Final comments about PDA Gautier, January 2006

We've been home now for a little over two weeks. I want to make some final comments about our trip to Gautier, but I will save those for the end of this post. First, just a brief summary of our last weekend in Mississippi and Louisiana.

We began our last day, feeling a bit soggy. After the fairly nice, dry week, we had rain during the night. Those huts are not ideal for staying dry. Most of us awoke during the night while it was raining, and found quickly that the rain had somehow come in, either through the gaps in the door or due to the wind blowing the door open repeatedly. (Ken S. and Tom finally tied their door shut on the inside, too late to prevent the rain from puddling on the floor.) I fell asleep after the rain stopped, thinking that Terry and I had stayed dry. Putting my foot in a puddle at 3:15 am was all I needed to tell me that I'd been sorely mistaken. Not wanting to repeat that, I spent about an hour trying to mop up the water with paper towels, hoping that all the rest of our belongings would stay dry enough to be packed for the trip home. The platforms that had been built under the huts were supposed to prevent that, but, as they say with the best laid plans of mice and men....

None of us slept well that last night, so we were all a bit tired as we rolled up our sleeping bags, packed our bags and loaded everything in the two vans. We ate breakfast and had an earlier morning devotions--we would like to have stayed for church at camp, but really needed to get started back to New Orleans.

This photo is our group with Lori Pistor, who was the January camp manager (second from the left). We each shared one memory from our week and Ken S. read some Christian poetry written by Miss Lillie, who also shared some of her Bible study notes with us--one more instance of the deep and abiding faith of the people in the Gulf Coast region. This was one final reminder of the grace that we shared while we were in PDA Gautier, helping with the hurricane relief.

We piled in the vans, and headed towards New Orleans. But first we took a detour into D'Iberville and Biloxi, which were heavily damaged Biloxi still looks like a ghost town, with very few businesses open, and very few residents in the rebuilding stage. The FEMA trailers there are mostly standing next to slabs and porches where houses once stood. It is in the debris that litters the ground that we see reminders of the ordinary lives that people lived before Hurricane Katrina and Rita--lawn chairs, china, a child's doll, a broken mirror or picture frame.

We also saw the casinos that were on barges that were picked up and moved inland several blocks. Seeing those huge structures still sitting there gave us a vivid picture of the enormity of the force of the wind and the water that has changed this part of the Gulf Coast for many years to come.

We found more of the same as we drove through the eastern portion of New Orleans, with neighborhoods still uninhabited, and no sign of rebuilding. Most of the damage in New Orleans was due to the levee break and the flooding that resulted. Much of that has been cleaned up, and they were spared the sort of damage we saw east of New Orleans in Biloxi, Gautier, Moss Point and Pascagoula. I recently found this link to the First Presbyterian Church in Pascagoula that tells of the damage they sustained and shows some pictures of their church. Click on "Katrina Relief" on the main page, and then on the "After the Storm" link on that site. The city of Pascagoula also has posted some particularly interesting pictures that show many of the place that we saw.

The places we saw and the people we met have been forever changed by Hurricane Katrina. And we have been changed as well. We will always see the places and the people that we met whenever we hear or read a news story about Katrina. We hope that there will be others who will find the time and energy to go to Mississippi to continue the much needed help of rebuilding, homes as well as lives. We live so far away, and are so removed from the devastation, but we have been touched in a way that shows that God truly means for us to reach out to others; we are all one family in Christ, no matter what how different our lives are or how far away we live.

God bless each of you. Thank you for your prayers and support while we were in Mississippi. They sustained us and protected us and we felt that you, our church family, were with us each day.

The January Katrina Mission Team
Nina, Ruth, Pat, Terry, Ken S., Tom, Wes, and Ken L.

Last night in Gautier

I wasn't able to get on the computer last night, so this will be a short summary of our last two days. Mainly, the groups were trying to finish up some of the work that was started this week, with some checking on people and supplies. The California group left on Saturday morning right after morning devotions; the Georgia group came in on Friday afternoon. We've also added Dick to our community. He will be the camp manager starting in February and will be here for two months. Lori will be heading back to her home in North Carolina on February 3. She's been great to work with, and Dick will be as well for the groups coming in.

