Saturday, November 20, 2010

Reflections

Yesterday we went on an epic bamboo flooring mission, with our goal being to finish Elmore's living room floor before leaving for the week.  Angie measured and cut the irregular boards at each end, making exact measurements.  Alanna hammered in the boards, squatting down and getting up again, leading to sore legs today.  Summer held the heavy floor stapler in place just so, while Barb hit the stapler hard with the, appropriately named, 'Whack-a-mole'.  Our system was extremely efficient.  Whenever one of us was waiting for another to complete a job, we found something to do, never standing still until we took a very necessary lunch break. 

Our group was motivated because we could see our progress.  After meeting Elmore, we wanted to make him a beautiful floor.  Halfway through the day, Elmore stopped by, and we insisted that he come in and see his floor.  Again, Elmore stated that he knows the floor is fine.  He doesn't need to see it to know that it ok.  He did come in though, stating that he can't wait until his wife can see this floor.  His wife has been living in Atlanta because she had to stay there to work.  Meanwhile, Elmore lives in a tiny back apartment so that he can be available to the people working on his house, and so he can watch  his grandchildren. 

Elmore also stopped by at the end of the day, when, sadly, we hadn't quite finished the floor.  He was so appreciative, loving what we had done for him.  He doesn't feel sorry for himself, despite what he has been through.  He invited us to come to his home next year for some gumbo, and we're sure we will!  YUM!

Working non-stop

The floor when we were done for the day, almost completed

The Whack-a-mole




Looking back on our week, we have realized, more than ever, the importance of going home.  Today, as we are packing up our stuff to head to our homes, we realize that we are lucky to have a home, often taking for granted how important having a home really is.  We take with us the Spirit of New Orleans, having learned a lot about this city this week, and we plan to keep coming back until everyone has been given the opportunity to come home.

- Sumalabarbgie

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Yesterday after meeting Elmore for the first time
Elmore stopped by again today.  When he realized we were from Rochester, he told us that he studied at Colgate Seminary!  Small world!  Elmore told us about how he grew up in the Upper Ninth Ward when racial segregation was prevalent.  Every story that Elmore told reminded us that he has been through so much.  Regardless, when we offered to show him the tile mosaic we were in the process of creating in his home, he said that he is sure that it is fine.  'But this is YOUR home Elmore' we said, and we were about to permanently cement the tiles onto the floor.  Elmore did not seem concerned.  Like Toni said yesterday, all Elmore wants is to come home.
   
Our mosaic


This afternoon those of us who were here last year took the others on a tour of New Orleans.  Despite leaving work a bit early for this tour, we knew that taking this tour could be more important than finishing our bamboo flooring.  By going on this tour, and seeing the damage that is still so prevalent in New Orleans five years later, we are able to bring this information home.  So many people  in Rochester don't understand that the damage from Katrina is not at all cleaned up. 

First, we went to the Lower Ninth Ward to see the Bayou Bienvenue.  This area of wetlands is so important to New Orleans' economy, yet it is being drastically reduced.  We then went to the levee that broke, now re-built, a powerful image.  Driving around the Lower Ninth Ward below the levee, there continued to be few houses.  Every house in that neighborhood, with the exception of one, had either been completely re-built or was gone, just a concrete platform sitting there in what was once a crowded urban neighborhood.  Houses in the Lower Ninth Ward could not be fixed up.  The water there came at such a speed that the houses there were simply gone after Katrina.  We then drove towards the house some of us worked in last year, just to see it.  We had heard that that area in St Bernard Parish had been significantly changed, and it had, but the damage is still drastic.  Houses near where we worked last year that used to be concrete slabs are now grass, as if the families have given up on re-building.

The levee


After the tour we stopped at the drive-thru for some local cuisine.  (Same place we went last year, Susan!)  :)  YUM!

- Sumalabarbgie :)

And Grace Will Lead Me Home

We finally met our homeowner!  Elmore is a Vietnam vet and a retired police officer.  Generations of his family were born in his beautiful home.  When he knew Katrina was coming, Elmore and his family fled, more concerned about their safety than about their home.  Still, though, we could tell that Elmore loves his house, stating 'She is still standing!'  His nephew, living around the corner, told Elmore about how the Earth rumbled as a 70 foot wave of water came into the Upper Ninth Ward.  After a few months of staying in Atlanta, Elmore's daughter went back to see the damage, because Elmore felt that he could not handle it.  The bottom floor of the house was completely drowned.  The walls had to be torn apart, and the house had to be re-built from the inside out.  Although the water did not come upstairs, it completely moved the upstairs floor.  When we asked Elmore what it was like to see his house being re-built, he said 'It is like re-building my heart.' 

When Elmore described the aftermath, he talked about a lot of things that hadn't occurred to us:  His neighborhood was a ghost town, no people, no birds, no dogs barking.  He compared it to Hiroshima, saying that even then people were walking around there.  The water in his house was toxic.  He has health problems, inflicted in Vietnam,  and told us about how people could get Gangrene from touching the water.  Dead animals would float into the homes, and you never knew what you were going to find.  Elmore was away from his home for 3 years, and was not sure he would be able to re-build.  Now, he and his wife are living in his re-furbished basement as hey wait for his house to be re-built. 

We also had a unique opportunity yesterday.  After work, we got to go to a home dedication!  Jack and Toni had their house re-built by Project Homecoming, after two different contractors stopped work on their home halfway through because of running out of money.  Jack has lung cancer, and is not expected to live long.  The family had been living in a tiny FEMA trailer for 5 years.  The family invited us into their beautiful home for a ceremony.  Everyone teared up as we sang 'Amazing Grace'.  The family had prepared food, and were proud to show us their home.  The whole family was there, including the children and grandchildren.  It was a powerful, beautiful ceremony.  Toni talked about how all she wanted during that time was to come home.  She was not concerned about minute details of the work on her home, or even when they had to move back in for a number of weeks with no hot water.  All she wanted was to come home.  Now, 5 years later, they have. 

After the ceremony, Toni gave Barb a hug.  Barb commented that she had not even worked on her home.  Toni said that it does not matter, that every person in that house is a piece of the puzzle who is working to re-build New Orleans.  Elmore, too, was very thankful.  Both of these people have been through so much, and both very much appreciate the work that we have been doing, despite our lack of expertise.   Having Elmore show his appreciation motivated us to work harder to finish his floors. 

A woman whose house was re-built by Project Homecoming made us dinner last night. Boiled shrimp!  YUM!

