We'll keep adding pics and thoughts as they come in

Here is something from Bruce:

This has been an unreal week which began with the border and 6 hours with
Big brother then extended to 2 long days of driving. I salute our drivers.
There was a rousing Sunday service at the Christian Unity Baptist church
in which our fearless white leader transformed just enough to draw in the
mostly black congregation.
There was the mesmerizing spell of Bourbon Street and the haunting
emptiness and destruction of the Lower 9th Ward.
There was laughter so deeply joyful that my sides often ached, then
moments and people who caused tears to flow.
There was an all-ages work team of faithful people I will never forget.
Satisfying work which could not have been done without our professional
experienced co-workers. Unsatisfactory to drive away feeling so much more
can be done for so many others.
Unreal, unforgettable New Orleans.

And a pic from Sandra of Miss June at the Daycare:

a couple more?

Some pics to start your day

Something simple from Judi

New Orleans is a city of destruction and despair life hope and a great belief that it will re-emerge as a new and vibrant place with an historic past. It was a privilege to be here as part of the hope. And it was special to discover that there is a famous basketball player from one of the neighbourhoods where we worked named Juju Wright!!!!!

Uh, hi folks! Lyle and I got to work closest to God (that means on the roof). WE spent the week fixing patching tarring, we’ll finish tomorrow. Been a good week, enjoyed it very much.
Dave Tuff
Ps a lot of great convertibles down here!

Good thing, bad thing

Good thing.....the camaraderie (sp?) and level of team work of this group of people. I don't remember a time when I've been involved in a group of this size and different degrees of skills that were/are able to work this well together.

Bad thing....the sick feeling that has been in the pit of my stomach since we arrived. I don't understand why there is still so much work to do....and so few people willing to help out. Who can't take a week out of there lives to help others....every little bit helps. Why does it take a group of Canadians to come all this way when there are able bodies so much closer. I have so many questions that I will never have answers to....guess I'll just have to live with the stomach ache!
Suzanne

Hello everyone!!
We have one day left of work and things are coming along nicely, but still a lot of work needs to get done. My main job I would say has been painting and I am proud to say that fresh paint really does brighten a place up. I think it is important to remember that all tasks make a difference; big and small. The people we have met are so grateful that we are here but I think we are even more grateful to help. It is an amazing and overwhelming experience that I would recommend to anyone if they are given the opportunity.
-Terri Currie

Trevor, Gord and Rob just came in and it is after dark. They were going to work a little bit longer but the sound of gun shots made them think twice. They are here and they are smiling.

We got the siding done around the curve and Ms. June and Vera came in and I talked to them for half an hour and they were amazed and pleased with the progress. We talked about how 50 kids could turn into 150 to 500 and they really loved the fence, the siding and the floor. This made us feel really good. There seems to be a lot of crack in this city.
-Stephen

HI! What other unbelieveable trip. Thanks to your generosity another group of people have been helped in NOLA. The people on the trip have worked long days to ensure that the daycare center is finished before we leave. The enthusiasm and leadership skills of Mike, Mike, Steve, Trevor and Gord have been a great asset to the organization of people and materials. Huge thanks again to Cam for his leadership and support for the people of NOLA.
Looking forward to being back on Saturday and sharing our experiences with you.
Take care,
Lyle

Noone had anything to say yesterday

because they all were too busy working.
So here are some pics instead.

Good Morning New Orleans

It's 6:30 and some of us are waking to our first full day of work. Yesterday was our welcome day, welcomed to Christian Unity Baptist Church, making ourselves welcome at the hotel and in the French Quarter and some of us, due to the generousity of someone at CUBC, welcome to the Jazz Festival. We all were made welcome by a sudden and persistent torrential rainstorm, a little over an inch of water fell in an hour. It was fun and folks adapted, but I couldn't help wondering if that much rain in that little time is a little unnerving for folks here.

Some of you are wondering about our journey here. It was longer than expected. I wrote a little that's included below. We only made it to Dayton OH the first night, which made for a long ride on Saturday. We got here around 1 am CDT. Most of the folks stayed relaxed and patient except for our two oldest workers who kept looking for things to do "Why aren't we working?"

Today we will be.

It was a strange feeling for me when we drove into the Lower Ninth Ward yesterday after lunch, to have our look at the Daycare. At first I didn't notice the level of destruction, something that has always got to me in the past. Then I noticed that I didn't notice and it bothered me that I'd gotten used to it. Then I did notice and felt sick to my stomach. People's lives marked by empty lots and ruins of houses and an idle day care centre. And the look on the faces of our crew, at least the new ones, when they saw the size of the task we've decided to tackle, and the smiles on the faces of those who have been here before and know that what looks impossible at the beginning of the week looks much different at the end.

