Youth Mission Trip - Friday Report

Good evening everyone! This will be our last update to the blog. Our buses will pull out (hopefully) at 5:30 tomorrow morning for our long drive home. Before that though, here is a report from Clay Sexton and Emily Jeske.

Clay -
YARR!!!!! ME MATES!!! That’s been pretty much of my vocabulary this week, I’m not really sure why through, besides the week before this I was at the beach. So needless to say I was already worn out before setting out to go on the mission trip. I kept telling myself that I would sleep longer hours or something or just sleep on the bus to make up for my late nights and early awakenings at the beach. I never did. I thought that I would be destroyed with being tired even before getting to the work site that our church was working on, but somehow I never did. I have remained awake and very alert for the most part this whole trip working extremely hard every day at the work site. However, most people don’t know this yet, but originally I wasn’t even going to go on this mission trip in the first place. The diocese of North Carolina has a mission trip at the same time as this one to the camp we went to for the first mission trip that St. Timothy's Episcopal Church went on. It was planned that I was going to go because I have a lot of diocese friends that I was starting to get to know about 6 months ago and I really still wanted to get to know them a lot so I was going to go with them on the mission trip that they go on. Now, I’m very happy that I went with our church for a lot of reasons. It was David Roses departure that mainly wanted to make me go since I won’t be able to see him later in the year. Most people in the youth group were pretty mad at me when I told them this plan but that’s another reason that I had to go was because they were forcing me too. The last huge reason was my mom. She has come on the mission trip this year along with Raven and I. When she first told me I was pretty mad that she was since I wanted it to just be a kid thing but in the end I am glad that she has come after all, and I can tell tat she is really glad too. Well I’m being told now that I have to stop talking to you all and give some other people a turn. I’ll see everybody on Sunday!

Emily -
Hello all! It is good to finally be talking (and by talking I mean blogging…) with everyone back at home. We have been hard at work and hard at play and this week has been amazing. Alas, all good things must come to an end. Our 3rd mission trip will be over at 5am (I mean, really, 5am?!?) when we roll out of New Orleans and head back to Winston Salem. I envision much napping on the bus ride home. 15 hour long naps may or may not become my new life path (besides professional slip and sliding, of course). Speaking of slip and sliding, we had an awesome one on Wednesday night that can be described as nothing less than epic. It was just a huge black sheet of plastic from Ace hardware and we set it up in the side yard of Aurora UMC (no hills, thanks below sea level!). Add water and soap, shampoo, and conditioner (yes, really, conditioner), and you have a great slip and slide. Just to throw this out there, I was the first to make it all the way to the grass on the other side of the plastic. I definitely paid for it, I have a bruise that is probably 6 inches in length and 2 in width across my hip, I kid you not. But I would say it was worth it.
Our work thus far has consisted of roofing, priming, painting, and various other nailing projects. It has been hard but definitely rewarding. We met all the homeowners and presented them with prayer shawls and blankets which were knitted by Stitch by Stitch (thank you!). It is nice to see that our work is appreciated and much needed. After 4 years, it’s hard to believe that there is still that much work that needs to be done, but there is still so far to go.
Today was our free day in downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter. We got to sleep in until 8:30 (imagine, 8:30 being considered sleeping in), and then we took the ferry from the West Bank where we are staying across the Mississippi. As a big fan of rivers, this was really cool for me. We split into our groups and had a couple hours to peruse the city before we met at the aquarium. Then we had about four hours after that to go back and shop. Lots of good deals at the French flea market and I feel like I got a lot of good buys. But I digress.
This week has been a really great experience for me and the whole youth group. We have all bonded a lot and will all be sad to leave. I will see you all tomorrow night!

Please keep us in your prayer tomorrow as we travel. We're all looking forward to being back home after such a good week. We cannot thank our St. Timothy's family enough for the prayers and support that made this trip possible. See you back in Winston-Salem!

Youth Mission Trip - Wednesday report

Good evening everyone! Here is a report from three individuals today, Tanner Mann, Raven Sexton, and Frances Miller.

Tanner –
Hello, today was a pretty fun day. I pretty much painted boards all day. It was probably one of the hottest days so far, almost as hot as me. I had to take a lot of water breaks. Last night we had a cookout at the park. We had hamburgers and played in the field. Then we came back and David Rose told us a scary story about Count Dracula. Overall this has been a great trip!

