Out of Chaos comes Hope

Heading home and Thinking Forward

2011-07-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

Friday, June 24, 2011

(view of medicine wheel outside Shelem House at Re-Member)

It’s departure day. Carolyn, Judy, Marjorie, Jeanne and Peggy are driving home today and Don and I will go and visit my seminary class mate who lives about 2 hours straight east of here. (Linda’s husband, Jerry is the one in charge of the workshop at Re-Member.)

In visiting with Jerry, he tells me that a desperate need that Re-Member has is for twin sized sheets to continue giving linens with their bunk beds. Do any of you have sheets (77” long is best) that you can donate? If we can find what we need, I will put together a package and get a group headed west to deliver it for us.

We have so much to tell you all about this trip. It was filled with some challenges including the rain and absence of the director who is so good at telling the story of the Lakota people. There were some health challenges and travel challenges, but we are all OK and ready to share our experiences.

Thank you SO MUCH to all who supported us with your gifts and prayers. In the next several months we will determine plans for next year. MISO will decide whether there is enough interest in sending another team to the reservation, so if you have thoughts about wanting to go, please speak to Kim Kettering or Pastor Joyce so we can take those requests into consideration.

2011-07-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 23, 2011

(KILI Radio station and our view from Betty's, a lovely lunch in the open air)

Our last day and once again it is beautiful. For about half of us this is tour day. Because we have a large group, we are divided so only half of us have tour today. The other half toured yesterday and will work today.

I think tour day should be called “Hope Day.” They showed us those organizations and businesses that are working to make life on the reservation a little better for the residents. We visited Red Cloud School, a private school where a quality education is offered to students by the Jesuits of the Roman Catholic Church. We also toured the community and visited KILI Radio Station, a major source of communication for people in remote parts of the reservation. We ate at an open air restaurant that was operated by the great-granddaughter of Black Elk, a wisdom elder of the Lakota people. The food was really tasty and the chocolate cake was wonderful, too. In the afternoon the bus visited Rosie’s trading post where locals can purchase the supplies needed for their crafts and tourists can buy authentic Lakota crafts. The last stop was at Lakota Community College where a photo display and audio recording told the story of the conquering of the native people. It is quite graphic and incredibly sad.

Carolyn was late for dinner tonight because her team got to go with Jerry to deliver bunk beds. She said it was the best day of the trip because they got to go into people’s homes and set up the beds. Re-Member gives mattresses and bedding for their bunk beds, and Carolyn reported some REALLY excited children who would sleep on a real bed for the first time in their lives.

The evening was pizza hut pizza and ice cream sundaes to celebrate our week on the reservation. We got a report on all the work that was accomplished this week. Our teams installed a new roof, skirted 3 trailers, put 2 porches or sets of steps on trailers, repaired a floor, installed an outhouse, constructed and delivered 18 bunk beds to allow 36 people to sleep well. It was a good amount of work that we accomplished! That felt good. We made a difference, and more than that, we learned so much and forged a connection with the people of Pine Ridge. We will never see our world in quite the same way again!

One of the volunteers who was from Dubuque, Iowa spoke to us about putting together a gift for KILI radio station. Some of their equipment is on the last leg and they have gotten bids that put the repairs at $5,000. It was suggested that if we each donate $100 that the radio station can continue to be the life-line link on the reservation. No pledges were taken, but I anticipate that many or most will find a way to donate their $100!

We all filled out evaluations to help them think about how to better serve both the Lakota people and the volunteers who come each week. Lots of promises were made about people coming back and staying in touch.

Skirting once again. Last day of work, 2011

2011-07-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

(Alex and Junior share our lunch while little brother pokes his head through the trampoline to see what's going on.)

Our last day of work. All week we’ve been hearing about the little boys out at Agnes’s place where teams have been working (and at her mother-in-law’s house across a small field.) The task has been to skirt both of these women’s trailers and put on 2 porches, as well. We finally got to meet Junior and Alex ,the 8 year old twins and their 4 year old brother. There is also an 18 month old niece who lives in the house, too. It was a gorgeous day and the boys were so excited to see us. They wanted to help with our projects or to play ball with some of the teens in the group. They accomplished both. They helped carry lumber, used the power drill to help install wood screws, and played both soccer and ball with our gals. One of the twins is a budding artist and he brought us out several drawings of monsters and space aliens throughout the day! They shared our lunch and were quite delightful!

The trailer and living conditions broke my heart and made me angry at the same time. A single extension cord extended across the field from Grandma’s house and provided a tiny bit of electricity. There was no plumbing. We saw mom carry in some jugs of water, and one of the boys carried out a basin of soapy water to dump at one point. The outhouse had been constructed by earlier Re-Member teams, and a wood stove at the rear of the trailer provided the only heat. (I learned later that the army reserves bring trees cut from the Black Hills for people to cut for fire wood.) A trampoline sat outside the front door. The problem was that there was a hole in it, and at one point we saw the boys use that hole as a basketball hoop. How dangerous such a trampoline must be!

On the other hand the family had not learned how to take care of what they do have. The trash and junk around the trailer was deep and quite depressing. I guess when one lives in such poverty, the idea of keeping things tidy or taking care of possessions seems not as important. Much of the stuff was obviously junk when they picked it up somewhere and so couches and chairs sat in the yard, rotting!

On this project I finally got to do some major work. I now know the procedure for putting insulated skirting on a trailer. Anyone need a trailer skirted?

Tonight’s activity was the craft fair in which local Lakota residents brought their jewelry and items to sell. It was fun to stroll through the tables to see their work. Afterwards a man came to show us the different parts of his regalia. (The native dance attire that is used for Pow Wows is called “regalia” and NOT costumes or outfits. Those terms minimize the relevance of native dress.) Our speaker put his regalia on a young man from our group and that teen was quite delighted with the result!

Skirting, and Spirituality. Day 4 on the Rez, 2011

2011-07-01T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

(Marjorie is in under a trailer adding insulation to keep out the cold winds of winter.)

Today began as damp and windy once again. The good news, though, is that the sky cleared as the morning progressed and it turned out to be a pleasant day. Once again our teams went in 5 different directions. Don and Marjorie and I were working to install skirting to a trailer. I learned that this particular type of trailer was a FEMA model that had been probably been in New Orleans. It’s the type that often had formaldyhyde and so was deemed unsafe for people there. They brought them to the reservation whee housing is in such short supply and sold them to families. They also made the people sign a waiver saying they would not sue the government. I guess the people decided that these accommodations were better than what they had and since the average life span is only about 52 years, maybe they think they won’t live long enough to have to worry about the cancer-causing agents they will be breathing.

The temperatures dip to 30 or 40 below zero up here in the winter and the winds blow almost constantly. One person told us that before his trailer was skirted by Re-Member, his heat bill was $1,400 per year. Since that was done 3 summers ago, he has not had to fill his LP tank more than once. So, it seems that skirting is a major assistance to the people there. I just hope that we’re not trapping more carcinogens for them to breathe!

At noon, after we had eaten our sandwiches, a van load of gals were heading to town to visit the ladies room (guys have a real advantage here!) Our van got stuck in the driveway, and some of our guys (and one gal) pushed us out. One was a college student who had already soaked one pair of shoes, so took off his shoes and socks and pushed us barefoot. I made sure to bring them all back a candy bar from the store—seemed like a really good deal on my end, don’t you think?

Tonight our speaker was one of my favorites from last year. Larry Swolley decided as a young man that the dysfunction of his family was surely not the Lakota way. He studied the culture and the spirituality of his people to discover a belief system that is surprisingly similar to Christianity in many ways except it places much more emphasis on caring for the earth and all things wild. His goal now is to help his people re-learn their own stories as a basis for a much healthier Lakota society. He told us their creation story and the sacred rituals that allowed boys and girls to enter adulthood, as well as their role once they accomplish that status. There is healing in the stories. There is cause to hold one’s head up and to have a purpose in life.

In the early 1900s the idea of US legislation was to “kill the Indian and save the man.” That resulted in children being forcibly taken from their families and sent to harsh boarding schools where their hair was cut, their ways and even their language was outlawed. They were taught to be servants, drivers, wash women and ditch diggers. Many never found their way back to the reservation.

On the reservation, the practice of any spiritual ceremonies was made illegal and for a long time the people were barred from leaving the reservation regardless of whether the promised food was provided or not. There was massive hunger, disease, poverty and hardship. Past generations of Lakota saw themselves as prisoners of war, and that bitterness and lack of self-esteem is still haunting many today. (Did you know that the Bureau of Indian Affairs was a part of the war department at one time? Maybe they were correct to assume they were prisoners of war!)

We begin work, 2011, Pine Ridge

2011-07-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

Monday, June 20, 2011

Our first day of work was began in the rain.. There were 58 people here and we are divided into 12 teams. Those teams were assigned to 6 different projects. We began though with the task of unloading a trailer of lumber. We formed a line and passed the 2X4s and sheets of plywood from one to the next, and it actually went pretty fast. Then we all gathered the things needed for our particular task and set off.

Don and I managed to get into the same team thanks to Judy who traded with me. We were assigned outhouse installation. A tem from last week constructed the unit (even with a cute turtle cut-out in the door and a typical home store seat to make it slightly more comfortable.

On the way, I asked our construction supervisor what the family is currently using if they don’t have an outhouse nor plumbing. Her response was that they don’t like to ask that question because it is very embarrassing for the family involved. She said they usually use a variety of methods including the facilities at their closest neighbors, the weeds behind the house, etc.

It’s hard to imagine that in this country, people don’t have bathroom facilities indoors, and its absolutely mind-boggling to realize that outhouses are a major item requested from Re-Member each week. The people don’t have tools nor the lumber or skills to create their own, and they are expensive to purchase, especially for people without a means to transport them or jobs to pay for them.

It continued raining all morning. We dug a 5 ft. hole (2 ½ ft. across). The soil has enough sand that the digging itself was the easy part. The hard part was moving the loosened dirt out of the hole! By the time the hole was 3 ft deep, it was hard to maneuver the shovel to toss it out. We finally got a system where the person in the hole filled a post-hole digger and handed it to someone above who emptied it. It rained and blew this whole time and was promising more severe showers, so they had us stop at 5 ft. instead of the customary 6 ft.

When we finished we were all soaked and muddy. The showers back at the dorm felt pretty good and then after lunch we went to the workshop where I got to use a drill press to pre-drill the holes in wood pieces that would become bunk beds as the week advanced.

