Cedarbrook and all that jazz

The last two days have been a whirlwind of activity for us, with projects in full swing and night activities that keep us entertained as never thought possible. As you may gather from the pictures, there is no shortage of work. Part of Tuesday was spent deconstructing a property across the street from Urban Impact that is part of the Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard Main Street project. The property is part of a large effort to make Oretha Castle Haley a main place of commerce again. 

 Progress continued on the wall in the barber shop. Two wall sections have been put in place and we have prepped for a strong push tomorrow. While this was taking place, another team went to repair dry wall at a local residence once used as church offices.  

Tuesday night was a real treat for us. After a dinner, PopAgee (founder of the New Orleans Music Hall of Fame http://www.nomhf.org/popagee.html) took us to a local hotspot for jazz. There we were treated to the music of Kermit Ruffins, one of the premier trumpet players in the nation. Also performing was Kid Merv, a trumpeter who is also quite famous in the jazz scene. After we took in the authentic jazz, PapAgee drove us too various historic jazz sites in downtown. The highlight of this tour was the stop at The Eagles Saloon on Rampart Street. The corner of this saloon was one of the original places where Louis Armstrong played his trumpet when just a teenager. Kid Merv played a tune for us here so we could imagine what it was like when Louis Armstrong used to play there back in the day.

It has been a very exciting week, and tomorrow will be our last day of full work. Lots of remains to be done, but as we say, we are here for the people and not for the work. Relationships are continuing to be built and God’s hand is evidently at work here.  

Fence, Soffits, Rain!

God is good, all the time. Today was such a day to remember such words. With a tropical storm brewing to the south, much of the humidity was sucked from the air and a consistent breeze was present all day long. This created great conditions for working outside. To take advantage of this, part of our group went to Brother Bob’s grandma’s house to continue with the fence being built there.  

The other half of the group stayed at Living Witness and framed in soffits in the new kitchen area. In the meanwhile Michelle and Andy H. went to Saturn Screen Printing and talked with the owner, Lee, about the property across the street which we will be helping with. Lee is part of the Oretha Castle Haley neighborhood group which has received a grant to restore the street. This property will be the first to be restored, and this could not be done without the help from groups like ours. 

After dinner we went to the French Quarter to sightsee and shop. However, only half an hour into our sightseeing the skies opened up and it began to rain like cats and dogs. Running back to our van for refuge, we waited for a few moments to see if the rain would let up. Surely enough it did and so we decided to meet back at the van in an hour. Only moments after this, it began to rain torrentially again. Needless to say, many of us were soaked, but we were able to experience a legitimate New Orleans rain!

Our goal for tomorrow is to fill the dumpster with refuse from the property across the street and to continue working on the fence. We are getting to know the Nehemiah men much better. They have expressed how much they appreciate our help and even that our presence has helped to diffuse tension within their group. Our group continues to grow closer as well. As we work together and know each other better, God is revealing to us how we each fit within our team and how we can use this for His glory.

(Pictures were experiencing technical difficulties tonight, they will be posted when Blogger gets back on track.)

Team 2 Arrives

Team 2 arrived safely in New Orleans Saturday night after two days of great driving.  Friday night we stayed with Dick and Gwen Slater of Famington, MO.  Gwen prepared a great breakfast for us and the Stalters could not have been most hospitable. 

Saturday we met up with Team 1 at a gas station just south of Farmington and we heard of all the great projects that were waiting for us in New Orleans.  Team 1 seemed tired but incredibly blessed.  Keys were exchanged and we were on our way.

Before we arrived in New Orleans, we had dinner at Cracker Barrel.  Aside from the amazing food, our waitress recognized our shirts and went on to talk about past groups that have stopped through in the past.  She was truly happy that we were continuing to help in the area and very glad that people continue to remember New Orleans.

Sunday morning was spent at Living Witness Church.  After the 9am Bible study was around the subject of "doing" and not just "listening."  The subject was the perfect message for us being that it acted as a booster shot of sorts.  Living Witness has communion on the first Sunday of every month,and sharing that was a perfect way to end the service.

This afternoon we drove around the lower 9th ward to see how the area has progressed.  The first thing you see when you enter the ward is the monument which represents how fast the water rose when the levy broke.  

