Tales from Texas

It's Time to Leave :(

2009-03-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote that I do my most creative thinking while I am working. The last two days our crew has kept very busy trying to get the renovated room at least painted once. The drywall was hung earlier in the week but we did not have enough time that day to do all the drywall taping. Today we did get the first coat of paint on in the renovated dining room and in the porch/entry way. But that meant that we had to keep very busy especially since we very expected to quit on time and then wash and vacuum the vehicles. We were a bit delayed since the opening for the air conditioner was not the correct size and we had to make some modifications. We also hung the ceiling/fan since we had taken it down 2 weeks ago and did not have a copy of the installation instructions to give to the next crew. Sorry that I have not posted any more photos but I must learn how to post my own photos instead of bothering someone else here. That will be my goal for the next year.
For lunch today we were served Creole boudin sausage. It is a mixture of rice, ground pork, liver, parsley, salt, pepper and green onions stuffed into a sausage casing. Miss Henry Belle and Miss Josie May shared lunch time with us as they have for the past 2 weeks. We asked them to stay around for the afternoon so that we could take some pictures and bid our farewells. We were offered ice cream again but thought we had too much work to do today. At about 3 o'clock we shared our hugs and with tears in our eyes we said good-bye to each other. We hope to see each other again, either here in Port Arthur or else in heaven.
Tomorrow morning we will say our good-bye to the sisters and brothers we met here at DRS and I am certain there will be more tears.

The Early Church Today

2009-03-26T18:18:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to blog most days to keep you all posted on our activities here in Texas. As you may or may not know, I do most of my creative thinking while I am working, whether it be driving a tractor, milking cows, or even building or renovating. I find it easier to do it this way than to sit down and then be forced to think of something to write about. Our three weeks here are soon coming to an end and my thoughts today compare the experience here to the early church which Paul writes about in Acts 2:42-47. These verses include the following phrases "the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.... They had everything in common and gave to anyone as he has need.... They ate together with glad and sincere hearts praising God......" Much of this also describes this group of believers here at the DRS site in Port Arthur and I assume at other sites also. Maybe we do not sell our possessions and give to others as we see their need. But we do give willingly of our time and talents to help meet the needs of some of the people of Port Arthur and the group also gives willingly to each other to comfort and sustain and encourage each other with the specific needs or concerns we may have. Wouldn't it be beautiful if our home churches were like this? The last verse of this passage in Acts ends with these words, " And the Lord added daily to their number those who were being saved." Maybe that could happen to our churches also.

Another "Hard" Day

2009-03-25T17:13:00.000-07:00

Some of you may think that volunteering with DRS means a lot of hard work or all work and no play and thus it does not interest you. Others may think that Margo and I are working long hours and there is little time for relaxation. Whatever the situation, I hope I do not disappoint you when I tell you that we have lots of laughs together but also the homes do improve dramatically and the homeowners are very thankful and delighted.
Each of the three crews works in a different home and each has its own vehicle to drive to the work site. The three homes are all in the same part of town, maybe within 10 blocks of each other. This morning our crew wanted to borrow a tool from each of the other 2 crews so we decided that on the way to the work site we would stop at the other sites, but only for a minute. Two things happened that delayed us; first of all, I am directionally challenged and got lost on the way and secondly, we had to wait at the second home since they had glue on a floor that we had to cross in order to get the needed tool. But we did eventually get to the job site. On Wednesday mornings the kitchen crew delivers donuts to the sites so we "had" to stop for a break. Soon afterwards Miss Henry had coffee ready and we "had" to have another break but we only had one "coffee" break. At lunch time we had to stop again since Miss Henry had prepared lunch for us and later in the afternoon she dished up ice cream for us. After supper every day, the three crews report on their day. Our crew is getting a reputation for all the breaks we take but slowly the room is transforming. Unfortunately we will not be able to complete the job but another crew is coming this Saturday and they will begin work on Monday.

