FUMC Hurst 3-D Youth

Guatemala Mission Trip, July 19, 2010

2010-07-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! We had a fantastic first day of work. The time went by so fast that I didn’t even realize when it was time to stop for lunch. This morning we began work on plastering and painting the two brand new rooms that have been added as a second story to school at Salud y Paz in Comenchaj.

We cleared out all of the left over rubble from the previous team and then began mixing the plaster right on the floor of the first room where we started working. That was a job in itself; we had one team whose only job all day long was to sift gravel out of sand so that the sand could be used to make the plaster. We finished the plaster on 85% of the first room and we’ll finish the rest of it tomorrow before beginning the second room.

Others painted the wooden rails that formed the perimeter of the second floor balcony while others were put to work on the “Save the Nails” campaign. They reuse everything here, so we were asked to remove nails from old boards so they could be used again in the future. Several of us also spent time playing with the children from the school.

By the way, the septic system that we installed last year is completely up and running; and it has been a great blessing to the clinic and school. In years past, when it would rain for days on end, the system would back up and overflow into the yard and the conditions were less than desirable, but now the tank that we installed handles everything wonderfully no matter how much rain!

In all, it was a great day and even though our backs are sore and our hands hurt, we are excited to do it all again tomorrow! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers this week. If you want to send any messages to the team, leave a comment on Facebook or “Tweet” us @fumchurstyouth. The internet is too dodgy to send pics and videos, but I promise I will load them all the minute we get back home.

--Matt Ybañez

Here is a journal entry from Connor Teague:

July 16, 2010

Wow. This place is just truly amazing: the cool air, lively culture, and mix of old and new friends. The scenery is truly right off of a postcard with amazing greenery, historic buildings, and shabby market streets. The seemingly always present smiles on the faces of everyone down here is just another reason to say God is everywhere and in everyone.

Ok, so first thing out of the airport we see about 100 faces looking at us from behind a retaining wall, which kind of startled me because of the sheer number. But as we crossed the street with luggage in tow, the most wicked looking school bus comes rolling up with the words “Super Niña” on the side. This is gonna be fun was the first thought I had. After we loaded onto the bus, we zoomed down crowded streets filled with a billion other buses, motorcycles, and strange looking vans. Soaking in all of the new environment, we rode for about an hour on bumpy, unforgiving roads. Upon arrival in Antigua, we all ventured to an authentic food restaurant that served everything from cow intestines to macaroni salad. Following lunch, we all broke off and explored the countless shops in the Antiguan markets.

After all that has happened today, I am so excited to see what great wonders God has in store for us the rest of the week. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity to spread the love of God. God bless everyone that has been involved in making this trip possible.

--Connor Teague

Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 7

2010-06-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Friday, June 25, 2010

Great finish to a great week.

Day 7 Pics: http://tinyurl.com/lcla625

Day 7 Vids: youtube.com/user/fumchurstyouth

Craig Alford--

Today was a great day to end our mission trip in Lake Charles. The day got off to a great start with pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Soon thereafter, we were off to our work sites for a half day of work. My work group returned to Ms. Perrodin’s home to finish the installation of the wood trim, closet shelving, and air conditioning unit flashing. Once these tasks were completed, we had a large group of kids cleaning up the house so we could move all of Ms. Perrodin’s belongings back into her home. Did I mention that she had a lot of stuff stored in the temporary container. After a lot of sweat, we got all of her things moved in and arranged so she could move around in the home. It was great to be able to get Ms. Perrodin moved back into her home before we had to leave. The kids did a great job this week loving their neighbor.

Praise God,

Craig Alford

Paige Cherry:

Today was one of the toughest days of work. Tuesday my group had a lot of painting to do, but today was by far the most physical.

We moved all of this lady’s furniture into her newly redone home. I was happy to be helping her. She lived in a small (but now very nice) trailer which was filled to the ceiling with furniture once we moved everything back in. It was difficult to move heavy and large things into such a small area but with the help of everyone there, we got the job done.

Once we were finished with all of our work all of the groups met back at the church for lunch. We were finally done with our work for the week! After lunch Matt gave us all little time to shower and get ready to go see a movie. I was so excited to be able to put on mascara and leave my hair down for the first time in what seems like forever.

We went and saw Toy Story 3 and then went to Cici’s where I of course dropped pizza on my white shirt on my way to the table. Overall today was the perfect combination of hard work and group fun.

Thursday June 24, 2010 SM

2010-06-24T22:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a good last day. Adam's knee is a little stiff but he is ok. Not a whole lot of work today. The homeowner dinner was good, I enjoyed it. I liked meeting the people and getting to know them. I will always remember my first mission trip.

FACE

-Peyton Lynn

I loved seeing all the families together today, all of their happy faces. I saw God in all their faces, their joy was so cool to see. I loved my group this entire week, I will probably only get to see them once a week, these are some o the last months I will have with Ben, and we won't get to see Adam because he will be away at college. I'm going to miss this place sooooooooooooooooooooooo much, I feel like I belong here. I feel like I want to stay another week and get to know everyone better. Everyone has been crying so much that i can't lie that i haven't been. I am really going to cry because it's never fun to say goodbye to your friends. At first you didn't know them and now they're some of your besties, you just don't want to leave and say goodbye. I am really going to miss Adam and Ben when they both leave. I can't just not stand not to cry seeing all our sad faces. I probably will cry even when I get home. I am just really sad about having to leave and everything.

THE A-TEAM

-Marisa Pendery

2010-06-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

Another great day of work!

Day 6 Pictures: www.tinyurl.com/lcla624

Day 6 Videos (still uploading): www.youtube.com/user/fumchurstyouth

Austin Simmons:

Day 5, 06/24/10

Today was a great day!! I woke up without annoying music (yesterday), had an okay breakfast, and had an awesome time. Breakfast was cereal (again), but I made the best of it. I ended up not getting the job I wanted, but if you mix an okay job with great and funny people, it makes the job 10 times better. I knew I would have a great day when everyone in our van was laughing and getting along well. I also knew it was gong to be a good day when our van got lost and it took 2 hours to drive to Lowes and then the worksite (which is a normal 15 minute drive). It may not sound like fun, but everyone was laughing the whole time and not complaining. I even got to know my group better through that experience, like Mac is deeply afraid of bridges that are above water. So after the long drive, things started slow working, but picked up quickly. The jokes, pranks, and singing of random songs kept us through the day. The best part was when Carter, Mac, and I got into a giant paint fight. Hitting each other with paint brushes and rollers sure can get a guy messy (you will find out soon mom!). Lunch was really good., and having the feeling that we knew that we took a really ugly house and made it awesome again. I also got to help grill burgers and hot dogs today for dinner. Donny, Martin, Michael, and I did great and the whole youth group was satisfied. I thank God that I was blessed to be with a great group of kids.

Wednesday June 23, 2010 SM

2010-06-23T21:37:00.000-07:00

Lord, tommorrow is our last day of work in San Marcos. I want to work all of the time. I know I''ve been slacking but TOMMORROW will be different. I feel like I'm not making an impact on the homeowner's life; but I know that it feels so good to help the needy. We all are making a huge difference through teamwork by doing what has been asked. I don't want anything in return because it is what is right to do. I know that we get Schlitterbahn as a reward, but if we weren't getting a reward I would be just fine that. We are making an impact on this homeowner's life. Every other team is also making a difference on their homeowner's life. Not just us, but throughout the world. Everyone who helps those in need is a worthy man of God's riches. We all need to know this and even if my team knew this we would work harder. All people deserve God's riches.