So a paragraph I wrote earlier:
It’s almost 11 pm on Friday night and we should be coming into Louisville KY, about an hour away from our overnight stop in Elizabethtown. Should be. We left Aylmer with a happy group and great rides at 11:10, almost right on time. A group of friends and family and folks from our churches and Katrina, a young Golden Retriever praying for us and happy for us and cheering us on our way. An uneventful trip and easy run over the Ambassador Bridge and there we were, at 220 pm, at US Customs and Border Patrol with our email granting us permission to enter the States clutched in hand. But lo, the Scribes and Pharisees decried that we must be processed with antiquated software and a tedious process. We were patient and took in the stories of fellow travelers, and finally got on the road at 810 pm. That would put us in Elizabethtown in time for the breakfast buffet. So we will be stopping in Dayton sometime after midnight and have a 14 hour drive NOLA tomorrow. Thank goodness we get an extra hour when we change time zones!

Enough of that. Pictures and reflections of other coming soon. A last word?
We met a woman with a very young baby at church yesterday. Beautiful child. Her name is Hope.

Yes, they can

Last but not least (110x28!)

we painted the home of Vera McIntyre, president
of the Lower Ninth Ward Residents Council.

The Varnodo's

At church on Sunday Alton and Minnie Varnodo
asked if we could help them. Their back door,
rotting and left over from the flooding and held
in place with 2 2x4’s, was on its last legs.


They had a new door,
but no contractor
was willing to come and
do such a simple job.
We went to their home, at 601 Betz Ave.,
took out and replaced the old door and frame.

Their furnace needed to be lit too,
but another contractor had miswired it.
We contacted a reputable contractor;
arranged for him to repair the wiring,
light the furnace,
and left $$ to pay for his work.
We heard stories like theirs over and again,
stories of slipshod, over-priced repairs,
and, although we didn’t think we were doing
all that much, our hard and quality work led
folks like the Varnodo’s to stand up in church
and give thanks for us after we left.

Hartzell United Methodist Church

Once under 4 metres of water, it was restored,
had added two big rooms with bunk beds
for workers coming in December
and March Break. The washrooms were ready too.
The kitchen wasn’t---no plumbing was connected.

The Parsonage, Cornerstone Methodist Church

Ready for drywalling, etc., but plumbing and gas line needed fixing. A little yard work would help too.

Pastor Boutee's home

Structurally sound, it had no doors inside, no trim, and plumbing needed. Any chance we could get it fixed up for move in? Sure.

Miss Gloria's House

If your home isn't boarded up and the yard kept, even though you are waiting for the insurance and/or grant to start work on your home, it can be, with two days notice, bulldozed. Miss Gloria's house won't be, now.

Work at Lizardi

We've been home almost a month

and have been a little slow to get up more pics, etc.
Time to rectify that,
but first, here's my excuse.
We've been trying to figure out if we can do this again, soon.
We finally decided we can and will, so we're going back to finish the Lizardi Head Start Center, a daycare with a waiting list of 50 kids.
Our job was to install wiring and drywall, after cleaning the place out, so that an office space could be created.
We couldn't do it, the roof still leaked.
We left Lizardi St. but it didn't leave us. We're going back in April 2008 to fix the roof, put in electricity and plumbing, flooring and drywall and paint the inside and outside. When we're done, it will be ready for the staff to move back in and then, the kids!

Now that it's framed

More reflections

I have always wanted to help when I saw Hurricane Katrina on the news,for that matter any natural disaster.
We feel so privileged to have gone on this building mission with piles of great like minded people.
Eric & I both appreciate the efforts that Cam & company went through to help us make this a great successful mission.
We truly enjoyed the friendly hospitable people of New Orleans and plan on attending again in the near future.
I love trying new foods,alligator is awesome and mustard greens were good to,the peach cobbler was out of this world.
We raised we praised. Destroyed & rebuilt floors & painted a beautiful house pistachio green 110 feet long.
Brings it to life a little more realistic when you see an X on a house with the deaths listed on it.
Did lots of plumbing,boarded up house window holes & wood trim work. Its all of the little things that we did that made a huge difference in their lives. We all seemed to mesh very well together as a group.Even awesome bus drivers.
We cleaned back yards and saw geckos & birds. There was a strange sense of feeling in cleaning up the daycare centre and finding shoes from people that had landed there. I could hardly imagine 12 feet of water consuming our house and living in the attic for 1 & 1/2 days.
Its interesting the differences locals had in meeting us some honked,said thanks for caring,knelt down,some said get lost.
We were proud to wave a Canadian flag on site and to have found & talked to other people from organizations that have been there to help for the last 2 years. It is improving.Nice to learn that local church groups were cooking meals for the homeless that lived on cool concrete under the over passes.
Cool to have met the mayor in person and also see the beautiful garden district of very fancy homes.
Lots to do there is a casino,jazz clubs,shopping from $1-$7000.00 or a nice ride on the street car.Very nice from the every day life here.
If your up for an adventure I'd sure recommend trying it out just once, you'll be hooked too.
Its like Ollie said when your doing God's work you don't get tired even at 80 years young.