Hurricane Destruction

2009-03-24T17:48:00.000-07:00

On both Saturday and Sunday we spent some time on the road with new friends. It is not possible to describe all the destruction that we saw and a photo does not always capture the magnitude of the destruction. We saw many homes that were destroyed, as well as restaurants, visitor centres, businesses, etc. I would like to take some close up photos of homes but someone owns those homes and sometimes they still live in them. To better capture the extent of the destruction we have bought a book about hurricane Ike with photos taken by newspaper photographers.
Last week I wrote about the home which we helped to renovate last year and how that home was now totally destroyed. Today when we were talking to Miss Josie we learned that one of the neighbours had watched the 5 homes burn down. Since everyone had been forced to leave the town before the hurricane there was no use to call the fire department and the neighbours could only watch the homes burn. Before we leave on Saturday morning I would still love to visit Miss Reedom and her son Dabs to see how they are managing after having their home damaged by hurricane Rita, then repaired by volunteers and then totally destroyed.

The Hand of God

2009-03-24T17:35:00.000-07:00

Work at the home is going well. The drywall has been hung and this afternoon we began to tape the joints and cover the screw holes. I apologize to those of you who do not understand this construction language. We have only three days left to work and I'm beginning to think that we will not complete the job. But a new crew will begin on Monday and they can continue where we left off. The other two homes that our gang is working on are nearing completion.
This evening Miss Henry Belle and Miss Josie May joined us for supper. All of the group enjoyed fellowshipping with them. After a delicious supper we sang a few hymns which are favourites of them and also of our group. Then Miss Josie shared a joke with all of us. I could tell you this joke later if I can remember the punch line.
After both our breakfast and supper meal one couple of our group leads with devotions. One theme that I continue hearing is that we are the hands of God working in this community. That is an awesome experience. And to think that God has ordained all these things in advance for us to do. It really is a privilege and a gift to us to be able to have this experience, to spend time helping those in need and to meet so many great people.

One City--Two Cultures

2009-03-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we did work on the house again and the roof is ready for rain. Inside we are almost ready to hang drywall, (or sheetrock or board). But I'll write on a different topic besides construction today.
When we are at the job site, everyone we see is coloured--the mailman, the garbage man, and every person who walks by or drives by. Last evening we went to the musical, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", and had a good time together. The theatre is just a block from our accommodations. There were about 80 to 100 people in the cast, many of them between 8 and 18 years of age. But only one was coloured and I don't think that anyone in the audience was coloured. But when I see the members of our DRS team I don't see either colour. Already the first day that we met Miss Henry Belle, she said that we were like family to her, even though she is part of a large extended family. I don't understand how two different cultures live in the same town but seem to live totally separate lives and have such different standards of living. There is actually a third culture in Port Arthur, the Spanish or Mexican population, but I haven't interacted with that culture.

SETIO

2009-03-19T18:07:00.000-07:00

Tonight our group, the 24 of us, had guests at supper, which was excellent as usual! Johnnie is the executive director of SETIO and her husband Bob is on city council and is also involved with SETIO. SETIO is the acronym for South East Texas Interfaith Organization and SETIO seeks to procure funds from state and national governments and then use these funds to help families rebuild after disasters such as hurricanes Rita and Ike. Both Johnnie and Bob are passionate about what SETIO is doing and I will just jot down a few of the facts that they told us. We are working in Port Arthur and although we see many blue tarps on roofs and many abandoned homes and businesses, Port Arthur did not suffer the most damage since there is a levy around the town. However, there was wind damage and then damage from heavy rain. Bridge City, which is just down the road, suffered much more damage. Of the 3800 hundred homes in that town, only 14 did not receive damage. Since this town does not have levies, most of the homes were flooded by at least 6 feet of water and some homes had water over the roofs. As a result everything in the home is destroyed and there is a thick layer of mud left behind.
Other damage from hurricane Ike included over 4000 cattle dead, over 3000 horses dead, thousands of acres of crops destroyed, the agriculture industry destroyed because of the salt water, refineries closed because of damage and then many people laid off as a result. Just one example shows the devastating power of the storm--a barge was pushed 30 miles inland by the storm surge and was left on a highway. The road was closed for days until the barge was removed, only by cutting it into pieces. At Sabine Pass, which is also nearby, the storm surge was 18 feet high. Imagine what it would take to stop an 18 foot high wave of water!
What has SETIO done to help the people who suffered the damage. Since hurricane Rita (2005), SETIO has touched 1200 homes, 78 of these were rebuilt and 280 were renovated. Others received minor repairs---tarps, some windows repaired, etc. MOST OF THIS WAS DONE BY THE CRWRC! Not bad for a small denomination.
SETIO has some big goals for the future. There are over 3000 empty lots in the town, or lots with abandoned home. SETIO has applied for funding and can acquire money to build 1000 new homes with government money. But the work would be done by volunteers like us. Is anyone looking for a place to spend next winter in a warm climate, helping those in need?

