Presbytery of Cincinnati Hurricane Mission Trips to Assist Others

2009-10-04T14:29:00.002-04:00

Sunday, October 4, 2009

All Team member are home from Texas Gulf Coast. We had a good trip and worked on two home. Both homes received new exterior painting. One home the water piping was replaced now all the faucets have running water. Several exterior faucets were install. The home owner were gracious and were glad to have the changes that we were able to complete.

We will be posting photos later.

Some pictures and detail on what was accomplished by the team is shown on www.msmission.blogspot.com for dates September 28 - October 3.

Sep-Oct 09 Mission Team

2009-10-01T22:54:00.002-04:00

Thursday - October 1, 2009
Rain, rain, go away let us work on our last day!
With a bookend of rain, our week wrapped up early with a wash out, but not before a great day of work. The group gathered at 8:00 at the house and witnessed a transformation in action. A once plain, wood colored house suddenly brightened up the street with its sunny yellow hue. Within four hours the house was transformed as a first coat was applied. Working side by side with the home owners the crew was joyful in their serving and the universal language of love was spoken in English and Spanish.
This evening, we traveled to Galveston to attend the blessing of a house that was complete. The owners were back in their home. We ourselves were blessed as we gathered with members of the United Methodist Church Disaster Response Team. We were told that this one house was rehabbed by over 40 different teams of different denominations what an eclectic home. The home owners were reminded that although they and their home were being blessed they were being charged to be a blessing. The team has seen that in action at each home we visited this week. God is definitely alive in Texas! After an authentic Texas dinner and a self – guided tour of the island we returned to camp, reminded of God’s love and presence in every breath we take and in every move we make.
The sacrament of Holy Communion closed out an amazing week where devotions focused on music we hear in our daily lives. We were reminded each day that all are welcome in the house of God and that the house of God is all throughout the world. We are all neighbors and we need to do nothing more than serve our brothers and sisters everywhere. All are welcome in this place.

Mission Team Sep-Oct 09

2009-09-30T22:14:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Today was a beautiful day with sunshine and moderate temperatures. The portion of the team that was painting on the house finished that and start on the home where the plumbing was being done. All the team is now working at same home. The plumbing of the water lines will be completed tomorrow is there are no major hitches. We all went out to eat this evening. The fish was great for those of us who went to the Baytown restaurant . We are looking forward to a good day tomorrow if the not rained out as happen on Monday. The forecast is for scattered thunder showers. The Lord has blessed team in our work.

September – October Mission Team

2009-09-29T22:53:00.007-04:00

September 29, 2009

Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory children of the Lord … Today we were up and moving ready to catch up on a little lost time from the rainout yesterday. Many of us were finishing up on an exterior house painting. We are excited to have the experience to see a home coming back together and finally being able to live and enjoy it again as a family and get back to their routine. Some will return tomorrow to put on the last touches or the “icing on the cake” before the whole group moves on to another project. David and Harold have been crawling around and under another home to help a family get the house even closer to being ready to move back in. There is still a lot to be done and the family has been anxious to move from their FEMA trailer. Upon closing the work day we gathered back at camp to prepare for our visit and dinner with Rev. David Green and his family. We were blessed to share life experience and hear stories of their own experiences of last September when Ike swept through. They were gracious to open their home to us and share books capturing the before, during and aftermath of the hurricane. As we close the evening with a drive home we started unwinding from the day’s events. We shared our own thoughts of all the experiences we have been exposed to these few days we shout a “Yeah God” for giving us the ability to share our story and the light of a new day

Cincinnati Mission Team (photo toright) -- Rev. Green & Zoe Grace photo left)

2009-09-28T22:42:00.001-04:00

Monday, September 28, 2009

Today was a day may new things. We all meet at a park in San Leon TX with the coordination from UMCOR who is coordinating the work for all the faith based organizations. W e all had on our BLUE PDA shirt. We work on two homes this morning and early afternoon until we were rained out. Most of the team is prepping and painting a home and tow of us were making plans to attach gas and water lines in a second home. We will go back in the morning to continue our work on these homes.

One thing we all found out is that the stories about the mosquitoes in Texas are true.

Presbytery of Cincinnati Mission Team

2009-09-05T06:52:00.002-04:00

Greeting,
Check out the link to the video that is new and give a view of the need in the hurricane relief that is needed in the Texas Gulf Coast. Our next team meeting will be September 13th at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church at 7:00 PM in room 212. See you there.

2009-08-23T19:49:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

This has been a busy time for each of us and so I am sending this reminder to all. We were able to host the Rev David Green and his family here in Cincinnati in July and hear about their experience with IKE. We look forward to being able to help those who are not as blessed as we are at this time. We are now planning for our second trip to help the people of Texas in the Galveston area recover from "IKE".

We will be staying in a PDA camp in Texas City, TX. This camp is located at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Texas City. Texas City is just north of Galveston on Galveston Bay. The major damage areas from IKE were in Galveston and in Galveston Bay.

We will be car pooling as in the past. Our first team meeting will be on August 30, 2009 at Mt Washington Presbyterian Church. Our second meeting will be September 13, 2009 and the third meeting will be September 20, 2009. All the meeting times will be at 7:00PM.

At present we have 15 people who have reserved a space and we expect more at the first meeting. We have only 40 spaces so please let me know so I can put you on the list. We have been invited to have an evening meal at the Rev. Green’s home in Galveston while we are in Texas.

See you all at the MEETING ON August 30, 2009 @ MT. WASHINGTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH @ 7:00 PM.

See our blog site: http://www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com/ and check out some photos from our recent trip and pictures from damage from hurricane IKE.

2009-07-05T13:36:00.004-04:00

Greetings,

This has been a busy time for each of us. We look forward to our second trip to the Texas Gulf Coast we can help those who are not as blessed as we are at this time. We are now planning for our next trip to help the people of Texas in the Galveston Bay area recover from "IKE".

We will be staying in a PDA camp in Texas City, TX. This camp is located at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Texas City. Texas City is just north of Galveston on Galveston Bay. The major damage areas from IKE were in Galveston and in Galveston Bay.

We will be car pooling as in the past. Our first team meeting will be on August 30, 2009 at Mt Washington Presbyterian Church. Our second meeting will be September 13, 2009 and the third meeting will be September 20, 2009. All the meeting times will be at 7:00PM.

At present we have 10 people who have reserved a space and we expect more at the first meeting. We have only 30 spaces left so please let me know so I can put you on the list.

See you all at the MEETING ON August 30, 2009 @ MT. WASHINGTON PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH @ 7:00 PM.

See the link to our pictures from the last trip to Texas City.

A note: for all who would like to hear from a survivor of Hurricane IKE please keep the following in mind.

Come Hear Rev. David Green
July 31, 2009
MWPC Potluck Dinner

Rev. David Green, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Galveston, Texas.
Hear how Hurricane Ike affected the survivors and the church.
Rev. Green will speak at a potluck dinner.
MWPC Friday, July 31, at 6:30 p.m.
Davies Hall.

Please RSVP by July 26, 2009
To 513-474-4772 or
Mt Washington Presbyterian Church 513-231-2650

2009-03-05T22:35:00.001-05:00

Blog for Thursday, March 5th

Today is our fourth day on the job here on the Texas Coast and our work teams got into the home stretch on their project homes. For some of us Tuesday and Wednesday felt like two steps forward, one step back, as linoleum refused to come up, door frames were out of square, a bathtub removal turned up rotted sill and lower framing, and concrete floors defeated masonry bits and high strength TapCon fasteners. Today everything started to come together and we went to dinner feeling like we finally made real progress.

The four pilgrims from Heritage – Karen and Jon, Dick, and Roger – apologize for coming late to the Texas blog. They were preoccupied Tuesday night and Wednesday doing kitchen duty. They prepared breakfast (bacon and scrambled eggs) and dinner (both Italian and Cincinnati spaghettis), while still putting in time on their work sites.

Roger and Dick were honored this afternoon to present their client, Cora, with a prayer shawl hand knitted by a women’s group at the Mt. Washington church. She was moved to learn the knitters all say prayers for the unknown recipient of their shawl. Yesterday Cora’s daughter Sharonda cooked lunch for the work team of roofers and inside carpenters. We pigged out on fried chicken, sweet potatoes and greens. It’s a real mystery how we can do hard physical work and still gain weight on these trips.

