Rev. Garland returns to Louisiana for 2^nd Katrina recovery mission

October 2010

The Rev. F. Richard Garland and his wife Cathy are in New Orleans again helping with the rebuilding of homes and lives, 5 years after Hurricane Katrina. His daily journal on the latest mission:

Sunday October 24, 2010 | Monday October 25, 2010 | Tuesday October 26, 2010 | Wednesday October 27, 2010 | Thursday October 28, 2010 | Friday October 29, 2010

Photo at right, Dick and Cathy Garland at their wedding in August 2010

Editor's note: Rev Garland's journal from 2009 may be found below his 2010 journal entries

Sunday October 24, 2010

New Orleans

It is Sunday evening. We are settled in at the site of Trinity United Methodist Church on Filmore Street in the Gentilly section of New Orleans.  On August 29, 2005 Lake Pontchartrain, swollen by the fury of Hurricane Katrina, breached two nearby levees and covered the neighborhood with eight to ten feet of fouled water. It would be three weeks before the water would be pumped out of the neighborhood of the church. With their homes and their church ruined, the congregation eventually dispersed and the Southeast Louisiana Disaster Recovery Ministry of the United Methodist Church would take over the site. The education wing has been converted to offices, dormitories, and a common room for volunteers. The large sanctuary has become storage for a wide variety of tools and equipment. I am writing in the common room which, one the day of Katrina was filled with water to the ceiling.

There are eleven of us on our team representing three New Hampshire churches. We are sharing the space with another team of nineteen persons representing five New england churches. Another team from New England will be here next week. Tomorrow morning we will receive our orientation, get our assignments, and begin our work.

The space is spare and a little worn from years of hosting teams of volunteers from across the US and from as far away as Russia, Nigeria, and Thailand. On one wall there are three large maps of the United States, each with space to note the source of volunteers for three “storm station” recovery areas - Westbank, Eastbank, and Uptown. On the bottom of each map is a quotation fro Nehemiah 2:17: “Come, let us rebuild.” It is from the story of Nehemiah’s determination to rebuild the ruined city of Jerusalem.

It is five years and counting since Katrina ruined New Orleans, as well as other parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Most of the city has moved on. If they choose to ignore it, the tourists will scarcely notice the effects of the storm. But, if you are observant, you will see it: A vacant lot overgrown with five years of weeds and trees; a ruined house with broken windows and the distinctive post storm mark of the search for victims; closed businesses that will never reopen, their jobs gone with them; and more.

We are here to help rebuild the houses of those who have fallen through the cracks of forgetfulness; those whose needs may seem small in the larger scheme of things but a real none-the-less - needs that have been waiting five years to be met.

In worship this morning at St. Mark’s UMC in New Orleans [a diverse, joyful, welcoming congregation] there was a reading from Psalm 65. Several phrases leaped from the text: “You answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation, who is the hope of all the ends of the earth, and of the farthest seas … who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples … you make the morning and the evening resound with joy.”

We have come again to a place that experienced in Katrina the roaring of the seas and the tumult of the peoples.  Long ago, when Nehemiah was calling for the rebuilding of Jerusalem, he told the people  “...of the hand of God which had been on me for good.” [2:18]. We are again joined to five years of volunteers, touched by the hand of God for good.

Keep us in your prayers.

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Monday, October 25, 2010

New Orleans

Each Monday begins with orientation. All of the teams gather together in the former Sanctuary at Trinity - it is now a large warehouse for equipment and tools. Staff member Ken Ward brought us up to date about the work here. There are forty homes in the rebuild progress at this site. He hopes to have them all completed by the end of November, because the Trinity site is closing then, with work being picked up by other sites, and new programs to begin elsewhere.

The scope of the work that has already been done is staggering!  There have been 90,000 volunteers, representing all 50 states and 18 foreign countries, and totaling 4,000,000 volunteers hours. At an estimated worth of $18 per hour, it represents an investment $72,000,000 - 1,200 new and rebuilt homes, 14,000 homes worked on, 58,000 clients. Despite all this work by United Methodists and others, there are still 100,000 homes in New Orleans that need to be fixed. Now there are some city officials who want to begin tearing down unfixed buildings - a further burden on on those least able to bear it.  Ken closed by voicing another worry - unknown quantities of oil in the bayous and the Caribbean will be blown ashore with the next major hurricane - he sighed at the thought of what it might be like to rebuild after that.