Garbage and Prayer

2009-03-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

After working for 5 days at Miss Henry Belle's home we had a huge pile of garbage or deconstruction waste---roofing materials, 1 inch boards, 2" by 4" boards full of nails, old ceiling tiles, inside wall materials and outside wall materials and much more. The pile was about 5 feet high, 15 feet long and 10 feet wide. Yesterday afternoon Miss Henry Belle called the city hall to request that this garbage be picked up. The first response was that it would be about 2 weeks until the man on the other end of the phone asked who was calling. When he heard that it was our Miss Henry Belle, a close relative of his, he said that they would be there soon.
This morning as we were driving to the site, actually we were about 2 blocks away, I said, "Look, our garbage is already being picked up!" I was so excited that I forgot to stop at the stop sign a half block away from Miss Henry Belle's home. Jill, one of the members of our crew, says that she looked in both directions quickly and would have yelled at me to stop if there was any traffic coming.
Maris, another member of the crew, was so excited since she had been praying that the garbage would go soon. After I parked, she ran immediately and hugged both men who she had never met before, the one raking up the debris and the one driving the garbage grabber. I hesitated when I observed this but she is a grown woman, even older than I am, and she must know her boundaries. When the last of the debris was picked up, Maris gave another hug and a thank you. The response was, "Are you all believers?" When Maris replied "yes", then he asked to pray asking God to provide safety for our crew as we worked on this home. Unfortunately Darryl, Don and I were already behind the house but in front of the home Maris, Jill, Miss Henry Belle and the two men who picked up the debris were standing on the front lawn holding hands and in prayer led by the man driving the garbage truck.

Lunch with Miss Henry Belle and Miss Josie May

2009-03-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

We have been working at the home of Miss Henry Belle and her son for the past 5 days. We did not see her last Thursday and Friday since she was gone before we came in the morning and was not home yet by the time we left in the afternoon. (We have our own key to get into the house.) However she was home on Monday morning and it has been a delight to meet her and get to know her. As I may have written already, hurricane Rita damaged the main part of her home and now hurricane Ike damaged an addition which is her dining room and laundry room. The damage from hurricane Rita was repaired by another group of volunteers a few years ago.
Already on Monday morning Miss Henry wanted to make lunch for us but we had brought our own lunches. Later in the morning 2 of her sisters, Miss Bessie and Miss Josie May, came over with another friend. They visited for hours in the kitchen while we hammered and sawed and made lots of other noises in the dining room. They wanted to feed us at lunch time on Tuesday so we did not pack a lunch. On Tuesday and then on Wednesday morning, 9 of us worked on the deconstruction and then the reconstruction. For Tuesday the two sisters made us a delicious lunch which I may have trouble describing. There was fried farm raised catfish from Louisiana, steamed rice which we covered with a spicy Cajun shrimp dish, warm biscuits, tossed salad, iced tea and maybe more. Yes, there was also a pinto bean dish with ham in it. We ate only half of the food. There was also a pineapple cake for dessert and we were served coffee several times during the day.
Today we were served lunch again. Not quite as fancy but today the conversation got my attention more than the food. I have just completed the book "A Painted House" by John Grisham about picking cotton in 1952 in Louisiana. The family of Miss Henry were cotton pickers so we heard all about that way of life. Although the book describes the cotton picking as a hard life, these ladies talked favourably about that time of their lives.
We look forward to going back tomorrow, and like Miss Henry Belle and Miss Josie May say, "It's like we are all family and like we have known each other for years already."