Most of the teams have managed to take quickie tours of Galveston to get a sense of the hurricane damage. Even among the debris and devastation there are moments of beauty. Jon and Karen talked about one blooming bush in the midst of ruins, where two doves billed and cooed.

The work had its Wild West moments. Mark Mahan, Rev. Jerry Pitman, and Dick Jensen took turns shooting the floor – finally managing to nail down subfloor to old, stubborn concrete with a .27 caliber nail gun. The shots went on for hours and filled the house with the smell of gunpowder. Of course, the roofers were also banging away overhead, finishing up a new roof for Cora. A professional carpenter, Mark managed to install three new doors while teaching and supervising the rest of us.

2009-03-04T23:06:00.000-05:00

Texas City, Texas
Day three (March 4, 2009)

This evening the Rev. David Green, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Galveston shared dinner with us. Afterward he spoke about what it was like to live through Hurricane Ike. First Presbyterian Church of Galveston was established in 1840. It is a historic building. It has withstood many storms with no water in the sanctuary. But Ike brought three feet of water to the sanctuary. Rev. Green had told the staff to put everything on their desks, but since the water came over the desks, the church lost everything that had been put there. The congregation thought that they would be back in their church in three weeks. They did not realize the extent of the damage. He told us all that the church has been through as they recover from the hurricane. The insurance adjuster told Rev. Green, “Pastor, the foundation of the church in gone.” That statement brought to Rev. Green’s mind hymns like “The Church’s One Foundation,” and he realized that the church’s foundation is Jesus Christ, and no hurricane is going to wipe it out. Then he told us about his family. He has a wife and three children, ages 7, 9, and 12. Parents of children that age have a challenging time dealing with the questions.
Rev. Green told us that the people in Texas feel abandoned by the government and the rest of the country. The fact that Presbyterians are coming to help gives the people hope. We were inspired by his presentation.

Please check our blog site for pictures . www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com

2009-03-03T22:48:00.001-05:00

Day two (March 3, 2009)

What a day! I feel like we are making progress. We should finish the new roof tomorrow. Since the guys found out they had to replace all of the wood on the back side of the house, we are a bit behind where they had hoped. We were so thankful, to find a strong, fiberglass ladder in front of the house, when we pulled up. The wobbly, scary, ladder from yesterday was gone, YAY, GOD! It was so scary watching Dick carry the shingles up yesterday, while it wiggled, let alone getting on it myself, going on a roof for the first time.
Gretchen and I have named us the “Dream Team” because everyone is so kind , helpful, and patient with our lack of skill. We (the women) have learned how to cut shingles, lay a roof, properly nail, are developing many new valuable “skills.” We are so thankful for our new friends and coworkers. Our roofing crew consists of Jerry, who inspires us with the word of God, (also a gifted craftsman) Harry, our ace navigator who was able to get us home today from the worksite without Garmin and only two prompts from Lori, Gretchen (who is now qualified to work for Uncle Karl), Lori (who has a pocket for every tool), Renee (who suffered a smashed finger) and Harold, our patient, and awesome leader. Since the women are now hammering most of the shingles without the aid of a pneumatic hammer we are going to call them the Texas City Roofettes.
Our inside crew consists of Mark, a very skilled carpenter, Dick (the brawn, who carried all of the shingles up the roof yesterday) and Roger (voted “best dressed” because of his fabulous tape measure suspenders). All of these guys are highly qualified and glad that the Roofettes are up on the roof and out of their way.
Everyone comes together at lunchtime for food and fellowship. Today’s food was exceptionally good – Church’s chicken.
We cannot neglect to mention our fantastic traveling companions, Ron and Juan. Poor guys probably never heard so much giggling in their lives.

Please check our blog site for pictures . www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com

2009-03-02T22:52:00.001-05:00

Greetings,

Today’s report is prepared by three of of our younger member of the team to give all of us a different perspective on these mission trip as we serve the churches of the Presbytery of Cincinnati.

Day one (March 2, 2009)
Today was the first day of work. It was sunny and breezy, but warm in the sun. We are sorry you are stuck in the cold weather. Our group, Bill’s harem, worked at a Vietnamese man’s home. Our group is called Bill’s harem because it is made up of Bill Ryan and five lovely ladies. We insulated the walls and stripped nails from the wood to prepare it for dry walling tomorrow. We had the local food, Taco Cabana, for our lunch since we had to pick up our friend Amber from the airport. She missed her flight yesterday because of the snow in Atlanta. Dinner was amazing. We had red beans and rice, banana pudding, and corn bread. Tomorrow however, dinner will be even better since the young folk; Melinda, Amber, Taylor, and Juan, will be making tacos. We are the only four adolescents on the trip. We appreciated the camp a lot more today after working all day long and seeing the conditions that other people are living in at the moment. Our homeowner was living out of the upper level of his home and did not have many belongings. The hotel that the couple owns is also experiencing reconstruction and they haven’t been open for several weeks. Our help is obviously appreciated by them and we also felt appreciated when we gave our business to a local hardware store. The store had not received a lot of business as a result of the hurricane. We look forward to seeing how our improvements change the house and the owner’s lifestyle. We will all sleep very well tonight after a long day.
Amber, Taylor, and Melinda

Please check our blog site for pictures . www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com

Greetings,

Sunday March 1, 2009

It’s the night before Day 1 of the Mission Trip to Texas City. There are 32 of us, 12 people flew and 20 of us drove for two days. On Saturday it rained so hard you couldn’t see the car in front of you, and snow and fog so thick you couldn’t see the Mississippi River flowing under us finally arriving in Pine Bluff AR for dinner at the First Presbyterian of Pine Bluff and a quick snooze before leaving at dawn on Sunday for the second half of the journey. Sunday was gorgeous as we drove into 60 degree weather. Once again dinner, at the Texas City Church, then orientation, job assignments (5 groups for 6 houses) and finally devotions by Holly Robertson. A little more organizing for cooking and travels for tomorrow. Then off to bed. I’ ll talk to you again tomorrow. Peace.

Mission Team

2008-12-19T07:44:00.000-05:00

Greetings,

I know all of you are busy at this time of year getting ready to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We need to keep in mind that other are not a blessed as we are at this time. We are now planning for our next trip to help the people of Texas in the Galveston area recover from "IKE". We know a little bit about IKE as the winds blew on September 14, 2008 in this area.

We will be stay in a PDA camp in Texas City, TX. This camp is located at the 1st Presbyterian Church in
Texas City. Texas City is just north of Galveston on Galveston Bay. The major damage areas from IKE were in Galveston and in Galveston Bay.

We will be car pooling as in the past. Our first team meeting will be on January 18, 2009 at Mt Washington Presbyterian Church. Other team meeting are schedules for February 1 and February 15, 2009.

2008-10-27T16:01:00.000-04:00

October 24, 2008
Greeting,
We have completed our last day of work. It has been a great week with all the jobs assigned to the work teams completed and more in some cases. There are still some items to be completed which will be done by the next teams that come to volunteer. We all feel that we are leaving, knowing that we are doing the work of the Lord. The teams worked hard at six different sites. Each site had its own unique problems. On one site the work team was placing parts in the puzzle as they finished the floating floor and installed the molding around many corners. Another work team installed a five food bath tub in a five foot opening and plumbed the tub and finished all the dry wall. The “stud” crew installed over 120 new studs in the home so the electric and the plumbing can be installed next week and then the dry wall can be installed. The fourth work team finished removing old and installing new siding on the home. Another work team finished molding and dry wall as well as other items in their assigned home. The work team in Pascagoula MS installed finish trim and other items. All the work teams are to be congratulated on their work and the work with the home owners. Two of the home owners had dinner with us on Wednesday.

Mission Team

2008-10-23T18:34:00.000-04:00

October 23, 2008
Greetings

Today we had a great day. We finished our house!! The home owners was so thrilled that she is having her church friends over for a house cleaning party after a 2 ½ year wait for this work to be completed. Greg finished up with his expert grout and fireplace work, Fred finished his painting, Jacob completed his last trim pieces and used the nail gun for the final time. Lori did her magic with the caulk gun and final clean up. The homeowner was so pleased to have the last little bit of drywall done and all of the junk hauled away. The floors are all laid in every room and look great and have thresholds at every door. What a week we have had and what team work!!!

See our link to photos.

