Mountview Katrina 09

Media from our trip

2009-06-15T11:20:00.004-04:00

Mission Trip Video
Flickr Photos

More to come...

6.12.09

2009-06-12T00:07:00.003-04:00

Today was another amazing day for the entire Mountview crew in New Orleans. I had a chance to visit Conrad and Jamie's job site for the day. This group has been working on Mrs. Ruby's house hanging drywall and sanding. Right after Lunch we had a chance to speak with Mrs. Ruby for a few minutes as she stopped by to thank all of us for our work. It was great to learn a little about her story and listen to how sincerely thankful she was for all of our work. She gave everyone a big hug and asked each and everyone of us "how you feelin?" I was truly inspired by her attitude after all she has been through and how positive she was.

After Mrs. Ruby stopped by we headed down the street to the Edward P. Harney Elementary school to hang out with some of the kids at summer school during their recess hour. We had purchased some board games, jump ropes, footballs, and other toys for the kids. When we walked in and the kids saw us they were immediately asking us for hugs and if we would play games with them. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip for me to spend time with some kids who have been through some very difficult times.

As the day wore on you could tell that the group members were getting worn out and needed a break. Around 3pm I heard the faint music of an ice cream truck in the distance. As I stood on my ladder doing some drywall work I heard some of the other group members yell that we were all going to get Ice Cream. Apparently the group bought Ice Cream from the same driver on Tuesday and asked if he could stop by again on Thursday. Kyle Lenneman and Jamie struck up a conversation with the driver who's name was Reggie. Reggie spoke with them how he was raised a Christian and was working on raising his own daughter in the same way he was brought up. It was great to see our group reaching out to all types of people in the neighborhood, striking up conversation and building relationships at every opportunity.

The night concluded with a block party hosted by the Castle Rock church that we have been partnering with which was held in the median of a residential street. Local families began to trickle in and enjoyed some grilled hot dogs and refreshments. It was a great time to connect with a variety of people and share God's word and fellowship with them. I was so proud of our group's willingness to approach as many people as possible. By the end of the night our team was spread out along the street doing God's work and I truly felt the presence of God among us in a great way.

6.10.09

2009-06-10T19:42:00.003-04:00

Photos are being uploaded to http://www.flickr.com/photos/mountview/ check for updates! The internet connection here is not the best but we will try and put a few up tonight for you to look at. Enjoy!

6.9.09

2009-06-09T23:31:00.001-04:00

Ok, so here's a story from the frontlines of the Katrina Mission project.

This story all starts Monday night when our first day of actual construction work is over. Everyone have showered up from the sweat and dirt acquired from various service sites throughout New Orleans. The last dinner and dessert plates have been cleared and the playing cards take their place shuffle as we relax and retell the day.

As I wander around the sanctuary I meander near Pastor Kevin and ask him how his day unfolded. He launches into how great their work site is and how they got to interact with some of the neighborhood children. He then shared how since they didn't have a football or anything to play with that they took a quick trip to the store - and O how the kids loved it.

Sure I thought that was great, hooray for Kevin, but...

Inside my head - pride, jealousy. I wanted to interact with people, I wanted to bring toys and games. However the work site in which my team was working is about one tumbleweed shy of a ghost town. My next step was to pray.

Me: "God, why aren't there people near our work site? I want to share games and especially your love with some neighbors and kids too. Why can't we have people near our site? I came here to spread the word and the love. Where are they?

God: "So ask me for people near your work site"

Me: "But HOW God, where would the come from? There is no one living nearby, the street is so empty. The people that do walk by don't seem interested in talking with us. They aren't even interested in the candy we brought."

God: "Are you going to ask me?"

Me: "God, can you bring people to our work site so we can share the love and play games with them?"

God: "Yes"

I left the conversation with a feeling of confusion. How was God going to do it? We are working at the same work site the rest of the week, which would still be empty.

Rise Tuesday. Arrive at the work site. I've got on my game face. I'm ready to work. The girls on our team have another concern, it's down the street. It's the giant elementary school, which so happens to still be in session.

Although most of our schools have ended, this school is still in session. The curriculum - keep the kids safe, off the streets, and fun. Our spirit-led girls traipse to the front office and express our availability to be involved in any way that would be helpful.

When the young ladies return to the work site they share how the Summer Activities Coordinator would love to have us join the children during extended recess each day and how they would also be interested in developing a long-term relationship with the Castle Rock Church.

My jaw drops.

I check the eyes of other people on our team. I'm floored, I can't believe how God did it. I am amazed at how many people he provided. God is moving and he wants me to continually join Him where HE is at work.

And I tell you the truth, God wants you to join Him as well - you just have to ask, "Can I have someone to tell about your love?" Then pay attention.

-Rob Davlin

6.8.09

2009-06-08T21:21:00.004-04:00

Today began with a warm breakfast of oatmeal and an assortment of fruits and yogurts. There are a total of three other groups here with us from Iowa, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. We have been getting to know some of the others during our free time. After a brief devotion and training session we split up in 4 work groups and received our assignments for the day. Our tasks ranged from hanging drywall at the Trinity Church to painting and hanging siding on renovated homes.

Each day we have been traveling into New Orleans across the Pontchartrain bridge which is the World's second longest bridge measuring at 23 miles long. Today was our first work day and the heat made its presence known. It was 89 degrees without considering the Louisiana humidity. Each team was supplied with a cooler of water and lunch food. We prayed outside our work sites and were given instructions on the tasks at hand.

From 11am-530pm we worked and then the teams headed back to Trinity Church for dinner and heard from Pastor John from Castle Rock church, an inner city New Orleans affiliate. After hearing from Pastor John we all were dismissed and prepared for bed. Looking forward to another great day!

6.7.09

2009-06-07T19:00:00.008-04:00

Today began with a 6am wake up and breakfast prepared by the volunteers at the Trinity Church. After showering in the EFCA trailer/shower we moved our luggage from the sanctuary where the boys slept to the vans to prepare for Sunday morning worship. After enjoying a great morning of worship at Trinity Church we headed out to lunch as a group. Some of us who were brave tried raw Oysters at a local restaurant.

After lunch we drove the vans a self guided tour of the Lower 9th Ward and some of the levees in downtown New Orleans. Patrick Bonner served as our tour guide and was helpful in sharing some of the events that happened during hurricane Katrina. It was shocking to see how many of the damaged homes are still left abandoned after all the flooding.

Tonight we will be making sandwiches for dinner and will be training and preparing for our first full workday which begins tomorrow bright and early!

2009-06-06T14:25:00.003-04:00

We made it through security and are waiting patiently at out gate at the Columbus Airport. There is a lot of excitement among the group members and we are looking forward to getting to New Orleans. Our flight is delayed about an hour but we came prepared with cards and other games. If all goes to plan we shall arrive in New Orleans around 10pm this evening.

Welcome

2009-05-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

This year, from June 6–12, we will be continuing that great tradition of a summer mission trip by sending a team to New Orleans, Louisiana to serve alongside Trinity Church. Trinity Church is located just outside of New Orleans in Covington, Louisiana. Trinity church has become a central hub to the Katrina Disaster Relief Team.
Each day we will be organized into 3 work teams and every morning each team will be given a “work order” with tasks and locations. We will then head out for the day to work on those various projects. As of right now, our main project will be dry-walling and painting homes that have been damaged by hurricane Katrina.
We are so grateful to all of you, for your prayers and financial support.
This blog will be used to post stories, photos, and videos throughout the week, allowing you to get up to date information about the trip. Please continue to pray for us each day, as we work towards reflecting God's love to the people of New Orleans.