We love you God,

Kyle Abrahamson

Today was exhausting. We worked on mudding the walls which gives it that texture you see on normal walls. Let me just say now that the "mud" is soooooooooooo sticky! I had my hands covered in it. After a while it crusted and hurt. After you washed it off you had a glitter texture on your skin. We mudded the ceiling as well. That was probably the hardest part because the blood would drain out of your arms. We have finished the ceiling and a wall or two but it is hard to get all of the room covered in it. Tommorrow we'll finish the walls and the other ceiling. Wheew! After work we palyed a very brutal, serious, and large game of capture the flag. It was so much fun and then we ate watermelon slices. We went to our rooms afterwards, took our showers, then did each others' hair, skipped into the main room like school girls. It was funny! Gotta get some sleep,

Regan :)

-Regan Campbell

2010-06-23T20:23:00.000-07:00

Another great day! Check out the video here...there's more, but I don't want to hang out in the Comfort Suites lobby for another two hours to upload it!

Hailey Short:

The pants that I brought with me are freakishly too big…even when I tie the strings they still fall down and Mrs. Little made me roll the bottoms up so I would not slip on the ladder. While painting the same wall over and over again, the exact same color, it really wasn’t that much fun. On the bright side, I met Paige and she is super funny! Even if her jokes are a little dumb. Ha ha, oh well, it wasn’t so bad I guess. I’m just glad I’m here. Plus, I also met Damian and his sister Alex is in my grade. We left our site to go to the bathroom and Matt came and went while we were gone so only two people got to be in the video…ha ha. After that, it was the same ol, same ol. Trey and Chris played basketball, Amber read, and Cheryl and Amanda were playing a card game called “Speed.” Hailey Alford and I got to know each other pretty well because we started talking and I also found out what the “pancake” is in volleyball and I stink at it, but it’s still fun.

Rene Griffin:

Today began with a song. Not just any song, though, but the theme song from Sesame Street. It also began with Tyler being saran-wrapped into his sleeping bag, and with a start like that, the day was destined to be amazing.

After breakfast, we headed to our worksites and got to work. Instead of staying in just one place, my group moved around. In the morning we worked on cleaning out a shower trailer that was about to be sent off to Memphis for flood relief. Working on the trailer gave me such an amazing feeling, because I knew that we had a hand in helping other people that were in need around the nation.

For lunch, a woman named Ms. Renee made us hotdogs for lunch Her house is being worked on also) and we got to enjoy and hour of relaxation and fellowship. She is such an amazing person, and today was yet another reminder of that.

As I said, my group moved around a little bit, so after lunch, we headed out to look at homes that were going to worked on later in the week. One woman whose home is going to be worked on tomorrow really made an impression on me. She was so sweet and welcomed us into her home. The house had had to be completely rebuilt after the hurricane and it was amazing to see what quality work was being done by the groups that come to Louisiana. I really hope that I get to work on her house tomorrow, but I know that no matter where I go, I’ll be making a difference.

Ben Ruby:

Today we went back to Rene’s mother-in-law’s house to paint and clean up. I saw God in Rene because she is taking care of us by making everybody hot dogs and giving us chips. At first I was scared about going on a mission trip because I was going on a mission trip with 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th graders and I didn’t know what to expect. But now, I am happy that I went because I have made new friends.

Tuesday June 22, 2010 SM

2010-06-22T21:05:00.000-07:00

This morning for breakfast we had sausage, egg, and cheese cassarole and a hashbrown with gooey french toast. We set out for our worksite, we continued caulking, but then started to paint over it! Then we went to lunch. For lunch we had corndogs and tater tots mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... But then Ben asked me and Marrisa if we wanted to go with him to a special job. We, Marshall, Tony, and Conner went with him to a retirement facility. We then used a level, powersaw, and electric nail gun! Power tools!!! :) Ben went all over safety. It was cool to have a seperate mini group that got to take more breaks in air conditioned places and talk and laugh with Ben and Adam. Our work groups home is the A TEAM although we are having van wars!!! >:D We got glass paint and decorated them. My nickname is the swooping swallow.... Don't ask, Adam named me. we have been vandalizing each others' van but we all know the A TEAM rox!!! After we were done with the special job we went back to our original worksite. When we got there they said we only had like 20 minutes left. RJ, the site helper, always lets us go early. So we got done, around 3:40. but doors weren't open 'till 4:15, so Kim and Adam secretly took us to McDonalds and bought us shakes! Then we came back here. We played a cool game called church on fire when we got back from dinner, which by the way was beans and homemade enchiladas!!! (heavenly) Then we had free time and played guesstures which was uber fun! Now we have worship and free time to write in our journals. I'm sooo tired so I'm hitting the hay, 'till tommorrow..... SO BYE!!

- Audrey Bates

Today was a better day today. I still miss papa, but it was okay. We hung out today after working and I've made a lot of new friends.
I saw God in Caroline. Anytime work was needed to be done, she would volunteer. Anytime I looked at her, there was a smile on her face. That motivated me to keep working and trying my hardest on making the house look its best. I love you God.

-Bailey Taylor

Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 4

2010-06-22T20:51:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! We had another great day of work today. Lots of great stories. Make sure to check out our Day 4 video by clicking here!

Amanda Swords;

Today I worked on Miss Rene’s house. I most defiantly saw God in her because she so grateful for everything we did, she kept telling us that we were God’s hands and feet. I worked on one room where I painted the trim and painted the closet. It was pretty fun especially when I found cockroaches and would put them on a napkin and would chase people with them. Later me and Hannah got bug spray and sprayed down the shower invested with mosquitoes. We would run in, spray the bug spray, and then run out screaming. Today was a really good day and I saw God in so many people and actions they did.

Matt Grubish

Today we worked all day on Rene’s Mother-in-law’s house (Rene is a lady who works a lot with the church and is really nice). We mainly painted the inside and outside of the house and helped clean out all the junk that was in there. The house was in bad shaped from all of the hurricanes that went through a few years ago. I mainly worked outside and painted the previously blue house a light grey that made it look a lot better. Rene was really nice and even took us out to lunch to McDonalds. She told us that we saved her 87 year old mother-in-law’s life by fixing her house and even called us angels. She was a really nice lady and that is who I saw God in today. I had a great day today and met a lot of new friends. I hope that we all have a great and safe day tomorrow. Amen

Amber Friend

Today we worked at Rene’s (a woman who worked with UMCOR) mother-in-law’s house. Her mother-in-law is 87 years old and apparently had been living in filthy conditions. Part of the youth had worked on it earlier and we had heard of how they had to shovel out cat litter and endure cockroaches crawling everywhere. When we got there, it looked fine and most of us spent a lot of the day painting. I spent a lot of time working on painting some of the outer walls with Rachel, Hannah, and Matt. Rene was absolutely overjoyed by what we and the rest of our group, and the group before us had done the past two days, almost to the point of tears. She would gather us around and talk to us openly about her family and insisted that by cleaning the house we were saving her mother-in-law’s life. She told us multiple times we were “the hands and feet of God” and “when she thought of us she heard angels’ wings flutter”. She was constantly generous and helpful, along with being very nice and sweet. Her faith was truly amazing and I couldn’t help but see God in her whenever she spoke to us.

Ryan Haynes

We had a new work site today, and we mixed two groups in to one because we had to do a lot of work at a lady’s house, who was the mother of Rene, the one who was actually there. We did not actually see her mother, who was 87 and had been hoarding, but she called Rene and told her she was so happy she would do cartwheels for us. After a lot of painting, pressure washing, and fixing boards on the house along with so me paint scraping, we all got to go to McDonald’s and lunch was provided by McDonald’s. After that we went back and did some more painting and sorting, and then left. She also gave us popsicles to eat throughout working. We came back and played ultimate outside, and it was way too hot, and a bad idea because I just got more nasty than I already was. They are now also being a lot more strict on the shirts rule for guys, where we have to wear our shirts all the time, even sleeping (sleeping is the biggie). This is because Martin walked through the gym with nothing on but boxers, and all the adults, girls, and guys were inside the gym. Then we played some knockout like usual and went to worship. Nice, great success.

