We're home!

It's hard to believe the last two days went so fast, especially since they were both spent on the bus ... 1100 miles!

We were so lucky to have Earl, the best bus driver in the world, taking care of us behind the wheel. And we couldn't have made the trip without our really terrific adult chaperones.

But even when the week got frustrating (such as when the work didn't go as smoothly or efficiently as it should have), the kids were always great to be around. They were respectful, helpful and responsible. They took care of each other and included everyone. They were funny and insightful. Parents, you have some fabulous kids, and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them.

We'll have lots more stories and pictures on Sept. 12, 9:30 a.m. at the fall's first Adult Forum. Come join us ... and keep the people of the Gulf Coast in your prayers.

USA Today article

Check out this article from USA Today, documenting the work that Lutheran Episcopal Services in Mississippi has done for the area. Reflections are shared from the Mission Director of Mission on the Bay, Rev. Elizabeth Wheatley-Jones. Sue, the homeowner that I have previously shared about, also shares what she thinks about the volunteers. "It's a blessing," Sue says. "These people are worth more than any money, any gold, anything. They're just wonderful. They're filling in big gaps." What a gift that our Zumbro group was given the opportunity to be a part of this ministry.

a note from Josh K.

Ending Bittersweet:

The trip down here in Mississippi has been such a great experience, but now with the trip winding down I have a bittersweet taste, not only from the good lemonade, but because I love the fact that I did so much in such a short time. But this ending has also put a bitter taste in my mouth that I have to leave this place with all the work still needing to be done. This trip has helped me to feel that giving yourself for the needs of others can lift you in so many ways and to help those who really need it makes the work so much more motivating and special. I felt the discomfort of not sleeping in my own bed and not always having a reliable shower for this one week and I can only imagine not having that for five years. I now feel that others’ needs can rise far above your own and this trip has enlightened me to seek out help for me to do for others in and outside of my community. I strongly recommend to spend a week just helping others for God and to see what others really go through.

a note from Alex H.

This trip to Mission Bay is life changing. You will never look at your house the same. You will think that you are so lucky to have what you have. 95 percent of people lost every thing they had. And some even lost more. People have lost family and friends. Some even died on top of a Wal-mart. When we think something gets bad and then I think of how five years later there are still people who need homes and still live in small cramped campers. It’s a feeling that hits you hard. When that feeling hits you it's like a ton of bricks. You wish you could spend more time down here and that more needs to be done. I really hope someone will pick up where we left off when we're gone. I miss home but I don’t feel like it's my time to leave. But I made a difference in this person's life and that’s what matters. I enjoyed my time down here and if I could I would do it again.

We survive New Orleans ... and New Orleans survives us

What better way to end a week of hard work than by having a little fun? After another hard morning at the job sites, we cleaned up, hopped on the bus and headed to New Orleans. Our route took us through the eye of the hurricane, along the Lower Ninth Ward, and along Canal Street into the French Quarter. We had dinner at the Crazy Lobster ... crab, crayfish, oysters, shrimp, even a lobster or two. Yum!

Top: Megan N. and Courtney O. dressed appropriately for dinner!

Middle: Dylan A. and Madi L. with the seafood bucket "for one" (though it could have fed about four!)

Bottom: Emily L and Nicki Y. show off Emily's new accessories.

do justice, love kindness, walk humbly

I have visited the Gulf three times since August of 2005 to do mission work with Zumbro groups, but it wasn’t until this week that I really saw Hurricane Katrina for the first time. I’ve seen homes destroyed, foundations left empty, and once bustling beach communities turned into ghost towns. But this week I saw Hurricane Katrina through the face of Sue, the homeowner of the house my work crew is working at.

Fellow chaperone, Sue Jenkins, and I had the chance to meet Sue on Wednesday. Immediately she apologized over and over again for not coming out to thank us sooner for the work we had been doing. “You must think I’m the rudest person in the word,” she shared. We assured her that we were simply happy to be there, and so she led us to the swing in the front yard. As we sat together and visited, Sue told us how hard it was for her husband and her to have workers at the house; how ashamed they were that they couldn’t fix it themselves.

