April 20, 2011 by MarkH.

With Day 1, Mosey Monday, down Day 2 started and finished strong. All of the crews left for the worksite ready to take tremendous strides in their projects with a long week of work ahead of them.  The Gator crew’s assignment is fairly simple, with floor molding, toilet installation, and finishing touches.  We started the day with an obtainable goal, having finally gotten the supplies needed.

Levi, Joey, Jay, Dan, Eloise, Zach, and the Sydneys (pictured) divided and conquered today.  After a tutoring session yesterday from Zach and Dan, Levi and Jay were able to jump right in today and take over the molding tasks, with all of their fingers still present.  Sydney and Sydney helped caulk and paint the molding, covering up all of the errors made by Jay and Levi.  Eloise spent a good portion of the day taking numerous pictures and doing odd jobs around the house, like sweeping up sawdust.  Joey helped out a little bit everywhere, painting, cutting and measured.

Dan the Man, and Zach spent the day on the john (installing the toilet…and uninstalling it).  The toilet was mounted and screwed to the bracket, but the bracket wasn’t attached to the floor, so when we tested it out it came right up. Dan also tried to hook up the faucet, without having the right part needed. Trying to solver the problem and discussing the solutions.  A trip to the hardware store was in order.

At the end of the day a lot was accomplished.  Molding was almost finished.  The closet doors are hanging up.  One room is completely done.  Two to go.  More importantly than that we got to interact with our homeowner for the whole day. Guy was offering a helping hand all day, watching everything we were doing, and sharing his story of life after Katrina.

After a long day of hard work we came home to a much needed and well deserved shower and a delicious home cooked meal of chicken, red beans and rice, corn, and collard greens. 

Thanksgiving circle is a great way for us to hear about what other groups are accomplishing throughout the day, sharing experiences from their worksite.   We find out that the work we are doing is completely different from everyone else, but it’s a part of a big picture where everyone’s work combined makes a difference.

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April 19, 2011 by MarkH.

4-18-11 Hello from everyone here in Slidell!!! Today was what we like to call “mosey Monday.”  This means that everyone was just figuring out their jobs.  The jobs consisted of everything from molding to insulating with caulking, dry walling, spackling, and painting in between.  Some of us had AMAZING bonds with our homeowners!!!! We got a late start to the day, but we ended up having an awesome time. A lot of work was done even though we had a late start. Now that we have discovered what our means of service are, we are better prepared for the work to come. We look forward to our next day acting as the hands and feet of Christ. It was a great way to start off an amazing week!!! Crew B

Today was one of reminders of why we are here, the morning devotion reminded us why we are here:  the Bible verse Micah 6:8⁸ He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.    And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy    and to walk humbly^[a] with your God. was teh topic for our Morning devotion and we were schooled as to teh reason these things are what God will have us do, then Dale Kimball oriented us to the state of the recovery and told us all that we need to continue to talk about why we are here and that the need still exists. 

 We will be following Dale’s call to do this when we return to Maryland as we are talking about having a Slidell night where you can come and see the story Dale gives us and hear some of our YOAM experiences..they are awesome…but not as awesome as all the servants who are giving of themselves down here in Slidell or have given of themselves over the past 5 plus years since Katrina hit this region…of course none of these are as awesome as our God! Amen and goodnight! mark

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April 18, 2011 by MarkH.

We headed out from Howard High for the  7th time to Slidell, Lousiana. A day of meeting new people, and traveling brought a lot of new friendships and great memories. From people shoving 4 huge jawbreakers in their mouth (Zathy),

to yelling and bonding in the car, today was a great start to an awesome week. CREW D

We return to Slidell for the 5th year as YOAM and for the 6th trip.  This year we are as young as we were the first year ( although I am not…hmmm) and that means we have a lot of new servants arriving in Slidell to experience the Glory that God has prepared for us.  This group has a special place in so many people’s hearts…most of which have at one time or another been to Slidell.  If this sounds like an invitation to make the trek with us some time - IT IS.  It is always the one of the best weeks of the year for all who come down.

At the start of today many of us attended Glen Mar UMC for the commissioning of our YOAM group..being a softy I got teary eyed…but at the same time I heard a clear soft voice say “you are being filled up”…it took me a second but it was clear God was telling me I was filled witht he Holy Spirit to ready me for the  trip..I have never seen this weakness (of being emotional…at least that is what many would say about being emotional)  as being such a strength!  God is good!  mark

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January 8, 2011 by MarkH.

In the beginning, G-d created the Heavens and the Earth,  He created the plants and animals, and then He created humans.  In these humans He instilled special characteristics that set them apart from all of His other creations.  He called it all good.  But the world was unable to remain in that state of initial created perfection, and man fell from Grace, bringing with him the hurt and confusion that seems to so rampantly inhabit the world today.  It is to this separation from G-d that we must respond with either a hardened heart or one of broken contrition.

