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Good morning to day 1 of work

On the road to the first day at the worksite….

Roy is curious if the minivan has a volume control between the front and rear speakers. “Perhaps you should use it….” The van breaks into laughter. Steve says Roy should be more direct…

“Hey Peter, people really liked it when Pastor Cory led worship the other day….”  (where we just had the Sr. Pastor leading our singing a capella, without the usual band of electric guitar, bass, drums, etc.)
We interpret that means he wants a volume control at church as well.. 🙂

We discuss and pray for Steve’s wife’s safe return from Malawi. She returns from mission tonight. We discuss another team’s mission to Asia later this year.

They say the church is not a building, but the people. This is true, the church is not a white minivan in Mississippi, but the fun, love and heart shared in this car.

James led a convicting morning devotional about a time where he was less than completely polite with a telemarketer, and his daughter was within earshot. He confessed to her that it wasn’t the nicest way to be with him, and his daughter agreed.

The mission began with our hearts and behavior before we ever stepped on the plane, or even packed our fist bag, and will continue after we return.

He encouraged us to recognize and revel that we are the light of the world at all times, not just on the worksite, and once again, the theme of blessed to be a blessing returns.

Thanks for your support.

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Departure from LAX, Arrival at Gulfport, time for bed.

We’re in one of our 3 mini vans on our way back from Bop’s, having gone out to put a frozen custard end to a long day. James was chatting it up with the worker there, shooting some footage of the secret world of frozen custard.

After our orientation, a lunch at a new place, and a visit to the Biloxi Katrina memorial….
We reunited with Ken and Dawn, our hosts from New Life Disaster Relief, the team will all be staying within the church building this year. Ken, with a shaven face and a not-shaven head, is still full of life, jokes and wit. Dawn is doing well and stands by his side, rolling her eyes and being the softer side of the caring duo.

Tonight for dinner, their daughter led us in saying grace, with her amen followed immediately with “Blessers and Cooks eat first.” We enjoyed our fried chicken dinner, and were able to meet two other women from a church in northern Mississippi that are staying in the same facility as us. They joined us for our devotional time of song, teaching and prayer. It’s nice to share a bond of faith with people we’ve never met. They’ve been coming down here for three years, the two of them representing their church of 50. Lorin’s devotional tonight encouraged us to use our words wisely, seeking to bless and encourage, and to take risks in doing so.

Overall, the recovery down here is moving ahead. Slowly, but still moving ahead. Homes are being built and rebuilt, people are moving into the homes, but still, the economy is difficult out here, and the BP oil spill still has made its mark on this recovering region.

Tomorrow will be our first real day of work, where we plan on meeting with Brad and hopefully Paul too. We continue to meet people, leading with our hearts even more than our thoughts.

Sorry folks, hopefully our pal Gary will take a look at these pics and videos and do something nice with them, but we’ve been up for about 48 hours straight…. and need some sleep.

James and Art are taking amazing video and pics! Oh! for the Alumni…. There is some footage of the new and improved Yanqui Stadium. If you need to remember what it (and we) looked like 6 years ago, go back and look at the archives in the blog and photo albums!

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Just Finished Orientation

Good work being done in Mississippi gulf coast. Had a really great and  comprehensive orientation by Adele Lyons and staff.

For the approximately 480 homes built by this affiliate, only about 40 are in inventory, with most of the partner families in the pipeline,  moving towards ownership.

They’ve also introduced a program even earlier in the home ownership path. Before being able to make a mortgage payments, sometimes before even clearing up some credit problems, this affiliate is trying to coach and counsel some life skills on money management. Teaching the financial value of  home food cooking often starts with learning how to cook and shop.

Okay. Lunch at a new place, Shaggys, recommended by hfh staff.

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dfw

3 hour and 20 minute layover in dallas fort worth
tommy with a devotional and a yoga studio. Millie says she can nap on the mat

After a gate change
And a visit to the fancy lounges they have here… steve and millie ….. relaxed

Got chances to meet a few people including an airman on his way from calif to training at Keesler. Keep him in your prayers as he had some strange encounters in his visit in Calif and suffice it to say, I think it had spiritual ramifications. But on the lighter side, hope he can join us for BBQ at the shed. : )

On a side note, Peter felt he was supposed to pray for the airman back at LAX, but didn’t make the most of the opportunity. It was nice to find out he was on the same flight and Peter could bump into him during the layover. God always has a plan.







