Reflections while waiting for a plane

This time the scene was so different. And it lifted my heart.

Driving to the airport after the first St. Anne's Mission to New Orleans in February, 2005, I was numb. A week of shoveling three feet of mud, pulling down mold-ridden drywall, and sifting through families' treasured belongings, ruined by the flood waters had been too much for all of us.

One of my last views of the city, and one we witnessed all week, was the mounds of debris outside every home that had been gutted. Driving down a residential street felt like floating down the Grand Canyon, only rather than beautiful sculptured cliff faces, we experienced cliffs of ruined appliances, sodden clothing and broken toys. It was awful. How could they ever clean up such devastation? How could they ever recover emotionally? Each of the four of us returned sick and depressed.

Today, on our way to the New Orleans airport, where I am writing this, things are very different. There is life and energy in the city again. Every year I have seen restaurants, groceries, and schools back in business. That first year, when things were so tough, I remember seeing a child in a coffee shop and thinking, "My God, that's the only child I've see all week." Now, there are kids playing basketball in playgrounds, and riding to school in buses again. We drove past an art festival and I could feel myself begin to smile. Art and music didn't just show up this week, of course, but the symbolism of a city block covered with white awnings, sheltering artists and art lovers alike from the spring sun, was wonderful to behold, life!

Serious conversation continues, the city has just elected a new mayor, the first change since Katrina. What will happen to the Crescent City? Will natives who want to return be able to come home and resume a cherished way of life? Will the new folks that have come cherish and work to preserve the culture of this proud and quirky city, and at the same time come to terms with generations of racism and corruption? Will the developers and speculators have their way and New Orleans become a get-rich-quick scheme or a big theme park, a caricature of its former self?

Last year, getting on the plane to come here, I noticed how it seemed like everyone in line had on work clothes. An army of volunteers, most of them from religious groups, transformed a city. Will the fervor be there? Was this a training ground for Haiti and the next huge disaster after that?

No one knows, at least not yet. But this I do know - today the spring sun was warm, there were bikers and dog walkers and bird watchers in beautiful Audubon Park. Azaleas were popping. I have just spent the week with a part of the beloved community. This city has changed my life forever, and I believe that I, and thousands like me, have changed this city.

God bless New Orleans.

The Road Home

Names matter, they always have. God changes Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, claiming them as His. Some people change their names when they marry, or seek a new identity. So the Diocese of Louisiana changing the name of the Disaster Response Program to Episcopal Community Services is significant. It is also important to realize that the ECS has recently received its 501(c)3 status and become an independent nonprofit, no longer closely affiliated with the Diocese. What started as a grass roots program to help New Orleanians move back into Katrina-ravaged homes has now grown into a new phase. Those involved in the program today understand that with immediate disaster relief coming to a close, and some things like gutting contaminated homes ending, systemic changes must occur for the community of New Orleans to thrive. There are still homes to be made livable, but this cannot be the end of assistance for the poor.

There is a new vision being developed by the young people who continue to staff and support the organization. Katrina-decimated New Orleans is becoming a test tube, a model for how small non-profits can effect important change for at-risk communities, and it's very exciting.

Having said all this I want for you to know that this past week, the 2010 St. Anne's New Orleans Mission Team has worked very hard in helping a family get back into their home. We have spent the week doing the most complicated finishing work inside a home, as well as building a complicated and beautiful handicap access ramp and a set of stairs on the back of a house ruined by the flood waters after Katrina. This has been done on a house some of us did structural work on last spring. There is a family in the Gentilly section of New Orleans who will finally, after five years, be able to move out of a FEMA trailer and back into their home.

I am so proud of our team: Heidi Marggraf, Susan Ficklin, Lorriane Cross, Dina Widlake, Claude Saffer, Jim Hunter, and me. The team's incredibly hard work, and considerable carpentry skills, have made the crucial difference in creating a new life for a deserving family.


