Trip Journal - Nov. 11-18, 2006 WAMS,UCC and MACUCC trip

TRIP JOURNAL

November 11-18, 2006

Sunday, 11/12/06—

This is my Sunday night orientation reflection that put into perspective this national tragedy, unlike any other our present generation has ever witnessed. The Hurricane Katrina and the flooding that followed devastated the Gulf Area equal to the size of Pennsylvania and Ohio combined. It will not be restored in our lifetime.

How is it we can continue to manage a 3 year- war abroad and be so unprepared for what was feared and predicted to happen—someday?

And my Sunday evening prayer concern in response to the summary of agony that the entire Gulf Area is grieving—“I am grieving with you and for you. May the grace of God give each of the thousands of people all strength and courage they need”.

Doris Webber, Bedford, MA

Monday, 11/13/06—This is my second mission trip to New Orleans; my first experience was in April 2006. I am a Social Worker and my primary goal is to meet with seniors from several churches in Metairie and counsel them regarding their choices for Medicare D for the new year. I have 5 appointments so far starting Wednesday and hope to add a few more before the week is out. One of these appointments is with a couple that I met in April and I look forward to seeing them again.

We arrived on Saturday and hav

en't

been on our tour of the city yet, but I am encouraged by the number of commercial establishments that I observed Saturday evening as we drove from the airport to the church and then to Acme Oyster House to have supper. In my estimation, the number of stores and restaurants that remained open after 7 or 8 PM has doubled. We attended worship with the Good Shepherd UCC congregation on Sunday, something that time did not allow us to do in

April. What an uplifting experience it was to be welcomed into this community of the faithful.

Antoinette Pajor, Berlin, CT

Thursday, November 16, 2006 – This is my first mission trip to New Orleans. It's been an exhausting and amazing week; I think it will take me several weeks to process all that I have seen, heard, and done here. Shantia told us that everyone here would have a story...little did I know. Everyone we meet wants to tell us their experience of Katrina and what is happening to them since the storm. I am having a hard time understanding how they can be so tolerant and carry on with so much grace in the face of so many obstacles. We worked on gutting a house today and a man from a few doors down came ov

er to ask if we worked for the owner, and if we knew if she was coming back. I could see the hope in his face – he wanted to hear that someone else was returning as at present there are only two families on the street. He told us he had been living in Slidell with his daughter and had requested a FEMA trailer in October, 2005. He got one on December 12^th, 2005, but it was not hooked up until March 23^rd, and it was only hooked up then because he paid for it rather than wait for FEMA. Apparently this is not allowed (it has to be a FEMA authorized contractor) and the person who did it was reluctant, but the homeowner promised to take all the responsibility. He has been living in the trailer since then with his sister and restoring his home himself (we didn't talk about insurance). His eyes welled up with tears as he recounted all this – not in a whining way, but with a weariness that touched all of us. It is this kind of dignity in the face of unrelenting challenges that moves me the most-- I wonder where the outrage and the fury is. It occurred to me today that these people are outraged, but they don't have the time to do anything about it because the greater priority is to get their lives together again: phone, electricity, mail delivery, and most importantly, to reassemble their families. This week I've worked in a school library, painted, grouted the floor in the church here, and then today, gutted a house. The last has been the most satisfying. I have been scared about this task since I signed up to come: worried about mold, “critters”, and if I had the strength for such a task. But the instant I walked into that house I knew this was what I had come here to do: to help a family begin the rebuilding of their home and community. I have many questions about the process, the possibilities for the future, and how we (our church at home) can help here. I think hard and often about Gary's comment in his sermon on Sunday that “Katrina was not a hurricane, it was a catastrophic human failure”.

