Monday, November 05, 2007
Hi POP Church,
Greetings from Gabriele (this is me writing), Barb Gross and Roger Shull, M.D. (who has earned the nick name "Doctor Roger"!! He helped someone and is having some fun with the experience. He's even rubbing elbows with our resident orthopedic surgeon!
This is a wonderful experience. I've soaked up everything Roger and Barb have told and described to me. We've driven round and they are impressed with the progress since their last visit. Others volunteers have said the same - good progress since spring of this year.
We are working on the exterior of a house. It needs a coat of paint, some fascia board replacing, and there's still storm debris that needs to be cleared. Today we had to reassess our task schedule because as we attempted to get down to our work, we discovered a few things (such as gallons of interior paint left for us for an exterior job!) and had to go to the hardware store and get some additional opinions from some other volunteers. But we got a lot of caulking and scraping (Barb and Roger) and painting done (me).
I have experienced God's grace and enlightenment these past two days: I held the (now ridiculous seeming) opinion that too many residents of the area stayed here when obvious and imminent catastrophe was coming. Why didn't they leave? Why didn't authorities make the people leave? I have learned how arrogant and wrong my attitude has been. There were many reasons why some folk didn't leave, couldn't leave. I also learned how many people did go to what they considered a safer area or to be with elderly parents who couldn't leave and managed to survive the storm itself. And then came the aftermath. I recall Reverend Fregger's sermon and words of experience: it's what happens afterword that is when you really need to reach out to people. It's afterwards that you really must "walk with Jesus" and demonstrate you are a Christians by our love.
At tonight's devotional, we began with a song that is unfamiliar to me, but it's Biblical reference is one that I remember "And they'll know we are Christians by our love
By our love
And they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
Weill walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news
That God is in our land."
Yup. Especially here, in D'Iberville.
I have been humbled. And as God has so many times in my life, He enlightened me, taught me without slapping me upside the head. He did it with gentle discovery by way of my brothers and sisters.
Thank you, God. As said in devotional tonight, God's economy is one that the Giver also receives.
We are missing Stephanie and John, Stephanie's nephew. We were saddened to learn that Stephanie lost her father today. Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Deats family. Irene and Ed, the camp directors, also miss Stephanie and hope that she and John can make it here in the spring.
Greetings from Gabriele (this is me writing), Barb Gross and Roger Shull, M.D. (who has earned the nick name "Doctor Roger"!! He helped someone and is having some fun with the experience. He's even rubbing elbows with our resident orthopedic surgeon!
This is a wonderful experience. I've soaked up everything Roger and Barb have told and described to me. We've driven round and they are impressed with the progress since their last visit. Others volunteers have said the same - good progress since spring of this year.
We are working on the exterior of a house. It needs a coat of paint, some fascia board replacing, and there's still storm debris that needs to be cleared. Today we had to reassess our task schedule because as we attempted to get down to our work, we discovered a few things (such as gallons of interior paint left for us for an exterior job!) and had to go to the hardware store and get some additional opinions from some other volunteers. But we got a lot of caulking and scraping (Barb and Roger) and painting done (me).
I have experienced God's grace and enlightenment these past two days: I held the (now ridiculous seeming) opinion that too many residents of the area stayed here when obvious and imminent catastrophe was coming. Why didn't they leave? Why didn't authorities make the people leave? I have learned how arrogant and wrong my attitude has been. There were many reasons why some folk didn't leave, couldn't leave. I also learned how many people did go to what they considered a safer area or to be with elderly parents who couldn't leave and managed to survive the storm itself. And then came the aftermath. I recall Reverend Fregger's sermon and words of experience: it's what happens afterword that is when you really need to reach out to people. It's afterwards that you really must "walk with Jesus" and demonstrate you are a Christians by our love.
At tonight's devotional, we began with a song that is unfamiliar to me, but it's Biblical reference is one that I remember "And they'll know we are Christians by our love
By our love
And they'll know we are Christians by our love.
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
We will walk with each other
Weill walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news
That God is in our land."
Yup. Especially here, in D'Iberville.
I have been humbled. And as God has so many times in my life, He enlightened me, taught me without slapping me upside the head. He did it with gentle discovery by way of my brothers and sisters.
Thank you, God. As said in devotional tonight, God's economy is one that the Giver also receives.
We are missing Stephanie and John, Stephanie's nephew. We were saddened to learn that Stephanie lost her father today. Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Deats family. Irene and Ed, the camp directors, also miss Stephanie and hope that she and John can make it here in the spring.
