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 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!

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

---

---