What a great experience with such an amazing group of people! I have to say I had a very good time and I think the group did too. There were no problems or hitches other than two wrong turns, one on the way there that resulted in a loss of 20 minutes and $1.50 per team in toll, and the other on the way home which just gave us an alternate route.
We gathered at the church on time and Pastor Pat talked to us about Philippians 1:27 and then prayed with us in a circle. Most of the people who went had not been on a disaster relief mission so that was fun and this was Scott and my first time leading. We took three vehicles with Melinda and her son, Don, his friend Victoria, and Ryan and Sarah in the van; the church van with Jay driving and most of the other people, and our van with me driving, Scott, Laura, and Deana. We stopped in Blackwell at the Braums and started getting to know each other. In our vehicle we listened and sang along with old Christian music including Rich Mullins and shared our stories with one another.
We arrived at the church around 8:30 and found out they were only expecting 10 of us, not 17, but quickly decided on jobs for us to do. Sandy and her husband and Jean, volunteers from out of state, stay at the church to organize the teams and the paperwork. Jared from Poured Out was there along with Kevin, a National Guard volunteer. They estimate that well over four hundred people have come to stay at the little May Avenue Weslyan church and work to help Moore. Last week there was a group of 80 there at one time! Ladies from the church including Melissa, the Pastor's wife, prepare breakfast and dinner for the teams.
We laid out our cots and mattresses and bedding and got ourselves organized with the 5 guys sleeping in the sanctuary and the 12 girls in the fellowship hall which is also where we ate our meals. We had a meeting and Deana read a short devotion and we prayed then tried to go to sleep by about 10:30. Even with earplugs to block the snoring and ibuprofen, it was comfortable but difficult to fall asleep. It was also kind of fun, like a giant sleepover.
We all got up around 7 and got our work clothes on and ate pancakes and eggs, had devotions, and met and divided up into two teams to do two jobs. Scott assigned me to be in charge of one site and he was in charge of the other. Three ladies stayed back in the morning to clean the church thoroughly and Jay stayed back to roof it. These were such a blessing to the little church as three weeks ago when we stayed and there was another big storm, there were many leaks in the roof. And the church had taken a huge beating from all the teams coming through.
Our site was four lots in the same neighborhood our team worked in last time. The lots had been cleared but still had small debris that needed to be cleaned up to make it really look nice for the homeowners. So we raked and shoveled and wheelbarrowed. My job was really mostly caretaker to be sure everyone stayed hydrated and safe. Of course I worked alongside, also. The hardest part was deciding when to take breaks and when to stop so that no one overheated.
At around 11:30, I was starting to get concerned that we'd worked for three hours and no one needed to use the restroom so we decided to find air conditioning, a bathroom and food. I had to take the group of eight in two trips to a McDonald's down the street where Melissa bought everyone lunch. While there, we met a group of volunteers from a Baptist church about 30 miles away who were also there to help.
It heated up quickly in the afternoon and we were joined first by the ladies that had cleaned the church and then by the other half of the whole group. Just before that, I'd sent the van with about five people to go to the restroom and cool off. When they arrived, we sent three really hot people back to the church. About an hour later, another group, including me had hit a wall and we returned to the church. The last five worked another hour or so to finish up the last lot.
That morning, Scott's group first carried some paver stones for a gal who is a hospice nurse whose home had been somewhat damaged in the storm. She was giving the stones to another lady. They got to hear her tornado storm and be a blessing to her. Then they carried and placed many, many more paver stones for another gal. Apparently at their lunch, they got to talk with another homeowner and hear her story.
When we returned to the church, we took amazing showers in the shower trailer owned by Poured Out. Dinner was beef with broccoli, rice, peach cobbler and brownies, prepared by the church ladies. It was delicious. After dinner, most of us piled in the church van and took a tour of the destruction and also went to the school site where six kids and a teacher died. A memorial was set up there with memorial objects, messages of support and t shirts from all the groups that had come to help. It was emotional. There were t shirts that read about Hope for Moore that many of us purchased and later signed.
We met to decide the plan for Sunday. We had a hard time deciding whether or not to go the church as there were really good reasons and those who felt strongly about working all day, and good reasons and those who felt strongly about going to church. The suggestion and final decision was to get up really early and work in the cool morning before church, attend the church service, and then go back out and work a few hours in the afternoon. It was a great decision all the way around. It was awesome to work as a whole team and we quickly cleaned two more lots and then started on a large field. Everyone was pretty jovial. We returned to the church and attended in our sock feet and work clothes and sat up front. I think it really blessed the congregation and Pastor to have us there. We sang Happy Birthday to Deana and hugged many during the greeting time. This is a small, older church in the inner city of Oklahoma City. They plan a neighborhood block party soon that hopefully will be well attended as Moore was blessed by the teams and the neighbors had to be curious about all the activity at the church.
After church, the team went out and worked more clearing the field of debris. I stayed behind to clean and rest up and try to keep my sinuses from getting infected. The team had more fun and bonding and hard work then returned around three to shower up and pack.
The ride home was uneventful other than the wrong turn. We stopped for a meal and arrived at the church around 10:00.
Overall, the trip was a huge success. Our prayer was that it be a blessing to the people of Moore, but also a great experience for the people on the team, especially those who hadn't done it before. That prayer was more than answered. Being able to bless the church on top of that was even better. Both Sandy and Jarod said we were one of the best teams that had come which meant a lot.
Stepping out in faith, trusting Him, serving Him....He will never disappoint and even exceed our earthly expectations. Thank You, Lord, for this trip and opportunity to grow in You.
