Gaby (from Gethsemane Lutheran Church)

To the LCR Hurricane Relief Team and TO THE WHOLE CONGREGATION as well as LDR who supports them Amy Larsen, Jason Leupen, Scheffie Lindquist, Justin Long, Kathy Meyer, Mark Meyer, Ed Nemann, David Wagner, Cindy Zorn, Pastor Zorn: Thank you for coming down here to put up our walls.

Due to my weekday job to support my family, I was not able to stop by and meet you this week you worked so hard. We are indeed worshipping in the sanctuary again, even set up a table with an Advent wreath which God had sent us the Saturday before Advent. His timing is 'close' but always on time. Amazing.

I enjoy your blog, it wets my eyes. I also enjoy the pics. One of your members is sitting on a little bitty chair which was one of several donated to us from another Lutheran church. We use them as the 'front row' during service, where the kids come for the children's sermon each Sunday. Pastor arrives Thursdays and spends a few days in the community each week, Tuesdays and Wednesdays he is on his phone and computer organizing stuff. He is quite amazing with these organizing skills, and is relentless in his commute. After all, there
are 27 openings for Pastors in our synod, and we are blessed to have someone so dedicated in spite of the distance.

Anyways, the little chairs are in the front row because Lutherans never use the front row. This way they can sit in the second row, and the front row does not get wasted. (we have to carry chairs from the shed to the sanctuary each Sunday, and back. The little chairs stay, so there are less to carry). Seems like anything that comes our way through God's love is used. I want to mention the little closets that took so much time. They are PRICELESS.

One thing in our house (yes, we are in) I miss, is closet space as they are not all fixed yet. At the church too, having worked the food events, Sunday school, Youth stuff, Social ministry and whatever, and currently the donations that come through, I DO APPRECIATE the presence of closet space immensely. Each time any of you puts something in the closet or takes something
out, or walks along a hallway without clutter (as the clutter is inside the closet) and does not have to step over or around boxes, you should remember the great work you did on the closets. They are very very very important, although out of sight. I guess a closet is like a volunteer behind the scenes. You know what they do only if he/it is not there.

God bless, and I hope you come back. email me and my husband will cook some Southern food for your group. We can have a meal together at the church.

Windows are in now.
Gaby

A Final Reflection by Pastor Zorn

It is good to be back home and especially good to be sleeping in my own bed after a week in the top bunk that did not accomodate me comfortably in Slidell! It is difficult to put these hurricane relief trips into words. Somehow, "great," "awesome," and "wonderful" just don't seem to be appropriate in light of such grief and destruction. Given the nature of our work and the people and stories that we encounter, it feels inappropriate to offer any words that convey positive feelings.
Within the context of that spirit, I would simply offer that I am grateful for our Church, the ELCA, and for our church, Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. The ELCA is still a very visible presence in this part of our country that has a long way to go to restoration. In Louisiana, where the Roman Catholic Church and the Baptists are dominant, people are learning about Lutherans. Our mission is not one of knocking on doors, but rather, is a witness of sharing God's love through tangible acts of kindness. Many people in the Gulf have told us that the Lutherans have been one of the most prominent groups involved in Katrina relief.
Lutheran Disaster Relief (LDR) is well organized and will be on the scene for years to come. In partnership with Peace Lutheran, Slidell, they are constructing a building to house fifty relief workers. At Gethsemane Lutheran, Chalmette, the church that we worked on, they are converting some of their preschool space into dormitories and showers to house relief workers there. Their pastor explained that the mission of their church has changed midstream and they are reacting to new "opportunities" brought about by Katrina. This church will be the light of Jesus in the darkness of Chalmette for years to come and residents there will come to know Jesus through acts of love and kindness carried out by the members of Gethsemane.
I asked one of the LDR coordinators if this week (Thanksgiving) will be a slow week for them. To the contrary, she said they are staffed up for several large groups, over fifty people, from Lutheran congregations across our nation that will spend their Thanksgiving week doing relief work!
I am also thankful for our congregation. We have completed our third relief trip and twenty-five different people have participated, many of them in more than one trip. We are already talking about trips in 2007; there will probably be two more.
While I just can't put positive words on the relief experience, I will say that I am grateful for the ELCA and equally grateful to be pastor/member of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. Sometimes we wonder why the word "Evangelical" appears in ELCA. While we may not be an evangelical church that knocks on doors, we are nevertheless, evangelical in our works of kindness and love in the Name of Jesus who is Lord.

Destruction Photos

Jason Leupen - Nov 19

I wanted to share some final thoughts that illustrate the enormity of the work remaining. On Thursday, Gail from the the St. Bernard Parish Public Schools stopped by our worksite. We presented her with a check and she shared how the school system is coping with life post-Katrina.

She shared that the school system had about 16,000 students and 20 buildings (15 of which were schools) before the storm. At this point, 15 months after the storm, they have only 2 working buildings and only about 3,500 students!! Five buildings will be completely torn down. Of the students (and their families) that remain in the school system, she estimated that less than 5 percent are actually living in their homes - the rest are living in FEMA trailers on their property or somewhere else.