- Sumalabarbgie

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Third Church bears witness to the hope of coming home

Team arriving for work at Minnie and John's house on Clouet.
Our Third Church team working on Clouet includes Nancy Watson, Nancy Bertnik, Nancy Adams (yes, that's a lot of Nancys), Bill Chase, Ginger Potter, Sue Spaulding, and George Gotcsik. We got to meet home owners Minnie and John on Tuesday, and they have already become "our" people and their home "our" house. Minnie and John returned on Wednesday bearing authentic New Orleans po-boys.
(left-right) Ginger, Nancy, Nancy, Kate, Minnie, Sue, Bill, John, and George enjoy the po-boys lunch; the first meal served in their refinished dining room. John said it was the "best blessing" they could have for the table space.

 
Ginger paints window trim.
The crew has been installing baseboards, painting the trim, caulking the finished trim-work and painting the doors. The family hopes to be back in the space for Christmas, and the volunteers are working steadily to make that possible.

George and Bill install floorboards: "measure twice cut once..."


All the work teams at Olive Tree gathered today on State Street Drive for a home dedication--standing in the stead of all the teams who have worked on the home. More on this later, but for now a picture of the homecoming.
Toni receives handmade quilts--made with love by Presbyterian congregations--from a long-term volunteer who worked on her house for half a year.
Nancy Watson

We finally learned how to post photos!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

TFW

Today we realized our week is going to consist mostly of flooring, but we’re hoping we’ll see some significant progress. We worked together to frantically finish grouting a floor before taking a late lunch, and we learned to install bamboo flooring. We learned that, even though the bathroom we are using in our house does not have a door, we are lucky to have access to one. Other teams have Port-a-potties, or nothing at all.

This afternoon, we learned what 'TFW' means, which we often see on the vacant houses: 'Toxic Flood Waters'. This is written on almost any still vacant house, indicating that it was filled with water for an extended period of time. Water receded around the houses, but the houses stayed filled, filling them with mold and damage, rendering them uninhabitable.

We've had the opportunity to hear many Katrina stories since writing yesterday:

- Our bartender last night grew up in the Lower Ninth Ward, a completely desolated area of the city. He said that he thinks that the city would not re-build if a disaster like Katrina happened again any time soon. It would just be too much. He did say though, that he could never imagine leaving.

- We’ve heard a lot of stories about the crime that occurred in New Orleans soon after the flood, and still continues today. Our bartender told us about how he was shot at for trying to get food from a nearby store. Imagine, calling 911 did nothing. The city was shut down, and local law enforcement was worrying about their own families. We’ve heard of many instances where construction equipment and copper wiring has been stolen from the houses we are working on, often because there are still no neighbors around to keep watch. You’d think a disaster like this would make people bond and help each other, but it shows the desperation that still exists in this city.

- Our crew leader, Henry, was a sophomore at Tulane when Katrina happened. He was away for the weekend, and was not given much information as to how extreme the damage was in New Orleans. When he finally saw what had happened, he felt that he couldn’t handle it and had to go right to bed. He had to very quickly decide what school he would transfer to for the semester. He is now working for extremely low pay because he cares so much about this cause.

- Our roommate Leigh is a fire fighter in Texas. She was available to assist the refugees of Katrina who had fled to Texas. These people had been without a shower for a number of days. They were without refrigeration for their medications, and without a doctor to call to get refills. They ended up building showers, connected to a fire hydrant!

- This afternoon, we drove around a mostly vacant neighborhood taking photos to bring back to NY. A resident seemed concerned that we were taking photos, so we explained why. We told him that our friends in NY often think that New Orleans is completely cleaned up by now, 5 years later. The resident looked at us, shocked, stating “It isn’t cleaned up at all!”

Muffalettas for lunch tomorrow! Can't wait!

- Sumalabarbgie

Monday, November 15, 2010

First Workday for TPC Katrina Trip 7


North Rampart house.
 New Orleans looks good from the airport, and the Superdome was a busy place when I arrived from Rochester. The French Quarter looks good; the trolley cars are running all the way past the Audbon Park. Some neighborhoods even look pretty good, as if the recovery is almost complete. But as we drove to the site today--in a poorer area of the city--the picture changes. Houses are still vacant and unrepaired. The markings from the rescue workers made in the aftermath of the storm are still visible. Streets need repaving.

We are here working with Project Homecoming, which is still busy trying to help lower income, elderly, and disabled folks get back into their homes. We are staying at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Village called "Olive Tree" in the Gentilly area. One crew: Kara and Andy Torres, Tom Ashcroft, Margaret Schwaneflugel, Bob Merz, and Martha Langford; are working on a house on 

North Rampart, very close to the Industrial Canal and in the Lower Ninth Ward. This house was donated to Project Homecoming, and is being rehabbed for sale as low income housing--something that is critically lacking in New Orleans right now.

Margaret and Tom

We met a neighbor today, Kirk, who was thankful and brought us snacks. He is glad we are here, helping one house at a time, one family at a time. His parents live a few houses from the one in which we are working, and every home that is repaired improves the neighborhood for everyone. The day was busy, demolition and framing work, but there is joy in every hammer stroke. It is good to be here; rebuilding homes with a foundation of faith.

Martha Langford 

  


Baptized in the Louisiana rain!

We woke up to rain, that continued all day. The temperature was in the seventies, so the rain wasn't too bad. This affected where numerous groups were sent to work. We ended up in the Upper Ninth Ward, close to the Musician's Village. Unlike the neighborhood a few of us worked in last year, most of the houses were still standing, but many are still vacant. The vacant houses often have spray paint on the front listing the number of dead people found in the home after Katrina. Still, 5 years later, these houses stand right across the street from where we are working.

As part of Rainbowcorps, we were joined today by Reid from North Carolina and Michael Adee, the Morelight Director. We met our work leaders, Henry and James, Americorps volunteers, at orientation this morning. We were also happy to see Alex, our leader from last year. Today we worked mainly on flooring: laying tar paper, preparing tiles for grouting, and scraping grout. The first day seems to always be a little more challenging, because you arrive at your house having no idea what is expected of you. By the end of the day, it was good to see what we had accomplished. We can't wait to see what progress we have made by the end of the week!

Everybody in Olive Tree Village seems to be very friendly (even the Baptists! :) ) Our roomates are lots of fun, important because it is dorm style living.

Red beans and rice for dinner tonight! YUM!

- Sumalabarbgie

Sunday, November 14, 2010

We've arrived!