San Marcos Day 1

2010-06-21T21:23:00.001-07:00

Dear God,
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work in your name. Give me the strength to keep a good attitude throughout the day. Thank you for giving me an amazing work group. Please give me more tasks to do throughout the day and keep everyone's spirit up. May we all work greatly in your name. May we do an amazing job at work and not let anyone become ill; throughout the week may you keep everyone out of harm's way and keep them on task and remind them why they are here and remind me why I am here. May you bless every person here and give them the opportunity to see you in your holiness. May you keep me focused and hardworking throughout the week. Thank you for the wonderful volunteers who spend the entire summer working out in the sun and cooking and putting this amazing program on. Bless the house builder leader people and keep them from getting frustrated with those who don't catch on quite as fast as others and once again thank you for all the things you do in my life. In Jesus' name I pray,

Amen.

- Cameron Dawson

Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 3

2010-06-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Don't skip the videos below!

Pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/31931176@N00/sets/72157624204855207/

McCulle Wright

Today was the most exciting day as far as work goes. At my site we where responsible for ripping down this shed in the back yard of a 87 year old lady. It was full of the three most disgusting things on the planet, rotting wood, roaches, and poop. By lunch time we had gotten most of the shed down and we where invited to her church to eat lunch in a nice air conditioned room. At that point she told us that there was this mound, AND I MEAN MOUND, of kitty litter. It stank so bad but we finally got all the way done with that and we headed back to the church. After a few rounds and a nice cold shower we got ready to eat dinner. As I made my plate and walked out the door there was this guy in a Polaris and said he needed help. So before I knew it we where headed off to his field where there was a “average” grass fire and we where in charge of transferring water from his tank through buckets and cups to the blazeing grass. It was so hot and smokey that my eyes where like an ocean of water smoke. But when the fire department showed up we let them take over and we headed home for some well deserved rest.

Chris Boyd

Today was one of the more experienced days of my life. Where to start…Gosh. Today my work group was assigned to the house of an 87 year old woman. She had a shed full of debris (which we demolished for her because she wanted it gone) and a house FULL of hurricane things. Her daughter-in-law told us we saved this woman’s life. Apparently there was so much stuff that her home was to be condemned and demolished. A homeless 87 year old single woman. Thank God we could keep that from happening. We also gave the inside a fresh coat of paint. We got back to the church where we’re staying, relaxed, and had just started to go through the dinner line. Then, Keith came in and said a man’s farm next door had a bad grassfire. So, me and 3 other guys went with Keith and put it out. So rewarding. When the fire dept. came about a half hour later there wasn’t much left for them to put it out. We did it all with 2 buckets and a fast food cup. One of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life. Today was a day that I can tell my grandkids about. God was with us the whole day, not one injury on my whole work team, and then nobody got hurt with the fire, what a day.

Paul Farrell

Today started off early (6:30 woo hoo 30 extra minutes off sleep.) as we all slowly made our way back from the dead and ate we went off to our work sites. We went to the hurricane relief building and got our tools and projects. I got to work on an old unfortunate lady’s house. We didn’t see her much because she’s scared of the bugs, snakes, and opossums that roam around her house. We worked on caulking and painting the house. I believed God smiled on her because her roof was torn off by the hurricane but she got a new before we came and when we came we sealed the cracks to keep water from leaking in and rotting the wood. I see God in all of our workers because we helped an old woman fix her house when she’s scared to go outside and financially unable to fix it. I feel bad for her but I believe we can make it better.

Hannah Larson:

Today my group helped clean out the Louisiana Disaster Recovery warehouse. We took apart these huge wooden shelves and it was very fun. There was a lot of loading and unloading trucks today also and I was exhausted. Sarah, Rachel Thatcher and I went to Wal-Mart with Matt to get food for all the meals tomorrow and that was very fun. When we got back to Sweetlake we made dinner—grilled chicken, green beans and potatoes. I had a blast grilling and I also got off the hook for cleaning after dinner since I cooked. Everyone loved the food. It was great. Matt had a near death experience when Luke lifted the weight that was keeping the 80lb grill lid up. The lid came down and Matt barely escaped by millimeters! I think I saw God through everyone today. The people we were helping seemed so incredibly thankful of us, like we were sent from God. I also saw God in the watermelon we ate. It was very good.

Kelsey Lovell:

Today was our first work day and I ended up in my mom’s group which actually ended up being just fine. I really like my group and I don’t want to change groups. I wish we could stay in them, but we probably won’t which is fine. We went to a warehouse to tear down shelves and everything. We all worked so hard together and got everything done early because we didn’t want to stop working. We then went to the LA Storm Relief Center to rake leaves. We got to get Sonic and then go back. I saw God in my whole group, but especially Matt Grubish, Will, Carter and Ryan because it was time for lunch, but they wanted to complete the job first which showed true dedication. It showed that they really wanted to finish what we had started before taking a break. It was amazing to see how much they were in to it and really opened my eyes. I also saw God in Craig because he wasn’t supposed to be lifting anything because of his stitches on his back, but he was the one in our group that worked the hardest and he lifted things anyways. We had to stop him all the time and tell him, “No” which just shows he wanted to work and that he wouldn’t let the stitches stop him from finishing the job. It was pretty amazing at how many people told him no and how often during the day. I couldn’t believe it because I know that I wouldn’t have been like that at all. I would have followed the rules as much as possible.

Devon Harper:

Today wasn’t a too early start, but it was still early. After we ate breakfast we broke up into our work groups and head out to the Lake Charles UMCOR headquarters that officially closed its doors at the end of the day today. We were met by the three people that would take us to our different sites. My work group went with a lady named Renee. The job site we were working on was very close to her heart, because we were working on her mother-in-law’s house. Recently a tree fell into the roof of her house and caused a hole in the roof. The roof has been repaired, but when the tree fell it infested her house with roaches. They have been making her house their home for the past 5 weeks. She couldn’t get an exterminator, because it was too expensive. To make matters worse after Rita hit, she was so terrified of another storm that she gathered any and all hurricane supplies into her house. She didn’t have much before the storm, i.e running water, that she didn’t want to be even worse off if another storm hit. Renee was telling us that she could have furnished each of our houses for years to come. We split up into two groups, one working outside tearing down a shed while one worked inside painting the three bedrooms and bathroom. I was working with Jill in this really small bedroom that had a ton of furniture in the middle. I really saw God in Renee today, because she showed her love for us even though she had only known us for a couple of hours. She brought us fudge pops, and made sure we were all completely comfortable while we were working. She would even take the paint rollers and paint the walls. For lunch she took us to her church where there was a lady who told us all about Louisiana and the hurricane. She had these displays that she showed us with all of the things Louisiana provides, such as Tobasco sauce. She also gave us a piece of Rita wood. A man named Mike who is a member of their church went around after the storm and picked up pieces of wood. He came up with this signature shape that everything in the church is based on. I also saw God when Renee returned to the house when we had finished painting. I could see she was trying to hold back her tears as she looked into each room. She was so overwhelmed by the work we had done that she couldn’t stop smiling, and she told us that we had literally saved her mother-in-law’s life by fixing her house. She kept taking pictures of us to make a scrapbook for her. She also wrote us a note that told us we were “angels on loan from heaven.” I was so completely touched by her energy to help her mother-in-law. She is excited for us to meet her and to take a picture with her. I can’t wait to go back tomorrow to finish the work.