Then we received our assignments - the men will work on a tiny condo, finishing the walls by texturing and painting.The women will be be laying laminate flooring on a small duplex. The folks have been waiting so long! Over four years to get a building permit, and another year to get this far along. Can you imagine having your home filled with ten feet of foul water, and then waiting over five years to get back in?

It is hot and humid, but the folks here are actually grateful that is is cooler now. Hydration is as a significant issue - the number one problem for volunteers. Our work is dirty - we are covered in layers of fine plaster dust, and the protective breathing masks compound the heat.We stop frequently for water. By the time the work day ends we are ready for showers, food and rest.

In our morning devotions Steve read from Colossians 3:14: “Above all cloth yourself in love which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”  It is an apt image for those who are working to rebuild homes ruined by a hurricane. The only response to disaster is to work in harmony with others as those bound together by the love of God. Compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, patience, forbearance, forgiveness - these qualities create an environment in which rebuilding and restoration can begin, where hope can take root, and the vision of new creation can be seen.

Keep us in your prayers.

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Tuesday, October 26, 2010

New Orleans, LA

It is Tuesday and we are beginning to settle into our routine. People rise early and get ready for the work day: breakfast, make lunches, gather the tools we need for our jobs, pause for devotions to remind ourselves why we are here, and head to our work sites.

Dave began our devotions by reminding us that: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”  Indeed!  For us it is an important reminder. Already we are tired, yesterday was slow with little signs of progress, today promised more of the same. As people shared what the experience of volunteering meant, the word ‘community’ began to emerge: the communities from which we have come [we are praying for four year old Beth who went through major surgery yesterday]; the community to which we have come [the results of the fury of Katrina still evident]; the community which we are becoming as we work together to help people rebuild their homes and their lives [one cannot do this work without mutual covenant and support].

As we did last year, we sang “Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. Open the eyes of my heart, Lord. I want to see you. I want to see you.” It is a reminder that if we want to see Jesus, all we need to do is to open our eyes to the needs around us - the least and the lost, the lonely and the despairing, the prisoner and the enemy, those touched by violence, tragedy, disaster. Whenever we ask: “When did we see you, Lord?” He bids us look around us.

At our work site we are back to preparation work - slow, tedious, almost discouraging. But when we look around us, we know that progress is being made. There are clean walls almost ready for paint. The wiring and plumbing is in - before too long it will be hooked up. There are twenty one similar houses on our side of the block - five are still empty, unrepaired, perhaps abandoned - fifteen are now reoccupied - ours will be ready by the end of the year. 

Late in the day our mood shifts. Two rooms have received their texturing material and are ready to paint. Kitchen cabinets will be delivered tomorrow, and word has come that the owner and her husband are coming in from out of state to see the progress. It lifts the spirits. When we get back to Trinity, everyone has a good laugh at our expense - we are covered, head to toe, with the residue of our work! 

In our evening sharing we learned that twice today someone approached a member of our team asking if they could fix something in their home. People here are still waiting. We are privileged to come home to laughter, a good shower, food and community. We work here that others might experience the same. Our prayer is that they may experience it soon - it has been too long!

Keep us in your prayers.

And

Pray for those who are still waiting to go home.

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Wednesday, October 27, 2010

New Orleans
 

It is Wednesday and the morning dawns hot and humid with a forecast of off and on showers. It made for a very long day.  But we are making progress.  The master bedroom is painted and, even though it will require touch up, it is beginning to look like we are beginning to accomplish something. Then the kitchen cabinets are delivered and part of our team begins to install the first of them—more progress.

Then the home owners, Mark and Tracy, stopped in to introduce themselves and see what has been done. They are pleased.  They are so young - they and their three boys have been through so much. They shared with us their ordeal. The hurricane blew the roof off their home and deposited it in the master bedroom - Tracy had been thrown into a closet by the force of it. They saw some water in their street, and then, suddenly, there was six feet of water in the house. They were trapped on the second floor of their ruined home. They tried to flee but they were driven back by the fouled, oily water. They waited five days for rescue. It is one thing to see the damage and work to repair it. It is quite another to meet those who have lived through it, then see hope in their eyes as their home is rebuilt.

A story: Today a neighbor stopped by the site where our other team is working. “what’s going on?”