We were ecstatic last night to learn that our flight was leaving at 7 am- an extra hour of sleep! We arrived in New Orleans at about 1:00 and briefly visited the French Quarter before heading to our home for the week- Olive Tree Village. All of us, except Summer, have been here before, so Olive Tree was a familiar site. It was exciting to find the plaque we made at Olive Tree last year still hanging on the pole. We look forward to our orientation tomorrow morning as we don't know anything about our homeowner. We have been reminiscing about last year and comparing how this year might be different. We'll find out tomorrow!

Sumalabarbgie (Summer, Alanna, Barb and Angie)

Friday, November 12, 2010

RainbowCorp 2010 Heads to New Orleans!

Four women from Rochester represent RH2NO in this year's RainbowCorp week. RainbowCorp is a mission component of More Light Presbyterians (MLP), a network of people seeking the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people of faith in the life, ministry and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The team comprised of 11 people from across the USA including MLP Executive Director Michael Adee, will be at work with Project Homecoming next week, November 15-19. We will be housed at Olive Tree Volunteer Village, along with 30 others from Illinois, South Carolina and our own Third Presbyterian in Rochester. The RainbowCorp team will be working at the home of Antoinette Smith. The deployment sheet says we'll be doing exterior siding. We don't know much about our homeowner yet, but we'll share the details with you as soon as we can. Our flight from Rochester departs on Sunday at the cruel hour of 6am. We're looking forward to lunch in the French Quarter before heading to Olive Tree and our "comfy" beds for the week. Stay tuned for more info!
Please hold in prayer your mission team: Alanna Dolen, Angie Gunkler, Barbara Sattora, and Summer Sattora.

Friday, October 29, 2010

October 29th

Hi friends back home- today found us working with our sweatshirts and fleece on until noon, hard to believe! It turned out to be a wonderful day to work,bright blue sky and a gentle breeze. The home is almost all painted, only the front needs to be finished. Work began on the soffets today,the frame work for the porch railings was started, thr air baffels are completed ans the air and heatingman was on the worksite today. Tonight we were ate dinner (wonderful stuffed pork roast) with a group conected with Project Homecoming. George C. from Third,their cook, issued the invitation. What a fun evening! Our work day ended withus saying goodbye to some of our friends from St. Louis as part of their group is returning home in the morning. Perhapswe will cross paths again. That is it from this tired but happy RHINO worker. KVN

Thursday, October 28, 2010

October 28th

The weather moderated today -- a welcome change! We convened as usual at 7:45 at the home taking shape on Green Street. Work began on soffits, preparation for insulation, and the final areas of siding. We are all gaining new skills and finding new muscles. We ended our work day before noon. We were treated to an informative tour of the areas of the city inundated by the flooding. Every time we pass the Dome the awful memories of the human suffering return. Then we were hosted by members of the St. Charles church. They had come from Washington state to do a week of volunteering then made the decision to move to NOLA for a year. They now have been here for 5 years. For two years Mark worked for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Now both Mark and Tamara have positions at a school in their neighborhood. After a wonderful meal of creole rice dessert included creole kisses aka "pecan crack" -- very habit forming . . . Reflections ended our day.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

October 27th

Another very hot and humid day! At least, we are supposed to get some weather relief for the rest of the week. We did more painting, more moving of sand, some caulking, and began putting some of the final touches on the framing. We also got to know some of the people from St.Louis better. This evening we had dinner at the church again. It was the 5th anniversary for RHINO, and they had special homemade cakes for dessert -- and live entertainment. It was a duo with one guy on piano and one on the clarinet, and they were really good! They played authentic New Orleans jazz. For dinner we had fried chicken (not that KCF variety), red beans and rice, salad, fruit, and did I mention wonderful desserts? Now we're back at the hotel, and had our devotions while the laundry was in, and we're all pretty sleepy. Oh, one more thing - Louise J. found out today that one of her parishoners passed away, so she will be doing a funeral on Monday, after arriving home very late on Sunday.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday, October 26th

Our first day of work! And the heat broke a record. It was 90! and also quite humid. We painted, nailed, and shoveled sand, and got a respectable amount of work done, considering the conditions. This evening, we had a delicious dinner prepared by members of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. After coming back to the hotel, we had a very nice devotion led by Tom Swartz - these sessions allow us to get to know each other better. However, we're all rather tired after working in the hot sun all day, so it is bedtime!

Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday, October 25th

Wow, that was an early alarm that got us on our way at 5:50 a.m.! It was raining like crazy when we got to Atlanta...the plane got hit with lightning but no one seemed worried. After a slight delay we were on the next flight and on the ground in New Orleans by mid-morning. Where else would we go but right to the French Quarter for lunch at the Red Fish on Bourbon Street. Ned is getting the hang of driving the NO streets and we easily met the rest of the work crew at the Land House this evening. We work side by side with a nice group from St. Louis. Our site is on Green Street. This is a tired group tonight, but we are faithfully sharing devotions (and frozen fruit bars!)

Thursday, October 21, 2010

New Orleans, Here We Come!

A new RH2NO team prepares to depart for New Orleans on Monday, October 25th. The plane takes off at a horrific 5:50am - some of us don't even plan to sleep the night before. Why bother! There are 6 of us going - three veteran relief workers and three folks who have always wanted to volunteer, and now the time is right. We'll be working in conjunction with RHINO (Restoring Hope in New Orleans), a ministry of the St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church. We'll be staying at the Brent House, an extended stay facility (re: hotel!) and will work with the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH). The Ferry Street project is complete and this fall, Habitat returns to the Pension Town neighborhood to tackle the much-anticipated Green Street project. RHINO recently received a national award from the Presbyterian Health, Education, and Welfare Association (PHEWA) recognizing the ministry’s transformative impact on New Orleans. We're excited, and yes a little anxious, about our week ahead. At our orientation, we promised to be faithful and diligent in all we do, and to be an example of Christian love. Please pray for our safety during this journey, and for the strength to carry out our promises.
Your mission team workers: Louise Armstrong, Louise Josephson, Ned Kavanagh, Carol Santos, Tom Swartz, Kay VanNostrand

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Post-Trip

I'm home now and I already want to go back. Not that I don't appreciate and love my life at home. I know I have a blessed life. I already want to go back because I want to share my blessings and experience with others. I want to round up people from NY so they can enjoy this experience. I want to go back and help improve more lives in New Orleans and help not only re-build houses and homes but life itself. To help a child have a home to play in and a backyard for dad to grill in and mom to garden. To have the simple thing we take for granted everyday. To have "just another day in paradise". I went into this trip to honor my dad. Now I feel I honored him more than I thought possible because I get it now. And I never could understand this LOVE without going on this trip. Not only did I honor him but everyone that does this does,and continues to even when back home. The feeling you get is contagious and is a blessing.