Mission Team

2008-10-22T21:47:00.003-04:00

October 22, 2008
We had a great day today! Several of the women got to try out some different tools, including a saws-all. Mitre saw, and a nail gun. Thankfully, no one was injured! We learned that studs were not just good looking men, but a component of a wall system. Typically they are called 2x4’s, but they are really 1.5x3.5 inches.
We “roughed in” (a new term) the entire house, including the 2 bedrooms, a bath with three doors leading to it, the kitchen and family room. We have been waiting since Monday for a dumpster to load up all the piles of rubbish taken out of the house.
Dinner was another scrumptious feast; these women are unreal, what they can create from whatever was available from the freezer and left on the shelves! We invited our guest families to join us for dinner and we had a total of three guests, with a wonderful devotion from Chris, a very talented, effervescent speaker! It has been raining cats and dogs most of the afternoon, lets pray that the pods aren’t leaking. Hopefully tomorrow will be another beautiful day and a productive one.

See the link on our blog for pictures at www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com

2008-10-21T22:03:00.001-04:00

October 21, 2008

Tonight’s devotion was about “being both a Mary and a Martha.” Our team has had the opportunity and rare pleasure to do both over our first two days at the worksite here in Gulfport – working hard on worksite efforts and also sharing time together as a team and getting to know our homeowner.
Percy Robinson, our homeowner, shared an encapsulated life story. We found out that his grandparents owned the house we’re working on, and when he was 2 years old he came to move in with them while his father was in the military service. He told of caring for his grandparents’ every need as they reached an advanced age. The neat thing was that he talked of this as an honor to care for them as they had for him.
We met Percy’s son Samuel later in the day. We were working on the bathroom layout since the flooring was ruined and all of the interior walls needed to be replaced. During the discussion, Samuel said that the bathroom was too small. He explained that when his parents got to a point where they couldn’t bathe themselves, it would be him bathing them and that it would be important to have a large enough floorplan that he could move around while helping them. We were all touched by this message from a 20-something male.
The team has made nice progress as “Marthas” - making the ceiling and floors look very nice for our next steps plus many other things, including working as a quintet doing a “wall raising.” In addition to our discussions with Percy and Samuel, we have laughed and enjoyed each other’s company as “Marys.” We look forward to the next days ahead, as part of our “Robinson team” in addition to continuing enjoying the company of the entire Orange Grove team.

2008-10-20T19:21:00.001-04:00

October 20, 2008

Six home were worked on today by different team members, the following are notes from won site.

The house we worked on today had some siding on it that was applied by others. It was nailed on quite well but unfortunately it was applied incorrectly. We needed to pull off all the old siding and apply new siding. Luckily we didn’t have to do all that in one day. We weren’t sure how much we were going to get done this week at all but it is going great. God was with us and we managed to get all the siding off the entire house! We even started applying the new siding. It looks great! There were a few minor injuries as siding was pried off the walls and nails were yanked out with vigor, but nothing serious. It was exciting to see so much progress! We did not get to meet the owners as they don’t reside there but it is really satisfying to get the job done.

Team Member

2008-10-20T18:21:00.003-04:00

October 19, 2008

The Cincinnati Presbytery group arrived this weekend. We were saddened that Bill and Susie Ryan were unable to come because Bill’s back is giving him trouble, a new problem for him and so a cause of concern. Susie, naturally, wants to be there for him. We will pray for him as he seeks medical help. The rest of us gathered, spent a quiet Sunday afternoon sight-seeing, chatting, napping, and/or joining spirited games with a Frisbee or a football. This evening we got together for an evening meal together, followed by orientation by various volunteer staff at the camp. They reminded us that there is still much work left to do here in Mississippi. The evening ended with devotions by our great ministry team. Steve Long brought his guitar, and we all enjoyed some singing. Tomorrow our work begins, and we are ready for the challenge.

See out photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/KatrinaMission2006/KatrinaMissionTripOctober2008#

Mission Team Leader

2008-09-17T06:13:00.003-04:00

The Second Team Meeting will be on September 21st, at 7:00 p.m. in room 212 at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 6474 Beechmont Ave.

Please enter in the Main Door from the parking lot. Take the stairs turn right and Room 212 at the far end of the hallway to the right.

We had our initial meeting of the team who will be going in October. John did an excellent job of the initial meeting. I am sorry that I was not able to be there. The people in at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Natchez MS need our prayer as the decide whether to rebuild their manse. The manse was destroyed with three large oak trees falling the building as a result of the high winds from Gustav. There was some damage at the Orange Grove Camp 5 door on the pods were blown off and one big pod was blown down. We need to keep them all in the Gulf Coast who are were affected by Gustav and those about to be affected by Ike in our prayers.

We have 41 person sign up for the team so there are nine places left. We can only take 50 to this life changing event. I will need to get signed medical/liability release and skills sheet from those who did not turn them in to John or have previously send them to me.. You also need $225.00 to cover the cost of the trip and for food and lodging in Orange Grove in the PDA camp. The checks made payable to the Presbytery of Cincinnati.

We need to know who will be driving and how many they can take in a car so we can get car pools formed. I understand the Lakewood will possible taking a van and possible Union will also take a van. I need to know who and how many will want to make the trip in two days and how many will do it in one day. We will get the car pool together at this meeting.

Please sent me the skills sheets as soon as possible. They are needed so we can get work team assigned.

If you need copies of any of the forms please let me know and I will get them to you. I am attaching a copy of the skills form and the liability and medical release.

May the Lord bless all of you.

Contact MissionTeam@fuse.net for more information

2008-08-25T07:58:00.002-04:00

The first Team Meeting will be on September 7th, at 7:00 p.m. in room 212 at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 6474 Beechmont Ave.

Please enter in the Main Door from the parking lot. Take the stairs turn right and Room 212 at the far end of the hallway to the right.

I have received information from 29 person interested in participating in the trip in October 19 - 25, 2007. The cost for this trip will be the same as for the trip last March: $85.00 per person for gas plus the $140 for PDA at the camp which will make the total cost $225.00 per person. I will need your skill assessment as soon as possible.

Please let other members from your churches and friends know about this trip. Have them email me at missionteam@fuse.net so I can get information to them. Will see you all on September 7, 2008 at 7:00 PM.

Your servant,

David Legg
missionteam@fuse.net

2008-05-05T08:57:00.004-04:00

KATRINA MISSION – Oct 19 -- Oct 25, 2008

Fall is coming! Now is the time to start planning and preparing for our service to others. The next Katrina Mission trip to the Gulf Coast will be Oct 19 - Oct 25, 2008. We have fifty space reserved for this trip so let us make this the best trip ever. Please contact David Legg at 513-474-4772 or email to missionteam@fuse.net .

2008-04-04T22:15:00.001-04:00

Friday, April 4, 2008

The work teams completed their assignment and turned in their paper work and now are on the way home. I was a good week with work in six homes completed and four with work that will have to will be completed by others in the coming weeks.

Photos from the last day will be available on the blogsite link later this week.

Your tired servants,

Katrina Mission Team

2008-04-03T21:49:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, April 3, 2008

Today's blog is written by the team working on a screened-in-porch.

Our group is putting the finishing touches on a house that was completely gutted down to the studs. Norma, who is 86 and the owner of the house, told us that water had gotten up to her kitchen sink. Fortunately the water did not stay there and went back down to a more normal level quickly. Norma's grandson had decided to stay with the house until police came by and asked him to leave the area. At first he refused, but with the police officer offered him a sharpie to write his name address and who to notify of his remains on his body, he quickly went with them.

Norma and her sister Beverly were able to get back into their home just before Christmas of last year. They had been living in a FEMA trailer in the driveway for over 2 years. They have had numerous volunteers from all over he world touch their lives and their house. We were asked to finish a screened in front porch. We have now painted the walls (inside and out), We finished carpeting the whole room and fixed a leaky roof by completely stripping it and replacing it with new roofing. It is just awesome to be able to do little things like cut down a small dead tree and hang a sign on her porch. Things we take for granite.

Norma is so grateful for all she has been blessed with and is overwhelmed by all the support she has been given from all of the volunteers. Wednesday she even baked us biscuits with homemade peach jam and butter. WOW!!I can't even begin to write out all the stories she told us, all with such detail and meaning. This is truly something we will never forget and we know Norma won't either.