“We’re a team of volunteers helping to rebuilt this home.”

Charles walks with a cane. Twice he had tried to have his house fixed up and was defrauded by workers. Handicapped, he needed help with some odd jobs around the house, like hanging some curtain rods. “If you’ll give us your name, we’ll pass it along to see if we can find some help for you.” He did and the next day, one of the staff people from Southeast Louisiana Disaster Recovery staff stopped in and will make the contact that will get his work done. Charles is very pleased.

In devotions this morning I read a quote by Thomas Merton: “It has never been either practical or useful to leave all things and follow Christ. And yet it is spiritually prudent.” Indeed! Those who would dare to call themselves by the name of Christ are thereby called to follow him. It is the prudent thing to do if one cares about the state of their soul.

Several of our team members have been coming as volunteers since 2007. As the result of his experience Steve collaborated with Michele and Christ to Write a song, “Is That You, Jesus.” 

“It’s not hard to see all the hurt in this place.

Lives have been lost, still more to face.

The struggle to go on, to pick up what’s left:

If you look close, I’m sure you’ll see Jesus right next to you.

“There’s hope in this place if you know where to look.

There are angels among us, the last will be first

And those who are hurting are those to be served

If you look close, I’m sure you’ll see Jesus right next to you.

“The love of the Father, the love of the Son

Is meant to be shared by everyone.From the leaders on high

To the least of these know:

If you look in their eyes, you might say,

‘Is that You Jesus?’”

If one dares to see the hurt and what has been lost, the struggles that still go on as people pick up what is left, you will see Jesus. And you will never be the same!

Pray for those who still wait to rebuild.

And keep us in your prayers.

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Thursday, October 28, 2010

New Orleans, LA

It is Thursday. Finally, it is cooler. The heat and humidity of yesterday has broken and we are energized. For the first part of our week we have been doing fix-up and preparation work. Now we are working towards finishing our assigned projects. We are a part of a long line of volunteers. Few teams ever see a completed rebuild. Our job is to do our assigned project and leave it so that those who follow us can do theirs. The process repeats itself until the project is complete, and again becomes the beloved home for a family that has been displaced for so long - over five years now.

An aside: last Sunday, the day before we were to begin our work, we drove out to see John whose home members of last year’s team had helped to rebuild. He is back in his home. He is thrilled! And so glad to see us. He is the one who told us:  “If any good has come out of Katrina, it is all the wonderful people I have met.” 

Before we went to our site we went to the site of our other team to see the work they were doing - ceramic floors, laminate, bathroom tiles, sanding, ‘mudding,’ texturing, painting. They are at a point in their project where the results of their efforts are really beginning to show. Later in the day they came over to see our work. Our work is going well now. The two upstairs bedrooms are painted, the kitchen cabinets are nearing completion, and we have begun installation of new stairway treads and risers.

Mid-morning Tracy and Mark stopped by again to show us pictures and tell stories of the flooding. Words simply cannot describe what we saw - six feet of oil fouled water turned a beloved home of eighteen years into ‘refuse’ - a beloved teddy bear ruined - home business equipment now useless - and more. They told us that it was five days before they were rescued - they simply could not get out on their own. It is still very fresh in their memories.

A story: When they were finally evacuated, Mark and Tracy were taken to the convention center. Thousands of evacuees in a crowded space soon rendered it into a foul, stinking mess. Some who tried to leave and cross a bridge to higher ground were met by military personnel and told to return. When they were slow to respond, a shot was fired into the air, and then the guns were leveled at them, forcing them to go back.  Martial law is martial law.

Another story: Several months ago, in anticipation of returning to them home, Mark went to the city water department to make arrangements to have the water turned back on. He was told that he had an unpaid water bill of $1,100 that had to be repaid first. When he asked what that was all about, he was told that it was for water used from the last bill before Katrina until the water was finally turned off by the city two months after Katrina. They were being asked to pay for water that ran in their ruined home for two months, water that ironically added to the waters of the flood. I could think of only one word: “Obscene!” The ‘powers that be’ were still adding to the misery five years later.

It is not an isolated incident. People are fined for not mowing the lawn on lots where their homes once stood; fined for not repairing their homes in a ’timely manner’; fined for not maintaining an above ground pool that they never had. “Obscene!” No one will ever convince me that  their is any rational or justifiable reason for such conduct - ever! It is an abuse of power and people of faith are called to expose it for what it is.