Ginni Spencer , Bedford

The Michael Story... In Karen Arndt's wonderful Pre-K class I met a precious little boy named Michael. When I plunked myself down on the rug in the block/pretend area Michael was grabbing toys from other classmates saying, "MINE!" For the next half hour I joined the kids in their pretend play but Michael never spoke more than a few words with us. As the youngest one in the class and at home maybe this strong-arm tactic worked best for him in getting what he wanted. However, later in the morning when we read "Make Way for Ducklings" Michael sat right at my feet in front of the pages. When I got to the part where the Boston policeman helped the ducklings cross the street...something very special happened. I read, "The policeman's name was Michael!" Little Michael's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "That's me! That's me!" Then he turned to his classmates and yelled, "That's me!" From then on he wanted to hold my hand when we moved around the school and he had lots to say about the
story we had read. And the next time we returned to Karen's class he came up to me before lunchtime, took my hand and whispered, "Can you come eat pizza with me?" What a joy! Lisa

Thursday, November 16...

We are winding down on our mission here....I came without preconceptions....I leave with tremendous doubt....I have painted, cleaned, scraped and sealed grout...I have listened to the incredibly sad stories of the survivors....and their anger....Tomorrow I will clean out the home of a survivor of this horror...The one overwhelming feeling I have is anger....Anger that this could have been prevented, but wasn't...anger that victims could have been saved, but weren't...and anger that citizens of New Orleans feel frustrated, betrayed, and abandoned by us, their fellow citizens....at all levels of government...but we are that government and must stand up with them...Who knows when and who the next victims will be? Are precautions being taken to prevent a repeat of this nightmare? The people of New Orleans have an incredible faith...but it is up to us as individuals to help that faith become a reality....I do not understand how Katrina has slipped from the American agenda and is no longer a priority for most of us as Americans...is it too hurtful or too shameful? And what message will I take home about this experience? Certainly glad that I came....but what will I do about it once I am safely home again? Do I have the courage to keep this issue in the current dialog? This week will stay with me long after I have unpacked my bags...but what will we do to assure this will not be repeated? Will we help the people of New Orleans find a voice to raise? Will we be part of the solution or part of the problem? I'm not sure the answer is easy...

Nancy Asbedian, Bedford

Warren Easton High School the home of many well known New Orleans personalities sat with 7' of water for weeks after Katrina. And in addition to that a section of the roof blew off directly over the non-fiction section of the library.

Nancy Hernandez a librarian and a dedicated alumni of the school has returned to try to breath new life into the remains of her library. But, in spite of a small grant from the Nancy Bush Foundation, only about 1/2 of the fiction shelves have books and about ¼ of the non-fiction. The copier has been vandalized, the reference books are out of date, there is no money for the programs and the updates for automation so they relay on the traditional card catalog. They have 3 computers – but only one is on line. Our librarian volunteer Leslie, volunteered for 2 days in the library helping with computer glitches, shelving books and cataloging.... but there is so much more to do! The schools budget for the library is only $6,000 a year. There is nothing in that for new reference books or basic supplies like library tape and pockets for the books. Her requests are modest – we encouraged her to dream - “We need an unabridged dictionary” said Nancy “any kind.” (The one that's there is 30 years old and showing signs of having been contaminated by the mold.) I pray for this feisty woman and her determination to offer the best to her wonderful students. I struggle with my anger that even before Katrina such catch phrases as “No Child Left Behind” had so little meaning where it is needed most.

Please may we bring light to this place????

Shantia

Saturday—November 18, 2006

I screened 12 people for Medicare D (almost double from April!), shopped for food for the group, and have met some incredible people in my week here. Friday morning I also got to go to a work site for the first time. The team was gutting a house on Mayo Drive and the city was also removing the debris with a claw and dump truck. While walking to the back of a neighboring house with two other members of the group, I was overcome with the smell and literally had to run to the car to escape it before I was physically ill. I was feeling very defeated at that moment—coming to the end of our time here to help and just briefly being exposed to what everyone who lived here had to cope with everyday, and I couldn't take it for 10 minutes—and then something wonderful happened.

I was sitting in the car in front of the neighbor a few more doors up from our house when the group saw him leaving his driveway with his sister. They had spoken of this man after their first day at the site and we had brought 2 prayer shawls and a few Home Depot gift cards for them if they were home.