Jerry, Brian, Mary Ann, Don and Jovan

2008-04-02T22:36:00.003-04:00

Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Today's blog is written by Roger Rude.

I was a bit nervous as we set off on Monday on a bathroom repair project about how we would be accepted by our client. We're strangers, northerners no less, coming into people's house. We're going to disrupt their lives for most of the week, even if it's for a project they've been waiting about a year to have performed. We needn't have worried. Our client, Agusta Brunnel, couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. This was his second experience with PDA. Last year a work team repair his kitchen floor after his mother-in-law fell through a weakened area. This time we're repairing the bathroom floor which was also weakened by water damage. Our team of four Monday and Tuesday tore out the bad section, rebuilt joists,installed new plywood floor decking, then put down cement board. Today we cut and laid ceramic tile. Tomorrow we grout the tile and install baseboard molding. It was a learning experience for me, Mark Jovan and Rev. Chip Hall with team leader Bart Braden doing the teaching. However, the most memorable thing about the project was getting to know Agusta. On Tuesday he invited Chip to bible study at his church that evening. Tuesday Augusta barbequed chicken and neck bones for us. Today he came in with a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts fresh out the store oven. I told him the way he was treating us, we might never finish the job. I told Pat Anson of our Heritage team about his hospitality. A Louisiana native, she explained that food isn't just food with Southerns. Food is acceptance. Food is gratitude. We may have come to give, but we have received great blessings.

In service to the LordKatrina Mission Team

2008-04-02T22:36:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, April 2, 2008Today's blog is written by Roger Rude.I was a bit nervous as we set off on Monday on a bathroom repair project about how we would be accepted by our client. We're strangers, northerners no less, coming into people's house. We're going to disrupt their lives for most of the week, even if it's for a project they've been waiting about a year to have performed. We needn't have worried. Our client, Agusta Brunnel, couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. This was his second experience with PDA. Last year a work team repair his kitchen floor after his mother-in-law fell through a weakened area. This time we're repairing the bathroom floor which was also weakened by water damage. Our team of four Monday and Tuesday tore out the bad section, rebuilt joists,installed new plywood floor decking, then put down cement board. Today we cut and laid ceramic tile. Tomorrow we grout the tile and install baseboard molding. It was a learning experience for me, Mark Jovan and Rev. Chip Hall with team leader Bart Braden doing the teaching. However, the most memorable thing about the project was getting to know Agusta. On Tuesday he invited Chip to bible study at his church that evening. Tuesday Augusta barbequed chicken and neck bones for us. Today he came in with a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts fresh out the store oven. I told him the way he was treating us, we might never finish the job. I told Pat Anson of our Heritage team about his hospitality. A Louisiana native, she explained that food isn't just food with Southerns. Food is acceptance. Food is gratitude. We may have come to give, but we have received great blessings.In service to the LordKatrina Mission Team

2008-04-01T23:09:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

We are putting the finishing touches on a house that was badly damaged by Katrina’s powerful winds. This is the home of Dorothy (a different Dorothy from yesterday’s blog), a 67 year old woman who raised her 7 children in this house. Over the last 10+ years, it has also been home to over 30 foster children. You can just imagine the kind of woman Dorothy is. She came home from work yesterday and greeted all of us with huge hugs—before even seeing what we were doing! It was quickly clear that just by being there, we were giving her hope to keep going. Our tasks are to add heat/air ducts to three bedrooms, install a window, fix a leaky kitchen sink pipe, and repair water-damaged ceiling drywall. After two days of work, we are well on our way to accomplishing our tasks, and Dorothy is near the end of her 2.5-year journey toward having her house and life back to normal. The work we are doing will allow her to once again fill her home with foster children. It is incredibly gratifying to not only be helping Dorothy repair her home, but also to be giving her the hope, courage, and strength so she can continue to do God’s work through her unconditional love for those children. At the end of the day, we are grateful for opportunities, humbled by adversity, and inspired by all who pass through our lives….

In faithful service,
Katrina Mission Team
Gulfport, Mississippi

A link to pictures of today worksite are available at the blog for the Katrina Mission Team.

2008-04-01T16:29:00.002-04:00

Gulfport, Mississippi, March 31, 2008

Today we went to the home of an old friend, a delightful elderly lady, Miss Dorothy, whose home we worked on last fall. At that time we didn't have enough hours in the week to finish the work we had started. We hoped another team would come and finish, but that did not happen. So we greeted Miss Dorothy with hugs, and picked up where we had left off. Her sink would not drain, so we first tried to find the problem under the sink, but we had to go further. We followed the drain outside, and after much digging, cleaning out the drain with a snake, becoming intimate friends with dirt, sand, and gunk, we got the drain free, and put it back together so that she could use it tonight. We began sheet rocking her laundry room. It's a good thing we have four more days. We presented our homeowner with a prayer shawl knitted by the Mount Washington Presbyterian Church "In Stitches" knitting group. During our lunch break, Miss Dorothy talked with us about her experiences during the storm. As with many people down here, those experiences are etched in her brain. Tears came to her eyes as she talked about it. She just thanks God that people still care enough to come help her get her house back in shape. We look forward to the rest of the week.

Your servants,
Katrina Mission Team
Orange Grove MS PDA Village #3

2008-01-18T08:06:00.001-05:00

KATRINA MISSION – MARCH 30 – APRIL 5, 2008

Spring is coming! Now is the time to start planning and preparing for our service to others. The next Katrina Mission trip to the Gulf Coast will be March 30 – April 5, 2008. Twenty one persons have signed up so far, be sure to reserve your place as we can only take fifty. Please contact David Legg at 513-474-4772 or email to missionteam@fuse.net . First team meeting will be at 7:00 P.M., February 17, 2008, at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church .

TEAM PHOTO – October 2007

2007-10-28T20:46:00.000-04:00

Friday 10/26/2007

We finished out day and several of the team members went to see New Orleans and the rest started for home.

In the home in New Martin, the team replaced the rear door, the tile floor was completed and the kitchen floor was cleaned. This made the home a much better place to live. The owner is a single mother with a ten-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son. She goes to school and works.

At the other home in Biloxi, another team finished remodeling the bathroom with a new shower and a newly painted bath and hall. They replaced an exterior door, replaced the front steps, started placing new subfloor on the closed-in front porch, installed molding in the kitchen, and did several other jobs in the home. This team has many stories to tell about the homeowner.

At the home in east Gulfport the team repaired the roof on the laundry room, rewired several outlets, replaced a damaged section of the ceiling in the bedroom, installed a new fan in the same bedroom, and installed a new light in the bathroom. The 73-year-old homeowner called the team "her angels who flew down from Cincinnati.".

The team at the other home in Gulfport replaced the kitchen floor, cleaned and painted the kitchen, installed screen door, replaced missing pieces of siding, repaired the railing on the front porch and cleaned up and planted some flowers in the front yard. This 84-year-old homeowner also called that team her angels.

The roofing team finished the roof on the double wide trailer home in 3 days after being rained out for the first two days. This was a completed stripoff and new roof. All that team and members from some of the other teams worked very hard for the 3 days. The homeowner there was a police officer who had spent a lot of time helping others after Katrina but just didn't have the time to fix his own house.

We repaired a vent on another home which was leaking. We were not able to repair the kitchen ceiling, which was the purpose we went to the home. This and much other work that was not completed at all the homes will be left for other teams of volunteers from other places in the coming weeks.

Although it is impossible to get all the work done in a home in one week, on this trip we heard encouraging stories of homes that had been finished by the hard work of many teams.

In all it was a good trip. The last several nights were cold, and not all the heaters worked in the pods, but everyone was in good spirits and most are tired, but had a great experience and are willing to tell their stories.

Your servants in mission

2007-10-28T20:43:00.000-04:00

Thursday 10/25/2007

Greeting,

Today Katrina Mission Report is written by Pastor Norwood Presbyterian Church.

GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS

First, the good news:
Overheard: "It's more of a "faith trip" than a "work trip." and "We're not just building buildings - we're helping people."

Because of the work crew from the Cincinnati Presbytery, Nikki now has a new tile floor in her living room, hallway and bedroom - and will be rid of the water damaged wooden floors she's been living with for two years. She's also going to have toilets that don't leak. What that means is that she'll finally have a home that is safe for her, her 10 year old daughter and 3 year old son to live in. Nikki, a single mother, is working full time and going to school full time. As she was looking over the work that has been done on her home, she said, "When I graduate, I plan on finding a way to help others - like you have helped me."