Before California left, Jennifer went to see a lady she had talked with on the phone. Barbara (not the same one our groups helped earlier in the week) is a single mom with two teenage boys, and they are still in the FEMA trailers. The lower half of the sheet rock has been removed, but there is so much work still to be done. Jennifer had some pots and pans and mixing bowls shipped here and took them to Barbara. I went with her and it was amazing to see her face light up when she saw the mixing bowls. Most of her things were damaged by the salt water and had to be thrown away. She told us that she had been sitting in her trailer feeling very sad that day, and that our showing up made her whole day. One of the things that Jennifer and I talked about was that every house in that neighborhood had a trailer in the front yard. Imagine going to work, and coming home to face a house that is unlivable and will be for many months to come. And there's no respite--no going to visit a neighbor, because they are all in the same situation. The other thing that Barbara told us was that she had been fired from her job when she took time off after the hurricane in an effort to make phone calls to get help.

Last night after dinner we had a bon fire and s'mores. Our evening devotions were around a camp fire, while we sang the hymn "Day Is Done". Doug then gave us a short lesson in the beautiful stars we have been seeing on those very cold nights. We won't see them tonight as the clouds have moved in. That's a blessing in disguise--we'll miss the stars but it will be warmer.

This morning Ken S. and Tom worked at a house, and stopped by Miss Lillie's. She's an 84 year old woman who lives alone with her three very large dogs. She was in her home when the hurricane struck. Her dog woke her and she got up and got onto the other bed which floated up and then back down as the water receded. She had 7 feet of water in her home. It's made of cinder block, with the inside walls covered with wallpaper, and all that is left in the main room is a china hutch that is empty, a pretty ceramic vase in the middle of the floor, and two folding chairs. Her sister, whose home was also damaged, is helping her with food, but she only has one room in her house that she is able to use. Her new refrigerator is empty, she has no stove for cooking and had a washer and dryer that weren't hooked up. So Tom and Ken S. started on the washer dryer installation, but had to quit. They were due back at camp so they could go to New Orleans with Kathy and Jean for the rest of the day. Kenny L. took over the installation--a 10 minute job. Ken S. and Tom dropped Kenny L. off at Miss Lillie's. Dick and I shopped for groceries at Walmart and went in search of Kenny. It turns out that there isn't such a thing as a 10 minute job down here. Terry went back to pick him up and the two of them finally stopped at 6 pm. Someone else will have to finish. We all wished that we had gotten to Miss Lillie's house sooner, as there is so much that needs to be done.

Lori and Wes stayed at camp for dinner. The Georgia group was working in Biloxi and ate at the New Orleans Cafe where we ate the other night. Nina, Ruth, Dick, and I went to Country Gentleman. Terry and Kenny L. joined us about 6:30. By an odd quirk we had the same waitress we had the first night we were here--Kaye. Ruth asked Kaye how she fared in the hurricane. She lost her house as well, just as so many in this area have. I sometimes wonder, as we talk to people, how they are able to keep going. Most of them talk of their faith in God, knowing that He is with them. In helping them, we are being strenghtened in our own faith.

How best to end our last night here? With ice cream sundaes. Of course that meant a trip to Jerry Lee's (local grocery store chain) for ice cream, syrup, hot fudge, whipped cream and oops--we forgot the cherries. Georgia joined us. One of the amazing things is how quickly groups get to know each other. The community changes day to day with people leaving and new people coming, and all are welcome; we are all here for the same purpose.

We will leave right after breakfast in the morning, drive to Biloxi to look around and then go to New Orleans to the airport. This week has gone by fast, but we are ready to come home, even if it is still raining in Seattle. We've missed all our family and friends and the comforts of our own homes. Being here has been uplifting yet sobering, challenging yet rewarding, with some of our group learning to do things they have never done before and with all of us seeing things we've never seen before. Just being here, in the camp, has been an amazing experience for all of us. When we get home, we hope that we can share with all of you what we have seen and heard, but it won't be easy. Until you see someone standing in the wreckage of their home, trying to find something that can be saved, thankful for even one photograph, it's hard to understand what it has been like for people here for the last five months. But I now understand what people meant when they said that the pictures we all saw on television didn't show half of what people here are dealing with day in and day out.

We've all had experiences in our lives that touch us in ways that are hard to explain to someone else. It may take some of us a while to be able to share our feelings and memories with all of you. Please be patient with us--this has been life-changing for all of us. When we hear news of how the hurricane relief efforts are going, we will now be remembering all the people we have met here--their faces, their stories and their faith.

Good night y'all, and God bless you.

Pat, Terry, Ken S., Tom, Nina, Ruth, Wes, and Ken L.