The people of New Orleans are so thankful. There not only thankful for our physical labor but for our support,just knowing someone cares. We had a lovely church down the road who not only let us use their restrooms but made us lunch and let us soak up their a/c everyday for lunch. They did this out of LOVE and thanks, just because we cared enough to come help re-build someone's home.(Not even theirs.)

We are all brothers and sisters and should all take action to help out one another. Unfortunately GOD has to do something traumatic to get his children to LOVE one another in the way we should.

I think I should be thanking New Orleans for letting me share the LOVE I have to share. So THANK YOU New Orleans for this chance to feel the LOVE I have felt which is more than I can explain. Thank you for the chance to work with my father again and see and feel the LOVE he felt and saw every time he came to New Orleans.

GOD(LOVE)be with you!

Home Again

A group of 24 people went to New Orleans to honor the memory of my husband, Jamie. Turns out I was the one honored to work and be apart of such a woderful group. Many thanks to all of you! Many of us came home with new skills learned and new friendships made. As for me I came home with a new lease on life. As I realized how I felt about coming home, I thought about those who have been waiting 5 years to come home and those who have to wait even longer. Don't take those little things for granted; embrace them all and feel blessed. Don't just pray for those still waiting to go home - go down there and help them get back! You will truly come home with renewed Faith.

Friday - Coming Home

Woke up this morning with mixed emotions! No longer did I have to don my dust and paint encrusted work clothes. Our last day.... We began with a "potluck" breakfast - dribs and drabs of leftovers from our amazing breakfasts enjoyed throughout the week. An infomative talk from Project Homecoming's Vann Joines followed. Next, clean up! Like busy bees the volunteers buzzed about the entire village cleaning and straightening, getting ready for the next wave of volunteers. Before leaving we were called once again to gather in the former sanctuary for our last devotional service. We reflected on our week of service and honored the memory of our beloved Jamie Smith. We shared communion and sang carefully selected songs including When the Saints Go Marching In. Volunteers signed a RH2NO t-shirt bearing Jamie's picture on the front to leave behind, a tradition at Olive Tree village. Vans were packed and the weary workers set off for our last excursion to the city, humbled by the knowledge and experiences of the week. The French Market was the destination for most while one van headed for a tour of the Gulf and Bayou. First stop was for coffee and beignets at Cafe DuMonde, then shopping and lunch. My group went to a wonderful restautrant called Cafe Reconcile where troubled youth receive the opportunity to learn the restaurant trade as they are employed and trained in skills such as cooking, waiting tables, and management. It was awesome and we were delighted to support such an important endeavor! A little more shopping then off to the airport and now as I write, on our way home filled with memories and the joy of new friendships that will remain with us forever. For many of us this trip was a repeat experience and for many of us we are already thinking of when we will be back to continue this critical service and share our love with those still in need.

Thursday

Our day usually begins at about 6:30am (5:45 for Karen, our cook.) Since we are housed dormitory style, someone's alarm other than your own usually wakes you up. This is now day 4, and we've all developed a routine and how to dress for the particular job site we got assigned to. In my case, I was teamed up with four other Laurelton church family members. Our task for the week was to join us with our PDA Project Homecoming site manager, John, to put the finishing touches to a home before priming and painting the ceilings and walls. The home was located in the Upper 9th Ward on S. Claiborne and belonged to an 84-year-old woman named Margarite. Margarite currently lives in a FEMA trailer parked in her tiny front yard with two giant blue metal storage containers much like train cars. Inside these two 14' long, 6' wide and 8' tall containers were what was left of her previous life before Hurricane Katrina hit. After the storm, Margarite had gone to Texas for three years and returned two years ago to begin the tedious and frustrating process of rebuilding her damaged home after being submerged in 7 ft of water. Basically her entire 1st floor had to be gutted and re-drywalled. Well it's been an interesting experience to say the least. Some of us have family members who've made a living in construction. Others had limited exposure. Our team soon learned to apply drywall compound, sand and reapply and sand again making what were once rough and imperfected walls and ceilings smooth and seamless, our ultimate goal. We climbed step ladders, extension ladders, scaffolding and carried our tools which included sand planers, drywall spatulas, paint rollers and an occasional box cutter. Yes, we are now all trained professionals! Actually we like to be referred to as the MUDgicians. And yes we played in the mud each and every day making those ceilings right. We discovered that our most valued team member turned out to be Sarah, Jamie Smith's daughter. Boy can that girl work her magic with a spatula spreading drywall mud! She picked up various tricks from her dad and made everything look so easy the first time while the rest of us struggled to get the same reults. Would you believe me if I said that our site manager John even learned some tricks from her? We did manage to complete our portion of the work needing to be done. We were disappointed that during our week-long adventure, we hadn't had the privilege of meeting our homeowner but John was able to give us some insight into how she was doing and shared some stories about her 95-year-old house. We were all pleasantly surprised today, our last day on the site, Margarite decided to venture out of her FEMA trailer and say hi to us all, thanking us for all the fine work we put in. As one New Orleans' homeowner so graciously said to us, though our work might seem trivial to us in our short stay, we're helaing hearts and giviing love which is a far greater gift.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Chef Karen reporting from Chef Highway

Let me say first that the exit we get off of on Route 10 to go back to Olive Tree everyday (where we are staying) is called Chef Highway -how appropriate for me since I am the "camp cook" for the days we are staying here. The team I am on is working at 4436 Cartier Street - pronounced like the diamond/jewelry company. I am sure our owner thinks that her house is a jewel and precious and so do we as we have been working hard to put down ceramic tile throughout her small but lovely home. Our home owner has saved her insurance and Road Home money in order to have volunteers work on her house. How did we forget the post-Katrina issue of fraudulant construction companies/workers? Who would you trust to re-build your house? PDA/Project Homecoming and our team are some of the lucky ones that are entrusted to re-build this house. We have not met our homeowner and probably won't, but that's okay. I will never forget the salmon colored house with it's cream trim. And this long-time desk jockey has done some hard work along with my team and all the other volunteers here. I can feel the good feelings but unusual feelings of physical exhaustion.