The world is a place in which the most exciting of dreams is attainable, but also the most heinous of nightmares can plague us.  Throughout this week, we have come to find that Hurricane Katrina happened to be both.

As a member of this week’s YOAM trip said,  “I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason.”  Yes, this hurricane and the losses it brought was a travesty.  But without it, families like YOAM would not exist.

We have learned to see the people around us as our brothers and sisters through Christ.

We have learned to laugh in spite of disaster.

We have learned to work and work hard.

We have learned to be broken.

We have learned to love.

YOAM is a special organization and has inadvertently changed the lives of its participants in its quest to sort through the chaos of Hurricane Katrina.  That was never the intention, but it seems that the will of G-d cannot be stopped even by our human stubbornness.  So we would like to invite you to join us as we continue to pray for New Orleans and all the victims of this disaster, as we once again return to our homes and reality.  Pray that we will not forget and that our hearts will remain sensitive to the movings of the Spirit around us.

Love,

Crew C

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January 7, 2011 by MarkH.

Today is…FRIDAY?  can’t be!  we just got here, despite cooking for 30 for a week, it seems to me we have just gotten started, yet we are almost done.  Work crews are out for  the last half day of work…this is the hardest day because so many see goals that are not met, expectations that will be left unfulfilled, and LOTS more work yet to be done.  We naturally come to the conclusion we can fix what has happened down here, if only we can finish that extra room, the last mudding that needs to be done, the last taping of  corners and gaps, if we can just…!  And now its personal - we know the people whose home we are working on, they have fed us Jambalaya, Turkey neck soup and cornbread (YES HOMEMADE!), worked along side us…slept and worshiped with us (we love you Jim!)…and hugged and shared the worksite and stories with us.

So its personal that we cannot meet their entire need or even what we thought we should meet.  But God has told us there will always be need, there will always be more in need, and so we will be good servants and do what we can and praise God that we can be servants, we can be His hands and His feet, and His drywallers, His spacklers, His chefs, His comforters, and His witnessers… so it is on this Friday that it is we who are thankful, it is we who are grateful, it is we who are humbled by Him!

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January 7, 2011 by MarkH.

Epiphany - we like sleep too much.

Epiphany - we enter into mud fights when we work when we’re tired.

Epiphany - lipstick does not wipe off only with water.

Epiphany - it’s okay to work even when you’re cold.

Epiphany - the words to Disney songs are harder to remember than we thought.

Epiphany - it’s hard to finish a house when the plumber doesn’t show up for inspections.

Epiphany - Ryan’s Steakhouse has excellent fruit and desserts.

Epiphany - Today is January 6… Epiphany.  Go figure.

Epiphany - Newsletters are more coherent earlier in the week.

Epiphany - Jesus loves us anyway.

Love,

Crew C

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January 6, 2011 by MarkH.

ALDERSGATE UMC, Slidell, Louisiana, 1-5-11

The day started out as a bummer when we awoke to the sound of thunder and downpour rain. As a group, we decided that our trip to the French Quarter should be rescheduled for Friday. But this rainy day turned out to be a blessing in disguise for every single crew.

All four crews ended up having some sort of bonding experience during their work day. Crews A and C had a chance to bond with their homeowner and each other as they realized that they truly were a 15 member team. Crew B got to enjoy bonding with their homeowner as well; the homeowner even did a little dance to show her excitement and appreciation. Crew D had the opportunity to work with a crew from Arkansas, who is staying at Aldersgate Church with us. As seen through the difference in our Thanksgiving circle this evening, what started as a bummer of a day ended up being a wonderful bonding experience for every one.

This week, we have also learned the powerful experiences of witnessing. On several instances, crew members have had opportunities to share the word of God with local citizens. One member of our group was able to reach out to a set of neighbors who had an argument and was able to counsel them by sharing the word of God. In another group, as they packed up and prepared to pray, a neighbor came up to ask for bus fare and ended up joining them in prayer. As the group drove away, they saw him talking to his friends at the bus stop about the experience he had just had with that group. But before he left the prayer circle, he mentioned that “this wasn’t a mistake.” Several adults have mentioned interactions with people of the Slidell community stating that they recognized us as people repairing their town.

Throughout this fruitful day of gifts presented by God, we have grown together not just in our crews, but as an entire mission group. As one member stated during devotion, we have come together as one, sharing and spreading God’s word throughout the Slidell and New Orleans community.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these things there is no law.” Galatians 5: 22-23 …CREW A

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January 5, 2011 by MarkH.

My kids constantly kid me because my northern NJ accent leads me to pronounce Wednesday as Windesday…well that is just part of the fun, everyone a little different from one another, yet all God’s servants.