In the evening we had another speaker, Will Peters. Uncle Will as he introduced himself to the teens in our group is a college professor, musician and advocate for young people on the reservation. He talked about the destructiveness of a culture where women and girls are not honored. In the native tradition women were considered the wisdom bearers and the center of the family. It was women who held the culture and family together. Men were the defenders and hunters. When the native ways were put under pressure, the people lost many of their cultural norms, and the honoring of women and the family has often been forfeited, much to the detriment of the Lakota people. When men lose their ability to defend and provide, they also lost their ability to hold their heads up, and in the process alcoholism, drug abuse, gang membership, domestic abuse and other social ills have followed. In many ways the Lakota are a people searching for their own identity in a world where it’s not OK to be native and where the cards seem stacked against them in many ways.

Perhaps that’s why the men often remain inside when the Re-Member teams are working on their houses. They are embarrassed and ashamed that they can’t provide the needed repairs, so they try to be invisible. It’s the way our nation has chosen to treat them, anyway—as if they were invisible. It must break something deep within their spirits, and it should break our hearts, too!

Bad Lands or White Wilderness?

2011-07-01T08:51:00.000-07:00

Monday Morning

(the picture posted here was actually taken on Friday after the group departed from Re-Member)

We are getting ready to begin work for our first day. Don and I are going to be delivering and digging the hole for an outhouse. It’s been raining, so we’re not sure whether that’s good news because the ground will be softer, or bad news because it will be mud! We’ll let you know. Marjorie will be working in the shop here to build bunk beds, Judy, Jeanne, Peg and Carolyn are all beginning skirting projects on trailer homes. It is still rainy and cold. We’re told that today should be the worst of the week and there is work to be done inside if needed. We’ll see.

Last night Keith, or as he prefers to be called by his Lakota name, Anela Wakon (It means Quiet Spirit) talked to us about his experience growing up in a traditional Lakota home. He lives about 20 miles from town on the piece of land that was deeded to his grandparents in the Dawes Act in 1887. His home is without electricity or plumbing, and they keep the traditional ways, even though he is college educated in global positioning technology and travels all over the world to work with human rights issues here and abroad. His home is on ground that is now managed by the US Parks service, not so much as park area, but for ranchers to allow cattle grazing. It was the area that was used as bombing practice for the military before and during WW2. When the people were evicted (they had only 10 days to get out), they were promised that they would get their land back as soon as the war was over, and they would be able to return. That didn’t happen. Instead the land was declared public land, and the National Parks service took over control. He talked to us about the struggle to get the government to give control of the land back to the Lakota people and to allow those who should have their own tract of land returned to them. He told us that about 12,000 people today are descended from the families who were evicted. Th0se people now have no resources at all, and with the massive problem of unemployment here, it takes all the tribal resources to provide a bare minimum for them. The poverty related issues are so prevalent among that population (alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, and suicides, especially among the very young. Those children see no hope and are 10X more likely to take their own lives. )

Anela Wakon has a special love for the land that we call the Badlands, and assured us that no land is bad. The Lakota people call that territory the White Wilderness, and he talked about the riches in plants and animal life there. He is not a fan of the way the National Parks service is caring for the land. Cattle are very hard on the ecosystem and have done great damage to the more fragile springs, native grasses and landscape.

Anela Wakon is a small man who is an advocate for the return of control of the Badlands to the Native people to whom it was deeded by treaty. He feels that the Lakota have a better ability to manage the portion of the badlands that is on their reservation. It’s kind of hard to argue with that logic!

Pine Ridge 2011, Day 2

2011-07-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

It is day 2. By this point we have visited the Wounded Knee site and the Visitor center at the southern side of the Badlands. If we were able to follow the schedule, we would now be on a hike in the badlands. Unfortunately, it’s raining, and the hike is not going to happen. I’m disappointed, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Instead we will see a documentary that centers on the radio station here on the reservation and the way it is bringing connections to a people who live in remote areas.

The Wounded Knee story is just as startling this year as it was last. Even though it happened in 1890, it feels very recent to the people here. To the Lakotas it is a watershed moment that represents the many broken treaties, and the many ways that their culture, way of life, religion and language have been taken away from them. And it continues to be robbed from them today.
Here’s a rundown of the events that led to that day-December 21, 1890.

1. The Lakota had been fighting to resist having their way of life taken from them. The white man was demanding that the Black Hills be abandoned so gold miners could come in to the area. Previously in the treaty of 1868 the hills had been deeded to the Lakota people “for all eternity”The Lakota held those hills as sacred, so to leave that area and be restricted to such a small tract of land that their whole way of life was forfeited was very troubling to them. In the years before there had been skirmishes and battles that had shed a lot of blood on both sides, including the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.

2. Chief Big Foot had been running and now had pneumonia, and his people were hungry and tired. They wanted to come to Pine Ridge to hold a council with the army and other Lakota chiefs.

3. In the mean time the Indian agents and the army were increasingly nervous about the situation on the reservation, reporting what they saw as war dances.

4. What they saw was the ghost dance. This was a concept that had recently been introduced in which the Lakota believed that if they danced to exhaustion, they would see a vision that would make them impervious to the white man’s bullets AND the spirits would allow their ancestors to rise again driving the white man away. The Lakota were dancing the Ghost dance on a very regular basis. Because of the army’s nervousness, over 2/3 of the US military was stationed in South Dakota.

5. The 7th Calvary (same group as had been wiped out at Little Big Horn encountered Big Foot’s group on a plain about 15 miles from Pine Ridge (Wounded Knee) Big Foot put up the white flag of surrender and the people were told to set up camp on a grassy field. They were then called to a council fire where all their weapons and cooking utensils were taken.

6. Something happened. The Lakota understanding is that it was a planned genocide. Whatever started it, the Hotchkiss guns (machine guns)on both sides of the encampment were aimed and the firing began. The women and children were sent into the ravine to try to find shelter, but the army followed them and it became a killing field. A few survived, but over 350 were killed.

7. The part that especially enrages the Lakota is that over 20 Congressional medals of honor were issued to the soldiers that participated that day. That’s an incredible number considering that only 3471 have been issued since the award’s inception during the civil war.

A few years ago the US government wanted to make Wounded Knee a national historic site and develop it. The Lakota asked for 2 things. They wanted a written letter of apology and that the medals of honor be revoked. The government refused. The Lakota refused to allow the designation and development. They see it as a commercialization of the horror and abuse that was visited upon them. They didn’t want the horror of that day to become a tourist site that told the mostly white version of the story in which the Lakota history continues to be denigrated. I can’t say that I blame them, can you?

More later.

Pine Ridge 2011. Our first day on the Rez

2011-07-01T07:44:00.000-07:00

We have arrived! Once again the starkness and loneliness of the landscape as we made the last lap of the trip made us sit up and take note. The sky is more blue here than at home. The clouds seem flattened, and even though this is not Montana , the horizon here could qualify this area as “Big Sky Country, too! It is quite beautiful here on the reservation this year. They have been having much more rain than normal so it is much greener than normal.

This year there are more teens here than last year. There are about 60 people, and probably 2/3 are youth. It should be an interesting week. We women are sharing our dorm room with 6 young women. The good news is that by the time we went to bed last night, everyone was tired and the girls slept. It was Judy who got a fit of the giggles! Judy, Judy, Judy! You are going to need to sleep, because tomorrow will be a big day!

Yesterday as we approached Des Moines, the signs announced that the interstate we had planned to take was closed. We had received word that it was open, but we decided to take an alternative route to be on the safe side. It was a really beautiful drive, but slower than the other would have been. We arrived at our hotel at 7:45 and then we went to dinner at Famous Dave’s. This morning we got up and hit the road at 8:15 and arrived here about 3:00. We enjoyed a grand entrance at the Pow Wow with probably 60 to 70 Lakota in really neat native regalia. I have several pretty good pix. I will try to include one.

Today (Sunday morning) we are awaiting breakfast, and then we will begin to hear the story of the Lakota history. Wounded Knee and hopefully a hike in the badlands awaits. It should be a good day. I hope you are all well. I will post more later.

2010-08-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Last Day at Pine Ridge.

(In a nod toward truth in blogging, this entry is being written from my living room. We simply ran out of time for reporting, so I put the computer away and, I’m now hoping to fill you in on the last couple days of our experience at Pine Ridge.)

Our last work day on Pine Ridge was a really hot one. The thermometer hit 97 degrees. Pat and Corrine went with a group to a small, private renewable energy site and helped there. They did some cutting of aluminum strips to be used on the solar panels that were being constructed, and then worked in the gardens there. It was pretty hot work. Janet helped complete an outhouse and then took it to the site and helped dig the pit (6 Ft. deep)to set in the latrine. The ground here is REALLY hard, so it was quite a task.

That leaves Patty and I. We went with Jerry, the Re-Member master of building and fix-it projects—He’s also the husband of my Seminary roommate—and we traveled about an hour and a half to build a handicap ramp at a home in Wambli. It was quite a day. We began with the need to load lumber onto the trailer that we pulled. After a couple stops to pick up some supplies and make arrangements for another project, we got to Wambli and checked in with the Housing Authority. (This is the agency who is responsible for building homes and making necessary improvements. The problem is that they have too little funding to meet the massive need on the reservation. Part of the treaty agreement is that homes would be provided to the Lakota people, but it often takes 15 to 20 years for a family to get their own home. They live with family in the mean time or make do with trailers that they purchase on their own.) The Housing Authority had some treated lumber that we could use. (What we had brought from Re-Member was untreated because they can’t afford the better quality materials.) We decided to use the treated even though it meant moving a bunch of other stuff off the top so we could get to the lumber we needed. That moving project took us about an hour and a half and was really hard, hot work since the 2 men needed to lift it over a 5 ft. fence to move it out of the way. We finally got the needed lumber and then it was time for lunch—remember, we also drove for an hour and a half. We still needed to unload both piles of lumber to get to the saws and tools we needed.

In the afternoon we built the major part of our ramp, but needed to quit by 4:00. We then needed to re-load the lumber that was unused—couldn’t just leave it on the site. It would be stolen. By the time we made it back to the dorm, it was 6:00, and supper was over for the rest of the groups. They saved us food ,and we ate—We were famished! Showers felt really good, and then we joined the others with the crafts people and activities for the evening. They had drumming lessons and dance lessons, but I’m afraid I was too exhausted to participate. I think several others felt the same way.