Forstall was redoing his house and invited all of us in to see what he had accomplished. We entered a space that had been rebuilt inside and fresh paint, in colors of the rainbow, greeted us in every room! A very example of what happens after the “tearing down”. I know we all appreciated the opportunity to see for ourselves a house much closer to being inhabited than the thousands witnessed on the tour that hadn't been touched yet.

We also heard again the story of agony that seems to accompany the deliver of a FEMA trailer to a homeowners property as they sit for months (in his case 4) before they gain access to this temporary living facility on their little piece of land. Forstall was quick to tell me that he only had to have a plumber come and hook up on sink and toilet in his house and he would be able to really live at his address once again. The hope in his voice is a sound I pray all of New Orleans hears as well. We parted after hugs with him and his sister and the team continued a few doors down on their mission to Bring Light and Life to the Gulf Coast. I left with a promise to come back to Forstall's home in January and introduce him to my husband, John.

Antoinette Pajor, Berlin, CT

Saturday, November 18^th – Three days at Airline Park Elementary School under the guidance of Karen Arndt and her amazing, tolerant, patient understanding of the “too many” children in one classroom – but they are happy, such loving and huggy kids, who rushed to great unknowns. Walking together, at least two on each side holding our fingers. They seemed to want to be touched and to touch us. Their upside down childhood is subconsciously altered forever, I've no doubt, but they are resilient, like all children, and will overcome, I hope.

I will remember all their faces and especially blond, blue-eyed Devin who loves Legos and we built a tower taller than he on the second day – so proud! And Ayat wanting to sit on my lap flipping her purple beaded braids in my face and giggling.

And then the challenge of emptying a dormant room that had been used for storage since summer, cleaning as well as we could, trying to set it up for an after-school program. Clorox cleaning and sorting into bins a gazillion pieces of educational toys (Legos, Duplos, etc) and wishing we had one more day to deal with a gigantic tub of larger toys and the dirty refrigerator. But we didn't, so labeled them “DIRTY – TO BE CLEANED”. All joyful work and such a privilege.

Last night thoughts: I now have a bird's eye view of this national tragedy, the geography of the Gulf area, a vague understanding of how the flooding occurred and have seen a sampling of the devastation. The fun excursions were a wonderful antidote to all the horror and so nice to witness the spirit and culture of the real New Orleans. The courage of the people to keep moving on will stay with me forever. Thank you to all who educated me.

Doris (Mickey) Webber, Bedford, MA.

Saturday, November 18 – Gutting the house at 6872 Mayo Drive in East New Orleans was a truly satisfying experience. Although I enjoyed all the different tasks we were assigned to, gutting the house felt like the work I had come to do. We worked together really well – ripping down walls and insulation and tearing up flooring and carpeting as if we did it as a team every day. The house had been emptied of furniture already, but we found little “relics” as we went: a make-up container, a tiny toy horse (which I kept), some photos, even a small wooden cross that had been left on one wall. I wondered a lot about the family who lived there – where are they, will they come back, how was it for them. I kept thinking that the last time they were there they probably expected to be gone only a few days and then they would return and take up their lives again. Toward the end of the day, one of our group managed to pry open the back door which still showed the high water mark (I would guess six or seven feet) and the sun splashed into the kitchen, now stripped down to the studs and concrete floor. The light and the fresh air felt hopeful, like a new beginning, and I ended the day imagining the family coming back and feeling like maybe they could now start over. The most vivid image I will take with me from that house is that creaky back door propped open with a shovel, and the light pouring on to the floor, welcoming them to a new life. Hallelujah!

Ginni Spencer, Bedford, MA.

Saturday—November 18—I am truly inspired by the strength and spirit of the people of New Orleans. Their commitment to rebuilding their city is really amazing. I received far more blessings here than I gave - from the hard work and dedication of Nancy Hernandez, the librarian to the people I met in stores and on the streets. On 9/11, in NYC our hearts broke and I cried every night for a month. We didn't lose as much as they have here but I can identify with their grief. In fact, some people even mentioned our tragedy when they heard where I was from which I found astonishing.