Kipper, as a police officer, was one of the "first response team." His daughter, Sarah, was only 21 days old when Katrina hit. He's spent the last two years repairing and restoring his wife's parents' home. His father in law is ill and unable to get out much and needed to get out of their FEMA trailer as soon as possible. Kipper's priorities have been on helping others. Now, because of our efforts this week, Kipper has a new roof on his double-wide trailer and is looking forward to finally turning his time and energy into repairing his own home for once.

The week, though, has not just been about the projects. It's also been a time of devotions, gathering for meals, sharing stories, and getting to know folks from Illinois, NC, and Pennsylvania - as well as making new friendships among those we've traveled with from the Presbytery of Cincinnati. There have been lots and lots of laughter, a few tears, and many grateful expressions of God's amazing grace.

And now, the bad news:
There are NO volunteers scheduled to be here next week. Many projects started this week will go unfinished. Other folks, waiting for help, will have to continue to wait. The camp will stand empty. The tools will go unused. And God's work will be on hold - until someone (maybe YOU?) hear God's call to come and help - not just build buildings, but help people!

Shalom,
Your Mission Team in Service to the Lord.

2007-10-28T20:39:00.000-04:00

Wednesday 10-24-07

The home owner is an 84 year old lady,

We started the day by nailing down Luan shim board in preparation for tiling her kitchen. This was followed by painting her kitchen ceiling and walls. I also helped paint the kitchen cabinets we will be installing tomorrow. From there I went outside and continued working on her houses siding. I re-nailed the loose siding boards and replaced several rotted ones. I then caulked all the holes and splits in the siding and fixed several other exterior problems.

From there Sherrie and I worked around her yard collecting trash and demolishing an old rusting fence. We finished the day doing odd maintenance and repair jobs and cleaning up the job site. Tomorrow we look forward to installing her kitchen and beautifying her yard.

All this week as we worked we were blessed by her watching our every improvement and responding to our every request for what she wanted us to do. She is a beautifully gracious lady and a pleasure to be around.

Written by and Elder at Pleasant Ridge Presbyterian Church

2007-10-28T20:38:00.000-04:00

Tuesday 10/23/2007

Greeting,

This is a story by one of the team member as to how her trip has affected her so far. She express the feeling of a lot of us as we take these steps forward in our lifes.

Today the teams have started to see their job at there homes come to a point where they can be made to a home.

Tomorrow we will start on the roof that we have not been able to due to the rain which we have had here. Last night we had 4 -6 inches of rain with very gusty winds. Today it was light rain and forecast to be sunny tomorrow.

"This is the second mission trip to Biloxi, Mississippi I have been on. The first time I filled out the skills assessment form that everyone is asked to complete. Under each category the only thing I could write was “willing helper.” It was more than a bit daunting. I couldn’t think how I could possibly help in any way. By the end of that trip I had put in a hardwood floor, dry walled window panes and helped sand drywall, among other tasks. This time around I once again filled out that skills assessment form. Nothing had changed in seven months. Each category was filled with “willing helper.” It wasn’t as daunting this time. I knew I would be able to do something. Someone would take the time to teach me what I needed to know to help. It was a bit demoralizing though to think I had no skills to contribute. Once again, however, I was underestimating the impact of choosing to go. As before I have people to help and teach me. I have learned to use a miter saw, circular saw, and table saw. I am putting sub flooring down and measuring, cutting and putting on baseboards. Imagine it is only the second day. Each time I have come here I have underestimated what I can do and how helpful the people who come with me are. I came away with gifts each time. The first time I came away with the gift of trusting that I am capable. It is too early to say what exactly my gift this time will be. I suspect that it will have a lot more to do with the people I traveled here with. They seem to be turning out to be my gift"

Your mission team in service to the Church

2007-10-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

Monday 10/22/2007

Greetings,

This first day we have had rain all day. We had to cancel the roof job which one of the teams was to do. That team was split up and sent with the other four teams. Two of the teams were in Gulfport and two in Biloxi. The teams in Gulfport were working on small houses, replacing exterior doors, flooring in the kitchen, removing shelf paper which had been used as wall paper and replacing cabinets and in the other they were install drywall on the ceiling of the bedroom, replacing a window in the laundry room and replacing some roof supports in that room.

In Biloxi the team at home that had been flooded to the ceiling during Katrina; they were working lay new floor in the bathroom and placing trim in the kitchen. The furnace is not working and can not be checkout due the gas being turned off to the home. The other house in Biloxi was flood with only about 6 inches of water. The team replaced the front door and is laying new tile floor after removing the old composite floor which was damaged by Katrina.

These homes will continue to be worked on as the week progress. This evening were are under a severe storm alert, with tornado warning out for the area north of us. It is expected to continue to rain through the night and tomorrow.

Katrina Mission Team

2007-10-28T20:29:00.000-04:00

Sunday Evening 10-21-2007

Greetings,

The Katrina Mission Team has all arrived safely at the PDA camp in Orange Grove MS. We will have five home on which we will be working. The homes are in Gulfport, Biloxi and St Martin.

In Christ Service

2007-10-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

October 20, 2007

The Advance Party
for the Mission Team from the Presbytery of Cincinnati

After a leisurely drive down to the Mississippi Gulf, we arrived at the Orange Grove PDA camp on Monday afternoon, October 15. We reacquainted ourselves with the files kept on clients (some we recognized), and started planning calls to be made so that we would have homes to assess. We called several people and made appointments. One client didn’t keep the appointment, but the rest did. We came up with five jobs for our team to work on. We had some extra time, so we went to visit the first man we helped in November 2005. His house was not habitable then, but it is beautiful now. So good to know that these jobs do get finished! Several volunteers from the teams in camp this past week have wished our team well. We are off to a good start and look forward to welcoming the rest of the “Ohio” team. On Sunday night, our team will help the staff cook dinner, and we also have devotions to go after a short orientation by the camp managers.

2007-09-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Katrina Team Meeting

Next Team Meeting will be September 23, 2007 at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church, 7:00PM.

2007-05-20T19:54:00.000-04:00

NEXT KATRINA MISSION TRIP

It is time to start planning for the fall. Our next Mission Trip will be October 21 - 28, 2007. We will be going back to the PDA Orange Grove Camp. We will be working in the areas of Biloxi, D'Ibersville, Gulfport and Long Beach MS. These are the area where we work last March. To Sign up for this trip please let me know at missionteam@fuse.net. May the Lord be with all of you.

2007-03-22T22:37:00.000-04:00

March 22, 2007

Out of Chaos – HOPE.
Lulla and her daughter, Gretchen, live in Long Beach, Mississippi, and our group has been working on Lulla’s home. Her home survived Camille and they thought surely it would’ve survived Katrina. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Gretchen said they had planned on leaving during the evacuation because they always do – they almost have to because all the shops and stores close up anyway.
There is a small cottage that was a work shed in her back yard. This had been converted into a living area with kitchen, 1 bedroom, a closet and a bath that Lulla’s recluse brother lived in for 15 years.
Gretchen lives in what was her grandmother’s home around the corner and she had taken a loan out to put an addition on her home just before her uncle (Lulla’s brother) died. Gretchen then cleared out and updated the cottage so Lulla could rent it for some additional income. So Gretchen hadn’t gotten around to beginning the addition on her home because five days after finishing the cottage Hurricane Katrina hit.
Lulla and Gretchen stayed in Arizona with family until Lulla’s friend got a FEMA trailer in February, so Lulla stayed with her until March when she got hers because she had a job lined up as a caseworker for the Lutheran Disaster Assistance group in Biloxi. Gretchen moved back in May when she got her FEMA trailer.
Lulla has had many groups helping with the rebuilding of her home and cottage. Gretchen said it’s been wonderful having the volunteers coming in to help. It’s not only helping them, it’s helping their neighbors. She said it was such a beautiful neighborhood and most of the people haven’t come back. The neighbors that have returned have come by and see all the volunteer work and are very touched by not only the progress but the spirituality, the caring and helping in the whole area. Lulla wants to move into the small cottage when it’s done so she can have volunteers stay in her home to continue the rebuilding of her community.
What a wonderful week of hard work and blessings it has been.