Last night’s blog has been pre-empted by…a very early morning rip-roaring Thunderstorm…that dumped lots of rain on us, and a prediction of rain off and on all day, as well. So a quick deision and some recalculating and some, CAN YOU SAY THE MOST IMPORTANT WORD ON A MISSION TRIP, flexibility and we are working a full day today and will be putting off the New Orleans visit until Friday (that day I say apparently correctly..whatever correctly is…) and so we, the dinner crew, will be shopping for Jambalaya  ingredients and planing a dinner for tonight instead of taking a break while we go into New Orleans to eat dinner..such is the mission experience…gotta love it! Everyone is starting to feel the pressure of the amount of work to be done, as well as beginning to revel in the experience.  This is truly God’s work, and we are all changed and re-made anew though it!  We are thankful for so many back home that have given of their time and finances so that we can be the hands and feet of God.  We pray for continued safe passage and work here, and for the presence of God to continue to be made known to us through our relationships within and outside our group.

Even as the Food crew, we experience these relationships - every time we go to a store, people ask about what we are doing (wearing past trips t-shirts helps!) and we have an opportunity to Monday as we were shopping for food we were approached by “Brother James” at the McDonalds, who gave us his hand drawn scripture crossword puzzles he uses as discussion starters. He explained that his pastor and he were selling Satsumi oranges ( a local species…), rutabagas, firewood and home made panut brittle (made by Sunday School kids) on the road lading up to the WalMart, and we should stop by.  We did and Pastor Russel Crowe III (yep..for real)  was a very open friendly man who told us about his ministry in Picayune Mississppi only 20 minutes away…

How God chose this spot and this message for us (me) I don’t know…but we were in His presence and enjoyed the brief fellowship it brought.  Well, it is morning, the crews are off to their work sites for a FULL day of work and we need to get groceries and plan dinner…Praise God through whom all blessings flow…Amen!

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January 5, 2011 by MarkH.

After a not-so-mosey Monday, day two on the job sites was highly productive. Crews put up numerous sheets of drywall as well as worked on many other daunting tasks. Being able to see the transformation from bare room to covered walls makes a huge difference to the homeowner and means that they are one step closer to moving in. Crew B’s homeowner, Chanel, has been displaced from her home for the past five years taking up temporary residence in both Georgia and Alabama.

This year, all crews are split between three sites in New Orleans as opposed to our home-base in Slidell. This area of Louisiana was directly affected by Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath can still be seen. In our homeowner’s house, there are two water lines on her sliding glass doors; one from Hurricane Katrina and one from Hurricane Rita. The water line from Katrina is chest deep and would be like swimming in a pool.

Tonight at our thanksgiving circle, everyone wrote down what they were most thankful for and then passed it on to the next person who drew a picture of what was written. It turned out to be almost like Pictionary. While it was a fun game, we missed being able to share in front of our whole group what we were thankful for.

Tomorrow we will be working for half of the day and spending the rest in New Orleans’ famous French Quarter. We will be back together in our favorite city and first-timers anxiously await our arrival.

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January 4, 2011 by MarkH.

Today began early and cold with breakfast and orientation, during which the gravity of the task before us was introduced, and we met another group from Arkansas. Volunteers, according to Dale Kimball (director of Project Epworth, which has replaced the Northshore Disaster Recovery, Inc), are the driving force behind the long-term disaster recovery of New Orleans, an undertaking that the Federal government estimated would take at least eleven years. Over 90,000 volunteers have put in over 4.5 million man-hours to help 21,000 people return to their homes within the past five years, but an estimated 300,000 people are still displaced. The crews then dispersed to their job sites to begin “Mosey Monday.”

Unlike previous years when all crews worked in Slidell, all four crews are working in New Orleans proper this year. Crews B and D paired together while A and C joined forces to face the onslaught of much- needed dry-walling on two separate sites. A completed house requires 2,500 hours of work; between the seventy volunteers of YOAM and the Arkansas group, this week will produce 2,800 hours of work, which means that at least one homeowner will be able to return home at its end.

Crew C members hard at work dry-walling.

We (Crew C), along with Crew A, had the opportunity to meet Francis, the father of our homeowner. He was very particular about his dry-walling, not that we blame him in the slightest. Walking into the skeleton of the house, we promptly noticed the lack of warmth and the rickety-looking (and feeling) stairs with holes in them. The stairs became first priority, as most of us were working on the second floor. We eventually made it upstairs and the dry-walling ensued, quite productively. Francis worked with us, to our delight, allowing us to get to know him and hear his and his daughter’s stories. We came to think of him as another crew member, and we look forward to working with him the rest of this week.

Thank you for your prayers; we will be in touch through the rest of the week!

Love,

Crew C

Sunset over Aldersgate United Methodist Church, where we currently reside.

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