GodSquad on Mission

The Other Blog

2009-07-28T09:56:00.001-07:00

Click this link for the : 2009 Mission to Galveston TX blog

Mission Trip 2009

2009-07-20T18:30:00.002-07:00

The time is almost here. Less than 1 week and we will be arriving in Galveston, TX to continue the effort to support those affected by Hurricane Ike. Stay tuned. More information we be arriving shortly.

The Bishop of LA Speaks

2007-09-04T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Bishop's Blog: What I Would Like To Say To President Bush

Our mid-trip message to home.

2007-08-21T13:31:00.001-07:00

John O's Sermon

2007-08-13T20:23:00.000-07:00

When I arrived in New Orleans at the beginning of this trip, I didn’t know what to expect. Last year, we spent at least an hour looking for a place to stay before finally settling down in a circus tent. This year, thankfully, we already had housing accommodations, and work arranged for us. Each day, we had an option of either working with kids in the 9th ward, or doing demo. And rebuilding. I decided to work with the kids attending a church-run camp you have probably already all heard about called Camp Ubuntu.

On the first day, I was basically shunned by all the kids in the camp, except for one girl whose name was P. She was a little 7 year old girl who I had played a game with when we took a field trip to the roller rink. For some reason I felt the need to come back the next day, so I did, and I was told to keep an eye on S. He was an energetic “almost 9 year old” kid – a kid revered by the rest of the Camp Ubuntu kids, who would sometimes lead the whole group into trouble. In following him around, we became friends to the point where he rallied the rest of the group together to chant “God Squad” during a laser-tag game between our God Squad group and a youth group from a church in Berkley. Throughout the trip, I became more attached to these two kids, and they to me. The final day of working with them was by far the hardest. It would have been hard enough just saying goodbye, but we had heard one day earlier that Camp Ubuntu was having to shut down due to some kind of administrative problem – we didn’t get the details.

When we arrived at the church where we were going to say goodbye, there were only two kids there. But more showed up within an hour to say goodbye and to get a free lunch. I was inside the church when I heard from one of the kids that P and S were outside. P was getting some lunch while S was sitting on a bench crying. After a bit of talking, I convinced S to come inside for a game of pool. We said our goodbyes and I prepared to leave about 45 minutes later. I was sitting in the van ready to go when I heard someone shouting the news that P's’ mom had AIDS. Apparently she had had it for some time. I got out of the van and saw S, and a few of the other kids standing on a street corner and looking down the street towards P's house. There in the middle of the street, I saw an ambulance and P's bone-thin mother waving a weak goodbye to her daughter who was standing on the front porch, looking stunned and scared. The kids told me that P's mother was not expected to live through the week. I hugged P, told her some words of comfort, and walked away. I didn’t make it across the street before breaking down in tears. It stunned me. Spending less than a week with these people and I already loved and cared for them so much. Brother Rodger of Tiaze wrote a letter stating “God is love.” The love I felt for these kids and their well-being was truly an act of God. So that is why I stand here now; to spread love, and in doing that, spread God. Because we are the God Squad.

Nate's Sermon

2007-08-13T20:19:00.000-07:00

Due to the supply and demand nature that is consumerism, many people strive to earn as much money as they can so that they may be able to buy the latest in styles and technology. On this path to wealth and what we might see as happiness, we tend to take more pride in possessions in a similar way to what the Gospel reading tells us. Though we may be living with these riches and comforts, the same cannot be said with many of the people living in New Orleans.
Upon arrival in New Orleans, I was again surprised, as I had been on the previous mission trip, by the sight of widespread destruction that had not been rebuilt or repaired. Though there were some changes here and there, even after two years, there is still plenty of work to be done.
On my first day of work, I was privileged to assist in the gutting process of a home belonging to a man by the name of Mr. M. As we first pulled up to his house, it pained me to see the large mounds of clothing, books, toys, old vinyl records, and many other belongings lying in heaps of rotted wood, insulation, and drywall. Going inside of Mr. M’s house painted an even more sorrowful picture of the devastation the storm brought, with gaping holes in the ceilings and walls, and even more belongings scattered amongst the debris. Mr. M had been hard at work inside the house that day long before we even got there. The reason for this was because the federal government had given him a court date the next day to fight for ownership of his home because it had not been gutted within their time standards. Though the government had been sending him warnings, they had been sending them to a wrong address. By the time Mr. M got one he did not have much time to prove that work had been put into the gutting of his home. With a clear idea of what had to be done, we set off to work. And boy, did we work. Through the soreness of my arms and sweat off my brow, I was somehow able to feel a sense of satisfaction of drywall crunching and sending shards everywhere as the swift judgment of my crowbar was served. At the same token, I also had some qualms about ripping down pieces of what held innumerable memories and served as a sanctuary for the M family and other families for a fair number of years. During this process, I found myself asking how I’d like it if someone jubilantly smashed through my house and did not share the same pain that I had felt in its destruction. Although I could easily say that I would know what had to be done, I knew that if I was in Mr. M’s shoes, I would not readily have an answer.
Another job we had to do while gutting the home was to empty out cabinets and closets of belongings to see if Mr. M still wanted them. I was shocked to see that Mr. M told us to throw away numerous things such as old letters, old china, and other keepsakes. Even if some were useable, he told us to discard many of them. Personally, I felt that if my house were to have suffered the same amount of damage, I would try to salvage as much as I could for sentimental purposes. It was not until I read today’s Gospel of Luke that I became cognizant of the implications of Mr. M’s decisions to keep or throw away. The Gospel tells us not to store for ourselves treasures that could easily be easily affected by the elements or thievery “for where your treasure is, your heart will be also.” Mr. M was able to let go of the physical bonds he had with these items because he kept the memories and emotions that they actually represented within his heart where no hurricane or thief could ever come near.
The destruction also brought a few surprises. It was a bit heart-warming to see that new forms of life, such as frogs and lizards, had taken refuge in the debris within house. This showed me how true the saying of how “Death brings new life” really is and reminded me that Mr. M had a chance to start fresh out of the wreckage. He just needed our help. Mr. M was indeed ready to move on from the challenge that God had presented him with even at the “unexpected hour.”
Instead of focusing on gaining more material possessions, I believe that we should focus on building aspects of our life that are more important such as building the bonds with our families and each other. Through the bonds that we create with other people, we may be able to overcome struggles such as poverty. Even if a storm destroys everything we own, as long as we have each other we can get through those harsh times.
Though I was, at first, a bit skeptical about going back to New Orleans because of the lesser work we had done in Mississippi, I believe this trip has given me the most worthwhile experience in my life. Not to mention some of the hardest manual labor that I’ve ever had to do. I think I actually gained a few muscles. I would like to thank all of you for your generosity, support, and prayers in this venture, and for allowing us to make treasures in our hearts that will last us a lifetime.

Rob O's Sermon

2007-08-13T14:07:00.000-07:00

The work we did on this years mission trip was, in my words “flipping hard”. It’s been nearly two years since hurricane Katrina and there is still much work to be done, and this year Godsquad rose to the challenge and did our part in helping those victims of the hurricane. As I said before, the work we did was very hard and exhausting. Many of us were sore and tired during the first few days of work, but there was also a great sense of satisfaction in the work we did. I discovered this after my first day of work where I gutted part of a house. For those of you who don’t know, gutting is the term that is used when ones house is “systematically” stripped of its walls, ceiling, and everything else, until only the frame is left standing. So our job on this day of work was to rip out the sheetrock walls and ceiling. The work itself was tough: having to pull and rip down sheetrock with a heavy crowbar, but it was really the heat and humidity of New Orleans that caused one to fatigue and tire. Towards the end of our work, our group leader asked for volunteers to pull down the drywall ceiling. I was tired, but I volunteered anyway and proceeded in pulling down the ceiling. Every time we pulled down a piece of drywall, black dirt and debris would come falling down on top of us and when I walked outside after we were done my whole body was caked in a layer dust and dirt and whatever else had been sitting in that ceiling for years. I was tired and very dirty, but I felt like I had done some real work that would be helpful to the people we serviced. Over the next few days of work we gutted, painted and rebuilt more houses and after every day I felt that same sense of satisfaction, that we were doing good work, almost every day of the six days that we worked.
In the reading from Isaiah 1:1-20 God is telling Isaiah that he is frustrated with all of the animal sacrificing and burning of incense that people are doing in his name. The reading is meant to teach us that it doesn’t matter if you go to church every day and praise God or if you sacrifice a hundred bulls in the name of God. What matters is that you are a good person who strives to do good, or as described in Isaiah “seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow”. On our trip I discovered that I feel Gods presence much more when I am doing good deeds like gutting houses and painting, than when I’m at church. I’m going to be honest with you. I usually only come when I am called to acolyte, but I would rather be showing my spirituality by getting caked in dirt than by sitting in a pew any day.

Adrian's Sermon

2007-08-13T11:11:00.001-07:00

"Let the little children come to me,
and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God
belongs to such as these.
I tell you the truth,
anyone who will not receive
the kingdom of God
like a little child
will never enter it."
Mark 10:13-16

While in New Orleans, one of the volunteer opportunities available to us was to staff Camp Ubuntu, set up by the Episcopal diocese in the area for the poorest kids. The world they live in is something like East Oakland, if it was put through the blender that was Hurricane Katrina. They were hit the hardest, because they are the poorest, and lived every day in the ghetto.

It's a little surprising, but the first words that came to me when I met these kids were "child soldiers". They reminded me of children in Africa, drugged up and gunned out, fighting the wars of adults they didn't understand. Quite frankly, they scared me at first. It wasn't because I was afraid they would hurt me in any way. It was because the life they lived was so radically different from mine, that I felt of afraid of the unknown. Ignorance of their lives and who they were caused me to fear them at first. I have always lived with a loving and supportive family, a mother and father who were always there when they could be- many of the children had parents who had left or died. One of the girls has a mother dying of AIDS. One of them has seen his father shoot a man. I have always lived knowing I would have a home- I have no idea if they have a safe house, or a place of their own. I was taught to love and abide to a code of morality- life has taught these children to grow up and survive the hard way. It was frightening to see how good they were at stealing and pick pocketing. One of the older girls said to me "so what- stealing isn't bad." It's not that she was trying to be malicious, but more that life in the Katrina ghetto had taught her that stealing was a way of survival, and showed me again how life for many of us has been soft, compared to these child soldiers, forced to grow older.

But here is the amazing thing: these child soldiers, these tough kids, were just that- kids. They were small children, sometimes lost and often afraid. For all the toughness they put up to defend themselves, for all of the nightmares they had seen, and all the knowledge they had of the world, they were still small children. When swimming with them, some of them broke down, the walls of the little soldiers they had made crumbling down into the water, which had taken so many of their relatives and friends. Some of them clung to me, afraid of also slipping away under the water. Their faces, when afraid, looked like the faces of any other child- scared, teary, panicked. They asked for help like any other child, and in that moment you could see innocence and fear shining through, a childlike questioning of the world and the unknown. There was one boy who was the toughest, hardest, most grown-up nine year old I had ever met, strong enough to LIFT and squeeze my 166 pound frame with his tiny arms. Yet, he also proved to be still a child. When we were leaving, he jumped into the van, and when asked if he wanted to come back to California with us, he answered "okay, let me go ask my mom.". Let me go ask my mom. Forget that California was almost a country away, and forget that we had just met him a little more than a week ago. He loved us, and was willing to trust us, like any other child I've met. That was another moment in which I saw God shining through. It turns out that his mother works at the zoo, and that when we went with them there, he was very happy to see her.

It is so easy to judge these kids and forget them. Many take one look and say "just another black kid in the ghetto." By saying that, we doom them to always being looked at that way, and we become just another part of society that lets them down. They have been let down by many who should care for them most- the community. The government, the runaway family members, even the Episcopal church in the area threatened to let them down. Without the community to raise them, they forced themselves to survive by becoming tough. It is when a child becomes tough like this that God seems to be snuffed out- the childlike holiness and innocence, the possibility that is a small child is closed off, forgotten. However, these kids showed me that even in the face of the most dire circumstances, God shines through even the angriest child in questions, in fear, in sadness, in blind trust. When these kids let down their defenses, they are all the more willing to love, and it showed me again that all people can be that way. Ubuntu is an African word, and in some translations means "I am because the community is." I am, because YOU are. Without YOU, without US, I am NOTHING, and God is hidden. In order to be children, the community is needed, love is needed, and in that instant, God shines through. That is what these children need, so that they can be the children they are born to be.