I'm out of the kitchen

2009-03-17T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday,today and tomorrow I get to work at a home. I'm beginning to become an "expert" at flooring. I laid 1/4 inch plywood and I get to use a power tool and an air compressor when I do that task. After the glue is spread we get to lay tiles. All the rooms in the house get the same tiles.Of course when I lay tiles I tend to get more glue on myself than the other tile layers.Last year when I worked for DRS I managed to cover even more of myself with glue. So my skill level is improving.Tomorrow I will probably lay more flooring. The house where I am working needs the most work of the homes being worked on right now. The whole house is being redone so it will keep many people busy for along time.The residents of the home are a 76 year old grandpa, his daughter and 2 granddaughters. We see grandpa every day and we see the girls and their mom when they come home from school and work. Im sure they will be happy with all the improvements that will be coming.

More Deconstruction and then Reconstruction

2009-03-17T17:23:00.001-07:00

First a little bit about the photos I posted yesterday. (5 of them) The photos show the wall before we removed the panelling, the roof from the bottom after the ceiling was removed, some rotten studs, etc. The tape in the one photo shows how the wall moved over 3 inches from the floor. (I'm not feeling too creative this evening so it might read kind of boring.)

We met Miss Henry Belle yesterday morning and she has been a joy to work for. We are being treated so well that the other crews are jealous of us. More about that latter. She told us that Hurricane Rita also hit her home. The main part of the house suffered damage and a crew of young people came in and repaired the roof and also worked inside the house for about 7 days. When Hurricane Ike threatened to strike Port Arthur she left to stay with friends or family. When she returned the carport was destroyed and the roofing material (roll roofing) had come off the back room which serves as dining room and laundry room. A blue tarp was placed on the roof but these tarps eventually leak. As a result of that leak, the floor and eventually the joists and studs began to rot. She is very thankful for the repairs that we are doing. By 4:15 this afternoon the floor was repaired, the new exterior wall up and the roof enclosed. The day reminded me of a barn raising work bee.
If I have more time on the computer I will write about our lunch today.

More Deconstruction

2009-03-16T18:01:00.001-07:00

Deconstruction

2009-03-12T17:10:00.000-07:00

This morning we finished hanging the storm door/screen door at Miss Deborah's home and drove to our next construction site. Miss Henry was not home but we had a key to the door. Our construction manager, Faye, showed us what had to be done on this home. I will try to post a photo but will have to ask someone for help. Behind the main part of the house is a lean-to (Most of the homes have at least one lean-to.) which acts as the dining room. It is separated from the kitchen by a large island but no walls or doors. The roof of this dining room is sagging and has been leaking, probably at least since hurricane Ike in 2008 and maybe since hurricane Rita in 2005. The roof was originally roll roofing, which is made like shingles but comes in a roll. It seems to have come off in one large piece, 14 feet by 28 feet. There was now a FEMA blue tarp on the roof and it looks like another tarp had been on the roof and blew off and is now lying on the lawn with the boards used to nail it down. The roof has been leaking for some time and as a result the floor is now rotted along the outside wall. Also some of the wall is rotting. We can't take the roof and wall down and leave it since then the home would be open for anyone to walk in. Today we gutted this room and some day next week we will replace part of the floor, the 27 foot end wall and the whole roof. That will be a busy day but we will get some help from another crew. We'll have to wait for a dry day and I wouldn't want to start it on a Friday.
I will stop writing for now since we are getting guests who are in town for this week to do similar work.
Jack

What's Keeping Margo Busy?