Tyler Dawson:

This morning, I didn’t want to get up, so Craig flipped me out of my cot. What a nice surprise J We had eggs with leftover taco meat, bacon, and biscuits. Luke and CJ came last night and Mrs. Lunsford came to give Mrs. Lofland some company. Mrs. Lofland and Mrs. Lunsford left this morning. We went to the UMCOR building where we met a whole bunch of people. It was nice to know that we are helping them end on a good note.

The lady’s house my group is working on is the mother-in-law of one of the volunteer leaders. The volunteer leader’s name was Renee. She said that we were helping save her mother-in-law’s house, and also her life. Half of us went inside to paint, and half stayed outside to tear down a shed. We had a pretty large group, including Parker, Trey, Mac, Chris, and some others. The shed was pretty large and had stuff littered all over the inside of the shed. We began demolition and got pretty far before lunch.

We had sandwiches for lunch at a church in the area. One of the old ladies talked to us about Louisiana and another one said some Cajun French. She asked CJ for a kiss while speaking French J

After lunch, we went back and the lady’s great-grandsons who were in 2^nd grade wanted to help us with demolition. We got the entire shed torn down. There was also a giant pile of kitty litter that we scooped up. She just had it in her backyard. We smelt awful after we were done for the day.

We came back, showered, and ate dinner, which was chicken, potatoes, and green beans. We played knock out after dinner and hung out. And then we went to worship.

Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 2

2010-06-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

We woke up at 6 a.m. this morning, so it wasn’t too early… (sarcasm). Church was good, the preacher talked about how fathers are always watched by their sons who look up to their dad’s and wish to follow in their footsteps. He also went on to say how sons naturally think about what their father’s would do when making decisions. I found the sermon very true and entertaining. I know my brother and I both would be blessed to be able to “walk in the same steps” as our Dad. We were welcomed by the members of the Sweet Lake UMC with open arms and warm greetings. I, in particular, was relieved to find no prejudice against me because I had no idea how’d they react to a kid with a Mohawk. Although, I did get called “Mr. T” by the preacher. This afternoon we went to the lake, it sure was fun since last year I didn’t get to join the youth in the water because I was a tad bit dehydrated. I’m pretty sure Carter and I tossed my brother Austin a good three to four feet in the air. My trust buddy for this week is Rachael who doesn’t go to our church, but is a friend of Amber Friend. I learned that she plays the oboe for Colleyville Heritage’s band. She also is playing guitar with us during Worship. She’s got a great sense of humor and we both enjoyed critiquing Mr. Friend on his decision to wear a goofy hat during our guitar practice. I look forward to sharing more laughs and “trust building” moments. (Oh and Parker Pierpont says hello to his Mom J) I’m pumped for the beginning of our work week tomorrow, even though Mondays are slow because we find out where our sites are and what we’ll be doing. Austin and I got to call and find out about our father’s Father’s day, and we found out he had a good one. One that consisted of the U.S. Open and his recliner. I hope every father out there had a great day as well! God Bless!

-Matt Simmons

Today was definitely more eventful than yesterday, although we still haven’t started work projects yet. In a nutshell, it was another day to prepare us for the week and get our minds into the right place. It gave us an opportunity to think about the adventure that lies ahead of us this week. Today was fun. We went to the lake and got to hang out with our friends and just have fun. But today was also about meeting other people. Not just meeting them, but getting to know them, as they will be the people that we will be sharing a common goal with. I met/reacquainted myself with two people today. Hannah is an incoming freshman and is super nice. She has no problem with just walking up to anyone and starting a conversation, which made me fell really comfortable around her. I also talked with amber, who I have known for a while, but never had any in depth conversations with. I look forward to getting to know her better throughout the course of the week. In fact, I look forward to getting to know everyone better. We also went to a church service for the church that we are staying with. They were so warm and inviting, I felt like I was back in Texas, surrounded by people I knew. They didn’t hold back from hugging everyone they met and greeting them with a smile. It definitely makes me excited to work with more people from this area. I have had a blast so far, and its only day 2, so I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we are all a little nervous, but mostly excited! Hope everything is going well in Texas! Oh, and happy father’s day!

Jill Bates

Today was an interesting day. We got to go to the church service today at the church we are staying in. We had a lot of fun! After church we sat around for awhile before going to the lake. We talked a lot today about meeting new people and trusting people. We had the task of finding a “trust buddy” learning more about them and forming a new friendship with them. My trust buddy was Brittany Forte. I have seen her around youth before but I have never gotten the chance to know her. She is a really sweet person. She seems kind of shy and reluctant at first but once you warm up to her she is spunky and fun to be around. I hope that I get to know some other people before this trip is over! Today is only day two but it has been a pretty good trip so far! I can’t wait to see what work groups we are in and what work we have to do. I think I can safely say everyone is excited about this week! J

Victoria Little

Lake Charles, Louisiana 2010 Day 1

2010-06-19T22:30:00.001-07:00

We made it safely to Sweetlake UMC today after first going to the wrong church...fun adventure, but this is only the beginning! We settled into our cozy gym for the night and we're getting up bright and early tomorrow morning to go to church with our hosts at SLUMC. Then we are going to prepare for the rest of our week and maybe even catch a beach on Lake Charles in the afternoon. Today's journal entries come from Ben Ruby and Rachel McEuen. Parker Pierpont says, "Hi Mom!" and look for your kiddos in the video links posted below! [edit: upload taking too long tonight :/ here are a couple of teaser vids, we'll try and get the rest up tomorrow]

June 19, 2010

Ben Ruby:

I think I am going to see God through the people I work with because I am going to meet new people from our church and really get to know them. I saw God today through the people in our vans because Matt made us change vans to meet new people and the entire way to Lake Charles! I also saw God when we left the church because it si good to know that people care about you back home.

Rachel McEuen:

When we arrived at the church, of course I felt a slight (and typical) pang of discomfort in my stomach knowing this place isn’t home and being all too anxious in regards to the week ahead. When I try to think of the next 7 days, of course I envision a lot of work. As well, it was hard to see the blessings of the day when travel is so wearisome and when our time here proves to be a heavy load on our shoulders. In short, I ashamedly feel tired and lazy, but it’s a feeling I can easily shake off. This is because I know there’s something that overpowers any of my sligth discomforts. Because I know is that there is something that lies in store behind the inevitable sweat and teamwork that outweighs any kind of “hardship” I could imagine. In a funny way, I am certain some wonderfully uncertain thing far beyond what I could envision will take place this week. And I know that it is in the uncertainty that growth in faith can take place when God is present in all places if we will only take the time to find him… in even the most wearisome or trying of tasks.

Day 6: Thursday, June 26

2009-06-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Lake Charles, La. (Senior High)

Rachael B.:
1. How will your life be different when you get home?
When I get home, my life will adjust a lot because I have really changed and become a different person this week. I will have more respect for my parents and elders, and I will work harder on working together with the ones around me.

2. How have your relationships changed this week?
My relationships this week have changed a lot, because I have worked hard this week on not just talking to the same people. I branched out and tried to talk to a variety of people, and because of that, I have established relationships that mean a lot to me.

3. How do you think this trip will change the group?
After this week I think that this group will have grown closer together, and I feel like we will work together better as one rather that individual people.

4. What are you going to do when you get home to remember this week?
When I get home, I want to write down all of the things from this trip that I don’t want to forget. The things that I want to remain close to my heart, and the things that have helped me change into a better person. I have experienced a lot this week that is very close to my heart, so by writing them down, I will be able to go back later and remember the things that have helped me become who I am today.

Amanda S.:

When I get home I think my life will be different because I now have more experiences and I now see the world in different eyes. I have seen God in many faces and those faces are the people who I have grown closer to. I have talked to people I don’t usually talk to and people who I have never talked to. I have also grown closer to God each and every day. I think this group will be different because we have grown closer to each other and met new people and we have had experiences that we will never forget. When I get home I am going to try to talk to my new friends and new people. And I am going to stay close with God.