-Thanks,
Adrian

Kori's Sermon

2007-08-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

The first day of work, I chose to help volunteer with the kids from camp Ubuntu. Since I had never done anything similar to this, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, other than to play with a group of children from a different state that were less fortunate than me. I had feelings of trepidation yet I was also excited for I knew I was there helping in some
way doing God’s work. When I first got there, it seemed as if the younger kids clung to us like glue, but the older the kids got, the further they would stand from us. It was almost as if the older they were, the greater the feeling of hopelessness. It was then that I knew that I could not change the world entirely, but I could definitely make a small, yet significant difference. As the day went on, slowly they became more comfortable with us.
One little girl I became very attached with was a girl named O.

O, a girl of just eight years, lost her home to Katrina and had to survive in the Superdome with her family during the aftermath. Two months before the dreadful hurricane, her brother died in terrible car crash. Obviously scarred by these catastrophes, she showed no signs of emotional distress. She chose to live her life as best she could under the circumstances. She is a happy, vivacious girl who taught me how to roller
skate at the local roller skating rink. We became quite attached to O and the other kids. When we finally had to say goodbye to her, she cried and it was a sad but telling moment. I have a feeling that this was the first time she had done that in a long time and it was probably good that she was finally able to get her emotions out. She will be in my memories forever.

Other memorable moments include the time when we arrived at Tulane University and were paired into groups with five kids with two other youth volunteers. The kids were in swim practice, learning how to swim for the first time and getting over their obvious fear of water. This was due to past memories of being trapped on roof tops watching their very livelihoods float away. For some this seemed like no big deal, but for most, it took all of their courage to get in the water. With the help from us and the swim instructors, they slowly got comfortable enough to play in the water and grow in their water abilities and skills. For somebody like me, being on the swim team, this was remarkable to see and experience. I will never take this luxury for granted again.

There were so many moving and memorable experiences that it is hard to put into words and describe. Whether it was installing sheet rock, pulling out nails from banisters, priming and painting security bars, or planting a garden and grass for an elderly lady named Miss C, it was all hard work but extremely gratifying. Seeing the joy on the faces of those we helped was very spiritual and is something that will be ingrained in my thoughts for the rest of my life. Although we worked with people of varied backgrounds and some cases color, I feel like we were able to break down the walls of social and economic differences. Personally, I have a better appreciation for life and have made friendships that will last a lifetime.

I would like to say thank you to all the Mission Trip Supporters, families and friends of St. Paul’s and all who had us in thoughts and prayers. Thank you and thank God for this opportunity.

Leslie's Post Trip Reflection

2007-08-12T18:08:00.000-07:00

As I’m writing this, I find myself alone at my dinner table, parents out to dinner in SF, brother upstairs playing computer games; home sweet home. I miss the noise of the parish hall at St. George’s and the crazy rules of the heart room. Now that I’m back at my place of residence I’m thankful for my queen-sized bed, but my heart hurts for NOLA and the community we built. I have been lucky enough to do a lot of traveling in my life, but I have never had the privilege to experience what I have just returned from. (With the exception of last year’s mission trip, of course!) It seems as if the God Squad has boundless love to give that spills over to touch every person we meet or encounter. Like a grad student addicted to lattes, I think God Squad is addicted to service. It’s like we can’t get enough, and I think it is that attitude that makes it possible for such an amazing community to form in the face of such devastation. When you ask someone to grab a soda for you, they actually say, “Yeah, sure.” instead of the usual, “Get it yourself!” When you ask someone to listen, you know that they’ll put everything else down until you finish what you have to say. These wonderful people encourage me to do my work with that much more enthusiasm and give me a little hope for this crazy world we are about to inherit. With this in mind, I salute us, and hope that we can be an example for a better, more loving world in the future. Thanks for everything guys; keep up the good work.

Sent

2007-08-11T08:32:00.001-07:00

Thanks, God.

I arrived at St. Paul's,
barely ready to go.
What was i getting into?
Only God would know.

We reached Louisiana,
and its hot summer heat.
Where cool breezes and cold waters,
were always a treat.

As we began our work,
I started to see.
Why Jesus had sent us,
why he had sent me.

The damage of New Orleans,
truly opened my eyes.
All that pain and destruction,
that i had not realized.

I painted houses,
put in floors,
tore down walls,
and put up doors.

Amongst all the hurt,
i fell in love with their culture.
When food came around,
they would call me a vulture.

10 minutes 'till we leave,
it hurts my heart to say goodbye,
Why God created hurricanes,
i have no idea why.

Now i know why i came,
and why i left i'm not sure.
But when God closed that window,
He opened a door.

I know i'll come back,
to this city i love.
And continue my service,
to our God up above.

Sammy Forcum

PICTURES

2007-08-10T09:39:00.000-07:00

Sarah's online photo album
Enjoy!

Time ticks by

2007-08-09T15:27:00.001-07:00

(Caroline & Liz)

Sitting in the airport, watching as the time ticks by toward our arrival home, I realize how much I miss about home, and how much I will miss about New Orleans. I will miss working to mend this broken-hearted diva of a city, and the unique feeling that comes along with being covered in a layer of sweat beneath a layer of dirt beneath a layer of paint. But perhaps more even than that, I will miss the people, the community that I have grown so accustomed to waking up and working and singing and laughing and crying with for ten long days.

I spent yesterday winding down, trying to organize my suitcase and my thoughts so that I could bring it all back and tell our story. We have done so much, and it has all affected each of us differently. There is so much to tell, and it would take hours of talking to even scratch the surface of this entire experience.

For most of this trip, we have been treated like adults, and given the same work as the intern volunteers who are assisting us. Being on the Flow Team (a group of three youth and two adults that made decisions while we were on the trip) forced me to think about the consequences of my decisions and take some responsibility. But now, sitting in the airport and waiting for the plane, I feel like a child again, a chid who misses her family. And her bed.

Liz Powers

Just squeeze it

2007-08-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

When we go to a work site during the day, we try to remember to bring along one of the handmade quilts donated by a member of Church of the Resurrection in hopes of being able to meet the owner and give it to them personally. Being from Church of the Resurrection, it was especially important to me to be able to give one to a family we had helped. My favorite quilt of the group was a bright purple one with some green patches that I thought was perfect for a little girl. At Miss Davis' house we were scrapping rust of the iron gates so they could be painted again. As Leslie and I were working away we saw two eyes pop out from behind a shade and disappear again, then she stuck her head out the door and said "hi". On a bathroom break we went inside and started talking to her.

Her name is Mia. She is nine years old and likes to dance and play baseball. She lives with her mother and her grandmother (Miss Davis). She lived Mississippi for a year and a half with her aunt after the hurricane. Her birthday was on Mardi Gras this year, and was very happy to hear that we had all celebrated her birthday even before we knew her. After talking to her we invited her to come outside and have a little dance party while we finished working. As Leslie and I walked out the front door Leslie said to me "That's it.... she's getting the quilt". After lunch we brought the beautiful purple quilt and gave it to her. She was so excited and couldn't stop saying how she just wanted to squeeze it. Nothing else,,,, just squeeze it. And a quilt as special as that has a lot of potential. Her grandmother was so gracious and I know that the quilt will help her remember us as much as we will remember Mia, the cute little girl, always wearing a smile, and reminding us that amongst a great amount of destruction there is always a ray of sunshine.

Claire McConnell

The Sunday Post, pt. 2

2007-08-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today at church we met a woman who worked the VA hospital before Katrina. She told us about all the people she knew in the hurricane that had died, including an entire family who drowned because they didn't leave New Orleans. The VA hospital hasn't reopened yet and she is without work and still mourns the loss of her friends. I was very surprised to find she was so open with her losses. That was the first time a stranger has been that open with me. It was an eery and amazing feeling.

Sam Haycock

The Sunday Post

2007-08-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

In the begining of the trip I started off with gutting houses. Starting off this way left a bleak impression on how I felt the trip was going to be. Every house seemed to be vacated and the city had such an absence of life. I had a negative view of the work we were all doing. Everyone's heard that every little bit counts, but it just seemed so overwhelming. There didn't seem to be enough 'little bits.' I imagined checking in for our jobs with hundreds of volunteers waiting to do the same. Unrealistic as it sounds, I was pretty disappointed. After two years, there is still so much that needs to be done. After two days of gutting, I had two days of painting/rebuilding. Definitely a more hopeful perspective. Even though it's extremely hard getting through the beginning, the homeowners of those houses prove that it really is possible to start a new life. Although it is possible, the constant reminder of the vacant houses show there is still so much more to do.
Finally, on Saturday we had our free day. This break was the real proof that everything will be okay. As we were walking down a festive street, Sharyn told me that when they went on the trip the previous year it was as if GodSquad were the only people on the streets. I wish I could compare this trip to another visit, but it's great that things are only getting better. Not only are structures being rebuilt, but the people are even stronger. This truly amazes me. I didn't think I'd feel any different during or after this trip, but this experience [so far] has already affected me. Even if I started off with a semi-pessimistic view, I know now that the work we do really does make a difference, and everyone can only be accountable for their own 'little bit.'

--Stephanie Keeshen
[[a.k.a. step on me quiche]]

Another day in NOLA

2007-08-02T19:49:00.000-07:00

Groups went out with the Ubuntu kids to the New Orleans Zoo, planted a new garden, cut, painted and put up trim, installed a new floor, put up a new shower, pulled nails to prepare a house for the proverbial next step, spent time at the pool, and joined the neighborhood for the St. George's Cafe...enough of a day that more blogging will have to happen on the morrow...God Bless all...

Life becomes real

2007-08-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

Although I had wanted to go on this trip from the very beginning, I found myself homesick and wanting to go home on the first day. And then I started working. By working, I mean sweating buckets of water and swinging a crow bar until you feel like your arm is gonna fall off. I've never worked so hard in my life or sweated so much. I spent my day today gutting "double shotgun" house. A "double shotgun" means that it's a two-family home in one and the rooms just go one into the other. In this house, we learned that one of the sides had belonged to a family with four kids ages 6,9,15 and 16. The other side had belonged to the mother-in-law. It hit close to home that some of these kids were so close in age to me. Also hitting close to home was the football wallpaper and the room with pink and purple walls. Tearing down their walls was harder than i thought it would be, both physically and mentally.

I feel like I'm in second grade, telling all of you what I have learned so far but here it is: life here is real. There's no sugar coating anything around here. People don't have it easy and it's not fair. Katrina or the flooding didn't care who you were, where you came from or what you did- you were just in it's way. I've never realized-to this extent- how lucky I am and how easy my life is. I've been on mission trips before and even Mississippi last year couldn't compare to this year. The houses we were in last year were messed up and we saw New Orleans homes from the outside; it's entirely different being in them and demolishing the walls that once sheltered a family; kept them safe. That's when it becomes real.
(much love to all you back home.)

Carli Jessup

One of many

2007-08-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

On the first of August, I was sent out with a small group to finish someone's house in the less wealthy area of New Orleans. It was simply stunning to see how we could travel from the nice area of St. George's to a completely different scenario that was simply riddled and crippled with poverty and destitution. When we arrived, though this neighborhood was just as downtrodden, the homeowner's spirit was so uplifting that I could barely understand how she could be so happy, but it was so contagious that everybody seemed to work with just a little bit harder and things seemed just a little bit easier. As we finished our task of painting the security bars on her windows, we learned that she had donated her car to a homeless shelter before the storm leaving her without any mode of transport, and that her son had been sent to a mental institution in Massachusetts leaving her all alone.

