Here is a review of progress from some of our leaders on the trip:

From John Stapleton:

We have three crews at a house finishing the roof and floors.   Once we’re done another team will install some kitchen cabinets, then an electrician and plumber will finish their parts, and the homeowner and his daughter can move back in.   It shouldn’t take more than two or three more weeks.  This will be a pretty big day for them after living in a tiny FEMA trailer for two and a half years.   The homeowner spends time sharing with us what it’s been like starting from the day-after mess, going through the process of getting the trailer, and how much it means to be able to move back into a home. 

 The teams have blended into one big team, with lots of smaller teams forming depending on what needs to be done and who is interested in doing it.  The youth have been teaching others the skills they have, and learning new skills as they go.  They’re getting the chance to swing hammers, use the pneumatic nail gun, saw various boards and trim, saw floor tiles, and work with lots of messy adhesives, grout, and paint.  The days go by fast, and then it’s back to the church to shower up and head to Wal-Mart and Sonic for the civilized side of life.  Later in the evening there is time for devotionals and thanksgiving.   We’ve extended our strict policy of flexibility during Glen Mar mission trips to include physical flexibility (yoga exercises) along with our spiritual and mental focus.   Many on the work teams report positive benefits to the aches and pains of construction after doing the stretching exercises. 

Several houses in the neighborhood are now occupied, and several more are under construction.  Some are being done by professionals, including the one next door.  The roofers at that house were impressed with our team’s quality work and spent some time taking pictures of us from their roof.  They also stopped by to chat and are lending us a tool tomorrow to bend and cut the sheet metal for the trim and soffit.   Our team stripped the section of roof needing replacement down to the bare plywood, and installed the tar paper and shingles up to the top of the roof all in two days.  Tomorrow they’ll put in the crown and trim.

Inside we’ve been finishing the grout in a kitchen and powder room that were installed by a prior team, and installing tiles in a bathroom and entry way.    The tiling looks great and will give the house a nice finished look.  We’ve also been putting in the baseboard moulding and painting the trim. 

Teams from other parts of the country are here to help, including teams from other denominations.  UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) is the place they prefer to go here in Louisiana because of the organization and get things done ethic.  UMCOR estimates Slidell to be 85% complete, while New Orleans is only about 10% rebuilt.  A big difference is the local red tape.  UMCOR has managed to work through it in Slidell, but is only starting to have some success in working  through the local restrictions in New Orleans.   We’ll probably be spending more time in New Orleans on future YOAM trips, with UMCOR expecting Slidell to be mostly done this August.

From Colleen Beaumont:

  I am so proud of all your children.  They are amazing young adults.  Each crew has an opportunity to wake up early and prepare breakfast and clean before they are off to the sites to work.  After working hard all day at the site, they come back and help with kitchen duties; cooking, baking, creating, serving and cleaning up.  All with smiles and never a complaint.   They are my saving grace.  The adults are equally amazing.  The patience they exhibit throughout the day is phenomenal.  I thank God for the opportunity to be part of this energetic and truly awesome group.

From Dave Eddy

After we arrived and moved into our accomodations, we woke up early Monday morning and received a very informative and motivational Dale Kimball, the Director of North  Short Disaster Relief. He talked about how, little by little, the community of Slidell has made a nearly full recovery due, primarily, to the work of the many volunteers who week-by-week have incrementally re-built houses for those who are unable to do it themselves. The kids we have here are unbelievable. They work very hard and have a great time while doing it. We have worked on a house that Mike Owens and his daughter Megan will live in when it is completed some time in the next month or two. The kids have put a new roof on part of the house, tiled an entire master bathroom, grouted a large kitchen and laundry area, and have performed a great deal of finishing work and clean up. Mike, the owner, remarked this morning when we came to work that we had accomplished quite a lot so far. In addition to all of the hard work, we have gotten to know Mike, his daughter Megan, and their dog Bo.

From Valerie Wetstone: There are several special joys to working on this mission trip.  One is the opportunity of working with such a wonderful group of young people.  I am so amazed by their willingness to give up their Spring Break to come to Slidell, to put in some very long days doing hard work, to sleep on floors, and to take semi-hot showers with little to no water pressure.  The other thing thing that also impresses me is how willing they are to try doing something they have never done before.  Our crew was assigned a roofing job.  Only two people in the entire crew had ever been on a roof (and I was NOT one of them), but there they were, climbing up onto the roof, walking around as though they were born there.  (Not me-I am on the roof but definitely not looking as though I belong there).  Yesterday our crew removed the old shingles and tar paper and replaced one section of the roof with new tar paper.  Today we began replacing the new shingles-hope to finish tomorrow.  Collin E-10 extra credit points in biology just for carrying those shingles up the ladder.  (Mr. Sabota-I will clear this with you later).

Tonight at dinner (we had gone out to eat at a local restaurant), a man stopped in our dining room and thanked us for coming down to help the people of Slidell in their time of need-to be the arms and legs of Christ.  This trip came about because the youth of our churches wanted to be those arms and legs.  We are here because they are here.  Your kids are fantastic-what a joy and privilege it is to be here with them!

From Pat Lee & Tom M.

Our first day in Slidell was spent cleaning up brush around a playground at an Elementary School.  This was one of the few schools that was opened again after Katrina.  Their kindergarten playground was heavily damaged by Katrina.   We also painted their tool shed.  The kindergarten kids came out to see us and play with us after their naps.  The youth enjoyed playing them while we adults heard the Katrina stories from some of the teachers.

Our second day we joined another crew working on a church.  The goal is to get it ready for Easter Sunday.  There is a lot of work to do but we think we can have it ready.  So far rotten spots in the floor have been replaced, walls have been built and drywalled, and rotten bathroom floor have been completely replaced.  A broken glass back door had to be removed and some rotten wood outside replaced.  The new door was temporarily set in place and will be installed tomorrow.  The exterior siding around the back door will also be replaced.

We have a great team and they are all working hard.  We are very proud to be a part of this group.  We are here for guidance when they need it but they are sometimes guiding us.  Their ideas are very good so most of the time we take their advice.

Today is Hannah’s birthday and she is on out team.  She is such a talented young lady.  We wish her a very Happy Birthday. 

To finish off the night, the several vans have gone to Walmart or Sonic; then it will be off to bed for everyone.  

From Randy Hippen:  Our team worked Monday on a church to help it re-open on Easter in Slidell.  Tuesday morning: We worked with a great team of folks from Michigan replacing the shingles on a single story home in Slidell in the morning.  Then we headed to an eastern suburb of New Orleans in the afternoon to replace the shingles on a two story home and help a college group from Nebraska on mold cleanup inside the home.  Wednesday: We continued working in New Orleans on the two story home.   

From Karen Wright: Our crew has been blessed to work on the Overcometh Church, a small church community that would like to worship in their sanctuary for Easter service.  At first the task was overwhelming, with many small jobs and little hope that we could organize and get it together.  But, after a few shifts with the crew, we have had three great days and a lot of progress. Brother Sam, an associate of the church, stopped by today for the first time and his visit really motivated us even more to get this job ready for Sunday.  His gratitude and smile are etched in my heart.  The youth have constantly amazed me.  Their energy and enthusiasm makes this trip even more special.  Their faith and devotion to God have strengthen me in ways I didn’t know were possible.  Looking forward to sharing more stories with everyone in person.

With an amazing group of adults and youth being led in the spirit from Slidell, goodnight to all! Mark

This entry was posted on March 20, 2008 at 12:56 am and is filed under 2008 Slidell Trip, YOAM. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.