It's difficult to illustrate this in words, but imagine if EVERY house in Anderson Township (or whatever community you live in) was destroyed. Imagine that as you drive down ANY street in Anderson Township, only 1 house is occupiable, and FEMA trailers sit on every fourth house. That is the situation in Chalmette and St. Bernard Parish School District. There is much more work to do and the experts are estimating 5-10 years.

On a positive note, our church (both LCR and the ELCA) are doing great work down there. So many people told us that the Lutherans (and Lutheran Disaster Response, specifically) were playing a huge part in the recovery and are absolutely vital. It feels so good to be a part of this great ministry.

Peace,
Jason

Mark & Kathy Meyer - Nov 17

Good evening. It has been a fulfilling week of hard work. We have been working on putting up sheet rock all week. On Monday, "The Holy Roller" told us what at great job we were doing and that our screws where dimpled just right...today we just tried to get them dimpled. Yesterday we spent most of the day working on two small closets, it was depressing to think we worked so hard and so long on such a small area, but by the end of the week it's amazing that our group hung sheet rock in 6 large rooms, a kitchen, 4 tiny closets, and 7 other rooms a hallway. It has been amazing to witness the talents and teamwork come together this week to accomplish the work. Plus we were finally putting a house (God's house no less) together instead of pulling it apart. We encourage everyone to remember the people who have been effected by Hurricane Katrina. Consider coming on the next trip, you'll be amazed what God can accomplish through you.

Cindy Zorn - Nov 17

Greetings from Slidell. Today was our final day of working at Gethsemane Lutheran Church. The week flew by- I wish we could stay longer there is so much work to be done. Having a chance to rebuild is a very different experience than mucking houses. The work is much slower and more precise. It helps you to realize that the rebuilding process will take a very long time.
I encourage anyone reading this to consider a trip to the Gulf Coast. Your physical presence will be greatly appreciated and is much needed. This afternoon, I spoke with a man who is a member of Gethsemane. He shared with me how grateful the people are for volunteers. The people are so busy trying to rebuild their own homes and lives, there isn't enough time to help with the rebuilding of the church. Having a place to come and worship will give them some sense of normalcy in their lives. There are so many stories... Keep the people in your prayers.
Thankful for the opportunity to serve Gods' people- Cindy

Justin Long - Nov 17

The work-week is over and I just took the time to sit down and write about my experience. This is my first trip to Louisiana. It is good to see that some areas have recovered pretty well, such as Slidell. But Chalmette, and other areas closer to New Orleans are still very damaged. They really do need alot of help still. They estimate that it will take several years to fully recover. The trip has been a great success. Our crew really worked hard. I encourage anyone reading this to consider volunteering some time to help out down here. Giving our time and efforts provides much needed hope to the people here. Let us not forget that every little bit helps.

Peace and love, Justin

Photos - Nov 16

Amy Larsen - Nov 16

The weather was cool today after a very hot and humid Wednesday - a great day to work! The work of reconstruction sometimes seems to move very slowly. When mucking you see much being accomplished...and truthfully you don't need tons of talent! But re-building is different and some small spaces and tasks can take what seems to be a long time. But the work is progressing well and today Cindy was able to start priming the Sanctuary- wow - what a difference! My "feeling blessed" this week goes to the wonderful LCR crew I am able to work and share with...what a great bunch of people and hard workers! (P.S. It's Thursday and that hard work is making us all tired!)

Pastor Zorn - Nov 15

Deconstruction and Reconstruction
A year ago our efforts in the Gulf was wholly in deconstruction, or as we call it in Slidell "mucking." This trip has a very different feel to it. We have been reconstructing Gethsemane Lutheran Church. Reconstruction takes a lot more time! It is hard to believe how long it takes to reconstruct a community that was destroyed in such a brief amount of time!
Last night we drove past Shannon and Tommy's house. They were the young couple whose house we mucked a year ago to the day. It was heartening to see a trailer in front of their house and a small fence around it for their baby to play in. Half the house was lit and furnished! The other half of the house was still dark. From the appearance of this site, it looks like the family is on the way to recovery! Many of the houses in their neighborhood are still dark so it felt good to see that our efforts a year ago had helped put this family on the road to recovery.
One of the members of Gethsemane happened to come by the church today. She had been a teacher in their pre-school for twenty-three years before "the storm," as they call it here. She and her husband have moved to Baton Rouge and it seemed that she had not been back in quite a long time. She has started a new life in a new place. We also heard that the pastor of Gethsemane has moved to Tennessee. He comes to the church on the weekends and lives in a trailer on the church property. After the church gets reestablished he will retire. As I processed these pieces of information coming together, I realized something; it is one thing to reconstruct buildings (houses and churches), but it is something totally different to reconstruct communities (families and congregations)!
I am heartened to see that Slidell has recovered in many ways and Chalmette is on the road to recovery. But that is only the physical structures that are visible to the relief worker. When you listen to the personal stories of people living here you realize that lives and communities are not nearly as quickly reconstructed!
So many of the locals have commented that the volunteers bring them hope. It is a commodity that is still desperately needed here. Please continue to remember these good folks in your prayers. They are still very fragile!