Afterwards, Andy drove us to Wal-Mart, where we passed the Superdome no less than three times.

Tomorrow we will continue where Team 1 left off.  God surely has great things in store for this team

Handing Over the Reigns

It's Saturday morning, and I'm sitting in Hyati, MO waiting for the rest of the crew to come down to breakfast. We arrived here about midnite, so we have a decent nite's sleep to finish our journey home. In a couple of hours, we'll be connecting with Team 2 to hand off keys and send them on the rest of their journey south.

The last couple of days were very fulfilling, and we are very blessed to have continued serving in Central City. Thursday saw the completion of the fence posts at Caboose's House, the remaining floor tile to be set in place, drywall work starting at Rev. Landry's daycare facility, and much work completed at Sister Georgianna's House.

Her house in the 9th ward was very damaged from flood waters nearly topping the peak of the roof. Contractor's have been working for a very long time, and frankly their workmanship and sceduling left much to be desired. She's still living in the FEMA trailer, but is over due to that to be taken. Temporary steps were built in the back, blinds hung, faucets set in sinks, closet rods etc. installed...all work so she can obtain the occupency permit. We also set 2 pre-cast concrete steps in place. The yard where they were loaded on the pickup truck said 4 guys could pick them up and move them around. We certainly don't want to mess with those 4 guys...they weighed well over 1000 lbs. After taking down a section of chain link fence, and some quick thinking and rigging, we were able to slide them to the ground then into place.

As a thanks, a Cajun Boil was brought over for supper. Bags of shrimp, crawfish, turkey necks, smoked sausage, crabs, potatoes, corn...more food than I think i've ever seen spread all over the tables. After eating for an hour, she brings out huge Po-Boys...shrimp, ham & cheese, etc. and bowls of Gumbo. It was very special to experience such true Southern hospitality, and share with the surrounding neighbors, even as we waddled back into the vehicles to head back.

Friday morning we were able to finish up a couple of things at Living Witness, but more importantly spend significant quality time with our brothers in the Nehemiah program. The tile was grouted, another crew wrapped up some loose ends at Georgianna's, and a seperation wall was built between the new kitchen and dining hall. Bill enlisted a little help to remove a tree branch, and pull his soon-to-be-owned 68 Ford into a safer position. For those who have been on previous trips with Bill, he's been eyeing up this car for 2 years, and is finally in contact with the owner. I'm expecting him to bring this little green gem back to WI in the near future...

Parting was difficult as usual. In addition to saying goodbye to all the guys at Living Witness (many of whom we know that we will never see again) we also had to say goodbye to the crew from The Crossing Church in Florida. Some real connections were made there, and we saw God working in them and thru them. We really became 1 team throughout the week, sharing tasks, duties, ministry, events, and experiences. Many comments were made from their team regarding a return trip.

It was a true pleasure to serve in New Orleans again, and as always God's plan is better than ours, and we are extremely and humbly blessed by this experience.

Over the Hump

Well, we moved past the hump and are into the home stretch. Yesterday turned out to be frustrating on many fronts from a project perspective, but God allowed other things to move forward.

One crew continued work on the fence at Bob’s house, but were met with challenges in terms of very hard ground, lack of reference to property lines, etc. They will be returning this morning to continue setting posts. The demolition in the Barber Shop was completed, and the third dumpster is now filled. Tile work was slowed due to very slow drying of the thinset, and grouting is scheduled for this morning. We’ll continue working on other projects within the Fellowship Hall, and may also start some drywall work a few blocks away for Rev. Landry on a shotgun house that’s will house free childcare for single women seeking to get into the workplace.

Some of us were able to head to the Projects last nite to join Urban Impact in games and activities there. Smiles on both sides were plentiful.

We also made a scenic tour of the Garden District, under the title of looking for ice cream. While Creole Creamery wasn’t found, Baskin Robins sure was the perfect treat.

God’s been very good to us…Everyday!

Glorious Wednesday

It's been a very busy time here. While work has been slow at times, there are many things in the works and things are being accomplished. We waited all day yesterday for a dumpster, which slowed our demolition progress, but it gave us a chance to spend some time with the Nehemiah guys and work on smaller loose ends that have been hanging around here. Tile work in the Fellowship Hall went very well, with a group of hard working ladies taking charge. Once things dry a bit this morning, grouting will start and 95% of the space will be completed.