Sue paused as we were talking and looked in the house where the kids were sanding the walls to perfection. As tears formed in her eyes she looked at me and told us that she went into the house and sobbed and sobbed the night before after we left. For the first time since Katrina she saw real walls in her house and had hope that she would be able to move back in.

Quickly, her tears of joy turned to tears of fear. “Have you heard of the storm that is way out there now?” She told us of how her friend had just told her about how there could be another storm starting up in the Gulf again. She didn’t need to tell us how scared she was; we could see it in her eyes.

During Katrina and for many days that followed, Sue and about 8 other members of her family, including young grandchildren, took shelter in this bus that was buried in their yard (top two photos). For days they stayed in that bus together fearing the unknown. When they came up from their shelter they found that the winds had ripped the roof off of their home, and that the rains had subsequently ruined all that they had. Eventually they received a FEMA trailer, but after an unknown amount of time FEMA took the trailer back because they weren’t allowed to have two dwellings. The other dwelling, besides the FEMA trailer, had been their home that was without roof and destroyed on the inside.

Following that Sue and her husband of 38 years lived in this storage container on their property (bottom photo). They rigged up air conditioning and lived this way for several years. Today they are living behind their home in a trailer provided by LESM and Mission on the Bay. We are hopeful that Sue will be able to return to her home before Mission on the Bay closes its doors.

Please continue to pray for those living along the Gulf. They have such deep scars, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, from all that they have survived. We must all be reminded that there is still great work to be done in this region. “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

a note from Alex H.

Today started off dragging myself out of bed to go make a lunch and eat breakfast. When we got to the worksite we worked hard in the morning. But I decided to go fishing during lunch so I spent lunch and about a hour after lunch fishing. I caught so many fish but then I got to thinking. I thought about how this place will close down soon and that I want to go home but I also want to stay. Leaving without finishing I will go home feeling incomplete. But I miss home also. I thought about how this seems like nothing to us but it means the world that we are helping them. The lady our group is fixing up the house for is so nice and deserves this house. She brought me an umbrella to sit under because she did not want me to get sun burnt. I feel bad leaving the nice people and beaches but the hardest part is leaving an unfinished job that means the world to this person. I am praying that someone finishes our jobs and that they get these homes they deserve.

a note from Dylan A.

Our work time is coming to an end in Bay St. Louis, but there is still so much work to be done. Today ten members including myself stayed back to work at the camp. The camp only has a few weeks left, so we were responsible for throwing away old trash or unwanted tools. My favorite discovery was an old safe we had to throw out. Those things are pretty indestructible, and very heavy. In order for the safe to fit in the already full dumpster, I had to run full speed at the dumpster with the safe falling off the dolly. I really missed being at the work site, it was hard to be away from all of the progress my friends were making. After we ran out of work to do at the camp, we went to a demolition site for an old house. Many residents abandoned their properties after the hurricane, and all that remains are old houses or nothing at all. A lot of the beachfront properties were for sale but remain hard to sell because of steep insurance rates. It is hard to drive through these neighborhoods and see complete devastation aside from one massive, rebuilt house. Many citizens simply cannot afford to move back to their family’s cherished property. The tour tonight was an eye-opening experience. There really are some extraordinary people in this world, and this hurricane brought out the best in many of them.

a note from Nick N.

Today started off as a normal day here at Mission on the Bay. It started bright and early at 6:00 A.M. Then after breakfast it was off to my worksite. At the worksite we are working on a house that was ruined by the hurricane. We are doing dry wall. The family that will be living in this house is very deserving. Over half of the population here left after the hurricane, but not them. They rode out the storm in the back of a bus, and lived in a storage area for the last 5 years. It is sad to still see destruction today from the storm 5 years ago. It just says how bad it really was and what these people go through everyday. Now just recently the oil spill is icing on the cake for a tragic 5 years for this area. We all have been able to witness the oil spill firsthand. The residents here remain optimistic about the oil not reaching land. However, I am not sure I am by seeing just today how close the oil is reaching. I guess all we can do is keep hoping and praying for this area and people.

swamp tour

Last evening we went on a tour of the Honey Island Swamp. It was a great, relaxing night for the group. Many 3'-8' alligators swam right up to our boats.

here's one of the bigger ones...

our tour guide, Madeline Y., Megan S., Nicole L., Alice Z.

we filled two of these boats

Mitch G. has the eyes for spotting alligators (or so he thought)

the swamp

what a crew!

a note from madeline y. and alice z.