Raven-
Hello bloggers! This trip has been so much fun so far. The heat is terrible!!! Last night all four youth groups went to a park for a cookout. We played a very intense game of human knot, while others played a game of ultimate Frisbee. After dinner there was a hard core eating contest in which I took place in. Our yummy meal was a pickle ( which I hate!!!) on a hamburger bun with chocolate syrup and sprinkles. Now doesn’t that sound yummy?!?!? Now the race started and while all the other four large big tall men were only half way through the whole sandwich was completely in my mouth. Even though I hadn’t swallowed it first it was in my mouth first. And VERY soon after that i threw up behind a tree next to a grill. Not the prettiest thing out there, GROSS! Then back at the church the AC in the girls building was broken so girls from the youth groups had a sleepover in the gym on the floor!!! And then today some people including myself woke at 6:15 am to go to the work site early and get a head start on what needed to be finished. I painted like the whole front of a house on a ladder and it was scary!!! I was helped by my Bennie Boo Boo bear (Ben Cowgill) by him holding my ladder in the HOT sun all day; he is my hero! When all returned back, David Rose surprised us with a slip n slide! It was a blast, it made us feel like such kids again loved it, even our adults took a run or two. It was a fun day and one I will never forget!!!!! :)

Frances- Parent Chaperone
Oh boy, has this youth mission trip been such an inconvenience. I have way too many other things to do, a new project at work, llamas to shave, I’ll miss my daily exercise and the Bailey’s party!
The trip down was so long, two different delays of about 4 hours, the AC on the bus went out and when we finally go to Alabama we found out we were to sleep on the floor. It’s hot, we have to wear long pants, the food is mediocre, the AC in our sleeping quarters is on the blink; the list on inconveniences could go on and on.
After we arrive we find that the 2 delays were accidents that took 3 lives, only an inconvenience for us but a life changing event for those families.
Now we are on the work site and I wonder if the kids will behave, if they will whine. I sure want to as it is hot enough to fry eggs and they are putting shingles on the roof. Instead they are fighting over who gets to work up there all begging to go up. When it’s time to quit for the day, they still want to stay and work. On the way home they talk about how glad they had on long pants because of the hot tar on the shingles, the poison ivy and how they don’t stick to the vinyl seats of the bus. Are these the same children that came from Winston Salem or aliens? A great time to watch our children grow.
We meet Myrna whose house we are working on. She is such a kind and generous person sharing her story with us. We find out that she lost her job, her possessions, her home. She has slept on here mother’s couch for the last 4 YEARS! The one thing she has not lost is her faith and now we are helping her regain her home. I find that in her I found a new friend along with all her extended family of children and grandchildren.
The AC in the church is out and I find out from Lee Prout, an Aurora Church member that this is exactly the same weather that they had after Katrina, except that it lasted 4 MONTHS with no electricity, water, food. More than an inconvenience, why am I complaining about one night? Maybe we are finding out what it might have been like then. The girls all take their mattresses to the gym to sleep and soon our girls are all chatting with girls from other groups, what a great time to meet others.
While we are working, a stranger comes by. He is the pastor of a small church around the corner. They have just turned on the AC and he saw us working and thought we might need a break from the heat. What a gift!
Some kids want to go for a morning run so I can exercise! We have a great time and they come up with new ways for summer Sunday School, will I help them? They are leading me.
Tonight we will worship with the Team Effort Group and then Pastor Simon, the pastor of Aurora Church will join us and share some of his experiences over the past 4 years. I am so looking forward to this. Time to meet new people.
Oh boy, this youth mission trip has been such an opportunity.

Pictures of the Slip-n-slide:

Youth Mission Trip - pictures from yesterday

Youth Mission Trip - Tuesday

Greetings once again from New Orleans! Here are reports from Anna Vaughan and Parker Stallings:

Anna Vaughan -
Heyy heyy! Today was a fun filled day here in New Orleans. Today I “flushed wood” and primed a house. “Flushing wood” means you make the wood even to another board and nail it down. It’s not too hard but it’s challenging! We ran out of paint today so we were done early so our chaperones took us to Snow Balls to get snow cones. They were good! The air conditioning got turned off so it was 92 degrees in the girl’s room when we got home. We have chores to do everyday and today we have bathrooms. Not to sure how its going to go but it will be interesting. When we have free time the guys normally play basketball and the girls either join in or watch and talk. We have met some people from the other Episcopal Church from Florida and they are really nice. Even though I am not a member of St. Timothy’s I feel like I am part of the youth! I have had a lot of fun here with everyone, and I will be sad to see this week come to a close. But I can’t wait to get back home to tell everyone the hilarious stories!

Parker -
Today was so hot, high was 101 degrees and 120 degrees on the roof. I was the prince of work, and that means that I get first dibs on the shower. All I did was scrape paint and I was in the air on a tall ladder and I got the whole backside of the house. Right now I’m really bored. Also this blog took me 15 minutes. MOM I miss you. :)

For dinner tonight we had a cook out at a local park. It was a great time where we interacted with several members from the other churches we are working with. Our group had the opportunity to lead the singing for the Chapel service, which was also at the park. As usual. we have ended our day with Night Prayer and a time of reflection on what we enjoyed the most tduring the day, and what we learned during the day.

Will post pictures from today first thing tomorrow morning! It now lights out. Good night!

Youth Mission Trip 2009 - Monday

Here is a report of our work yesterday from Alex Messick and Erin Gerrity -

Messick-
We were told to be in the gym at eight for breakfast. After we ate we loaded up on the buses and went straight to the worksite but today I lucked out and got dragged around with David Rose for the morning, but in the afternoon I was at the site with everyone else. We ate lunch and stopped at Mickey Ds for a bathroom break. We headed to the site and I started to peel paint. After that I went and held ladders for Amanda, Raven and Stephanie. Also I put primer on one of the houses. Then Alex got named hardest guy worker of the day and I was proud of him. After we were finished working, we went back to the church and started playing the Wisconsin kids in a basketball game.

