God Doesn't Call the Equipped - He Equips Those Who are Called

Sleeping in the men’s dormitory room at the Olive Tree Volunteer Village, I was awake in the wee hours of the morning. I was trying to drift off to sleep again as I attempted to disregard the rumble of some snoring going on. I had the words and melodies of Fernando Ortega’s song reflecting the imagery of Psalm 63 going through my mind:

The Shadow Of Your Wings

Oh God, you are my God,
Earnestly I seek you.
My soul thirsts for you,
And my flesh yearns for you;
In a dry an weary land,
Where there is no water.

I remember you at night,
In the watches of the night;
In the shadow of your wings,
I sing because you help me.
My soul clings to you,
And your hand upholds me.
You alone, You alone.
You alone.

As my memories of previous mission trips intermingled with my experiences of this week’s mission trip, I remembered the vast devastation we experienced on my first trip to the post-Katrina Gulf Coast region in February 2006. Team members were in a state of shock and awe and the immense scope and severity of the damage all around us. We saw the horrible aftermath that the waters of the hurricane storm surge left behind. The entire contents of people homes were reduced to a messy, moldy, muddy ruin; families’ lives were in turmoil. A dry and waterless land it wasn’t, but the people and the communities they lived in were weary from living in emergency shelters, FEMA trailers or other less- than-ideal conditions.

This week, at the home my crew is working, we were originally scheduled to install sheet rock on the bare, wooden studded walls (the “dry boned” skeletal structure of the house). Due to a backlog at the city of New Orleans’ housing inspection office, our house’s inspection hadn’t been done so we couldn’t proceed with that. The situation as described by Dan March, our construction manager, was that the city’s Inspection Office hadn’t renewed their software license to do their paperwork. So instead, we did exterior painting, installed some new exterior doors, and laid floor tiles in the bathrooms and kitchen areas.

God’s presence has been powerfully present in the work and ministry of the Southern Comfort team members and with both the long and short term Presbyterian Disaster Assistance staff members we’ve worked side-by-side with: God’s love is being poured out upon the peoples of the Gulf Coast. The people we have served have spoken of how God is sustaining them through these difficult times.

Through the Presbytery of Southern Louisiana’s Project Homecoming(PH) public relations and marketing officer who spoke to us one morning before heading out to work, we learned that PH is fully funded to continue it’s operations of case management and construction management through 2011. Fundraising and awareness projects are underway to continue telling the story. One of the ideas promoted was conducting a mardi gras party at our local churches toward that helping them meet their fundraising goal for 2012 and beyond. Learn more a Project Homecoming at http://pslrecovery.org/

We’ve been hearing stories from the Project Homecoming workers about many of the homeowners they’re working with who had previously paid contractors for work repairs to be done, only to be ripped-off with work never done, never completed, or with shoddy materials and/or workmanship that needed to be redone. What a setback for these people and what a blessing that Project Homecoming is able to assist them!

Members of this trip’s Southern Comfort Team are already formulating ideas about the next trip and thinking about who else they might encourage to bring along. How about you? Is God speaking to you, and encouraging you to be a missionary?

When God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, Moses asked:

“"Who am I, that I should go ?” "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue. "

“The LORD said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say. "

When I have an opportunity to speak with someone about going on a mission trip, sometimes that individual expresses some hesitation and uncertainty about their individual set of skills. I try to assure them, that if God is seeking, calling and encouraging them to serve others, God has a plan for that individual; God has a specific task in mind for him or her. I ensure them that “God doesn’t just call the equipped, but that He will equip those who are called.”

Paul Dungey, Westminster Presbyterian Church, Auburn, NY

A Labor of Love

March 17th St. Patrick’s Day in New Orleans
We had green potatoes and cabbage for supper (vegetarian cabbage!?) in the kitchen. Some came with (and some got) green stuff to wear. Danny Boy was sung. Some are looking for a way to celebrate more fully this evening. That plus a hard day created lines at the showers. Women’s line 12 deep, Men’s line 3 deep. Four showers each. This camp has only 31 men and 55 women. Women care more? Men too busy? Coincidence?