Thursday was called “Tour Day,” but I would better title it “Hope Day.” For the first part of the week we had seen the devastation of the poverty and the absolute injustice that the people lived with. We heard stories of their history and the dehumanization of the way they had been treated until they have become quite demoralized. Thursday was an attempt to show us the hope of the people at Pine Ridge. We visited Red Cloud School where students are educated and where a large part of the graduating class go on to college, often to gain skills to bring back to the reservation. We also visited an agency that transports people around the reservation. Remember, this is an area the size of Delaware, so it takes 2+ hours to go from one side of the reservation to the other, and jobs, services and education demands this mobility. To be able to get to work allows many to have jobs that would otherwise be impossible. We visited 3 businesses of different stripes that are working to build an infrastructure for employment and sustainability. The last stop was the Oglalla Lakota College that is on the reservation. It has several sites in the different communities and trains it’s students to be able to serve many jobs on the reservation and beyond.

One of the private businesses was the restaurant where we ate lunch. It was a home up on a hill that overlooked some rock formations. The proprietress was the great-granddaughter of Black Elk, a very revered wisdom leader of the people. She prepared the food in her kitchen and served it under a lattice of pine branches that was designed to offer shade. (unfortunately for us it was drizzling rain during that lunch and while not cold, it was not as pleasant as we had hoped.) Re-Member paid for our lunch with us ordering our food before we left that morning. We also had the option of buying a slice of wonderful chocolate cake, the money to go into a special fund to send her grandchildren to college someday. It cost $.50 per slice and was wonderful. I think everyone had cake, and many of us slipped extra into the jar because we would pay so much more for such a dessert on this side of the reservation.

We returned to the dorms in time to do some clean up and to eat pizza from Pizza Hut. We had a last gathering with “Wisdom from the Elders” and then the director told us that with winter coming they were about out of money to buy the materials for skirting trailers. To skirt trailers cuts the heating cost by up to two thirds, so it is a major assistance to a people who are already struggling with extreme poverty. A participant from the previous week had donated $500 and offered a challenge to us that he would match whatever we gave up to another $500. In our group was a man who was on the board of directors for Re-Member, and he made another challenge. He said that he would match our giving up to $1000. There was a scramble. People were grabbing their billfolds, and teens were counting quarters. Some folks asked the director to use their credit cards. Well the bottom line was that we gathered $1234 in about 5 minutes, and I am not aware of a single person who didn’t joyfully contribute something. The director was taken aback and was wiping tears.

At one point I skeptically wondered if this was the normal way to conclude a week, but then it occured to me that we had many people who were on their 3rd, 4th or even 7th time there. They would know if this was the norm, but they all said that this was the first they experiences such a call for help for the organization. It was a high moment for me. It shows the power of sharing and the joy to be experienced in such sharing.

The rest of the evening was filled with ice cream sundaes, the exchange of addresses, goodbyes and packing. Many of us were leaving early the next morning. We scooted out of there at 6:00 AM on Friday morning. We had a great week, and our team talked on the way home of when would be a good time to come again. We want to avoid the heat of August, but talked of bringing another team in June, maybe. We’ll see what transpires, but those of us who went feel strongly that this is a vital mission and filled with great opportunities for our congregation.

I'm glad to be home again and look forward to telling you all the stories of our wonderful adventure. Talk to you soon. Blessings--Joyce

wednesday--Pine Ridge Trip

2010-08-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Wednesday morning----- Is it possible that our week is fast coming to a close? We have this last work day and tomorrow is a tour day before we head back east.

Let me tell you more about yesterday’s work. I have never encountered such crushing poverty. We worked on a trailer home. The siding was absolutely gone. It was water soaked, rotting, holes punched in many places, and yet the owner only had 4 sheets of siding to replace what was destroyed. That meant trying to determine where we most needed to replace panels. When we were trying to pull off the old siding, we couldn’t find a solid place to get any leverage to pry out the nails. Everywhere we pryed, it crumbled. Even the studs were rotten in places. Those studs will need to be worked on to get them solid, but for the moment we tacked up some siding until they can get the materials to do that other work. The windows were single paned aluminum affairs, and they had put up plastic on the inside. It makes me cold to think about it. The winds around here are brutal. Brrrr.

We actually had too many workers for the tasks to be done on our job yesterday. There are several teens from a couple different youth groups. (Wouldn’t it be cool to bring our kids here?) The kids needed to be doing something, so I allowed them to work and I spent much of the morning being the go-fer . I retrieved whatever was needed and passed it up to the roof where they were tearing off shingles, or I held something for the siding folks to cut or nail. In the afternoon another woman and I hauled the old shingles away from the side of the trailer and put them in a pile beside the pickup to be hauled away—couldn’t put them in the pickup because he needed to pull out tools first. It was hard work, but necessary work.

The facility here has 2 different dorms. Where we are bunking there are four rooms for women and 2 rooms for men. In the other place there are 3 and 3. Each dorm room here has 12 bunks. They are stacked into 3 deckers. The bottom bunk is basically at floor level. The second is about 4 ½ feet from the ground and the top is at about 7 ½ feet. The top one is empty in our bunk room. There’s some good space for storing our things, and we have claimed a couple of the empty second bunks for our use, as well. It’s cozy, and quite acceptable. One concern we all had was the temperature for sleeping. That has NOT been a problem, partly because it’s not been as hot, but mostly because the nights get so cool here and they have a system of fans that pull in the cool air from outside at night, and then we close things up during the day. The community space is 5 picnic tables in the center of the room with a speaker’s space at the head, and some cushioned benches against the wall. We gather here for our speakers. They have been very informative and good.

Meals are simple, but quite acceptable. Breakfast is cereal (including oatmeal) toast with peanut butter or jelly and butter, juice and coffee, and several mornings they have had hot hard boiled eggs that have been tasty, too.
Lunch is a basic turkey or ham sandwich with cheese, chips, cookies, and cold water. That water tastes really good. Dinner is a bigger meal. We’ve had buffalo stew—actually pretty good, lasagna, chicken soup, a Mexican casserole of beef, beans, tortillas and tomatoes with olives, sour cream and salsa, and Indian tacos. They make the base out of a deep fat fried bread dough—They were really good.

Today is going to be a really big day. Once again we are going in different directions and tonight we will have local craftsmen and their families coming in to show us their wares—and of course we are invited to come with cash in our pockets to buy. There will be a drummer who will teach us to dance and then a time of talking together a bit.
(I returned to this blog rather late and so will merely push the button to publish and say good night for now. Take care. We will see you soWednesday morning----- Is it possible that our week is fast coming to a close? We have this last work day and tomorrow is a tour day before we head back east.

Let me tell you more about yesterday’s work. I have never encountered such crushing poverty. We worked on a trailer home. The siding was absolutely gone. It was water soaked, rotting, holes punched in many places, and yet the owner only had 4 sheets of siding to replace what was destroyed. That meant trying to determine where we most needed to replace panels. When we were trying to pull off the old siding, we couldn’t find a solid place to get any leverage to pry out the nails. Everywhere we pryed, it crumbled. Even the studs were rotten in places. Those studs will need to be worked on to get them solid, but for the moment we tacked up some siding until they can get the materials to do that other work. The windows were single paned aluminum affairs, and they had put up plastic on the inside. It makes me cold to think about it. The winds around here are brutal. Brrrr.

We actually had too many workers for the tasks to be done on our job yesterday. There are several teens from a couple different youth groups. (Wouldn’t it be cool to bring our kids here?) The kids needed to be doing something, so I allowed them to work and I spent much of the morning being the go-fer . I retrieved whatever was needed and passed it up to the roof where they were tearing off shingles, or I held something for the siding folks to cut or nail. In the afternoon another woman and I hauled the old shingles away from the side of the trailer and put them in a pile beside the pickup to be hauled away—couldn’t put them in the pickup because he needed to pull out tools first. It was hard work, but necessary work.

The facility here has 2 different dorms. Where we are bunking there are four rooms for women and 2 rooms for men. In the other place there are 3 and 3. Each dorm room here has 12 bunks. They are stacked into 3 deckers. The bottom bunk is basically at floor level. The second is about 4 ½ feet from the ground and the top is at about 7 ½ feet. The top one is empty in our bunk room. There’s some good space for storing our things, and we have claimed a couple of the empty second bunks for our use, as well. It’s cozy, and quite acceptable. One concern we all had was the temperature for sleeping. That has NOT been a problem, partly because it’s not been as hot, but mostly because the nights get so cool here and they have a system of fans that pull in the cool air from outside at night, and then we close things up during the day. The community space is 5 picnic tables in the center of the room with a speaker’s space at the head, and some cushioned benches against the wall. We gather here for our speakers. They have been very informative and good.

Meals are simple, but quite acceptable. Breakfast is cereal (including oatmeal) toast with peanut butter or jelly and butter, juice and coffee, and several mornings they have had hot hard boiled eggs that have been tasty, too.
Lunch is a basic turkey or ham sandwich with cheese, chips, cookies, and cold water. That water tastes really good. Dinner is a bigger meal. We’ve had buffalo stew—actually pretty good, lasagna, chicken soup, a Mexican casserole of beef, beans, tortillas and tomatoes with olives, sour cream and salsa, and Indian tacos. They make the base out of a deep fat fried bread dough—They were really good.

Today is going to be a really big day. Once again we are going in different directions and tonight we will have local craftsmen and their families coming in to show us their wares—and of course we are invited to come with cash in our pockets to buy. There will be a drummer who will teach us to dance and then a time of talking together a bit.
(I returned to this blog rather late and so will merely push the button to publish and say good night for now. Take care. We will see you soWednesday morning----- Is it possible that our week is fast coming to a close? We have this last work day and tomorrow is a tour day before we head back east.

Pine Ridge Mission Trip-- Tuesday, Aug. 17

2010-08-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

It’s now 7:30 in the morning, and it’s a bit of free time. I’m going to begin writing about last night’s speaker because it was pretty powerful. His name was Will Peters, and he’s a teacher in the High School here as well as the local college. He teaches Lakota studies—art, culture, history and language. (Yesterday as I helped to deliver donated items, we met another Lakota Cultural Advisor whose name was Ed Young Man Afraid of Horses—How would you like THAT name? ) The Lakota culture is of SUCH importance to the youth. It is through the claiming of their culture, understanding their roots, and the wisdom of their culture that young people can be strong and healthy and productive. In the last month there have been 12 suicides among children and teens here on the reservation. That shocked and sobered us all. The devastation of the Lakota people is that they feel so despised by the surrounding society and so hopeless. That translates into SO many problems that are compounded by the poverty and the unemployment. One man I met yesterday had a t-shirt with the slogan (in Lakota—but he translated it for us) “We are the shadow people.” That speaks volumes about how they feel— so despised and isolated from the greater society in which they exist.

