" Mission Trip to Mississippi "

On February 5^th of this year six members of our congregation, Eric Gipson, Romaine Miller, Harry Replogle, John Schultz, Sue and Mike Werner, embarked on a weeklong trip to Ocean Springs Mississippi along with many members of other western PA Lutheran Churches.  The trip was organized by our synod with Pastor Sandy Kessinger as coordinator as a relief and recovery endeavor benefiting the victims of Hurricane Katrina along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  At least 50% of the work groups were people like Eric and Harry who had to take vacation or arrange with their work to get time off.  There were volunteers who were only 17 years old as well as volunteers nearly 80 years old.  What a great group.

Our host church, Christus Victor Lutheran Church of Ocean Springs, provided our living space, meals, showers, and most importantly, the opportunity to assist the local hurricane and flood victims.  We were amazed at how well equipped the Christus Victor Lutheran Church was for accommodating our bus load of volunteers plus probably a dozen more volunteers from other places.

Some examples of the assistance we provided are:  repairing or replacing roofs, floors, and ceilings, mucking out houses (tearing out walls, floors, baseboards, and fixtures damaged by flood waters and mold), painting, yard work, medical assistance, distribution of much needed food, clothing, medical supplies, blankets, furniture, school supplies, and much more.

Our synod sent three groups of volunteers; week one, January 29-February 5, week two, February 5-February 12, and week three, February 12-19.  Ours was week two.  Pastor Larry Mort of St Andrew’s Coraopolis, our group’s leader, did an outstanding job of organizing the trip and coordinating the volunteers’ work assignments. He even arranged a four-hour layover at a restaurant in Beckley, West Virginia so the volunteers could watch the super bowl.  What a morale booster for our group!  Pastor Mort also provided movies and tapes of the Steelers’ previous super bowl appearances for our viewing pleasure during the trip.

The journey down was a long one.  As we neared our destination, we began to observe sporadic hurricane damage as far as 100 miles north of the coast.  There were scatterings of fallen trees, bent road signs, and FEMA roofs (blue tarps covering damaged roof areas and occasionally entire roofs). When we were near our destination, our bus driver went out of his way to take us on a tour along Biloxi’s coast showing extensive hurricane and flood damage.  Some of the sights were unbelievable.  Many of the southern mansions along the coast looked like houses on stilts.  Their first floors were almost completely washed away by the surge of rushing water.  Others weren’t so lucky and were entirely swept away by rampaging floodwaters.  Highways and bridges were partially or completely destroyed.  A barge as big as a building had been dislodged from its gulf mooring, tossed about and landed in two pieces on the opposite side of the boulevard.

We arrived at our host church early Monday afternoon.  There we moved our belongings into a gymnasium-sized room filled with dozens of cots spaced approximately two feet apart.  This was to be our home for the rest of the week.  Immediately we settled in by claiming cots and stuffing our belongings underneath.  Following dinner in the cafeteria, which serves donated food to the dozens of volunteers and hundreds of walk-ins, we proceeded to orientation.  We were provided the ground rules for living among ourselves and other volunteers and the schedule for meals, devotions, and meetings.  The coordinators also stressed that the people we were there to help took precedence over the work assignments.  If the victims needed to talk, we were to listen.

Pastor Mort’s responsibilities included delegating work assignments among the volunteers.  Tuesday morning he divided us into teams and sent us out on various assignments. Groups were assigned tasks such as roofing, cleaning out houses, drywall work, yard work, kitchen work, and helping out at the distribution center. A group of eight, including John and Harry, were assigned to put a new roof on a house owned by Dawna Howell, a member of Christus Victor.  They completely removed the existing roof, replaced many sections of damaged plywood, and added a new layer of tarpaper and shingles.  None of the crew were certified roofers, but by pooling their limited knowledge and skills, and working as a team, they completed a professional-looking roof in a span of about two and a half days. On the last work day Dawna brought out lunch. The roofers and she sat, ate and talked together. They were very tired but they had done it! Dawna could hardly find the words to express her appreciation. Her face said it all!!!

On Tuesday morning a crew went to do drywall finishing (mudding) in a house being repaired.  The crew found that only a bathroom needed done so Mike stayed and finished that task while the others moved on.

The first day for Eric, Romaine and Sue started pretty slowly, waiting around for transportation to a yard work site.  They had been warned to not be judgmental, but all five in the group thought ‘what are we doing here’ when they pulled up to a lovely house.  Soon enough they saw.  The owner needed to sell the house as her husband had already been transferred to the Washington DC area by the military.  Repairs had been made to the house, the yard had been cleaned out and she needed to pack herself and her ninety four year old mother for the move.  For safety, esthetic and sanitary reasons, trees needed taken down and a drainage ditch needed cleaned of the debris left by the storm surge.  They dug, scraped and hauled until their ride came back. How sad to find family pictures and mementos when cleaning the yards. They were treated to a lunch of Pizza Hut pizza by Jeanine.

The next morning Mike joined in and the crew went back to the ditch with the right tools (pitchforks and wheelbarrows) and finished to an acceptable spot where there would be little standing water. The workers were treated again, this time to chocolate chip cookies made by Jeanine’s 94 year-old mother. The crew then moved to a yard about 1½ block from the water.  Within several hours, they were able to finish the cleanup that had been started around this house with a gutted first floor.