We put in a very long day, working several hours longer to get our work to a place where we could finish it on Friday. Hot showers and a hearty meal capped what was in some ways a bittersweet day: satisfaction at a good day’s work, and anger that the burdens of Katrina are still being heaped on those trying to get on with their lives. For me it took the glitter off the casinos and the French Quarter, both of which were “up and running” a few months after Katrina.

In our morning devotions Rita and Pat shared a reading about the secret of effective crisis management. First, it involves building a strong set of allies. Then, when there is trouble, knowing how to seek and get the right kind of help. One just simply cannot do it alone. We were reminded that God never leaves or forsakes us. There is no greater love than to offer one’s self for friends, and strangers, and those in need.

The song we sang at the close of our devotions really summed up the day, and why we are here:

“O God, You are my God,

And I will ever praise You.

I will seek You in the morning, 

And I will learn to walk in Your way.

Step by step You’ll lead me, 

And I will follow You all of my days.”

Amen!

Pray for those who still wait to rebuild.

And keep us in your prayers.

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Friday, October 29, 2010

New Orleans, LA

Friday! It is a gorgeous day - cool and clear, not a cloud in the sky. If it weren’t for the palm trees, you would think that it is autumn in New England. We are tired, but there is an energy in the air, and we’re ready to get to our sites.

Cathy read the Beatitudes for our morning devotions: “Blessed are the poor in spirit ...” It is a reminder that, in Jesus, it is the marginalized who are blessed - the poor, the pure in heart, those who mourn, the widow, the orphan, the stranger and alien within the gates - those who do justice , love kindness, and walk humbly with God. She warned us that, after a week of working in disaster recovery, it is tempting to get caught up in pride for what we have done. She gives us a reality check by reminding us that we are not here to get jewels in our crowns, but to serve those who Jesus has called blessed.

The work goes quickly: painting the upstairs bathrooms, finishing the kitchen cabinets, putting up scaffolding to painting the stairwell and the upstairs hallway for the crew that will follow us, a bit of cleaning and straightening, then pick up the tools and leave. It is very satisfying, but it is not about us. It’s about the blessed ones of Jesus whose lives are still topsy-turvy because of a storm called Katrina, and too many who have forgotten them, and, worse, have added to their burdens. There are still many, many homes waiting to be repaired or rebuilt. There are still too, too many people waiting with the hope that it will be their homes might be the next one to be repaired or rebuilt.

Someone has said that the place where the needs of those whom Jesus calls blessed are seen and met is a most holy place. It is true, and it is there that we have come into the presence of the Lord.

We are an ordinary group of eleven people, moved by the Spirit to respond to the effects of Hurricane Katrina that remain even now, five years later.

Dave, our Coordinator is a retired marketing manager. Chris is stock clerk for a manufacturing company. Christi is an Registered Surgical Intensive Care Nurse. Donna is a Registered Intensive Care Nurse. Lisa is a small business owner and a Software Developer of business productivity products. Rita is a software engineer in the defense industry. Russ is retired from the US Military and now drives a school bus. Steve is Certified Master Auto Technician. His wife Pat is a Registered Nurse - a night nurse in Critical Care. Cathy is a Nurse Anesthetist and a Local Pastor in Derry, NH. Her husband Dick is a ‘retired’ pastor.

Most are from the Milford United Methodist Church in Milford, NH and most have been here together before. One of us was here for the first time. Different talents became a team and together we became a community, responding to an invitation to discipleship to be among the people whom Jesus calls blessed, here to serve them in his name. It has been a holy privilege.

And yet, there is still so much to be done. Perhaps you would like to help.

Keep us in your prayers.
Pray that others will respond.
Peace and love,
Dick

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Rebuilding Homes & Lives -- The Rev. F. Richard Garland's Journal from Louisiana -- 2009

The Rev. Richard F. Garland spent one week in Louisiana helping to rebuild uninsured homes destroyed by Hurricanes Katrina & Rita. He arrived Saturday October 24, 2009 and returned home Saturday October 31, 2009. Below are Dick's journal entries from his week in Slidell, LA.