Mr. Peters did not talk about the devastation of the poverty or about a poor us mentality. He spoke of the pride the Lakotas can claim in their own history. He spoke with great passion (and some bitterness) about our recognition of Columbus Day as a national holiday. As many historians have brought to light lately, Columbus and his men did such violence to the native peoples they encountered—rape, murder, theft, taking of slaves, even beating people and betting about how long it would take them to die. Peters said, “It teaches us that one can wreak havoc on native people and get one’s own day of celebration and honor. “ To do such damage to native people is seen as the way of the whites in their treatment of Lakotas.

He also spoke of a different understanding of Custer’s encounter with the 7th Calvary. In the Lakota version, the tribes were gathering to powwow in order to pray for wisdom about how to handle the treatment they were receiving from the military. Villages of women and children were being killed while the men were gone. Small hunting bands were being attacked and slaughtered. After 4 days of prayer and fasting a small group of braves went out to hunt to bring back meat to feed the hungry people. While out, they encountered Custer’s forces. Custer thought he had easy pickin’s, but the braves raced back to the largest encampment of the people to date. The Lakotas had no plan of fighting that day, but neither did they plan on being slaughtered. The result was the battle of the little Big Horn and Custer’s utter defeat. But the Lakotas, Mr. Peters said, felt no great pride in such a victory. There were many prayers for the young soldiers who were killed. When some young braves tried to brag and boast, the elders took them aside and sternly told them it was nothing to be proud of.

Mr. Peters talked about two basic needs that were necessary for the people to thrive. The first is for them to take responsibility for their lives, to be good husbands and wives, good fathers and mothers—with everyone helping the children to be strong and healthy. They need to put aside the alcohol and to let go of hatred and anger. They need to live the wisdom and integrity of their own culture. He was very clear that no one could do that for them. They had to do it for themselves.

But the other part of the equation is what they need from the government, from us. They need for the government to keep their promise. In the 1868 Ft. Laramie Treaty the US government promised adequate housing, good health care, and education for their children. By ignoring that promise we continue to tell the Red man that he’s not worth the paper we used to write that treaty. According to this gentleman, it’s not that we owe the Lakota people a living for all time. It’s that we owe them the respect and care that will give them the ability to believe in themselves and to begin to make the changes that hope and involvement in our society can bring.

He also talked about the corruption of the Tribal Council. Whenever there is extreme poverty AND a complete power without any checks and balances, there are abuses of that power. Those abuses have created a climate that discourages business coming to the Reservation. It encourages a few people to profit off the difficulties of others. He urged us to lobby our legislators to abolish the Indian Reorganization Act. That would allow a system in which the abuse of power would be discouraged and where the people have a more options for making change.

This speaker was very interesting . He talked about our connection to one another and how we owe it to our children to be the strong, caring presence in their lives. Surprisingly, he strongly advocated for the respect of women. To be partners and helpmates for one another was another of his themes. I very much liked this part of his presentation!!!! Go figure!

I’m going long with this. By now we have worked all day on Tuesday, and we’re waiting for tonight’s speaker. But I want to report a dawning awareness. The passion and energy around the Wounded Knee Massacre is, for the Lakota people, a symbol of their treatment by the white people and the US government. It is their holocaust. To ask them to get over it is like asking the Jews to get over the concentration camps and the ovens. It represents how they see themselves through our eyes and in a very sad way, they have adopted that self understanding. They feel like a hopeless, persecuted, unwanted people who are without the gifts and resources to make a difference in our world. The purpose of Re-Member is to bring the cultures together so that we can stand for a time with our Lakota brothers and sisters to say to them that they have not been relegated to “shadow people.” That their lives matter and that we believe in them. We can’t do it for them, but by understanding them, honoring them, and standing with them, we give them the ability to see themselves differently and it offers hope that is a life force all on its own.

Today we all worked—I in helping to finish a roofing project and putting on some siding, Corrine and Patty in building an Outhouse, Janet helped to put skirting on a mobile home and then returned here early and so did some cleaning. Pat worked with getting some electrical projects completed and putting skirting on a trailer. It was 87 degrees, but the sun was unrelenting. It was hot! Showers felt good, as did dinner tonight.
OK, folks. That’s enough. I think of you often and wish I could bring this experience to each of you. Be well. I will see you soon.

2010-08-16T19:30:00.001-07:00

Today we began working. They have split us into different teams. Obviously it’s because they need people to help the other teams be organized. But it did happen that Patty, Corrine and Pat worked at the same project. They began to insulate and put skirting on a trailer. The sad part is that these are FEMA trailers that have been shown to have formaldehyde that is a cancer causing agent. It seems like such a step up for many of these families, even considering the health risks. They have nothing better. They have been living in mobile homes that were condemned in the greater society in which we live. Those trailers were then brought here to be sold to the Lakotas because they are so desperate for housing! Can you imagine the outcry if someone from home was trying to sell condemned trailers to poor families?

Janet worked at putting a new roof on another trailer, and I had the job of sorting through a ton of donated items to divide things into bundles for different sites. We then delivered our goodies. We took a lot of school supplies to different grade level schools. We took other things to the social service agencies in the different communities where people come to seek assistance. In that grouping were home-made quilts, bedding, clothes, shoes, baby items, and toiletries. At each place we were warmly received and as the things were brought in as people immediately began to sort them.

Someone sent about 30 canvas bags and our staff helper suggested that we make up bags for the residents of a veteran’s homeless facility. Re-Member had never taken things to them before, but it had been suggested that they were in need. One of our groups here is a youth group from a church in Michigan and they brought a ton of homemade quilts and lap robes. We put toiletry items and then a lap robe or quilt in about 20 bags for residents. It was great fun to sort through the donations to find things I thought the men might enjoy. When we took them, they were so delighted. This is not a nursing home or facility like I think of. The men are more independent, cooking their own meals and having chores to care for the place. There are 13 men living there. When we were ready to leave, we asked what type of things they needed. The director immediately said, “food.” It seems their refrigerators are in an area that is semi public and someone had walked away with many of their groceries. We were so dismayed at the idea of men who have served our country NOT having food to eat that the other adult volunteer and I (the only 2 adults in our group) immediately asked to be taken to the grocery store so we could buy them some food. We spent about $55 to buy stuff for the 13 men. Unfortunately it didn’t go very far. Prices in that store, the only grocery store in the community and one of only 2 on the reservation –a place the size Delaware, were about double what we would pay at our local Hy-Vee. A can of the cheapest spaghetti sauce cost $2.25! It’s no wonder that the people eat such a poor diet. They can’t afford healthy foods. And as a result of that they are building another 5 new dialysis centers on the reservation. Diabetes, kidney disease and heart disease is ravaging so many.

Before I close I want to report briefly about last night’s speaker. He spent much of his time talking about the Lakota section of the Badlands. He said that such a title is a misnomer. Lakotas would never call any part of our planet “Bad.” It seems that this title was predetermined by government sources, and they practically jammed it down the Indian Council’s throat to get the Lakota name for such. The people here call that land “the White Wilderness” and it has taken on a sacred aspect. To begin with, so many of their elders are buried there. In addition the place where we were yesterday is called the Stronghold because it is very defensible and has been the setting of so many standoffs. It is also the place where much violence has happened against the people. It is Lakota property with easement to the government for the national parks. The problem is that the Park System has put cattle on the land and the cattle are doing damage to this holy space—creating ruts, drinking from the springs in a way that changes the land, desecrating graves and disrupting the people’s use of the land. There is an ongoing battle to reclaim that bit of land away from the park system. It is tied up in the courts and while Lakota claim seems pretty strong, they feel great outrage that they must fight for what is foundationally their right and their land. I have to admit, he made a very strong case. I think if we were in their shoes we might feel the same way.
Ok. That’s enough for tonight. By this point we have had another speaker. Much to write to you tomorrow night, but for now, I need to sleep. We are well and all of us feel very blessed to be here. Thank you so much.

Sunday Evening , Aug. 15th. Pine Ridge

2010-08-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Pine Ridge –Sunday Evening – 8-15-10

What a day! This was our tour day. We began with some initial back ground info here at Re-Member ,and then we boarded a bus and a van to go to Wounded Knee. Once there, a Lakota father and son told us the story of the Massacre that happened in 1890. It was a very different account than I had learned through other sources. The basic facts are the same.-- A whole village of people were in the process of turning themselves into be deported to a reservation, were disarmed and then systematically slaughtered. The difference is that in the Lakota account it is so much more chilling. Their story includes the killings as planned and cold bloodedly carried out, even with a priest administering last rites, although the people didn’t understand what was happening at the time. Women and children were chased into a ravine so the soldiers could better corral and account for them as they were shot. There is also a discrepancy in regard to the number of people killed and the number of battalions involved. For me the disturbing part is that it could have been such a calculated and systematic murder instead of a situational incident that got terribly out of control. Either way the white government comes out looking very bad, but with the Lakota version (could it be that cold blooded?) it is exponentially worse. I certainly can’t determine the truth, but it is very clear that the Lakota people see it in such a horrible way.

Several other statistics are equally chilling. Like the fact that for so much of our history we saw the people as less than human. George Washington in his diaries called the native peoples “beasts of prey” and called for their total destruction. It was reported that Abraham Lincoln despised the Native Americans. In fact, that was the major sentiment of “Americans.” We learned that even The Bureau of Indian Affairs was originally a part of the war department. What does that say? Congress ratified ,and Presidents signed, 372 treaties, all of which have been broken-with disasterous consequences for these people.

The major problem has been that Native peoples didn’t understand owning land or acquiring wealth instead of living in a subsistence manner that honored nature. We tried to force Christianity on them, but they already had a deep reverence for life and other people. We needn’t lift this society and people to a place of sainthood, but then, our history is also pretty bloody.

Ok, we also did a major hike in the badlands that are also a part of the reservation. It is not as hot here as it was last week. It hit 90 degrees this afternoon, and with the altitude and the lack of vegetation to absorb the sun’s rays, it was quite hot, but there was a breeze. We walked about 3 miles total in the park, and they showed us a cliff-rimed bowl that has sacred quality to the Lakota people. It has a natural sound barrier. We were invited to sit alone and be quiet for a time. It was more quiet than anything I can remember. Two images come to mind. The first is a young brave going on his dream quest to enter his manhood. He would go into the desert and seek the Great Spirit’s image. The quiet and the heat sort of took on a life force of its own. I could see visions happening after a time. It was quite intense. The other was of the old west’s cowboy who is wandering in a desert alone. So desolate. So quiet. So brutal. So hot!!!!! We had water, of course, and knew exactly how to get back to the bus. Did you know that the badlands were actually an ancient ocean? That’s why the rock formations and the brutal landscape.