Even though some fundamental changes are happening for the program, it is still a constant that the small group of dedicated young people who staff the ECS are working tirelessly, for little pay and recognition. In a time when large entities like federal and state agencies are struggling to help, some committed and exemplary young Episcopalians are making a significant difference. They are to be commended and emulated.

Jim Papile

Our 2010 Mission Roadtrip is Starting!

It's so great to be headed (back) to New Orleans! We're reconnecting with old friends and will make new ones. We have some good work to do - building a wheelchair ramp and outside stairs - to finish a house.

We have a team of 7 going - 4 "old hands" (Father Jim, Jim Hunter, Lorraine Cross, and Claude Saffer) and 3 newbies (Dina Widlake, Heidi Marggraf, me). I'm excited to be going on this trip for the first time and on my first all-adult trip :-)

Please keep us and the family we'll be helping in your prayers this week. We look forward to sharing our adventures during the week and worshipping with our St. Anne's family on Palm Sunday.

Most of all, Thank You, St. Anne's, for making it possible!

What Happens When We're Not There

As a long-term volunteer on short-term mission trips, I miss our Christian siblings in the months between our trips. When we first started going to the Dominican Republic in 2000, we had very little contact with our new Dominican friends between trips. These days, phone calls are easier to make and the internet has made it possible to send and receive email, and even to instant message with the people we visit each summer.

This past week I received two amazing emails. One was the thank you message translated and copied here:

Dearly Loved Father Jim,

May the peace of Christ and the Holy Spirit fill you with blessings and the same blessings to the sister church of St. Anne’s. The church of Cristo Salvador joins me in thanking you for the help that you have given to the children, the young people and the older people as well.

Thank you for all the love you bring when you visit us, thank you for the VBS that draws more than 200 children. They enjoy the same friendship and love that you offer to the church and my family. We always enjoy a sermon from Father Jim, God bless him, and God bless Denise, the priest who accompanied the team this year.

The people of Cristo Salvador see that I am not alone. Thank you. They all see that I have people outside of Santiago who help me proclaim the Gospel. It makes me happy to see Martha and her team working at Cristo Salvador. Thanks to St. Anne’s for sending these people to clean, paint and to fix houses of the poor.

I know that God will especially bless the donation that you have sent me for the shelter program. Many children and some older people come to eat and get the attention they need. Without your help, none of this would be possible.

Gracias, muchas gracias, Padre Jim, Martha and all our brothers and sisters at St. Anne’s.

With much love,
Padre Hipólito
Cristo Salvador
Santiago – La Yaguita del Pastor

The second message was amazing... Father Hipólito's church has been selected to receive a grant from the United Thank Offering. The grant will be used to buy a house which will be renovated and used as the new home of the children's shelter at Cristo Salvador! When the next mission team visits, we'll be putting finishing touches on the new shelter.

So, short-term mission trips may be the seeds of long-term relationships. What a gift it is to see those seeds grow, indeed, to flourish. Thank you, God!

Thursday

Today began with pancakes. Mr. Colie woke up extra early in order to make these amazing pancakes for us. After breakfast, our group had a meeting in which we sent off two now un-needed group members to new projects. When we got to the thrift shop, we all split up to continue working on what we had left undone the day before. Some of us worked on the drop ceiling, some finished putting up the drywall, and others began to put a second coat of paint on the other walls. Work continued on that way, everyone working diligently, until the first big news came in the form of a completed drop ceiling. Finally! We finally got the grid all worked out, and all the ceiling tiles cut and placed into their spots. The shop looked amazingly up to date with the new ceiling in place. especially with all the new lights on and working where there had formerly just been bulbs hanging off of the ceiling.

Lunch was fairly uneventful, as we ate our lunches and heard some of the funny stories from other work sites. When we got back to the shop, everyone cleaned up all the saws and other tools, so that we could paint and be already cleaned up when we finished. Painting was long and tedious, especially the trim and touch-up painting and paint scraping (to get it off the windows), but looks really fantastic now that it's done.

Once we finished painting, the job was complete and we were free to relax. So we went to the swimming hole, of course! The water was freezing, but with the higher water levels this year the rope swing was the big hit. The people were willing to brave the frigid mountain water were rewarded with 15 foot falls off the rope swing into the deeper parts of the swimming hole.