I am very happy I took the opportunity to participate in this mission trip. I will be returning home with many memories and the wonderful feelings of community and being part of something special with a group of people - some I have never met before. One of my favorite hymns is "The Summons" which contains the words "Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?" and "Let me turn and follow you and never be the same." I like to think that I did that this week.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Tuesday

Our Tuesday started off a little damp. After a hearty breakfast of eggs, biscuits and gravy we headed back to our work sites. We returned to Rampart street where our group began removing the vinyl siding. Work continued between rain showers with some folks securing window openings, yard cleanup and tearing down rotted termite invested wooden walls. The contest for the grungiest individual continued today, although Linn was a tough act to follow from Monday. Dave got a head start on the competition when Rock dumped the contents of a sludge filled roof gutter on him. The rain stopped, the humidity increased, as did the temperature; NO one was cold. Regardless of the weather, a great deal had been accomplished by the end of the day and we were all MORE than ready for a refreshing shower! To top it off we ended with a great homemade meal of Pastalaya (Jambalaya without the rice) by a local friend of Colleen's. Devotions were lead by Kate, the RHINO Coordinator from St Charles Presbyterian Church, which lead to individuals expressing their feelings and very personal experiences relating to their mission work here in New Orleans.
We are looking forward to continuing our good rebuilding projects tomorrow as we rebuild hope in New Orleans.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Monday Monday

The first night was very interesting. The rooms are AC'd, the mattresses are hard and small, four people in all are in my room. I hear trains near and often reminding me of my childhood. We started at the warehouse and worked all day. We moved junk, we cleaned, we organized, we rebuilt, we were a good team and got a lot done. Gab and Ben are good guys, our bosses for the day here. GPS was a big help. Three of the four sites were started today. Fun was had by all. A drink is in order after a refreshing shower before dinner. Possibly a show tonight after dinner. Lovvvved this day. I gave my all.

Sunday - We Arrive!

We all eventually gathered at the Rochester 'International' Airport to begin our adventure. The day began with a service open to the public commemorating the 5th anniversary of Katerina and honoring Laurelton member Jamie Smith. The service was led by Laurel and Sam with Susan at the Piano, with an impromptu acapella voice session before we got the piano working properly!
We arrived in New Orleans, and headed to St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church to participate in a service to mark the fifth anniversary of the storm. Of the many words I heard to describe the service, "inspiring" is probably the most descriptive.
Dinner was at the Parkway Bakery & Tavern where Po' Boys were enjoyed by all.
Back at the Olive Tree Volunteer Village, we settled in to our new surroundings for some well deserved shut-eye!

Friday, August 27, 2010

Jamie Smith Memorial Week ready to go!



It’s almost here, the day we depart for New Orleans! Who can believe it? Back on March 2nd a small group gathered at Laurelton and selected our mission week. Snow was on the ground, but already we were thinking about the heat. Oh boy, and here it comes! Back then, we were hoping to attract 16 mission workers. Today, we depart 24 strong. We are excited, we are a little anxious, we are wondering what God has in store for us in the coming week.

This trip is significant for many, many reasons. We depart on August 29th, the 5th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. We will begin our day with a 10am community-wide ecumenical worship service at the Greater Rochester International Airport. Once in New Orleans, we’ll head right to the St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church for the 6pm Community Service of Remembrance. This trip also honors Jamie Smith, a member of Laurelton United Presbyterian Church and dedicated New Orleans relief worker, who died suddenly at age 48 in May 2009. Jamie’s wife and daughter are participating in this trip, their first to New Orleans. We also remember as well Peter Orr, a Laurelton member and 4-time relief worker, whose 2nd anniversary of his passing occurs on September 1st. We come with heavy hearts, for our losses, for New Orleans’ losses. A common thread that strangely and uniquely binds these two communities.

And yet, we come filled with hope for the future. We’ll be working with Project Homecoming, the work relief agency of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance located in New Orleans. (www.projecthomeoming.org) We’ll be staying at Olive Tree in East New Orleans. Karen will be our “camp cook” for the week, and we anticipate getting to see all the sights and sounds this culturally rich city has to offer. We are most excited, however, about the work we are about to do.

We learned a little about our homeowners. We’ll be working on four different houses. As you read, please pray for each homeowner, for their losses and what they have been through, for their continued strength and courage, and for our ability to help them get one step closer to coming home.

Catherine Warrick is an elderly woman who is funding her own project with Road Home funds. She received about $70,000, not anywhere near enough to hire a contractor, and kept it in a savings account, praying all the while for a volunteer group. She purchased her home in 1972, paid it off in 1998 and has been a long-standing member of the community (a retired school board member.) Enter Project Homecoming! This project is in the middle stages. Catherine does not live on site but likes to come and meet the volunteers who work on her home (she's been known to cook for them too!) The April RH2NO group worked at this location.

Madeline & Elmore purchased their "retirement" home in 1996. Elmore is a retired firefighter. They created a living space in the first floor of their home so they could move out of their FEMA trailer. They have done a lot of their own work, borrowing funds from a firefighter's credit union, but due to their limited income, came to Project Homecoming for assistance.

The home on Rampart St. is a blighted home in the first stages. Currently, this home is not occupied due to the passing of the original owner and the lack of survivors willing to take over the property. It was purchased by friends in the community and donated to Project Homecoming to renovate and offer to a low-income family. Noelle, the construction manager, calls this home "old and mysterious" and after initial debris removal, volunteers will "explore" the indoors.

John & Mini purchased their home in 1979 and raised their children there. This total rebuild project started in March 2010. They also saved their Road Home funds, leery of contractor fraud. Currently they live in a small local apartment but, depending on the heat, like to come and meet their volunteers.

It is hard to imagine people not being back home 5 years after the storm. But that is truly the case and it is a testament to RH2NO that we have not forgotten. Yes, we will pound a few nails and lay a few tiles. But most importantly, by our presence, we will proclaim to Catherine, Madeline, Elmore, John and Minnie that we care.