Day 5: Wednesday, June 25

2009-06-27T08:10:00.000-07:00

Lake Charles, La. (Senior High)

Matt G.:
Today was probably the hardest day of the week because it was so hot and humid all afternoon. We worked on shingling the roof that we started yesterday and finally finished it. Although it was really hot outside we still had a great time by dancing roof to the “Cupid Shuffle” on the roof, and watching my amazing guitar solo!! Today was a great day and all of us had a fun time working together! !!!

Rachel M.:
Today was basically the final countdown. We all knew what had to be done…. and we did it. It was super intense because we knew we had to finish today. We put in the same ceiling about four times, and I think a few of us were close to tears, but it got finished and looked really good. It felt good too, and I knew God was there in that feeling that pulls you forward when you’re frustrated, through to the feeling of a job well done. The week started with chaos, and ended where it felt like everything was going to be okay. And it really was much better than okay. Today was a day where all felt right in the world. Thank You, Lord!

Jill B.:
I must say that I think today was the highlight of the week mainly because we got a ton of work done, and it was one of the most fun days I have had this summer. We boarded up the whole side of a house (not to mention I got to show off some of my AMAZING circular saw skills), and we sang Bohemian Rhapsody on top of a roof. We got hot and sweaty and we made a ton of jokes. We worked until we got blisters and were sunburned…and then we danced some more. It was an awesome day. It was moments like these when I felt like the early mornings, the repetitiveness of cereal for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch had really paid off.

McCulle W.:
I didn’t realize the impact of my work, the monstrosity of the job, or the hope we had given these people until someone we weren’t helping at all were put in awe over our commitment. Walking to the vans after lunch at the community center when the day care let out and this huge kid approaches the fence and asked us what we were doing. Matt S. replies that we were here to help clean up houses and everyone kind of joined in something to that effect and the kid has a look of joy and amazement as he slowly replied “you came all the way down here to help us?” that’s when it got me I was stunned that they thought that they should be passed over and that look of happiness at the realization that he and his town had not been forgotten. That was worth more than a couple days of work or a donation. The end solution is what I like to see. What makes me feel the best. I wish that everyone could experience the joy that me and that kid shared as we both realized the good in the world.

Day 4: Tuesday, June 24

2009-06-25T06:31:00.000-07:00

Lake Charles, La. (Senior High)

Amber F.:

Today I arrived at a new work site with a new group to work with. Half of us hadn’t worked here yet and were not exactly sure on what to start doing. However, that didn’t last long. The adults and youth who had been here before quickly took others under their wings and explained how to the various jobs around the site, allowing work to start quicker than expected. There were four main jobs: working on the roof, reinstalling the insulation, sawing the wood to be used for other work, and what came to be known as the black hole, which is where I started off working. The Hole was, well, a hole in the living room of the house, which was being made in order to put new wood in the place of the rotting wood. When I arrived I found out that all the work yesterday’s workers (meaning Dad, Michelle, Brian, and Alex) had done had to be completely destroyed in order to pull out more rotting wood. Basically I had to help these remarkable people tear apart a whole day’s work and start from scratch. However I was amazed that not one of them complained and quickly began working on getting the job done.

I also spent time working on the roof, where I realized I cannot operate a hammer to save my life. Anyway, I saw God in every person up there who had been working many hard hours before I started, in the 108 degree sun, and were still going strong until the job was done. Everybody was so amazing and working so hard all day.

However there are two other important people, not involved in youth who need recognition. The first is Jimmy, a worker from the Mission Center who had come over to help work on the Hole. This fifty-year-old man never stopped working and gave very helpful advice and effort to the task. The job definitely could not have been done without him.

The second is Stella, the woman whose house we were fixing. I felt awful while working in the Hole, because the whole time she sat on her couch watching us tear apart her house, a sad and hurt look in her eyes. I could tell she was bothered by the necessary destruction, but who wouldn’t be? However, she talked and joked with us, complimenting us on our work, not once complaining. Her strength was eye-opening, and I am still amazed by her.

Today was a great day. Everyone worked, sweated, and finished our various jobs together. No one complained about the heat, or the work, or anything. Today I finally realized what a unique group of people our youth group is; one who is ready for anything without asking anything in return. And I’m glad to apart of it.

Paul F.:

Today we woke even earlier than yesterday. We woke up at 6:00 and at breakfast at 6:30. Our teams and work sites were changed to help us gain more experience from this trip. I got to my work site which was an hour away and got to work on the roof. Me and my team tore shingles off the roof and replaced them with new ones. We worked from nine to four with lunch being our only real break. We finished replacing more than half of the shingles in 104 degree weather. I saw God in all of the people who started and stuck with the roof work all day no matter how tired. I’ve seen God so many times this week this is my favorite mission trip so far.

San Marcos (Junior High)

Austin S.:

Today, we started out with another great breakfast of biscuits and gravy. I had some with and some without gravy, but either way it was still pretty good.

For the first half of work we pretty much did the same thing. Tore off a couple more, but after that we got to saw some wood. We had to cut the wood that still had lead paint in it. We did that until lunch (hamburgersJ).

After lunch, Beck, Blake and I got to work on the wall on one of the sides of the house. I did that for the rest of the day and I had a lot of fun.

And I couldn’t wait until Saltgrass Steakhouse for dinner where I had an excellent, juicy STEAK.

Bailey T.:

I saw God in Mr. Whiteman today. From the start, he was there for me. He reminds me of my papa. Today was fun! The owners’ son, Anthony, came out while we were working and the smile on his face motivated me to work harder and it reminded me of what we are really here for!! I miss my family but I can wait a few days!!

CJ:

Today we got moved to another work site (blue group) from Marshall to Seguin. When we got to Seguin, another church had already been working there all week. We were welcomed with warm and open hearts. The other church that was there was Grace United Methodist Church. There, I got the pleasure to work with the supervisor Matt. Matt and I got to build a porch on the left side of the house. I met a lot of new people today like Jordan, JJ, SY, and Matt. We had an awesome day overall and everybody that I met had a warm and welcoming heart.

Day 3: Tuesday, June 23

2009-06-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Lake Charles, La. (Senior High):

Photos from Lake Charles

David C.

Today we went back to Ms. Stella’s house, Neil and I started decking the roof today. We had to stop for a wail while Monty fixed the other end of the roof. Once Monty was done we got working fast and others joined as in decking, we got 10-12 boards down, which is most of that part of the roof. We welcomed every break because it was HOT up on the roof, at one point when Neil and I were on break Lynn brought us cold water and drenched our rags in the cold water, it was nice. Lynn was also one of the water Nazi’s who kept telling us on the roof to drink water. Trevor and Brennan cut all of our wood and did a good job. Watching the group tear down the shed was fun, and even funnier watching them take it away like ants. On the way home we played on the radios, I started looking for Natasha and Nickoli and ended as the leader of a Russian mob.

Matt S.

We woke up this morning to Mrs. Farrell singing the “Rise n’ Shine” song, which was nice! After breakfast we got ready to go on our hour journey… and YES MOM I PUT ON SUNSCREEN!!!!! Today, we got to put tar inbetween the shingles on the roof of Martha Simons’s house. It was steaming hot on the roof, but it was all worth it. We only got part of it done this morning, but I can’t wait to go back tomorrow to finish it. I feel like I worked hard, but I still have that burning desire to work harder and get this roof finished so it doesn’t leak. For lunch we had yummy sandwhiches and mucho fruit. Afterwards, we went to another house and began to scrape off the paint, which was kind of tough because my body began to tire out on me. We then took a break and went to get snow cones. I got the Bahama Mama, which was nice!!!! Next, we worked a little more, while the owner went out and put Gatorades and water into a cooler for us to drink. He then told some of us how the water got up to about 4 feet during the hurricane. Afterwards, we left and went back on our hour trip, and I’ve been taking it easy all night. I also got the terrible news that LSU won in the 11^th inning on Monday night, which is sad….