It was very sad as the volunteers whom she had seen almost daily for several months were leaving for the last time, once again having loneliness as her only companion. It was especially frustrating to realize that this poor woman was only one of thousands of victims to have suffered grievously from the Katrina hurricane, and that too much of the desolation still remained and how it had probably changed New Orleans forever. I wonder how much could have been prevented if more people had reacted sooner, and unfortunately I'll never know. It is so sad that it is too easy to forsake a city, culture or even a country, but that you cannot ignore the crisis after you meet the people, and you realize just how terrible it really is.

Calvin Sherwood

Rolling with the kids

2007-07-31T20:56:00.001-07:00

Today a lucky nine of us got the chance to help out as counselors with a local "youth sacred space and summer program" called Camp Ubuntu . The program is basically a day camp for kids from age 6-18 who's parents can't care for them during the summer. Their leader Helen informed us that most of the children's parents were either sick, deceased, or in jail. Helen told us that at the end of the summer session she'd be taking some of the younger girls to go visit their mothers in prison, many of which were only there for something as innocent as self-defense. We started the day off at Tulane's recreational sports facility with swimming which is the way the kids begin every day. The hope is that, because not many of them can swim and are terrified of water (because of Katrina), at the end of the session they will have a greater chance at surviving another flood. After swimming we played games in the facility: racket ball, basketball, pool, and ping pong. Then we all ate lunch together outside, just in time for a huge down pour.

I found it really interesting that as we passed out the lunches most kids would only eat the chips and cookies. At first I just figured they only wanted the junk food, but apparently when people died while staying in the Super Dome they would put the bodies in empty freezers to keep the from rotting. After that I totally understood where they were coming from! We then went to the Airline Skating Rink, which was so much. Unfortunately they didn't have inline skates so us Cali girls spent most of the time on our butts while these little kids zoomed around like they were born doing it. Even if you weren't on the rink there was still plenty of stuff to do, from arcade games and food to dance offs (which I won, by the way!) In all the day was so amazing. I had so much fun playing with the kids! It was amazing seeing the huge smiles on their faces after they've been through much, and it felt so good to know that our help, as easy and fun as it was, got them through yet another day.

Holly Williams

Shafts of Light

2007-07-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Today's work was possibly the most fulfilling I have ever done, leaving me with high hopes for the rest of the trip. My group worked at a house in uptown New Orleans that was nearly completely gutted. The man who owned it had lived there for since the 1940's. During the hurricane his neighborhood did not flood but suffered from severe wind damage that led to a roofless house and severe rain damage. He evacuated to Los Angeles where his sister lives and only recently returned. Since coming home he had single-handedly gutted all of his house except the kitchen area. Our job was to pull of the plaster and wood paneling that made up the walls and ceiling, to peel off the linoleum, and to remove all of the debris. It was an easy enough task but somewhat slow and repetitive.

When all was done you could look through his house from front door to back. His family was living in the house while it was being repaired. I could never imagine spending all my time in that condition. The walls let in shafts of light between the boarding but the house was still dim because of the lack of lighting, the winds caused drafts, the roof leaked during a thunderstorm during our day, and the inside of the house framework was covered in an inch of dust. It made me so thankful for where we are staying and all we have.

Samantha Haycock

Getting Started

2007-07-31T17:23:00.000-07:00

In the past, GODsquad has always rested a day or so before getting into the tedious work. This year, we dove in, getting to work the day after we arrived, having traveled for twelve hours. We woke at around six o' clock, which in California is chronologically equivalent to three in the morning. You can imagine that we felt pretty pooped; it was only too fitting that a line from the morning worship said:

Sleeper awake! Rise from the dead...

That morning, as we left in the minivans, I anticipated a slogging day. The day found me dripping in sweat as the humidity assaulted my mood. When we arrived at the warehouse, we received assignments from the director. Not registering what I was doing, I slinked into the nearest departing group. We arrived at a house we needed to paint and met the owner, a kindly old woman who had lost everything in the storm. Her son had had to be evacuated from her house at gunpoint, because he was agoraphobic, and was currently hospitalized. She was lonely and needed help, and was thrilled to be getting it from the Episcopal diocese in the area. They had practically rebuilt her house, and when we arrived, she was taping plastic to her windows for painting. She welcomed us with open arms and made us feel great. That day, we heard stories of the people's struggles from a neighbor across the street, and it hit me again that I was truly glad to be doing this. Also, the company of Greg, Shanna, Sam F., Sam V., Kyle, and the college kids who were also helping made the day all the more enjoyable. I feel ready to drive forward on tomorrow's work.

Adrian Guerrero

Beating The Bulldozer: Workday #1 - Gutting Houses

2007-07-31T15:43:00.000-07:00

I guess it was a lot different than what I expected. New Orleans is cleaner and brighter, certainly, than when I saw it last, nearly a year ago. But it has been two years since Katrina, and houses still stand with boarded up windows and the telltale spray-painted X's that show FEMA has come to call.

We were working in the Ninth Ward. It's home to some of the lowest-lying real estate in the entire city, and before the hurricane it was (not coincidentally, as Phil pointed out) home to some of New Orleans' poorest residents as well. It has been two years since Katrina, and there are still houses that stand while they literally rot away, with stagnant water in the pipes and termites in the walls. Our 'gutting crew', as we were called, had to wear masks the whole time we were in the house, and sweated up a storm while we wrenched off doorways with crowbars, literally punched through dry wall so damp that it reminded me of cardboard, and carried out junk by the wheelbarrowful.

In that junk, I saw glimpses of how the house had been, before the hurricane rendered virtually everything useless and moldy. The man who owned the house wasn't sure whether or not he could even have kept working on it if it wasn't for our help. You see, he had been struggling on his own with gutting the house, and was engaged in a battle with the government, which has begun knocking down houses if they can't find proof that a person is really trying to rebuild. The meeting in court to decide this is tomorrow, Wednesday.

He declared our coming to work on his house the best birthday present he could have asked for, revealing that today was his birthday just before we packed up and left. Now, covered in sweat and first-rate New Orleans mud, I can see that our work is truly blessed.

Liz Powers

Here at Last!

2007-07-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

After one flight to Atlanta (with at least a half hour of sleep by some), questionable breakfast in Terminal B of the Hartsfield airport, another flight, this time to New Orleans, we have arrived. We have arrived to a heat index of 100 degrees (thank God for air conditioning), and very hospitable hosts at St. George's, New Orleans on St. Charles Avenue.

We're just heading into program (a meditation), nap time (hopefully separate from the meditation), time at the pool at Tulane University, and a night at a New Orleans Zephyrs baseball game. Tomorrow we begin our work with the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana's Recovery efforts. More to come as we continue our mission in New Orleans...

BINGO!

2007-06-14T10:12:00.001-07:00

Join us for a night of bingo to help raise funds to support our mission trip.

Play BINGO on Saturday June 23 from 6-8PM at Episcopal Church of the Resurrection 399 Gregory Ln. Pleasant Hill.

Bring your friends!

St. Dorothy's Rest Work Weekend

2007-05-01T21:05:00.000-07:00

click to see MORE PICTURES!

We spent a great weekend at St. Dorothy's Rest putting our hands to good work. We stacked many cords of wood, cleared the space for and installed an organic garden and performed routine maintenance on the grounds around the buildings.

With our combined efforts we provided almost 200 hours of labor to prepare the facility for summer camp season and beyond.

New firendships were formed, silly games were played, hard work was completed. We thank St. Dorothy's for making the space for us and accepting our offer to help.

Weekend Mini-Mission Trip April 27-29

2007-04-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

GODSquad invites all high school youth of each parish to join us for a weekend at St. Dorothy's Rest, a Camp and Retreat center of the Diocese of California. It is located in Camp Meeker of Sonoma County. St. Dorothy's Rest serves over 300 youth a year through its summer camp programs with a focus on children with serious health issues.

On April 27 through April 29, our group will be servicing the grounds of the center as well as spening time in its beautiful facilities. The cost for this weekend trip is $25 a person. The sign up deadline is April 11 with limited space. Contact your youth minister ASAP to register & coordinate transportation.

40 Ideas for Lent

2007-02-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

Click here for 40 Ideas for Lent

An idea a day to get you through the season.

March 17 Mission

2007-02-21T09:55:00.000-08:00

The crew after a good day's work. Lots of painting!

On Saturday March 17 our service will be needed at The Bay Area Seafarer's Service center in Oakland

The International Maritime Center is a "home away from home" for seafarers from distant lands, as well as a community center for our local bay area shipping and long shore community. In addition to aiding seafarers, the International Maritime Center works as a good citizen to build community and provide services for waterfront workers, longshoremen, and truckers regardless of religion, race or nationality.

Please wear your painting clothes! Bring a bag lunch, a bottle of water and $5-$10 participation fee. Talk to your youth minster for details on travel.

See you on St. Patrick's Day!

Summer Mission Trip

2007-02-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

Registration for the 2007 God Squad mission trip to New Orleans is officially open. We ask all interested youth (entering sophomore high school through freshman college) to complete and return the registration form, along with a $100 deposit by March 4th.

Some trip details:

The trip is scheduled around July 29th through August 10th. Actual dates will be determined by flight cost and availability
$100 reserves a spot; total cost will depend on fund raising and will likely be about $200
Participation in upcoming God Squad events, including fund raising and pre-formation is essential - calendar to be distributed soon

Contact your youth minister for forms & more information!

Mission Cancelled

2007-01-10T15:04:00.001-08:00

The GodSquad's participation in the Diocessan Urban Plunge mission for Saturday 1/13 has been cancelled. In lieu of a daytime project you are invited to help support the fundraising efforts for this summer's mission trip.

Youth are invited to help set up & serve at the Youth Homes Crab Feed this Saturday evening, from 6P-9:30P or 10P, at the Shadelands Arts and Crafts Center (http://www.arts-ed.org/rentalinfo.html) Wear God Squad t-shirts, and email Phil Brochard to confirm attendance and get more information: pbrochard@stpaulswc.org

We apologize for the short notice on the cancellation of this mission.

See you in March for the painting of Bay Area Seafarers Service buildings. Watch the blog for more information

Reflecting on December's Service

2007-01-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

12 teens & 6 adults spent the day at St. Timothy's, Danville to put our hands to work and open our hearts to the issues of poverty & struggle in the world. Below is a report on the day's activities by Sam H. We hope to see you at the Urban Plunge!

GODSquad this month focused on the United nations Millennium Development Goals. We Teamed up with our old friends at the Monument Crisis Center (we've worked there several times in the past) the GODSquad set itself to work. For the first hour or so we sorted toiletries, emptying bags full of various hotel's complimentary goods into heaping piles of hygienic products. Then we lined up and circled the table. Our task now was to fill Ziploc baggies; 2 soaps, 1 shower gel, 2 shampoos, 1 conditioner, 2 lotions, 1 toothbrush, 1 mouthwash, 1 toothpaste, and floss as long as our stash held out. By the time we ran out of the most essential parts of the pack we had covered the top of the St. Timothy Youth Center's pool table. These kits would be distributed by the Crisis Center to many needy and homeless individuals.

Our next project was "Love Soup". By layering dry good ingredients into jars we made 96 jars of healthy just add water soup. Our assembly line was as follows: bouillon, onion, noodles, split peas, lentils, and pasta, with a few in between that I probably forgot. Add a lid, tie on the directions for preperation, and some snazzy fabric for decoration. Each jar had the potential to feed 8 people. That means the GODSquad had just prepared meals for 768 people.

Then we pulled out our lunches. What a comparison, half of our group had ordered sandwhiches from Quizno's and the rest brown bagged it. After just finishing fixing up dry soup our meal looked like a feast.

We watched the Episcopal One Campaign's video on the Millenium Development Goals and were left speechless. We watched Sarah McLachlan's video World On Fire, a music video thats budget was sent to third world development instead of pruduction. Again we were left speechless. To close our day we held Eucharist. During the service a bell was rung every three seconds reminding us that a child dies every three seconds from malnutrition or AIDS.

Amen.