Your Mission Team Workers:
Al Altobello, Sally Altobello, Linda Badger Becker, Jake Castor, Rock Castor, Ryan Crosby, Mary DelleFave, Brian Fitzgerald, Allison Gilday, Linn Hoover, Sarah Jacobs, Karen Kingsbury, Tom Link, Bob McDowell, Dave Morgan, Erica Morgan, Laurel Nelson, Susan Orr, Sam Picard, Charlie Plummer, Lea Smith, Linda Sullivan, Steve Tedesco, Sue Tedesco





Monday, May 3, 2010

Home again

We're all safely home. Yes, the final "Sunday blog" is coming on early Monday . . . can you spell "exhaustion." But it's a good exhaustion.
Friday concluded with an evening out for each of three groups, followed by a communion service focusing on the word "hospitality." We shared responses to four questions: (1) "Where have you seen or experienced hospitality this week?" (2) "So . . . what IS hospitality?" (3) "What gets in the way of hospitality (the "prayer of confession" part)?" (4) "In light of our experiences/observations of hospitality, and our awareness of what gets in the way of it, what is God calling us to do and be (individually and collectively) as we go forward?" Following the story of communion and the Great Prayer of Thanksgiving, participants were invited each to bring one of the other participants to the table, serve him or her, and return to seats. That way, each person was served in an act of invitation/hospitality. Brandi and I weren't prepared for the rush of pairs to the table. It was very moving.
Delta usually means "Don't Ever Leave The Airport," but not only did both planes leave on time; they also arrived early. Perhaps a fitting cap to a week of hard work and hard reflection.

I returned grateful--as ever--for the body of Christ. I am deeply grateful for the realities of the Body of Christ, that . . .
Strangers can become friends (in some cases lasting friends). . .
No one is alone in doing hard work (and work which for some of us stretched us way beyond our experience zone), that there was ALWAYS someone to help. . .
Compassion knows no bounds of time or space. . .
In the midst of serving, fears and anxieties have a way of melting away--or at least being put into a proper perspective. . .
Something powerful happens when worship flows into work (Monday evening) and flows out of work (Friday evening) . . .
At our best we fulfill St. Francis' observation: "Always bear witness to Christ. Use words if necessary."
That Paul's observation is true: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." Each group stood on the shoulders of prior groups, and other groups will stand on ours and theirs. . . .

Our work was done amidst the signs of incredible human selfishness and greed. Already devastated homeowners were left destitute by contractors who collectively lifted several millions of dollars out of the pockets of victims and into their own. Our group was told that during levee reconstruction, large sections of the levee were discovered to have been thin concrete shells surrounding trash and newspaper. Those realities carried with me all week; I had to pray through the anger, the dismay. It is into such a world that the Word became flesh . . . and it is into such a world that you and I fulfill the calling Jesus gave us: "As the Father sent me, so I send you." Together and individually, we are incarnations of the love of Jesus Christ. I believe that each of us experienced that; I believe that others observed it. And when the insecurities and self-doubts creep in, I choose to hope that it was so.

I trust that I speak for all on the trip, that we are so grateful to have had this experience (the first for most of us), and that we are grateful for the generosity of so many people who supported this opportunity.

Grace and peace to you from the most recent New Orleans group -- "Out of Chaos, Hope."

Val Fowler

Friday, April 30, 2010

Friday night

Last day at the worksites, and the day started overcast with good chance of spit turning to rain. George and crew had breakfast (Italian Omelett) going well in hand by 6:30 and coffeee was done. Everyone set off and our crew actually beat our site crew by a few minutes. Most people got started working inside, and some of us started outside with the expectation that it would soon rain, and drive us indoors. Luckily we had got all the roof wood on and papered so rain would not seriously affect us. We got most everything we wanted to get done, done, and feedback from the other groups was similar, in that they all left some work for those who follow to finish. In every case we all felt that we had accomplished a lot, most of the groups got to have some contact with the family affected and some had developed a real relationship. In every case, the project managers, and the staff running the work areas really showed appreciation for all of othe work that was done. Friday is a day of goodbyes, and pictures, and we had reluctantly done one and thankfully done the other. Everyone was on their own for dinner, and all reports was that everyone returned full and satisfied. Our group went for piled high and deep, as a testament to large appetites from a hard days work.
After dinner we had a moving worship service, with communion, with the theme of hospitality. We shared stories of hospitality with each other, and demonstrated it with inviting others to be served by each other. We all also discovered that the Latin and Greek word for friendship did not relate to people or relationships at all, but rather meant "well used for the intended purpose" as in a level meets the criteria in making rafters straight, but later or even in that context could be applied to human relationships in that when we apply friendship torward each other, we meet the defenition as God had intended for us to be with each other.
Everyone got to bed early as a long day was ahead with many of us leaving by 6:00 am, meaning a very early morning.

It was a busy Thursday

Ok, so it is friday and I am blogging about thursday. Needless to say, it was a busy day and I think many people will agree when I say we were very tired. But let me back up...
Work continued at the three sites. Finally, the roof work to be done at this stage of the project was finished at one worksite. All three sites plugged along, striving to get as much done as possible since the week was drawing to a close.
At the Najolia site, our construction assistant, Kate, took us to a local place for crawfish and po-boys. They were delicious and our home owner showed us how to pull their heads off, suck the juice out of the heads and pull the meat out of the tails. It sounds gross, but it was SO GOOD! On our way back to the work site, we finished our lunch with a snowball. This is not to be mistaken for a snow cone. Snowballs have thinner shaved ice and a ice cream in the middle, then have the syrup flavor of your choice poured over it. They were the perfect end to a delicious local meal.
The highlight of thursday night was dinner at Olive Tree. Two of the three home owners of our group came to the dinner and presented a bit of their story to the entire group. The Third Pres group went and picked up their home owner from where she currently resides while waiting for her house to be finished. This was only her second time attending the thursday night Olive Tree dinner. It was moving to here about the experiences of several home owners and how appreciative they are of our ppresent, care and support.
After dinner a van-load went out to hear some jazz music suggested by Andy's cousin, who lives down here.
Stay tuned for our final day here in New Orleans! Brandi

Thursday, April 29, 2010

It's already Wednesday...

Good Start
Breakfast was delicious due to the hard work of George and Rod with some menu help from Tim. We shared breakfast and a discussion with the marketing director from Project Homecoming. Van thanked our group for being here this week as well as for all the previous trips made by our respective churches. It is the continued commitment from volunteers that allows Project Homecoming to get people back into their homes. He discussed the successes that their organization has had as well as some of the challenges they face. The commitment from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is scheduled to end at the end of this year. They have a good start towards the funds to get them through 2011 and are working at securing the remaining funds.

Cartier St.
Our group is making good progress at the Cartier St. house. The roofing crew finished putting the decking down and have tar papered half of the addition. The carport crew had another day doing custom carpentry due to the lack of anything resembling a right angle. Bill and I continued working on the ceiling joists. Our use of the laser level went more smoothly today.