After the swimming hole, everyone came home to shower and eat. We ended up getting three guests to come to our taco night, and the food was pretty good. But "taco night" ended up consisting of taco filling on nacho chips. The most amazing thing was that one of the guests brought home made ice cream and frozen yogurt, so we all got to have sundaes for desert. After dinner, we gathered around the card tables and listened to music while playing cards.

And that's about it for today. Hopefully we'll catch up with you again tomorrow!

- Written by Ben

Why I Do This

I went on a mission trip to Preston County, West Virginia with the church I grew up in several times in high school and college. Those trips gave me many things: practical experience that I've used in my own house, friendships that continue to this day, and a needed perspective on life in a different segment of society than the one I grew up in. But the most valuable thing I got out of those trips was the confidence to lead, even when I didn't know exactly what needed to be done ahead of time.

This is my second time on this trip in three years, and many of the kids who were quiet first-timers two years ago are budding leaders. Others are in the same position I was in at their age -- being stretched to figure things out and keep a crew motivated and productive at the same time. As I listened to the kids in my car discuss going off to college on the ride home from Pizza Hut tonight, I realized how so many of the young people on this trip are rapidly becoming the kind of adults we need more of in this society.

-- James

A Successful Day of Starts and Stops

Today was a typical second day at Dungannon, VA. As our crews begin to have early successes, there is often an increase in demand for our services. One of the crews is working on a new Mission Building to support the local Methodist Church. The church's pastor envisions servicing this community with a new center that offers job counseling, substance abuse support, mental health counseling and an extension to the library. He has very big plans for this building and has taken our presence as a positive sign that his vision is closer to coming true.

We were not able to meet many of his demands because the church lacks the funds to purchase the supplies. Our crew sat patiently on site as the church leadership attempted to locate the right people to approve funds and move supplies to the worksite. We spent about 2 hours waiting and finally supplies came to the site. We were able to complete the insulation job and received instructions for future framing.

Our team is thankful to have the work. We are also grateful that the recipients of our services are humble and appreciative.

Written by Clifton

Roof Work

Carol Grish emailed this picture of the Methodist mission roof.

Monday August 3rd

This morning our Region 5 Dungannon Mission team awoke ready and rested enough to begin our first day on the job sites. We packed our lunches, teamed up and headed out. Some of the job sites require the entire week to complete and perfect while others are day or 2 day sites. This morning I was assigned to a roof repair and painting job on an empty building. This old grocery store is in the stages of changing into another mission building. The Methodist church in Dungannon is sponsoring this mission center. We used silver cool seal as well as caulk to repair the leaks. Long mops were great for spreading the cool seal--although it seamed like we all blended in with the new roof by lunch time! We successfully and safely completed the job this afternoon. Back at the Center we reflected on our day's in small groups where discussed the up's and down's of each work site. It is so heart warming to hear of all of the work our mission team is doing. God has blessed up with energy and full hearts to go out into this world sharing his love those in need.

Thank you for supporting Dungannon Mission Team 2009!

Madeline

Day 2 at the Phoenix Center

It's now day 2 at the Phoenix Center in Dungannon! We arrived on Saturday afternoon
and everybody picked their bunks. We had a lovely barbeque and the coleslaw was a
huge hit! It was SO good.  I hear it's on the menu for later this week, as well.
Last night everyone picked their secret buddies and got to know each other a little
better during ice breakers. It's exciting to see so many new faces here! The girls
room had a little bit of an air conditioning problem. It got very very cold! But
Scott has it under control now. We went to the falls today and had a great time. As
usual, the water was freezing but many people went in anyways. Most of the group
took a long and beautiful hike down from the falls. Tomorrow we head out to start
the job sites. Don't get worried parents, but we have a few roof painting jobs.
Tomorrow's blog will tell you about that. Now it's time for Compline and then bed.
Bye from the tiny town in Virginia!

- Written by Kelly