Rene G.

Today was amazing! The first hour was spent driving to the work-site, as usual. When we pulled up to the site, we saw a beautiful, pink house. But as we pulled around to the back of the house, we saw one of the things we would be working on; an entire wall made up of tarps nailed over insulation. This wall is what I worked on all day long. We had to pull all of the nails out and then remove the single piece of paper-thin siding that covered hardly any of the wall. It was a ton of fun, but it felt as though it were a million degrees outside! It was fine, though, because we kept ourselves occupied well enough, I think. First, Matt spit water as far as he could (his record was twelve feet!). Then, Baab decided to play with rolly-polies. She took them in her hand, made them roll into a ball, put them in her mouth, and spit them out. It was soo much fun, even though it sounds gross.

For lunch, we went to the Goosport Community Center and ate. There was a man sitting at a bus stop there, so I gave him an apple and others from my group gave him a sandwich and granola bar. He didn’t say thank you, or anything at all, rather. But I still felt good about what I had done, even without the thanks.

I feel like I really accomplished things today, especially since my group didn’t have a home yesterday. It was a day very well spent, at least in my eyes…

Alex P.

Today we worked at Miss Stella’s house again. We realized at about 10 a.m. that our food cooler had no lunch meat. We had chips, bread, peanut butter, everything but meat. So one van left to get some from the Wal-Mart that was about an hour away. Then, about an hour after they left, Keith realized he needed some supplies to fix our monstrous hole in the floor. His van had all the remaining food, and water. We’re stuck at this worksite in the middle of nowhere with no food, water, or supplies to finish the job. Lynne decided to call Keith, but discovered that not only did his van have the food, it also had cell phones. So we didn’t eat til 1:30.

Second half of the day, Jessica and I had to go under the house to pull nails for a support beam. We layed flat on our backs and wiggled up underneath. After a few minutes, we were able to forget about all the snakes, spiders, and other creepy crawlies that were under there and how good it felt. Under the house it was only about 95 degrees. Then Lynne came and said “oh, you’re brave. Shelly Lofland just released a Black Widow and her friends, and they are extremely aggressive. I’d never moved so fast in my life. And that’s even with my whole body asleep. So we left Keith and Damian to get under the house with spiders.

San Marcos, Tex. (Junior High)

Photos from San Marcos

Jeremy G.

Monday: I saw God today when the homeowner came to her house that we were working on. She was so excited. She gave us all hugs. I also enjoyed destroying a wall with Adam, Jessica and Kendall.

Cameron D.

God I’m so glad that you worked through my group and through me as well Lord. I wish that you help us do the same. I pray that I get nicer and allow others to use the tools that I’m using at the moment. I praise you for the people like Ralph who do your will and for the helpers of the Southside Community Center who do your will and grace all throughout their lives. I pray that you keep us safe and out of harm throughout the entire week and I will praise you always. Thank you for guiding me through my life. I shall praise you always. Amen.

Jordan M.

Reflection: Where I saw God

Today I saw God in everyone in my group. We are all very crazy people, but they were able to put that aside and focus. When the day was done, they still talked about what we could do. I hope all the other kids were like that.

I also saw God in Mr. Whiteman. He was the only adult. He was also very busy. The group broke in half, so he was trying to do the best he could to help everyone. May God bless him.

*Regan and I tiled a whole kitchen! The boys tiled a closet and worked on floorboards.

Tubing was a blast! All the grass felt weird? I really want to go again! I’ve heard so much about mission trip. Now I know why they’re so much fun!

My Prayer for: God

Dear God, Thank you for this chance you gave me to come to San Marcos. Without you, none of this world would be here. I am grateful for the life you gave me. Amen.

Amy W.

Today I saw God in a lot of things. I saw God in our site manager Richard. He helped us whenever we needed it, no matter what it was. Also I saw God in a lost puppy we found. She always had hope in her eyes that she would get home and be safe again. I also saw God in one of the employees from the vet that came to pick up the lost puppy. She stopped everything she was doing to come pick up this dog. I also saw God in Chad today because when I couldn’t figure out how to do something, he came over and helped me. Today I also saw God in Ben. He came around helping us with whatever we needed. He also is taking on a lot of responsibility. I also saw God in Adam. He helped tear down a door without a break until he really needed one. I also saw God in everyone in our group. They were all so motivated to get the work done.

Abbey P.

First of all, Southside has been so good to us the past few days and we are so grateful for that.

I saw God many places today. I saw Him in my whole group because when we found out we had to fill up our hole and dig a new one, everybody offered help and no one was down or did nothing.

Leonard was definitely where I saw God. He kept motivating us and making sure we all got a turn with the nail gun. Even when everyone was hot and tired, he still was working and cracking jokes.

Our project is to give Dominga and her family a new porch. It’s a lot harder than you think but when we all work together it goes faster and smoother.

Chad had a lot of motivation to bring. Even though he had his camera he was still getting dirty and working.

Everyone has worked great throughout and even when it gets to the hottest part of the day, everyone keeps going and gets the job done.

Ben R.

I saw God when I was working on the house because I was having trouble and I had to ask God to help me out.

Day 2 Journals: June 22, 2009

2009-06-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

Connor T.

Dear God,

Today was actually a ton of fun even though had to drive a long time on not so amazing roads. At our worksite most of us helped rip out the ceiling of a couple rooms that had water damage from the hurricane. Needless to say, there are a lot of exciting things and creatures hiding up in the rafters. Also, we completely filled up a huge trash dumpster with everything from bicycles to metal roofing and everything in between. Our nonstop work and persistence to finish a goal really reminded me what we are here to do, to serve God and help others. Overall today was a success, and I am look forward to working the rest of the week!

Tyler D.

Today we had cereal for breakfast, after I had about 5 hours of sleep. I didn’t actually feel that tired though. My work group has a lot of people including Luke, Devon, Parker, Mac, Paige, and Rene. There were some more of us too. We went to the wrong worksite to begin with, and then when we got assigned a different worksite, the lady was not home! It took us about 2 hours just to get to her house, and when we did, we didn’t do anything. Then we had a lunch of sandwiches in an air conditioned building. After lunch we went to Wal-mart to buy groceries. All of the kids went and looked at CDs for 25 minutes while the adults shopped. After that, we got ice and then back to the church! I crashed because I was tired. When I woke up, I hung out with friends for awhile and then had chili dogs for dinner. After dinner we went and played football and ultimate football. Now, I am in worship.

I saw God today in the lady who offered us the air conditioned building to eat in. She worked in the office and was so glad we were there.

Last week, I got to experience the world God created under the ocean (I was in Florida scuba diving and got at the church at 2 a.m. this morning). This week I am experiencing him by sharing his love with others, and by seeing his love acted out by others too.

My experiences today will make me be more patient in waiting for work because right now, I want to get out there and show God’s love through my actions!!!

Rachel M.

Today we woke up early so we could get out to our sites as soon as possible, and after a quick bowl of cheerios we were on our way. We piled into a van and drove… and drove some more until we began driving on a dirt road. Soon we were out in the middle of nowhere and pulled up to a shack next to a single trailer home. As it turns out, that shack was home to a woman named Stella. There were holes in her roof and rotting walls practically falling around her. We moved her many trinkets and treasures, along with a collection of furniture accumulated over the years, out of her home and began to rip out the walls and ceiling. It was there that I saw God today; In the strength of a group of children to rebuild a woman’s falling home. I feel that more than the foundation of the house was solidified today. Being here has opened my eyes and strengthened my faith. I can say that today I have become aware of God’s presence in God in all the small wonderful things, and even in the small shabby things we would rather ignore, because in the humblest of places, therein lies the Glory of the Lord. Amen.