Work and a Fabulous Mississippi dinner

The groups were able to accomplish a lot today, and want to finish up some tomorrow. A new group is coming in and they hope to hand off some of the unfinished projects where they've already been working. Today was a laundry and errand day for me--and as it turned out, just an interesting one all around. While I was at the laundromat a lady came up to me and thanked me for all the help that the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance groups have been doing. She and her husband were also flooded, but as she'd been laid off and he was still working, they had an income while she was free to make all the phone calls to FEMA and the insurance and getting all that early help. She told me of a single mom with 3 teenagers, who is working full time and going to college. There was no way that she could take the time off to apply for things or make phone calls. So this lady who is her neighbor was able to do a lot of that for her. Then in December, a PDA group from North Carolina came to her home, ripped out the sheet rock and installed new sheet rock. The woman telling me all this just wanted to say thank you and let us know how grateful they all are for the help.

We decided that we wanted to do something different for dinner this evening. So the California group, and Kathy and Jean (daughter and mom), and some of our group (Ken S., Tom, Terry and Pat), went to the New Orleans Cafe in D'Iberville, which is about a half hour drive east. We were looking for a place where the locals eat and we found it. Gumbo, catfish, red beans and rice and hush puppies--all fantastic. It was fun to get away, yet much of the discussion is still about how best to help the people who are still so in need.

One of the men from California, Mitch, is in the construction business and has been teaching some of the others the proper way to tape and mud. Ruth has mastered the technique for the corners. At dinner Mitch was saying that he felt that he needed to come back because so many people don't know how to do some of the things that need to be done. He and Terry were talking about the possibility of Mitch making a very short video showing the way it should be done. As it turns out, Brett (also part of the California group), has the camera and is in the film industry. So the plan tomorrow is for the two of them to make a short video to show the incoming group

Hart Miller sent me an email asking about the weather and how the group is doing. We are all fine--getting tired and it will be nice to come home on Sunday. We started the week with very muggy weather, not hot, but the humidity made it so uncomfortable. Now, however, we have had a few days of cooler weather in the 50s during the day, but down in the 30s at night. The huts where we sleep are heated, after a fashion. There are kerosene heaters set up for each pod of six huts. Great when they work, not great when they don't. We've been calling them the "dragons", as they make a kind of roaring sound when they are running. Kenny Lewis has been repairing them one by one as they break. So we have all spent at least one night of being cold, and the rest of the time we've been warm enough.

Also, Hart, I think you might get an idea of where we are if you look north and a little west of the Singing River Mall--it's about 5 miles from us. Try looking for a water tower that is north of the mall and near Hwy 10. We are very close to that, as well as to a Sandhill Crane Preserve, that is just to the west. I hope that helps. Or if that doesn't work, look for the four horses who come every morning to the fence for their breakfast and the mallard named Sir Francis Drake who shows up in the afternoons at 4:45 for a late afternoon snack. He wanders right in through the camp, no matter what is going on and heads for the mess tent. Someone is always happy to pause a bit and feed him.

Thanks for all your prayers and support. We do appreciate it. Good night and God bless you all.

Community

This will be short--it's late and it's cold. We are concerned that it might get down to freezing tonight so Ken S. was turning on the water faucets--hopefully that will help as the pipes are all exposed and not insulated. Who knew it got that cold in Mississippi, this far south. I do want to let all of you know that we think of you often and love hearing from you. So our love goes out to all our family and friends.

The groups went to several homes today and worked together, assessed the needs of what still needs to be done. I ended up staying in camp as we finally got the right tent delivered. After breakfast we all tore down the existing mess tent that, while it had a lot of character and a certain charm, it wasn't very weather proof. After the new tent was put up, Lori had to go to a meeting so I stayed to spread the wood chips inside. When most of the group came back, everything had to be put back together before dinner.

After dinner when it was time for devotions, we were a small group. Tom and Mitch had gone to buy supplies for tomorrow; Ken L. was working on the "dragon" (the heater) so they can be warmer tonight than they were last night. Lori asked us to share, if we wanted, about our families, our work, our outside work activities, and our involvement in our church. As I sat listening to everyone's story--and it turns out we are a very diverse group and can be quite chatty--I realized that something magical has happened this week with this particular group of people from Washington, California, and North Carolina/New York. We are here to help a community of people and we have become our own community. We plan to share email addresses so we can stay in touch and I hope that we are able to do that. It reminded me of the time we spent in 40 Days of Community and I realize that community comes in all shapes and sizes and places.