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Something from our departure…

It’s a little raw, but here’s some video from our departure.. words from our leader Craig, who will be joining us next week..

thanks Gary for doing the video editing… 🙂
thank God for youtube video editing… and a team effort from Los Angeles and Mississippi

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Hours til we fly..

2008 image of last year’s work site

This is a picture from the site where we worked last year, you can see the white footprint from the previous home. This would be a “before” picture. If you look at the Google credits, it says the picture was from 2008. What a difference a couple of years make.

Previously, it was a really nice neighborhood. Then Katrina came, then it became a sparse one. The google maps images (currently) show many FEMA and other trailers. Once new pictures come in, even the devastation will turn more and more into a memory.

We are hours away from boarding our plane. It’s been an exhausting week of wrapping up things from errands, work-related issues, car repairs and family time.

Now we focus.

Each one of the men and women are trying to hone in on our purpose for going. It’s to help, that’s for sure… We are going to Mississippi to continue the recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Those of us that have seen the rebuilding of the Mississippi Gulf Coast region remember the wreckage, tarp-covered homes and once-floating casinos on land.

So all the more we appreciate the newbies, the ones who haven’t been before. They go out with devotion and heart even more than just reliving the devastation. Wreckage unseen, they go to help those that they may never see, but try to be part of God’s helping hand.

But if it were just financial aid, we could send money alone. As has been said before, there are less expensive and often more “efficient” ways to translate dollars to housing. But we go to serve. We serve God, but we also serve others on His behalf. To put a face and hands to a sometimes unseen God, and we ourselves are humbled in the process.

Your Prayers

If during the next couple of weeks, you get a chance, we seek your prayers for us while we try to minister on behalf of God and the others who have sent us. It’s not a working vacation. We’re trying to remind others and ourselves that God has not forgotten them, and restoration comes in many forms, sometimes buildings, sometimes people.

And if there’s anything we can pray for you while we’re working, we’d love to know how to pray for you. Drop us a line! sgvhabitat@gmail.com

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A recent storm affects Pam’s prep

Pam!

Recently, California had a barrage of thunderstorms that shook houses and nerves. Pam reflects on Katrina and our lives…

It was a dark and stormy night…I just experienced a thunderstorm like none I’ve never experienced. It began at midnight and continued for two hours straight! It alternated between pounding rain, huge bursts of lightning, followed by incredible booms of thunder that rattled the house. It brought back memories of how scared I was during a storm at night when I was little…I would get up and walk to my parents’ bedroom and watch them sleep or sit in the hallway. During this thunderstorm, I kept wondering how my two nephews with whom I was sharing the room could sleep through it all. When was this thunderstorm going to end? I need to get some sleep since I was driving over 400 miles the next morning on my own. Then my thoughts turned to the folks who had experienced and lived through Hurricane Katrina. My thunderstorm paled in comparison. They had to endure a much more violent and intense storm that lasted about a week.

Aren’t our lives also filled with storms and hurricanes in one form or another? During those times, don’t you just want it to stop and get back to the calmness? But God didn’t come to eliminate those life storms or hurricanes. He came to fill them with his presence. God is in control. During life storms or hurricanes, we’re forced to search for and cling to God’s ever present hand. We don’t have to wonder where God is. “Lord, you are my strength, and my protection. You are a safe place for me to run in times of trouble.” Jeremiah 16:19. He’s also there building endurance in us. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us–they help us learn to endure. Endurance then develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation.” Romans 5:3-5. We can be a storm or hurricane survivor if we keep our focus on God. He will supply us with everything we need to stand firm during our storm or hurricane.

