Katrina Relief - Mississippi Mission TripI heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. -Isaiah 6:8 (KJV)
Grace UMC had 13 folk help out with Katrina Relief, Nov. 4-12, 2006. The team was based out of Gulfport, Mississippi.
 Fri. Nov. 10, Final DayWe were not able to complete everything on the work order: sheetrock 6 rooms, Lauan wall covering on the entry room, and floor coverings. We did make phenomenal progress. The first coat of mud and tape was completed on almost all of the rooms and ceilings. We installed a new outdoor door on the kitchen. We will leave a detailed list of what we think the family needs to recover: finish the walls, paint, install interior doors, paint, inspect electrical and repair as needed, complete plumbing hookups, and more. The family was very excited and very grateful.
Thur. Nov. 9, Day 4We worked a half day and then took a tour of Biloxi. For a half day, we made tremendous progress. One room was completely mudded. The main room was mostly sheetrocked. The kitchen sheetrocking was finished along with the mudding. Gary Bochman showed us the home he worked on last year. There was a building permit on the front doora and the lawn was neatly maintained. We also visited Leggett Memorial UMC. Leggett's sanctuary was completely destroyed by the hurricane. The church rebuilt the education wing to include a chapel.
Wed. Nov. 8, Day 3We are happy with the progress we made. More importantly, William grilled lunch for us: hamburgers, brats, and hot dogs. We really enjoy talking to him. We probably won't complete all the tasks we would like to but Gary will make a strong plea to have another team come out and finish everything and more. Their FEMA trailer expires in two months. Getting the family into the house would be a great benefit. As we were packing up, the kids came home from school and entertained us.
Tue. Nov. 7, Day 2We are making progress! Two of the addition rooms are completely sheetrocked. There are 3 walls remaining. The large room in the old section of the house is almost completely prepped: ceiling torn down, walls made almost flush, other interesting architectural details solved. And Gary Turner almost solely got the kitchen prepped. We worked a bit late because we had a late start because we did cleanup detail at the center.      Mon. Nov. 6, First dayWe knew that our assignment was to help sheetrock a home. None of us were prepared for the what we would find. William was injured in an accident with a backhoe perhaps 5 years ago. Tornadoes spawned by Katrina dropped a couple of tree limbs through his roof. He was fixing up the house with the help of friends but 3 surgeries this year made the task impossible to continue on his own. William and his family live in a FEMA trailer beside his house. Because the roof was repaired the house is dry. The house has a main section that is 100 years old with tongue and groove everything (walls, floors, & ceiling). The addition appears to have been repaired to typical construction standards. But a year of slow renovations and attempts to use the space, such as storing relatives' furniture, installing a drier and using clothes storage space, left a bunch of building debris and household items intermingled. The first task was to move and organize all the material so that we could start doing work. We were amazed, but by lunchtime, we were able to start using tools. The boys arrived with the sheetrock and we got it in to the addition during a light shower. We made a bit of progress before it was time to pack up and return for a mandated early supper due to scheduling conflicts with the facility. And then a deluge dumped rain on us throughout the 45 minute drive to the center. The shower was wonderful. All in all we were pleased with our progress.
Nov. 5 Arrived at Gulfport UMCWe arrived at the church at 7:15 with the all hands meeting at 8:00. Because we were the last group, most of the guys are sleeping in the hall. The coordinators are delightful. Here are some words of inspiration and help from Brandon and Stephanie. "This is not a project of building, this is a project of people." "Blessed are the flexible for they won't get bent out of shape"
Nov. 4 Traveling half way to Fenton, MissouriWe left Grace UMC at 7 AM with 11 of the 13. (The last 2 left later in the day). During driving breaks everyone responded to 2 questions: "Why are you going on the trip?" and "Have you been on a mission trip before?" "Giving back. God was looking out for me and I wanted to give back" For more than half the group, this is the first mission trip for them. Three helped with Katrina relieve in the past year, one traveled to Africa on two mission trips, and another has been to 3 mission trips to Appalachia. The group was excited and moved by the response of the congregation during and after the sending off at last Sunday's worship. Thank you! Thank YouThis mission trip was generously supported by the members of Grace UMC. In addition, local companies supported us. Thank you! Minnesota Brass Drum & Bugle Corps - Trailer
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