For more information on how to get involved in mission work for the US Gulf Region contact: David Stackpole, VIM Coordinator dstackpole@charter.net
(603) 465-7885; More about relief efforts: http://www.laumcstormrelief.com/templates/System/details.asp?id=32649&PID=594643

Photo at left, upon his return to worship services on Sunday November 1, Rev. Garland points out to the congregation the height of the clock on the wall at the back of the sanctuary to help visualize the height of the water in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina

Rev. Garland's Daily Journal from Louisiana

VOLUNTEERS IN MISSION

By The Rev. F. Richard Garland

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Monday, October  26, 2009

Up early at The Epworth Center for our first work day. After a hearty breakfast, we gathered for devotions. Steve shared a passage of scripture [Jeremiah 30:3]: “For behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers, and they will take possession of it.”  In a very real sense that is what we are here to do: to work as servants of the Lord that people may come back to their homes after four years in an exile imposed by Hurricane Katrina. In is clear that God has seen fit to use us so that people who have waited so long may be restored.

Our orientation was an eye opener. In New Orleans half the schools are still gone and, while the French Quarter is again vibrant, there simply is insufficient infrastructure to make it possible for people to move back to their neighborhoods, if there were homes to go back to – no fire or police protection – not transportation to allow them to get to jobs, if there were jobs. Slidell, where we are working was 'only' half-flooded, and there was just enough infrastructure that the rebuilding could begin. Because of that people began to move in: in four years the city grew from 30,000 to 50,000 and three new hospitals have been built. As some of the people here began to get back on their feet, they were able to become a center to make it possible to help others.

The statewide effort, of which the Southeast Louisiana Disaster Recovery Ministry is a part, is massive.  There have been over 80,000 volunteers representing every state and fifteen nations. Over three million volunteer hours have been given. They have built over 1000 homes and repaired 13,000 others. Amazing! 

We have come as people of faith. At the close of our devotions we sang: “Draw Me Close to You.” It begins with an affirmation: “Give me Jesus in the morning when I rise.” The chorus is a prayer: “Draw me close to you. You're all I want, you're all I ever needed. You're all I want. Help me know you are near.”  It was a fitting prayer as we were preparing to join all those who have preceded us.

Soon we were divided into two teams, gathered our tools, and headed to our work sites. One team would be laying tiles and laminate flooring. Our team would be putting up sheetrock. Not long after we arrived, Mitch, the owner, came over to greet us. He told us of building his home in 1952, of retiring almost 20 years ago to enjoy his place, of hearing the trees around him blowing down and feeling the house vibrate as they landed, of watching his boat floating over the three foot high chain link fence that surround his home. There was gratitude in his weary eyes as he realized that he had not been forgotten.

In my devotional readings this morning there was a selection from Richard Rohr's book Everything Belongs. “Spirituality is about seeing. It's not about earning or achieving. It's about relationship rather than results. Once you see, the rest follows. You don't need to push the river, because you are in. The life is lived within us, and we learn how to say yes to that life.”

What we are seeing is heartbreaking, but it is not the end of the story. We have been drawn into a river of life, and invited into a sacred relationship. What we are doing here is more than rebuilding a home. We are helping to restore the humble fortune of one of God's precious children who has been exiled by Hurricane Katrina. One day he will come back to his land.

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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

It is raining today and has become humid as we begin our second work day. The routine each day is a hearty breakfast, gathering for devotions, and making our lunches. Cathy read Psalm 126: “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those whose dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, 'The Lord has done great things for them.' The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.”

Can you imagine what it would be like to see everything you have worked for, for a lifetime, submerged under muddy water for more than a week? Can you imagine what it would be like to wait for more than four years to be able to live again in your beloved home? To finally watch that home begin to be restored is like a dream.  It is a story that has been repeated over and over again, made possible by volunteers who have been moved by compassion to respond to the need. 

The work is progressing well: at one site drywall is going up rapidly now and soon rooms will be ready for taping and sealing of seams, in a week or so another volunteer team will be painting the rooms; at the other site three rooms have been tiled and just need to be grouted, while one bedroom floor is done and two others have been started.

At the close of our morning devotions we sang “How Great is Our God.”  The first verse sings: “The splendor of the King, clothed on majesty. Let the earth rejoice, Let the earth rejoice. He wraps Himself in light, and darkness tries to hide, Trembles at His voice, and trembles at His Vice.” Sometimes there is darkness, like the darkness that swirled ashore here on August 29, 2005. We have a choice: give in to the darkness or light a candle. What the volunteers have done in the past four years is to shine light in the darkness. But it is not about their own light. It is about the light of God. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of darkness, on them has light shined.”