We arrived back at the dorm at 4:30 and after some free time we had a demonstration of how to put up a teepee. A native Lakota and his family came to show us an authentic teepee raising. It’s quite ingenious and interesting. I took pictures of each step.
Our most recent activity was eating. We were hungry and it was SOOOO good. We had Indian tacos that are made of Indian Fry bread with all the toppings of tacos. Yum!
OK. That’s what I know. I hope things are well with all of you. We have lots to tell you when we come home. What a wonderful experience.

2010-08-15T07:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday, August 15th

We are here! We arrived yesterday afternoon about 3:00. At one point it seemed like we were going to be late, and then Pat remembered that we would cross into Mountain time and once again all was well! The ironic part of that is that when we began our orientation with the other 43 people who are also here, one of the main points that our leader is stressing is that a major part of our experience is to SLOW Down. A slice of calm and peace is an important gift that this place and experience is to offer us. I suspect it is also a bit of necessity for moving this many people to our work sites and getting things done in a culture that is so much less time oriented than we are used to.

When we arrived Patty met us here. She had another commitment and so flew into Rapid City and was picked up by one of the staff from Re-Member. Several others were also picked up. We then selected bunks in our own private bunk room. Normally we might have had 5 -7 other people in our room, also, but because they have about half as many as in a “full” week, we have the space to ourselves. It’s quite acceptable and the beds are much more comfortable than in New Orleans—Thank you. Thank you!

I want to report a bit about the drive. It was uneventful in any negative sense. But who says that the drive across Nebraska is boring? It was beautiful! We came north from Council Bluffs where we spent the night and then came across Highway 20 which is a 2 lane highway through rich farm land with a gentle roll. The colors, textures and lush vegetation was rich. Then we slowly moved into what I think of when I consider Nebraska. It was more flat, such that we could see for miles and the primary function of the land was pasture, cattle and hay. Then we moved to much more sparse territory. Still cattle and hay, but it obviously took more land to support the herds. Finally it was back into foothills, but still very sparse with houses miles apart. I suspect that this is the place where mail is delivered only every few days. It seemed sort of lonely in a strange, beautiful and rather peaceful way. I know. Rather contradictory, isn’t it. But that’s the way I felt. When we drove into South Dakota we ran into a field of Sunflowers. Beautiful!!!! Pat was driving at that point, and we made her stop so we could take photos.

We did a short orientation last night with some expectations for our time here—SLOW DOWN, and e careful with the water. We will be assigned to different teams, so we will have different experiences. Our groups are from Michigan –several ambitious teens, Delaware, Massachusetts, Hawaii and us. This morning we are discovering our assignments and already Pat is in the kitchen making breakfast.

Last night we went to a POW WOW. It was several miles from here, and the weather has cooled down to the point that we were uncomfortably cold. The pow wow was ok, but I was disappointed because what I saw last year was so much larger and with such incredibly, colorful regalia. We did experience some of the culture, though and saw some really cute youngsters experiencing the pride of their culture.
So tired when we arrived home. We fell into our beds and I think most of us fell instantly asleep. Today is our tour day with a trip to Wounded Knee. We begin working tomorrow, so a bit of a Sabbath.

Right now you are all preparing for worship. I know Sheila will offer a wonderful message. Know that we are thinking of you and looking forward to telling you about this experience. Be well and see you later. (PS. I'm working on getting photos included. Will send some other pics next post.)

2010-07-26T14:23:00.001-07:00

It's soon time for our group to head west to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. We're all beginning to be excited as we pack and prepare for our adventure. Those going are Pat Hayden, Corrine Gunter, Janet Davison, Patty Cook and Joyce Basler. Yes it's an all-girl show, but we're expecting to learn lots and get lots done. We have been told that we might not have internet availability, so you might have to wait until our return to read of our adventures. If I can find a way to get my daily blog uploaded, I will do so and Mary Orwig will send an e-mail to the membership to let you know.

In the mean time please be in prayer for us--not only for a safe and wonderful trip, but that we will have the opportunity to learn and grow in our faith and understanding of the problems and needs of our native American brothers and sisters.

New Orleans Mission Trip--Day Five--2009

2009-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

We're still at it! Our efforts here in New Orleans are beginning to come together to make quite a difference in this little house. Today we moved well into the kitchen with the new tile. Jim discovered some high spots in the concrete which will need knocked down before we can continue. A crew of Betty, Greg, Kathi and Patty began grouting what we had already done. It looks really nice. My effortswere centered on fixing some broken drywall in a closet and then moving forward on the mudding. I think we are 90% done with the mudding and I began the final sanding along one wall. It looks doubtful that we will be able to do any priming. We still have some work to do. and the goal is to get as much of the tile laid as possible. We can't lay tile in the same room where we are also trying to paint. Noelle, the construction manager for the house, says that she would much rather have us get the mudding done and as much of the tile laid as possible. She is really pleased with our progress, and with the quality of the work we are doing. (Of course she likely tells every group of volunteers that they are the best!!) We're not quite ready to hire out, but then again......?)

Today we are all discovering new muscle groups that are being tested. Ouch! It has been a good experience, but we will be happy to head for home soon. The car with Kathi, Patty, Jim and I will not head north until Saturday morning, we decided. We leave here at 3:30 AM, and will drive straight through. I think it will work just fine. On Sunday morning I promise to be there in body and to tell a few stories of our experiences. Tomorrow evening we will go to have a look at the house we worked on last year. We'll bring a picture of that, too.

The decision was made regarding the Lowe's gift card that we brought. Did you know that we managed to collect $905. That's so wonderful! It will be used to purchase interior doors and baseboards for the house. Noelle thinks it will be sufficient for that purpose, and that will keep the house on track for a Thanksgiving homecoming for the this family. I have been calling our homeowner "Angelique." Oops. Her name is really Antoinette! (Well, both of them sound French and both begin with A. That's the best I can do to explain it!)

We have not gotten to meet Antoinette. She is out of town this week for a funeral. We are still hoping for tomorrow, but we will see what happens. Tonight several of the homeowners came for supper. They spoke a bit about their experience. All I can say is WOW. Those of you in worship on Sunday morning will hear a bit about their stories.

We have really enjoyed the other volunteers here at Olive Tree. It's been such a great experience. Our Presbyterian experience has grown with friends from Pennsylvania, Oregon, North Carolina and Florida.

Well, I think there is a hot game of Scrabble waiting on me, so I think I will run. I don't know if you will hear from me tomorrow night or not. I will see you all on Sunday, though!

Be well. Blessings!

Joyce

New Orleans Mission Trip--Day Four--2009

2009-10-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Our day, which promised to be in the 80s never quite made it. It was very pleasant this morning, but this afternoon the wind came up, and the clouds danced across the sky promising rain. That's the forecast for tomorrow and Friday. (I wonder how the weather has been at home?)

We continue on our projects. We were able to put on another coat of mud. I'm actually very pleased with my growing ability to get it pretty smooth. Tomorrow we need to add yet another coat to some areas and then we hope to prime coat the livingroom and kitchen area on Friday morning. They are hoping that Angelique can get into her home by Thanksgiving. They haven't told her that, though, because there's still several things that will need to get done. We haven't met her yet. Still hoping for that.

Kathi put grout between the tiles in the bathroom and they set the toilet. They continued to move forward, tiling down the hall and will enter the kitchen tomorrow. That will be easier since less cutting will be involved. Jim, we discover is a perfectionist. He's not as happy with the tile, because he knows where the problems are, but I sure can't tell. The problem is that the entire house is this same tile and the bedrooms don't flow perfectly into the hallway. The tile seems to have been purchased in 2 different lots because there are very small differences in the measurement. That adds to the difficulty.

We learned today that Presbyterian Disaster Services (PDA) has completed 742 homes right here in New Orleans in the last 4 years. That doesn't count the homes in other parts of the Katrina area. It also doesn't count the homes where they mucked out and then the owner took over or where they helped with some aspect of the work to move the process along. They will be here through 2010, and then a decision will be made about whether the village will continue and in what way. This is where a portion of our One Great Hour of Sharing money has gone these last few years. I don't know about the others in our group. But it makes me proud to be Presbyterian! The amount of work yet to be done down here is staggering. So many homes vacant and sitting sadly destroyed in the aftermath of the storm.

The house where we are working sits a block from a HUGE apartment project (probably subsidized housing through the government) that is completely empty and destroyed. To get to Angelique's place we have to drive past about 5 blocks of these destroyed ghost apartments. The belongings still litter the rooms with windows broken, bricks falling loose and huge holes in the sides. They have put up a 10 foot fence around the complex, but we can still get in to look around. These apartment buildings stand on both sides of the streets to remind any who might forget for a moment that a whole city's way of life has been destroyed. Pretty depressing.!

On the other side of that issue, we took a short tour at lunch time when our construction assistant, Austin, who is a young adult volunteer with the Presbyterian Church, took us to a Barbeque place to eat. We went by the neighborhood in the lower 9th ward where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are funding the rebuilding. That neighborhood is growing quickly. Since we saw it last year there are a ton more houses. These structures are ultra modern with eco-friendly solar electricity, and other energy saving features. They are up on stilts and are very nice. There are signs all around down here suggesting that Brad Pitt should be mayor. He's very popular.

It's good to see the new growth, and that is the bright spot against the tremendous need we see. Of course they say that only about half of the residents returned to New Orleans. It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few years here in this city.

Tonight we are helping to prepare dinner. We signed up on the night that a professional cook comes to fix a typical cajun meal, sausage and chicken gumbo with bread pudding for desert. I enjoyed it very much.

See you soon.

Joyce

Day 3--New Orleans Mission--2009

2009-10-21T05:36:00.000-07:00

OK, I missed you all last night because we went out on the town and got back to the Village in time to hit the bed. It wouldn't have been very coherent, anyway.

Yesterday was a really productive day. Jim arrived on MOnday evening and we hit the day running. Jim took over as our project leader, and he knows quite a lot about ceramic tile and dry walling, so with his assistance we made better progress. He took Greg B.'s spot and Greg became the master tile cutter. Betty graduated to painting a wrought iron gate that goes over a door. Patty and I continued with dry wall. We got another coating of mud on and it is looking better. The tilers got the bathroom and hallway completed.

We quit about 3:00 and hit the showers before heading to the French Quarter and Bourbon Street. What a lively place, even in the afternoon. A greeter from one of the establishments worked really hard to entice Betty into his drinkery. She kept walking, though, even as we all giggled with her. It was great fun. At another place a working lady wearing fish net, with fabric in strategic places, was standing in the doorway. We kept on walking, spotting her with peripheral vision. Bourbon Street IS NOT Milan!