2009-03-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Can you imagine feeding an army of volunteers who have been hard at work all day? This week I get to cook meals, do dishes and other assorted kitchen duties to keep the troops happy and content. The cooks begin their day bright and early at 6 am to prepare breakfast and organize the lunch fixings. Following this we get to wash dishes, do menu planning, baking and other food prep.
We usually get a break from 1-4 in the afternoon. I use that time to walk, read and enjoy the warmth and sunshine of a Texas afternoon. From 4-6 pm we prepare supper and break for the evening to play games and get acquainted with one another. Once a week the cooks go visit the construction sites bringing special treats for the hard working volunteers to enjoy.This happened today. I will probably get to spend at least one of the 3 weeks doing construction and hopefully learning some new skills.

What is Disaster Relief Services?

2009-03-10T17:11:00.001-07:00

Well, I'm sorry but I still don't have any photos to post. The house we are working on is almost done so the photos would show a nicely painted home with new floor, new trim, etc. Tomorrow we hope to finish up but we have already learned that finishing up takes a lot longer that you think. Those final little jobs take time and then the home owner reminds us of a few more little jobs. The kitchen looks great, but don't look under the sink. You would not want to put any pots and pans down there. Now she asked if we could make some improvements there.
I thought that I would tell you a little bit about how Disaster Relief Services (DRS) operates. DRS is an arm of CRWRC and has been responding to disasters--floods, hurricanes, ice storms for over 20 years already. One of the couples here has been volunteering with them since 1989 and has been on about 35 sessions all across the USA. DRS receives funding from offerings in the CRC and provides for our travel, our housing and our meals during the week. On weekends the volunteers look after their own food. The materials that we use, and a lot of materials are used every day, are paid for by other means: some by other churches, some by United Way, some government money and some insurance money. I think that there are currently 4 sites operated by DRS and a new site will be opening up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in about 3 weeks to deal with all the flooding that they had to deal with in 2008.
At each site there is a couple who act as On Site Manager. They look after the volunteers and deal with the head office in Grand Rapids. They help with grocery shopping and also look after the spiritual aspect of the ministry. There is also a couple who act as constuction manager. They look after the three crews and make sure that there are always supplies to keep the volunteers working. They make many trips to the local lumber yards. Each construction crew has a leader and I've been appointed leader of our crew. My job is to try to keep each member of the crew busy (working) that is. Not just busy work. But we try to share the job of leader by having lots of conferences to decide how a job should be done. If you have done any renovations at all, especially on older homes, you can run into lots of challenges.
I've been told that I should write a little about today's work. Yesterday we took off 7 doors, some to be repainted and some to be replaced and repainted. The doors, hinges and door knobs were all labelled but the labels got painted over and today it was a real challenge to get the correct door in the correct room with the correct hinges and door knobs. We had lots of fun with that because sometimes a door would get hung in one room, then moved to another room and get painted again. Meanwhile we also worked on the door bell, a window sill in the bathroom, some cleaning, etc.
Oh yes, I learned something today. Well, I learn lots every day. Today it was "lefty loosey, righty tighty". Does anyone understand that? To loosen a screw or bolt, you turn to the left and to tighten you turn it to the right, that's the direction the sun moves.
Well, I have to quit now to play a game. And I have to work on a prayer for agriculture and industry for tomorrow evening's Prayer Day Service. Apparently tomorrow is the denominational day of prayer but the folks up in Canada are not yet thinking about planting crops and are not yet thinking about the prayer service.
Good night all.
Jack and Margo

Hurricane Ike and agriculture

2009-03-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

Today we will change the tone a little bit. Eighteen of us went out and worked on three homes today but the front page of the paper says "Area ag industry in Crisis". I thought that maybe you would like to hear a little bit about how hurricane Ike affected farmers. Tomorrow I'll go back to how Ike affected homeowners.
The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is looking for volunteers to take part in a massive effort to rebuild fences. Ranchers need about 1700 miles of fencing replaced that was washed out. That is a fence almost all the way from Port Arthur, Texas, to Finch, Ontario. Can you imagine that? And can you imagine meeting some of those Texas longhorns walking around in your community because all their fences are down? Those longhorned cattle have two horns of about 3 feet each! It also states that more than half a million acres were flooded by Ike's storm surge. About 10,000 cattle died during and after the storm and another 20,000 were moved away afterwards but now cannot be brought back because of the lack of fences.
Good night for now.
Jack and Margo

Did We Work In Vain?