This morning we have 1 crew at Brother Bob's house starting a fence. Another crew including our brothers are filling the dumpster with everything that was tore down yesterday. Work is also going on a couple different small projects. This afternoon when the rain starts, we'll have a crew heading a few blocks away to assist another church. They have a building that will house a free daycare that needs sheetrock work, etc. Tomorrow, we'll have a crew finishing the fence posts, and building/installing steps at another house in the 9th ward. Others will be working on jacking up ceiling joists and building a supporting wall in the Barber Shop. Still others will be completing the tile work, and others building an interior wall to seperate the new kitchen from the Fellowship Hall. As you can see...the needs here far outweigh the efforts we can put forward. While almost overwelming at times, we continue to keep our focus on glorifying God, and know that the timing, pace, and experiences are in His plan.

Last night, we experienced an event that will be remembered for life. Without spilling the beans...it's something that made New Orleans famous, and not involving Mardi Gras or Bourbon Street. Make sure you ask team members about it upon return....it was over 3 1/2 hours of unforgettable fun. Our gracious thanks to Pastor Pierre and his friend Popagee who presented us with such a remarkable gift.

The whole crew is heading to Cafe Reconcile for lunch today. I can almost taste that peach cobbler...

Sorry for the Delay...

We've been having problems connecting to the internet, but it's working right now! This is Stretch reporting...

Well, it’s been a very busy 3 days…very rewarding and smooth sailing. The trip down went very well, as we made good time with a limited number of quick stops. Friday night was an opportunity to share fellowship with our old friends, Bill and Lori Younker. The Younkers have hosted the majority of our teams at their house in Farmington, MO as a place to stay on our trip down. As a special treat this time, Lori prepared a homemade spaghetti dinner, which allowed us to spend more time with them in devotions, etc.

On Saturday, we arrived about 5:30 at our old stomping grounds, Trinity Church in Covington, LA to load up a trailer full of tools. We the arrived in Central City about 6:30, and took our gear into the Yellow House. A quick look revealed 2 available beds, and while feeling close as a team, squeezing 3 into a top bunk just didn’t sound too appealing. Plan B, C, and D were enacted…our missions motto is to stay flexible. The girls are now bunkmates with the women from The Crossing Church in Orlando, and the guys are sleeping upstairs in the nursery at Castle Rock Church. Once Steve and Bill quit playing with the toys, we were able to get some sleep…

After a nice breakfast on St. Charles Street, we shared a Bible study at Living Witness followed by the morning service. Pastor Pierre had a commitment this afternoon, so he “cut his service short…” after a few some time at least He and Bob (Caboose) were both dressed impeccably for their regional duties…we think Bob literally glowed in his all white outfit. Bill got hungry, thinking he was witnessing Colonel Sanders in person.

Sunday afternoon was spent seeing a few sites in New Orleans, including the Sculpture Garden in City Park behind the Art Museum, a driving tour in the Garden District (no more walking when the temp in the truck reached 100) and finishing in the French Quarter for dinner.

Sunday evening, we joined our brothers and sisters from The Crossing Church for a time of sharing. They have 14 people here, many of whom are on their first mission trip. We took some time to answer questions and tell our story of how Cedarbrook became involved with serving at Living Witness/Nehemiah Ministries. We have many projects in the works this week, and know that God has some great experiences in store for us.

Monday morning we were treated to breakfast at Living Witness...grits, eggs, bacon, and biscuits, then an orientation from Terry Sistrunk of Urban Impact regarding expectations on the mission field. Right after that, it was work time. We started gutting the interior of the fourth Living Witness building, that will be renovated into a barber shop, etc. The leaking roof has left everything covered in mold and dust, so we tore off the walls, then started the ceiling off of scafolding. Two 10 yard dumpters were filled, and we have a ways to go tomorrow.

This evening Steve, Bill, James, and myself went to scope out a couple of additional projects in the community. We're going to be starting a fence at Bob's (Caboose) mother's house in the 9th ward, and possibly insulating the attic. We're also going to be putting some steps in place for another lady from Living Witness.

Everyone on both teams really poured on the effort today, and we all should sleep well tonight. God's presence is definitely being felt among us.