Photos - Nov 15

David Wagner - Nov 15

Greetings,

We spent the day again today puting up sheetrock and taping/spackling the walls already up. Putting up sheets is a bit quicker work than the taping so a few of us traded jobs as more moved to taping. It looks like the sanctuary will be completed in time for the Church's first service Thanksgiving Weekend but the classrooms will still have more to be done after we have returned to Cincinnati.

One of the church's members stopped by yesterday to thank us for the work we were doing. He said that their Pastor has relocated to Tennessee but returns each weekend to conduct services. They have been meeting in their former fellowship hall toward the back of the building. It must have been difficult as the room is still without glass in the windows. Looking at the houses in the neighborhood it looks like the church building is in better shape than most. It is tough to see the amount of work still needing to be done fifteen months after the hurricane.

As the week has progressed I have been surprised at how much I have learned about others in our group. Some are folks I have sat next to in church for 7+ years but still only knew on a superficial level. The two things that have made the biggest impression on me so far are the destruction of the hurricane and how much I enjoy Kathy Meyer's sense of humor. It is surprising how long you can know somebody without really knowing them. That is probably something we can all improve upon within our church family.

After three days here and another day in travel I miss my family and miss work but am grateful that I was given the opportunity to come here and be part of this construction effort. There is still much work to be done.

God bless.


Sincerely,

David Wagner

Photos - Nov 14

Scheffie Lindquist - Nov. 14

It's truly extraordinary how the Lord works! Who else but He could take 10 different people with such a wide range of abilities and make them into one lean, mean sheetrocking team! Each day that passes we become a better team, more proficient and efficient. We're sheetrocking a church. The work is hard, there's no question. But among the exertion, there is a lot of laughter, a joy in being together and doing this work that so desperately needs to be done. We are just 10 people and in the neighborhood where we're working house after house is just a shell. Some have not even had their flooded contents removed yet. Looking at the devastation that still exists 14 months after Hurricane Katrina passed over is sobering. But with each panel of sheetrock that goes up in this church, with each layer of "mud" that we apply, we're helping a community of people regain their place of worship. And hopefully, a little bit of themselves.

Jason Leupen - Nov 13

All 3 car loads made it down to Slidell Sunday night. Pastor and Cindy were the last to make it to Peace Lutheran around 10:30 CT at night (I think he has to work on Sunday mornings??)

Monday was our first real work day here in Slidell. After breakfast and devotions, we had to go to another Lutheran Church (Camp Hope) to get "oriented". (Camp Hope is the tent city that the June trip team had to stay in - we have it much better here inside Peace Lutheran Church!!) The 2 hour orientation was sponsored by LDR (Lutheran Disaster Response) and covered basic volunteer information as well as safety information.

Monday was also LCR's turn to cook and clean. So after orientation, we headed back to Peace to do our chores and get the pot roast started for supper. Ed and Pastor help with the potatoes.


After the chores were done, we went to Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette (right outside of New Orleans) to do sheet rocking, taping & mudding. Gethsemane was destroyed in the Hurricane and flood and they have not been able to worship inside the church since then. They are hoping to have their first worship service inside on Thanksgiving (if we can get the drywall out of their sanctuary :-) . Justin Long is our resident expert drywaller!!

Then after work, we headed back to Peace for some yummy pot roast!!

Packing Up - Nov 11

Packing up the vans!






Leaving tomorrow!

Pastor Zorn - Nov 9

“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:39

On Sunday, November 12, ten members of our congregation leave for our third hurricane Katrina relief trip to Slidell, Louisiana. We have received our work assignment. This time we will be working at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette, right outside of New Orleans. This church was destroyed in hurricane Katrina and they are hoping to have the church restored in time for worship on Thanksgiving this year. We have been told that they received a delivery of several hundred sheets of sheet rock that need to be hung. My back is already sore!
Virtually every member of our congregation has come back from our prior relief trips saying that it was an incredibly powerful experience. Experiencing the monumental devastation of others first hand and becoming vulnerable to their grief and suffering has a deep impact on our lives as Christians.
Personally, what I learned from my participation in our relief trip last November was that Jesus’ teaching about losing life to gain it is true. Quite honestly, I have struggled with that passage of Scripture my whole life. In my life, losing has always meant… losing! But Jesus says that when we lose for His sake (and the sake of our neighbor) we will gain. What I discovered was that I had been trying to understand that teaching intellectually rather than spiritually. Last November, along with the other members of our relief team, we gave ourselves away for an entire week to those who were suffering in Slidell. During that week I did not think or worry about what was happening back home. I was fully immersed in the lives of those whom we were helping. And yet, at the end of our week I felt as if I had gained something beyond words; a deep sense of peace and spiritual connectedness to my “neighbors.” This is the peace of Christ which surpasses all human wisdom and understanding. It is a gift!
So we prepare to leave for Slidell again, vulnerable and open to our neighbors, vulnerable and open to God’s peace. Please hold us up in your prayers and please pray for the faithful of Peace Lutheran Church in Slidell (our hosts) and Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Chalmette (our neighbors).

Pastor Zorn