Love to you all. God bless you.

Pat

Amazing Grace

Since we arrived, Lori, the camp manager, has been talking about moments of grace. Tonight at our evening devotions, we sang Amazing Grace. After the second verse, a few people started singing the harmony, and more joined in. It was an unspoken moment of the grace that has become part of this particular group of volunteers; yet one more sign of people working together to do the Lord's work, becoming our own community through grace.

As people shared, it is evident that the people of this area, whether it is Gautier or Pascagoula or Ocean Springs or Moss Point, have experienced God's grace and it is God's grace that has seen them through such difficult times.

Ken, Kenny, and Tom were working at a house, trying to help the woman there sort through the things still left from the hurricane. Some are salvageable and some are not; they hope that by doing some of the little things for her that it will make doing the big things easier. During the flooding, the woman watched her car burst into flame when the salt water shorted it out.

Barbara was a woman who needs so much work on her home. Terry, Nina, Ruth, and Wes were working with Jean and Kathy (mother and daughter from New York and North Carolina). Barbara put her house on hold until her mother's house was taken care of. Now that it is her turn, the work is overwhelming. Ruth said that when they first walked in she couldn't even imagine where to start. Barbara's home had 4 feet of water--and she is five miles from the beach, in what an insurance agent said was a no flood zone--zero percent chance. Her daughter and dog went to the roof, but her mother refused to leave, so they finally got her to sit on the table and the rest of the family came back down, stood around the table holding hands and praying. The water rose; the refrigerator floated by. But they survived and are now trying to reclaim their home and their lives. Her entire house needs to be redone. Kathy and Jean helped sort through clothing and other things that have been piled in the middle of the room, and are still damp. In one of the bedrooms they have hung a flag and written God Bless Our Home on the wall. The faith of the people here is amazing.

After dinner this evening, prepared by Ruth with help from Nina and Kenny, and Kathy (fabulous--I'd tell you what it was but don't know how to spell it), some of our group and some of the California group gathered in the Administration tent while Lori was preparing the devotional. They were negotiating how to combine their efforts to finish several jobs tomorrow, and assess the needs of another, possibly start the work. For Lori, that was one of those moments of grace that she has seen. We all arrived on Saturday evening as two separate and distinct groups. We really are now one, working together, laughing together, sharing God's love.

So hello and good wishes to all of you from all of us--Tom, Nina, Ruth, Ken S., Kenny L., Wes, Terry and Pat.

Peace and love to you all. God bless you all.

Another day, more work done

Last night when I woke up in the middle of the night, I saw a few flashes of light but didn't hear any thunder. That was because one of the other camps just down the road from us had three big rainfalls during the night--we were lucky and only had a few sprinkles. We may yet have rain this week, though. That's in the forecast.

The group in camp now is small, but by March and April the camp will be full of volunteers. There is still an unbelievable amount of work to be done, and there will be for many months to come, possibly years.

Our group went to two different places today; one group worked on putting in doors for a young woman who cares for her father who is in his 70's and has Parkinson's disease. Her house can be fixed eventually, but a house just down the block is totally gone. How much damage is too much? Hard to say, from what Lori Pistor, the camp manager, tells us. In some cases it's easier for folks to have nothing left and start from scratch.

The group that was here from Indiana finished up this morning and started for home, except for Kim. He decided to stay behind, hoping to be of more help. So today, he was going to go put up some closet shelves for Hannah, a 71 year old woman, who is raising a 12 year old foster son. It was a small job that one person could do. I had been doing a lot of things around camp for Lori--some phone calling about plastic recycling and about hazardous waste disposal. But that was done, and Kim didn't want to go on the job alone--better when going to a woman's house to have someone along.

We drove through Gautier to Moss Point and eventually found the house--somewhat challenging as the street signs are often missing or so twisted that it's hard to tell which street is which. We found Hannah, who had told Lori that she'd lost everything, has had some work done and just wants shelves and rods in her closets so she can hang her clothes in an attempt to start finding some order in her life.