Leslie Dann NYC

First Congregational of Stockbridge work trip - Day 2

Naw’lins Day 2
6 June 2006

Another excellent day. We are getting a terrific amount done. Feels like we have been here for two weeks not two days! The enormity of what needs to be done is always felt but we are going to get our tasks that loomed quite large completed, God willing!

The college kids had an excellent day working with the homeowner today. She said that she felt a glimmer of hope for the first time that she would someday live in her home again. They removed all the appliances and drywall. Tomorrow they will get the ceiling and the small bits under the window and door moldings. I went to the site today to bring tarps and take photos. It looks terrible and smells worse. Very few people are living in trailers in front of their homes. Mostly the homes and streets appear abandoned. There are many other homes in this area (East New Orleans) that have not been touched since the storm.

Ted and Tom and Julie went to Good Shepherd UCC Church in Metairie to build shelves. They purchased lumber and tools and got bookshelf #1 almost completed. They met quite a few of the folks from that church, including the minister, Gary Arndt , who heads to Mt Holyoke today for the Massachusetts Conference UCC Annual Meeting.

Ron, Henry, Rylan, Mark and Anne spent the day with the Central sanctuary joists. Discovered a lot of old termite and water damage. Removed all the soffits on the nursery school wing—there is a large early intervention nursery school attached to the church.

Tomorrow is half day of work—we’ll all try to leave by 7:30 am for our job sites and return by 1:00. We’ll have a tour of New Orleans, then come back to St Matthew's for a dinner of red beans and rice cooked by our church hosts, followed by a lecture in local history.

Anne Hutchinson

First Congregational of Stockbridge work trip - Day 1

Monday, June 5, 2006

I had many people express interest in our second First Congregational of Stockbridge volunteer work trip to New Orleans. I was able to assemble a full crew of 20 including two contractors, three carpenters and 10 college students. They are an incredibly hard working crew who bring many skills to bear on a variety of problems. They each have paid their own airfare and share the cost of food, transportation and insurance. Donor funds are providing some of the tools and building materials which we use. All the tools are left to be used by successive volunteer groups. The UCC has up to 20 volunteers each week at each of three churches which have provided bunk space, showers and kitchen access. There is an on the ground co-ordinator to plan work at 100 homes and 3 churches. The churches are all very important in their communities proving day care centers and senior services.

We have had an excellent beginning to our work week in Naw’lins.

We all arrived on time yesterday and vanned together to St Matthews. Our arrival times were spread over 11 hours but we all met up with our three drivers, Anne, Julie and Pam. Pam had to get a 15 passenger van to fit all the luggage.

We settled in, made a speedy trip to Whole Foods with Pam maneuvering the large van through narrow streets. We hurried back to meet our St. Matthews liason and learn the rules about defeating cockroaches in southern kitchens. The volunteer work coordinators, Jim & Linda Ditzler, were on next to go over our work assignments. All the Westborough group plus Philip (college jr. from Andover) and Nancy were to clear out a house near Lake Pontchartrain of all its contents (we were advised that strip was a softer word than gut for someone’s home). Henry, Ron, Rylan and Mark were to begin work on the sanctuary floor joists of Central Congregational, an African-American church in Mid-city. Julie, Maddie, Ted, Tom and Anne were to work in the parsonage, one block away.

After an early breakfast and quick clean-up we were ready for Jim at 8am. He brought tools for the Central gang who set off for the church that Anne attended when she was a Tulane grad student in 2002-03. She has been working at finding a way to help out Central since the storm and that commitment was realized today. The floor joists will keep the crew of four busy for the week. They had been badly damaged by termites prior to the storm; finally the repair work is starting. The parsonage had been stripped of sheetrock and treated with a bleach, soap solution to discourage mold by a previous team. Our crew removed molding around windows and stairs to get out the last of the sheetrock; mold feeds on the paper covering. We then treated all the exposed studs with Pinesol or Lysol. That job is finished so after through drying insulation and sheetrock can be replaced. This building may be used to house long term volunteers. A very good start was made at the sanctuary, cleaning up the joists and the required lumber was ordered. Henry’s supplier in Massachusetts declined to take that job.