Out of Chaos – HOPE!
Work Team 6

Today the collection truck came to pick up the debris at the house where our team was working. The wood that was stripped out of the house has been blocking our entrance to the house as well as reminding everyone of the destruction around. After the truck picked up the first load we were able to empty the back patio and an outside shed that was loaded with waterlogged trash. It is difficult knowing what to throw away and what not to when you are dealing with another person’s possessions. But after we had dragged everything out, found the driveway under the rubble, and swept off the patio, the house began to look like it belonged to a neighborhood, and not a demolition zone. The neighbor next to our house was ecstatic. Her daughter is getting married tomorrow and she is having out of town company. What a delight to have the eyesore removed!
Work Team 5

The group form Dayton First and Heritage Presbyterian Churchs are traveling tonight and on Friday and they go with our prayers.

2007-03-21T23:03:00.000-04:00

March 21, 2007

Today was a day of opportunity to visit all the job sites at which we as member of the Presbytery of Cincinnati were working. At one site the work group was hanging drywall and installing trim. The next the work group was installing sub floor after ripping up the existing floor which had water damage and rotting. There was a hole where the mother-in-law had fallen thorough. At another place they were installing wood flooring and tile in the house and they had previously taken up the old floor. Another team was removing old flooring and replacing the rotted joist. In doing this they discovered that the sewer line was broken. They repaired the sewer line and have replaced the joist and leveled the floor. At the next job the team was installing ceiling fans, wall switches and base board. The next place they were installing doors and trim around the doors and windows. The last home the electrician rewired the total home with the help of two assistants. In this home they have also built two new rooms, installed sub flooring.

This evening at worship we had communion with a time of sharing our experiences for the day and week so far. We all are tired and looking forward to coming back to our homes. Each of us has left something of ourselves here. We all are willing to share our experiences.

For pictures see the link on the blog site (www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com).

2007-03-20T22:38:00.000-04:00

March 20, 2007

One of our groups is working on a house that sustained significant roof and foundation damage during Katrina. After the hurricane, many people received assistance from FEMA in the form of blue tarps to cover damaged roofs and trailers to live in while repairs were being made. The owner of this home did not know who to turn to or how to get assistance. She continued living in the house with her two teenage sons for 17 months without any assistance. The house, like many homes in the Gulfport area, is over 80 years old. This house had termite damage to begin with. With the roof unprotected for 17 months, the inside ceiling, walls, floor and joists were damaged beyond repair. The front corner of the house sunk, twisting the frame and pulling the house away from the back addition. The home owner and her sons lived in the back addition. She was able to keep her sons in clean clothes and send them to school so that no one suspected she was in need. Finally, her sister brought her to the attention of Lutheran Relief Services who referred them to Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Realizing that the house was close to being condemned and that she had no resources to buy a different home, it was determined that we would support her.

Work began in January with a Presbyterian church from Virginia putting on a new roof and replacing some windows to protect the house from the winter. Last week, crews from a college in Michigan and the Presbytery of Detroit began by jacking up the corner that had sunk, and using a hand winch to pull the addition and main part of the house back together and to straighten out the frame. Next, they stripped out the sub-floor, floor joists, walls, ceilings, interior wall studs, and installed new floor joists. Our job has been to install wiring, sub-floor, floor joists in the addition, interior walls studs, and to reinstall windows that are now out of square. Work will have to continue next week with another crew. Today we met the home owner, who has been living with her sister. She was very excited that the house is finally beginning to look like a home and that she and her sons will be able to return soon.

Pictures are on the blog www.presbycincimission.blogspot.com. Click on the link for the pictures.

2007-03-20T17:58:00.000-04:00

Report form Mission Team - March 20, 2007

One of our groups worked on a kitchen floor that was not level and felt kind of spongy in places. When we came in, the kitchen was not cleared of any furniture or knick knacks. We spent some time wrapping glass and knick knacks in newspaper and boxing them, and moving a refrigerator, freezer, and cabinet. Then we ripped up the tile and subfloor and checked the joists, which were in good shape. The husband of the homeowner helped us, and his help was much appreciated, but we urged him to get back to work because he needed to earn money. After putting pieces of 2x4s in places that needed extra strength, we started putting down new subfloor. We screwed in two sheets of plywood and decided that was all we could do in one day. We laid down plywood over the rest of the joists so the homeowner could use her kitchen. She was not concerned that the refrigerator was across the room from its accustomed place. We put the tools in a corner that she said was OK to use and left for the day. The homeowner is more concerned about her twin sister than any mess we may have caused. Her sister is in a hospital and near death from a heart attack. She and her sister need our prayers.
Monday March 19, 2007

Report from Orange Grove PDA Camp #3

All have arrived safely, along with 37 from Austin College, 6 from Virginia and 7 from Nebraska. There are a total of 104 in the camp this week. We have 3 flying in on Monday at noon this will complete our 54 members.

Our team from the Presbytery of Cincinnati is broken down into 8 work teams all going to different sites. We will be working on home in Biloxi, Gulfport and Long Beach.

This evening we had a great meal prepare by our excellent cook from Cincinnati. They will be cooking for us all week. This will be a treat for all in the camp.

We will report more as the week goes on.

NOTE: View our blog for pictures. See Link on blog page

2007-02-17T11:55:00.000-05:00

Great News!!!

We now have 54 persons signed up to go to help in the Katrina Relief. We will be in Gulfport MS. the week of March 18 - 24, 2007. We will be report on our activities daily during our time on the Gulf Coast.

2006-12-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

Next Katrina Mission Trip

Presbytery of Cincinnati and Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church are now requesting that volunteers who wish to join the team that will be forming for the week of March 18 - 24, 2007. Please contact MissionTeam@fuse.net.

2006-11-09T19:25:00.000-05:00

Pictures of the last Mission Trip

At the following link you can see some of the pictures of the Mission Team as we worked on several different project.

http://picasaweb.google.com/KatrinaMission2006/PicturesForMarch2006MissionTrip?authkey=ORy8VYCysByU-xOHPgCwpNa1MSc

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

2006-10-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

Friday, October 27, 2006

Today we went back to the house we have been drywalling. We have ended each workday with a prayer, asking God’s blessing on the homeowner and thanking God that nobody has been hurt that day. The house started with studs only. We had 40 double wallboard on Tuesday and we slowly whittled that down, cheering and taking pictures as we finished drywalling each room. By Thursday we had 3 sheets left and needed 19 more. The 19 came shortly after we started working Friday. By 2:30 that afternoon the house was drywalled (except for the bathroom). After cheers and pictures, we ended with a prayer, asking for safe travel home. This has been a fantastic week. We prayed, sang, and worked, and God has richly blessed us in the experience. We hope that our meager efforts will be bless the homeowners as they continue to recover from Hurricane Katrina..

2006-10-26T22:53:00.000-04:00

Thursday, October 26

Today we will hear from three voices.

1 - My name is Mona Armstrong. Today I worked on a crew from Cincinnati. We had been working on one house for several days. On this day, we painted ceilings, picked up debris: shingles and wood that had come off the homeowner’s roof during the storm. We helped her move from her FEMA trailer to her new home. She was so excited. Her pump house had blown up during the storm, scattering debris all over her patio, so we cleaned up the patio and built her a new pump house. One volunteer bought two new bushes and planted them for the homeowner. She thought that God had sent her an "extreme house makeover." She told us that she knew God had sent us because everyone else had deserted her. She said she would pray for everyone in the PDA camp and especially for the people who helped her. She wants everyone in the camp to know how much she loves them. Tomorrow we will finish her house.

2 - This trip has been an amazing experience for me. On our first day, we went to paint a room in Lethan’s house. Lethan is an 87-year-old widow who has lived on her own the past 21 years. Even before Hurricane Katrina, Lethan didn’t have much materially, but she still has a light in her eyes and a quick smile. She even takes care of a 95-year-old neighbor on a daily basis. Instead of focusing on her own problems, she continues to reach out to others. Without knowing it, Lethan has been an incredible example to me. Her sincere gratitude humbled me. Over a year after Katrina, Lethan still lives in a trailer, but she was so appreciative to us for painting just one room. Hopefully Lethan will be able to move back into her home (the room we painted was the last room that needed work) soon. I am thankful for this experience, and for the experience of meeting Lethan.