Then it was time to head to Melissa's. She has a cute little apartment in a wonderful older home in the Garden district of New Orleans. We all went to Jacquesamois. (We are argueing about the spelling, but you get the idea.) The food was wonderful, and the conversation was good. Patty wants you to know that we had alligator cheese cake!!! Yes, we really did. It was made like cheese cake, but with alligator sausage and shrimp. It was more of a savory appetizer than a dessert. It was really quite good, but very rich. A little went a long way!!!

This morning as I type, it promises to be a warm day. I am working to find the address of the house on which we worked last year so we can go and take a photo before we leave. We are surrounded by good people here. One of the groups brought homemade quilts for all the homeowners with whom we are working. We selected a wonderful green and pink comforter that will go to Angelique. We have yet to meet her. We're still hopeful to meet her later in the week.

OK. It's time for me to close so I can catch my ride to the work site. Hope you are all well. I will try to post tonight again. It is our turn to cook tonight, sooooooo.

Joyce

Day 2--New Orleans Mission Trip, 2009

2009-10-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Our first day of work is now complete. We've all discovered new talents! Betty is the master of the tile cutter! She has an affinity for power equipment that can slice through those ceramic tiles like a warm knife through butter. This is a water flow cutter, so she got quite wet as she sliced the tile. Tomorrow she will not wear sneakers that get wet quite early and are a bit uncomfy for the rest of the day. Kathi and Greg discovered the gift of laying those tile. The entire house will be floored with ceramic tile. The three bedrooms are already completed, but the master bath was the accomplishment for these three.

We had orientation for the work this morning and then we all had a lesson on putting down the tile. After that, as Greg and Kathi and Betty went to work, Patti and I worked at mudding some dry wall. We discovered our own talents as we put down another layer of the mud and then put some tape on a corner. We also worked on cutting a piece of dry wall for the ceiling above the thought it might be. Tomorrow we continue with more of the same.

Jim arrived this evening--just in time for dinner, and then it was our turn to clean the bathrooms and showers. Tomorrow we are on the schedule to prepare breakfast. Biscuits and sausage gravy is on the menu.

Our home is a pleasant brick structure in the Desire section of New Orleans. The owner is a single mom who has a developmentally disabled 21 year old son and an older daughter. The young man is living in Baton Rouge until he can come home again.

This woman's name is Angelique. She had hired a contractor to work on the house, but the work was quite shabby and her finances don't allow another contractor. There is another snafu, as well. She bought this house several years before Katrina from HUD. After the flood she discovered that she did not qualify for governmental assistance because the house had formerly been on a landfil that was deemed toxic. The government bought all the houses and removed dirt, brought in new dirt, and then sold the houses once again. She did not know the history of the neighborhood--she was never told since it was deemed safe once more. BUT it remains on a list that deems it environmentally unsafe. The same government that sold it to her and claimed it was safe, is now refusing to help her because it was on the unsafe list. She tried all sorts of avenues to get that decision changed, but to no avail. Seems a bit backwards, doesn't it. Keep in mind, she doesn't have to move or to do anything--she just can't get assistance from the same government who sold it to her in the first place!

In addition, Angelique has recently been diagnosed with some very significant health problems. We don't know whether we will get to meet her or not. The construction manager here said that she was so overwhelmed at the idea that complete strangers would come to help her. The home has only been on PDA's list for a few weeks. When Angelique came to apply she was sure she wold be denied and cried when they told her they would help. She said she had forgotten how to hope for good news. She has received so much bad news lately.

OK. I think that's enough for tonight. Hope everything is going well there. Blessings.

Joyce

We Have Arrived -- New Orleans Mission 2009 Day One

2009-10-19T16:07:00.000-07:00

We arrived yesterday and I had troubles with the computer. I actually typed a blog entry and then pushed send. It was only tonight (Monday) that I realized that it did not go. DRAT!

So here's a brief update of yesterday's entry.

Kathi, Patty and Joyce made the trip with relative ease. Our only surprise came when we were ushered off the interstate (along with everyone else) at Festus MO. It was probably an accident ahead. (Hopefully no one was hurt too badly). The GPS that Pat Hayden loaned us was going nuts trying to get us to make a U-turn and get back onto the interstate. We had to put it to sleep for a while and try to find an alternative route back to the interstate. We found a county road that was about 10 miles south and about 10 miles back to the interstate. (When we turned the GPS back on, it told us great annoyance, that one couldn't get there from where we were!!!) The problem with our route was that it had hairpin curves and steep ups and downs. Trees were canopied over the highway, and it was quite beautiful. It took us about 45 minutes to make that little detour, and Kathi did a great job in managing the road. We all thought we heard dueling banjos at times, so it was good to see the interstate ahead and to be able to get back on.

We stayed overnight at Batesville, Mississippi. This is the place where we stayed last year. This time we did the motel thing and then went for Sunday worship at the Presbyterian Church there. It was a really good message. The pastor talked about how Christ did the sacrificeing for us and became a mediator of God's love for us. We are called to mediate that love for others, which means attempting to understand them. It reminded us that this is what we are doing here in New Oreleans--attempting to understand what others are going through and bringing God's love to them and to experience it for ourselves in the process.

When we arrived here, Greg and Betty showed up soon. Debbie is staying to see Melissa for the week. We have about 45 people here, and there are groups from Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and us from IL. We got our chore assignments and they did a brief orientation.

After supper I had problems with the computer, but I thought I had gotten on and sent my blog--NOT. A guy from Oregon who works with computers helped me to get things straightened out. He made several suggestions, and now it is running quite a bit better. Hurray!

OK. It's about time for supper, so I will close for now and report a bit later about our first day of work. Check back later this evening.

Take care. Joyce

Mission Team Heading to New Orleans for Second Year

2009-10-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

Six members of First Presbyterian Church are headed to New Orleans on October 17th. Two cars are traveling independently with a slightly different plan for arrival. Joyce, Kathi and Patty are going to stop along the way. Greg (along with his wife Debbie) and Betty are driving straight through, planning to arrive in New Orleans in time to have dinner with Greg and Debbie's daughter, Melissa. Jim will fly down to meet us on Monday evening.

We're gearing up and making plans. We should hear our assignment today sometime. We're hoping for something other than finishing dry wall, but if that is what is needed, we're the team!!!

Stay tuned for more details and the adventures to come.

Joyce

2009-01-12T07:02:00.000-08:00

A Night in a Homeless Shelter: A Timid Volunteer's First Experience.

On a night in December, one of the coldest of the year (the thermometer dipped well below zero), the police reported that at least 14 people slept outside, in cars and make shift accomodations. The Quad City's shelters were full and bursting at the seams. King's Harvest, a downtown ministry to the most downtrodden in our society stepped up to the plate and announced that if they could get overnight volunteers they would provide the warm space needed. Another agency provided cots, pillows and blankets, a meeting was called to address the need and I (and Carolyn Garcia) became the first wave of responders. The following is an account of my experience on the overnight of Jan. 8/9, 2009.

8:30--I arrive at King's Harvest (3rd Street and Warren), to discover my co-volunteer and Claude, the building's care-taker conferring and setting up. We place our things and walk through some dos and don'ts for the evening. The don'ts seemed pretty self-explanatory: no alcohol to be brought in, no food to be eaten there--it might cause reason for a scuffle. no weapons--look through bags and store for the evening anything that looks dangerous. No giving money or rides the next day. No co-mingling of men and women. Do call 911 at any sign of a problem. Do call Salvation Army if children should show up. The men are beginning to gather at the door.

9:00 -- A camera man from Channel 8 News shows up to do a story on the shelter. He asks some initial questions and my co-volunteer is snagged for an interview. Terri, the manager of this ministry shows up to help open the doors and is also interviewed. The door opens at 9:00 promptly and 3 at a time are allowed entrance. Each person signs in and their sheet is pulled. If they have not been there before they sit in a chair in the corner of the room while others are admitted. The cameraman shoots from behind the men. No one wants to be on TV.

9:30 -- a verbal altercation breaks out between an African man and another. The African asks Terri to call the police because the other man has just pulled the first guy's wallet out of his pack, and recognizing it, the African wants to file charges. The activity level is intense, but not frightening. Terri holds the wallet and calls the police who are there in minutes. They take a report from the first man and by this point the second has left. I'm not sure what happens to the wallet.

9:45 -- we now have time to do admit forms for the 4 new guys. By this point 1 woman and 18 men have arrived. The questions we are asking these men deal with physical and mental health, addiction and legal issues that might impact their stay. I was embarrassed to be asking such personal questions, but they were not bothered at all. My co-volunteer reads them the rules and has them sign that sheet. The men go into the other room and claim a bunk with a pillow and blanket.

10:00 --several men begin asking for their 10 minute cigarette break. It's not time, (they are suppose to do it at 10:30, but because one of the guys is ill and just wants to sleep, Terri allows them to take it early. About 8 file outside to puff on the last cigarette of the day. A couple of them share a hand rolled cigarette( many of them seem to be rolling their own tobacco. I suppose it is cheaper.) I put the correct dates on the men's forms, make sure all are signed in legibly and refile the forms.

10:30 -- One man asks to use the phone and he calls his son. When he emerges he apologizes and tells us that his son needs him, and he will be leaving the shelter at 11:00 to take care of family business. My co and I realize that the room set up for us might be warmer than the main entranceway, but the aroma is pretty pungent from the sleepers in the connecting room. We decide to move our chairs to the entranceway. We can still see the guys coming and going to the bathroom and can monitor activity that way.

10:45-- Another man decides to leave. He will not be allowed to come back. When he is informed of that, he says, OK and departs. The man who is to leave at 11:00 comes to the entrance way and talks to us in a very machismo, exagerated manner. By 11:00 he is agitated that his son has not come to get him and begins to talk about kicking the 17 year old's butt. He makes another phone call and reports that he will have to walk to his son's house where he will let himself in because he has a key which he shows us. He spends about 10 minutes getting himself ready to exit into the night, rolling a couple cigarettes, talking about no one locking him out of his own kid's house, adjusting his sweatshirt, gloves and coat and generally stalling.

11:00 -- most of the men are asleep and the woman is in her area settling in, as well. Some are talking quietly, but when we tell them it is time for quiet, they go to their bunks and settle in.

12: 00 --we talk and watch the activity outside the glass door of the entrance. The door is locked. The entrance is a bit drafty, but not really cold. We talk. I begin writing a sermon. It begins to snow and we watch it sift down as people come and go at the bar across the street.

1:00 --the men are snoring, they made frequent trips to the bathroom, one or two are talking in their sleep.