Deb & Eric Donkers

Since you asked

http://www.wdsu.com/video/14574293/index.html?taf=no

We're back

Below are some reflections from our weary travelers on the way home. Later in the week we'll get y'all some pictures and more of a commentary on what we were up to all last week, so come back, hear?

It’s tough to type on a bus, so bear with me. This is my second trip to NOLA, and I was affected by what I saw this time as if it were my first experience there. People who live there tell us it looks better. I don’t think it does. I read a book on the long drive back to Ontario called “1 Dead in the Attic”, by Chris Rose. He is a columnist for the Times-Picayune, who spent a lot of time documenting and reflecting on the emotional toll Katrina had on the residents of New Orleans. I want to take a quote from his moving observations. “A time will come when someone asks you, ‘What were you doing about it?’ You can’t tell them, ‘I was just watching it. I was just an innocent bystander.’ Let me tell you something: There are no innocent bystanders in this.”

I am so proud of all of the volunteers from all over North America who came to New Orleans and helped out after Katrina, and I am thankful that Aylmer Baptist Church and our community supported those of us who went there. We weren’t innocent bystanders, and we will never forget.

~Sue Helm~

The best thing about this time in New Orleans was seeing all the birds, insects, dogs and children. We heard children laughing while we were painting Vera,s house for her. People are returning. Anne Foster

We are now only 1 ½ hours from returning to our comfortable homes and safe environments. We were totally unprepared for the assault on our sense of fairness and equality. The vast expanse of devastation was overwhelming. We can all look back on how this experience has changed our lives in so many ways – from new friendships made and old friendships strengthened, to the work accomplished, to the stories we heard. Thanks to all involved for this wonderful opportunity to serve.

Lyle and Sue Jillard

Dave & Lorraine – It was an awesome week, some tears, laughter, new friends in NOLA.

A huge thanks to Cam for all his hard work getting us there and back

safe and sound.

We did so much and at the same time, there is still so much left to do! Saying we’ve finished our job is not even close to true….we’ll be back! Mark, Paul, and Morgan

It is hard to believe that we are on our way home. Just a moment ago we left. It will be good to get back to family, but I feel everyone on the bus has become family. Lots of hard work, some tears and laughter. Meeting Mayor Nagin was great, although it would have been nice to ask him questions. Dr. Stephens took time out of his busy schedule to be with us several times – he is great. This is definitely a life changing experience. All the thanks in the world to Cam for his patience and attention to detail. Thanks to Aylmer Baptist Church Family. Although it will probably take years, New Orleans will come back. We hope we can help again. Diana and Bill Arthur. May Lynn Rochus-Firby

Anincrediblybusylastday

While some of us are determined to stay here another week, we know that part of that is that there is too much to do and we want to do more. But after a week we'll have enough stories to make you want to come here with us the next time.

In the meantime you may want, at 7 pm EST on Friday 9th, to log onto www.wdsu.com and look for a video link about us.

more later . . . zzzzzzzzz

Mt Ararat Missionary Baptist Church

Not much money, not many folks at the core of this congregation, but a vital ministry to the children of the neighbourhood---that's where their money goes. So we are fixing a washroom and part of the kitchen area.

Gifts given and received

This is the house next door.







On Sunday, after church (and church is another story entirely!), we toured around to look at the sights and make plans for teams/materials/etc. But first we stopped at Tammy's house, our small project from last March. She wasn't home, but her dad, Mr. Davis, was. The house looked much the same from the outside, but he invited us in. We wrote about her March 15. What a difference in her home. Those of us who had been there before had trouble seeing through the mist in our eyes, especially as Mr. Davis told us how happy they were and how difficult life continued to be for their neighbours. FEMA no longer picks up garbage, now you pay $800-900 to have waste from your gutted house collected (and no, your insurance does not cover this cost).

Finally a chance to update . . .