3 - Today was the third day we have hung drywall. One volunteer who knew what he was doing, was the patient teacher of many with varying skills. Everyone worked hard. We had not met the homeowner but heard that she had cancer, could not live in a trailer in her condition and needed a home when she got back from her treatments in Houston. This morning her daughter paid us a visit. Her name was Amanda, and she had her hands full because, besides having a mother 600 miles away, and visiting there often, she also had a son with Crohn’s Disease. We told her we had a prayer shawl from our church for her mother, and she promised to stop by tomorrow so we could give her the prayer shawl. After seeing her, we went back to working hard on her mother’s house. Amanda’s visit was a real high for us.

2006-10-25T22:55:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Our team has been working at Violet’s house in Gulfport. Her roof was damaged in the hurricane and it seems like she was overlooked by the relief efforts for way too long. She lived in her home without electricity and water from the time of the hurricane in August 2005 until May 2006 when FEMA provided a trailer for her to live in. While FEMA covered her roof, it had been there so long the plastic deteriorated and during the storm and subsequently water leaked into her home leaving its mark on several ceilings.

Our hearts went out to Violet—it was her turn for help now. We were able to start work on her roof immediately as the supplies were already on site. A new roof was installed in three days. Many other things needed doing and our team went to work on all of them. The interior ceilings were treated and repaired. Electricity and water was restored to her home and a new toilet was installed. A lot of clean up work was done around the perimeter as she had been unable to care for the yard in a long time. A small brick walk was created as well. She won’t need her FEMA trailer anymore.

Violet told us how depressed and lonely she felt since the hurricane because her prayers for help went unanswered. She declared our team was the answer to her prayers. She made us feel very good about being here for her. Violet delights in all of the things we’ve done. As much as she needed the repairs to her home, she told us our presence around her home was an important lift to her spirits and outlook for her future.

Jim, Carolyn, Jason, Dave, Dennis, Lois, Carol, Kelly, Mona, Don and Linda

2006-10-24T22:28:00.000-04:00

2006-10-23T23:19:00.000-04:00

Sunday, Oct.22

Today we all arrived in Orange Grove Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Camp in various vehicles. Some of had traveled Saturday and Sunday, others made the trip to South Mississippi in one day, leaving early Sunday morning. On the trip all small groups got to know each other well. Those who left Saturday, stayed overnight in Montgomery Presbyterian Church, whose pastor, Rev. Ron Stocker graciously opened the church to us, assigning the men to sleep in one area, the women in another. We are already coalescing as a group. The camp has 90 people in it and we have all had dinner in the dining “hall” (really just a huge tent with attached kitchen) and an orientation session in the sanctuary of Orange Grove Presbyterian Church, a tiny church who has allowed PCUSA to use their large area for PDA Village #3. Everyone has settled on a “pod” (a.k.a. cardboard hut) that holds 2 or 3 people apiece. We are expectantly waiting to start our week in the Gulfport/East Biloxi, committees, which have some really needy people who need help rehabbing their home after Hurricane Katrina last year.

Tuesday October 24, 2006

We greeted the day with cold bodies (overnight low temperature of 39o) and could see our breath as we greeted one another in the tent. . .a little sore, our clothes a little dirtier, but more at peace in our “home” for a week - for God has gifted us with the opportunity to serve and we are renewed by the task.

We are busy removing roofs, installing drywall, painting, doing yard cleanup and making numerous trips to Home Depot. We have fulfilled our camp responsibilities of serving dinner, leading devotions and yes - cleaning the portable toilets. But our connection to God, fellow campers and those we are here to help go so much deeper . . .We have seen God’s hand in

- our young adult camp managers who have committed to a year of volunteer service
- a volunteer from Michigan still recovering from a 30-ft fall at work one year ago, including many broken bones, now walking with a cane, yet determined to be here to teach others his volunteer skills.
- the gratitude of those being helped, being appreciative for a FEMA trailer after being in a tent for months
- our voices joined in prayer
- volunteer and homeowner, families separated by distance and willing workers brought together in mission from Michigan, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Ohio and Kentucky.
- volunteers stretching themselves to learn a new skill, finish a project and contribute to their work team
- voices raised in joyful song as banjo player from Gulfport, guitarist from New Mexico and fiddler from Michigan joined together for the first time to entertain and renew spirit

Though the weather was cold this morning, our hearts are truly warm - warmed by God’s love and on fire for his mission on the Mississippi coast.

October 23, 2006
Today the whole camp of 90 volunteers accomplished many tasks. A few are:
A couple of volunteers ran internet cable to the office.
One volunteer drew a large camp map for posting.
Another volunteer put together a procedural notebook for spokespeople of volunteer groups.
A group made a table for a donated griddle and its propane tank. The table was made from scrap lumber found in the camp. The group also made a plastic lid out a plastic leftover from building huts.
One team painted the inside of a house. When that was done, this group made a tool inventory, and new job sheets to be laminated and posted.
A group bought and installed drywall. They bought edging and trim and plan to install it tomorrow.
A group applied drywall compound and sanded in a house.
One volunteer got groceries so that other volunteers could cook us meals and feed us.
Another group measured for windows and doors.
A group prepped a floor for tile installation.
A group measured for windows and doors.
Two roofing crews installed roofs.
Some people did some much-needed weeding.
Another group installed tile in a house.
All these groups were made up of volunteers from different states and different churches.
It has been colder than anyone expected and it is forecasted to be a little colder tonight, so a crew is starting up the heaters.

2006-10-19T19:23:00.000-04:00

Katrina Mission October 2006

On Friday some will be leaving, with rest leaving on Saturday and Sunday. We will all be arriving at the Orange Grove Camp on Sunday evening. We will start a week of service to the people who were affected by Katrina one year ago. Several of us have been in Mississippi before helping the survivors of Katrina and we look forward to seeing friend that we met before. Keep the team in your prayers as we go to serve.

2006-10-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

We have now had two meeting of the Katrina Mission Team. We will be meeting again on October 15, 200at Mt Washington Presbyterian Church, 7:00pm in room 212. There are at present 45 interested and 40 of those are committed. I expect of hear from the other five and have the final arrangement completed by October 15, 2006.

2006-07-18T19:06:00.000-04:00

Katrina Recovery

An initial meeting is scheduled for August 27th, at 7:00 p.m. in room 212 at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. The church is located at 6474 Beechmont Ave.

Information has been received from 26 person interested in participating in the trip in October 22 - 28, 2006.At the initial meeting we will have to assign team leader for every 8 to 10 persons. We will have to decide on transportation and cost. According to the latest information I have the cost are $20.00 per night per person. This helps to offset the operating costs of the village, including all meals for the volunteers. If this will be a hardship on any person considering attending please let me know as there will be some assistance available from the Presbytery. Also we will have to figure a charge for transportation.

We will be going to the Orange Grove Camp. Further information can be obtained from http://www.pcusa.org/katrina/.

Please contact me at missionteam@fuse.net for more information.

2006-06-22T17:05:00.000-04:00

Presbytery of Cincinnati and Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church are now requesting that volunteers who wish to join the team that will be forming for the week of October 22 - 28, 2006. Please contact MissionTeam@fuse.net.

2006-04-11T21:13:00.000-04:00

April 10, 2006

We are back from a successful trip to D’Iberville MS. The team from MWPC and the Presbytery returned on April 2, 2006. We thank all you for your prayers and support. This is the second trip to the area devastated by Katrina. Pictures and description of our daily actives can be seen at the blog site http://www.mwpcmission.blogspot.com/. We had six churches from the Presbytery of Cincinnati represented. The Churches were College Hill Presbyterian, Mount Washington Presbyterian, North Presbyterian, Sardinia Presbyterian, Seventh Presbyterian and West Union First Presbyterian.

A new team will be forming for the week of October 21 - October 28, 2006. A sign up board will be in the communications center at MWPC. Or you may contact MissionTeam@fuse.net or any time at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church. Fifty spaces have been reserved for this team. This will be life-changing, so be a part of the event.

2006-04-04T06:44:00.000-04:00

April 4, 2006

Team Photo

The Team is all home. We are thankful that all arrived home safely. Some came through a severe storm front.

Team member will be available to talk to any who wish to hear about our trip. Please contact me at dlegg@fuse.net . Thank you for your prayers and support.

