Katrina Youth Mission Update - Day Six
Day Six - Thursday, February 28, 2008
With illness in the camp, some stayed behind today for some much needed rest. Dave played “mom”, tending to the ill and cleaning the entire facility (even drawers and cabinets - though I’m pretty sure he doesn’t want his wife to know about this! Boy, can that man clean well!)
The rest of us continued on at Joann’s house. Much of the work has been the same throughout the week, but it is exciting to see the rooms looking more “finished” with each passing day. Patrick took Logan and Jonas to the Aldersgate facility in the afternoon to pass out gifts from NH (including a Red Sox Championship shirt for Tony, a NSDR foreman who is a big fan and had no problem accepting the gift from a Yankee fan!).
There was much discussion today about how quickly the time has passed. We have our final workday tomorrow, and I don’t believe any of us are ready to leave. It is a common feeling when you are here. There is so much to do, and it is a wonderful place to be (everyone is friendly and so grateful for your efforts) and you get personally attached to your project. While we know another team will follow behind us, it’s not the same as seeing it to completion ourselves.
The other feeling we are wrestling with is not having met the homeowner. As you may recall, we met her son Jacob and his friend Eric on Monday, but we haven’t seen them again since, and we haven’t met Joann at all. We are longing to hear her story to get that personal connection to our mission. We have a St. John’s apron that we have all signed and will be leaving for her at the house tomorrow.
Since we are on the subject of feelings, and I am still filling in for Maggie, I want to take this opportunity to say that this week has been one of the best times I have ever had with our youth. Despite the long days and lack of sleep, I don’t believe we have heard a complaint out of any of them all week - not even on the long drive. They get along beautifully with one another and with the adults (at this point, we’re not sure who the adults are - even Patrick seems years younger). I haven’t laughed this much in years. The youth would probably tell you I spent more time crying as that’s how hard I’ve laughed! St. John’s can be proud of its representation here.
Tonight we were invited to join the First Presbyterian Church of Bedford, NH for dinner and worship. The group of about 37 (23 adults and 14 youth) felt like old friends by the end of the evening. The catered dinner of pot roast, potatoes and salad was delicious, and worship, led by their Associate Pastor Karen, was very moving. They had just visited the Ninth Ward this morning, and we shared our experiences, connecting one word that described what we had hoped for on this mission trip with the word or phrase that struck us from the reading (I Kings 19:11-15). The reflections were varied but all powerful. More than one person compared their visit to the levies with the Wailing Wall.
The true proof of the success of the evening was that our boys left asking if we could go back there again tomorrow night! As we were walking back to our van, I overheard one man comment to another about what a nice group of kids we had. We know that, but it is always nice to hear it from someone else.
I should be in bed or I fear I’ll join the ranks of the ill. I’ve begun to love this quiet time in God’s Camp, but morning comes fast. Tomorrow will be a tough day - trying to squeeze in the work, some last minute shopping and a visit to Rose, whose house we worked on last year. We’ve missed the connection with the homeowner, but we’ve made connections with local people, three other mission teams, God and each other. Hopefully Maggie will be reporting to you tomorrow, so from your youth director, who is feeling overwhelmingly blessed this week, I will close saying this has been a very successful mission. Let’s get busy planning the next one!
Peace,
Brenda Borchers