As we were cleaning up from today's work, Mitch's son James said to us: “I can't believe you folks came all this way to help us.” I said to him: “James, if it had been us who had had the hurricane, you would have helped us.” He smiled and said: “Oh yes, in a heartbeat!” 

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Keep us in your prayers.

Peace and love,

Dick

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Wednesday, October  28, 2009

After Breakfast it was my turn to lead devotions.  We sang Bob Cull's evocative song, ”Open Our Eyes, Lord.”  “Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen. Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.”

Reflecting on John 6:16-21, the story of Jesus walking on the water, and Richard Rohr's comment that “Spirituality is about seeing” and “relationships,” “I invited people to expect to see Jesus at some point during the day. I was simply unprepared for where I would see him.

It started at our worksite.  Sometime in the morning I heard the sound of a lawn mower, a very large riding mower. It was Mitch's son James, getting ready to mow the lawn.  It occurred to me that the act of mowing the lawn, when it has been over four years since one has lived in the home, is an act of hope and faith.

Our work is proceeding rapidly now. The sheetrock is nearing completion. Part of the team has begun to “mud the walls” - that is, seal seams and corners with joint compound. But we will not be working a full day. In the afternoon we would be taking “the tour” - a visit to the “Lower Ninth Ward” - the place where Hurricane Katrina changed New Orleans forever. 

On August 29, 2005, seventeen feet of water surged across the Lower Ninth Ward in forty-five minutes when a wind driven barge broke the levee. A tightly packed community, filled with the poorest of the poor, the elderly, and folks struggling to make ends meet, bore the worst of the storm. It was under water for six weeks. The devastation is still visible.

Still visible on the unrepaired or abandoned homes is a very large – X – with four pieces of information: in the top quadrant was the date searched, in the left was the name of the unit who searched the home, in the right was the region where the unit was based. In the bottom quadrant was the number of dead found in the home. Next to newly repaired homes we saw abandoned homes where the – X – revealed that folks had lost a neighbor.

It got worse as we drove further into the Ward and closer to the place where the levee was breached. Block after block, where homes had once stood, had simply been swept clean on August 29, 2005, or what was left had been demolished and carted away. Much of it is still that way today, while, just a few miles away, the French Quarter is filled with tourists and the casinos are thriving.

Ironically, the name of the street that runs parallel to the now repaired levee is “Jourdan.” Just a few houses have been rebuilt. One brick house that somehow survived is abandoned and over grown with weeds and vines. There is nothing that can prepare a person for the sight. It is simply overwhelming! I wept at the sight of it. 

When Steve was here for the first time, he was moved to write the song, “Is that you, Jesus?” He wrote: “There's hope in this place if you know where to look. There are angels among us, the last will be first, and those who are hurting are here to be served. If you look close, I'm sure you'll see Jesus, right next to you.” It was the closing song for our morning devotions.

Now we were standing by the levee and wondering if it would hold when the next storm came. It was Chris who saw it first. “Will you look at that!” He was pointing to a newly mown lawn. There was no house, no sign that someone owned the land, no suggestion that anyone might ever live there – except, that the lawn had been mown.  Once again it occurred to me that the act of mowing the lawn, when it has been over four years since one has lived in the home, is an act of hope and faith. I am convinced that there we had seen Jesus. Walking where the waters had once stood, he spoke again, “It is I; do not be afraid.”  While we came here to work, we are seeing something that may be too profound for words. Spirituality is about seeing.

Keep us in your prayers.

Peace and love,

Dick

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Slidell, LA
Friday, October 30, 2009

 Dave led our devotions on the last day. We began singing “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High.” Reading from the story of the Ascension of Jesus in first chapter of the Book of Acts, he reminded us of Jesus’ assurance that disciples will be sent in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he drew our attention to Acts 1:11, where the disciples are gazing toward heaven where Jesus has gone.  Two men in white robes ask the disciples: “Why do you stand looking up toward heaven? Jesus will return in the same way you saw him go.” Dave paraphrased the implication of the question: “Don't stand around. You can't wait ‘til he comes back - there’s work to do!” And then pointed to James 2:14-17, where we read “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” That is why we are here: to embody our faith in works of goodness. The song we sang puts it perfectly: this Jesus, who came from God and returned to God, invites us to discipleship: “You came from heaven to earth to show the way.”