2009-03-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

This afternoon we toured the homes where we would be working tomorrow and in the following days. One home should be completed in a few days. At least it will look completed but do we always know what is inside the walls? It does have a new roof, new drywall and new paint! The other two homes have so much work to be done yet.
Afterwards we went for a drive to visit the family where we worked last year. Actually, many volunteers worked there for several months, including Pete and Jean Van Veen, Ted and Tina Veenstra(De Jong), Reuben and Margo and myself. But we could not find the house. We knew it was on Stillwell Ave. and drove up and down the street but could not find it. Finally we figured out where it probably was and should have been. About 4 houses in a row were completely gone, but the tree by the sidewalk was still there. We drove back to our headquarters with sad hearts and asked if anyone knew what had happened. Apparently there had been a gas leak in one of the houses sometime since February of 2008 and all the houses were destroyed. Fortunately the occupants were able to get out first. I hope that they were able to enjoy their renovated home for a time and I hope that they have somewhere else to live now.

Anointing

2009-03-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

This morning we worshipped at St. John's Lutheran Church which owns the facility where we are living for the next 3 weeks. We were joined by another 10 CRC members from California and Iowa who are also volunteering here in Port Arthur. This was a very special time since Pastor Buddy anoints every one of the CRWRC workers before they begin their work here. He anoints our eyes to see and our ears to hear what God is calling us to do here and he anoints our hands to do the work we have been called to do. Now we are ready to go!

We've Arrived

2009-03-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

This morning the alarm went off at 3:25. Yes, am. After a short night we were in the car by 3:50, with coffee in hand, and on the road to the Ottawa airport. After line ups at security we were in the air by 6:15 and landed in Washington, DC, by 7:30. From there we flew to Houston where we were picked up by a couple belonging to the Houston who are longtime volunteers with DRS. They drove us to Port Arthur where we met the crew we will work with for the next three weeks. There are 3 couples from Ontario, about 6 from Michigan, one from Iowa, one from Minnesota and one from North Dakota.
In an hour or so we will have our first meal together and then some time of orientation. The construction manager is trying to figure out what kinds of skills this group has and who will be assigned to which jobs. Apparently there are 8 homes that have been approved for repairs by DRS at this time. I've been told that these homes received damage from Hurricane Rita in October of 2005. Can you imagine waiting that long for help?? Hurricane Ike hit this same region in 2008 but the folks who were hit by Hurricane Rita will get help first.
This afternoon we went for a walk in the better part of town and even there we saw quite a few homes with blue tarps on their roofs. I can't imagine what it would be living in the poorer part of town when the hurricanes come. On the drive from Houston we could also see how high the water came after the hurricane by the lines on the trees, by the long grass hanging 15 feet up in the trees and even by the furniture and garbage hanging 15 feet up in the trees.
Tomorrow I will try to take some photos and try to post some of them.
Bye for now,
Jack and Margo

Time to Pack

2009-03-04T18:08:00.000-08:00

In three days we will be in Texas ready to begin a 3-week assignment with Disaster Relief Services (DRS). This will be the first time in over 30 years that we will be away from home for this long. We look forward to this opportunity but have some hesitations: will Luther and Reuben manage okay without us? will the dogs take over the house? will everything work out in the barn? will the dishes get washed? and most importantly, will our grandchildren still know us when we return?
We will be spending the three weeks in Port Arthur, Texas. Hurricane Rita hit this community a few weeks after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Before the community had fully recovered from Rita, Hurricane Ike hit in 2008. When the ice storm hit eastern Ontario and western Quebec in 1998 we were without power for 12 days. However, when the power returned most things were soon back to normal. Not so when a hurricane strikes your community!
With this blog we will try to keep you informed about the work in Port Arthur as well as the needs there.