December 16th Mission

2006-12-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Our work will benefit the Monument Crisis Center. We will be putting together toiletry kits, making Love Soup (a high protien ready to make soup mix to feed a family of four) and discussing the Millenium Development Goals

Everyone can help! Make announcements in your church as we are in need of supplies for our projects.
Encourage donations of toiletries - soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, hand sanitizer etc.
Also needed are dry goods for the ingredients of the soup: beef or chicken bouillon granules, dehydrated onion flakes, split peas, alphabet pasta (any small pasta is fine), barley, lentils, and non-instant white rice tricolor spiral pasta. Cash donations accepted as well.

Contact your youth minister if you wish to participate in this day of service.

Serving a Meal of Thanks

2006-10-25T11:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday November 18 GodSquad will host our second annual Thanksgiving Dinner at St. George's Episcopal Church, Antioch.

We will prepare and serve a full thanksgiving meal for the community. The meal is free and open to the community; especially the homeless and lower income neighbors in Antioch.

Each congregation is asked to support this mission by providing cooked turkeys and pies. We will also gladly accept donations to cover the cost of supplies for the day.

There is a sliding scale youth participation fee of $5-10.

Minutes from Mission 2007 Planning Meeting

2006-10-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

Held Monday Oct. 30 7pm @ St. Paul's Youth Center
Next Mtg: November 20 at 7:00 PM at St. Paul’s

We began by listing some of the aspects of the 2006 (and earlier) trips we liked. The list looked like this:
• Flying
• Meeting people
• Getting far away from home
• Free time
• Staying at the beach
• Creative expressive worship
• Helping people
• Getting to know God Squad
• Ultimate Frisbee
• RICHARD
• Richard
• Lots of work
• Small groups

There was a fair bit of discussion around some of these items; these items tended to cluster around four ideas:
Service
Worship
Community (within God Squad and reaching out far beyond to new people)
Newness (of place, experience, and people)

We then listed many potential places we might go, along with a short description of what we might do there:
• New York City – work with kids/youth; renovate a park; “inner city” ministry
• San Diego – Head Start; little kids (as done three years ago)
• Los Angeles – same work as NYC
• Navajo lands – work in same area visited four and five years ago; fix & paint a church, etc.
• Alaska – assist in building a camp, and work in that camp; work with native Alaskans
• Hawaii – work in leper colony
• Idaho – assist in building / fixing up a school (as done two years ago, Lilian Vallely School)
• Chicago – Same as NYC
• New Orleans / Mississippi – possibly more hurricane relief, possibly inner city ministry (see NYC)
• Canada (quickly ruled out)
• Mexico: Build houses, migrant worker / immigration issues
• Wyoming – quickly ruled out.
• Taize – The Bishop is taking a group of youth and young adults to Taize France; many are interested in going, but this seemed to be separate from a Mission Trip.
• Florida – Hurricane / Inner city / migrant worker issues

As we discussed each of these possible places and work activities, we grouped activities into four areas:
Social work, especially with inner city youth
Construction
Environmental (inc. landscaping)
Teaching

We also identified potential resources in each location, which I will now misinterpret and misspell:
• NYC: somebody’s new rector?
• San Diego: Episcopal CS
• Los Angeles” Claire’s aunt?
• Navajo lands: Michael Carney’s earlier contact; the Bishop
• Alaska: Shana, the Bishop, Carol Luther, Sarah Crawford
• Hawaii: Michael Carney, Shana
• Idaho: Lilian Vallely School, Richard
• Chicago: Phil, Shana
• New Orleans: ULM, Marc Jones
• Taize: Bishop
• Florida: Katie Taylor’s sister?

After discussing many of these options for location, work, and resources to help in planning, we voted. Everyone could vote for four potential destinations.

The results were:
• New York City: 11
• Alaska: 9
• Hawaii: 7
• New Orleans / Mississippi: 6
• (Nowhere else got more than 4 votes, most got 2 or 3)

We decided that these four offered plenty of diversity, and there was good enthusiasm for each of them, so we assigned people to look into the following:
• Transportation costs, both to get there and while we’re there
• Where we could stay
• What we could do while there (work, recreation, program activities)
• What potentially good or bad dates there are for that location
The following teams were appointed:
• NYC: Erin, Meghan,
• Alaska: Rob, Rob, and Shana
• Hawaii: Sam and Sam
• New Orleans & Mississippi: Calvin, Richard

We had a discussion about dates as well, during which we discussed date conflicts with BREAD camps, the Bishop’s trip to Taize, and more. The weeks with the fewest conflicts (although there are conflicts for all possible weeks) were the weeks of:
• 7/23
• 7/30
• 8/6
• 8/13
An overall trip of approximately 10 days is the target, depending on budget and dates of availability at the destination.

The next meeting will be held on November 20 at 7:00 PM at St. Paul’s. At that meeting, the four teams will report their findings, and we will narrow down the field of potential destinations, possibly to one.

Elizabeth P's Sermon (St. Anselm's)

2006-10-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

I suppose you could say that I’m a veteran of these mission trips now, having journeyed on three separate occasions to do God’s work, and I can definitely say that the phrase ‘third time’s the charm’ applies in this case. Our whole group knit together into one body that laughed and cried and listened. Throughout the trip, it really didn’t matter that there were a few of us who were feeling down at the end of the day, because there was always someone around to lift us back up again. And it was an extremely emotional trip, at times very trying, but I know I am much stronger for having witnessed both the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the reactions of its victims to our help.

It was truly heartwarming to see the faces of those we helped, some of whose houses had been ruthlessly toyed with by insurance companies, or overlooked by FEMA. One such house hadn’t been glanced at by a volunteer since the storm hit nearly a year before. It was the first house we worked on, and had been protected by a mere four feet of brick wall on the coast side. The couple who lived there was older, and the man had been having back problems, but there he was, out there with us in the sweltering heat, telling us stories and gently directing us as to where all the debris could go. His name was Robert James, but he insisted on being called RJ, and his wife, a talkative French woman with a definitive accent, was bubbling over with goodwill and gratitude. We were still adjusting to the heat, and moving bricks in that weather was no laughing matter. The sweat and dirt were layered on us before we’d been at the site even an hour, but I, not wanting to appear idle when all my buddies were slaving away under the heat, kept at it, and after awhile someone noticed my flushed face. That someone happened to be RJ, and as he led us all away from the formidable pile of bricks to take a water break, he asked me how old I was. He seemed really surprised when I told him, and he kept an eye on me for the rest of the time we were there, making sure I didn’t keel over. I didn’t, but it really struck me that we were all out there to care for and help each other—the God Squad wasn’t just brute labor to these people, but friends to be loved and cared for.

It encouraged me greatly to see that both of them were out there with us, really wanting our help. They couldn’t do it alone, but they had been doing their best for months before we arrived. Volunteers and victims were in this together, picking up and putting lives back together.

When I sat back to think about what we had accomplished as a group in the five days we worked, I knew that most of what we had done couldn’t be seen, if one was to travel to Biloxi and inspect the houses. We had painted rooms and moved and bricks and heard stories, but most of the change will stay locked up in our hearts, and in the hearts of those we helped, because now they have hope, and we have newfound love and friendship. I was wishing the entire time we were there that we could have done more, could have stayed longer, because these people are going to need help for years to come. All that aside, I am so indescribably glad that I was able to go in the first place, and give the gift of my hands to RJ and all of the others who are forever linked to ours.

Down there in Mississippi, we were all doing the work that we felt God had called us to do, but you don’t go have to go as far as we did to find this kind of spiritual fulfillment. There’s bound to be a calling for all of you, even just down your street. Take the time to look around, every once in a while. Regardless of age, all of us can be of help to each other, and reach out our hands to make a difference.

Episcopal Charities Walk-A-Thon

2006-10-09T21:51:00.001-07:00

A small dedicated group from God Squad made it to Grace Cathedral by 7AM for the 12 mile walk through San Francisco. Stops along the route included St. Gregory of Nyssa, The Family Link, Ohlhoff Recovery House, Episcopal Homes Foundation, St. Luke's Hospital, SOJOURN chaplaincy at SF General Hospital to learn about the important work of these social ministries. Following the walk we enjoyed lunch in the Cathedral Plaza, received permission from The Very Rev. Alan Jones to soak our tired feet in the fountain, prayed to close the day's activity and rode BART home. All in all a great day out to kick off the year of God Squad Missions.

We raised close to $1000 to support the many ministries of Episcopal Charities.

Reflection by Liz P:
I wasn't so worried about it at the start, but when you get right down to it, twelve miles is a long way, and all the uphill makes a big difference.

But, blisters aside, I'm glad we were able to see the different agenicies that Episcopal Charities supports, and as we walked, I was reminded again that God Squad is always going to be needed. I was particularly touched by a group that works mostly with single mothers and children who are homeless, finding them education and jobs so that they can move on and up in life. Overall, I'm just glad that there are so many of us who are willing to help.

...Although the numbers seem to drop sharply when 'helping' involves getting up at five in the morning.

Step out to Change Lives!

2006-09-19T11:06:00.002-07:00

GodSquad will participate in the Episcopal Charities annual Walk-a-thon on Saturday, October 7 starting at Grace Cathedral. Join us for an inspirational 12 mile walk through San Francisco , and visit the EC partner agencies working on behalf of the homeless, poor, displaced and ill. Funds raised through the walk-a-thon will benefit the social ministries of Episcopal Charities.
* Providing meals
* Building transitional and supportive housing
* Teaching job skills
* Offering recovery programs
* Providing childcare to single working parents
* Creating programs for people with developmental disabilities
* Tutoring at-risk youth

25% of the GodSquad funds raised will return to the GodSquad mission trip budget.

When: Sat, Oct 7; be at Grace Cathedral by 7AM - return home 3PM (breakfast & lunch provided)
Where: Grace Cathedral, 1100 California St , San Francisco
More inforamtion & forms: http://www.episcopalcharities.org/walkathon_06/index.html

Each participant (youth & adult) needs to collect a minimum of $35 in sponsors. Make announcements during Sunday services, ask for a blurb in church e-newsletters, be available during coffee hour to collect sponsorships, ask your family and your neighbors to support you.

Be sure to download the registration and sponsorship forms linked below.

Contact your youth minister by Sunday Oct 1 to confirm participation participation. Travel arrangements will be organized by congregation.

Episcopal Charities Walk-A-Thon Weblink

Each youth & adult must complete the Participant Registration Form

Collect donations & keep track with the Sponsor Form

We're talking the long way - check out the Route Map

If you need help asking for sponsors here's a sample Sample Request for Donation Letter

Post the Flyer of Event around your church!

Reunion!

2006-09-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendars! Bring your friends!

What? The Mission Trip Reunion
When? Sunday 9/17 from 4-6p
Where? St. Paul’s, 1924 Trinity Avenue Walnut Creek
Who? All Mission Trippers (open to friends in high school)

Bring a snack or beverage to share - it's a community thang (aka potluck)!

The Mission Trip Leadership Team agreed that leftover money from the budget will be donated to a charity of Dr. George & The Rev. King's choice. You are invited to contribute cash to increase our gift of gratitude for the time we spent with these two civil rights leaders. We'll pass a collection plate at the party!

Also - GodSquad Mission Trip Blog is being promoted on www.episcopalbayarea.org - check it out!

Sammy F's Sermon (Church of the Resurrection)

2006-09-11T08:57:00.000-07:00

Response to the Epistle

Faith. Hope. Religion. Community. Love. Service.
These are a few reasons why 35 individuals took the journey to Biloxi, Mississippi to help rebuild the houses and lives of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We began our trip with good intentions, but I don’t think any of us knew what was actually in store for us. We got the opportunity to touch the lives of so many people, and when that opportunity arose, we did not hesitate to take it. We looked at this mission trip as a privilege, not as a right. I believe we truly experienced the difference between giving charity and giving yourself through service. Charity is given when someone feels they need to contribute. Service is based on love, and a want to personally help the cause. I, myself, feel that the God-Squad lead their mission out of service. By the end of our trip, it was obvious that our motives were clear to all of us. We had come to do the work of the lord, with our own two hands. Not only did we make friends, and have fun, but we gave all of our love through service.