November 6 pm

It’s Tuesday and we’ve just returned from a daycare centre in the lower 9^th. Everything seems to be a jumbled mix in my mind, which is a bit reflective of what our group is experiencing. Some of us are having great experiences – some a little less great. You can see the strain on people. In many ways the city is continuing on even when so many are still stuck in post-Katrina mode – not in their homes, dealing with insurance, suffering depression; the list goes on. As expected, the group has been split up going different places to work. Some of are at Pastor Boutee’s house, some at Mt Ararat Baptist Church and some of us at a daycare centre. 50 children are ready to start at the centre as soon as it’s able to open. It’ll be awhile. There’s lots too be done. The last few days though, it’s been amazing how some things just seem to work out. Of course some things haven’t, but that’s for someone else to write about. Yesterday, working to board up a home, we had to find hydro (aka electricity in the US world) to be able to cut plywood. Our first idea, to use a neighbour’s didn’t work, but shortly afterward, a man came along the road & said he had a generator he’d bring back. While waiting for him, some of us started measuring, some started cleaning up the yard – hand mowing if you will. (Owners can be fined $500 for not keeping their yards mowed.) We also then met the back-door neighbour who said he would let us use some of his hydro. We needed a ladder – Diana ‘fell over’ one at the house…add those to a few other things that kept happening with amazing ‘coincidence’. Today, as we started to pile the debris from inside the daycare, a junkman and woman came along and were happy to take away all the metal piping, wiring etc. Cleaned up our pile and helped them as well. It’s amazing how things work. Is it God’s hand or the people of God doing God’s work? Christian Unity (or should I say Cliteal and Diane) are feeding us for the rest of the week for dinner – no small task, when you’re talking 29 people, but that will make logistics much easier (& tastier too) God’s hand or the people of God? Doesn’t matter! It’s still hard to see all of the devastation and I’m still angry – a little surprising because I thought I’d dealt with all of that last time. And life and hope are here; people are returning, businesses are opening, etc. But, there’s still so much to be done – and so many people dealing with so much loss and continued pain, so long after the hurricane. If it were me, I’d curl up in a little ball in the corner and not uncurl for a very long time. Either that or I’d lash out at anyone who came near. God promises “My grace is sufficient for you”. Guess it’s up to all of us to take that grace and do something with it. – Karen Hilliker

November 6, 2007

~Each day greets us with stories of the people that we meet – the people that make this work very personal. I can only share some of what I have gained from the few I have met:

Sunday I was touched by a woman who has now been home in New Orleans for two months but is apologizing for just making it back to worship with her home congregation at Christian Unity. She openly admits to suffering depression and just being too busy with the work of returning. As I can only imagine the many things that would be involved in this work and the overwhelming grief that must be a part of day to day living, I am inspired by her openness and willingness to admit the truths around her road home.

On Monday I met a gentleman who shared his continued struggles on the road back to “normal” life. He was rescued from the attic in his home “only a day and half” after Katrina. He now struggles to rebuild with the wood in his home that was sold to him with termites and ants in it causing repair on the repairs. During our conversation he was still able to laugh and make jokes with us which to me is an inspiration of dealing with life while maintaining joy!

Tuesday brought a gentleman to an intersection at the daycare as I stood taking pictures. He was very willing to share that his son was to have attended the daycare shortly after Katrina hit but since he is now 5 he is at school instead. He had briefly moved to Knoxville, TN but now spends time back here working there and returns to New Orleans to work on his home periodically. He wished us great success as we continued to work on the daycare and looks forward to the activity and laughter back in the neighbourhood.

Each day provides another opportunity for inspiration – I welcome the learning of the next few days and trust that I will be reminded of these friends whenever God sees a need to remind me of things in my life. ~ Deb Siertsema

We're here. The folks at the hotel, the woman in the restaurant screaming encouragement to the LSU Tigers whose football game was on the TV (they won), our waitress, thank us for coming and make us feel welcome. In our evening round of "good thing/bad thing some of us find it hard to come up with a bad thing. We are here with a good list of jobs to do and we are the thankful ones. Especially that with the change in time zones and the end of DST we get 2 extra hours to sleep.

November 3 am

Like all criminals, we prefer to travel by dark. Some of us sleeping fitfully, as though we might get caught and turned back, some of us adjusting better to the hypnotic thrum of the diesel. “Chicago” blurs into a “Little House on the Prairie” clone to be replaced by “A Prairie Home Companion” on the bus’s DVD player. Our minds play tricks on us as we drift in and out of sleep as our imaginations visit the US Midwest while we head south to the Gulf Coast. In Elizabethtown KY we stop so Jim and Mary, our Badder companions move into the Best Western for a well-deserved rest and Phil takes over piloting our bus. Some of us watch the sun rise out the left side of the bus. The rest are grateful to be shaken awake as we pull into Cracker Barrel for breakfast and another warm Southern Welcome. They count how many times we say “eh”.