Today we journeyed several miles to a swampy environmental habitat to experience the great outdoors. Not only did we see small kittens and large wasps but also Big Al and One Eyed Jackie. One may ask, “What are Big Al and One Eyed Jackie?” One may answer dogs, but they would be false. Big Al and OEJ are alligators that roam the depths (4 feet) of the Pearl River. We tossed marshmallows at the alligators to call them to us because they move towards movement. It was cool and also a bit scary to see them chow down the marshmallows. Towards the end of the tour we found ourselves eating more marshmallows than the alligators. The marshmallows were delicious but strangely tasted like bug spray, the most reasonable explanation for the taste was probably from the endless amounts of bug spray some people were spraying. It was a beautiful evening but it turned sad because it was the last night we would be able to spend with Lisa this mission trip. We are going to miss her laughter and presence throughout the rest of the trip. It definitely won’t feel complete without her.

a note from nic n.

Today, we did we went back to our work site and did more work then we have done this whole week. We sanded off more dry wall then we have put on the wall. The bad thing was that it was extremely hot and humid today. The work was so hard because we had to go over every uneven spot on the wall and sand it off. While doing this I had my mind on tonight and the swamp tour; that made the day really long. The good thing about work today is that Lisa and most of all the other girls left and picked up fudgesicles and pop; that made the day a whole bunch better.

Each night after dinner we have loaded up the vans and shuttled our group to the beach (about 5 minutes away). After relaxing and having some fun we share devotional time on the white, sandy beach. In small groups we share our highs and lows, come together as a large group to talk about where we saw God in the day and then participate in the devotional messages prepared and shared by our Peer Ministers. It's powerful to share and pray together while we sit on the white, sandy beach and overlook the Gulf.

photos: work site

One of our groups has spent their first couple of days doing finishing work on a home: painting baseboards, installing doors, learning how to use a circular saw and building relationships.

photos: workers back at camp

Workers from each crew stay back at camp each day to help them prepare to close down. They work hard!

loading up the back of a large trailer to transport supplies to another camp

Bob -- supervising from up high

Sue finding gems

Meredith & William ENJOYING their work time together. Yes, Dave & Tammy, I said I observed them ENJOYING time spent together.

photos: oil found on the beach

Shelley and I strolled along the beach last night. First we came upon some large sections of boom. Just beyond that we came upon this black residue on the beach, followed by a large pile of tar balls. When we returned to camp, retired science teacher, Terry, did a little experiment to confirm that it was oil washed ashore that we had discovered. Unfortunately the video won't upload properly for me.

photos: chores, chores, chores

Our youth are such good workers. Not only do they work hard all day, but then they come back to camp and tear into their chores. Here are some pictures from dinner duty a couple nights ago. We had bathroom duty yesterday...but that job was so disgusting that I won't be posting photos of that.

Josh K. and Will M.

Dylan A.

Josh K., Meredith M., Madi L.

photos: around Mission on the Bay

the front porch

When we arrived the fence surrounding the property was covered with handmade, wooden signs from the groups that have previously served here. We found some special ones before we had to take them down as part of helping to pack up the camp.

our alma mater's: Shannon @ Clemson

Pastor Shelley: the College of William & Mary

and the best for last: go Cobbers!

a note from Tori K.

As yesterday was a very trialing work day, I was expecting the same for today. When we arrived to our site we worked in a house that was pretty much done but just needed a few touch ups, which took a significant amount of waiting time. In these moments when we felt as though we were useless, I feel as though we learned just as valuable a lesson. Last nights devotion focused on God’s “little interruptions” that lead us to take action and feel the Holy Spirit. Although we had an annoyingly easy work day, God found his way into our hearts through the fellowship of one another. In strengthening the relationships we had with one another, our relationships with God were also strengthened. It’s hard to move on through difficult times without the strength of God. The time spent with my peers reflected that relationship we have with God. The extra time gave us a chance to reflect on why we’re here, and those positive workers around us reminded me of the great drive and motive we have to take time out of our busy lives to serve Jesus, and that is a truly amazing “interruption”.

a note from Alex O.