The first challenge was to go to Lowe's for the supplies. A busy place, indeed. Most people are buying lumber, insulation, roofing materials--far different than my trips to Lowe's for fluffy things like a pretty light fixture. Once we got back to Hannah's, Keith, her foster son, was eager to help, so Kim put him to work, measuring, cutting the wood, helping to nail the boards in place. So, Hannah and I sat and talked while they worked. At some point I want to write more about this lady, who has such faith and such a passion for life. During the hurricane she went to her next door neighbor's house after putting her photos and books up high in the house, thinking they would be safe. But the storm surge was so strong that when the water came in, everything fell and was ruined or damaged. She has managed to salvage some pictures, including the first baby picture of her 51 year old daughter. We had hard things to deal with in life, but God is always with us. As Hannah and her neighbor watched the creek behind her house flood, she told me that she said a prayer and the water didn't come any higher--her house and belongings were ruined, but they were all safe.

Her sheet rock has been replaced, the flooring, two windows, the electric wiring has been redone, but she still can't live in her house. She and Keith live in the FEMA trailer in her back yard. She's one of the lucky ones and has received money to buy supplies. She has the cabinets to put in her kitchen, some of the new furniture she'll need, but there is still much to do. I admired her strength and her faith and her positive attitude. Most people from our camp have found the same kind of attitude. People need help, and they are so thankful to have us here.

We all felt better this evening after we had dinner and devotions. Our groups from Washington and California, with Kim from Indiana, and Kathy and Jean, mother and daughter, are beginning to have a special bond as we work, laugh, eat and share with one another. It's a time when Lori encourages us to share our experiences, the grace we have witnessed. The hymn we sang this evening was "Abide with Me". Those verses of that old hymn will hold a special meaning for me, as I'll always think of this time in Gautier.

Good night, and God bless you all. Thank you for your prayers.

We're in Gautier!

Getting here last Saturday was a challenge. I (Pat) had to meet the rest of the group in New Orleans. I had spent three days visiting my college roommate and her husband in Spring Hill, Tennessee--near Nashville. That meant I just had an hour and a half flight to get back to New Orleans--easy, right? Wrong. New Orleans had fog that morning, then the runway lights were off for a while. My 9.40 flight finally took off at 1.30. The group flew in about 2.30--and we connected around 3 pm.

We set off for Gautier. We didn't have time that afternoon to stop to look around much. But much of the damage in New Orleans and just east is visible from Highway 10. There were whole areas that are still deserted--brick houses and fences are completely destroyed. Cars and boats are left along the road, in yards, even one still along the highway, clearly part of the hurricane damage, as it was coated in mud. Along the way, and even near the airport, we could see much of the wind damage. Huge trees were either blown over, uprooted, or broken in half. Most houses still have blue tarps on the roofs.

Many homes are beyond repair and will be torn down. In one neighborhood we saw houses with damage and white FEMA trailers parked in front--the families are living there until they can move back in their houses. I had several opportunities to talk with people who were flying home to New Orleans. Some lived in the 9th ward, where the damage was the most severe. It was very humbling to realize what they had been through, or even what they had seen--a city they have lived in and loved, with so much destruction. I was also struck by the common bond that they now have. People who share the memory of Hurricane Katrina and Rita are crossing those cultural barriers as they talk about their homes and neighborhoods. And from all of them, I heard how thankful they are to have people coming here to help.

The camp where we are staying is in a cow pasture just outside of Gautier. We are in huts, that are a kind of blue and white corragated material, plastic coated to keep out the rain. They are fairly comfortable, with two cots in each one. (However, during the day, it's like being in a sauna--it is very humid here. We are thankful that it isn't warmer.) There was a group here from North Carolina who will be leaving for home in the morning. Another group camp in last night after we did--they are from California. And today and mother and daughter came--so for this week, we have a small group here. They always need more volunteers.

Our group went out today to a home where the floor needed to be removed, so they were gone most of the day. Tom took a lot of pictures that show the devastation in this area--they were in Pascagoula. Some houses were quite large and expensive and were nearly leveled, others were untouched. One in particular, had a lovely grand piano that had been carried to the end of a long driveway and was upside down.

It's late--so I'll wrap this up for now. The weather has been windy and cool, with clouds, but no rain--so far. About half our group went to town to watch the Seahawks win--yay!!! The rest of us found a Pizza Hut and brought pizzas back to camp. We've all sampled the hot showers, and they are great--not fancy, but hot. However, none of us had the heart to put bug spray back on after we were clean, so I think I'll crawl into my sleeping bag under my mosquito netting before I lose the battle.

Good night to you all. Thank you for your continued prayers. And to all the kids at Marine View, we all say a special hello and thank you. See you soon.

Peace and Joy and may God bless you.