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Steve, willing to be open to the pruning process

Steve,
repeat team member and
 tree trimmer

Steve O. is a charter member of these trips. Been one of the four guys that has gone every year. He and Mo have been part of the Coed team since first formed… Yet this many years later, he’s still learning and growing…

Some of you know I have this odd-shaped lemon tree in my backyard. And some of you know that my wife, Shirley is in Malawi with Pastor Ian. Since I will have or am having two weeks of time alone, I put together a whole laundry list of chores to accomplish around the house that I can do by myself. Like trimming the lemon tree.

I waited until after Monday, which is trash collection day for me. This way, I had a whole container I could fill up with discarded branches, twigs, and leaves.

After finishing, I reflected upon how ugly a tree looks after it is trimmed. Branches don’t taper gracefully, but end abruptly. What branches still remain, that is.

I used a pruning saw for the larger branches and a set of sharp loppers for the smaller ones. It’s a good thing trees don’t have nerve endings.

But we do. And we need to be pruned at times. Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15: 1-2. Jesus is saying all branches are pruned. All of them. Those that bear fruit and those that don’t. And we are the branches.

Jesus explain his parable in the following verses, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” v. 5-6.

I am willing to bet that this process of pruning will be a part of the Katrina experience for most if not all of the team members. Including me.

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2012 Last Team meeting, Children’s message and commissioning

Millie, James chowing down
on Stonefire grill
that Mo and Carol picked up
so the team wouldn’t have
to scurry around for our dinner 
Pastor Kyle stopped by and gave
an impromptu devotional (mini bible lesson)
while we ate. It inspired and focused us

This is a busy time. Easter was just a week ago, taxes are due, our church is having a conferencing on parenting next Saturday. Oh, and yes, we’re flying out in 8 days, April 22nd.

So when Tommy reminded us that we had a team meeting, Friday night, the question was “what are we going to discuss?” “Team Bonding Time,” was his reply.

Friday night, our last team meeting
It’s the last time before we depart to go over some practical matters, make sure the newbies know what to expect….

We shared a meal, Pastor Kyle (Katrina alumnus) stopped by and gave an impromptu and timely devotional (brief bible teaching). We prayed for each other and blessed the first timers and the women on the team.

Craig had the “vets”
pray for and bless all the women
and the first timers

But more than anything, it focused us as a team in purpose, unity and prayer. We are representing God and our church members to bless others, whomever they are. As Kyle put it “before telling people about Christ, we’re trying to BE Christ” to them. The big picture for this project is to combine efforts with the ongoing work of Habitat for Humanity to provide low cost housing.

Sunday morning, Children’s message and Commissioning

Instead of having a separate church service for children, we like to incorporate them into the general service. One of those ways is to have a special time of our service for a mini-message just for the kids. This Sunday, Gary M led our team in a fun and informative teaching.. (Video below)

2012 Children’s Message

Pastor Victor prayed for the entire team, and our MSG (support groups) stood with us and blessed us.
It’s touching having family and friends stand with us, and reminds us we do not make these efforts on our own.

We’re one week away!

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Pam’s joining the team! (Sort of)

Pam!

This is the first year Pam will be coming to Mississippi. But she’s been part of our support team as wife to Art, and friend/supporter to many. So we can’t really say she’s joining, because she has been part all along… This will mark the third married couple we have serving concurrently, in fact  Mo and Carol N will be on the Coed team this year as well.

I’ve had the opportunity to send several dear friends as part of this mission since its inception. It’s such an amazing experience to go to the airport and send teams off and be there when they return. It’s awesome to see so many folks come out. I’ve enjoyed hearing their stories of divine appointments, using a palm nailer, going to WalMart, working side by side with potential home owners, The Shed Barbeque Joint, overcoming a fear of heights, Brad’s (one of the Habitat foreman) inspiring Martin Luther King’s impression, going to WalMart, sharing meals with Habitat families, going to WalMart, etc.

Art and I talked about how this could be a ministry that we could serve together. However, the timing has never been ideal …there’s always been some excuse to hold me back. But it’s God’s timing, not mine. So after many years of sending, I’m blessed to be one being sent. And on another note, WalMart and I aren’t friends even though there’s a Super WalMart a mile from home. Who knows, maybe after this trip, WalMart and I will become better friends. After all, I’ll have to get my daily fix of popcorn or ice cream somewhere!