Rob O's Sermon (St. Paul's, WC)

2006-09-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Biloxi was life-changing and heart-warming, but I’m not going to lie; we had our fair share of drama on this trip, that’s just what happens when you put 30 teenagers together for an extended period of time.

There were times when youth felt disrespected and ignored by other youth, and some didn’t know what to do with these emotions, until it was too much for them to handle, and they had to let it all out. Paul says “Let no evil come out of your mouths.” But from time to time, again, I’m not going to lie, a few choice phrases, what my mother would call “bad words” and probably what Paul would consider “evil” escaped from more than a few mouths.

On this trip, though, we did help each other out. It helped to vent. Often when someone else voiced the frustration I was feeling, it took the edge off my own. I think it put us all in a better mood and a more receptive mood, where we could help each other out. Out of these same mouths would come good words. We would talk over our problems to other youth and put our own emotions and feelings on hold for someone else’s benefit. This helped us in turn, to turn outward, to focus on the problems of others (other youth and others in the community we were staying in), and to help them out.

On the second day of work, we were told that we would be tilling a lawn and then raking out all of the loose grass and vegetation. It sounded like very tedious and boring work, but we tried to keep an open mind as we drove out to where we would be working. The first thing I noticed when we got there was that it was a very nice neighborhood, many of the houses were the same size or bigger than the ones in Walnut Creek, and except for the lack of grass the homes appeared to be completely unaffected by the hurricane. I wasn’t the only one who noticed either, many of my friends were complaining saying thing like, “we might as well be mowing lawns in Beverly Hills”. So it was clear that from the start that not a lot of people felt very passionate about our new job assignment. The general grumbling, after a morning simmering in the sun, turned into a dull persistent buzz of discontent. The work was getting done very slowly, due mainly to all the complaining. Instead of raking, people were standing around and talking about how they didn’t want to be there. After four hours of accomplishing only a circle of tilled dirt, we went back to Camp Biloxi. Back at camp, the venting continued, but this time a few adults and other youth made some statements that changed everybody’s perspective. “We don’t know these people or their circumstances. Maybe there is a real need for what we are doing here.” “If we complain less, the work will get done faster.” “If you don’t want to be here, work hard, get the work done, and we’ll move on to someplace else.”

We realized that we shouldn’t question what work we are doing or what work needs to be done. That’s not why we went there. We should, as Paul put it in Ephesians 4:25: “Let no evil come out of our mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need….”. So, we went back to work tilling the lawn. Very few people complained and the work got done a lot faster. By lunch time the entire lawn was tilled, front and back.

When we helped each other with the work, as well as mentally and emotionally, we were able to grow more cohesive as a community, get more done, and have a better mindset about what we were doing, The experience, even the struggles we worked though, strengthened our faith in each other and our belief that what we were doing together was for good.

The experiences I had during the ten days on the Mission Trip taught me the following:

We are stronger when we work together. We are stronger when we use our words to build each other up. We are stronger when we trust that what we are doing together is good. And, together and strong, we can do a lot of good for others. Good that could be uplifting, even life-changing for those we helped in Biloxi, and also for us.

The One Year Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

2006-08-28T10:02:00.000-07:00

Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

Collect of the Day
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working out of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Suggested Readings and Hymns:
Isaiah 61: 1-4, 10-11 539
Psalm 130
Revelation 21: 2-7 582/583
Matthew 6: 25-33(34) 667/709

Other hymns:
549/550
608
551
564/565

Prayers of the People
We gather before God in faith and hope following the devastation our community has suffered from Hurricane Katrina. To the God of all creation we bring the tears we have cried; but with our hearts set on the future.
Hear us God of creation.

God of Creation and Lord of all seasons, hear the thoughts of our hearts for the year that has passed and our hope for grace and protection in days yet to be.
Hear us God of creation.

Lord God of all seasons, you sustain us throughout the year.
You are the rain that refreshes the earth.

You are the light that shines upon all things.
You are the miracle of birth and growth.
.
You write the times and the seasons on the face of the earth
You set it in motion for the benefit of all.
.
You are the Creator who blesses.
You are the Guardian of all that you have created.

The eyes of all look to you, O Lord.
You open your hand, and satisfy the desire of every living thing.
.
We have faced and endured the might of the winds, thunderous rains, and surging waves;
Hear us God of Creation.
.
We have known uncertainty, and we carry concern for our brothers and sisters who have stood in harms way;
Hear us God of Creation. .
.
We seek the gift faith that can move mountains and remove all fear;
Hear us God of Creation.

We give you thanks for your holy strength that has sustained us in the year that has passed;
Hear us God of Creation.

You are the God of hope; grant us the grace of your Spirit in the seasons to come;
Hear us God of Creation.

We give you thanks for the courage to rebuild and renew the face of our communities;
Hear us God of Creation.
.
Be our light in the darkness, our hope in the storm and the calm, our serenity in the chaos and peace, and our hope and trust in the future;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

Almighty and ever living God, we bring our grateful hearts to you in thanksgiving and praise for bringing us through the year that has past. Yet we are mindful of those who have suffered injury, damage or loss and ask that you would comfort them with your healing love. Guard as well those who yet remain in harm’s way. As we continue through the days to come, help us always to place our hope, our fears, and our trust in you, for in you alone is life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Suggested Preface
Dedication of a Church, BCP pgs. 567-579

Alissa's Sermon (St. Paul's, WC)

2006-08-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

On our third day working in Biloxi, our group arrived at eight a.m. at two newly reconstructed homes just feet away from the coastline. While the homes appeared simple in construction, they looked inviting and comfortable compared to the mere foundations surrounding them. Our group was introduced to the owner of one of the homes, a man in his seventies named Willis, who explained that the house next to his which we would be landscaping belonged to his daughter Barbara and her husband. While our group raked soil and pulled weeds, preparing the earth around Barbara’s house for sod, Willis kept a watchful eye on our work, offering stories, advice and bathrooms when needed. Like her father, Barbara showed her gratitude to us by opening her home and her heart, offering us her story of destruction and showing us pictures she had taken of her and her father’s homes before and after Katrina destroyed them. Barbara explained that at one time many generations of her family had built homes on the surrounding property, and each structure was destroyed by Katrina. Not only had Katrina ripped apart the family homes, but also the family, as other relatives living on the property had decided not to return after the hurricane.

At one point during our working day, Willis explained to me that his and Barbara’s houses had been built from the group up in only four weeks by volunteers from Nebraska, and he was extremely thankful to have been blessed by their generosity as many of his neighbors had yet to receive help. He told me that he had recently realized that staying at a volunteer camp was costing us money, and questioned why anyone would spend their own money to come to the Gulf Coast just to help reconstruction.

At the time I wasn’t sure how to respond to Willis, why had I spent two hundred dollars plus numerous hours of fundraising and planning to come to Mississippi, a place far away from my community at home.

Besides my love and investment in the God Squad, I came to recognize several reasons why helping in the wake of hurricane Katrina was important to me. Firstly, if a natural disaster, such as an earthquake were to rattle the Bay Area, I would hope that we would receive help from unaffected people from all over the country, as the people along the Gulf are. Also, I knew from stories in the news before heading down South that many residents were complaining about the lack of help they have received from the government, that we are putting time, money and energy into foreign affairs when there are still many families living in FEMA trailers on American soil; obviously government aid is needed on a large scale, but going down to help with my own two hands was something I could offer if the government couldn’t. Working on the Gulf, I heard many stories from residents about the abuse they are receiving from insurance agencies. As if having all personal items and a shelter stripped from you isn’t traumatizing enough, many people are having to battle insurance companies who refuse to honor damage claims because flood insurance doesn’t cover floods caused by water moved by wind or massive amounts of rain. If insurance companies aren’t going to give money to their clients to help them rebuild, then people in the place to donate money or time need to help those people get back on their feet. My final reason for spending my time and money to rebuild on the Gulf Coast is because that is what God called me and the God Squad to do. As we heard in todays’ reading from Ephesians, we are all members of one another and we are to live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a sacrifice to God. Although sometimes sacrificing for one another includes time or money, when we do make sacrifices for each other we are acting as imitators of God, loving one another as God calls us to do.

Tierney's Sermon (St. Paul's, WC)

2006-08-27T16:16:00.000-07:00

At the Lutheran camp we stayed at in Biloxi, our cultural and theological differences were apparent from the moment we arrived. Outside from stricter dress codes and different graces before dinner though, I think I witnessed one of the biggest theological differences for me in a more subtle way.

One night at dinner the camp director asked one person from the different groups from around the country to share a story about where they saw God in their work. All the stories sounded the same, the workers recounted how those who survived through the storm told of how they were saved by God’s grace from the brink of death or total destruction. One older woman even told of asking God that if she’d done anything good in her life to save her from the storm.

While it was somewhat uplifting to hear stories of these people who were putting their lives back together one brick at a time with our help, I couldn’t help but wonder where God was with the thousands who lost their lives to the hurricane. This idea of a micromanaging God who performed miracles where he deemed fit was completely irreconcilable to me with the scale of the tragic destruction we had witnessed.

I expressed my misgivings about what was said at dinner to Father Michael Carney and we discussed the many different ways the people view God, and the disparities between the way that the haves and the have-nots, even from the same denomination, describe the Christian God.

As a fairly privileged group of people that were staying at the camp, it was generally easy for us to believe that every good thing that happens is the grace of God, and dismiss everything else as some part of God’s greater plan.

Michael explained to me that often people less privileged than us accept suffering as a part of life to a much greater degree, and that this is often what helps them get through their hard times.

These themes of differences between the privileged and the unprivileged also echoed the themes of civil rights and social justice that we had a chance to investigate on the trip. In the end of our lengthy conversation in which I came to a better understanding of what I had previously viewed as gaping inconsistencies in religion, Michael asked me what I thought about God, and the only thing I could honestly say was that I believe a higher power exists, but we need not depend on him to perform miracles or dismiss the bad things in life as part of his greater plan, we need to take action with our own two hands and make the little changes where God cannot with him in our hearts.

Michael said that all he knows is that we need to give love wherever we can, and I couldn’t agree with him more. As today’s psalm states, “For with the Lord there is steadfast love”, and I believe we need to take this love and transfer it to others that are suffering instead of glossing over or trying to explain the suffering.

Whether that love is in the form of direct support to individuals like we gave on the trip, or trying on a larger scale to right the injustice and inequality that we witnessed and learned about on the trip, what I am most taking away from my trip is an affirmation that I want to take the privileged life and chance at a higher education that I will have next year and give love in as many ways as I can.

I want to use it to not only help those in need, but examine the system that continually keeps these people in need. And the amazing experiences that I have had for the past two years on mission trips and God Squads, the incredible community that has been achieved and the obscene amount of fun we always manage to have to me is just further proof that we must be doing something right by starting to give love where it is needed the most.

HURRICANE AFTERMATH

2006-08-23T10:42:00.000-07:00

Click to read full article: HURRICANE AFTERMATH: A year after Katrina, residents of New Orleans' impoverished Lower Ninth Ward are feeling forgotten / Families crammed into trailers wait for aid to rebuild their lives

Mission Trip Sermon—August 13, 2006 By: Erin Searfus, Samantha Haycock, Samantha Vethavanam of St. George's, Antioch

2006-08-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

Planting Seeds originally posted on July 19 by The Rev. Michael Carney, St. George’s
Last summer on our way home from Idaho we stopped in a little park for lunch and frisbee. The youth all filled out evaluations, and every single person said they'd like to go on another mission trip.

Driving along, I wondered how we would decide where to go. There are so many possibilities. It was three weeks before Hurricane Katrina would devastate the Gulf Coast.

In the fall I got to meet a number of times with a group of young people who brainstormed every possibility from a retreat in Alaska to inner city work in New York (and many in-between). They kept coming back to serving in the hurricane area, despite the cost and logistical challenges of going there.