David

2006-04-02T09:26:00.000-04:00

April 1, 2004

This morning the team left Camp New Hope in D’Iberville. One car load left early in the morning, planning to drive straight through to Cincinnati. The rest left after morning worship and breakfast. Two cars were planning to stop at a church in Franklin Tennessee. One person continues on to Florida. Two of us visited the PDA camps at Orange Grove and Pearlington.

On the way to Pearlington we drove through Pass Christian where the eye of Katrina passed. The destruction was worse than in other areas and they were not as far along as they are at D’Iberville. The camp at Pearlington has started doing some construction and rehab. There are 300 homes in the Pearling area that have not been mucked out.

We traveled from Pearlington to New Orleans and saw the destruction there. We also toured the downtown area where there had not been flooding. In the French Quarter there were a lot of tourists. We are staying the night in Baton Rouge and will continue North along the Mississippi river as we make our way back to Cincinnati.

Orange Grove Presbyterian Church

Camp Orange Grove

Pictures from Pass Christian

Camp at Pearlington

2006-03-31T23:10:00.000-05:00

March 31, 2006
Today is was our last in Camp New Hope. We know that we will be miss the friend we have made here with other who are fellow volunteers and the residents which we came in contact with as we worked on their homes. We are now looking forward to coming home and talking about our experiences. This is message of tonight’s devotion.
"Come," the Lord said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord save me!" Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" Matthew 14: 29-31
"If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get out of the Boat." This is the book my wife is reading. I have to admit–I have not read it. And I have know idea of the author’s name. But the title struck me as I was preparing for this trip. Immediately after hearing of the trip, I was ready to go. As it got closer, I was having a problem getting out of the boat. I stood on the sides, I stood on the seat, the bow. Then I reached out for the help of the Lord. I got my toes wet as we left the church parking lot. I took my first real step as we arrived at Camp New Hope. And then I began to sink. Will I be able to do all I felt I had been called to do? Would my skills match with what needed to be done? Could I deal with my emotions so I could help with the emotions of those truly affected by tragedy?
But then as Monday morning went on–wake-up; breakfast; assignments–I felt the hand of the Lord. How calming, soothing. I had been called to "walk on water"–to do not miracles, but to do what best I could do–what my abilities are most needed for. The abilities that God gave to me, provided me to provide to others.
I plan on getting wet again, probably very soon. But I also plan on basking in the Lord’s glow–in God’s glow–as I dry off and hopefully "walk on water" once again.
This evening we concluded with a worship service led by one of out team members, with ice cream provided by Boy Scout Troop 566 from Warner Robins GA.
We will be coming back in the fall. Plan to join us for the week of October 22nd, for more information contact one of the following.
Rev Mark Wright
pastor@khpc.org
or
David Legg
dlegg@fuse.net

We will have more picture available later.

2006-03-30T23:21:00.000-05:00

Today our team accomplished many jobs, going door-to-door assessing damages, trimming around windows and doors, plumbing, electrical and listening to countless stories of the ravages of Katrina. One group watched a DVD of the destruction. Two of our team helped a homeowner who, to show her gratitude, treated them to dinner. Some people just get in the right group!
Since this was Thursday, our team is getting rummy, laughing like maniacs one minute, tired and contemplative the next. This evening at devotions we had a communion service. It was very moving, and we were all quiet, partly from exhaustion.

2006-03-29T23:39:00.000-05:00

March 29, 2006
This is as was said in the evening worship service is time when we have been here for three days and we have two days left and not enough time to do all we want to do or needs to be done. There will be help need for several years to come. In D'Iberville they are well organized and the city government has given up some of its authority so the D'Iberville Memorial foundation can work with outside groups such as PDA. PDA represents all Presbyterians in this effort and PDA is made up of volunteer like you see in the pictures. We talk with the survivors and hear their stories.
Today we had crew working on hanging kitchen cabinets, electrical wiring, hanging drywall, taping and mudding joints, sanding the joints smooth, hanging doors and always talking with the residents. Each resident has their own story to tell.
These pictures show some of the team members at work and some have learned new skills.

The day has been long and time for some sleep. Keep all of us here at Camp New Hope in your prayer. Good night.

2006-03-29T00:32:00.000-05:00

March 28, 2006
Today is Tuesday and as one member said it seem that we just got here and also seem we have been here along time. This evening we had dinner prepared by a group from Indonesia. They are here to observe and help. They came because of how we responded to the Tsunami and the help that was provided by the Presbyterian Church through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. It has been good for us to work with the Indonesia’s and for them to be able to share with us.
We all are tired tonight from our day’s work. The team members have been working on installing drywall, taping and mudding drywall, installing electrical wiring, hanging doors and windows, making assessment of work yet to be done in the community. PDA is working with the D’Iberville Memorial Foundation for disaster recovery. We are given our jobs and we go to different sites (homes) to help in the reconstruction for the residents. Each day we hear new stories of how the people here are surviving and coping.
These are several quotes from team members. A Lowe’s employee taught a volunteer about which electrical parts to buy. A Wal-Mart employee said, "We’re so glad you’re here." And the residents have said, over and over, "Without the volunteers, nothing would have happened here. You are our angels."
Please keep all the Team members, all PDA volunteers and the residents of D’Iberville in your prayers.

2006-03-27T23:28:00.000-05:00

March 27, 2006

Today was the first day of work for the team. After the morning worship and breakfast we were given assignment as to where we would be working. We were broken up into smaller teams due to our skills and expertises. Some were hanging doors and windows, other were doing dry walling, other electrical wiring correction and other doing special jobs. We all had a good day. We worked hard and are all tired and feeling good about what we have done and the people we have met. The people have a great strength and strong belief in God. Talking with the people you here stories of their faith and how they survived Katrina.

Pictures of some team member at worship and work.

2006-03-26T22:21:00.000-05:00

Travel to Mississppi
March 25 and 26, 2006
Our Team left from Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church Saturday morning. As we traveled south we saw spring coming more and more. The further south we went the more spring flowers we saw. We left Cincinnati with a light snow on grassy areas. As we moved south we saw red buds, dog woods and many other spring flowers in bloom. We stayed at Westminister Presbyterian Church, Montgomery AL, on Saturday night. We are very thankful for the Westminister Church, their congregation, staff and Pastor Ron Stoker for their hospitality.
We arrived at D’Iberville in the early afternoon. We were greeted by the camp director Kathryn. We are settled in our huts.

2006-03-15T21:02:00.000-05:00

On Sunday March 19, 2006 members of the Team which will be going to D'Iberville will be commissioned. We have team members from Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church, North Presbyterian Church, College Hill Presbyterian Church, Seventh Presbyterian Church, Sardinia Presbyterian Church and West Union First Presbyterian Church. We ask for prayer for the team members and the people that we will be assisting to rebuild thier homes.

The Team will leave Cincinnati on March 25, 2006 and return on April 2, 2006.

2006-03-01T20:23:00.000-05:00

Team Update – March 1, 2006

The Mission Team from the Presbytery of Cincinnati and Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church now has 15 members. We wanted to have 20. The team is made up of 2 couples, 8 men and 7 women. We have two members from North Presbyterian Church, two members from College Hill Presbyterian Church, ten members from Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church and one person who attends Sardinia Presbyterian Church. The Team will leave from Cincinnati on Saturday March 25, 2006, traveling to Montgomery AL. We will stay overnight at Westminster Presbyterian Church. We will proceed to D’Iberville on Sunday March 26, 2006.

A commissioning service will be on Sunday March 19, 2006 at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church for the Mt. Washington Team members and the churches of the other Team member will commission them.

2006-02-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the Presbytery of Cincinnati and Mt Washington Presbyterian Church - 2006 March Mission trip to D’Iberville. We will be leaving Cincinnati on March 25th. This will be one of several Teams that will be going south to aid with the repair of damages of Katrina and Rita. Last year several on this team were involved in the initial phase of reconstruction in Biloxi. We stayed at the camp at the Orange Grove Presbyterian Church. This trip and all the trips are in conjunction with PDA (Presbytery Disaster Assistance). This March we will be staying at the D’Iberville.

During our last trip we were taking out drywall and all other items in the home in East Biloxi, as part of the 1st phase of reconstruction. This time we time we will hope to be installing plumbing, electrical, drywall and other items to make the homes inhabitable. Below shows the items that were removed from a home and the home after all the interior wall board are removed. This is getting the home ready for the second phase of construction. We will be reporting daily once we are on site with our progress.