Our First Official Work Day

Hi Everyone,

Welcome! I am Charlene Ebel and I will be updating you throughout the week on what we are doing down here!

First, lets start off with what we have been up to these past couple of days. We are having a lot of fun and getting to know each other better through our conversations and through the car ride! We made good time getting here and even were able to make nice, leisurely stops along the way. About 4 pm Sunday we arrived at Bethlehem Volunteer Center and were greeted warmly by Katie. She is the manager and works here with many other helping hands to take care of volunteers as they come in and need instructions on what to do and how to get the jobs accomplished. Their whole staff all do a tremendously awesome job!

We are staying in a school's gym. This area that we are staying in has a gate with barbwire around it. This area used to be an orphanage for children. The building that the children stayed in was too damaged from the storm to repair, plus it was an old building anyway. The gym however was in good enough condition to be fixed up and they turned it into a camp for volunteers to sleep in. They usually have MANY people staying here, but this week it is just our team of eleven. However we meet for meals with other volunteers who are staying at different camps. We have even met 22 volunteers who have come down from Fort Wayne! They are from various churches and our staying near our camp. Where they are staying at and where we eat at, I believe, is called Camp Restore. Bethlehem Volunteer Center (where we are staying) has only been officially open to volunteers since the first week in March.

The weather is beautiful! Yes it is humid sometimes, but since we have been here the wind has been giving us a nice cool breeze. It rains off and on too. I would say it would be in the 70's today. The breeze has really been a blessing as we are all working up a sweat outside! We are blessed also that our (gym) dorms have air conditioning! Yeah! Actually that whole building does. Besides the men and women's dorms we have restrooms, a place to keep cold water, they keep all their supplies (boots, masks, first aid, cleaning products, etc) here and they have a bunch of tables and chairs set up.

So what have we been doing to work up a sweat? The LORD'S work! :) Dave gets to dig up trenches with a back hoe. This will be for electricity to run to one of their tool sheds. Dwayne and Joe are working inside trying to REDO some showers. I guess previous groups tried to hurry up and get the job done and it did not meet 'code' standards nor did they even work properly. The rest of the men: Caleb, Carter, Bruce, Tim, and Aaron, are working on cutting down some dead trees on this property. Ellen and Jane have been cleaning out first aid kits, organizing the inventory of band aids, peroxide, Tylenol, etc, and then putting them back into the clean kits. The kits then go into rubber maid containers filled with, gloves, masks, eye wash, trash bags, bug spray, etc. This container goes to the work site so that anything you need is easily accessible. Then I (Charlene) have been cleaning out our 'gym,' port-o-potties, shower area and doing some laundry. These projects and others (lawn care) will keep us busy throughout the rest of the day. We are trying to restore the camp so that when other volunteers or inspectors come in, it will be acceptable. Later in the week we will probably go to a house to help out with whatever needs to be done.

Last night we went to a festival in New Orleans (St. Bearnard) and had a lot of fun at the carnival. Some tried alligator for the first time but no one was brave enough that I know of to try the crawdads! Maybe later this week, eh? I remember Bruce saying it was good to see the people here out and about and having a great time and enjoying the festivities. Many people, I have heard, are depressed and losing hope quickly. So I think we can all agree with Bruce's statement!

Now I would like to share two stories that we have heard and learned about while being down here and I am assuming these things have happened at more than once or twice! First, I will make you aware that, as I said before, people need hope and restoration down here. Construction workers (plumbers, electricians, roof workers, landscapers, the list goes on. . .) will make a deal with the home owner to fix it up, but the money must be upfront of course for the supplies. Then they will either not show up for the job and have their life savings in their wallet or they will work on half of the house and ask for the second have of the money later and then now show up. I am not sure if these are the professionals who are doing this or 'posers.' Can you imagine what that would be like to be the victim? Average people just like you and me loose everything in a storm and in an effort to rebuild their lives, a criminal steals from them. They are left with nothing.

The other story that was told was about a homeowner whose house was almost 'complete.' The volunteer group that had been working on her/his house had to leave and a new group would be coming in the following week to put the finishing touches on. Instead the group went in, I am assuming a little too excited and started gutting the house out as if it had never even been touched! Can you imagine the homeowners surprise! I don't know how they could have thought that it had never been touched because of all of the 'new' things that were put into the place! Oh goodness!

As I close I would like to give you all a huge "Thank you" for your prayers and support, we are so blessed to be able to be a blessing to the people here. Everyone is in good health and are glad to be doing the Lord's work! I hope to make a journal entry every day, so please feel free to check back in and make a comment if you would like. Also, thank you to the Stephen Ministry gang for taking the time to make us all encouragement cards. This gives us something fun to look forward to every day! =-]

Blessings,

Charlene Ebel

1 Peter 3:15