I remember the evening when the youth leaders made their presentation to adult representatives from all the churches in the county. They described their vision--hard questions were asked and answered--the group voted unanimously to approve the plan. Then the adults walked out of the room shaking their heads, wondering how we would ever pull it off.

With God's help (and our participation), nothing is impossible.
~The Rev. Michael Carney

Mission Trip Sermon—August 13, 2006
By: Erin Searfus, Samantha Haycock, Samantha Vethavanam
George’s Episcopal Church, Antioch

ERIN: I can change the world

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: Make a better place

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: Make a kinder place

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: Look at our hands. Think of all the hands we’ve held.

SAM V: I met a girl who eagerly explained to me what a hurricane was. It is three things. One it is very dangerous. Two its two winds chasing each other. Three it changes people’s lives. She told me she stood inside her house behind a sliding glass door and watched the winds raged. Her house was so ruined she had to move to Indiana where she spent the next year. Even though she didn’t want to leave her home, she had to make the best of her situation. She quickly became accustomed to her surroundings when it was finally time for her to return home to Mississippi her class threw her a party and where she received a card from every student but one, who happened to be sick that day.

ERIN: I met a woman named Barbara. She had a husband and daughter who was a senior in high school last year. She had lived in a town in Mississippi her whole life with her parents, grandparents, and aunts & uncle. That is, until the hurricane destroyed all their 70 some year old houses. When returning to the neighborhood several days after the storm, the family was silenced by the sights. Her husbands truck was blocks away from their house, her fathers home was now only a foundation, and her house was torn open to expose her kitchen and other rooms all combined together. She recalled the week before the storm and all her normal monotonous activities. Her family was at a school football game on Friday night and she never could have imagined not having a house on Monday morning.

SAM H: I met a seventy-some-odd-year-old man named Robert James, who went by RJ for short. He lived about two bocks from the beach. When he and his wife found out the storm was coming she decided to seek shelter farther from the coast while he rode it out. In order to protect his house RJ tucked towels along all the doorjambs that led outside. About an hour into the storm he realized how ridiculous this was. RJ watched through his front door as the winds blew debris in and the waves dragged rubbish out. The water rose higher and higher till it reached his chest. In the middle of the storm RJ looked up to the sky and screamed you are God and I am man prove it and God did. RJ’s house was surrounded by a five foot high brick retaining wall which during the storm protected the house from flying debris. The wall eventually crumbled but RJ’s home was salvageable, suffering only from water damage. When the storm died down RJ laid down on his floating bed. When his wife returned to town she found him laying in bed covered in a blanket of mud drinking from a six pack of Heineken next to a squirrel. In RJ’s last words with us he said everything is temporary. That could never be more true.

ERIN: I can make peace on earth

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: I can clean up the earth

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: I can reach out to you

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: Look at our hands. Think of all the tools we’ve held.

SAM V: I worked for four days in Biloxi, Mississippi.

ERIN: I built a brick wall with my own two hands.

SAM H: I painted a porch with my own two hands.

SAM V: I roto tilled a lawn with my own two hands.

ERIN: I raked through grass with my own two hands.

SAM H: I pulled weeds with my own two hands.

SAM V: I leveled a yard with my own two hands.

ERIN: I cleaned up remains of destruction with my own two hands.

SAM H: I spackled, painted, and sanded with my own two hands.

ERIN: I’m gonna make it a brighter place. I’m gonna make it a safer place. I’m gonna help the human race.

ALL: With my own two hands

SAM V: I saw what was left of Hurricane Katrina. The visible changes are still prevalent in every moment of native’s lives. There is still garbage in trees. Toys and personal belongings scatter the ground, not yet claimed. Bent poles and broken signs indicate locations of stores that once stood and now are non-existent. I passed a cemetery every day whose mausoleums were flattened to the ground and whose tombstones were knocked over or shattered in pieces. Blue tarps marked the tops of houses who had been damaged during the storm. Whole floors were missing from buildings. Spray paint marked the doors telling me brief stories of the families who lived within. Water lines reached up over my head showing me where a flood once stood. A thirty day notice warned residents of a FEMA trailer their time was running short.

ERIN: I can hold you

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: I can comfort you

ALL: With my own two hands

ERIN: But you got to use

ALL: Use your own two hands

ERIN: Look at your own hands. Notice all the lines, all the wrinkles, the calluses and soft spots. Think of where they’ve been for the past two weeks. Who have they touched? What work have they done? Who have they held in comfort? Who have they congratulated in joy?

SAM H: What can you do in a world where people are forced into homelessness by others, where the government refuses to take action, where repairing is left up to volunteers? How can you use your own two hands?

Youth Sermons of the (Y)COR/Resurrection

2006-08-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

In the reading today from 1 Kings 19:4-8, Elijah, the prophet, asked for death. We don't know why he wanted to die, but that he did feel regretful and angry about his past. Instead of granting him death, though, an angel tells him to get up. "Get up", he says "and eat". In Mississippi, the people’s lives had been destroyed; their homes were gone, their loved ones lost, and their futures uncertain. There were probably many who wished to die or just forget everything. There were also probably many who were angry; angry at the government for not taking better care of them, angry at God or the earth for letting this happen. We saw many shirts and signs against FEMA in particular; some of them were just enraged, but most of them were a little funny, poking humor at the storm and the government, like a well-needed laugh to shake off the hopelessness.

When we got there, I expected people to still be angry at the world; I was surprised though, that people seemed to have accepted it and focused on moving on. They had given up their bitterness and gotten up to return to their homes in the hopes of rebuilding; they took it and used its energy to instead focus on moving forward.

Now, personally, I love living in California, and would much rather live here; but Mississippi and Louisiana had a certain affect on you, a certain air of old age that was thriving and moving around. The people certainly seemed as if they were filled with the presence of hope and God. For some reason, after two hurricanes, and another possibly on the way, these people were crazy enough to try to rebuild! Their entire state had been crushed through a wall of water and wind, and nothing was left in place or untouched by the chaos. At first, it didn't make much sense; I realized though, that these people loved their state, and felt that old age, like a well-known scent from childhood. When we were learning to cook New Orleans-style at the New Orleans School of cooking, we learned a lot about the history of the food and the culture of the city, and it struck me how deeply God ran through this place of old souls, old food, and new people. It captured the people and drew them back.

The people had enough hope to get up, off the ground, and shake off their bitter feelings. They had more hope than anyone I have ever met, and instead of letting themselves focus on their anger at the world, they rebuilt. The angel told Elijah to get up, and shake off his bitterness already, so that he could eat and move on with life; in this way, he was filled with enough strength to get through 40 days and nights. The hope these people have has taken their anger, and will show THEIR holy selves as part of Jesus Christ, like in Jeffrey's sermon, and will get THEM through these days and nights on the road back to rebuilding.

-Adrian Guerrero

+ + +

Each youth and adult who went on this trip, left the Gulf Coast with their unique personal experience shaped by other people on the trip, the work we did with our own two hands, and a new sense of personal growth.

One of the most rewarding parts of this trip, besides being able to help such a devastated area and hear the residents’ stories, was going to the south and experiencing a culture and an environment that is very different from what I am accustomed to. The teen leaders were very involved in the planning of this trip from the beginning and had a rough outline of what the trip was going to look like. But then they gave the other youth the freedom to decide if certain activities interested the group as a whole. Many of the activities on the trip were planned as we went along. The “Flow Team”, a group of 3 teens and 1 adult worked to make our transitions as a group from place to place as smooth as possible and gave the teens on the trip a greater voice in what the group wanted to participate in. This sense of freedom to do what you want (for the most part), made our time in the places we visited more valuable and unique because we were able to explore for ourselves and develop our own opinions about what we have seen with our own eyes. It ultimately granted us teenagers what we yearn for the most: independence. Being able to make what you wanted out of your personal and group experience will make this mission trip even more unforgettable. The adult leaders treated us with more respect than we are used to and showed interest in our personal opinions. And unlike our parents, they understood that the best way for us to grow in this environment is to let us discover this world for ourselves. For me, I think that is one of the most valuable aspects of growing up. Self-discovery and independence are two things that contribute to who you become as an adult in the “real world” and being placed in an unusual environment tested everyone’s life skills in working and co-exisiting with others. Because we were encouraged to explore within ourselves in a place far from home, in a loving community outside of our normal comfort zone, each youth on this trip gave something unique to the Gulf Coast and in return received a gift even more special. This trip greatly contributed to our own personal growth and sense of independence by giving us the confidence that when the time comes for us to live on our own, away from our families, we’ll be ok. Many of the teens on this trip experienced God in ways that are impossible for others at home to understand: by working with their peers and feeling a sense of purpose in doing God’s work in a community that needs faith the most. All the leaders placed emphasis on each teen’s personal experience allowing everyone to come away from the trip with one of the most memorable weeks of their lives through spirituality, love, work, and friendship all seen through the eyes of God.

-Claire McConnell

I have seen God on this mission trip of ours,
Just as sure as you can see Mars.
He’s been with us the whole way,
Just as sure as it rains in May.
His presence was in the people we met,
Who are always so thankful for the help they get.

God was with us each step of the way,
We could see that everyday.
He gave us an air-conditioned car,
When the humidity felt like tar.
His presence was in the places we went,
It was like an agreement that could not be bent.

God was with us throughout the week,
Even if times looked meek.
We were quite surprised to see Him so much,
It wasn’t hard to keep in touch.
Even as I write this poem now,
I look back, and can only say wow.

-Luke Doylemason

This being my first mission trip, I feel that I have to express what a wonderful experience it has been for me these last 10(ish) days. The friendships I have formed and the feelings I have felt on and off the worksite have been truly inspiring. Being able to find a whole group of such wonderful people my age can seem so hard to find sometimes, yet, here I have struck gold. The kids in this group express a kind of unity and friendliness that I just can’t get over. I have decided that I am officially addicted to the God Squad and all that it stands for: the work, the bonds, and the fun.

To be able to view first hand the destruction here on the Gulf Coast was an eye-opening experience for a “weather-sheltered” California girl. The idea of a huge wall of water leveling everything in its path is almost too much to comprehend, something that should be reserved for Hollywood back-lots. Yet, I assure you, it is very real for the residents of those cities that looked like they had been vacuumed up and spit out again. To hear their stories was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. They went through such a profound experience; to be able to hear them speak about it was such a treat for the journalist in me. Their strength and optimism after all that had befallen them was awe-inspiring. I felt like I got so much more than I gave from every day of work.

To conclude, I absolutely loved this trip with all my heart, for reals yo. I am so thankful I decided to come. Yeah I’m done.

-Leslie Corona, signing off.

Parting Shots

2006-08-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

This being my first mission trip, I feel that I have to express what a wonderful experience it has been for me these last 10(ish) days. The friendships I have formed and the feelings I have felt on and off the worksite have been truly inspiring. Being able to find a whole group of such wonderful people my age can seem so hard to find sometimes, yet, here I have struck gold. The kids in this group express a kind of unity and friendliness that I just can’t get over. I have decided that I am officially addicted to the God Squad and all that it stands for: the work, the bonds, and the fun.

To be able to view first hand the destruction here on the Gulf Coast was an eye-opening experience for a “weather-sheltered” California girl. The idea of a huge wall of water leveling everything in its path is almost too much to comprehend, something that should be reserved for Hollywood back-lots. Yet, I assure you, it is very real for the residents of those cities that looked like they had been vacuumed up and spit out again. To hear their stories was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. They went through such a profound experience; to be able to hear them speak about it was such a treat for the journalist in me. Their strength and optimism after all that had befallen them was awe-inspiring. I felt like I got so much more than I gave from every day of work.

Now for the fun stuff…New Orleans was pretty legit I must say. The French Quarter was a little dirty, but otherwise, very similar to what I imagined. I did see a transvestite, and as a result, I feel my experience is now complete. One of the biggest treats for me was when our whole group attended a cooking class/exhibition at The New Orleans School of Cooking. We had this lady Anne, (whom I thought was a major crack-up by the way) who showed us how to cook some of the best gumbo and jambalaya I have ever tasted. Ok, ever tasted, period. As for the pralines, only one word comes to mind: heavenly. They were really some of the best candy I have ever had, and I have had my fair share of candy. I usually don’t go for things with nuts in them, not being a big fan myself, but these were AMAZING.