The group of eight college students, Philip, Ben, Kaity, two Laura’s, Ning, Anna, Peggy, with two wranglers did an incredible job removing all the contents of a home that had not been entered since the storm. The crew wore Tyvek suits, masks, goggles and hair-coverings in ninety-degree heat. Nancy and Pam enforced frequent water breaks and lunch was an excursion to the lakeshore. Jim expressed amazement at how much was done, the team members under twenty were ready to keep working. The homeowner visited today and will work with the team tomorrow.

Pam, with helpers, made a terrific supper incorporating leftovers from a weekend wedding at the church. We all enjoyed the showers finished by the last Stockbridge crew. Ted and Anne went to check out tomorrow’s carpentry work at Good Shepherd UCC in Metariie.

I was amazed how much more reconstruction is visible here. The neighborhood around Central has quite a few properties showing signs of renovatiion and there are some families in residence. Saw many types of crews working on restoring services including traffic lights which makes driving a alittle mpre predictable. the heat has picked up since last month but is not unbearable. It is not excessively humid.

The young people have played lots of word and card games. The adults planned and communicated with you. I think that we are all happy and tired and want to let you know that we are enjoying this opportunity to be part of rebuilding this broken community.

Anne Hutchinson

Wishing us well after the flooding in Eastern New England...

May 19, 2006


This email came from the principal of the Airline Park Elementary Shcool in Metairie, LA to Bill and Jean Stuart of Shrewsbury after the flooding storms this week. Bill and Jean took down books for the school as part of an April workgroup through WAMS,UCC. The books were collected by their school in Shrewsbury where a resettled boy from Metairie had attended. Paricipants in the WAMS April trip also read for students in many of the classes on three mornings during our worktime there. We are very moved to have our caring flow back to us!

Subject: Hello from Airline Park.

Hello from Airline Park.

We hope you are all doing well after your bad weather and flooding.

Thank You,

Lynda McVille
Principal
Airline Park Elementary

MACUCC trip reflections - April 24, 2006

4/24/06

I feel as if our work is now just beginning. We have a huge responsibility to the people in the New Orleans area to not let the world forget about them. We are ambassadors for Christ and we cannot allow the injustices to continue. Whether we continue our outreach locally or in Washington, or in Louisiana, there is much work to do. We also need to continue praying for the healing of all of our brothers and sisters who have been affected by last year's hurricanes. Pray too for the people rebuilding the infrastructures of the region, the people rebuilding the emotional, physical, and spiritual health of the victims, the lawmakers whose decisions will make a world of difference (good or bad) for the future of the people of the gulf coast, and the thousands of volunteers who are witness to the glory and hope of God.
Elaine Cavanaugh

MACUCC trip reflections - April 22, 2006

4-22-06

Today we as we shared prayer concerns I was struck by how much of a communityof disciples we have become. We have witnessed so much--devastation and rebuilding, despair and hope all mingled together. Each of us has expressed the concern thatwe will not be able to convey our experience in ways that will enable others to join in the work that has been set before us. "Lord, with your eyes you have searched me, and while smiling, have called out my name...." May we have the wisdom and courage to be your disciples in the world.

Linda Michel
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4-22-06

This week has opened up my heart and spirit. I have never done a mission trip before and this week has been so amazing and such a learning. I've experienced so much emotional sights and stories and learned how "alone" this area has felt. I also have experienced so much fellowship, love, and hope. I will bring home this area in my heart and spread the information of all that is going on down here in this beautiful area and hopefully have others assist in helping in all ways. Good Shepherd and the people involved, have been so gracious and kind it makes me want to stay. Thanks for teaching me how to eat crawfish!!