Our group took sometime off in the afternoon to tour some portions of the ninth ward. Our construction assistant Lisa led our tour. We visited the area of the Brad Pitt houses that Carlolyn mentioned in yesterday's post. I had seen the stories and the news after Katrina. It was a bit surreal to be standing by the canal levee next to the lower ninth ward and looking out over all the vacant lots in the lower ninth ward.

We are looking forward to meeting our homeowner's daughter tomorrow.

Fern St.
The group continued painting, grouting, cleaning, and working off the decreasing list of tasks to be completed. The representative from Catholic Family Charities who is the actual client for this work complemented the construction assistant Phil regarding the quality of the work. This house is in the final stages and they are hoping to have the homeowner living there again within a few weeks. The crew must be working well together and enjoying themselves. At the end of the day, they return smiling and laughing.

Najolia St.
This group has the farthest drive each day. They have been taking advantage of the drive time by getting to know each other better through stories and sharing thoughts. The group was touched that the homeowner Lita led them in prayer at the start of their workday. After battling an uneven floor for the past couple of days, Brandi and Carol were able to start laying ceramic tile today. More doors were hung, trim installed, and walls painted.

Closing thoughts
Although our bodies may be moving a little more slowly after three days of work, our spirits are in full force. I have seen the various groups of individuals working on their respective tasks evolve into small teams. Bonds are forming and strengthening as we continue to share in this fellowship. I have heard various mentions of thoughts, questions, and prayers from friends and families at home. If anyone has specifically prayed for good weather, God has answered their prayers as the weather has been great. We thank you for all the thoughts and prayers of support you have given us.

Len

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Tuesday in the Big Easy

"Who Dat " over there!!!
Well, good evening dear readers... today, (Tuesday, April 27, 2010) has been a very productive day for 23 hardy Western New Yorkers working in various areas of the New Orleans metro. area.
We are quite proud of the successes we have had today and do have some interesting stories. There are stories ranging from one group spending probably five minutes trying to find the church where we stay, having passed it just prior to that 5 minute circular tour ALL AROUND IT!!! to someone deciding they need to know calculus instead of math to work on the carport they are reconstructing... to another group of 2 trying to find chickens' feet to prepare for tonight's dinner (:-P)!!
The successes of the day ranged from no grinder being ruined at one sight compared to how one was "destroyed" yesterday by getting the cord twisted around in it ... getting a roof to be straight rather than bowed as it was yesterday... to a young female minister learning how to use a jig saw... to "ceiling joints being installed and being the BEST ceiling joists in New Olreans" ... to 2 rooms being painted in one home, moldings being installed, grouting being done to door frames being installed, to "umpteen" doors being painted, to soffits being repaired and replaced, to just plain having fun.
Our three groups reconvened shortly before dinner time and had one terrific meal prepared by our chefs, George and Rod. They stay behind each day to prepare a most wonderful dinner for us who are "out in the field" during the day. George and Rod have made several trips down here to cook for groups and I, for one, am certainly glad they are here this week.
As I mentioned earlier... these 2 FINE GENTLEMEN wanted to be sure to present the BEST entree for us tonight and searched ALL over N.O. (well, one or 2 stores anyway) for chickens' feet to serve us. You see, we are in the South and that is one of the "customary" foods served here.
Now, I grew up on an Iowa farm and have seen MANY chickens' feet and really do NOT care to see them on my plate... Fortunately we are allowed to serve ourselves so I chose to avoid them at ALL COST!!! Instead I selected the Chicken marseilles (hm, hm good) green beans with diced red peppers mixed in and a delicious orange. For those of you who wonder what the story is on the "other" item on the menu... George and Rod, our trusty chefs thought it would be SO much fun to act as though the chicken feet would be the main course or else throw some into the main course to see the reactions. They decided to "test" the idea on the office staff of the church and... hm... for some strange reason... mainly one lady running backwards out of the kitchen... they decided they'd better just have them as an optional side dish.
Needless to say, I wasn't thinking and sat down by one of the men who had taken one... I told him to be sure to warn me ahead of time if he decided to eat it as I would be leaving. Fortunately, he said he had no courage whatsoever to try one... THANK GOD for that decision.
But I will say, our chefs are top notch and I would travel anywhere with them if they agreed to be the chefs of the trip. They are super!!!
After our work day was finished, our group, which consists of Sherry Shaffer, Ned Kavanagh, Jan Hoyt, Brandi Wooten, Carol Fowler, Sharon Breeze, Paul Worboys, Gary Rehberg, and myself, Carolyn towers, went to see the homes that are being built by a foundation formed by Brad Pitt. They are indeed very very unusual in architecture. However, the ones we saw look to be rather expensive so some of us are wondering if they are bringing original families back to the neighborhood of the 9th Ward or if people of a different income level are moving into them. If you are in the least bit interested, put the words "Brad Pitt Homes in New Orleans" in your Google search and I would imagine something will come up about them.
Then we went to see the memorial built to honor those who lost their lives, those who survived and have continued living with a strong hope for the future and to those who have helped restore some of the most devastated areas. The most enlightening thing of the memorial, which is in the middle of a boulevard in the 9th Ward, is a display of pillars showing the different levels of water during the horrible time of Katrina and Rita in 2005. I stood between 2 pillars that had to be 3' to 5' taller than me. Just amazing to think how horrible it was. And there is still so much to either be torn down or restored...
While we were standing there and looking around a gentleman came to us from across the street and told us that it served no good for us to stop and see the monument. He said that money could have been spent to help families in the Ward rather than build the monument. He also stated that people are appreciative of groups like ours coming to help rebuild but he said the "ones who should really be here are not." He was very polite and kind in his manner but we could certainly tell that he was VERY serious in his comments. He said that over 14,000 homes were destroyed and only 3,000 have come back... Isn't that just too hard to imagine....
The group consisting of the people mentioned above are working on the home of a lady who is still in a FEMA trailer on her property. She has had so many hardships and disappointments ever since the hurricanes but she had another one today... She was backing out of a parking place in her shopping neighborhood and backed into another person's car. Of course the other person's car was not damaged at all but her back right light area, the bumper and the fender were all damaged. the fender is not a piece by itself of course... it continues on into the roof. She was not hurt but she was badly hurt emotionally... She has had so many things happen to her... I would have given up by now but she pushes on and she'll be so happy when her house is finished. They are hoping to finish it in May.
In contrast, the other group of Chili and H.F. people are working on a house that is down to the bare studs and they are thinking it is going to take a LOT longer than the Pres. Disaster Assistance organization had originally thought. Our group of people working there (Tim Engelbrecht, Ron Horton, Andy Atwater, Jean Bartholomew, Bill Hoyt, Roger Willis, Val Fowler and Len Picone) feel very good that they have helped the PDA find some very serious problems and are helping them find solutions for those problems.
The third group, consisting of Nancy Watson, Karen Pryor, Don Pryor, Sharon Kiellach, have found the home they are working on is near completion and they are quite excited to think they can help add finishing touches to the home and possibly get the home owner to her home this week to see what has been done.
All in all, we have had so much fun, so many weary bones, so many laughs, so many weary bones and so much fellowship and growth in our understanding of this tragedy, that we wouldn't trade this experience for anything.
Well, actually we might trade for another one if for some reason we ARE served chickens' feet for dinner one night!!!
We thank you for all your prayers, support, love and faith in us as we allow our faith to grow and our feeling of being an important part of God's plan for the restoration of New Orleans. God bless you and we send our love to our families and friends.
Most sincerely, Carolyn Towers, First Presbyterian Church, Honeoye Falls.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Monday's Survival - the First Day