Met the family that will be in the house our team is working on. Ruby, Velma, James, and son. All very nice and very appreciative. Sad story of their loss. Son swam from the superdome to the house to check it out. He said the water was gross. They are living in a “poor” apartment now. Hopefully we can help them out. Puts faces and lives in mind as we work.

Got to use power tools today. Hardboard cutters, skill saw, saws-all, and drills. Finished the hardboard underlayment for the tile in the bathroom and did the kitchen. Then made a header for an existing door that did not have a support member over it. All this in preparation for the framing inspection due some time tomorrow. We are on the list for the electric inspection. After these it will be sheetrock city. Certainly change the way we walk through the house. Instead of passing through the studs we will have to go by doors. Others did all sorts of projects on the house. Our team has 12 (including two Americorps) that Dan (our construction assistant (a Young Adult Volunteer (a Presbyterian program akin to the Peace Corps (but much smaller at 67 world wide) ) keeps on task. The generator has four cords running from it (one goes to two chargers for the battery packs). Painting, cutting, pounding, drilling, sawing, made for difficult conversations and double checking of dimensions (“Was that seven sixteenths or eleven sixteenths?”).

This evening Gloria, another Young Adult Volunteer, came by to give us a presentation on the problem of disappearing wetlands in the Gulf. Fascinating. She did a good job. Another example of human impact (with unintended consequences) on our world. She says the wetland loss (the size of the state of Delaware) since the 1860’s accentuated the impact of the hurricane. Each mile of wetland reduces the storm surge by 1 foot. Hurricane winds going over the wetlands loss their punch. The losses are manmade from controlling the Mississippi (no bank erosion, docks and dams that hold sediment back) and levees to prevent flood waters (and their delivery of sediment) out to the delta. Canals and pipeline construction in the wetlands and salt water intrusion. If only we knew. What unintentional consequences am I causing? What will I do about it?

Peter Wright, Auburn, NY

Today felt like a more productive day for our work team on State Street Drive. We learned how to lay floor tile – a knee bruising endeavor that was very satisfying by the end of the day, following a steep learning curve. A couple people learned to cut tiles for the ends of each row – harder than it looks, said Mary! Ted and Bronwyn continued to install the remaining exterior siding – large sheets of a substance that gives the appearance of stucco – a hole needs to be drilled before each screw can be applied to hold it to the wall.

The temporary stairs to the second floor have been removed, but the new stairs haven’t been installed yet. This necessitates the use of an extension ladder propped against the balcony on the front of the house to gain access to the house’s only working toilet. This is a luxury for those of us who on previous trips have worked at homes without plumbing, and the resulting need to pile into a van for a trip to a nearby Lowe’s or McDonald’s or even the local fire station to use the bathroom. Simple things make a lot of difference.

It’s a blessing to be working to help bring our family home. Due to the husband’s illness, we have not met the family, but each task is a labor of love for them.

Kim Dungey, Auburn United Methodist Church

Saints All

March 16th, Second Day of doing God’s work here in New Orleans (home of the Saints ( more on this later). The weather is delightful. The people are congenial and friendly. They are all uniquely the same (this is a classic). People come here for different reasons and may leave with different outlooks. Some come with high expectations, some will leave with renewed faith.

• One is an expert carpenter upset (but patient as he fixes it) by workmanship that he finds on jobs.
• One is emotionally connected to New Orleans and despite not being a sports fan was wildly excited over the Saints victory over the Colts.
• One delights in serving others, another, needs to be served.

• One runs a multimillion dollar business yet accepts directions from a college freshman.
• One paints all day with a tendinitis in the elbow.
• One organizes and buys tools in anticipation of the need.
• One is going to be a city planner and wonders where the plan is here in New Orleans.
• One found a four leaf clover on the grounds in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day (she is ¾ Irish).
• One has narcolepsy (a sleep disorder) and lives through it to serve.
• One lost her keys and sent the whole camp searching only to find them on the nail by her bunk.

• One is a Catholic who doesn’t think women should be pastors (she is also brave because she told me this after I told her about my pastor wife).
• One wants to work harder.
• One is really sore.
• One knows that just being here sends the message to the community that we care.
• One is a professional Santa Claus.
• One laughs at all my jokes.
• One has been here seven times before and came this time in a wheel chair (she does much needed clerical work).
• One speaks honestly during devotions.