Day 1 Journals: June 21, 2009

2009-06-22T06:11:00.000-07:00

“19” (Devon, explanation later)

We are finally in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I am so glad to be on this trip this year, since I didn’t go last year. The drive was long, but the people in my van made it fun enough that it didn’t feel as long. I can’t wait to get started. I know the work will be hard, but I know it is all worth it. I hope that this trip will open my eyes to new things. I know from past mission trips that you always come back with new knowledge or a new perspective on things. Even if it is the simple stuff. I really hope that materialism or fear won’t get in my way this week. I think it will be enlightening to spend a week without the technological walls we build with our phones, iPods, and other electronics. We are staying in this little church in a little town called Gueydan.

We are all cramped in this one room with all of our air mattresses and sleeping bags, but I know we will make some fun memories in that room, as we have for years past. I can’t wait for this week to start.

I hope I can take all of the experiences I have here back with me, and continue to live my life with my new knowledge or new perspective.

Paul F.

We arrived here around 8:30, unpacked and set up our sleeping bags and did some worship. I hope to encounter God everywhere I look. I hope to see him in the eyes of the people whose homes have been destroyed, and in the people who we have helped rebuild their homes. I also hope nothing will cloud my vision to see God. I hope I will not be distracted by anything I left at home and focus completely on the people around us and their needs. I hope this will be one of the best mission trips yet. I hope…

Reports from Abilene

2008-07-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

Dillon, July 1:

We have walked a total of 10 or more miles this week. I also served and chatted with a lot of homeless people. They all were cooler than I thought. I did not know, but someone told me I fit in very well so I am glad! The week is going by slowly, we are all tired & sore from our long walks. I will never forget Mission Trip.

Andrew, July 2:

Today we went to poor people's homes and asked if they had prayer requests. We got a lot of people needing prayer. I thought something weird is that a poor person had a tricked out race car. Next we passed out food to the homeless and poor. It was really nice and they were happy.

Emily, July 1:

We went on a three-mile walk this morning. My legs truthfully hurt. But I forgot my advil at home. I wish I hadn't. After our walk we ate lunch which was chicken and vegi tostitos. Oh yeah, we had to serve lunch too. I kinda like this mission trip. Later we rode to a neighborhood, well some of us did. The rest of them got to stay here. They sorted clothes. What was sad today was a lady laying on her bed and asked us if we had a t-shirt, blanket, and medicine for her stomach ache. We didn't have any but we said we could bring back some. She was so happy!

Renee, July 1:

Today we actually started serving the community. We started out by serving lunch and cleaning up afterward. Then we went to a poor neighborhood to serve food and also invite the kids to VBS. This morning we did some more of the poverty simulation. They dropped us off on the side of the highway and made us walk all the way back for lunch. It was kinda funny because CJ decided that he needed to use the restroom and so we started looking for a place for him to go. But here's the thing. Every restaurant in Abilene is closed at 10:00 in the morning. So, finally, a lady who works at a Pizza Hut let him use the restroom and then everyone decided to go (laugh and sigh). Then tonight, they surprised us by taking us to a church's youth place to eat. The thing is, the youth room has video games, T.V., pool, air hockey, ping pong, fooseball, and guitar hero :). So today was a pretty good day.

Pearlington: Wednesday

2008-07-03T17:28:00.000-07:00

Jack Thrash:
Had to drain the piling holes again! Things were going good until the rains came and the pump stopped working. Had to use buckets and form a bucket brigade. The rush to get water out of the holes was because two concrete trucks were arriving at 1:00 p.m. and concrete waits for no man. We needed as much muscle as possible and the other teams pitched in with their manpower to help us wheel barrow the concrete to 21 pilings. The trucks arrived at 1:30 and away we went. The temperature was at least 90 degrees and the humidity was close to the same. The youth and adults worked their tails off and we were finished by 4:00. In all, 17 yards of concrete was moved. Pouring concrete by wheel barrow is, I think, the hardest work I have ever done on a mission trip. I was so proud of the way everyone sacrificed to get the job done and do it safely. Everyone was looking out for one another and making sure that all had plenty of water.

As we were leaving I had a chance to talk with Jane, our homeowner. She and her husband Bert survived the storm surge that virtually wiped Pearlington off the map. They lived in a tent until the second Thanksgiving after Katrina hit. Then they lived in a FEMA trailer until four weeks ago when they were upgraded to a Katrina Cottage. For most of you who don’t know, a Katrina Cottage is basically a mobile home — 35’X12’. The home we are helping build will be 48’X32’ and 8’ off the ground. If it weren’t for faith based organizations, most of the Gulf Coast would not be being rebuilt. Our congregation can be very proud of the work our Youth Ministry has accomplished in this area over the past three years.

Austin:
Today my group had to fill in 4 holes about 4 ½ feet deep and 3 feet wide because we didn’t need them. After we were done with that, we put piers in that were 12 feet high. The piers hold the house up 8 feet above the ground. We got 9 done today and we have 6 left. Also, we ate cake made by Ms. Sams and couldn’t wait to eat them because everyone from last year always talk about her cooking.

Courtney:
Today was another hard day of work. We finished the concrete mixing and also started the porch of the house we are working on. It is owned by a man named Rick, who has gone through some tough times lately. I am glad that we can help him because he seems like a nice guy. A lot of the work today involved getting up on ladders and drilling. I went up there one time, and after much trial and error, drilled the screw where it needed to go. It feels cool because I know that with every screw I drill, or every shovel of dirt I scoop, I am making a difference. But, for the most part, today was a pretty slow day. To entertain ourselves during our many water breaks, our group (including Mrs. Little and Mr. Baab) had dirt fights. No one got seriously injured, but it was really funny. But I have to say, the best part of my day, was going back to Mrs. Sam’s house. We worked with her last year on helping to build back her church from the hurricane. She is the sweetest 90 year old woman you will ever meet. She treats everyone as family and always makes sure we feel at home. She even baked us cakes to take back to the group (and they were delicious!). She is one of those kind of people that are rare to see now-a-days, and she is truly a gift from God. I hope and pray that I will follow in her footsteps. May God continue to bless you all, and hi to everyone in Abilene! God bless.

Sara:
Day five was another great day! During devotional, we talked about how the “blind should not lead the blind” which really applied to our working groups. After that, we headed to our worksite and started to use a lot of different tools to begin the porch. I even got to use an automatic drill and a circular saw! Then after a long day of work, we went to visit Mrs. Sams again. She is such a cutie-pa-tootie and is the nicest person I have ever met. We looked at Mrs. Sam’s church that our youth group worked on last year, and it was so amazing. I truly felt like I could feel God’s presence in her church! May the Lord bless you and keep you and a shout-out to my bubby, Steven, in Abilene. :)

Pearlington: Tuesday

2008-07-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

Sarah:
Yesterday was a day to learn about a lot of stuff. We woke up at 6:00 a.m. for breakfast at 6:30 a.m. Then we waited around to find out where we were supposed to be. Then we got there and put dirt in a hole. After that we took a lunch break and it started raining. Once we got to the work site, it started too hard to get out and work. So we came back and some of us decided to play in the rain. We played in the mud, in puddles, and port-a-potty tag. After that we went to get a snow cone when we got dried off from playing in the rain. When we got a snow cone there were these people sitting on the porch. So we decided to go up and talk to them. When we started talking they told us all the stories about Hurricane Katrina. They had a beautiful statue with a plaque under it. The plaque said “I survived Hurricane Katrina with water over my head.” Then it had this big statue of Virgin Mary. What they were telling us was very inspiring. It made me find God right away. They said that when they left they put the statues in the ground and when they came back, everything was gone and the statues were still there. Today was a lot of fun, and then at the end of the day, me and Rachael fell in the mud before devotional.