To conclude, I absolutely loved this trip with all my heart, for reals yo. I am so thankful I decided to come.

Yeah I’m done.

Leslie Corona, signing off.

+ + +

Like Leslie, this was also my first mission trip. As someone who has adopted his faith relatively recently, this trip has given me a unique opportunity to both test, and reinforce my newly found faith.

Being in the wake of an ‘act of God’ has this effect on people, and I was lucky enough to experience that effect profoundly over the past number of days.

I am so lucky to have gotten the chance to experience something that most people never will. That said, The Mission Trip has been more than just another story I can tell people, or thumbtack on the map, its become a memory that I believe will truly change my life. Of course as I write this here on the plane, flying over the grand state of Kansas, I am not sure what exactly this trip will do for me, and more specifically - my character. On a basic level, I believe that The Mission Trip has helped to increase my tolerance for heat (I have always enjoyed cold weather much more). I anticipate that upon arrival, the moderate Oakland climate will cause me to long for a jacket somewhat warmer than the paper-thin windbreaker I am wearing right now.

Upon the first day we landed in New Orleans, all of my own personal problems seemed so much smaller. I was surrounded by a place awash with destruction, somewhere where you were lucky to have half a house, much less a car or garden. I began to attack myself internally, realizing how pathetic and inconsequential the classic teenage problems of not finding a date to the prom or breaking up with your girlfriend are. That mentality now helps me whenever I feel like pitying myself, and I believe strengthens my character.

I am so impressed with how the church has reacted to this crisis, a crisis unseen historically. When I say ‘the church’ I don’t mean any specific denomination, Episcopal or otherwise, I mean the people of God as a nation. I do not know why but it seems that secular response to this disaster (federal or otherwise) has been somewhat lackluster and ineffective. The people we helped seldom asked ‘what organization are you from,’ but rather ‘what church’. When people speak ill of the effects of organized religion, I believe that they forget the profoundly influential and beneficial effects of the church community as a whole. As Christians, it is important to remember our covenant with God, to help those less fortunate than us.

The funny thing is that I don’t really know if I want to go back or not. This trip has made me want to change things externally as well, such as the relationship with my family, and I am eager to start that. I miss my friends, my car, and my mattress (one not filled with air) but I am also cognizant of how much work is still left to be done along the Gulf Coast. I guess its time for me to give up the computer. All I really know now is that the way I felt flying west to east was very different than how I feel now, flying towards the setting sun.
California, I’m comin’ home.

Chris Nomura

+ + +

An excerpt from a letter that I wrote today to my partner, Colette Mercier:

I sat on one of 36 bunk beds in our tent shaking and crying as I felt this thing in me. Realizing the beauty and radical potential in this amazing youth-led Mission Trip and in my practice. We are a traveling band of lovers & workers living in community, looking at history, struggling for justice, making art, singing, meditating and having serious fun. If things like this can't change the world, I don't know what can.

-The sp Lovin' aka Sean Potts

+ + +

I’m sitting here thinking of what to say about this experience. I’m thinking about all the lives I’ve helped change- RJ, Willis, Barbara, Florence, and countless others. I’m recalling all the sights I’ve seen- destroyed houses, piles of debris, foundations of houses that no longer exist, childrens toys covered in mud and flood water, and that’s only to name a few. I’m cherishing the friendships I’ve gained and the ones I’ve made stronger. I’m considering every adjective in the book- amazing, mind-blowing, life changing, binding, incredible, and all the other over-used descriptive words. Still, I don’t quite know how to describe this mission trip to Mississippi. It’s more something that can’t be described. Something that isn’t tangible. Nothing I can hold or show off but something worth way more. But you know what I couldn’t be more okay with that.

-Erin Searfus

+ + +

Do know that I am a musician, not a poet….

I have seen God on this mission trip of ours,
Just as sure as you can see Mars.
He’s been with us the whole way,
Just as sure as it rains in May.
His presence was in the people we met,
Who are always so thankful for the help they get.

God was with us each step of the way,
We could see that everyday.
He gave us an air-conditioned car,
When the humidity felt like tar.
His presence was in the places we went,
It was like an agreement that could not be bent.

God was with us throughout the week,
Even if times looked meek.
We were quite surprised to see Him so much,
It wasn’t hard to keep in touch.
Even as I write this poem now,
I look back, and can only say wow.

-Luke Doylemason

Pics, pics, pics 8

2006-08-10T11:06:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

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2006-08-10T09:14:00.000-07:00

Return-logistics

2006-08-07T06:12:00.000-07:00

Parents,

I have been blessed and inspired by EACH of your youth, and thank you for sharing them with me and my home state (I'm a Mississippi expat). They are hard workers, caring hearts, and signs of Christ!

We know you are looking for information about our return. All the information you need should be available in the packets distributed to all of you before the trip.

Someone will post or send an email with more information by tomorrow. Until then, you should be able to find flight information, including arrival time at Oakland in that packet. Main Group returns Delta Flight #1280 at 10:06 and Richard K, AlissaG., Tierney A., Rob O., Rob H. wil return on Flight #1245 at 11:36pm. My number is 925-324-7663.

Please remember that we are not providing shuttle from the airport, so you need to make arrangements for your youth and carpooling.

So, while I do not have the exact flight information as I write this post, please know that more info will be coming soon (and is also available in your trip information packet).

Thanks,
Michael Barham
(St. Michael's - Concord)

Pics, pics, pics 4!

2006-08-07T06:11:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Camille Mosaic Memorial at Church of the Redeemer on the coast in Biloxi. The church and memorial were completely leveled. We brought our own church to the site by holding small group activities and having our closing Biloxi compline on the site where their altar once stood.

Sign posts made by volunteer groups at Camp Coast Care in Long Beach show nationwide support for the camps efforts. We celebrated Sunday morning Eucharist with the community there.

Dr. Anita George spoke to the group along with Rev. Ed King about their involvement in movements for civil rights in Mississippi. Dr. George was expelled from college for participating in a sit-in. Rev. King has been imprisoned 10+ times for his involvement in non-violent civil disobedience actions for civil rights. Many youth were brought to tears hearing about their experiences and how high schoolers of the time were key members of the movement.

Swimming at the local country club that welcomed us from our less lavish accommodations in Biloxi.

Dr. George swore on her grandmother's bible to attest to her academic record when Alcorm A&M had expelled her and refused to release her transcript because of her involvement in an anti-segreation sit it. Dr. George invited us to pray with the bible and that her grandmother would be praying with her.

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2006-08-07T06:06:00.000-07:00

Pics, pics, pics 2!

2006-08-07T05:58:00.000-07:00

Mr. Willis whose family lived on his land for numerous generations before it was destroyed by the hurricane. He and his daughter next door have had their houses built completely by volunteers. We leveled out his yard to prepare it for sod.

Day Seven

2006-08-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

Our final morning at Camp Biloxi consisted of cleaning and packing, then we drove to Camp Coast Care to attend a church service at St. Patrick’s (Episcopal). I was really excited to come to CCC because I had friends from BREAD Camp who volunteered there earlier this summer and talked endlessly about what a great experience it was. The service was really similar to how services used to be at Resurrection where we had to look up all the readings and hymns in the books. Of the small part that we saw of CCC I especially liked all the wooden arrow signs naming different Episcopal churches whose groups had volunteered there and the number of miles away their homes are.

Then we drove to Jackson, MS. The drive wasn’t too long and it was a relief to finally be in real buildings (houses) with plumbing. Then St James’ youth minister, Heather, took us to the local country club where we got to swim and live the “high life”. It was interesting to talk to Heather about Southern culture and customs and life in Jackson and where she lived in Alabama. This was the first time that we got to speak with someone who was honest about life in this area and how it’s shaped by history. The culture shock has been pretty intense and I don’t know if any of us really know how to react. We don’t want to be disrespectful as guests in their state and at the same time it’s hard for us to understand why they have certain expectations.

Mississippi has more history than California in terms of events that have shaped the entire history of the United States and it’s such a weird feeling to be a witness to such an important part of our history as Americans.

We had an amazing dinner of truly southern cuisine and stuffed ourselves full of delicious food that hadn’t been available to us at Camp Biloxi.

Before and after dinner we had two stunning speakers, the first was Dr. Anita George who talked about growing up in “the bottoms” of Vicksburg with other blacks. Her personal story was unbelievably moving. As someone who loves history, stories like hers make the Civil Rights movement so much more real because she took action, she didn’t just wait around for someone else to end injustice. All the time she was describing her life as a young girl though her college experience, my most prominent feeling was disgust and it brought up new emotions when I put myself in her shoes and the thought constantly in my head was “for what purpose? And how can everyone just sit back and watch racism grow?”.

The Reverend King also spoke about his activism as a white priest in the Southern community. I was touched by both of their efforts to push for equality and civil rights and I’m so glad I was given the opportunbity to meet them. It’s hard for me to pinpoint exactly how I’m feeling currently, I guess it’s an overwhelmed emotion towards a sensative period of history.

-Claire McConnell

Pics, pics, pics!

2006-08-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

The Blessing at the Community Send Off

Learning about the history of Mississippi, we knelt before the the St. Paul's Chapel reenacting the Kneel-Ins that activists staged outside segregated churches

Our Friend RJ who lives on the coast of Biloxi and waited out the storm in his house while it was heavily damaged. We moved building materials for him.

Day Six

2006-08-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

We were awakened by U2’s “The Streets Have No Name” this morning. Those opposed to getting out of bed were drug outside… the only one actually being Carli, by Rob Howard, Taylor M. and Kevin. During breakfast, the camp director discussed the dress code with our group, of which we were horrible offenders. It is apparent that the culture here is quite different then that at home. We had eggos for breakfast with bacon. After breakfast we went to the Urban Life Ministries where another tent city was built. This is where we were given our assignments. We signed our lives away, yet again.

The group was split up into four groups. One group stayed at camp to help clean and cook. Their day included a long nap, cleaning, reading, showering, preparing meals and for the harder workers, cleaning out a shed. One other group went to a lady's house in East Biloxi where the hurricane hit the hardest. The woman’s house was quite far along in repairs so the group worked on sanding, painting and spackling. Another group met three volunteers that came from Kiesler Air Force base and they helped them work on Florence’s (a sweet old lady) house. Here they worked on spackling, sanding and putting up dry wall. The last group worked on stapling down flooring.

After that, we went back to camp to enjoy hamburgers and salad. After that, some of the group enjoyed an intensely hilarious game of Apples to Apples. From there we went to an Episcopal church that was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. The only thing left was a cros s, some of the structure, some of the foundation and a mosaic dedicated for Hurricane Camille victims. It is quite haunting and we are sitting in the narthex typing this right now. On the way here, “The Coolest Small Group Ever” had the tightest car ride, EVER. With Taylor M. as our D.J. It included a Ethnically Neutral Car Fire Drill, head banging by Richard and it was an all out celebration. [Krsssch] Over and Out [Krsssch].

Signed,
“The Coolest Small Group Ever”
Carli, Tierney, Sam H., Rob Howard, Taylor M.

Day Five

2006-08-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

Today started out fairly normal... well as normal is it can go around here. Between the 6:00 am wake-up call and breakfast that seems like it has just been poured from a can ( which in fact it probably is, I’ve seen the kitchen!) let’s just say we envy you the pleasures of home.

A small group was needed to stay at camp to help with camp duties. The rest of us left for todays assignments, which were not exactly what we’d hope for, but Surprisingly sufficient to the point that I can’t complain (Amazing!). We started off with a fairly easy task helping out some very nice people weed and level the yard of their very nice house, which consequently had also been recently built by volunteers after it was leveled by Katrina.

One thing that made us appreciate how much this man had lost was the fact that although he had only received 4,000 dollars from his insurance he spent 60,000 dollars of his own money in order to begin rebuilding his house. This makes the work we do seem all the more worth while, because we know that this is something for which the individuals we are aiding are willing to work themselves.