2:00-- a man wants in. He has just gotten off work. We decide he should be allowed entry since he tells us his name, and he does have a sheet that signifies he has stayed here before. Upon entrance he tells us he just got off work from the 2nd shift and had to walk here from some distance. We sign him in and he goes to get some sleep.

3:00 -- the hard part of the evening has arrived. Both of us tell the other to take a nap, but other than a few minutes of closing our eyes, neither are able to sleep. We have both been snacking on things we brought as well as drink.

4:00 -- We wake the first guy up so he can walk to work. We look up the address after he leaves into the falling snow. We calculate he will need to walk about 7 miles before beginning his day's work. What an exhausting day!

5:00 -- Between 5:00 and 6:00 we need to awaken 3 other guys so they can walk to work, as well. We determine that about 10 of these guys are employed and will put in a full shift without benefit of breakfast, shower or comfortable sleeping. The aroma has become even more pungent as we walk between the cots to find the right guy to awaken.

6:00 -- I am exhausted, and have taken to doodling to keep myself going. Only another half hour before we wake everyone up.

6:30-- time to wake up. I awake the gal first because she wanted to remove her jeans to sleep, and I thought she would like a head start to make sure she was up and moving before the men began to move about and put the cots away in her area. Most of the men are slow to move. A couple of them are sitting on the edge of their cots pulling on t-shirts, and trying to wake up. I am uncomfortable helping the male volunteer in that area. So he brings me the blankets and pillows and I fold them while he moves the cots. Some of the men help, others have all they can do to move their bodies forward. Several leave immediately, and as they leave we give them a large prepackaged peanut butter cookie. (I guess it's breakfast.) At one point a guy takes about 4 and stuffs them into his bag. I tell him I am only suppose to give 1 to each of them. He then removes all 4 with an air of hurt pride and refuses to take even the one he is entitled to. He tells me that several of the other departing guys have already taken more than 1 and he will give up his cookie to make sure the others have enough. I think it was important to him, so I let it go.

7:00 -- the woman has been asking multiple times about the bus. She has a sprained wrist and tells me that she is prone to seizures and with the cold she doesn't know how she is going to get to the bus station where she will spend much of her day. She is obviously angling for a ride. I tell her that we have been given strict instructions that we are not to give rides. She says she understands, but she simply doesn't know how she will get there. She is afraid she will pass out with the cold. Eventually she leaves with the others. I don't know what she will do. I feel guilty and selfish for not taking her anyway, but I also know that there is a pretty good chance that she has learned to manipulate and that her situation is not nearly as dire as she might like for me to believe.

It is time for me to go. I am exhausted. I want a shower and to wash my clothes. I feel very sad for the people who slept at King's Harvest. Many either have addiction or mental health, problems. They don't seem angry or menacing, but neither are they happy. They were very courteous, and smiled as they wished me a good day. As I left in the early morning chill (The sun is not yet fully up), these people are moving towards their places for the day. Several have work. Others an agenda of staying warm someplace. None of them have had a shower. Many have filthy clothes and only a peanut butter cookie to provide body warmth beneath their multi-layered coats and clothes. King's Harvest will provide a noon meal for many and most will be back for the evening. One man said when asked about his day, "I don't know. I'll just see how the day goes." What a way to think about one's day! It makes me so very appreciative of my own place to live and work, of hot water, food, friends, and comfort.

Neither the men nor the one woman frightened me, although I didn't feel very comfortable with them. I will return on the 29th of January and I will probably sign up for more evenings in February. I need to do my part to make sure they don't have to sleep outside in such weather. I think it is important. I wonder if I met Christ in the faces of one of these people. I can't say I recognized him if I did, but I hope he recognized me and that I am trying. I have encouraged people in worship to step out of their comfort zone in order to serve our Lord. This is me practicing what I preach. It felt pretty good.

New Orleans Adventure: Day 7

2008-10-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our last day of work is finished and we have made a decision to alter our original plans and begin home. As I type this last blog the cars are being loaded and last minute packing is being done. We will drive until about 9:30 or 10:00. It will help our day tomorrow and perhaps you will have a more coherent pastor on Sunday morning. I actually was handed the theme for my sermon last night as several homeowners came to have dinner with the teams that are working on their homes. Unfortunately our homeowner, Darlene and her daughters were unable to stay for dinner.

Today we were able to begin doing the siding that we expected to do as we headed south. It was a change of plans that we hadn't anticipated that forced us to do other type of work, but it was OK. It all needs done. We got one section of the house sided and the beginning boards and corner pieces put on 3 other segments. In addition another window was installed and the work continued on taping and mudding dry wall. Before we left we cleaned up and had a prayer of blessing upon the house. We prayed that the family would be able to return home soon and that they would find happiness and blessing within these walls.

Mark, the work coordinator here said that it would probably be Easter time before they get to move home. Part of that is that the holidays are pretty slow with workers and there will still need to be some finances arranged, especially at the end when things are getting finished up. They have to have a working bathroom and countertops to get a permit to re-enter the house. That means that most of the work has to be done before moving in.

We also got the word that the tables that we assembled earlier in the week will be distributed on
Saturday. The homeowners will come to the warehouse and get their tables. They are quite excited to finally have the tables and benches.

There is a dedication of a home this afternoon. We had talked of going to it, but with leaving, it is not to be. It is also not working to meet Melissa. She was having difficulty at the last minute finding a restaurant that could handle our group, even with breaking us into smaller segments. There is a music festival in town this weekend and it is especially busy. I regret not calling her before we left. She tried to offer us this gift and we were not able to receive it. We're hoping for next time.

Yes, we do hope there will be a next time. The need here is great and the blessing for us to be here is just a great.

Time for me to close. I will see you all on Sunday morning. I have so much to tell you, even if I have shared much during these last several days.

Blessings,

Joyce

New Orleans Adventure: Day 6

2008-10-23T15:14:00.000-07:00

We have completed another day. The weather here has been damp and drippy, so we were not able to do much siding. The guys caught a dry spell this afternoon and put on the corners and starter board on one wall. Tomorrow it is predicted to be a sunny, delightful day, so we expect to really go to town. We will be able to stay busy on our last day here.

In the mean time (today) we got a LOT done on the inside of the house. We repaired several places in the drywall that needed some TLC, built a transition between the older part of the house and a new addition, reinstalled the drywall that we had to take off yesterday and framed in the windows in that room with drywall. Lots of taping, mudding and finishing work was accomplished, as well, and the whole house just had a sense of coming together! It was quite fun to see. Every little bit, different of us would take a break and walk around to see how much more had been accomplished. Each time there was quite a bit new to see.

There were 2 neighbors who we connected with today. One was angry about us putting garbage on his lawn--he is not living in the house and it was more out of our way. The other came to thank us for our assistance. What a comparison! Around the block on which Darlene lives there are only 3 or 4 out of about 10 houses where any are living or working. After 3 years there are still so many empty neighborhoods!

Right now several of our group are preparing dinner. It is our turn tonight. (We also took a turn at cleaning the common space here the other day. With everyone taking turns doing the chores, this community functions pretty well.

Our homeowner, Darlene came by a bit ago so we could meet her. She is about 36 years old (or so). She brought her 7th grade daughter, Anjone, and she also has a 17 year old daughter, Ariel. Anjone is really anxious to get back to her own house. They are living with a friend right now and it is pretty cramped. Darlene works for Tulane University. She told us about the several contractors who have victimized the neighborhood, some of them doing a bit of work, and others simply taking the money that was demanded up front and running. We were told of a 65 year old neighbor who was taken for her life savings of $65,000. Can you imagine losing everything you had spent your life working for --several times over? We were thanked many times over for our assistance. She left her address and e-mail address with me, so we can stay in touch.

While I have time, I want to tell you about this community. We have dorm style sleeping, and the mattresses are quite hard. Those are the more challenging aspects of our accomodations. PDA provides ear plugs for those who are bothered by snorers!!!

This building used to be a church with a day care center. The church disbanded before Katrina and the Disaster Program purchased (or leased) it from the Presbytery. The church itself has a dining area and kitchen that feeds us. There is also a room with tv and a few easy chairs and a couch. That's the place where some gather for the evening. The day care center is across the lawn, and it has been remodeled into dorms. They can accomodate more than 80 people. They are almost full right now. Each dorm room has a bathroom and a sink area with mirror and two sinks. Behind the dorm (with a wooden walkway connecting it are 2 semi trailers. One is the shower trailer. In it there is a men's section with 4 stalls and a women's section with equal number of stalls. In the middle is a wash room with 4 sinks and mirror for doing hair, shaving, and getting beautiful!! Across the wooden walk way is a smaller trailer that is a toilet trailer. Flush!!! There is a washer and dryer right inside the door and then 2 sections, men's and women's. There are 4 toilets in the women's section and I'm told that the men also have 4 accomodations. It's quite acceptable and is only minimally roughing it.

Tomorrow morning Kathy W. needs to fly out to attend a confirmation for her granddaughter in Minneapolis. We will miss her.

Ok, that's about all I know tonight. We are having fun, but look forward to getting home soon, too. We hear it's cold up there. 70 -80 degrees here, even with the rain.

Take care,

Joyce

New Orleans Adventure: Day 5

2008-10-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

Hurray!! We finally got to work at the house that we have been waiting for. The Woman's name is Darlene and, while we haven't met her yet, we know a bit about her story. She lives in the upper 9th ward. The water came to about 12 inches into the house (the foundation was about 3 feet to the porch and floor level of the house,so it was up 4 feet in that neighborhood. The devastation of the storm was only the first part of her problems, though. She has been living with her sister all this time since the storm in 2005. There are 15 people living in that house. We don't know if she has children or not, so that is something we hope to find out tomorrow.

The second part of the troubles came when looters stripped the plumbing from the house for the copper. It amounts to another $6000 worth of damage. The insurance company has effectively declared the damage flood related, and so there was no payment with the exception of the looting damage which they will take care of.

The third insult on the top of the devastation is that Darlene paid a subcontractor to put in new windows of her house and begin some drywall work. This person did an incredibly shabby job. They left great gapping holes that allowed rain water to seep into the house. (You could put an entire fist through about 4 places. This person went ahead and did some dry wall work in that room which then became soaked with water and became moldy. Yuck. She has had a rough time of it.

Today we arrived at the house about 10:00. We had to get tools and equipment at the warehouse before arriving. We divided into crews. Bob, Bonnie, Kevin, and Carolyn began facing the foundation with plywood and putting kevlon along it all in preparation for the siding. Kathy W, Marjorie, Retha, Jackie and Kathi B. began mudding drywall, and Julio, JoAnn, Pat and I worked on the windows. We needed to take off the drywall in the front room (where the subcontractor had done such shabby work), remove the windows and frame them in correctly.

