went very well and the caravan made great time. By Effingham, Illinois, most of the snow had disappeared. We arrived in Hernando (just south of Memphis) about 4 pm. The people of this church have hosted an incredible 324 mission teams since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in August, 2005. Our hostess, Glenda, and her team served us a wonderful meal. There's just something about Southern hospitality!
Later in the evening, Pastor Baerwolf led the team in our evening devotion and worship. The team is getting to know each other as we come from 13 different churches and many different walks of life. We plan to get an early start tomorrow after another wonderful meal from Glenda and her team (grits?) and hope to hit New Orleans by early afternoon. We've got a very busy day once we arrive! |
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