Today we all got off to a great start. We met the folks at Olive Tree during our orientation and they are a great group of young folks who've commited several months and in some cases years to help with rebuilding. The group is comprised of folks from all over the states and they work with PDA as project managers and site leaders. They work with local resources selecting sites for folks like us to work on.

We have three sites, all having different stages of completion. Our Fern St group is the most complete and this week may be the last group to work there. There's plenty to work on with painting, caulking and tile work being the first things on the list. The team also hopes to get the place cleaned up so the owner can make her first visit.

Our Cartier St site has the most work to do. The structure and area has been gutted and cleaned up and now we're building back the things that need replacing. A new roof is being added to one that is structurily sound. Inside walls have been studded and now we're putting in new ceiling joists to level the ceiling. We may even get to put on shingles, siding and insulation this week. This is the plan anyway....

Our Najolia St site has the outside complete and the inside work this week will cover caulking, hanging doors and tile work on floors and bath. This site is unique in that the owner is living on site in a FEMA trailer and gets to see the daily progress.

Our cooks, George and Rod are doing a great job feeding us all. They made a significant Sam's run that boosted to local economy greatly and I'm certain our waist lines by weeks end.

Everyone had a great day today and all have great energy. With all the work we did today, we will all be sleeping well tonight. The weather has been perfect.... not too hot or humid and a nice breeze most of the day.

Think of us often this week as the time flies by. God's work is touching us all.

Bill....

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Getting into New Orleans

Our morning started bright and early around 4 o'clock when we woke up from our respective beds and drove to the airport. Bleary-eyed, we managed to find our way onto the plane. After several hours of traveling, we made it into New Orleans, commandered our vehicles and arrived at the church we are staying in- Parkway Presbyterian church. They extended their southern hospitality to us, taking us on a tour and explaining the guidlines for staying here. After Katrina, Parkway decided that the unique way in which they could respond to the devastation was to open their church up to be a place for volunteers to stay. They take great pride in this ministry and many people thanked us for coming as soon as we pulled up.
After an afternoon of setting up our air mattresses and buying groceries, many of us headed down to the French Quarter. We explored the sights of the Mississppi River and the orginal and flavorful tastes of New Orleans. Bourbon street was filled with silver people and street jazz groups. Afterward, we headed back to the church for some much needed rest for we have an early day ahead of us tommorrow. Stayed tuned to hear more of our journey to New Orleans

Friday, April 23, 2010

Are We Ready Yet?

It’s almost here, the day we depart for New Orleans! Who can believe it? Seven months ago, RH2NO (Rochester Help to New Orleans) applied for a church partnership grant from the Presbytery and when it was approved, the $1250 seed planted an incredible gift to the churches of First Presbyterian of Honeoye Falls and First Presbyterian of Chili. When first conceived, we were hopeful to attract 10 mission workers. Now, we depart 16 strong, 23 if you count the members from Third Presbyterian Church engaging in its own mission to New Orleans. We are excited, we are a little anxious, we are wondering what God has in store for us the coming week.

We’ll be working with Project Homecoming, the work relief agency of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance located in New Orleans. We’ll be hosted by Parkway Presbyterian Church in Metairie, LA. George and Rod, members at Third, will be providing our meals for the week, and we anticipate getting to see all the sights and sounds this culturally rich city has to offer. We are most excited, however, about the work we are about to do.

We learned a little about our homeowners. Between the three churches, we’ll be working on three houses. As you read, please pray for each homeowner, for all they have been through, for their continued strength and courage, and for our ability to help them get one step closer to moving back home.

Catherine is an elderly woman who is funding her own project with Road Home funds. She received about $70,000, not anywhere near enough to hire a contractor, and kept it in a savings account, praying all the while for a volunteer group. Enter Project Homecoming! This project is in the early stages.

Virginia was referred to Project Homecoming by Catholic Charities. She is disabled and uses a wheelchair. She is not currently living on her property. Virginia's home is being restored as well as being made handicap accessible. Virginia was evacuated by bus to Houston and went three days with no food or water, losing her wheelchair and witnessing the death of a passenger. Virginia's house is in the final stages and she is so looking forward to coming home.

Lita's home is in St Bernard's Parish and was heavily damaged by MRGO. She is still living in a FEMA trailer on the property. Lita experienced many personal losses from the storm in addition to losing her home. She was divorced right before the hurricane hit and it has affected her deeply. She was a victim of contractor fraud before coming to Project Homecoming. Lita's house is in the middle stages of construction.

It is hard to imagine people not being back home nearly 5 years after the storm. But that is truly the case and it is a testament to the Presbytery that we have not forgotten. Yes, we will pound a few nails and lay a few tiles. But most importantly, by our presence, we will proclaim to Catherine, Virginia and Lita that we care.

Your Mission Team Workers:
From Honeoye Falls: Carol Fowler (Victor), Rev. Val Fowler, Ned Kavanagh (Lakeside), Gary Rehberg, Sherry Shaffer, Carolyn Towers, Paul Worboys
From Chili: Andy Atwater, Jean Bartholomew, Sharon Breeze, Tim Engelbrecht, Ron Horton, Bill Hoyt, Jan Hoyt, Roger Willis, Rev. Brandi Wooten
From Third: George Cheatle, Sharon Kiellach, Len Picone, Don Pryor, Karen Pryor, Rod Taylor, Nancy Watson