Just squeeze it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

Click here for 40 Ideas for Lent

An idea a day to get you through the season.

March 17 Mission

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

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

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

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

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.