Today was our last day at our sites. It was a long, very busy day. We all but finished the sheet rock and got most of the first coat of mudding done. The team that follows us will finish the sheet rock, and the mudding, and maybe even begin to paint. At the other site, the laminate floors are done and just a few tiles need to be laid. Soon cabinets and appliances will go in.

We didn't have to make lunches. The other team went out to lunch for “po-boys” - a New Orleans cuisine made with fresh French bread filled with shrimp, steak, pork and ‘dressings.’ In its humble beginnings it was an inexpensive, hearty meal. Mitch’s son James treated our team to lunch at his home nearby: breaded catfish and fresh gulf shrimp. How fitting! Banquets at the end of our work. Some say that is what getting to heaven is like: a banquet at the end of a life of work. Maybe that is what our week has come to.

As we come to the end of our week of work, there is a poignancy in the air, seasoned with gratitude. Mitch and John have said their thank you’s.  And we express our gratitude for the privilege to serve. And then we part. We will come back to the comfort of our homes, made even more precious, and perhaps less taken for granted. Mitch and John will have to wait still for their coming home, but the time will come and the homecoming will be a blessing.

Jesus reminded his disciples that he had come among them as one who serves. Those who would be his disciples are called to be like him.

After dinner we gathered for Communion. I had found a quote from the mystic Evelyn Underhill: “Faithfulness is consecration in overalls. It is the steady acceptance and performance of the common duty and immediate task without any reference to personal preferences - because it is there to be done and so is a manifestation of the will of God.”  Cathy Read Genesis 1:1-9 which describes the role of water in creation. I read Revelation 21:1-7, which speaks of water as a gift from the spring of the water of life, and Revelation 22:1 which speaks of the river of the water of life. Water, at the beginning and the end of the witness of scripture.

We had come here because of water. Long ago people had settled here because of the water - for both its beauty and its potential for commerce. Four years ago water overwhelmed this place. Scripture is filled with references to water and its impact on people of faith. We have received life in the waters of creation. There has been a warning in the waters of the flood. We have walked to freedom through parted waters, and received our identity in the waters of baptism. We have seen servanthood in the washing of the disciples feet, and have learned that our true reward is in giving a cup of cold water to the least and the lost. Then, following the invitation of the One who turned water into wine, we communed. It was a most sacred conclusion to a most sacred week.  Spirituality is about seeing. Faithfulness is consecration in overalls. That’s all it takes to make a community that embraces folks from all walks of life and helps them to respond to a disaster.

We were ordinary people, moved by the Spirit to respond to the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We ranged in age from 17 to 87. Lise, our youngest, is a student from Norway, a former member of the National Figure Skating Team of Norway. Ruth, at 87, is still working as a driver for the Road to Recovery Program in NH and once worked as a switch board operator doing top secret work in Alaska during World War Two. Dave, our Coordinator is a retired designer of computer hardware and logic software. Callie is a stockroom manager for a large firm. Chris is an instructor of quality assurance inspectors, and has worked in sheet metal. Sylvia is a licensed Nursing Assistant and Massage Therapist. Wayne is the Director of Global Sales for an electronics firm. His wife Nancy once owned a garden center and now is a volunteer in a prison ministry. Christi is an Registered ICU Nurse at the Lahey Clinic. Cathy is a Nurse Anesthetist and a Local Pastor in Derry, NH. Lisa is a small business owner in software development. Lonni, whose apron warns ‘Don't make me poison your food,’ is a professional cook for a company cafeteria. Rita is a software engineer in the defense industry. Steve is an auto mechanic. His wife Pat is a Registered Nurse - a night nurse in ICU. Doris, who has an interior decorating background, is a full time mom. Dick is a ‘retired’ pastor.

Most are from the Milford United Methodist Church in Milford, NH and many had been here together before. Some of us were here for the first time. Different talents became a team and together we became a community, responding to an invitation to discipleship to be among the people as those who served. It was been a holy privilege.

And yet, there is still so much to be done. Perhaps you would like to help.

Keep us in your prayers.
Pray that others will respond.
Peace and love,
Dick

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