All of them saints of God, and I mean, God helping, to be one too.

Peter Wright, Auburn, NY

Hi all! This is Charlie writing from Olive Tree, New Orleans. What a week it has been so far. There are 87 volunteers here, and come from all over the globe. Groups represent San Rafael, CA, Kansas State University, University of Maryland, western PA, and upstate NY (us). Individuals can be found from Cameroon, China, Ukraine, and Russia. The age runs from older than me to freshman in college, in fact a lot of the people here are kids on spring break, and every one of them is fantastic.

A typical day for me is to get up at 5:30 and shower ( I am first up in our barracks). The showers are in a trailer equipped with showers for men on one end and the other end for women. The middle is a communal sink area for shaving and brushing teeth, etc. Then back to the barracks for getting completely ready and preparing for breakfast at 7. The breakfasts are good and a lot liked home. At 8AM we are on the road heading for our work assignments. Everybody is doing something different, but we have excellent construction assistants showing us what to do and instructing us on how to use the various tools.

Lunch was prepared at breakfast time, each person doing there own, and put in a cooler. Lunch takes about ½ hour and we have a chance to share thoughts and experiences. And then back to work until 4:30, and then our return to Olive Tree.
Dinner is at 6:30, and then devotions and free time. Lights out at 10PM. Does anybody snore? You betcha, but who cares. Sleep comes easy, at least for me. And I feel good.

Thought you might like to know that as I sit here typing there are five college kids playing bongos, guitars and singing. Other groups are talking, and other people sitting around reading. Kim, one of our leaders, is sitting across from me wondering if I will ever get finished. I am.

Have a good night and think of us.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Our first day of work out in the field and we were productive. The Olive Tree (Presbyterian Disaster Assistance) Volunteer Village is cooperating with the Southern Louisiana Presbytery (Project Homecoming) to accomplish great things. They have an Operations Director, Construction Managers, Construction Assistants, and AmeriCorps*NCCC. Volunteers. With this much organization they can get us going with tools and materials quickly.

Our Construction Assistant (one for each site), Dan (from Virginia), is an on-the-ball type. He had the site organized and us (6 adults from NY state and 4 Kansas State Students that are here on spring break (very inspiring) on task within minutes of arriving (by an alternate route since we missed two turns. (Can you say “recalculating”). We hung the front door, prepared the existing studs to receive sheetrock (tomorrows task), and painted the exterior (one half done (but this is a secondary task)).

The camp is vibrant with 87 people. The volunteer village managers, a married couple, are well organized (and also inspiring), volunteering 3 months to help us help others recover from Katrina. Chores are organized and meals are delicious. Sleep was a precious commodity last night. There are bunk beds and snoring in stereo that send the top bunker into turbulence when the lower bunker rolls over. The mattresses come from the Indiana prison system. They don’t call it hard time for nothing.

We ate breakfast, packed our lunch and headed into the city. Our house is double wide but long. Instead of referring to it as a “shotgun house” we call it a double barrel. An extended family will live in it. It is completely gutted, but coming back. It still is amazing that after this much time there is still so much to do. We keep hearing how much it means to the people here that they are still cared for by those of us from around the country. We have groups from Kansas State, University of Maryland, Pennsylvania, California, and Oklahoma to share the volunteer village with. Part of the return for this mission trip is hearing the stories of those others who come to help (also very inspiring). This is an inspiring trip for me. I trust it is for those we serve.

Peter Wright-Auburn, NY

Our crew is working on a home owned by Toni and Jack. Jack, ill with mesothelioma, is hospitalized now. Each person scattered to work on various tasks – redoing ancient plumbing so toilets can be installed, building stairs, cleaning caulk from the new shower, removing adhesive from floor tiles so grout can be added, and taking paint spatters from a laminate floor, followed by mopping (repeated efforts!) to clean the drywall dust. Kneepads were helpful for the tile and floor work – we expect to discover muscles we didn’t know we had when we return to that work today.