This day has been a very proactive work day for part of my crew and me. Pastor Shelley said a couple other team members and I got to work at the main camp while the others were allowed to go work at their original work sites. Originally, I thought it would kind of stink. While six of the workers started up on the boxes full of “assorted items,” William and I hauled twelve generators. After getting all of the generators inside the trailer for departure we also had to carry thirteen shop-vacs. As we were carrying the vacuums, the other teammates were startled to find a four foot long and wide colony of fire ants! I decided to valiantly kill every single fire ant with the help of William……and wasp repellent. After minutes of conflict we ran out of spray and were overwhelmed with the ant horde, but finally after much pain and suffering I single handedly killed the queen ant. We were greeted with much rejoicing from all the workers knowing the evil colony of fire ants was defeated.

a note from Andrew B.

Today was a very fun day! Today was our turn to do the morning chores. I was on the breakfast clean up crew; it wasn’t too much work. Shortly after that we went to our sites. At my site we did a lot of dry walling. We spent most of the time sanding, but we did do a little mudding. After dinner we went to the beach for devotions. A few of us decided to have a mud fight! That was a lot of fun!

on a sad note

Early this morning my husband's grandpa, Bill Gander, passed away. Grandpa had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer. On Friday before we left for the trip I was able to spend a wonderful hour visiting with Grandpa and Grandma and giving him a big hug before I left. This picture was taken a week ago with Grandpa, John, my mother-in-law, and all my boys. William, my 4-year-old, is named after Grandpa Bill. I have booked a flight home out of New Orleans early Thursday morning so I can be with my family. Though he's technically John's grandpa, he's been like my own grandpa since I was 16. The kids and adults here have been fantastic. It will be hard to leave them behind, but they will be in great hands. We couldn't have a better crew down here of adults and youth!

New Skills!

One of my favorite things about mission trips is the new skills we all learn. There is a crew of 10 helping out back at the camp today. Check it out -- Nicole L. learned how to operate a fork lift!

a note from Meredith M.

Today has been interesting so far. Every day, a group of five from each work group has to stay at the camp to help take care of cleaning up and dissembling the camp for close down. Today is my day. Currently, however, it is raining, causing us to run for cover to the main hall so we don't get drenched! My brother, William, and Alex were hauling generators, while the rest of us had to carry all of this other stuff in boxes to the truck. It is 10:00, and we are already taking a break! Later today, we want to go to the beach again for devotions, and the friendly local, Craig, might join us again. Well, I should get back to work. Bye!!!!!!!!!

Pictures of some hard workers

I don't have pictures from all the work crews yet, but here are some from the group I was with today. I'll do my best to get some pictures from the other groups.

Lunch break

Mitch G. after a lot of sanding.

Andrew B. Parents, consider this your warning...the clothes are going to come home very DIRTY.

Another sander - Nic N.

Meredith M. and Nick N.

Our ceiling crew -- Andrew B. and Courtney O.

Alex H. mudding the ceiling.

One of my favorite quotes of the day was when I asked Megan N. if she had done this before (she was clearly experienced in this work). She looked at me and said, "Honey, we built our own house." I love it when the kids on the trip mentor the adults on the work site.

Nicki Y. hard at work.

Our View of the BP Oil Spill

Yesterday as we drove to and from our work sites we had a chance to see up close some of the reality of the Gulf oil spill. This first picture shows the oil workers that we saw walking the beach all day. A local tells us that the workers (the ones with the yellow vests on) are local fishermen that are out of work and have now been hired by BP to monitor the beaches for oil washing up on the beach. They carried large white garbage bags with them and canvassed the shoreline.

This next picture doesn't show much...and that's the point. We drove along Long Beach for miles yesterday and saw just one person set up with her umbrella in the white sand. The beach and the view is beautiful, but there is nobody here to enjoy it. The impact of the Gulf oil spill reaches far beyond the impact on water and sea life, it's having a significant impact on the economy of the region, only now starting to recover now from Katrina.

We looked to our left and saw the foundations from where houses and buildings were before Katrina. We looked to our right and saw the empty beaches as a result of the oil spill.