It will also be hard to say good-bye to this great group Sunday. I hope to keep in touch with everyone and do more work at home to continue the support and assistance. After this week, I feel closer to God and the human spirit. Thank you for all your guidance and presence. Cheryl Brasier
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04-22-06

I was told when I was a young girl that I wanted to be a Missionary. Of course they were just words to me because I was too small to understand. God has, I believe, always been speaking to me, watching over me guiding me through the darkest of storms... I never in my wildest dreams ever thought the storm would lead me to a city so entrenched in the most horrible disaster this country has ever known. Through the wonderful people at Good Shepherd I have been ministered to. Carolyn, Pastor Gary and members of the congregation have welcomed me with open arms,taken time out their busy schedules to talk with me and give me hope and strength to bring the story back... to advocate and to never let them feel that they are alone. I am honored to be in their presence. I am privileged to have come into their lives... Thank you Nancy Pettus

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04-22-06

I do not easily express my faith verbally nor by the written word - but I am here because God has spoken to me and asked me to reach out to these people who have been so devastated. I came here not knowing what to expect - how would I be able to live with 20 other people I do not know - in a church building????? What could I offer? BUT here I am at the end of the week - overwhelmed with the love with which we have been accepted - by the church and by the city of New Orleans.

Good Shepherd has been an incredible place to stay - sharing their resources with us and making us feel so welcome. My heartfelt thanks also to all who have shared my personal concern and offered prayers for my son. And to my 20 fellow travelers - Godspeed and thanks for sharing this incredible experience with me!

Sue Withers

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04-22-2006

Hot and sweaty; tired and sore. Yet, I would not have traded this past week for anything. Did we accomplish anything? Yup. Work-wise, we put out a lot of effort, and visually you could see results. Did we accomplish enough? I think so. We all would have liked to have done more. But I felt that more important than anything, was the fact that we were there. People knew we came because we cared... and they realized that they not been forgotten.

Jill E. Lewis
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April 22, 2006
We had a tour today of the worst of the areas hit. The devastation down here is worse than I could possibly ever explain….. City Park has been set up as a Point of Distribution for food and clothing….. Totally unpaid staff….. Running totally off donations…. Feeding 400-800 twice a day…. Sleeping facilities for 2500 at the moment…. They're there for the long haul…. http://www.thesaintscomemarchingin.org/

The afternoon was spent continuing to work on gutting two houses…. We're hoping to finish cleaning them out before we're ready to leave…. It was tough…. Throwing away photo albums…. Slides…… diaries…. All too covered with black mold to be salvaged….

Estimates are that there are over 150,000 homes that need to be gutted before any rebuilding can commence…. And the damage to them ranges from those like the attached photos to those that have damage to the lower few feet of their houses…. But the bottom line is that all were at least partially underwater and any where from a few days to weeks….. But in all cases the mold grew and needs to be removed….

On a lighter note… the parishioners of Good Shepherd threw a clam and crayfish boil for us tonight. Was a nice way to end the day!

Rick
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I still don’t know how I would react if this were my house that had been destroyed by a hurricane. Would I be steadfast and do what ever I could to rebuild or would I walk away? At points on this trip it seems all too overwhelming… to many images of destruction and a sense of abandonment. As we drove to the job site today I remember feeling glad that we were going to a house to clean out and do demolition because I was getting madder and madder as we drove past all the destroyed homes and FEMA trailers. Through swinging a hammer I hoped somehow to be able to release all that anger and sadness. It was a satisfying day through all the sweat and dust; and even though there was not a lot of conversation among us as we worked – I felt like we were speaking loudly and in unison, and hoping the owners of the house could hear us and take some comfort in us being there. My image of hope at the end of the day as we drove to the other house was seeing the snowy egrets nesting in the trees on one side of the street and on the other, a FEMA trailer decorated with two pink flamingos in the front… a sense of normalcy… a sense of hope.

-Kelly Fellner

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As we entered an abandoned, destroyed, semi-affluent home, it was clear that anything anyone ever has on this earth is only temporary. Every piece of the beautiful clothing from the closets is now in pile at the curb. Beautiful furnishings are all ruined. Now, everything is zero-based and its time to reconsider what is important. It makes us appreciate everything we have, every day we have it, and realize that tomorrow it could be gone. Although we never met the homeowner and they never met us, there was a sense that we were connected and appreciated.