Erin-
Hi everybody! We are having so much fun. We started out the day by waking up at 7:30 (we were all so excited about that..) then after changing into our work clothes (which have to be jeans!) we had breakfast provided by Teameffort which was sausage, eggs, hash browns, and biscuits. After eating breakfast we headed out to the worksites with the help of our two leaders Dustin and Alyssa. We arrived and saw three houses, all worn down and damaged. One house needed work on the support on the ceiling, one house needed to be primed and painted and have the floor fixed, and the third house needed to be smoothed down so we could paint it and we had to put shingles on the roof. For most of the day I was up on the roof nailing down the shingles, I really enjoyed this job until the roof got really, really hot and I could barely sit on it. Then Emily, David Green, Clay, Tyler, Grace V, Amelia, Josh and I had to get off the roof before we got burned. For the rest of the day I helped scrape paint and put primer on houses.

We have started worshiping three times a day; we are going to do a morning prayer, noon prayer, and Compline every night. This is in addition to the worship Teameffort is holding putting on. Tomorrow morning we might go for a morning youth group jog, (as we did last year ha ha) so we will let you know how that goes. Everyday each church has a chore to do; today we had to help with dinner. The food so far has been pretty good, we had sandwiches for lunch. Well I’m going to go join the basketball game! We are all having fun, staying safe, and staying hydrated so no worries! And we can’t wait to get back and share all our fun!

Check back later today for more pictures and reports from our work.

Youth Mission trip - Monday work pictures

Youth Mission trip 2009 - Sunday

Hello and good morning. We arrived in New Orleans late yesterday afternoon, and we had another full day yesterday.

We worshiped with Fairhope UMC yesterday morning and then took our time travelling from there to New Orleans. One of the highlights for me was that we drove along the MS coast and saw the same area we worked in 2 years ago with Mission on the Bay. I was struck once again by the ammount of devation Hurricane Katrina left in her wake. When we arrived in New Orleans, Bill Stallings led us to the Lower Ninth ward and showed us where the Industrial Canal broke through the levee and flooded the entire area. We then drove by the Superdome, and 20 minutes later, we arrived at Aurora UMC, which will be our home for this week.

Today, we begin our work. Actually as I am writing this our youth are hard at work. We are working on three different houses, stripping paint, finishing laying shingles on a roof and cleaning up an empyt lot. It was HOT here by 9am. There will be pictures of the work we are doing today posted later tonight.

Here are a couple thoughts from David Green and Will Carter regarding our trip yesterday, which they both wrote last night.

Will-
The trip has been ok so far were finally here and his has taken forever. A total of 2 days and 3 hours. Now were staying at Aurora UMC in New Orleans Louisiana. We got here put our stuff in our rooms, which are fairly nice, and we went straight to Wendy’s and we got there so late we had to get it to go. We ate all of our food in the van and then walked straight into the service where it was amazingly fun, and after we had night prayer and now we are getting ready to sleep.

David Green-
Today we started by getting up and going to church at Fairhope UMC after staying their for the night. I really enjoyed the service but was excited to get on to the final destination that is New Orleans, Louisiana. The car ride was a good three or four hours with the temperature getting hotter as we went. Everyone knew when we reach New Orleans because of the huge skyline and all the bridges. But by far the best part of the ride was the listening and singing to the Taylor Swift CD. So far this trip has been fairly enjoyable with most of us being stuck in the car.

Check back soon for reports and pictures regarding our actual work here in New Orleans! Thank you for keeping us in your prayers!

Youth Mission trip '09

Good morning! As I write this, we are waking up at Fairhope UMC. We had a long day in the busses yesterday, and we are looking forward to a much shorter drive today to New Orleans. However, after yesterday, we discovered that nothing goes exactly as planned!



Here are two of the youth, Ben Cowgill and Hannah Forsell to tell you about their day yesterday -

Ben –
The trip so far has been pretty fun. We had some traffic jams near Atlanta, so the driving portion dragged on longer than expected. We had a lot of fun singing on the bus. Unfortunately, one bus’s air conditioning broke, so we had to open all the windows. It turned out cooler than the air! Our pickup truck had a flat tire, but other than that, there were no accidents or slow-downs. Then we got to church around 10:00 or 11:00 in Eastern Time! We looked around the church, and went to sleep. Can’t wait until we get to New Orleans!

Hannah –
So far we have had fun with the few activities we’ve participated in. I missed the first four hours of the trip however, because I was out of town. After meeting up with them at the Marriot Hotel, the fun began. While in the bus we played cards, sang songs, went to sleep, and spent time growing and bonding as a group. Fairhope UMC, where we are staying, is such a beautiful and nice church! Everything in it is either new, or kept up so well it looks that way. We are all so thankful to be staying here. After arrival, we all played video games, ping pong, hung out, and showered. After getting used to the new church we all gathered for night prayer, and then went to sleep.