The weather was perfect – mid sixties and sunny. We enjoyed lunch sitting on the sidewalk, and some in our group met the neighbor, Henry, who told his hurricane and recovery stories as he moved some dirt to fill in a low spot along his sidewalk. He refused to shake hands as we introduced ourselves, saying he didn’t know what was in the dirt – we said we didn’t know what our hands had been in either. We expect to hear more from him as the week goes on.

Kim Dungey, Auburn United Methodist Church

We Arrive in New Orleans!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Pictured at right is Suzanne - powdered sugar from her beignet and cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde.

Wow, our group arrived in New Orleans on Sat. just as the sun was setting and the breeze was blowing. For those of us fortunate enough to have a window seat while we were landing, the view was spectacular!! We dined at Dot’s diner, (a local favorite), and enjoyed comfortable beds at LaQuinta Inn and Suites on Sat. night. Waking up Sunday morning was a pleasant surprise as the sun was shining and the temperatures were in the mid to upper 60’s. After an incredible service at St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian church we split up and spent the afternoon roaming New Orleans. The group I was a part of, Jerry, Charlie, Clay and I, I being Mary, had a blast as we wandered through the French Quarter, Bourbon St., and the surrounding area. At every turn we had the surprise of different groups of people performing everything from miming, to break dancing, to musicians of every flavor, both young an old playing any instrument you can think of. And don’t even get me started about lunch! Yum, Yum. At last we had to make our way to the Presbytery camp but we were pleasantly surprised by our accommodations. Tomorrow the weather looks fantastic as our group begins yet another journey. Good night till we update again.

Mary Benedict
Marcellus Presbyterian Church, Marcellus, NY


We attended the worship service at St. Charles Presbyterian Church in NOLA this morning. I learned that they to, are providing hosting services for volunteers who are participating in the long-term recovery efforts here in the city.

This afternoon, we spent a few hours in the French Quarter enjoying the street performers and doing a little souvenir shopping. Our daughter Heather, who lives and works an hour up the road in Bay St. Louis, came to join us for lunch.

Upon arrival at the Olive Tree Volunteer village at 5PM, we were met by Kerri and Kelly, the volunteer village managers, who gave us a quick tour of the campus, and then put us to work preparing dinner. Other volunteer teams began to arrive too as the dinner hour approached. Following dinner, Kerri and Kelly provided us with an orientation to “village life”, telling us that we should keep these for “R’s” in mind:

1. Rebuild: the homes and lives of the families we’ll be working with.

2. Relationships: build relationships with those we’re working with and for.

3. Recreation: Yes, we’re here to work, but set aside time to unwind, and recreate.

4. Recruit: Continue to tell the story about the work and ministry being done here.

After breakfast at 7AM tomorrow morning, the Project Homecoming constructions managers and case-workers will be providing an orientation about the work and worksites we’ll be at.

Now, it’s off to bed to get rested for a full day tomorrow.

Paul Dungey

Westminster Presbyterian Church-Auburn, NY

Mission Trips are...

What are Mission Trips?

• windows through which to see the world and God's vision for it in new ways;

What are Mission Trips?

• mirrors in which to see ourselves, our church, our culture more clearly;

What are Mission Trips?

• doorways through which we enter into deeper fellowship with God and our neighbor;

What are Mission Trips?

• voices through which we may hear God's call to us.

Who are Mission Team Members?

• bridges between those they visit and their congregation, between God's activity in one part of the world, and God's activity in their own community.

Two members of our group hit the road this morning, driving to New Orleans.  It's lucky for the rest of us as they can carry sleeping bags as well as a couple guitars for us, saving the extra baggage fees the airlines now charge.  We pray for their safe travel and will rendevous with them upon our arrival after flying out of Rochester. 

The rest  of us had an extra day of work - finishing up projects and leaving things ready to step back into when we return.  We're tucking last minute things into suitcases, maybe arranging for the cat to be fed or mail to be picked up in our absence, drinking the last of the milk in the refrigerator - doing all the little things that give us the illusion that we're ready for this adventure.  The excitement has been building and I think most of us just want to get there and see what God has planned for us in this week of mission work. 

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.   Ephesians 2:10