-Dennis Majikas
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We have been gutting two homes in the Gentilly section of New Orleans. It is hot and dirty work. We need to wear Tyvek suits, goggles, and face masks to protect us from the toxic molds and any other hazardous materials that may become airborne. With temperatures being an unseasonably hot 90 degrees during the day, the work is very difficult. We also do not know anything about the owners of these homes, and unfortunately both families are out of town so we will not be able to meet them. But Jesus has called us to do this work for our brothers and sisters, and so we do so knowing that we will be making a positive difference in their lives. It does not matter who they are except that they are fellow human beings in need.

We toured many areas of the metropolitan New Orleans area on Thursday. The damage is unbelievable! Words just are not sufficient to describe the destruction. The pictures on TV made the affected area seem fairly small and contained, but in fact, the damage has covered areas for miles and miles and miles. There has been wind damage, flood damage, and storm surge damage, and all of it has been devastating. We found out that 80% of the damage had been created from the comedy of errors committed by human beings. In some areas, the damage is spotty with some houses looking like they made it through the storm unscathed and the houses next door being totally uninhabitable. In other areas, total neighborhoods have been completely destroyed. The damage and destruction was indiscriminate, occurring in neighborhoods and business districts regardless of any perceived level of income of the residents.

Probably the worst realization to seeing the extensive damage, is that the storm happened almost 8 months ago and in many places it looks like it happened only last week. There are large sections of the city with no electricity, no telephone service, no water, and no sewer services. There are porta-potties on every block. Cars need to stop at each intersection because the traffic lights do not work. Abandoned cars fill the spaces under the interstate highways. An occasional clothesline between the cars indicates that there may be people living in some of those cars. FEMA trailers can be seen in the parking lot of the local K-Mart. This is the United States of America, and after eight months, one would have expected that at least the basic services would have been restored.

The levee system is being worked on, but it will not be completed before the upcoming hurricane season which begins in June. The area will be very vulnerable during any upcoming storms. People are growing edgier and more apprehensive as the hurricane season gets closer. An unused shipping channel that was responsible for a great deal of damage is another controversial subject. Apparently the Corps of Engineers has been talking about installing floodgates to protect the levees that they control, but use of those gates will not protect the city nor prevent flooding in the city. Alternate gate placement and designs, with the eventual future filling of that man-made waterway could prevent some of the storm surge problems, but these ideas are not being considered. There are also no known discussions about trying to restore the marshes and coastal wetlands to naturally reduce storm surges. After 9/11 anything was possible in New York, but here in Louisiana, there is nothing but red tape.

Elaine Cavanaugh

MACUCC trip reflections - April 19, 2006

4.19.06

It seems that our purpose is not so much rebuilding people’s homes, but more to show the people of New Orleans that there is somebody out there who cares and is willing to help them carry the weight that has been forced upon them. This was evident to me twice so far; when we were at Acme Oyster House and the people who had asked who we were already told us thank you for helping out and when I was reading to the children at the elementary school. It almost seems like it wouldn’t even matter to them if we fixed their houses or not, just as long as we were there to share some emotion with them.

-Gregg Majikas

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4-19-06

Still deeply touched by the meeting last night with the women from Beecher Church. None of us was quite sure what to expect.First of all there was food, a lot of it--too bad we had had such a big dinner. There was quite a bit of time spent in just chit chat; getting to know one another. The women--Brenda, Deborah, Betsy and Celie, had been waiting for Lydia, the woman whose son had committed suicide the week before. Her pain was obvious as was her faith--I felt such "presence" with her. When the spark of hope began, it was something! Ideas flying, laughter ringing. Prayers said, hymns sung and a smoothy for the road. Amen! Thank you Lord, for this joyous time.