Those projects took all day. But what a difference it made. I have before and after photos so you will be able to see our hard work. It was more overcast today, so it was pretty comfortable to be working outside. We had to run to a Subway or Burger King to use the bathroom. So many houses here are vacant, and not a thing has been done since the storm. We were also instructed to be very careful of our tools. We were told that, without a doubt, people were watching us, and they would try the doors to see if they could help themselves. We locked things in a tool chest when we left and hid a generator so it wouldn't be readily found. People are desperate and in such a mind set any source of a leg up is taken. That means that crimes of property theft are rampant.

We also used our Lowes gift card today. It will take about $24,ooo to put this house together again. Darlene has about $6000 that she has put aside (not sure from where she got it--FEMA or other sources). The Presbyterian Church has approved her for a grant of $6000, and so our $1291 (and that of other people who come behind us) will hopefully fill in the gap. We purchased enough siding (hardyboard) to side the portion of the house that is yet in need. The front part will need to be painted to cover up the spray painted sign that was left after the storm. The point being that the greater need was to get the house habitable so the family could move back in. They will be able to resid the front portion later.

One last story I need to tell. At one point a black man stopped by and told us that people are telling that we had committed a crime. We were a bit taken aback, so he continued that it was being said that we were commiting acts of love! He assured us that we would be found guilty and convicted to life without parole. He was a local pastor. He then went on to quote us a poem he had written and gave us a copy that he signed to our church. The part that became a bit frustrating was when he just kept on talking and talking and the other gals left me to deal with him and they went back to work!!! Thanks a lot, Gals. Finally after about 15 or 20 minutes he left to lead a few of our girls to his church so they could use the facilities. It was an adventure, for sure.

Tonight it is raining a bit, so we are glad to be in a place with a solid roof. The time has passed so quickly. Only 2 ore days to get as much done as we can. We hope to meet Melissa Bonnett on Friday night and then we head for home on Saturday morning--5:00 AM.

Take care back there. We will be home soon with lots more to tell.

Blessings--Joyce

New Orleans Adventure: Day Four

2008-10-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I know you have been worrying all day to hear how Kathy W. reacted to her short sheeted sleeping bag. ---- She didn't even realize that she had been the victim of our "3rd grade first night at camp" prank. She just thought that the sheet had gotten wound up and pulled it out of the bagat about 3:00 AM!!! Ah well, such as life!

Today all 13 of us went back to the warehouse and assembled tables. This time we had the tools we needed and actually re-engineered several tables to make them come together. It worked that we needed to put finished legs and brace bars on unfinished tables. Then some of the gals put Danish oil based stain on the unfinished portions to make them match. We finished all the tables!!!! Considering what the project looked like when we began, it felt only slightly less miraculous than feeding 5000 with only 7 loaves and 2 fish! The project manager was thrilled. They have been working on it for quite some time and they had assumed it would take all week and still have some to do. We're GOOD!

The exciting part is that they have decided to give us a table and two benches for us to bring home to Illinois and finish and donate to a family that was affected by the flooding. We have been playing with ideas for how we can use it to raise awareness and generate interest in the work being done here in New Orleans. Julio will bring it home in his car. The tables really are quite nice. It will be exciting to show you all that we did.

We finished up around 2:00. We assembled 66 tables and shrink wrapped another 14 complete sets for sending out as needed.

In the afternoon (after we cleaned up) we took a tour of the Katrina devastation. The table project manager took 9 of us gals and showed us the area. The guys and Bonnie decided to skip that tour and wander around the French Quarter. They enjoyed some oysters on the half shell while waiting for us. Then we all ate a wonderful dinner at Landry's Seafood Restaurant. Melissa Bonnett suggested it, and it was wonderful. Then we wandered down Bourbon Street. WOW what a different world it seems to be along that bit of real estate. We took photos, so we will share a tiny bit of the atmosphere, but one really needed to be here to get a feel for it,

One of our signature moments occured when we walked toward Bourbon Street and passed under a tree. Jackie, Bonnie, Kathy B. and I all caught some pigeons bombs. I imagine those birds are still laughing up in that tree.

We've had a fun trip thus far. We will begin the siding project tomorrow morning. It is hardy board. Does that sound right? They say it's heavy, I'll know more tomorrow.

I have to report a bit about last night. We girls caught the giggles and it was a rocking and rolling evening. We laughed until our sides hurt and then we laughed some more. It's not something that we can even relate, but the silliness felt good. It was good for the soul!!!

God is good. We are blessed by this trip and we are blessed with the opportunity to know one another better. We look forward to telling you more when we get home. Hope you are having a good week.

Time for sleep. Joyce

2008-10-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of the New Orleans Adventure.

Today was the first work day of our time here in New Orleans. The plan had been for 10 of us to go work at siding a house and 3 to do some organization and inventory at PDA's (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) warehouse. After orientation we discovered that the owner of the house to be sided had not yet completed the paperwork for having us come. Instead of siding, the 10 of us worked in a warehouse to construct dining room tables. It seems that several months ago a furniture maker from Pennsylvania noted that the families that have been living in FEMA trailers now have homes, but little or no furniture. He went home and with his association of wood workers built a bunch of dining room tables and benches. As they arrived here there was a mishap and the tables fell off the trailer. They were not damaged, at least not many of them, but in the process of cleaning up, they were totally mixed up. The legs and tops and bottom rails were mixed up. Our process was to find complete tables and put them together. It sounds reasonably easy, right? WRONG. Some of the tables were well marked with the crafter's initials and parts numbered, but many others had little identification. We also found many legs that were stained and they seemed to go with tops that were not stained. It was quite frustrating. We eventually found a system of putting all the initialled pieces in piles according to the crafter and then trying to put them together. Julio was pretty successful at making things fit and pretty soon we all got into the act. We managed to put together about 30 tables. That doesn't seem like so many, but the manager was quite impressed since they had only put together about 12 over 2 weekends.

The other group, JoAnn, Pat and Jackie got the warehouse organized and put tools back on shelves. They sure are talking a lot about the cute kid who was the manager. A couple of them say they have his phone number on speed dial!

Tomorrow it seems we will continue with the dining room tables. They will get us some more tools and we will make the parts fit!!!!! We will also begin working on the benches and even stain them. All 13 of us will go that direction, I think. They seem to think that the house will be ready for us by Wednesday. That might be OK since it got quite warm today and by Wednesday it will be overcast and cooler.

Here siding means some really heavy stuff--it has to be heavy to survive future hurricanes. We might be in for some hard work.

Today was our turn to do devotions after breakfast and dinner. That chore is behind us. We realized that the dinner group had worked all day and not had a chance to shower before doing their cooking. Several of us finished up for them so they could hit the showers. They were quite tired, and it was great that so many people from the community here volunteered to help. There are about 80 of us from Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, as well as some other places.

We're having great fun. Kathy W. doesn't know it yet, but just a bit ago some of the gals..... NOT ME........ short sheeted her sleeping bag. You might think that is pretty hard to do, but they managed. I'll let you know how it goes! We have been laughing a lot, and are enjoying meeting others here at the village.

Time for some sleep. I'll check in with you all tomorrow night. I hope you are having a good week.

Blessings. Joyce

Day 2: We have arrived!

2008-10-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

New Orleans Adventure.

It's day two and we arrived at Olive Tree Village about 4:30 pm. no major issues on the road. The only issue being one or two last minute exits by the lead car with those following needing to change lanes very quickly to get off the interstate. We will be giving Julio a hard time over a couple of those maneuvers.

Staying over night at the Batesville, Mississippi church was great fun, even if not especially restful! Did you know that 13 air mattress make a lot of noise when 13 bodies roll over all night. It was also quite cool, so we appreciated our warm sleeping bags. The congregation was so gracious. They brought in breakfast--yes, they know how to make breakfast casserole, too, and they also brought cheese grits. They were actually quite good. I don't know if we can get the recipe for the Fifth Sunday Breakfast Crew or not. Ok, just kidding! Worship this morning was good. Their pastor offered a wonderful message and everyone thanked us for coming to be with them

The last 23 miles into New Orleans is a huge bridge over swamp. It makes me think of the stories of the many people who tried to walk out of New Orleans after the hurricane to be met by police departments who stopped them because of fears of looting. With the swamps those people would be effectively stranded.

In arriving here we have established ourselves in the dorms. The facilities are quite hospitable. We have bunk beds, but only 3 of us younger gals are on the top. We had to fight JoAnn for the privelege! We've had our first meal--grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and the fixins. It was good. We will be going out on the town on Tuesday night. They encourage us to experience the city. We will call Melissa Bonnett and perhaps we can meet her either Tuesday or Friday.. A local caterer will make us a cajun meal on Wednesday, so that will be fun.

Tomorrow morning we begin right after an orientation with the work coordinator at 9:00. Ten of us will be doing siding and 3 will be working in the warehouse doing some inventory and putting together dining room tables. Most of us have never done siding, so it will be a sharp learning curve. I hope the guys are ready for this!!!

I'm learning about the people in our group. Did you know that JoAnn is quite funny! My son, Kevin has joined us. He's having fun and enjoying teasing us all. Maybe the people here will learn more about me, too!

Anyway we are thinking of you and I will write more tomorrow. Blessings. Joyce

2008-10-06T12:29:00.001-07:00

The mission team that is headed to New Orleans met yesterday, October 5 to make some decisions regarding our travel in two weeks. We will be meeting at the church at 6:00 AM on October 18th, with the goal to be on the road at 6:30. Our overnight stop will be Batesville, Mississippi where we will be the guests of Batesville Presbyterian Church. Their pastor, Rev. Karen Brostrom-O'Brien will lead an early worship that we will attend before heading south to Olive Tree Village, a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance facility.

At this point it looks like 13 people will be headed south to work for one week. Those going from our church are myself, Joyce Basler, Kathy Wheeler, Pat Hayden, JoAnn Watson, Jackie Flynn, Bob and Bonnie Harksen, Carolyn and Julio Garcia, and Kathi Barnes. Joining us are Retha Bender, Jackie's daughter, Kevin Basler, my son, and Marjorie Johnson, one of the Sewing Gals, "The Cover Girls."

We're looking forward to a wonderful adventure. Stay tuned for more as we get closer. It is my plan to post each day as we work in New Orleans. We leave on the 18th and will return home on the 25th.

Pray for the homes and families that we will work with. We will be taking cash resources to assist on these homes. You may still add to that assistance by marking your gift "New Orleans"

Blessings---Joyce