Finally after working around electrical wires and fabled buried water meters (we never found one!), we managed to clear the yard of unwanted plant life. We had a short detour to Winn-Dixie for some lunch and snacks to take back to the work site. Before leaving, we gathered under a sprawling (about 500 year old) oak tree to take pictures with the owner, who wanted us to send him copies to add to his memory book, which we all signed before parting.

After lunch and pictures, we moved to another work-site, where we proceeded to clean a lot from debris and trash; from bricks to shoes, forks to broken china-plates. We worked until rains came, and we were forced to return to camp. Adrian said the rain was a force to reckon with, while most of us simply enjoyed the reprieve from heat and humidity as we frolicked in the blissful rain.

Back at camp, our “flow team” decided a visit to Dairy Queen was in order. After paying homage to her majesty, and indulging in delectable delicacies, we returned to camp where we enjoyed another post-can dinner. We met with small groups, attended compline, and then volunteered to write this entry.

Hope everyone is well, and lots of love from everyone here at Camp Biloxi.

-- Robert Haycock and Nate Fuentes.

Day Four

2006-08-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

7:45- Left camp for the morning’s project

8:00- Arrived & continued roto-tilling an over-grown lawn with the whole of the group divided into two teams.
Each team spent half the morning working on the roto-tilling project, and each group played a game developed by Sean to simulate post-disaster life, which helped us better understand necessity of resources, how social status effects people, and how difficult it is to distribute necessary goods to the people in need.
While Rob Howard and Jeff tilled, the rest of the group raked and collected the turned up grass. Much to our surprise, Alissa found a baby turtle buried in the dirt. We named it Michaelangelo and gave it a home in the bamboo plants nearby.

9:30- Piled into vans and rushed over to Winn-Dixie (aka the “Safeway of Mississippi’) for a quick bathroom break

10:00- Groups switched roles back at the job-site

12:30- Groups arrived back at the Tents on the campsite to eat bag lunches in the Dining Hall.

1:30- We got our new job from work supervisor Randy, and followed him out to the worksite. When we arrived, the clouds opened up and began to pour out the heavens. Lightning was an added bonus! Randy came back and informed us the conditions were unsafe to continue working and we headed back to camp for a second time.

3:00- Back at camp, we decided to go swimming on account of the heat and more importantly the humidity. Even though us Californians are used to heat over one hundred degrees, here in Mississippi, even ninety degree heat can be stifling, when combined with humidity levels easily reaching 95%. Michael C. located an indoor pool and as the weather miraculously began to clear, we set off, hoping that in the time it took us to arrive at the “Natatorium” the pool would be open, in spite of the adverse weather. Upon arrival we discovered there were 22 listed rules including the rule that all swimsuits had to have a real lining (they checked everyone!) which resulted in several people going to Walmart to buy new suits (sorry Phil and Sarah, all the local shops are destroyed).

5:30- We left the pool (all pruney!) and headed back for dinner.

6:00- Dinner and then free time

7:30- Small Group Time: During small group time different groups partook in various activities, while ours (Erin, Liz, Chris, Robert Haycock, and Nate) wrote this blog.

8:45- Compline

10:00- Lights Out
___________________
Dear God,
Thank you for this day; the chance to serve you, and worship you, and love you. Your creation is awesome and I am so happy to be a part of it.
You ROCK!!!

First Day of Work (Wednesday)

2006-08-03T05:13:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up at six a.m. to the sound of Father Michael’s recorder. The tent was surprisingly cool. After a breakfast of biscuits and sausage gravy, a mixture of potatoes and eggs, and bacon and sausage, we were split into two groups and headed off to a worksite on the Gulf Coast, one block away from the ocean.
A third of our group worked at the house of an old woman named Mae. Mae’s house appeared to have been protected by the houses around her and she only received about three inches of rain. At her house, ten youth painted her deck and railing, as well as stained a table. Mae’s friend Charlie Mullins showed the group photos he had taken after the hurricane, and told many stories. Mae was so appreciative of our work that she baked us brownies and gave everyone kisses and hugs when we left and threatened to hound us for all eternity if she ever finds out we came back to Biloxi and didn’t stay in her spare room.
Across the street, the rest of our team helped Bob and Michelin reorganize bricks and cinderblocks so that they could repair a wall which spared their house from major disaster. Bob remained in the house throughout the storm, and when Michelin came to the house to find Bob, she found him asleep under a blanket of mud, a dead squirrel, a pinecone and a six-pack of Heinekin. Bob gave the group some wisdom gained from his experience: everything is temporary. Taylor Burt rescued many baby geckos at Bob’s house.
After breaking for lunch, we were relocated to another part of town in which we began tilling a front lawn. Halfway through our work, the RotoTiller broke and we had to continue by hand until the work day ended at four thirty p.m..
Upon returning to camp, everyone rushed to the showers and ate dinner of chicken n’ things...

Rob Orton’s small group’s highlights of the day:
Rob- Watching Richard show us how to brush our tongues
Sammy- Paint fight and serving dinner for everyone in Tent City
Justin DeYoung- Hearing the locals’ accents
Luke- Surviving a fall off his chair and hitting his head (he’s fine mom!)
Alissa- Having God Talk with Tierney and Michael Carney AND taking a shower
Taylor B- Having a random woman working in the kitchen tell her about the new house that was being built for her AND saving the geckos

Day One & Travel

2006-08-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

Monday...
A great program that followed a timeline of Mississippi history.Prayer beadsAfrican and indigenous oppressionBlack code simulationCivil RightsA Taste of the South,by Sammy ForcumNew friendships are made, Revive the last,We talked to the locals who have paid the costThe infectious heat we strive to beat,is burning up our little feetWith lots of good food and barely any sleepOur anticipations for Biloxi start to creepWith two plane rides and six mini-vansWe are running on schedule, according to plansWe have nine days to go and we're hardly bored...I CANT wait for Mississippi to do the work of the LordDay One...The landscape is a lush green on an overcast gray, sort of like a photograph in sepia, or one of those old hand-colored photographs that were popular in the forties. It seems that the past comes through to our time in the form of rusty old windmills hodgepodged with the new shopping centers. There is no real evidence of the disaster except for a few boarded shops, a few garbage piles, and the fact that none of the telephone poles are straight. As we go further towards the coast I see massive roadwork... We're getting on the freeway.(Next Day)Scratch that, over the past day or so I've been educated as to the plight of New Orleans. When I look at the destruction I feel as I think I would feel if I was looking at the corpse of someone I never knew; sad but reverent. I notice the signs that Search And Rescue spray painted in the sides of the houses notifying us with all the feeling and description of a bar code of the lives lost inside these houses. And then i see it... the head of a statue of The Virgin Mary sticking out of the mud like a lilly among the thorns. A small gleam of beauty in the face of unspeakable horror and adversity. I think i might write a song about this... There is a man mowing his lawn, he has no neighbors. Many of the abandoned houses on his street bare markings that their owners are dead. This man must have a lot on his mind as he is mowing his lawn. It must take a lot of strength to mow your lawn when chances are there is no one to enjoy but you. However, it is a break in the silence that here is as thick as the humid air, for that I'm thankful.-Justin C These last few days have been pretty intense. When we gat on our red eye flight everyone was so excited. Pretty much o one got any sleep and the layover in Atlanta wasn't too long but we were sitting in the airport at about 3 am which was weird. When we finally rrived on New Orleans we rented vans that look realy creepy when we're all lined up together because they're the same model but 3 are blue and 3 are white. The drive to Biloxi wasn't too long but we made lots of stops which got annpying because the humidity was unbearable at first. The air felt really thick and you didn't want anyone else to be close to you. The damage we saw on the drive was unbelievable. Lots of trees are mangled and broken, we even saw one huge tree that had fallen on top of a house and has been there since the hurricane happened, almost a year ago. There is junk in piles everywhere and all all the homes and former businesses don't look usable and you can't help but thinking, "I wonder what it looked like before?". It's sad to see such beautifu homes and neighborhoods virtually abandoned and hopeless looking. You truely get the impression of sadness that must overcome the residents. Yet at the same time, lots of homes have trailers in their front yards were the home owners live while fixing up their own house slowly but surely, attempting to return life to normal. A lot of the business that are open have help wanted signs showing that much of the population still hasn't returned which isn't that surprising but it's what this area needs the most. The sense of destruction and lonliness is so strong and it's hard to imagine so much damage, with buildings completely wiped out besides the basic frame. And the spray paint on the doors give a small indication of the tragedy that occured here in terms of deaths and the day it was inspected which was sometimes 3 weeks after the hurricane. I am so glad to be helping, there is so much work that needs to be done. Everyone is really really tired/exhausted, we've all been up for 38 hours with a few hours of sleep here and there. We're also happy to have finally gotten settled and it is obvious our bond as a group is growing everyday. Love to all at home!-Claire McConnell}

What to expect upon arrival...

2006-07-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

10 Day Local Weather Forecast for Biloxi, MS - weather.com: "
Scattered T-Storms high: 90° low: 77° Humidity 71-77%

planting seeds

2006-07-19T14:14:00.000-07:00

Last summer on our way home from Idaho we stopped in a little park for lunch and frisbee. The youth all filled out evaluations, and every single person said they'd like to go on another mission trip.

Driving along, I wondered how we would decide where to go. There are so many possibilities. It was three weeks before Hurricane Katrina would devastate the Gulf Coast.

In the fall I got to meet a number of times with a group of young people who brainstormed every possibility from a retreat in Alaska to inner city work in New York (and many in-between). They kept coming back to serving in the hurricane area, despite the cost and logistical challenges of going there.

I remember the evening when the youth leaders made their presentation to adult representatives from all the churches in the county. They described their vision--hard questions were asked and answered--the group voted unanimously to approve the plan. Then the adults walked out of the room shaking their heads, wondering how we would ever pull it off.

With God's help (and our participation), nothing is impossible.

Michael+

Packing List

2006-07-14T00:10:00.000-07:00

Information about packing

We do not have the luxury of throwing loose items in the back of a van. Everything must be packed to go through the airport security/baggage system.

You can bring three items: a daypack, a sleeping bag, and a suitcase. You can carry two items on the plane (day pack and sleeping bag) and check your suitcase.

We have very limited space in the vans, so your bag should not be larger than about 25”x12”x12” (Duffle style bag is best. No hard sided suitcases)

Remember, you will have to carry everything you bring: Through the airport, to the vans, and in camp. Please pack accordingly.

The airline has a strict rule of 50 lbs for luggage. Any bag over 50 lbs will be assessed at $25 charge, and you will be responsible for paying this charge.

What to Bring

□ Signed copies of required forms
□ Picture ID (If 18 or older, it must be government issued. i.e. Drivers License; Under 18, school ID or copy of birth certificate is OK)
□ Sleeping bag
□ Inflatable sleeping pad
□ Personal hygiene items
o Shampoo
o Toothbrush
o Toothpaste
o Comb or Brush
o Chapstick
o Soap
o Deodorant
o Razor
o Feminine products
□ Sun screen
□ Insect Repellant
□ Prescription Medication
□ Bath Towel
□ Beach Towel
□ Flashlight
□ Water Bottle – MUST!!!
□ Camera
□ Watch
□ Personal music player
□ Sun Glasses
□ Clothes for work projects and while in camp and traveling
□ Long pants (for work projects, painting)
□ Long sleeve shirt (that can be thrown away if needed)
□ Sturdy shoes (closed toe for work projects)
□ Work gloves
□ Hat or bandana
□ Shorts
□ T-shirts/tops
□ Socks
□ Underwear
□ Swim suit
□ Pajamas/sleeping wear

Some Things You Should Not Bring
□ Cell Phone
□ Expensive or heirloom jewelry
□ Weapons

Fundraising Events

2006-06-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Join us at fundraising events to support our travel & work.

Bingo Night - June 24 6-8pm @ Church of the Resurrection, Pleasant Hill

Farewell Dinner & Raffle - July 30 @ St. Paul's, Walnut Creek