Friday, November 10, 2006
Crofton POP Disaster Relief
Today is Friday, our last day in D'Iberville working out in town with its residents. We have had so many adventures: some emotional, some hard working, some exhausting- both mentally and physically.
We said goodbye to Jon last night and Mike Rafter who attends Seton and travelled with our group back in December also.
Roger Shull was named team leader this week and has worked incessently. He is always moving, always working, and always helping anyone who needs it.
Today, our group had several different assignments. One team repaired a water line to a gentleman's house. Another team spent the day finishing painting the underside of a home built on stilts. Two groups continued with assessments. During the assessments, the teams found a woman who lost it all to Katrina, who was in direct need of food and basic necessities. They were able to have those necessities provided today, and also provided her with contact information for groups who can help with their future needs. The assessment teams also found a woman who has been helping out the community in many ways since the storm, but had refused any help on her own home, which is in bad need of repair. The team was able to identify her needs, and began the process of getting her the necessary help. We also found an elderly couple who spent 4 1/2 hours on top of their van waiting for the water which had filled their home to recede. They are now in a mobile home and need a few repairs and they are thanking God to still be alive, never complaining. They are an inspiration to us and the woman even made Jen and Cathleen some crocheted crosses to remember her by. We are blessed to have met her.
With the time they had left at the end of the day, Roger, Terry, and Rebecca volunteered to clean and organize the two tool/supply sheds in the camp. This was a big job, and many in the camp appreciated their efforts in organizing the hundreds off tools and supplies that have been used by over 200 people throughout the week.
Overall, it was a very productive day, and a very productive week. Our group was fortunate to be able to finish many jobs that we started, or that were started by those before us.
So tomorrow we clean the camp and head to the airport. It will be both easy and hard to leave. We will look forward to the comforts of home and not standing outside in the cold at 7am for breakfast. But it will be hard to leave the people who touched our hearts, sometimes we think more than we touched them.
See you on Sunday!
Today is Friday, our last day in D'Iberville working out in town with its residents. We have had so many adventures: some emotional, some hard working, some exhausting- both mentally and physically.
We said goodbye to Jon last night and Mike Rafter who attends Seton and travelled with our group back in December also.
Roger Shull was named team leader this week and has worked incessently. He is always moving, always working, and always helping anyone who needs it.
Today, our group had several different assignments. One team repaired a water line to a gentleman's house. Another team spent the day finishing painting the underside of a home built on stilts. Two groups continued with assessments. During the assessments, the teams found a woman who lost it all to Katrina, who was in direct need of food and basic necessities. They were able to have those necessities provided today, and also provided her with contact information for groups who can help with their future needs. The assessment teams also found a woman who has been helping out the community in many ways since the storm, but had refused any help on her own home, which is in bad need of repair. The team was able to identify her needs, and began the process of getting her the necessary help. We also found an elderly couple who spent 4 1/2 hours on top of their van waiting for the water which had filled their home to recede. They are now in a mobile home and need a few repairs and they are thanking God to still be alive, never complaining. They are an inspiration to us and the woman even made Jen and Cathleen some crocheted crosses to remember her by. We are blessed to have met her.
With the time they had left at the end of the day, Roger, Terry, and Rebecca volunteered to clean and organize the two tool/supply sheds in the camp. This was a big job, and many in the camp appreciated their efforts in organizing the hundreds off tools and supplies that have been used by over 200 people throughout the week.
Overall, it was a very productive day, and a very productive week. Our group was fortunate to be able to finish many jobs that we started, or that were started by those before us.
So tomorrow we clean the camp and head to the airport. It will be both easy and hard to leave. We will look forward to the comforts of home and not standing outside in the cold at 7am for breakfast. But it will be hard to leave the people who touched our hearts, sometimes we think more than we touched them.
See you on Sunday!