Matthew:
Today we bailed water out of pier holes that the storm had so nicely filled up for us. But we needed something to do this morning. After that we ate lunch then went back to the work site and waited for the cement trucks. When they showed up we were ready for them. We would fill the wheelbarrows with concrete and roll them on our picket fence boards to the pier hole. After we filled all the holes we headed back to camp and hung out for a while before dinner. The guys and some girls wanted to play ultimate Frisbee, so we played for a long time. We then had our evening devotional where they told us that Philip isn’t going to be able to come. I am disappointed because I was looking forward to working with him. But I understand that it is more important that he should be with Keith.

Chris:
Dropped the trailer at Berta and Brett’s today. Talked to Berta for a while and asked her of her experiences. My question to her and all who live here … after all this, how do you keep going? Her answer was, “God doesn’t give you anything you can’t handle.” That was so moving to visit with her and be moved so much by her. I am proud of the kids for the incredible effort in helping people who need them.

Tyler:
This morning we had cereal for breakfast. I went to the same work site as yesterday. We had to shovel (I mean power-pump and scoop) rain out of the pier holes. We also had to shovel around mud to level the ground. Lunch was hot dogs and macaroni. I took more than I should have (like usual), but it was good. In the afternoon most of the guys went and helped dump cement in the pier holes. The cement was unloaded from the truck (actually two trucks) and put into wheelbarrows. They could weigh as much as 300 pounds! I got to push the wheelbarrow some, but I mostly help guide. It is the hardest mission work I have done so far. After we came back, we just chilled for a while. Then we went to dinner, which was some kind of bean-sausage mixture. You poured it over rice. It tasted better than it looked. The guys played ultimate with three of the adults. Ms. Lofland played for a little while too. At devotional we sang “grin-again-gang” in honor of Mr. Keith Friend.

Pearlington: Monday

2008-07-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Rachael: Today we woke up before God, at 6:00 in the morning. We had breakfast at 6:30 and then we headed off to our worksites. We had to refill the holes with dirt that had been previously dug, and we had to suck the water out of the other holes. Sarah and I had to get into the holes and “compact” the dirt. After that we left for our lunch break and we had sloppy joes. Then, it started to rain so we were unable to go back to our worksites. A few of us decided to go back out in the rain to play. We splashed in puddles, played port-a-potty tag, and played in the mud. Then, we took showers with our clothes on to rinse off, and it took a really long time to dry. After that a group of us went to get snow cones, while we were there we saw a sign that said, “I survived Hurricane Katrina even though water was over my head.” There were some people sitting on the porch so we went to visit them. They shared their story with us, and it was very inspiring. On the way to the devotional, me and Sarah fell in the mud. Today has been very unforgettable and I look forward to the rest of the week.

Jessica: Today we had to strip and unscrew the poles that we were going to use as piers. Us girls in the group had a hard time finding the right tool because there were so many. Both Mr. Monty and Mr. Teague had a lot of patience with us because we were really slow at unscrewing. We were supposed to drill holes in to the piers but it started to rain. So instead of working we play in the rain and had a port-a-potty party. I don’t think I have that much fun in a port-a-potty in my life. It rained for like 2 hours and we continued to play in the rain. So most of us were soaked head to toe. After it rained we played a lot in the mud. A group of us went to get snow cones and met these nice ladies that told us about how the hurricane affected them. It was a very fun day!!!! OH and Sarah and Rachael fell in the mud. DJ: Today was a little slow. We woke up at 6:10 because breakfast was at 6:30. When we were done eating, we got ready to go to work. But it took forever to get to our work places, because we didn’t know where to go. So we played around at camp. When we finally got to our work station, my group had a house that already had piers. There was some extra holes that wouldn’t be used, so we had to fill them in. When we were coming back from lunch, it started to storm, so we stopped working so we went to the store to get some stuff. When I got back to camp, I played around. (It stopped raining.) I went to the snow cone store just across the street and it started raining again, we stayed under the porch and talked to the guy that lived there. He said he lived here his whole life, 50 years. He said he waited out Hurricane Katrina somewhere else, and he would never do that again. He said the rain was unbelievable. He said he could see people hanging on to trees. When it was over, the water was at least 11 ft. high. It looked like a nuclear bomb went out. Trees were all over the place. When he could get back home, he did. When we got back home, his whole house was destroyed. He had to pay his own money, or people that donated money $315,000. I also talked to the lady that lived across the street. She told us about her story. She had one big and small statue. She put the small one under the house, in the bushes, and it was still there when she came back, even though everything else was gone. And the big one didn’t even move. I couldn’t understand that. But I guess it was because it was the statue of Virgin Mary.

Patti: I think I saw God today….. He was looking for Noah. All kidding aside, the kids were great! As all mission trips go, Monday was a slow start. We patiently waited. Our job for the day was to dig holes, the beginning of a deck. For the little (no rain) time that we had -– two holes emerged. Then the rain came. It rained and rained. We decided it was a lost cause for the day. On our way back we stopped at Ms. Sams' house. (We worked on her church last year. ) She was very happy to see us. Mud and all, she invited us in for a chat. She is an amazing lady, full of life and love. We get to visit her Wed. to see the finished church. (Maybe she will make us some of her famous brownies.) I am amazed at how much progress Pearlington has made in the past year. We have not come across one person that has lost faith. Everyone has a story. Everyone believes. Everyone has the faith that will, one day, help Pearlington be finished. Until then we will continue to do God’s work -– your kids are great! They want to work. They want to hear stories. They feel compassion. I feel it is an honor to be able to spend this trip with them. Thank You.

More photos from Pearlington.

Greetings from Pearlington: Sunday

2008-06-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

Olivia:
Today we went to church in Baton Rouge at the University First United Church. We all felt very welcome and at home. There we were fed by the cooks at the church who were very nice. The youth group was small compared to ours. There were only 10 in Sunday School but they were all very nice but a little quiet at first. We broke into small groups and I had to get the conversation going. We met a lot of people during the worship service. After that we left to Pearlington. Pearlington is not what I expected at all but I love it in a weird way. All the people we have met here are very welcoming and I look forward to being here and putting myself into someone else’s shoes.

Matt:
Today we finally left the hotel and went to church at the University Methodist Church in Baton Rouge. We were greeted by amazing food including cookies, strawberries and something with biscuits, cheese and sausage all piled together. Then we went to Sunday School with their youth followed by Sunday Service. Next we left and went to an amazing mall in Slidell where we ate. After we ate we made our journey to Pearlington. As we got closer I began to recognize many familiar places. It was almost a warm fuzzy feeling mixed with a kind of puzzled or unsure feeling. It has not changed much but there are still new things that need to be checked out. Dinner was great. We had fruit, corn, rice, shrimp gumbo and smothered pork. After that we played our annual game of 4 square and then football and lacrosse.
It is hot and humid and the adults keep telling us to drink lots of water.

Victoria:
Last night we spent the night at a super 8 motel. Only it wasn’t so super. After hearing everybody complain about how nasty and gross and scary it was I started to realize … what if somewhere someplace what if somebody had to live like this or even worse everyday? If there is do they complain all the time? If they don’t then why do we? On the way to Pearlington today Mrs. Shelley put on a CD by a band called Avalon. The name of the song was “Orphans of God.” In the song it said that in the eyes of god there are no outcasts, no orphans in the eyes of god. That song really put a new perspective in my eyes on how God views everybody. Even though the people in Pearlington didn’t have much after the hurricane hit (and some still don’t) God still views everyone the same. This is my third year in Pearlington and I can still tell that there is a lot to do. Please keep us in your prayers as we help the people of Pearlington. :)

More photos.