Thursday was Romaine and Sue’s day to help in the kitchen.  One of our bus group had volunteered to be the cook for the week.  The kitchen work started at 5AM with egg cracking and sandwich making.  This one kitchen served all the volunteers, church workers and anyone that needed a meal.  This day we probably served about 100 breakfasts, 50 hot lunches (not counting the pre made sandwiches that went with the volunteers to the work sites) and over 150 dinners.  Cleaning up after all that cooking and eating was part of kitchen duty, as was stocking the fridge with bottled water and keeping the coffee pots filled.

Thursday Mike was part of a crew of 6 that spent the day tearing out a bathroom and kitchen so that the one story house was now gutted down to its studs.   Then they treated it, inside and out, with a Clorox solution.

Friday the assignment for John and Harry’s team was mucking out a house in Pascagoula, a town near the Alabama state line.  The owner, a young family man, had begun the task, but found it overwhelming.  All furniture had already been discarded.  None of it was salvageable.  The team was there to remove the plasterboard walls, insulation, and kitchen cabinets.  In addition, a hardwood floor had to be completely removed because of water damage.   Black mold had arrived and the first floor needed “mucked” (mold removed).  The job was almost completed by the end of the workday.  He truly appreciated our help.  The homeowner worked with the team the whole time and also bought them lunch.  As they sat and talked with him, he asked if they knew each other before coming to Mississippi.  Except for John and Harry, and two others from Bethlehem Lutheran in Glenshaw, they did not.  Until now it hadn’t occurred to them that a large group of Christians from Western Pa had come together for a common cause, worked as teams, completed tasks, and ministered to hurricane victims without previously knowing one another. Next week’s crew would need to finish the job.

NOTE TO US: There was a heavy rain storm last night and “Ms Dawna Howell”, at the previous job, reported NO LEAKS!!

On Friday Eric and Mike decided to do something different.  They went with a roofing crew to help finish up a job.  The homeowner, Mr. Crocker, needed a new roof put on a cottage in his backyard.  He is an older man whose daughter has cerebral palsy.  This cottage is used by her caretaker.   Not only was the roof damaged, but the cottage and Mr. Crocker’s house had to be gutted because they had four feet of water in them during the hurricane.  We were able to get the roof finished that afternoon.  Mr. Crocker went up on the roof and was really pleased.  He asked that we all write our names and addresses down for him.  Eric was also able to give him a $25 gift card to Sears, thanks to a neighbor back home who asked that it be given to someone in Mississippi

Friday Romaine and Sue had a chance to work at the distribution center as a ‘runner’ like Eric had done on Thursday.  At 9AM cars would line up and ‘greeters’ would take information from the folks regarding family size and needs.  Because the Mormon Church had sent so many boxes of full/queen bed sets (sheets, blanket, pillows and cases), twin bed sets (enough for two twin beds) and kitchen sets, they were passing those out with few questions.  If the people needed appliances or furniture or other big items, they would talk with a social worker.  On Saturday morning, all of us worked at the distribution center before starting the journey back to Pittsburgh

Many times through out the week, we heard that if the churches were not involved, the people down there would have nothing.  They were so very grateful for everything – even if they got Fruit Loops in their food box and they couldn’t stand them.  Again, the people seemed very grateful.  One young woman in particular said, “I don’t know if anyone has told you, but we really do appreciate your help.”  When we said to just pass it on, one man indicated that he was getting ready to retire and that he would like to do for others what we had done for him.  Another man was working on an oil tanker in the area of the tsunami.  They went to Singapore and brought back water and food for the people affected by the tsunami so he has already passed it on.  

Looking back over the past eight days, the days were long but the time went fast. We had helped a few people but there are still many more that need help. It was an experience that we will never forget. We still look back at those eight days and wonder how the people of the Gulf area are going to make it.

Some reflections: 

How well the Lutheran Episcopal Disaster Response was organized!

How people from all over the country volunteer their time and talents – for a few days or a few months.

How so much is to be learned from all of the volunteers and the people we were there to help.

How much the Church was appreciated by the victims – most often the first group there to help.

How the devastation is overwhelming; the courage and determination astounding.

How sad to learn that victims are still living out of cars, in tents, in mold contaminated homes, in small trailers, and with other people.

How sad to find family pictures and mementos when cleaning the yards.

How as one man said, “I think me and my wife will just pick up and move to Arkansas.”  And before he left he said, “I’d never leave here.  This is home!”

How good the feeling when seeing the smiles and feeling the hugs of those helped.

How well equipped the Christus Victor Lutheran Church was for accommodating our bus load of volunteers plus probably a dozen more volunteers from other places.

How it really is possible to sleep on cots in a room of 49 volunteers – and between two men, no less!

How great the job done by the Synod and Pastor Mort!

How true it is that we can all help – one way or another.

Don’t forget these people.  They will still need help for years to come.

Thank you for the prayers and support.

Eric Gipson, Romaine Miller, Harry Replogle, John Schultz, Sue and Mike Werner