- Linda Michel

MACUCC trip reflections - April 18, 2006

April 18, 2006

Well we made it to New Orleans, or actually Metairie, and the stories are coming fast and furious. We have only been in the suburbs, but the response from people is just incredible. Every one is so thankful that we have come down to be with them. Many have told us that we have no idea how much it really means to them. They are overwhelmed by the fact that our home churches are praying for them and that they sent us down with here with special blessings to share their love with the people of New Orleans. Everyone has a story that they want to tell. It is hard for them to share their stories with people who are in the same situation as they are. We are new persons who have the capacity to share some of their burden. I was reading to several classes in a school today. The kids were great. When we had breaks in the teachers room, the teachers unloaded with their stories. They have to put on positive facades for the children, but inside these teachers are hurting too. There were lots of tears and lots of hugs, and the promises of much prayer.

The people who received books so far or who have seen the donations that we have brought with us are awestruck with the sheer volume of what we have brought. We brought 57 bags, most of which were books, bears, prayer shawls, and afghans. The baggage checkers and handlers couldn't believe the volume we had with us either. One of my bags full of bears and books got rejected by the security scanning machine and had to be hand checked. I don't know what those bears did.

The group did lots of work on the church today. Tomorrow, some of us will go into the city. From what I have heard from some of the natives, it should be an overwhelming and emotional experience. We will never be the same after visiting. Some of the folks here feel they are not emotionally ready to face the city yet. They will stay and do sheet rocking and painting at the church.

We are all grateful to be sharing the love of Christ with so many people down here in Louisiana. It is so very humbling, and it is so necessary. We have been so incredibly blessed by God to have been called on this mission.

With faith, hope, and love,
Elaine Cavanaugh

Stockbridge UCC trip - Richer than when we left.

Submitted by Anne Hutchinson, First Congregational Church of Stockbridge, UCC, following her trip to New Orleans in April, 2006.

Hurricane Disaster Recovery in New Orleans seemed like a very big undertaking for four not-so-young volunteers from the Berkshires as we stepped off a plane a week ago into the warm, definitely not New England air. Seven days later filled with experiences enough for weeks we left as part of a much, much larger UCC renewal and strengthening.

We did work hard with our hands, arms and backs. We removed lath from a shotgun house (that belongs to a semi-retired Episcopal female Hispanic priest—we felt very ecumenical) and prepped and painted new shower installations for volunteers who will follow us. Even more important than our physical labor was the experience we had listening to stories: stories of the hurricane, the loss of two churches (Beecher Memorial and Central Congregational) and the loss of parishoners’ homes and communities. But we also took in the other stories: the response of three less damaged churches that opened their parish halls and Sunday school rooms so that volunteers from all the states could help rebuild New Orleans not just the physical buildings but the institutions in a more just and equitable way.

We learned the history: about the injustice that has been perpetuated in this place for so long that many families did not even know how limited was their access to health care and education. We experienced this once proud city that had so many free black citizens at the time of the Louisiana Purchase that there was an attempt to keep New Orleans out of the US. We celebrated the rising from the floodwaters of a bridge across the divide between the two UCC branches: the Evangelical Reformed (read German, new immigrants after the Civil War) and Congregational (well-educated African-Americans, with roots back to 1720). Good Shepherd is providing space for and joint worship services with Beecher Memorial, St. Matthew’s and Central Congregational are sharing both pulpit and worship. Although more than half of all the parishioners have not returned there is a palpable energy in these joint services of sharing lives and worship styles.

We felt very privileged to participate in a meeting and worship service of the New Orleans Association, two of us in the choir. There are three new start-up churches including one in Baton Rouge and another in Biloxi, MS. (There are no UCC churches in MS or AL) John Thomas, general minister and president of the UCC, preached. He had many adding their ‘Amen’s’ to his call for justice in this hurricane-ravaged area.

We had time to play and eat. We wondered the French Quarter and Marigny sampling beignets, gumbo and etouffee, listening to blues and jazz including legend Ellis Marsalis We have returned committed to encouraging others to make this journey knowing that they also will return much richer than they left.

Shown in photo are: Buck Smith, Terry Wise, Anne Hutchinson and John Kingston.